Author's Note:

Thank you for all the reviews and for following this story! I know it has been a long wait, but I just couldn't finalize the scenes for this chapter in my head.

Plus, I already have the ending in mind, I just need to fill in the blanks of what's gonna happen in between. Enjoy this chapter!

WARNINGS : NONE.

Unbeta-ed.

Loki was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Steve turned towards his teammates and motioned for them to speak outside. The three of them then made their way to the living room.

Tony made a stop at his bar and poured himself a shot of whisky, "So, doctor, what do you think?"

Bruce sighed in exasperation, rolled his eyes at Tony and replied, "Again, I am NOT that kind of doctor. There is only so much that I can do to help him. Shouldn't we get a real doctor to do this? Just to be, you know, safe?"

"Okaaaay, do you have anyone in mind? That you trust? No? Well, I guess you're as good as it gets then," Tony shot back at him as he downed a second shot of whisky. He truly did not want to deal with this problem sober.

Ever the peacemaker (and well, he was also worried about the Hulk making an appearance), Steve interrupted and said, "Come on guys, let's not fight over this, okay? We are only doing what we can, alright?"

Both of them sighed and then nodded. Steve continued, "Right, Bruce. What can you tell us about, ummm, this thing? To the best of your knowledge, of course."

Bruce let out a long-suffering sigh and replied, "Okay, so, in his mind, he's reverted back to being a very young adult, or umm, god. Just recently come of age."

Tony whistled, shook his head slowly and said, "Wow, that's a lot of memories to lose. Not that we know how old he was before this though. And may I just say, how convenient."

Bruce nodded and continued, "Yes, there is a possibility that he's faking it. But, there is also a chance that maybe he's just regressing to an age when he felt safe and in control. A defense mechanism, if you will, to protect his mind from whatever trauma it is that he has suffered. Maybe some form of PTSD. I'm pretty sure that the memory is not lost. It's there but locked in a vault, somewhere in his mind. Perhaps all we need is a trigger to open this vault, and voila! Hmm... I wonder if he'll agree to a session of hypnosis. I wonder if we can even hypnotize a god?"

Steve and Tony stared at the doctor and his apparent enthusiasm.

Bruce narrowed his eyes at them and said incredulously, "What?! I'm just guessing! May I remind you again that I'm NOT a psychiatrist. Or a real doctor."

Steve let out another sigh and asked, "Okay, so what do we do?"

"What can we do? We promised that pretty and deadly lady that we'd look after him, right? I'm putting this on you Steve, we should not have let them stayed," Tony said as he pointed his finger at Steve in accusation.

Steve pointedly ignored Tony and looked to Bruce for answers.

Bruce sighed yet again and said, "We lay low and take it one step at a time, I guess. Maybe Thor will come tomorrow and explain everything to us."

And then the three of them let out a collective tired sigh, yet again.

"Stop it Hogun, it tickles," Loki squealed and giggled as he felt hot breath on his torso.

And then Loki opened his eyes and realized that it was already morning.

'What a strange dream. Why am I dreaming about Hogun?' Loki asked himself as he sat up on his bed. He looked around the room and took in his surroundings. When he realized that he was indeed in a room and not a dungeon, he decided to get up and venture out the confined space that he was in.

As soon as he put his legs on floor though, the pain hit him. He almost doubled over but fortunately, he was still seated on the bed.

Loki was startled when a voice from the ceiling said, "I would advise against moving, sir. I have alerted the others that you are awake and they are current en route to your room."

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Loki yelled at the ceiling as he looked around the room for a hidden assailant when the door opened.

"Oh, don't worry about him, he's not a person, he's my super-awesome computer, Jarvis," Tony said as he walked through the door followed by Steve and Bruce, "Jarvis, meet Loki Odinson. Loki, meet Jarvis."

"At your service, Mr Odinson," the disembodied voice said.

Loki stared at them in distrust but the good manners instilled in the young prince prompted him to look up at the ceiling and reply, "Well met, Jarvis."

And then the awkward moment struck. No one knew what to say or what to do next. The three Avengers looked uncomfortable as they stood there, looking at the beaten up villain that they defeated not too long ago. And a young prince that did not know where he was or what had happened that left him at the mercy of these three mortals.

"Dr Banner, perhaps you can take another look at our guest? He was in pain when he tried to get up," Jarvis broke the uncomfortable silence in the room.

Loki looked up and glared at the ceiling. 'Tattle-tale,' he accused in his mind.

Bruce made a move towards the bed and said, "Ah, yes, thank you Jarvis. Loki, you need to rest. And I'd advise no big movements, so it's bed rest for you." And to his surprise, Loki obeyed his advice and laid back on his bed.

When Bruce tried to check on the bandages, Loki flinched and wrapped his arms around his middle.

"Loki, my name is Dr Banner and I need to check on your wounds. Some of the bandages may need to be changed. May I?" Bruce said as he sat on the side of the bed.

When Loki gave him a small nod, he proceed with his work. He hummed in approval as he checked all of the bandages and then said, "Hmm, I don't think any of these need changing. I think you'll be fine for now."

Loki had his eyes closed as the doctor pressed and prodded at his body. He nodded as he agreed Bruce' observation and said, "An Aesir heals faster than a Midgardian. My wounds should all be healed come the morrow."

As the doctor stood up, Loki looked at the three of them hesitantly. Steve sensed his discomfort and asked softly, "I'm Steve. I know you must have questions. Please, ask them."

Loki decided that he should stop feeling sorry for himself. He needed to know what had happened. And what course of action he needed to take to go home. So, the young prince took a breath and then asked softly, "What happened?"

To his credit, Steve did not falter even though he had absolutely no idea how to answer that question. His reply was, "We're not sure. All we can tell you is that something bad happened, and that you're no longer safe in Asgard. So, Thor had Sif brought you here. To keep you safe. You must trust that your brother was just looking out for your well-being."

Loki nodded slowly and thumbed the bracelet on his wrist. If it wasn't for that, he would have done everything he could to escape. And his subconscious told him that Asgard is no longer a safe haven and if Thor had ever taught him anything as an elder brother, it was to listen to his heart (or gut, if he was to repeat after Thor).

Then as he looked at the three strangers again and said, "You said that I know you. How did we meet? Were you in Asgard?"

And for that, Steve glared at Tony in accusation and to which Tony replied, "Well, you tried to take over the world, Midgard that is. Oh, and by the way, I'm Tony the awesome!"

Loki's eyes widened in surprise and asked, "I did? Why? Was it for a quest? Was I victorious? Did I make my father proud?"

To which Tony snorted and replied incredulously, "Heck, no! You were not victorious, you puny god."

Loki frowned at the aggression in Tony's voice and said in a small voice, "I failed? Was this a punishment for my failure?"

'Oh, the irony of the statement,' Steve thought and as he tried to formulate a reasonable answer to pacify the still-wounded god, Tony beat him to it. "Okay, look Loki, what you did to Earth, um, Midgard? That's not cool, okay? And as far as we know, you were punished for it. You may not remember it now, but you will, in time."

Loki gave them as small nod as he continued to thumb the bracelet on his wrist. 'This was my punishment. No magic and to live in exile. Oh, father, please forgive me,' Loki thought as he tried his best to keep his composure.

Bruce took over from Tony and said softly, "You don't have your magic now, Loki. So you must stay here where it's safe. At least, until your brother comes back for you."

"Will he?" Loki asked softly, more to himself than to the occupancy in the room.

This time it was the captain that reassured him, "He will, Loki. Thor loves you and he will never abandon you if he can help it. Do not worry."

Loki gave them a small smile and another small nod.

Tony smiled and took that as his cue to welcome the young prince properly into his home, "In the meantime, just sit back, relax and you know, enjoy New York."

The Avengers excused themselves so that their guest could rest and Steve had promised to come back with a breakfast tray to ensure that they did not starve Loki while he was in their hospitality.

And then Loki was left alone with his thoughts. 'Maybe Thor is just leading the danger away. He will come soon,' he tried to reassure himself. And then another random thought, 'Will Hogun come for me?'

Loki frowned at the randomness of that thought, 'Hogun? Now, where did that come from?' But before he could run his thoughts around that subject, he fell into a light sleep.

As usual, thank you for reading and I would love to know of your thoughts about the story or this chapter. So, please feel free to feed the author with reviews!

Till next chapter...