Here's a nice, long chapter for you all! Please tell me what you think about this, I'm itching to know what you guys think about how this chapter unfolds. Thanks for reading, I LOVE YOU.


Natasha yawned and stretched before she got out of bed. Loki was snoring softly in her bed, his ass barely covered by the sheets.

In the closet she found a casual black dress, her black bra, and a new pair of (unbroken) underwear. She took a hurried shower, trying to be quiet so as not to wake the demi-god. When she emerged, freshly washed and all hickeys covered in makeup, she noticed that Loki had thrown his arm over her pillow and pulled it closer to him. Natasha's breath caught in her throat as she took in the sight of fucking Loki Laufeyson tangled in her sheets with messy hair and morning scruff. The dark circles under his eyes were fading. He mustn't have slept since the last time he stayed over.

She slipped on a pair of nude heels and grabbed her phone and keys. He was beginning to stir, so Natasha left quickly, closing the door as quietly as possible.

There was a black SHIELD town car waiting outside her apartment. She opened the back door and slid in. The driver was asleep, using the window as a pillow.

"Wake up, Marshall," Natasha poked him in the neck.

"WHA—" he woke with a start.

"How long have you been waiting for me?"

"Fury sent me at the crack of dawn," he yawned and turned the ignition, the car humming to life.

"Sorry about that. So what's the big deal? Am I officially out of hiding now?"

"I'm not authorized to know. But no, you and the rest of the Avengers Initiative are still missing."

Natasha looked out the window as they drove by Stark Tower, "Except Tony," she reminded him.

The drive was short; Natasha's apartments were always less than fifteen minutes away from the SHIELD bases. She smiled to herself. She wondered if Loki knew about her apartments in California and Luxembourg. She mentally scanned the condo in Mexico. That would be fun. So many undefiled surfaces…

They pulled up to the nondescript, grey building, and Natasha stepped out. Marshall made no move to park the car, "Aren't you coming in?" she asked through his window.

"I don't get to be your partner on this one. I'm supposed to go check on Jane Foster. Lost contact with her or something. I bet she's just deep down in her lab and hasn't realized what day it is again," he explained, and Natasha got the feeling that Marshall had found Jane like that a few times, "Last time was fun, though. You're the first person I've ever heard talk in their sleep," he grinned and sped off.

Natasha felt the blood drain from her face as her mortification threatened to drag her down into the sewer. Well how fucking wonderful. She never, ever talked in her sleep. Yet, once again, Loki was the exception to the rule. The dirty dream on the plane, she thought. She rubbed her forehead, if Marshall heard, then the whole first class cabin had heard too.

"Shrug it off," she whispered to herself. She turned and went inside, scanned her hand at the lobby security checkpoint, and was led by a small blonde woman up to the fortieth floor and into Nick Fury's office.

"Would you like anything to drink, Agent Romanoff?" the woman asked.

"Vodka tonic," the woman raised her eyebrows at Natasha. "Please," she added and the woman left.

Natasha sat down in the chair in front of Fury's desk, and waited.

The door opened and someone strode up behind her. Fury held out a tumbler full of a bubbling clear liquid, "Bit early to be drinking, isn't it Natasha?"

She took the cup and downed it in a few gulps, "It's not every day you have to report back to work less than a month after a universal catastrophe."

"Point taken. I wouldn't have called you in if I thought you wouldn't want to know about it," he sat down behind his desk and pulled out a file folder from the bottom left drawer. He set it in front of him.

"You remember we cleaned up Oleg and his crew after you went to obtain Banner. Well, they were tried and sentenced for purchasing weapons from, aiding, and abetting Stefano Rodobuck. They even led us to Rodobuck's warehouses in returned for the chance at parole in thirty years."

"Funny how you punish others for amassing deadly weapons, but you still haven't slapped yourself on the wrist."

"Bad idea to drink on an empty stomach," Fury snapped. He took a deep breath, "The point is Oleg and his buddies have escaped. I called you immediately after."

"Right, that's what you said on the phone. You want me to go get them back?" She was confused. She didn't care at all about them escaping, it wasn't her problem. She put them in prison once; it wasn't her job to keep them there.

"No. But you might be interested in who let them out," Nick pulled out a picture from the folder and handed it to her.

It was a security camera image, blurry and pixelated. There was a hole blasted in a prison wall, and police officers scattered lifeless on the ground. Oleg and six men behind him were following someone through the prison yard. It was a tall, curvy woman dressed in a black leather cat suit. Her face was blurry, but she had short, bright red hair.

"That's me."

"It's supposed to look like it was you. We know better."

She rolled her eyes, "Obviously. You know I haven't left Manhattan," she handed the picture back to him, "What have you gathered?"

"That someone is using Oleg to lure you in. We sent some agents in your stead three days ago."

Natasha laughed, "It's nice to know that life goes on. You think you guys would be depleted of agents after all the shit you just went through."

Fury scowled at her, "Life will always go on."

She waved her hand, "Whatever. What did the agents find?"

"They didn't. They're missing. Presumed dead," He handed her another picture, another security photo of four agents entering a red brick building, "This is the last time we had communication with them."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh," he rolled his eye, "Looks like whoever is impersonating you, wants to see you and you only."

"So you're going to pull me from my 'vacation' to send me into an obvious trap?"

"I'm pulling you and Barton. And don't be such a martyr, I know you're bored. You and Barton are itching for a mission. He's been here every day bitching about it."

"I though you said this guy wanted me only?"

"You need a partner, and Barton's complaining is getting on my last nerve. Besides, you have unfinished business now with Oleg. You wouldn't want a blemish of your track record."

She smiled, "Okay, you got me."

The door opened, and Natasha turned to see Clint stride inside in full gear, "You ready, baby?"

Natasha stood and smoothed out her dress, "Finally a little excitement around here," she groaned sarcastically.


Loki woke, his head groggy and heavy, a headache pounding at his temple. He looked around for Natasha but she was gone. It was late evening on Midgard.

He rubbed his neck. That meant it was almost morning on Asgard. He had to hurry back. Throwing on his clothes he exited his lover's apartment and strode back to the alley where he had entered the day before.

He closed his eyes and focused, and when he opened them again he was standing in the grove of ash trees in the palace gardens.

The Asgard Sun was rising from the horizon. He quickly transported to his room, everything was in order, the door closed. He went to open it, but it was locked. He teleported to the other side, and found the hallway empty. He checked Thor's room, and it was empty as well, the bed neatly made.

It was incredibly silent.

Loki walked quietly to the main sitting room. Fandrall, Hogun, and Volstagg were sitting on a lounge, their eyes closed.

Loki stopped dead in his tracks. Thor was tied with what looked like black smoke to Frigga, and they were sitting on the floor in front of the fire pit. Tears were streaming down Frigga's face. Their mouths were gagged by tufts of black smoke. Thor looked feverishly to Loki, eyes pleading.

Lady Sif was splayed out on the floor, her jaw slack and black smoke covering her eyes.

A tall, slender, hooded black figure stood in the center of the room, long hands placed on what were the figure's hips. The same black haze surrounded it. The being lowered their hood, and Loki was introduced to the most beautiful, pale face he had ever seen. It was a woman, with bright, almond shaped eyes, full red lips and sharp cheekbones.

"Prince Loki, you are very late to the party," a delicate, high pitched voice entered his mind, but the woman's mouth didn't move.

"Who are you?"

"I am Death, Thanos' lover and the personification of life's end."

"Thanos' lover?" Loki stepped back.

Thanos entered across the room, "Prince Loki!" He strutted over to him, stepping on Lady Sif's hand with a nauseating crunch, "Welcome back! How was your visit to the mortal? See," he waved his hand over Thor and Frigga, "I swore that I would keep your secret! Your Lady Sif's appearance has proven most useful. Such a delight to impersonate! Everyone tells her everything!"

Loki felt himself chill, he felt his skin fade blue as his anger traveled through him. Thanos removed his golden helmet, and sat on the floor next to Death, "I see you have met my muse," his red eyes raked the woman standing next to him, "She is the only reason I have bothered with you, Loki. My friend, sit!" he commanded. Loki made to take another step back, but Death's black mist ghosted over to him and smoky black tendrils wrapped around his ankles. They felt heavy; it left like lead weights encompassed him.

"No, my dear," Death said, fisting her hand by her side and causing the bonds to fly forward and send Loki crashing down to the floor.

Thanos laughed, his purple skin crinkling around his eyes, "Oh, Prince Loki. Always full of mischief!"

Death stepped forward and raked her claw-like fingers through Loki's hair, pulling his head up off the floor, "Look at him," she whispered.

Loki swallowed, "How exactly did you keep your lover a secret from me, Thanos?"

Thanos grinned, "I didn't. You just never asked."

"I wasn't given much chance to speak, let alone inquire about your personal life," Loki grunted.

The Titan nodded, "True words, true words. Let me explain something to you, stupid prince. Your precious daddy has cost me much. I created the Infinity Gauntlet to impress the glorious woman in front of you, but Odin stole it from me!" he growled, "We fought for it many times, until Odin claimed to have destroyed it! The liar!"

Death pulled Loki up even further so that he was kneeling, and she stepped away from him. Thanos sighed, "I lost the chance to impress my love, my obsession…I was bereft of her, she had left me alone in the darkness. I was despondent for what felt like eons…and then you fell, literally, into my lap! Your hatred for your brother and for Earth fueled me. You spoke of the Tessaract, of how Thor had left it in the care of the mortals! I finally had the chance to win Death's heart." Thanos laughed, his deep voice booming, "It was supposed to be easy. But you failed!

"I came here to slit your throat, to punish you for humiliating me, but then I saw the Infinity Gauntlet on Odin's hand, and I almost cried I was so overjoyed."

"Yes, but you can't remove it without the Tessaract!" Loki spat.

Thanos smiled, "Yes. Where is my present, Prince Loki? Where is it, the cube you are supposed to deliver to me?"

"I don't know."

Death kicked Loki in the side, "Tell Thanos were his cube lies, Asgardian, or you shall meet the same fate as your friends."

"Even you, Prince Loki, are a stolen relic. You don't belong here," Thanos waved his hand over the room, "Don't you remember? Odin stole you from Laufey. You are nothing to them! You are nothing more than evidence of Odin's great conquest. You are just as foreign as the Infinity Gauntlet, but you are far less useful! Now tell me where the Tessaract is!"

Thanos' words stung Loki like daggers. Loki felt his skin turn back to normal, "I don't know! No one trusts me with it! Do you honestly believe they would tell me where they hid it? You must be denser than I imagined, Thanos."

Thanos stood, and pulled the puff of black smoke from Thor's mouth, "Is this true, Thor? Do you not trust your brother enough to tell him of the Tessaract? Do you not love him?"

"You are foolish, Thanos. Your search for the Tessaract will be fruitless! No one will ever reveal it to you!"

Thanos squeezed Thor's cheeks, replacing the gag, "Sweet, noble Thor. I know you love your brother. You would hate to see him in pain, wouldn't you? You would hate to see him suffer?"

"Beat me all you want, Thanos. I have endured your tortures before!" Loki screamed at him.

Thanos laughed, gripping his stomach as he roared, "You are so right, Loki! How daft of me!" Thanos walked to the fire pit, and waved his hand over it. The fire dimmed and a clear image of a red-brick building replaced the flames, "I thought you would say that. That's why I followed you to Earth! And while you were tumbling in the bed of your mortal lover, I set quite a plan in motion for her," Natasha appeared in the image, a gun in her hands, Barton behind her with an arrow knocked in his bow, "That's why I must leave you now in the care of my mistress. You see, your mortal is coming after me."

Thanos transformed into Natasha and Loki felt his stomach drop, "She is coming after me," Natasha's voice rang out, "Your Natasha Romanoff is coming to investigate her impersonator. And when she finds me, she is in for a great surprise," an evil grin spread across her face and Loki felt his throat close up as his worst nightmare was realized, "No one will be able to save her! Earth's Mightiest Heroes are scattered, Asgard has fallen to my lover's feet!"

"You won't," Loki's voice broke, tears brimming.

Thanos turned back to Thor and transformed into Jane, "Your brother's lover is mortal too, dear Thor. She is on her way to meet your Jane Foster. Jane Foster, whom I kidnapped, bound, and gagged. They are both waiting for me."

Thor closed his eyes and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

Thanos transformed back to himself, his face hurting from how large his smiles were, "Your lovers shall die on this day, unless you reveal the Tessaract to me."

Thanos went and wrapped his large, muscular arms around Death's waist, "Let them mull over my offer, most divine. I shall be back. I have a date."