A/N. Hello! Please enjoye this chapter :) (And yes, I realize that the medical stuff last chapter was probably very wrong, but bear with me here).

Chapter XXXVI

"Woah, guys! Get a different roof!" Tony exclaimed, scrunching his nose.

Rhodey laughed and patted Tony on the back. "Déjà-vu, eh Tony? Good to have you back, buddy."

"Where'd I go? And why is Pepper unconscious?"

"Long story. She's fine. We're all fine."

Natasha stood up over a hog-tied and unconscious Charkova, looking thoroughly pissed off. "Someone better start the story before I start taking names," she growled.

Clint took a step toward her and she whipped her head in his direction. "Hey, woah, Tasha, easy. You were mind controlled by Loki."

"I think you've got it backwards."

"No, it's true. You all were."

She was no less tense. "What have we done?"

"You guys haven't done anything horrible. Mostly sat around protecting villains, but you didn't kill anyone or anything. All good. And the robots even stopped fighting down below for some reason, so that's good. All's well that ends well."

A male scream started getting louder and everyone looked around, weapons at the ready for whatever the hell was coming. Tony was the only one who didn't move. "Is that…?"

A blur of silver, black, and orange whizzed by, doing flips and swerving back and forth. The screams were coming from it, apparently.

"Scatter!" Steve yelled (only because "disassemble" had too many syllables).

The Avengers jumped apart and the UFO crashed onto the floor, sparking and smoking and whirring. Two figures coughed and stood up. One was Justin Hammer. The other was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. The metal thing was a jet pack from one of the Hammeroids.

Justin pounded on his chest with his fist, trying to catch his breath. "Where…" Cough. "Where is my daughter?"

"That much I remember," Natasha said. "She's missing. Then she-" Natasha went quiet. This wasn't unusual, but the fact that she went quiet from shock was quite the uncommon occurrence. The Avengers were silent as well.

They remembered.

Clint lowered his bow and stepped forward. "She's in Asgard. They're working on a way to get Loki out of her. He'll bring her back."

"You sent my daughter to another realm with some random guy?!"

"We sent your possessed by a deranged evil alien daughter to another realm with some not so random guy. He's a friend."

Justin went ballistic. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Rhodey both held him down as he threw a rather pathetic tantrum.

"Before tales are told, I believe introductions are in order," said the fair haired Asgardian, stepping forward with a swagger that may actually be more smoldering than Tony Stark's. Or maybe it was the mustache. Or the sword. Or the cape. "I am Fandral the Dashing," he said and bowed. "These are my friends Hogun the Grimm and the Lady Sif. Volstagg the Valiant has taken Loki to Asgard. Since the Avengers appear to have returned to normal, I dare say that Odin has given Loki incentive to reverse his spells."

Someone cheered. Tania was pretty sure it was Peter.

"And you all are?" He asked, looking around the roof. "Wait! Let me try to guess. Thor speaks very highly of all of you." He waltzed over to Natasha. "The Black Widow, I presume. The Lady Sif of Midgard." He bowed and kissed Natasha's hand. "A pleasure to finally meet such a warrior."

Natasha raised an eyebrow and said nothing. Tania thought she was imaging that blush on Nat's cheeks.

"And this is...?" He peered down at Charkova curiously, admiring the handiwork of the zip ties.

"She's a criminal," Natasha answered.

Fandral wisely decided to move on to Clint. "The bow and arrow means you must be Hawkeye. I hear you never miss a shot."

"Is that a challenge?"

"One day," he promised. "And you must be… the Captain of America?"

Steve nodded, pulling himself up to stand as straight and tall as possible with Tania tucked into his side. "It's nice to meet you Fandral," he said, nodding. God, Tania missed his voice.

"And you are the one they call Sonata, yes? The one with the magical singing voice." He grinned at her.

She felt suddenly extremely shy. "I… wouldn't call it magical."

Fandral winked at her. "Everything about you is magical."

She also missed the way that Steve got the teensiest bit jealous sometimes and tightened his hold on her as if to say mine. She tightened her grip on him as if to respond with yours.

Lady Sif rolled her eyes. "Leave her be, Fandral. I swear, we cannot go to a single realm without you using your charms on some woman or other."

"I have a bet going with Volstagg," said Fandral as he turned to face her. "Flirting is essential that I win." He continued moving around the roof. "I'll be honest, I have no idea who you are," he said to Bruce and Betty.

"Bruce Banner," Bruce introduced. "The green one."

Fandral laughed. "Ah! Yes. That one. Now I remember. How can there be such a beast of magnificence within such a… puny body?" While Fandral was certainly taller than Bruce, Tania wouldn't exactly call Bruce puny… "So this is your wife, then?"

"Betty Banner. Pleased to meet you."

"You as well. Jane Foster, always lovely to see you."

"Likewise, Fandral."

"And who's this?"

"That's Pepper Stark."

"Was she injured in battle?"

"Something like that."

He whirled around and made his way over to Iron Patriot. "Is this the famous Tony Stark, then? The one that cannot be explained?"

Rhodey barked out a laugh as Tony's armour unclicked from around him. He stepped out of the Iron Man suit and approached. "Um, actually, I'm Tony Stark. The one and only."

Fandral blinked at the armour, admiring it. "You are the brilliant one, I hear?"

"Yup. That's me."

"Then who is this?"

Sensing that the fight was over, Rhodey hopped out of his suit as well. He shook Fandral's hand, who looked mildly surprised. He must not be familiar with that Earth custom. "James Rhodes."

Fandral nodded. "And who is this… prisoner?" He looked down at a kneeling and panting Justin Hammer, still being held by the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Rhodey waved it off. "Him? He's no one important."

"He's the father of the girl Loki took over," the agent said. It was the first thing anyone had heard her say. "I'm Viola. Viola Stevenson." She looked for all the world like she wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Should you not be Steven's daughter?" He asked with a cheeky grin. Sif smacked his arm with her shield. "Ow! Alright, alright. Who am I missing?" He looked around. "A red and blue arachnid, the likes of which I have never seen before. Your abilities are great."

"Uh, thanks," said Peter, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. "I, uh, you… you're really good with a sword."

Fandral laughed.

"He is Asgard's best swordsman," Sif explained. "It is why he is one of the Warriors Three."

"That is not why I am laughing."

Sif whacked him with her shield again.

Peter was probably blushing behind his mask. "Ah..."

Fandral clapped Peter on the shoulder. "Thank you, little arachnid. You, too, are a valiant warrior in battle."

"Um, thanks. Again. Wait, what do you mean 'little'?"

"Now that we have all stopped fighting and introductions have been made, I believe my fellow warriors and I should return to Asgard and check on the situation with Loki." Sif, Fandal, and Hogun gathered in the center of the roof. Hogun tossed the giant hunk of metal over the edge like it was Styrofoam. "Thank you all for your efforts in stopping Loki. You are all wonderful." He paused. "Thor? Are you joining us?"

Thor blinked, still confused, but then his eyebrows lowered and he just looked angry. Mjolnir shot into his hand and he stepped forward to join his circle of friends. "I shall return," he promised the Avengers, looking at Jane specifically. "I promise. HEIMDALL!"

The bifrost opened and sucked the Asgardians into the sky.

There was a moment where no one did anything.

"So, I remember what happened now," Tony blurted. "But I still want to know the other half of the story. But first, what the heck is Justin Hammer doing here?"

Viola was the one who answered. "When the droids were attacking the city, they blew up the jail. A lot of criminals escaped, including him. He came to me while I was herding the civilians underground and I recognized him from TV. We ran to his company and he disabled the robots. He wanted to save his daughter, so I stole one of the robots' jetpacks and here we are."

Tony hummed in approval. "Good job, kid."

She huffed. "I'm not a kid."

"Yeah, Tony," Tania said. "She looks around my age."

"She's a kid to me."

"That's just cause you're old."

He wrinkled his nose. "Am not! I'm in denial. Not old. Nope."

Tania rushed forward and hugged him. "Oh my God, you're actually back."

He patted her awkwardly. "Um, yeah. I am. I think. Pretty sure. Yeah."

"I think this calls for a group hug," Betty suggested, beaming.

And then suddenly they were this one huge clump of super heroes and agents and everyone was crying and laughing and teasing and the family was reunited again.

Then there was that sound again-

"SCATTER!" For like the fourth time (or something), the Avengers dove apart just as the bifrost slammed into the roof (again). When the dust settled, Thor stood there carrying an unconscious Justine. He smiled at everyone. "Loki is gone."

Justine shoved Viola to the side and rushed to his daughter. Thor handed her over immediately and backed away. Justin knelt on the symbol that had been imprinted so many times that it was just a black circle at this point and he cradled his daughter to his chest. And he cried.

Thor ushered everyone else downstairs to give them some space and they spilled into the lounge. "Aw, come on!" Tony whined when he saw the destruction. "I keep having to rebuild this one room! I mean, why does everybody hate my lounge? You know what? This is a sign. I'm tearing this place apart and starting from scratch. I'm remodeling the Tower."

"Tony," Thor started, "Shut up." Tania giggled into Steve's shoulders. "My father was able to… persuade Loki to reverse the spells he'd cast upon us."

"How?" Clint asked, crossing his arms.

"… ways. It was obvious that Loki had gained power from another source, otherwise he never would have been able to control us. It turns out that he made a bargain with an Asgardian enchantress by the name of Amora. She and her sister Lorelei escaped from Asgardian prison just recently. According to the Lady Sif, Lorelei was on Earth not too long ago and faced off against the Son of Coul and his team. With Sif's help, they were able to subdue her and return her to her cell.

"Amora, when she'd heard of her sister's imprisonment, wanted revenge. Loki, with his identity concealed, told her of his plans to attack us and promised to include the Son of Coul in his scheme. In return, Amora gave him a talisman that granted him the power to control minds."

"How powerful is she?" Natasha questioned, always on the lookout for threats.

"Very. She is the most powerful sorceress Asgard has ever encountered. She is known for her schemes of seduction, deception, and greed, hence why she was in prison before she escaped."

"Why didn't she come to do the job herself?" Clint asked.

"She enjoys very much using and manipulating pawns to do what you Midgardians called 'dirty work'."

"Where is she now?"

"We do not know. She has found a way to conceal herself from Heimdall with her magic. But Loki knows where she is. My father plans to use him to find her."

"And when they do?"

"First, Odin will let Loki tell her that he did not live up to his end of the deal. My father… has decided that he will let Amora do with him what she wishes before they attempt to recapture her. He said it will be a fitting punishment for my bro- For Loki."

"Do you really believe that?" Jane whispered, hefting Pepper higher as she slipped. Tony took her silently, removing the weight from Jane's shoulders to place onto his own. Jane reached for Thor's bicep, comforting him. She knew this had to be hard on him. After thinking he was dead twice… It had to hurt.

"… yes. I do."

"Do you think Odin can capture Amora again? Make sure she doesn't exact her revenge on Coulson or any of us?" Natasha asked.

Thor nodded. "No one from Asgard is more powerful than my father."

"So they found Loki's body?"

"… not quite. It is in another realm in a place called Knowhere. He has an ally there that was willing to hide his body and keep it in good condition while Loki was here. My father was able to contain Loki's spirit so that he could not return to his body and escape. Many of our guards are headed to Knowhere now." He frowned, seeming as if something had just occurred to him. "This ally that Loki has… he is a complicated one, for he remains loyal only to whoever pays him the most. I not know how Loki was planning to pay him."

"Who is this 'ally' of yours?"

"He goes by several names, but the most common is 'The Collector'."

"The Collector?" Clint snorted. "Collector of what?"

"Many things. All things. Things that are different. Rare. Precious. Powerful."

"I'm beginning to see the danger in having an ally like that."

"Guys…" Tania interrupted, eyes widening. "Loki, he… tried to bargain with me. He said he wanted his sceptre. Do you think… that's what he was going to pay the Collector with?"

Thor's frown deepened. "That is most likely. The sceptre is powerful. You are all aware of this. We had already given the Collector the Aether to keep safe and away from the Tesseract. To give him the sceptre would be bordering on… very, very dangerous."

"Where is the sceptre?" Tony wondered.

"Loki said that S.H.I.E.L.D. had it," Tania replied. "I had no idea. I had just assumed that Thor took it back to Asgard when he brought Loki home."

Thor shook his head. "I decided it best to leave it in this realm, far away from Loki and the Tesseract both. Director Fury swore that he would keep it under his best security. I do not doubt it, to this day."

Tania nodded, suddenly feeling like this whole thing was so much bigger than she'd ever imagined. It was about aliens and magic and politics and space travel and bargains and revenge and overly complicated plots (definitely Loki's style) and this entire thing would have only been a tiny ripple in what was to come. "So… is it all over?"

Thor looked around. "Loki will face… punishment, as will Amora. We have all been freed from Loki's spell. The city is no longer in danger. Those with vendettas against the Avengers have all been apprehended… I believe this calls for a celebration." A wide grin stretched across his face. "We shall feast tonight!"

Tony whooped. "Party at my place! Then we can tell stories around the campfire/fireplace and finally learn what the hell you guys have been up to. I mean, I know what the Avengers have been up to, but it looks like BETA came together quite nicely. Well, as nicely as possible with two members missing."

Many of the people there eyed Tania warily, remembering her depression and her grief after her brother's departure. But Tania just laughed. "We did, didn't we? That's what we're here for. We're the team that saves all your asses when you get in trouble."

"Sounds accurate," Rhodey agreed. "But can we have the party tomorrow? I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I could sleep for a week." He tilted sideways and cracked his spine, groaning.

"Save it for the bedroom, Platypus," Tony quipped. "Fine. Everyone sleep today. Recuperate tomorrow. And then Pepper will plan a party when she wakes up. How much drugs did you inject her with, Rhodey? Seriously. She's like a deadweight in my arms."

Rhodey shrugged in apology. "Sorry. Wasn't my gun. Fitzsimmons invented it."

"Huh. I need to talk to those guys. Their inventions might rival mine someday. Maybe. And hey! They're mechanical engineering and bio-chem! Bruce, that's us! You know, if you were a girl."

"Shut up, Tony."

And just like that, Tania felt like everything was right with the world.

Viola didn't feel like she belonged here. These were the Avengers for goodness sake! She'd managed to avoid the group hug, but she'd followed them into the lounge to give the Hammers their privacy.

This was the most awkward she had ever felt. Quietly, so as not to be noticed, she slipped back to the staircase and climbed up to the roof. She poked her head through the door and spotted Justin trying to rewire the jetpack. It kept sparking and blowing smoke in his face. Justine lay on the floor, sleeping. She was pretty beat up from the huge showdown, but there was nothing permanent.

Viola stepped out fully, revealing herself. "Hey," she said when Justin didn't turn.

He looked up. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

Well, a 'thank you' would have been nice. Instead of asking for one, she just sighed and reached up to remove her hair elastic. "I should probably escort you back to jail," she admitted, fluffing up her long dark hair. There was quite a bit of dirt and dust coating the strands. Ugh. Great. Now she needed a really long shower.

Justin stopped fiddling with the machinery. "After I saved the city?! I'm a hero! I should be getting a thank you! Not an offer to return to that hellhole they call prison."

"I didn't offer."

"So you're just going to force me back?" He snorted. "I'm not going anywhere. I just got my daughter back and I'm not… I'm not going to…" He struggled to find words.

Viola pitied him. "I said I should probably escort you back to jail… but I'm not going to."

"I- … what?" He blinked at her in disbelief.

"You're right. You did save the city. And I believe that if nothing else, you genuinely care about your daughter. So… I'm going to let you off the hook. You can go. You'll get a head start, but someone will come after you. Whether they're S.H.I.E.L.D. or someone from the government, they'll find you. Stark will make sure of that. But for now… you can have these few days with your daughter. I'm sure she'd appreciate it."

Justin was speechless. He opened and closed his mouth seven times before pushing himself to his feet and twisting his hands anxiously. "I... uh… um… well… I- … Thanks. I guess. She… she came to see me. On Father's Day. I kind of… ruined it. You know, being in jail and all. I'd… like the chance to relive that day. Just the two of us." He turned to face Viola. "You're alright. For a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent." He shot her a cocky grin.

She rolled her eyes. "You're not bad yourself. For a criminal. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

"You won't," he said with confidence.

No. She wouldn't.

He managed to get the jetpack to spark to life. He shrugged Justine over his shoulders and clung to the tech for dear life. Viola backed up next to the door and watched as the Hammers were flung into the air, zig-zagging through the sky until they disappeared from sight.

She looked up, squinting against the sunlight. The helicarrier was nowhere to be seen. It was probably cloaked. That didn't stop her from trying to find it. The helicarrier wasn't invisible, just hidden. It was possible to spot it if you knew where to look. It was one of her favourite games, trying to find that spot. Like in Catching Fire, when Katniss shoots the fuzzy part of the dome.

Viola's thoughts were interrupted when the door opened. Tania Banks stuck her torso outside and scanned the roof, eventually landing on Viola. Banks smiled at her. "Hey."

"Hi." Viola wasn't sure what Banks wanted, but she couldn't exactly go home now. Banks was blocking the door. And besides, Viola needed to get Charkova onto the helicarrier in order to consider her apprehended.

"We're having a party on Sunday. You should come."

Viola snorted. "Me? Come? Do you even know my name?"

"You're Viola Stevenson. You introduced yourself to Fandral earlier." Oh yeah… "I also know that you helped save the city and millions of lives."

"I doubt it was millions."

"You should come," Banks repeated.

"I'm not an Avenger. I don't know any of you guys."

"Then this is perfect opportunity to get to know us. We're inviting Coulson and his team too. It's not just Avengers. We're extending this party to friends and friends of friends. The Avengers and their spouses will be there. Coulson's team will be there. Darcy and Erik will be there. Iron Patriot and Spider-Man will be there. Happy will be there. Thor's gonna invite the Warriors Three and Lady Sif. Come on. It'll be fun."

"… will there be alcohol?"

Tania grinned. "This is Tony Stark's party. What do you think?"

Viola laughed. "Well… alright. Can I bring a friend?"

"Of course!"

"Then… sure. Where is it?"

"We were thinking about having a real campfire. Some place upstate, maybe? Tony'll find a good place."

"Okay, well… if you need to contact me… I'm in the S.H.I.E.L.D. directory. Barton and Romanoff will know what that is. You should be able to find me in there."

Tania smiled warmly at her. "Great! I'll see you there." She leaned in to whisper in Viola's ear. "And I won't tell anyone that you let Justin Hammer go."

Viola liked this girl. Maybe I will have fun at this party.

Ezekiel Stane was stuck in a spider-web. He'd been stuck for the better part of a day, just waiting for S.H.I.E.L.D. or someone to get him down from here. No one ever came. It wasn't until after the sun set and the moon rose that he decided he hated Spider-Man with a passion.

Grumbling to himself, he extricated himself from the webs and clung to the side of the Tower. Cursing Spider-Man to the pits of hell and beyond, Zeke shuffled along the building. There was an open window not too far away. If he could just get to it…

His foot slipped. Fuck.

He screamed as he went down, crashing onto a balcony a lot closer than the ground. Zeke groaned and rolled over. "I think I broke my spine," he mumbled. He didn't even know the Tower had balconies.

He tried to move, but every time he did, pain rocketed up his spine and exploded in his back muscles. He spasmed. "Curse you, Spider-Man!"

He eventually managed to roll over and drop off that balcony. He landed in a dumpster.

There were not enough swear words in any language to describe his hatred for the wall-crawler right now. You'll pay for that, you little bastard. He gasped in pain and hauled himself out of the dumpster.

He had some schematics at home that he'd been dying to bring to life. It had started out as an Iron Man suit, to see if he could build one like his father had and kill Tony Stark with his own creation. The Iron Monger. Mark Two. But now Zeke had a new person to hate: Spider-Man.

Let's face it, Zeke was probably one in a trillion people who hated Stark. But everyone loved Spider-Man (except that Jameson reporter, but he didn't matter). The wall-crawler had aced many foes, but he had never faced Iron Man before.

Zeke would be cackling if he weren't in so much pain. Watch your back, Spider-Man, because the Iron Monger will make you pay.

Hey, everyone needed a hobby.

"So that wraps that up, folks," Peter announced to the camera. Still dressed as his superhero alter ego, Peter lay on the couch in the lounge, holding up the video camera pointed at himself. He was currently upside down, kicking his feet up and down over the top of furniture. He'd just finished explaining the semantics to the public while the Avengers disassembled to rest up and stuff. "Loki's gone, the robots are disabled, the Avengers are back to being their good guy selves, and everything is honky dory! Never fear! Your super heroes will always be here to save the day. And when we're not, you can count on S.H.I.E.L.D. to back you up. Don't ask me what that stands for. I honestly have no clue. But I do know this: you civilians will always have someone protecting you. I promise.

"Oh, and you can come out of your homes now. S'all good. Anyway, that's all I had to say. I'm taking a nap, now. Toodles!"