Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers, or anything else owned by Marvel.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, they mean a lot. I do read them all, even if I don't reply to them. This chapter has a slightly different tone to it, so let me know how I did. Enjoy and Review.

Redemption

by

I Am Atrocity

Chapter VII: Blood Brothers

'Brother, my brother, tell me: what are we fighting for? We've got to end this war. We should love one another. Oh, can't we just pretend this war never began. We can try, brother, my brother. We face each other from different sides. The anger burns, can't rememver why. It's kind of crazy to cause so much pain. Our foolish pride makes us hate this way. We watch our world fall apart. Tell me: what good is winning when you lose your heart?'

-Brother My Brother by Blessid Union of Souls.

A cold wind blew over Stark Tower, whiping through his hair and causing his long coat to billow out behind him. He gazed out over the New York skyline, illuminated by the rising sun. His blue-green eyes took in the sight with appreciation. The atmosphere in this realm may not be as clean and clear as that of Asgard, but despite humanity's seeming determination to assure otherwise, there was beauty to be found throughout Midgard.

He had spent the night up on that highest point, pondering the events that had led him to this very moment. He was saddened to find that the bitterness that he felt for Thor had manifested itself at an earlier age than he originally believed. He had taken up the practice of sorcery as a way to finally beat his elder brother at something, and he had excelled. Unfortunately, he did not recieve the recognition and respect that he had expected. Mages and other magic users were not well respected amongst the Asgardian people, who valued strength, mastery of arms and skill in combat over all else save for their own personal honor.

In the world of warriors, the second son of Odin was seen as weak and cowardly since he prefered to engage his enemies either from a distance or with some form of magic, often implimenting some form of trickery into his technique. Behind his back they called him a cheat and a coward for defeating them in a less-than-straightforward manner. Many a time, Thor had to defend his honor against others, which led to further ridicule. Not only was he a cheat, he needed his brother to fight his battles for him.

He knew that Thor meant well, and never intended to make Loki feel worse than he already did; after all, he only wanted to help. That is what brothers do: they look out for their younger siblings and stand up for them when no one else will. At the time, Loki had not been able to see that. As these Earthlings say: hindsight is twenty-twenty, whatever that means.

It was from that time on that he started taking every oppertunity to cause mischief, for anyone. No one was off limits to Loki's schemes, particularly not Thor. Looking back, he had behaved childishly, for so long.

His need to make odin proud, a quest that led to him nearly destroying Jotuneim, and led him to setting the Destroyer after Thor, nearly resulting in his death. It was this memory that haunted him more often than not. Seeing himself in his mind's eye, acting so cold and uncaring as the Destroyer, with but a single blow, almost snuffed out his one and only true friend in all the Nine Realms.

But, his regrets and shame did not end there. No, they continued for quite some time. Seeking out Thanos, promising him the Tesseract in exchange for an army to conquer Earth, all to spite Thor for, as he put it, 'imagined slights'. The near destruction of the very city he now resided soon followed. Again, he had sought to hurt Thor further by placing Eric Selvig under his control. He had seen selvig through the Destroyer's eyes, along with that woman, Jane. He would have gone after her too, but she was expertly hidden by S.H.I.E.L.D. before he could learn of her whereabouts. That was probably for the best.

He remembered the scream of outraged despair when he had killed Agent Phil Coulson. Yet another death that he had on his hands. It appears that Ms. Romanoff's ledger isn't the only one that is dripping red, he thought sadly. And I know that I shall never be able to wipe it out.

Then, during the battle, he had again tried to kill Thor. When he failed, he was secretly relieved. He suspected that he did not have it in him to kill Thor. In the past, he would have bereated himself fiercly for such sentiment, but now, he just wished that he would wake up and discover that it had all been a bad dream. A nightmare of cosmic proportions. But, that would not happen.

He sighed and looked down at his hands. Hands that had taken life, spilled blood. Agent Romanoff was correct in her assessment of me. I am a monster.

"You look like someone just kicked your puppy."

Loki looked over to his left to see the lord of the manor himself, Tony Stark. "I was...thinking." he looked back out over the city.

"You must have a lot on your mind then, Clint said you've been out here all night." Tony said as he came to stand next to Loki. "Want to talk about it?"

Loki didn't understand this man. He had every reason to hate him, and yet here he was, offering to listen to his problems. Much like a friend would do. Or a brother. Loki was unsettled by that thought. He was so used to pushing people away that he wasn't sure how to respond. "I would not even know where to begin."

Tony shrugged. "Well, generally we start from the beginning. It's kind of a universal thing that most stories start there."

Loki laughed softly. He could appreciate the sarcasm that this man used. But he could be sarcastic as well. "I was born in Jotunheim about two-thousand years ago..."

Tony held up a hand. "Um, if we're starting that far back, I'm gonna need some popcorn and a drink."

Loki chuckled. "You said to start at the beginning."

Tony nodded. "I meant at the point where things started going wrong."

Loki sighed and nodded. "Very well, I was born in..." he caught the eye-roll that Tony gave him and smirked. "All joking aside though, I'm not so sure talking will fix anything."

"You never know. I think we have a lot in common, you and I." Tony took a seat on the edge of the building, with the balcony below him.

Loki frowned. "How so?"

"Well," Tony began. "I've spent my entire life trying to break out of the shadow of my father's legacy. You have done the same with Thor. Always second best to the brother that everyone loves. We've both struggled to get people to see us as our own man. Not just Howard Stark's son, or Thor's little brother. You see where I'm going with this?" Loki nodded, understanding what Tony was trying to say. "Now, what's eating at ya?"

Loki sighed. "It has to do with Thor, and the rest of my family." He paused, not used to telling others of his innermost thoughts. "After all the things I've done, I don't see how they can ever forgive me."

Tony looked thoughtful. It was unnerving to see the usually upbeat and snarky billionaire so serious. It harkened back to when he had 'threatened' Loki in the room just below them. "Well, I can't speak for them, but I wouldn't count out the years of familial love that you've all shared. Parents don't give up on their children that easily, believe me, I know."

"Odin sealed me in a tree for a year. Does that sound like the actions of a loving father to you?" Loki asked.

Tony made a face, much like a grimace. "Tough love?" He clapped his hands. "I don't know. Odin and your mother are new to me, but I do know Thor. I can tell that he still cares about you. To him, nothing has changed. You're still his brother in his eyes. If I was in your shoes, I'd take what I can get."

"I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am." Tony stood back up and patted Loki on the shoulder. "Glad I could help. If you need anything else, consulting hours are between eight and five every other tuesday. Thursday's off limits though, I already have clients then." He started to walk back to the stairs that lead down to the balcony. Loki watched him go with an amused smirk on his lips. When Tony reached the stairs he stopped and turned around. "Are you really two-thousand years old?"

Loki grinned. "Somewhere around that age. After so long, I have lost track. Not that it matters. By Asgardian standards, I am still young, only just a man."

Tony laughed. "Geez, and I thought Steve was old." He turned back around and continued back down the stairs, leaving Loki alone again.

Loki turned his gaze back to the sunrise. He didn't understand why a few of his former enemies were being so friendly with him.

It wasn't just Stark. Romanoff had been acting less hostile toward him as well. When he had first arrived, she had exhibited resentful indifference. Then, just a couple of hours later, she had acted as though she were trying to measure him up. To see what type of person he was. It worried him a bit, but he had sensed no ulterior motives behind her actions. Then there was also his suspicions about how he had been freed from the tree. She had looked strangely guilty when he had mentioned that someone had to have shed a tear for him in order for him to have been released. I wonder why. Could it be that she had shed the tear? If so, then why? What reason could she possibly have to cry for me? All of these questions and more plagued his mind, and he was no closer to answers than he had been when the questions had first cropped up.

Hours passed in silence as he continued to ponder over the doubts that ran through him. By now, the sun had reached its mid-day peak and its warmth felt hot on his skin. Still he did not move from beneath its rays. What would redden and burn the flesh of mortals had no effect on him.

"Loki?"

The God of Mischief sighed. He knew that voice. He had hoped for more time to sort out his problems before approaching him, but it seemed that the Norns had woven a different fate for him this day. "Hello, brother."

Thor appeared surprised. "Brother? You have not called me such in a long while."

Loki smiled bitterly. "I have been a fool for a long while."

Thor stepped forward. "What talk is this? You have never been a fool, Loki. Over-ambitious, arrogant and bitter perhaps, but never a fool."

Loki scoffed. "Your faith in me is astounding." He sighed. "No, Thor, I have been a fool, for trying to be something I am not." He let out a deep breath, "A king." Thor opened his mouth to speak but Loki continued before he could utter a word. "You said so yourself, the throne would suit me ill. I do not have the qualities needed to rule. That is your destiny, not mine."

Thor stepped up to Loki. "What are you saying?"

Loki steeled himself and took a breath. "I am trying to say, that I hope, in time, you can find it in yourself to forgive me...for everything." He looked away from Thor. "I know that an apology will never be enough to right the wrongs I have visited upon so many, but I felt that I should do so anyway."

Thor nodded. "You are right. Apologies cannot make things right." Loki looked down at his boots, feeling sorrow well up within him at Thor's words. "However, it is a step in the right direction." Thor placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. "You are my brother, and I will stand beside you every step of the way, Loki. You aren't alone." He held out his hand. "Brothers?"

Loki looked down at the hand and smiled. He reached out and clasped Thor's forearm, feeling Thor's hand wrap around his own. "Brothers."

Thor pulled Loki into an embrace, and Loki, after a second of hesitation, returned it. Thor was right. He wasn't alone.

XXXX

Natasha watched the two brothers embrace atop the Tower. She had decided that she was going to give Loki a chance, and had come to seek him out. What she had found was a unexpected but not unwelcome. Seems I'm not the only one ready to give him a second chance.

Standing there, she felt oddly like an intruder. This was a private moment between family members, and she was an outsider. Maybe I'll come back later. She turned to leave but found her path blocked. "Clint? What are you doing out here?"

Clint frowned. "I was going to ask you the same thing." Natasha knew that Clint would not forgive Loki easily, and to be honest, she hadn't forgiven him yet either, but where she was willing to give a second chance, Clint was not.

"I was going to speak with Loki." Natasha admitted. There would be no point in lieing to Clint; he knew her too well for that to work; he would see right through her in an instant.

Clint's frown deepened. "He can't be trusted Nat, not after everything he's done. I know that Thor and, to an extent, Tony, believe that he has changed, but I don't buy it." His eyes hardened. "No one, especially people like him, changes like that. For someone like him, that darkness never leaves!"

Natasha grit her teeth. She knew that he hadn't meant the words that way, but they still struck a chord inside her. "Are Loki and I that different?" she asked. "How can I be excused, when he cannot? We've both committed atrocities in our time, as have you. What makes me worthy of redemption, and not Loki?" She was starting to get angry, and was having a hard time holding it back.

Clint sighed. "You know that I didn't mean it like that," he said.

Natasha nodded. "I know. But the point still stands. What makes us so different?"

Clint was silent. But, he wasn't the one to answer. "Because, I am not human. And, neither of you hurt those closest to you. I did." They both looked up at the Trickster, standing at the top of the stairs, Thor beside him. Natasha was waiting for him to continue; Clint was glaring at him. "That is the answer, is it not Agent Barton? I cannot be forgiven, be cause I hurt my own friends and family, along with yours. I made it personal."

Clint continued to glare daggers at Loki. "You did much more than that." He didn't elaborate his words, and instead returned the way he had come. At the base of the stairs he stopped and turned around to face them once more. "You may have the others fooled, but not me. I'll be watching you. You'll slip up, and when you do, everyone here will see you for what you truly are."

Loki smirked. "And what would that be?" he asked.

Clint looked him in the eyes. "A monster." With that he went back inside.

The smirk had slipped from Loki's face, leaving behind a frown. He felt a swell of anger accompanied by a pang of regret. Thor didn't look very happy either and his hands clenched into fists. For her part, Natasha had her eyes closed trying to stave of a headache. Clint's openly aggressive stance toward Loki was going to be hard to surmount. Her loyalty was now torn. On one hand, there was the loyalty to her friend and ally, and on the other was Loki whom she had just chosen to support and allow to prove himself. What do I do now?

Loki seemed to notice the conflict going on within her. "Agent Romanoff, you owe me no favors," he told her, pure and unadulterated honesty and sorrow in his voice.

Natasha looked up at him, taking in the haunted gleam in his eyes. She made up her mind then and there. "I know. But, I've made up my mind." She met his gaze. "Second chances are something I know well, and I'm worthy of one, then so are you." She smiled lightly.

Loki nodded, somberly. "Thank you, Agent Romanoff."

Natasha nodded as well. "You're welcome. And, please, call me Natasha."

Loki felt a ghost of a smile grace his features. "Then, thank you...Natasha."

XXXX

Heimdall let his swordtip rest against the surface of the Bridge. They had a moment of respite. The Chitauri had fallen back to regroup, and he had ordered his weary and scattered warriors to do the same.

He stood tall and proud, conveying an image of power and an illusion of unwavering strength. His example was soom followed by those closest to him, then spread through the ranks until his entire force was on their feet and ready to charge right back in.

"For Asgard!" he said, lifting his sword into a ready position.

Quickly the call went up, shouted as one by his warriors as they beat their sword and spear handles against their shields. "FOR ASGARD!"

The Chitauri who stood against them were worn out and ready to collapse. At the sight of their enemies in such high spirits, their morale dropped even further and a few looked ready to flee.

In a wave of screamed battlecries and bloodstained armor, the Asgardian charged forth, crashing into the Chitauri lines with a resounding clash that was like thunder to the ears. The Chitauri fell in droves and began to flee, a few even going so far as to throw themselves off the Bridge into the waiting waters that would carry them out into the abyss below.

Heimdall fought like a man possessed, lopping off the heads of his enemies left and right as he mowed them down. When the last of them fell, he breathed heavily and raised his sword in triumph. A cry of joy went up from the ranks and the warriors clapped each other on the shoulders, congratulating each other for a battle well-fought.

Heimdall lowered his sword and turned his sights to the gates of Asgard. Beyond those gates, more foes would lay in wait. As much as he yearned to take back the city, he could not leave the Bifrost unguarded. Until such a time that they had the forces to both protect Bifrost and retake the city, he would not mount a full-scale incursion beyond the gates. He turned and began to march back to the Bifrost. "Back to the Gateway. We must hold it at all costs. Rest and tend to your wounds."

The warriors didn't argue, they needed rest desperately. And so, they followed Heimdall, trusting in his wisdom. The time would come, but this was not the day.

XXXX

Another down. I know that I'm portraying Clint as a bit of an asshole, but don't think that I don't like him, because I do. But, I don't figure that he would let Loki off the hook very easily after what had happened. Well, as always: Review, but don't flame.

Until next time.

-Atrocity.