A/N: Hey everyone. First off, THANK YOU everyone who has chosen to follow my fan fiction. Secondly, my apologizes for taking a bit to post this. I am trying to post every week. I know it use to be twice a week, but life has gotten a bit busier for me and my Beta; so every week it shall be. As always, I own only my plot and OCs. Also, from here on a few chapters may be dedicated to a single day since the battle. I do this because you are going to get POVs (or what I call character focus) on various characters since everyone is scattered. Enjoy.

Chapter 14: You have got to be kidding me.

*** Right after the battle – SF ****

It was not comfortable, Steve felt, to be holding onto another man for dear life; especially when both men are wearing armor. The moment Loki yelled at Thor, Steve knew they had to get out of there. It was rather good timing, but not perfect. Sometime between him grabbing Thor and them flying out, he had been shot in the leg. Thor had been shot in the back. They flew north until they could no longer see the crowd. Thor landed them on a roof top.

"Where is it the man of metal asked us to go?' Thor asked.

"Yeah, that's the problem. I have no idea where his house is. I think Malibu is out west."

Thor sighed, "So we need to obtain directions and to tend our injuries."

"I would say yes, but in the opposite order."

"Where can we go for these things? I only know Lady Jane and SHIELD removed her from danger for me and sent her away."

"I have a friend in the city, but I need my phoneto call her, which is in my pants pocket on the Helicarrier…so that won't work. Well, my apartment is near here. Let's go there to get patched up while we think." Steve only hoped that Loki wouldn't think to send men there after them. They would only have a few hours at his place tops.

"That is a reasonable plan. Tell me how to get to your dwelling and we will fly."

"Are you going to be able to with your shoulder?"

"I have had worse injuries than this."

"Okay."

It took Thor and Steve only a few minutes to get to his apartment. Steve didn't have his keys with him so they had to break through the door. Surprisingly, no one heard anything. Setting the door back in the frame, he hoped none of his neighbors would notice and call the police.

A few hours later, Thor was resting on the couch, with the TV on, and Steve was washing the blood off his hands. He was thankful for the military training that taught him how to treat bullet wounds. He was also glad Thor could fit into his jeans and shirt. Both men had showered and changed in order to "blend in" better. Their armor was in a duffle bag with some food and other clothes. They were all set, except for the fact he didn't know where to go. He had tried to use the computer to find Stark's place, but...well... let's just say the computer was now resting on the floor in a few pieces. Normally Steve was very patient but not today. Curse Stark for assuming everyone would know where he lived. Steve wondered if Dr. Banner would know where to go as well.

Looking around his apartment he wondered if he would ever get to return. He was just getting into life here. The memories of his old life were still present, but they no longer haunted him. It was then that he saw the small note book on the kitchen table. The notebook where he put reminders to himself… maybe…Rushing over to it he started to flip through and sure enough there was the number.

"Thank God!'

"What have you found?'

"My friend's number. She can help us. Now we just need to get to a phone… my gym has a phone in the office. It is just a few blocks from here. Let's go."

****** A few hours before, right after Avengers split, AF****

Anya was in the van with Connor, on the way to Times Square, when her phone started to ring.

"This is Anya Marvel."

"Anya, it's Tony-"

"-Are you alright?!"

"Yes, but we have to get out of this city. We are going to my Malibu house. I want you to get a car and meet us there."

"First off, I don't have your address. Secondly, I can't – people need my help. You saw the damage. I work for the Disasters Response Unit. This is my job!"

"And you're my sister! If they find out about you –"

"-but no one knows! Remember! Listen, I'm sorry, but I can't. Besides, it will be good for you to have a contact inside the city."

"Damn it Anya!" She heard talking on the other side of the phone. "Romanoff says you have a point. I'll have Jarvis text you the address and how to get to my house. If something happens or you think anyone suspects you have to get out of there!"

"I will. Stay safe brother."

"Do the same." Anya hung up the phone and tried to hold back the tears.

"Who was that?" Connor asked.

Anya briefly panicked, but tried to play it cool, "My friend who is like a brother to me. He wants me to leave the city with him and his family."

"Alright…"

Anya was going to respond, but it was right at that moment they arrived at Times Square. OEM was already setting up tents for them. There was a central tent, the Command Tent, with a generator that would be her home for a while. There were separate tents for food, medicine, paperwork (to register those getting assistance/assess need), and a waiting area.

"I'll see you in a few hours Connor." She said with a false cheer to her co-worker/friend as she jumped out of the car before he drove away. Squaring her shoulders, she walked into the central tent.

A few hours later, almost nonstop phone and radio calls plus meetings, Anya was sitting down in the food tent drinking a cup of coffee. She was also hungry, but since her team would arrive in an hour she decided to wait for them. Hearing her phone ring she looked down at the number. If it was any sort of agency or work related thing she would call them back. She was giving herself 10 minutes to rest. It was either that or fall over. However, the number came up as unknown. Sighing, she answered it.

"Hello, this is Anya Marvel."

"Anya, it's Steve."

"Steve? What is it? Sorry to be abrupt, but I am in the middle of dealing with a disaster made by an angry god here." She tried not to sound agitated, but he had just disturbed her coffee time.

"I'm sorry Anya, but I need help and you're the only one I know."

"It's okay. Sorry to come across as well cross. What is it?"

"Can you come to the gym and bring a US map and some bandages with you?"

" Steve what is going on? Are you alright?"

"Well it's hard to explain. Please just say you'll come."

"Well your timing isn't terrible, so yeah I'll be there in 15 minutes, but I can't stay long."

"That's fine."

Hanging up, she let out a giant sigh. Gulping down the rest of the coffee, which thankfully wasn't scolding hot, she got up. She grabbed a few sandwiches and water bottles from the tent. She went to the medical tent and grabbed some large gauze, ointment, tape and scissors. One of the workers there gave her a plastic bag to put it in. At the command tent, after snagging a map, she announced she had to go into the field and would be reachable on cell phone. She should be back before the hour was up. One of her relief workers lent Anya her car to drive.

About 20 minutes later she pulled up to the gym. Parking on the street, she headed inside. The lights were on, but no one was inside; not that it surprised her. She would assume everyone who was exercising at the time of the incident went home.

"Steve?" she called out, feeling a bit nervous; nothing quite as creepy as an old empty gym.

"Back here!" she heard him yell. Moving to the back of the gym she found Steve standing next to a rather large blond man. The man was taller than Steve and seemed to have biceps as big as a child's head; well, that was probably an exaggeration, but still the guy was built to the point of making Steve look out of shape. They both looked exhausted.

"Steve who is this and what is going on?" she asked as she approached the guys.

"Anya…this is hard to explain…this," he said gesturing to the man behind him, "is Thor of Asgard-"

She held up a hand to stop him right there. "Thor of Asgard? As in the Asgard the same place as our new dictator came from?"

"Yes my lady," Thor spoke in an almost old English accent, "Loki is my brother. We have tried to put a stop to him but have failed."

"Wait a moment, 'we' tried to stop him. As in you and Steve?"

"As in all the Avengers." Steve answered for Thor.

"Steve?"

"I'm afraid I have not been completely honest with you Ma'am. My name is Steve Rogers and I am Captain America." It almost sounded like he had practiced saying that in front of a mirror. Knowing Steve, well as much as Anya thought she knew him, she wouldn't be surprised it that was true.

"You have got to be kidding me?" was Anya's automatic response.

"Why would he jest?" Thor asked.

This was almost too much, Anya felt. Feeling weak, she moved and sat on the bench that was against the wall behind the two men.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked. She nodded.

"Here," she said handing him the bag. " There is food, water and medical supplies, plus the map."

"Thank you kind lady." Thor told her.

"It's Anya and you're welcome. Where are you going by the way?"

"We are going to regroup. There are too many innocent soldiers, brainwashed by Loki, for us to attack outright. So we had to leave." Steve told her, bitterness coloring his words. "That is actually why I called you," he continued. "Tony Stark – Iron Man – told us to meet at his home in Malibu, but we don't know where it is. You are the only person I know in the city. Can you help us?"

Anya had to laugh. Of course they would go to Tony's house – her brother's house, and he had just sent her directions and tried to get her to go not hours before. She stopped laughing when she saw both men's faces covered in concern. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry it's just too much."

"Are you alright, lady?" Thor's comment almost made her laugh again, well that and their faces. They thought she had cracked. Truth be told she kind of had.

"Considering the circumstances I am. I 'm sorry. I wasn't laughing at you or your request. Well, kind of at your request. The thing is, Steve, I haven't been completely honest with you as well."

"What do you mean?" he asked. He seemed to square his shoulders; as if to prepare himself for whatever she was going to say.

"Well, do you remember, a few months ago, when I told you I was forced to go on a date with a rich man because of my work?"

"Yes"

"That man was Tony Stark." Surprise filled his face, but it changed into anger. Steve started to say something, but she held up her hand again, "Let me finish." He sighed and nodded. "Tony was, well, confused as to why I left the date so early. So he ended up having his computer do a background-check on me-" Steve's face seemed to be getting darker as she continued. Thor just looked confused. "- and that was when …well…it's when he found out we were related." Dun dun dunnnnn, she almost said after that last sentence. The look on his face was priceless.

"What?... Related? How related?"

"Let me say, first off, that I didn't even know I was adopted before this happened. But, yeah, Tony Stark is my half-brother."

Both men seemed surprised; although, Anya wondered if she had broken Steve.

"Half-brother?" Steve managed to choke out.

"Yeah, his mother had an affair with a SHIELD employee and gave birth to me."

"You know about SHIELD?"

"Um, recall, also a few months ago, when I didn't come to the gym for two weeks?" Steve nodded. "That was because I got hurt trying to run from SHIELD and kind of foughtAgent Barton."

"You did what?!"

"They showed up at my door and demanded that I come with them. Then Barton appeared out of nowhere in my apartment. What would you expect me to do? I went out the window and tried to escape barefoot." Her voice, she noticed, had become louder and slightly higher pitched when she answered him. Both men looked at her with what she could only describe as awe.

Steve sighed, "So you are half-sister to Tony Stark and know about SHIELD. Am I missing anything else?"

"Well, I have another half-brother, whom you might have met – Agent Coulson." She said, her voice sounding strange to her ears. The blood drained from both of their faces.

"You are sister to the Man of Iron and Son of Coul?" Thor asked.

"If by Son of Coul you mean Phil Coulson, then yes."

Steve sat down beside her on the bench. "Anya I don't know how to tell you this - "

"- I already know that he's gone." She said interrupting Steve. She swallowed, trying to bury the tears in her throat.

"How?"

"Tony called me when he was putting the nuke through the hole in the sky. He told me that before he said goodbye."

After a moment Thor spoke, "the Man of Iron is fine."

She gave him a light smile, "I know. I saw him move on the news. Also, he called me not long after you guys split up to ask me to go to his house in Malibu- which is why I laughed. He sent me directions to his place, which I can give to you. If I had been thinking straight I wouldn't have even asked where you guys were going and I would have just offered them to you."

Not wasting time, she pulled the map out of the bag and a pen out of her pocket. She circled the location and wrote specific directions on the back. Standing up, she handed it to Steve.

She took a second to look at her phone. No one had called, but it was fifteen till, "Well I have to go back."

"Won't you come with us? As Tony's sister you are in danger here," Steve asked her.

"No. I won't go. I am in charge of the recovery efforts here. I have to stay. Besides, as I told Tony, no one knows we are related. Also it will help you guys to have a contact on the inside of the city."

"You are brave, Lady Anya" Thor told her.

"Thank you, Thor, but I am just doing my job."

"Okay, but stay safe." Steve added.

"I will. Oh and try to keep an eye on my idiot brother will you? Take care of yourselves as well. I have a feeling we will need all of you before this is over."

"I'll try, and Anya, will you do me a favor?" Steve asked her.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Keep an eye out for Dr. Bruce Banner."

Anya was confused, "Who?"

"He is the Hulk." Anya took a moment to think. She recalled the news cast of the battle. She had recognized everyone there… then it hit her… the green creature. Eyes slightly widening, she tried to play it cool, "Okay."

"Thank you – for everything,"

Smiling warmly at her friend, she nodded before waving goodbye to both men. She hurried back to her car – or rather the car that was lent to her. She made it back to command just in time to meet her team. It was on her way back, however, that she realized something had changed. Looking up at Stark Tower, she realized the blue beam of light, that had been there shooting up into the sky above the building, was gone. She hoped that was a good sign.

***ATST - Loki Focused ***

He would master the Tesseract, Loki told himself staring at the cube. It would give him ultimate power to rule over this pathetic land. After telling the Midgardians he was their ruler, by using the device Agent Barton pointed out to him, he had returned to the Tower. It was fitting, he decided, to take it as his –a trophy of sorts. At least, until something better could be built. It had taken him a few hours to devise a way to close the portal. If that weak Midgardian doctor had lived, it would not have taken him as long. The Chitauri were weak as well; all of them dying when their ship had been damaged proved that. He had been wise not to rely on their aid. Agent Barton had proved most useful in explaining the system of rule in this country. It was through him that Loki learned that the land's leader was called the President of America and he found all the country's warriors or what they called military leaders; all of whom, he showed truth to with his scepter. He would establish his rule in this land before moving on to the others.

"Sir," Agent Barton said to Loki, who was currently using his magic to transport the Tesseract inside the building; its magic was too great and burned anyone who touched it physically.

"What is it?" Loki asked after he sat the Tesseract down on a table that was on the same floor as the balcony.

"The Avengers have escaped."

"Then you shall have to find them. Although, I wonder how you could lose the giant green beast."

"Banner must have transformed and hidden himself, but we will find them, sir," Barton replied but continued to stand there.

"What else?" Loki asked weary. The magic to remove the Tesseract, and the earlier battle. had drained him. He was ready to rest before continuing working to unlock the Tesseract's mysteries.

"It seems some people have begun to organize in the city."

That caught Loki's attention. "Organize as in they mean to resist my rule? That is foolish of them."

"Not to resist, sir. It looks as if they are assisting those injured in the battle."

"Helping the weak? How pathetic. What is the point? The weak only die."

"What are your orders?"

"Find their leader and bring him to me."

"Yes sir."

A/N: Mwahahaha. We know who the leader is. This will be fun. I also have to say I am slightly concerned I had so much fun writing Loki. I guess my evil dictator side is showing. Let me know what you think about how I portrayed Loki. I find many fanfiction writers make him ...softer...for the lack of a better term. Personally, I agree with Banner in that his head is a bag full of cats. Well, cats, anger, self-pity and hurt.

If you like the story, then please review and share. Writers need a little TLC too.