Whaaaaaa it's late! But as promised, a longer chapter! Hope it is all that you hoped for, and would love to hear from y'all! All of my reviewers seem to have disappeared! I would really love to hear your views and if there is anything you would like me to change or anything you think would be a cool add in!

Suzuki Li x

Loki watch another building crumble in front of him, watched each brick burst into clouds of dust and each shard of glass explode in the air. He sighed, and pointed his sceptre at another, willing his mind to be anything other than the blue haze it was. He was tired. So very tired. He did not remember the last time he slept, or the last time he ate. If he was honest, he didn't really remember much these days. He did not recognise that subservient blue stare that gazed back at him in the mirror. He couldn't even remember why he was here. He forced himself to stop thinking on it, his master would be watching his thoughts. And his wrath was not a force that even Loki would toy with. A Chitauri warrior scooted past him, and for a moment he became aware of his surroundings. He'd been here before, he recognised this place. He was here to find something, someone... but who?

The Thunder God. With him, Odin will bend to our every desire; a voice in his head reminded him. Yes. Thor. Brother.

For a moment, clarity consumed him and he observed his surroundings once more.

But that's not why I'm here... he thought, shaking his head and lowering the sceptre. He glanced down at the glowing blue stone. Easily stolen from Asgard. But there had been a reason. A reason so important that he risk his own life to steal it.

What have I told you about thinking, Asgardian; the voice muttered in his ear again. Loki winced, he knew that tone. It was usually followed by pain. A crack of thunder in the sky alerted him to his brothers presence. He drew in a deep breath, eyes zoning in on the exact location he knew Thor would be, and disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

...

"It's very quiet around here today."

Tony whipped around from his work, spilling coffee down his shirt.

"For fu-"

Hela grinned, crossing her long legs, casting him a sly look. Tony eyed her up and down. She really was a very beautiful woman. Long, creamy legs, full cleavage with just enough on display, candy red lips and those beautiful green eyes that gave him that come to bed;

She's 5, Tony, his mind scolded before it carried on into depths even he couldn't return from. He chose instead, to just flash her a cocky grin and a wink.

"So where have you been, Pussycat?" he asked, leaning back against his work bench and sipping on what was left of his coffee. "Been strangely... normal without you here."

"Duties."

"What sort of duties?"

"The dead can not ferry themselves, Mr Stark," she said cryptically, blowing an ebony wave out of her face. She truly was Loki's daughter. Now that she was sat here, like this, he did not know how they didn't realise this before.

"Really?" he said, chewing on his bottom lip, brown furrowed. Hela's raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You sound perplexed?"

"Just... just don't think a 5 year old should be... you know, playing with dead bodies."

Hela let out a soft chuckle and gave him a look of pure amusement.

"That is what you believe me to do, Mr Stark? Play with them?" She let out another bewildered cackle and ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head. "I shall ask you again, where are you're friends?"

"Uh..."

...

Loki re-appeared with a slight stumble, eyes fixed on the broad back of a tall, muscular blonde.

"Well, you're not the blonde I was after, but you will do for now," he purred, as the startled blue eyes of Captain America whipped around to face him.

"Didn't think blondes were you're type," Steve retorted quietly, gripping his shield just a little tighter. He studied Loki's face now, for the first time. He had the same, soft curves and delicate features of his daughter. But he looked sick, his skin was ashen, the roundness of his cheeks a little sunken. He lacked the spark of energy that usually glinted in his eyes.

His eyes, Steve remembered, taking in the icy blue hue. Loki paced around him, sceptre hanging loosely in his left hand, right hand resting behind his back.

"Nice of you to keep me company, whilst I await my dear brothers arrival," Loki chimed, but the humor in his tone was faint. He was merely a shadow of the Loki that graced them with his presence the previous time. Steve didn't miss the was Loki's eyes would flick around questioningly, his brow pressed into a tiny frown.

"You don't know why you're here, do you?" Steve asked, lowering his shield a little. Loki fixed him with a poisonous stare, but could find no words to answer the question. And a Loki with no words, was not a Loki at all. Steve watched the gods mind reel, trying to make sense of the situation. It was very apparent now, that Loki had no control over his actions or thoughts. Steve just had to hold him here until Thor arrived.

"Why don't you put the stick down, for a moment," Steve suggested and Loki cast him a "I'm not that stupid" glance. "You look awfully tired."

Loki sighed, irritation littering his features now and he pointed the sceptre at the Avenger.

"I'm bored of you now. Good bye!"

"Brother!"

Loki sighed again, lowering the sceptre and turning to see Thor, followed by Natasha and Hulk.

"Finally, you have decided to join us!" Loki beamed, opening his arms in a welcoming gesture, although his eyes never left the Hulk.

"You appear to be a man down," Loki observed, leaning to the right to look around the Hulk. "I know your Hawk is watching me, but where is your man of iron?"

"Babysitting," Natasha bit back, and Loki visibly cringed at the mere word, baby. A well aimed arrow suddenly struck Loki's hand in his moment of distraction, hissing, his dropped the sceptre to the ground and Thor leapt forward, smashing the glowing blue gem with Mjolnir. Loki fell to his knees with a gasp, uninjured hand grasping at his head. His eyes began to glow brighter and brighter and he let out a shriek as they seemed to burst, leaving him to fell forward into a heap on the ground.

"Brother!" Thor shouted, crawling to Loki and rolling him over onto his back and cradling his head in his lap. Loki was breathing, thankfully, but a trail of scarlet tear drops raced down his cheeks. Steve knelt beside them, unsure what to do.

"Loki... Loki wake up," Thor said gently, stroking his little brothers hair. Loki remained still. Thor stood, cradling his brother with one arm, other raised in the air with his hammer.

"I am taking him back to the tower," he said, and he disappeared in a crack of thunder.

...

"Do you wanna go in there?" Tony asked softly. He carried Hela, who was now a small child again, on his hip, her head resting on his shoulder, hand clinging to his shirt. They stood by the large glass window that looked into the infirmary, where Loki had been sleeping for the past 2 days. Hela shook her head, gripping his shirt tighter. She had not spoke a word since Thor had returned with Loki, and was instead acting much more her age. Like a shy, quiet, 5 year old girl. Both Bruce and Steve had tried and failed to get Hela to go and see her mother...father? Tony had taken it as a personal challenge.

"What are you worried about?" Tony asked, stroking the girls hair and twisting side to side in a soothing motion. Hela remained silent and Tony sighed, finally feeling like giving up.

"What if he doesn't know me?"

Tony rested his cheek on the top of her head and stroked her back, continuing the soothing swinging motion.

"There is no doubt that you are the only thing he has thought about for the past 5 centuries," Tony assured. Hela let out a low breath and released Tony's shirt from her death grip, opting instead to tuck her arms beneath her.

"I would wait until he is well," Hela said finally, and in a tone that was not meant to be argued with. Tony turned, carrying the small child away from the infirmary. She was asleep by the time he reached the lounge, handing her over to Bruce. She grumbled, eyelids slowly fluttering open and closed again as she snuggled up to Bruce's chest. Bruce sighed, looking down at her, then back to the image of Loki on the screen.

"Maybe soon things will be a bit better, for the both of you."