Well I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas (or whatever you all celebrate). This was supposed to be one chapter, but well, at 7500words I felt that however much I hated to split this, it really needed to be a two part-er. So, I'm giving you two chapters for the price of one here and they are big ones in terms of plot. Reading through so many pages to check this was hell, so I hope I've got rid of most of the mistakes but please point the ones I've missed. I really need a Beta! (Hint, Hint). So Happy Christmas to my loyal followers and new readers. Please Fave/follow/review, this was a difficult one to write, I'd love to know what you think.

Previously:

Tony comes back through the wormhole with an unknown energy signature draining the life out of him, causing chaos and giving him nightmares. Having got progressively worse Tony awakes from being sedated in agony to find the process has accelerated during the night. Face to face with the Avengers, the energy reaches 100% and the CAEB is released. The team stand no chance against the CAEB but with help from Jarvis Tony forces the CAEB to merge with his own nervous system.

The relief is short lived when Asgardian soldiers, led by Odin take Tony by force restraining the Avengers and disappear as suddenly as they arrived.

Over 3 months later the team is falling apart and there are still no leads on finding Tony. Natasha gathers everyone together and gives them a 3-month ultimate to find Tony or give up and inform SHIELD.

Thor is informed by Heimdall and Loki that the CAEB when merged with its host may be the only one to save the universe.

Learning that Tony is the CAEB and has less than half an hour left he formulates an escape with Loki's help to gain the tesseract, but when attempting to escape the tunnels Thor is ambushed by the Asgardian army.

10 men have broken past Thor and are heading straight for the defenceless Tony…

Thor could not move to chase them or the whole army would descend upon him. It was over, they were caught and there really was no way out.

Chapter 14 -Fight for your freedom

Part I

There was only one thing for it. Thor let down his arms that had been holding back the marauding army and dived towards Tony. He wasn't going to make it in time. He was catching the soldiers who had broken through but they had nearly reached their target. Tony was helpless. He threw Mjolnir and knocked the pursuing warriors against the wall and into unconsciousness. That was one problem dealt with, but he had no idea how to get the tesseract working and get them both out before the swarm engulfed them. The charging Asgardians were breathing down his neck. An Axe blade whistled through the air, slicing its way through the dark tunnel in search of its target. Thor was oblivious.

Tony's eyes trailed the weapon and calculated its destination. He tried to yell a warning. Nothing. He tried to get up, but his breath left him before his muscles raised him more than an inch. He had to do something. He had to protect his friend.

There was an Earth-shattering clatter and the world seemed to slow down. Thor glanced behind them and all he saw was blue. He turned his head to see that the following army was no longer moving, stopped by an invisible wall and looking perplexed. Thor stopped running to examine the barrier. The warriors crushed at the bottom of the pile were pounding against the shield, each blow sent blue veins shooting through the air and a pained wheeze cutting through the air behind him. Tony!

Thor turned around to see Tony's arm outstretched and shaking terribly. His eyes glowed the same blue as the Shield that had saved him. With every fist or sword that pounded against it another drop of thick crimson liquid dripped from Tony's nose and pooled on the floor.

Thor wasted no more time in running towards him. Tony was barely breathing now, it was taking all his strength just to hold out his hand. More blue erupted into the tunnel as Thor took out the tesseract and quickly got to work, Tony couldn't hold on much longer and Thor feared what would happen if he did. Holding up the shield was visibly draining him, every second that passed more blood oozed from his nose until it was flowing down his face like a river, his skin went from pale to white and then to grey and his breath from a rasping wheeze to non-existent.

…..

He had no idea what he was doing or how he was doing it but it seemed to be working. It didn't hurt; which made a change. In fact, it felt quite good in a way, well he supposed it would have felt brilliant if it didn't feel like it was sucking the life out of him. Every muscle in his body was tense and quivering, his teeth were gritted in effort and his vision grew dark at the edges. His body should have been screaming at him, but it just wasn't, everything seemed calm and quiet. The world was almost running in slow motion as the power coursed through him. He knew his body was failing but he didn't feel it, all he felt was urgency, was Thor going to stand and stare all day or was he going to get them out of here? Oh good. Thank you. The God was finally moving but Tony's vision was just coming in flashes. Thor was running, black, Thor was knelt beside him, more blackness, there was something blue, the tesseract, the blackness took over. The shield was let down and the army descended.

…..

The Avengers were pacing. Heimdall was pacing, which was certainly unlike him. It had been nearly an hour since he had managed to convince the Midgardians he meant no harm and inform them that Thor should be arriving forthwith. It had been too long, something must have gone wrong and he could sense the others were beginning to doubt his sincerity once more.

Steve paused his movement and turned to Heimdall, he wanted to trust his words they all did, but the proverbial elephant in the room had to be addressed at some time. Heimdall met Steve's questioning gaze and opened his mouth to speak before his head snapped to the left and stared at the empty space in the room.

Seconds later the room erupted in blue light, which had everyone's attention instantly. Thor was crouched in the centre of the room with his back to them. But where was Tony? The room was silent as the steaming blue energy surrounding Thor dissipated and he came properly into focus.

Thor raised his head and the room appeared empty. He was definitely in Stark tower, the view of New York from the window in front of him was incredibly familiar. He looked back down at his passenger cradled tightly against body in his silent sleep. His heart leapt for a moment. Was he breathing? He cast the tesseract aside and placed his now free hand in front of Tony's mouth. For several ghastly seconds he felt nothing, but finally there was the prickle of hot air against his palm and he sighed in relief. There was a sound behind him and Thor turned his head to see the room behind him was actually full of his friends.

"Doctor Banner, could you help please?" Thor's voice sounded, well, weak. It was incredibly disconcerting. Bruce pushed his way through the crowd in front of him and crouched beside Thor. Natasha noted the way he moved, like lightning across the room yet his haste went unnoticed due the calmness he exuded. A calmness, thought Natasha, which was the complete opposite of what he was feeling right now.

Natasha was right, Bruce's heart was on overdrive, the anticipation was the worst thing he had ever felt. He had expected it to be bad, he had imagined it would be horrible, but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. Tony looked dead. A wave of nausea rushed through Bruce's stomach and had him swallowing down bile before he puked all over his friend, or what was left of him. Bruce hated that phrase, but the fact was it was the only fit description of how Tony looked right now, he was barely recognisable as anything other than a corpse. A tear slid from Bruce's eye before he managed to compose himself and work objectively. This wasn't Tony Stark, his best friend, this was just any other patient.

"Guys I need you to get a mattress off one of the beds and bring it to me, someone get me a drip from med bay, my medical bag and well, whatever you can carry from med bay… Oh and blankets, lots of blankets… and pillows."

Clint practically leapt into action. "I'm getting the mattress…." His room was closest only one floor below

"Blankets and pillows!" Jane was admirably quick to follow suit.

"You'll need a hand." Tash offered

Steve tapped Eric on the shoulder, "looks like we're on the medical stuff."

"I will assist." Heimdall followed Steve and Eric from the room.

And in seconds the room was clear.

Bruce turned to Thor.

"What happened to him?"

"I'm not sure Doctor Banner, he has been on some sort of drug to suppress the CAEB inside him and it is certainly not designed for Humans."

"Ok, so any injuries? Did they… torture him?" Bruce swallowed hard at this, he could see Thor blaming himself for this, but Bruce had a very strong hunch that it was nothing to do with him at all.

"Again, I'm not sure but I say that it would be likely." Thor resisted the urge to shudder, in fear of hurting Tony and just hung his head in shame. Bruce broke off from examining Tony and just placed a hand on the God's shoulder.

"Not your fault Buddy."

"How can you be certain of that, you don't know what transpired, I could have…"

"Not now Thor, there will be time later. Let's just get Tony stable, yes?" Thor nodded in response.

"I'm guessing no solid food?"

Thor shook his head "He was given what he needed through a drip along with the drug."

"And how long since he was dosed with that? Have you got any that I can analyse, so that I know what I am dealing with?"

"I have none I'm afraid, but I removed that infernal needle from him about an hour ago. When I first found him, his eyes were open but there was no consciousness. I sat with him 20 minutes before he could respond. It was as if he were paralysed at first, but as soon as he was no longer being fed that poison he became brighter quite rapidly." Thor felt that it was best to answer Bruce's questions as they came, he didn't want to waste time by telling the story with unnecessary detail.

"How did this happen?" Bruce pointed to the strain of dried blood that was covering most of Tony's face and neck.

"There was only one way in and out of the dungeon he was imprisoned in. I was carrying him out when the warriors of Asgard trapped us. The CAEB, he… he made a shield and protected me, but the effort cost him dearly, that is why he fell unconscious just before I activated the tesseract to bring him here."

The lift doors slid open and a familiar voice filled the room. "Jarvis rang me, said there was an emergency and we should all suit up so what's going …. Thor?" Rhodey paused in the lift as the pieces slowly slotted together. If Thor was here then… "Tony!" Rhodey spotted the mass of tousled brown hair he knew so well and dropped his bags to be by his side in an instant.

Bruce wanted to say something, utter some word of warning but there wasn't time and the look of Rhodey's face when he saw the state of his best friend would haunt Bruce for the rest of his life.

After the initial moment of shock Rhodey reached out to stroke his friend's forehead but hesitated, what if he hurt him? He looked so fragile. He bit his lip and looked up at the ceiling, biting back the tears that were stinging the corner of his eyes. Tony was alive, that was the main thing, Tony was still alive. He lowered his hand the rest of the way and gently ran his fingers lightly through Tony's hair. His reward was a pair of big brown eyes staring back at him.

Rhodey broke out into a grin. Those eyes spoke a thousand words, they were just as glad to see him as he was to see them. "Hey buddy." Rhodey's voice cracked and a tear broke free to slide down his cheek. Bruce's eyes were equally brimming. Thor's beaming grin showed his delight, yet his eyes betrayed a deep-set sorrow and immeasurable guilt.

"Hey…" Tony's unused voice was a rasping mess and was followed by a series of hacking coughs which shook his frail body and made his three watchmen cringe. "What's with the waterworks?"

There grins widened, delighted that the same old Tony was in there.

"Tony please don't talk."

"Bruce, it's me, they managed to shut me up for… How long?"

"Four and a half months Tones." Rhodey chuckled incredulously

"Ouch, ok, longer than last time, sorry about that." Tony turned to Rhodey sympathetically. "Well, anyway, they shut me up for that long I've got to make up for lost time."

"Tony, you really don't."

"Don't argue with the poorly person it's not allowed." Tony's voice was a delight to hear, but an agonising one. The obvious pain it was causing him even to talk made them cringe in sympathy. They just wanted to take the pain away, but of course they couldn't.

There was a harsh panting from the emergency stairwell as a mattress opened the door and fell into the room. A red-faced Clint fell atop the mattress, burying his face.

"Sorry," he panted. "Elevator wasn't working."

"Sorry Clint that's my fault." Rhodey glanced guilty at his bags which were blocking the lift door.

"Its fine Rhodey, the fat chicken needed a work out."

"Shut your face Stark." Clint was muffled, face firmly planted in the mattress, the other three grinned and silently counted waiting for it to sink in. one… two… three… four… "Hang on, Tony? Tony!" Clint leapt to his feet and squeezed into the small circle.

"Hey Tony. Buddy! God I've missed you."

"Sentiment appreciated Bird brain, but could you bring that mattress, as much as I like being cuddled by muscles here I'd prefer something soft and squishy."

"Oh yeah sure."

"Right I have pillows and blankets…." Jane announced from behind Natasha who, arms full and a pillow covering her face, proceeded to make like her predecessor and fall face first onto the mattress. "CLINT!"

"Sorry!"

"Clint, will you move Rhodey's bags so the others can use the lift and I don't end up treating the entire team for tripping over your damn mattress." Bruce sighed in amusement.

The bags were moved and the mattress was manoeuvred into place. Bruce gently prized Thor's cape out of Tony's hands, who reluctantly relaxed to hand it over, Bruce realised that Tony had been clinging onto it for dear life, those blankets had certainly been a good idea.

Thor carefully laid Tony onto the mattress with the help of Rhodey and Clint. It was a difficult and delicate operation. Tony was a master at concealing his pain, but it was clear that even the slightest movement was next to excruciating. As soon as he was on his back, Tony tried to roll onto his side. He hated being on his back. A strong pair of hands held him back, but Rhodey placed a hand on Thor's shoulder and then the two gently helped him to get comfortable.

The medical supplies arrived soon after and everything was quite for a little while, Tony's breathing was shallow and fast as he recovered from the pain of being moved. Bruce took the time when Tony was least likely to protest to examine him properly. Every single one of his ribs had been broken at some stage in the recent past, and many were still far from being healed. He suspected his pelvis had been re-fractured as well, though without x-ray he couldn't be sure.

With Thor now free to move, Jane pulled him to one side and they talked quietly. Natasha smiled softly to herself, Thor needed comfort right now. It amazed her in a way that someone who had lived so long and seen so much was traumatised by this, but on the other hand she knew how much Thor cared, how much they all cared about the snarky billionaire who was lying on that mattress. They had all failed to protect him, they all felt guilty, but at least they had him back now.

"Where's Pep?" Tony asked after a while, his voice was even more shaky and tired than it had been before and it made Bruce a little worried.

"Did anyone call her, Rhodey?"

"No, I only came because Jarvis called me so… J?"

"Miss Potts was not on the call list for protocol Battle stations, however I have just made a call suggesting she come immediately."

"Thanks J." Tony coughed again and four sets of hands braced him and agony flashed across his eyes.

"Ok Tones, maybe we should just be quiet for a bit yeah." Tony nodded at his oldest friend and let his eyes slip shut. Well propped with pillows and wrapped in blankets it wasn't long before Tony fell asleep, for the first time in four and half months. And it was good.

…..

"You mean to tell me that my Son, alone and unaided, managed to escape my army in its entirety from a dungeon with only one exit?"

The young warrior that stood before the enraged Odin gulped and tried to conceal the slight tremor that was taking hold of his lower jaw.

"My Liege, I can only apologise for our failure. May I go to offer some explanation for our defeat?"

The young warrior knew better than to try and make excuses to his King, especially when he was as furious as Odin was now. He knew of course that it was not his fault, Odin's army could never have matched what they faced in that tunnel, but reason was not something that Odin would be listening to for a period.

"I think you had better." Odin's voice could only be described as a roar, it shook the very walls of the throne room and the warrior was forced to take a deep breath before continuing.

"Thor was not unaided my liege, he fought admirably but we were overwhelming him. The CAEB with his powers constructed some sort of Shield, which meant we could not reach him."

"Are you trying to tell me that, that monster protected my son?"

"Ermm, no my liege, I believe his actions were selfish. Thor had the tesseract, if we had taken Thor the CAEB would have had no means of escape."

"Please skip to the part where this makes sense to me!" The young warrior bowed slightly.

"Thor used the tesseract to escape with the CAEB."

"And how pray, did he retrieve that unnoticed."

"I do not know My Liege."

"Well find out!"

"Yes, my Liege." The warrior turned and moved as swiftly out of the room as he could.

"Odin!" Frigga was on a war path. Her husband was not seeing straight and she was going to make damn sure that changed.

"Not now Frigga."

"Yes, now husband!"

"What do you want?"

"For you to stop being pig headed and think. Our son would not betray Asgard unless he truly believed in his cause."

"Yes, I know that Frigga, but the CAEB is capable of twisting the mind."

"Yes Odin, but I was listening and why, pray, would the CAEB need Thor and the tesseract to escape when it is well within its power to teleport? Why would he go through the pain of protecting our son who, may it be noted, you ordered stopped at any cost?"

"It is weakened in human form, it is weakened from my drugs and perhaps its human part has not yet realised it can teleport."

"Odin see sense."

"Enough! You are angry because I endangered our son when he endangered himself by betraying his King." Frigga looked at him with a rage that could not be tamed.

"Oh, spare me your filthy look woman! I knew he could not be killed by our warriors I have trained him too well. Your council has proved valuable in the past Frigga, but you would be wise not to disprove your usefulness by continuing on this path."

"You dare treat me such? I am your equal husband, I have proved it enough. I understand what is at stake if the CAEB is left free, but you must also consider what is at stake if the prophecy has transpired."

"That is superstitious nonsense."

"Believe what you will, just know that if you continue on this path Thor will not be the only member of your family that stands against you." Frigga had, had enough, she turned on her heel and marched towards the door.

"This is treason! I should have both your heads for this!"

"Oh Husband, I would love to see you try." Frigga made sure to slam the door behind her and it rumbled like thunder in the Great Hall. The room was left empty, save for a furious and incredulous Odin.

…..

Sleep was weird. He wasn't alone. There were voices all around him, quiet at first but as more and more joined them the whispers turned into a roar that was deafening. There were languages he'd never heard before and yet he understood them. He could see things, strange places, and far reaches of space. It was terrifying and mystical at the same time, but the more he focused on it, the more he saw and the more it burnt through his head. It was too much, it was too big. There was only one place he wanted to be right now, one face he wanted to see, so he focused hard, shrinking down his Universe, making it smaller until he saw the face he wanted to see. She looked tired, he wanted to hug her, and it had been so long. She was in car and getting closer. They would be reunited soon. Tony smiled inwardly, the rest of his sleep was decidedly normal.

…..

Steve was thankful that Pepper hadn't seen Tony with the blood on his face, nor in the shirtless state he had arrived in. Granted he wasn't exactly looking rosy in his sleeping state but the heavy blanket hid the extent of his malnourishment and the oxygen mask which Bruce had sneakily slipped on while he slept was doing a good job of disguising how skeletal his face appeared. It shamed Steve a little that he could barely face looking at Tony, certainly not out of disgust, but it hurt to see him like this, it made him feel sick to the stomach. Logic told him that there was nothing they could have done to prevent this, they had tried everything they could and he was home now, but his gut forced a guilt upon him that he knew would take him a good while to shake free.

Pepper walked in with butterflies in her stomach. Any meeting that she had been called to since Tony was taken had brought bad news or none and she really didn't know how much more she could take. She stepped into the penthouse common room with a heavy heart, before her eyes were drawn to a mass of blankets and dark brown muss of hair piled onto a mattress in front of her.

Steve's heart glowed when he saw the look on Pepper's face, it was like her whole world just suddenly slipped back into place, a great weight lifted off her shoulders and her face lit up like all her Christmases had come at once.

…..

Heimdall was reluctant to interrupt Thor and his beloved, she was of great comfort to him at a time where he blamed himself so heavily. The other human, he who had lost a piece of his mind to Loki's interference was equally close to Thor's heart. He had watched them during Thor's exile, they and the young woman Darcy had been responsible for transforming an arrogant boy into the most admirable man and wise king that Asgard could ever hope to have.

"My Prince, I fear this happy scene will be short lived."

"I hear you Heimdall, but the dark energy needed to send an army from Asgard would be great, and you have already used so much in transporting yourself here."

"I understand that Thor, but you know your father will not give up so easily."

"Yes, yes I know, but he would not underestimate me, he will send a considerable force and it will take time to gather the dark energy, we have days if not weeks to prepare."

"I would agree my Prince…" Heimdall hesitated

"However?" Thor respected Heimdall's guidance beyond measure and was eager to learn of what he may have missed.

"I just have a feeling that your Father may find his own solution to this problem and that we should be prepared all the same." Thor nodded in consideration.

"Thank you Heimdall, I would indeed do well not to underestimate my father as he would not award me the same courtesy."

God writing the Asgardian stuff is hard, though it is made a bit easier A) by being British and B) by having posh grandparents! I couldn't resist getting some Badass Frigga in there so I hope you enjoyed that!

Stay tuned for part II coming in the next few hours once I've given it a final proof read.