Once again another chapter written on receipts haha my coworkers probably think I'm crazy by now, always scribbling away in the corner by the register, but it sure makes work more fun. This chapter is a lot longer than my other ones and next one will probably be one of my favorite to write (the scene in Germany was definitely my favorite in the movie) so can't wait to get to that. But for now enjoy!

I woke up with my face pressed to the cement of the floor. No one had thought to move me when I fell. How kind of them. I groaned, still dazed from my dream and sat up, rubbing the side of my head. Everything ached, my head, my hand, my body. I felt like I had just been hit by a truck.

But what really hurt was my heart. Great. Eighteen years of not seeing my mother and when I finally found her again, it had all been a dream. But had it? I thought back to the other dreams that I had had: the golden city and Loki on that strange planet. He had turned out to be real. So could this one be too? I really wasn't sure, but I knew one thing: Loki had drugged my food. Where was that bastard?

I lifted my head and looked around the room but although everyone was busy going about their business, Loki was nowhere to be seen. I did see Hawkeye though. He was standing off to the side talking to one of the guards the same blank look in his eyes. Well I didn't care if he had been brainwashed by Loki, I was pissed.

Pushing myself off the ground, I strode over to him and shoved him hard.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded.

He looked startled for a moment, then his face returned to that blank look. He motioned for the guard to leave before turning back to me.

"What do you want?"

"What was in my food?"

"Are you always like this?"

"Do none of you listen to me?" Stupid question but I was frustrated.

"No. Especially not when you're throwing a tantrum."

"I swear I should kill you all."

"With what?" Hawkeye raised an eyebrow. "A gun you wrestle off one of the guards? You weigh what, a hundred and ten?"

I rolled my eyes, ignoring his jab at my size.

"Where's Loki?"

"Busy."

"That's great," I snapped, "but I didn't ask what he was doing I asked where he is."

This time he didn't answer and I clenched my jaw in frustration.

"Fine," I said through my teeth, "I'll find him myself."

Then I turned and strode away.

Although the main room that we were in was not too big, it took me a good twenty minutes before I found Loki.

I had thought that I had explored this entire place but apparently not because he was off to the side in a room I had never seen before. I could just make him out in the dim light of the room, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his staff lying across his lap. His eyes were closed and he looked like he was in a trance.

"Loki." I snapped, but he didn't react.

"Loki." What was he doing, sleeping?

"Loki!" Finally I reached out and grabbed his shoulder, but the second I touched him it was like I was being ripped through a tunnel.

I gasped as I felt the air being squeezed from my lungs. A second later my vision cleared but I almost wished it hadn't.

"Oh no." I whispered. Because I recognized this place. I was back on that planet where I had dreamed about Loki.

OoooooooO

The sky was darker-if that was possible- but I recognized the rock, which was peppered with holes and reached jaggedly for the sky. I was in the same spot that I had been standing before, only this time I didn't have time to duck behind a rock before Loki spotted me.

"You!" He strode over to me, grabbing my arm in a vice grip. "What are you doing here?"

He was dressed in his full green armor, his golden horns glittering satanically on his head. I opened my mouth-not to answer, but to tell him to get his hand off of me- but I didn't get the chance before there was a low hissing. I froze and Loki's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing.

"Too late. Just stand here and do not speak unless directed to, understand?"

"Yea like hell I wi-" But my words were cut short when I saw what had been hissing. A cloaked figure appeared and I recognized it as the creature that had been speaking with Loki the last time that I was here. Only this time its gaze narrowed in on me.

"Who is this?" It said and I winced as the sound of its voice ground against my ears.

"That is not of importance to you." Loki said smoothly.

The creature turned to him, narrowing its eyes.

"You dare bring that creature here?"

Creature? I'm sorry who was speaking to whom?

"As I said," Loki said tightly, "it is none of your concern. You should be concerning yourself only with preparing your forces."

The creature hissed, drawing back its lips to reveal the same blood red teeth that I remembered from my previous dream.

"Our forces have been prepared for far longer than you! The Chitauri grow restless."

"Let them go at themselves, I will lead them in the glorious battle."

"What?" I turned my head towards Loki but he tightening his grip on my arm and I gasped immediately closing my mouth.

"Battle?" The creature hissed and I could have sworn I heard it laugh, like snakes hissing. "Against the meager might of Earth?"

I felt my mouth go dry. Oh God. This was exactly what I had been afraid of.

"Glorious, not lengthy, if your force is as formidable as you claim."

Suddenly the creature spun on us. "You question us? You question him?" He touched the jagged rock and I had a feeling that he was motioning to someone-or something- but what, I did not know. "He who put the scepter in your hand. Who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose when you were cast out, defeated-"

"I was a king!" Loki snapped and I was surprised at how defensive his voice got. "The rightful king of Asgard. Betrayed."

Betrayed? I thought back to my dreams of the golden city. How Loki had fought with the man in red. Was that what it had been about?

The creature smiled again, only this time I could somehow tell that it was mocking Loki.

"Your ambition is little, full of childish need. We are beyond the Earth to greater worlds the Tesseract will unveil."

"You don't have the Tesseract yet." Loki said flatly and a second later the creature was in front of us. It happened so fast that I didn't even see it and I inhaled sharply, taking a step back.

Loki, however, appeared unfazed.

"I don't threaten." He said, slowly lifting his staff to knock away the creature's hand. "But until I open the doors. Until your force is mine to command, you are but words."

Okay Loki. I thought. Let's mock the creature that has blood red lips and just moved at lightning speed. Somehow I didn't think that this creature needed words to make us regret that we were here. As if to confirm my thoughts, the creature slinked towards us.

"You will have your war Asgardian." It promised, but I could tell by the way it started circling us that there was more to its words. We were just prey here. "If you fail. If the Tesseract is kept from us. There will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can't find you."

It hissed the last word in Loki's ear, close enough that I had to shy away to avoid touching it and I shivered.

"You think you know pain?" It continued, and I noticed something out of the corner of my eye, a long tentacle twisting and writing towards us.

"Um, Loki?" I touched his arm, but he was too busy listening to what the creature had to say.

"He will make you long for something sweet as pain!" On the last words it touched the side of Loki's face and I gasped as we were ripped violently back to reality.

OoooooooO

When I opened my eyes we were back in the dark room again. I shivered; remembering the way the creature had spoken. There was an army? And they were coming to Earth? Oh God so it was one of those crazy take-over-the-world things. What was I doing here?

I turned to Loki who was breathing hard, a frustrated look on his face.

"What was that?" I demanded, though I knew it was probably useless, no one had given me straight answers so far.

"So it's not only dreams," Loki said, ignoring me as usual.

"What?" I said. Then it clicked. "You drugged my food to make me fall asleep. You knew I have these dreams…."

"But it's not only dreams is it?" Loki said with a smile. "You were able to join me just now. How did you do that?"

He took a step closer to me but I backed up.

"I have no idea. I just touched you and suddenly I was there. I didn't ask for it to happen.

"So you can't control it."

"No." I said flatly, my patience beginning to wear thin. "Did it look like I wanted to be there?"

"Hmm," Loki said, more to himself than me. "We will have to changed that."

Then he turned on his heel and left the room.

"Hey!" I shouted, running to catch up with him. His legs were longer than mine so I practically had to jog just to keep up with his pace as we made our way through the machinery.

"Change that? No. I am not a science experiment and whatever you have planned, I want no part of it!"

"Oh but you already are a part of it." He said with a smile.

As we made our way deeper into the research area I noticed Dr. Selvig waving to us, a giant grin on his face. Hawkeye stood next to him, a large handheld computer screen in his hand.

"Hey!" Selvig said when we got close enough. "The Tesseract has shown me so much. It's more than knowledge, it's truth"

Oh boy. I thought. He was really far-gone.

"I know." Loki said. Then he turned to Hawkeye. "What did it show you agent Barton?"

"My next target."

"Tell me what you need."

"I'll need a distraction." Hawkeye said, walking over to a case and flicking his wrist to activate his bow. "And an eyeball."

An eyeball? I felt my stomach drop but Loki just smiled again.
"Anything you need. I think I know just where we can find that." He tilted his head, studying a picture on the screen Hawkeye had been holding, then nodded and grabbed my arm, pulling me off again.

I was so thrown off by what had just happened that I forgot to fight him until we had come to a stop.

"You said I was a part of your plan." I said, tilting my head to look up at him. "How?"

"You'll see." He said. "You've shown that you can do what we want. And you will."

He took a step towards me and although I backed up, I balled my hands into fists.

"You see that's your problem, Loki. You're under the insane impression that I am going to cooperate. Which I haven't. And I won't."

"Oh yes you will."

I laughed harshly. "Sure, or what? Are you going to punish me again?"

"No." Loki shook his head. "On the contrary, I am gong to reward you."

I faltered a little.

"What?"

"I am going to a party. And you will attend with me."

"What? No." This felt like a trick. Loki seemed like the kind of guy whose idea of a party would be a mass murder.

"Yes." He said calmly. "You will."

"You can't make me." I said, not caring if I sounded like a two year old.

Loki smiled.

"Oh you'd be surprised what I can do."