A/N: Okay, I'll keep these short so you can get right to the story. I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed this while I was away, it was like a thousand hugs! So enjoy!

Loki got to his feet first and looked over to me. But before he could ask, I heard the terrifying shout of the Hulk rip through the sky as the beast leap up onto the building. He pushed Loki through the windows, shattering the only ones left and slamming Loki into the back wall. He fell the ground with a thud and threw his cape out of his face irritatedly.

The Hulk beat his hands on the floor and Loki shot up angrily, "Enough!" The green beast actually stopped. "You are all of you beneath me! I am a God you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by –" Loki didn't finish his sentence as the Hulk grabbed him and dragged him out, slamming him into the floor several times.

"No!" I screamed from outside and tried to get to my feet. However, as soon as I put pressure on my left leg, I collapsed to the ground, clutching my shin tightly. It was either broken or sprained, and I considered that lucky. I looked back up at Loki now laying in a crater in the shape of his body. I struggled to my feet and limped into the room through one of the broken windows and collapsed at his side as the Hulk exited.

"Loki?" I asked in a trembling voice. He looked up at me painfully.

"Ugh, don't worry about me. I'm a God, remember? Bones of steel." I giggled at his attempt to lighten the mood. I saw his eyes gaze over my body and land on my leg twisted at the weird angle next to me.

"You broke your leg?" He asked in a whisper. I nodded, tears filling my eyes – not for me but for him. He sat up slightly with a small moan and grabbed my leg roughly, digging his fingers into my skin.

It should have hurt. It should have been blindingly painful. I should have screamed out in pain, maybe passed out. But, no, instead of pain coursing up my leg, I felt a cold pleasure. It spread up my leg quickly, propagating through the broken area and fixing the twisted limb to it's proper position.

My eyes flicked from my leg that was miraculously healing faster than is humanly possible, to Loki who was turning paler than usual as his magic was flowing out of him and into me. He reached over his shoulder with his free hand and ripped off a piece of his armor and handed it to me.

"You're going to need this." He said simply and placed it in my mouth. My eyes grew wide and I bit down, waiting for the pain. Loki flicked his wrist quickly, then released my leg. As soon as he let go, the cool ice flowing through my muscles turned to fire and burned my skin as it worked its way back up my leg.

I bit down on the hard leather, tying to stop the screams from escaping between my teeth. I squeezed my eyes shut as the fire snaked up to my shin and set it aflame. The second I thought I couldn't take it anymore, it stopped. It just vanished.

I opened my eyes nervously and pulled the dented piece of leather out of my mouth, seeing the exact imprints of my every tooth. I tossed it aside and turned my gaze back to Loki, still lying in the dent in the ground.

"You really shouldn't have done that." I mumbled solemnly, placing my head gently on his chest. "But thank you."

I felt a cold hand reach up and stroke my hair back against my neck; his silent 'your welcome'. Then I thought of something truly disturbing, "Loki? If you used up so much of your magic on me, how long will it take for you to fully recover?"

He took a long pause before exhaling loudly with an answer, "About six hours."

I pushed myself off of him and looked at him questioningly. "It's called magic, not a miracle." He said, sitting up and looking deep into my eyes. "Remember that, love."

I was about to reply when something else caught my attention. I slowly stood up, applying as little pressure on my newly repaired leg as I could, "Do you hear that?"

Loki attempt to sit up, but only rolled over onto his side. "What is it?"

I cocked my head to the side, to see if I was hearing right. "It's nothing." I said, growing more uneasy at the silence. "No screaming, no explosions." I said and strode over to the window. "No army."

I glanced up at the portal the Chitauri had come through, just in time to see an explosion emanate from deep within it, then begin to close. I looked back at Loki worriedly, still struggling to sit up.

"Loki, we have to get out of here. They will be here soon." I said and walked back over to him and crouched down. He was now supporting himself on his elbows, but I saw he was still straining himself to do so.

"Look at me, Auralee. Do I look like I can even make it to the stairs?" He gestured and immediately collapsed to the ground again. I caught his head before it slammed into the cold floor.

"Well then I'm going anywhere." I whispered.

He looked up at me pleadingly, but I saw something else in his eyes – frustration. "Why would you do that? They're going to take me – back to Asgard, probably. I'll be charged there, that I can live with. But who knows what they will do you? You've aided a fugitive, took part in leading an invasion on Earth, you're a criminal. And since you're not from another planet, they can do whatever they want with you." He paused and stared intently at me. "I will not let happen."

Tears started to fill my eyes when he mention he would be punished, "But what will they do to you?" I feared the answer, but something made me ask.

"Since I'm royalty, they can not sentence me to death, however that does not say the same about torture or punishment." The tears now began to flow and drip onto the floor next to the injured God. He reached up and wiped away the line of water from my cheek and I leaned into his palm.

I started to open my mouth in protest but he wrapped his hand around to the back of my head and pulled me down for a kiss before I could get a word in. I pinched my eyes closed and breathed in his sweet smell as his tongue snaked its way into my mouth. I felt him release the back of my head and run his hand down to rest in between my shoulders. I pressed my lips against his once more before pulling back and taking a deep breath.

"That's the second time you've interrupted me." I smiled softly.

"Go." He commanded gently. I nodded and scrambled off him towards the long staircase down, wiping my tears away with the back of my hand. I pushed the door open, but looked back at him now crawling to the couple of stairs in front of him.

My grip on the handle tightened when I saw that group of misfits stride into the room like they owned the place. Even though technically, one of them did, it still didn't feel right. When they formed a tight half-circle around the God at their feet, I felt myself take a step closer to them.

It was painful irony when Barton strung a bow and aimed it at Loki's eye. He looked up at all of them timidly, taking in the situation. "If it's all the same to you, I'll take that drink now." He said, finally taking up Tony's offer even if he did look much less complacent now.

A small smile flickered over my mouth and I retreated back into the stairwell quietly. I slowly closed the door as Thor lifted Loki from the ground ungracefully to stand in the middle of the group. I had just turned to start down the stairs when the door let out a small squeak.

I stopped dead in my tracks and glanced nervously over at the group of superheros, hoping none of them had heard. My eyes grazed over each of their stares, seeing that none of them were looking.

Until I reached Stark's.

His dark brown eyes were piercing mine lazily and my breath caught in my throat. He would alert the others, they would come and get me, and take me into SHEILD where the agents would do what they wished with me.

But that did not happen. His gaze did not waver from mine. He simply nodded his head as if giving me a silent recognition and a free pass. I retreated slowly, still unsure of why he did what he did. It was only when he looked away and started conversing casually with the Captain, that I fully turned and descended the stairs towards freedom.