So we pick up where we left off! Thanks for reading and reviewing! I cannot express how much I love you all *tears*
"Ah. The mortal is in hysterics," Thanos said as they descended the stairs lower and lower into the heart of the palace.
Natasha lifted her head, "Why didn't you leave me up there?" she slurred.
"If Frigga is lying, she gets to watch her son's only love die," Death crooned.
Thanos opened the door to the dungeons, revealing a long row of iron cells, the jail bars glittered. He dumped Natasha on the floor and she landed on her wrist incorrectly, bruising it further.
Death set Frigga down more carefully, the smoke disappearing, "Reveal it to us."
Natasha rolled away, holding her arm to her chest. She tried to pinpoint all her injuries but she lost count. She didn't even think she was this beat up after fighting the Chitauri.
"It is hidden. There is vault under the floor, there," Frigga pointed to the third cell on the left.
Thanos stomped over to the iron door, slamming his shoulder into it so that the door fell from the frame, hinges creaking.
"Where!" Thanos screamed.
"Here," said a deep, booming voice. Natasha looked up and saw Odin with his sword, the Infinity Gauntlet sparkling despite the darkness of the dungeon.
Death screeched at the sight of the god, shrinking away from him.
The Titan squeezed his fist around the spear in his hand, "Allfather, welcome to world of the living."
"Be gone, Death, and never show your face here again," Odin merely touched the hem of Death's sleeve with his gloved hand and she evaporated into thin air, "Thanos, you know better…Have I not bested you time and time again? Have you not learned from your mistakes? Leave now in peace! Go after your lover!"
"Where did you send her," Thanos whispered, visibly shaking with anger.
"Banished from the realm and the next!"
Thanos sprinted to Frigga's side, picking her up by her hair, "Tell me where the Tessaract is, Odin, or your wife shall never see the Asgardian Sun again!"
Odin smiled, "It's not down here," he drawled, "Loki didn't learn his tricks from just anyone."
Thanos dropped Frigga and wiped away the trail of blood leaking from hole in his neck, "I will find it. This century or the next, it will be mine."
Odin walked up to Thanos, deflecting Thanos' spear with his sword. Odin gripped Thanos' neck with his gloved hand, "Your search will be fruitless. You are banished, Thanos, to the opposite end of the multiverse, as far from Death and possible. By the time you reunite with her, your Infinity Gauntlet shall be destroyed, forever undone, each jewel turned to dust. This I swear," and with that Thanos vanished.
"Odin!" Frigga stood and ran to him, "I feared you would be in Odinsleep forevermore!" She hugged him, kissing his cheeks, her golden curls falling around his face.
"My wife," he murmured.
Natasha looked away, suddenly feeling awkward, invading their private moment.
Frigga turned and went to Natasha's side, "I am Frigga, Lady Romanoff, Loki's foster mother. Are you alright?"
"Hi," Natasha said as Frigga helped her up, "I'm alive, but I think I'm seriously broken..."
"So, Loki has fallen in love with a mortal. He even tricks himself," Odin sighed, taking Natasha's bloody hand in both of his, "How like him. He swears to wipe out your race and then his heart betrays him. Presumably because of you, his allegiance to Thanos became nothing but a ill-executed game."
"It only takes one person to prove their realm is worth saving," Frigga said.
"That's all nice and dandy," Natasha pulled her hand from Odin's, "but Jane Foster and my friend Clint Barton are hurt too."
Odin nodded, "Let us tend to them."
"Odin, Lady Sif and the Warriors three…Thanos and Death, they did something to them! They are not dead but cast into a deep unconsciousness," Frigga started to cry.
"Shh, my love. This Gauntlet's last act can be for good..."
"It can bring them back?" Natasha's eyes were wide.
"Yes. It's power is great. I should have destroyed it long ago, and avoided this mess…"
Natasha followed Odin and Frigga up the stairs and back to the room where everyone was waiting. Thor and Jane were caught in an embrace despite their smoky handcuffs, splattering kisses on each other, smiles broad across their faces at their unanticipated reunion. Loki stood in the corner, wringing his hands.
"Father!" Thor shouted. He released Jane at the same time Loki went and wrapped Natasha in a hug. Odin walked over to him and removed the black smoke around his hands with the Gauntlet, "You have defeated Thanos?"
"Yes, Thor," Odin answered and went next to Sif, touching her neck. She gasped back to life, a gurgled moan escaping her lips. The same happened to Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg. Sif moaned as the pain from her crushed hand registered to her.
Loki picked up Natasha bridal style and carried to a chair, setting her down carefully, "Are you all right?" he kneeled before her and grasped her injured, shaking hands as his own hands turned blue. His skin became icy cold and soothed her swelling wrist and knuckles.
Natasha said nothing, but shook her head. Loki smoothed her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear. His green eyes probed her and found nothing but shock and confusion and panic, "Please don't be afraid. Please, Natasha…"
She lowered her eyes, staying silent.
Odin placed a hand on Clint's neck, but nothing happened, "I'm afraid Thanos' magic is not the cause of this one's injuries. He must be taken back to Earth to be cared for."
Fandral and Volstagg both rubbed their heads and stood.
"What has happened, Allfather? The last thing I remember was black smoke entering the room…" Hogun sat forward on the lounge as his vision returned to him.
"I know everything that happened. I heard all. All except for a few details. But first, we must send these mortals back to Midgard," Odin walked over to Loki and Natasha, "I am sorry, Loki, but we must give Earth back their finest warrior," he smiled fondly at Natasha.
Loki visibly shut down, "No."
"It's not a request, son," Odin warned.
Natasha made to stand up, and Loki moved out her way, "He's right. Clint needs medical attention."
Natasha went over to Clint as Thor and Jane kissed each other goodbye, "We shall meet again soon, my love," Thor murmured.
"Bye Thor," Jane gave him one last squeeze before she joined Natasha's side.
"If you would kneel, and grab ahold of your friend," Odin instructed, "Do not let go of one another until you are safe on Earth," Odin grabbed Jane's hand with his gloved one, "My sons have chosen beautiful women," Odin smiled as Jane blushed, and sent them back to Earth.
Natasha closed her eyes as they were pulled through the universe, and when she opened them next, they were back on the third floor of the red-brick building. Her vision blurred and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She heard sirens in the distance, and then everything went black.
Loki slouched as Natasha was sent away, his heart twisting. She didn't even speak to him. His throat closed up. She must be livid, being dragged and beaten and baited all because of him.
"You met this woman when you fought with the Chitauri?" Odin asked as he removed the Infinity Gauntlet and sat down in the chair Natasha had vacated.
"Long before. It was pure coincidence that she was chosen to protect Earth alongside Thor."
"I believe not in coincidence. How long have you been seeing her?" Frigga sat in the chair beside Odin.
"After the war, only days," his voice cracked, "just a few days…"
"Loki, why didn't you tell me," Thor was hurt, "Confessing your attachment to the mortal would have proven your innocence!"
"It explains why you surrendered to us so eagerly," Frigga said.
"Why, Loki?" Sif asked.
Loki stood and turned to Sif, anger coloring his voice, "Would you have believed me? Or would it have been just another trick? You are all liars. Every one of you," He spun, locking eyes Odin, "Take from my shoulders the mantel I carry. I am no longer the God of Lies, not when my family weaves greater webs of deceit than I could dare to imagine! It is you who has created farce after farce, told lie after lie! Did you even kill Thanos?" Odin looked down at his hands, "I thought not," Loki whispered, "Destroy the Gauntlet, father, and this time make good on your word."
"Loki—" Figga reached out to touch him.
"Enough!" he recoiled, "I am revolted by you all. You all hate me! Treat me as a traitor and a liar and a thief. I am sick of it. Natasha is the only one who has ever accepted me, truly recognized who I was and still took me in! I've never craved anyone's company as I do hers…and your deceptions, your foolish whims have ripped her from me. She ran from Asgard, from me, because of you."
Loki walked calmly from the room, not turning to look at Sif and the Warriors Three. He doubted he would ever be able to look at them in the eyes again.
Natasha woke up in a hospital bed, wires, cords, and IV drips needled into her arms and chest.
Nick Fury was standing at the foot of her bed.
"Well, fuck," she rasped.
"Fuck indeed, Natasha. This was a better trap than I anticipated. You look like shit."
"I feel it."
Nick went and sat down in the chair besides her bed, "I hear you have a lot to tell me."
"I can explain everything."
"No need. Clint and Jane woke up yesterday and told us everything."
"What did they tell you?"
"That you two were lured into a trap, and that this Thanos kidnapped Jane to use as leverage against Thor. Jane thinks he took you both to be witnesses, to come back to Earth and spread the word about Thanos taking control of the Tessaract, and that Barton was an accidental bystander in the situation."
Natasha sighed and winced as her head throbbed painfully, "He was. Anything else?"
"Just some minor details. She gave us the basic layout of the Asgardian Palace. We hope you have more to add to that."
"Maybe later? How is Clint?"
"He had some severe brain damage, nothing that some good old SHIELD medicine can't fix. You on the other hand, have a long recovery road ahead of you."
"Spill it."
"You have shattered knuckles on your right hand, sprained left wrist, a major concussion, you re-broke two of your ribs on the left side, a hairline fracture on your left arm and left femur, sprained ankle, multiple lesions and cuts…"
"Okay, enough."
Fury waited.
"Can I see Clint?"
"He's been taken to SHIELD HQ to finish treatment, sorry. You won't get to see him until you get discharged."
"How long is that, you think?"
"Your doctor thinks in a few days, if you promise to follow his strict at home regimen while healing," Fury smirked, knowing making her promise such a thing was futile, "Also, your alias is Elizabeth Karova, and you fell while you went spelunking with your boyfriend, Adam Lewis."
"What about Jane?"
"She's a physicist doing research. Accidents happen..."
"And Oleg?"
"Apprehended yesterday trying to get in contact with his wife."
"Perfect."
Fury scooted his chair closer to Natasha's bedside, "I don't what you did to piss this Thanos guy off, Natasha, but I'm not buying Jane's little theory. There's something she's not telling me, and I have a gut-feeling she's protecting you. You were lured for a reason, too. Clint may have been unconscious half the time you guys were gone and therefore not remember much, but don't think I'm not going to want the full story, in writing."
Natasha swallowed, "There's not much else to report, Nick. We mostly got pulled in my accident."
Fury stood, "Then why were you the one who was lured in, Natasha? Why wasn't it Jane Foster's impersonator luring her into a fake science lab?"
"You did send Marshall to go check on her. She went missing days before I did," Natasha pointed out.
Fury rolled his eye.
"Listen Nick, you don't even want to know details, okay? Trust me, the world is safe and rescued from another evil plan of annihilation. Thanos is gone, Odin took care of him. Just leave it alone and save us all the embarrassment."
"Fine. But I want to know someday."
"I can't promise you anything."
"Just promise me that you won't be messing with anymore gods and titans. No more of this multiverse bullshit."
Natasha felt her throat close up and tears brim in her swollen eyes, "I can promise that. I can't…I'm not made to fight aliens and gods," She winced when she took a ragged breath, "Thanos was the leader of the Chitauri. He set the trap for me—er, for Jane. He took me to Asgard and beat the shit out of me. He tried to use me and Jane as leverage, threating Thor so that he would spill about the Tessaract's location. I'm done. I'm not made to fight anything greater than humans. Look at me! I'm broken. I've never been like this. I can barely handle the shit on Earth," Natasha felt the tears spill.
Fury stood and patted her hand lightly, "You're not broken, Natasha. This is just the first time you've ever actually felt human. Get better. Consider yourself back on vacation."
Natasha laughed at that, a thin and raspy laugh, and watched as Fury smiled and left.