Chapter Ten

Loki masked a groan, pulling himself up from the ground. That man in the metal suit, Tony Stark, had fired at both himself and Winter, causing them both to land on the floor. He looked over at her, she wasn't in any hurry to get up. He whirled his head around to glare at Tony, simultaneously reaching out to Dr. Selvig. Open the portal. He commanded, and not a second later, the whole building shook. This seemed to make Winter stir, and she forced herself to sit up, not the least bit graceful. She looked out the window where Tony had been, but the man was gone. She scrambled to her feet, tripping over herself as she ran towards the glass doors. Shoving them open, she ran out onto the roof, looking up. Loki stood up slowly, watching her as she fell to her knees, mouth open in shock and horror. He made his way over to her, watching as she took in what was happening. Was she crying? An emotion he couldn't name coursed through his body. Pity? Regret? It didn't matter what it was, he pushed it aside. It wasn't safe for her to be out in the open like this. He quickened his pace, and once he was at her side he reached down, grabbing her shoulders tightly and bringing her to her feet. She was still looking to the sky, so he whispered his warning, hoping not to startle her, "Stay inside." Her eyes dragged slowly away from the chaos above to meet his, and his breath caught. He felt off again, taking an immediate dislike to this odd emotion. He settled for one he did know. One he was familiar with. Anger. He dragged her inside, setting her down on the ground none too gently. Harsh sounds found his ears, explosions and screams, and without his consent a wave of exhilaration ran through him. The war had begun. He quickly went to grab his scepter, before walked back towards the roof, every step giving him more confidence. The Earth would soon be his. Unable to help himself, he traded out his new armor for his old, finding comfort in the feel of his helmet back on his head, his cape pillowing out behind him. At the edge of the roof, he stared down at the chaos unfolding. He grinned wickedly, he could have this all to himself, he didn't need Winter. But why couldn't he get the mortal to leave his thoughts? This girl was so weak yet so strong at the same time, it intrigued him in a way that he knew it shouldn't. His smile was fading fast, but before he could think anything else of the girl, he heard her scream his name. "LOKI!" She drew it out, and he couldn't help himself, he shuddered, his body stiffening. He threw all of his guards up, telling himself that she didn't truly understand him, that she had no idea what he wanted. He was a monster, and he enjoyed being one. He turned slowly, almost afraid to look at her. She knew more about him than anyone, and that both thrilled him and made him hate her. When his eyes locked on her, he hid the sharp intake of his breath. The wind was strong up here, and her long dark hair whipped around her gloriously, but she didn't seem to care. Her face was so open, so hopeful, and he knew he had to destroy that hope. The hope she had so foolishly placed in him. He began walking towards her, face set. But his determination faltering slightly with every step as her eyes clung to his. Once he reached her, he stared down at her, eyes never leaving hers. He couldn't help himself, the raw emotion in her eyes seemed to drag her name out of him. "Winter" he whispered. Her eyes became more desperate, and he regretted it immediately. Why did she still think he could be saved? Her persistence was admirable but annoying. He hadn't asked for her to care about him, she had invaded his mind, learning everything she could about his sorry life. She had begun to see him differently in that moment, he could tell. He had tried to push her away, even killing her best friend. It had momentarily deterred her pity, but it hadn't lasted nearly long enough. What was this girl's problem? Why couldn't she see he didn't want her help? Didn't she see that he was happy with his life? Of course she didn't, because he wasn't. But he wouldn't even admit that to himself. She opened her mouth slowly, before pleading to him again, "Loki you can stop this! It's not too late... I know it isn't what you want. You hate that this is what you've come to... But this doesn't have to be you, you don't have to hit rock bottom before you ask for help, you can turn around now, find your way back to the light." She seemed so sure of herself, how naïve was she? But how long could he go on pretending these words weren't true? Somewhere, he knew that they were, but his pride prohibited him from acknowledging it. She had been inside his mind, but she hadn't lived through what he had, she couldn't know how he truly felt. It hurt more than he thought it would, but he resolved right then that he would never tell her, or anyone, that she was right. He would stick to the life he already had, because that was who he was. He was about to tell her how foolish she was, harsh words forming together viciously, when movement caught his eye, and he looked behind Winter to the glass pane. He saw Thor's reflection, Mjolnir raised. Instinct kicking in before his brain fully caught up, Loki stepped to the side, out of the way. Realizing Winter was looking at him and not noticing the danger, he reached out to pull her to him. Right before his hand grasped hers, Thor's hammer slammed into her. She immediately flew back through the glass, only stopping once she hit the solid brick wall. She fell to the ground, Mjolnir resting in her lap. He began running towards her, without remembering when he had decided to. Her eyes opened slowly, looking to him, and then past him, before slowly closing shut again. He reached her a moment later, dropping his scepter and falling to his knees, trying to pull the hammer off of her. It of course didn't budge, until Thor's hand reached for the handle, pulling it off of Winter's torso. Loki scooper her into his lap, turning her over to look for damage. He hissed, seeing that her skull was cracked open. So fragile. A thick hand grasped Loki's shoulder, and he grabbed his scepter quickly before being yanked up away from her. Thor didn't even seem to care that she rolled to the ground harshly, the oaf probably thought she was dead. Was she dead? He was whirled around to face his brother. He quickly corrected the thought. Not his brother. Anger bubbled up, stronger than he had ever felt, and he screamed at Thor, "LET ME GO! I NEED TO HELP HER, PUT ME DOWN." Thor said nothing, just stared at him, confused and guilty, probably because the idiot hadn't seen her when he threw the hammer. It should have been me. I could have survived the hit. He forced the thoughts down, only thinking of his anger and hatred. Thor didn't release him, only said sadly, "I must take her with me, the healers here will know what to do." It was true, Earth's doctors could help her, but Thor wouldn't be able to get her there fast enough. Loki screamed again, desperate, "YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET HER TO THEM IN TIME. JUST LET ME TAKE HER. YOU HAVE MY WORD THAT I WILL COME BACK." He could tell Thor didn't trust him, he had no reason to. Loki was terrified, he couldn't lose her, she was the only one who understood. Thor must have seen the desperation in his eyes as madness, because his grip tightened even more. A quick look at Winter showed that her breathing had slowed even further, and that she was losing blood fast. He was desperate, so desperate. He tried to work out a plan, sort his thoughts. If he failed to conquer Earth and deliver the tesseract, Thanos would try to find him, to torture him for years before allowing him death. The thought made him shudder. But if he lost and let himself be captured, his death on Asgard would be swift. Either way, failing would result in his death. But winning, ruling Earth, would result in Winter's death. She had always insisted that his life was important, that if he gave this up he would be welcomed back, but she was wrong, he would be killed for his actions. But if he lived knowing that he had let her die, the only person who had believed in him after seeing and knowing everything he had been through, he didn't know if it would be worth it at all. He was normally so selfish, so why was he hesitating to save himself? Why was the death of one human promising a lifetime of guilt? Before he had really decided to do so, he met Thor's eyes, pouring all the desperation he felt into his plea, "Thor, let me take her. I will take her to Earth's doctors, and then come right back. I will tell you how to close the portal, I will give you the tesseract, and you can take me back to Asgard." Thor's eyes narrowed, he was beyond suspicious. To further prove his point, Loki threw his scepter to the ground with a heavy clang. Thor slowly loosened his grip, "Any tricks and I will kill you." Letting go of Loki, he reached down to grab the scepter, but Loki payed no attention, rushing over to Winter. He kneeled beside her, rolling her onto her back. He placed his hands on either side of her head, and it took a moment longer than it should have to still his shaking hands. He never got this upset about anything. Closing his eyes, he felt for the faint thrum of magic that flowed through his body. Bending it to his will, he pushed it through his palms and into her body. Using it to find her injuries, he sucked in a breath. It was worse than he had thought. She was suffering a lot of internal bleeding, and one of her lungs was punctured by a broken rib. He didn't have the power or time to save her himself, so he pulled her close, and whisked her away to the only place he could think of.

He hated making the decision instantaneously. As soon as they both reformed inside of the large aircraft that belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D. Loki ran Winter to the infirmary. He had luckily ran into no one on the way, and when he shoved through the doors he quickly ran over to an empty bed, gently laying Winter down in it. He whirled around, finding three nurses throughout the room, still and scared. He quickly yelled, causing them to jump, "Help her please! She's dying!" None of them moved, just staring at him. Frustrated, he realized that as long as he was there, they would not help him. He was getting angrier with every passing second, but before he could plead with them again, perhaps a little more convincing this time, the doors burst open. He turned around as guards ran in. So he hadn't slipped through the ship unnoticed, shame. The guards didn't hesitate to attack, and all the nurses in the room ducked for a hiding place. Loki fought them off easily, they weren't nearly as skilled as he was. He didn't kill them, even though he should have. He just wanted to make sure Winter was safe and leave as soon as possible. Eventually the soldiers stopped fighting fair, and though Loki was still beating them, the twelve guards were wearing him down. Finally unarming them all, he decided that it would suit Winter better for him to just leave, he had already wasted so much precious time, it could already be too late for her. With one last look at the girl, he yelled to the nurses, "Please help her." Before teleporting away.

When he returned to Stark Tower, Thor was gone. He didn't know what to do, with Thor gone he could probably get away, Winter was safe now. He could still win, the portal remained open and the Chitauri continued to flow through. He had promised Thor his surrender, but his words meant nothing. Now that Winter was safe he could see through the fog of his delusion. He hated how desperate he had been, how he had promised his life in return for her to just survive. Now that she wasn't a distraction, he could fulfill his plan! A grin forced its way onto his face, he had saved Winter, saved himself, and would still win the Earth. He walked out onto the roof to survey the beautiful chaos he had created. It was short lived, he hadn't been standing a moment before he was attacked. That creature, the Hulk they had called it, had come out of nowhere, barreling into him with a roar. They both went flying through the glass, Loki ending up sprawled on the ground after connecting with the wall. The beast moved towards him, but Loki was faster. He was on his feet a moment later, and halted the creature with his anger, "ENOUGH." It was still mad, but it stopped, allowing him to continue. He was so fed up with this planet, with it's stupid heroic protectors, with the stupid girl that he couldn't seem to stop worrying about. This world had brought him nothing but trouble. That of course would change under his rule, but for now, he was annoyed. "You're all of you beneath me," He growled, his voice broken from screaming, "I am a God you dull creature. And I will not be bullied by an-" His words turned into a gasp of surprise as the beast grabbed his legs. It was over in a blur, and he only had the barest recollection of being slammed into the ground more than once. How many time? He didn't know. He laid there, stunned. After a moment he realized there was no air in his lungs, and he drew in a slow, painful breath. He was too shocked to move, and opted to just stay there until he recovered his senses. The beast had thrown him around like he was nothing! It wasn't right, he was in charge, and he had the power here. Why couldn't these pathetic fools see that? He closed his eyes, promising only to rest a moment. He wondered how Winter was doing, if the doctors had gotten to her fast enough. If she died he would never forgive himself. His thoughts were slowing, days without proper rest catching up on him. Struggling, he tried to move, anything to keep himself awake, but he couldn't move. He started to panic, but even that emotion was lost as his thoughts slowed and his eyes drifted closed.

He awoke with a start, not knowing how much time had passed. Nothing looked different, yet something felt off. He quickly recognized it, silence. That's what felt so wrong, in the middle of a war, there was no silence. The explanation for his panic didn't lessen the feeling, and as he rolled over, pulling himself up, he froze. Everyone was there, and by everyone he meant those pathetic Avengers. They had him cornered, the one named Barton even aiming an arrow at him. He could have laughed, but dread coursed through him as well. He was too weak to fight them all off. He managed a smirk, "If it's all the same to you," he paused, in taking a shaky breath. Stars that hurt. They stared at him cautiously, "I'll have that drink now." He looked to each of them, but they remained stoic. None of them looked eager to contain him, and Thor was the one who finally stepped forward. He pulled out a small contraption and Loki almost groaned. Of course the oaf had brought that with him. Very rare, it was a cuff to cover the mouth, taking away all ability to work with magic. He didn't move as Thor secured the apparatus to his face, he was too weak for anything. He grudgingly let himself be led outside, barely staying awake as they loaded him into a jet. He almost felt relieved, almost. One thought nagged at him, something felt wrong, missing. Like a spot in his consciousness that was once filled with light, was gone. He had felt it right when Winter had closed her eyes. He had been too exhausted to notice it before, but now he was confident he knew the cause. That girl had been strong, but had inexpertly racked through his brain. Ever since then he had felt off, but only now that the feeling was gone did he recognize it for what it was. They had been connected, whatever Winter had done, a part of her consciousness had stayed with him. That must have been the reason for his delusion, he would have never cared about her wellbeing otherwise. He couldn't help but feel the loss though, hollow and empty. Once seated and secured in the jet, he let his eyes slip shut, not caring what happened to him anymore. He had lost the Earth, and he had lost Winter.