I told the Avengers I was going to stay behind.

And now I feel guilty.

Because I am sitting in the back of a SHIELD car, invisible to the world, on my way to Central Park to send Loki, Thor, and the Tesseract back to Asgard where they belong. Which, come to think of it, is where I belong as well.

I sigh. I've been thinking about my early morning conversation with the god of mischief all day. It won't leave my mind. Is he right? If I went to Asgard, would I be able to forget the problems of Midgard? Would I be able to live with myself if I did, leaving Midgard to face all these troubles on her own?

So, I was going to stay behind so that I could work all this out in my head, maybe go for a walk to clear my mind. But when I saw the empty seat in the SHIELD car, and when I realized I would probably never get to see a spectacle like this again, I decided it couldn't hurt to tag along invisibly. I just hope the Avengers won't be upset with me later.

With the SHIELD escort, it doesn't take very long to get to Central Park. This area of the city isn't as badly damaged, which is a relief to my eyes. It's so hard to drive by all the damage to the inner city and not do anything about it. I plan to go out later today and help the Search and Rescue teams clear the streets and find people buried beneath the debris. While I don't look forward to it, I feel obligated to help. Tony will be doing a press conference later today, but the rest of the Avengers have the day off. And of course, I have nothing to do anyway. I hope to discuss my plans with Tony tonight.

But do I want to go through with my plan? Should I stay so near the Avengers, and in NYC, which is where many of the MCU's movies happen? What if I accidentally reveal something?

I really need to quit being so indecisive.

The black-suited driver pulls the SHIELD car over to the curb and puts it in park, climbing out of the vehicle. I am just reaching for the door handle, when I take another look at the blue magic dancing on my skin and realize that I'm still invisible. I sigh, waiting for the agents to walk away, and look around at the park. It's a lovely area, if you ignore the random half-burned trees and crashed alien crafts littering the park. Looking behind me, I see Clint, Natasha, and Dr. Banner exiting another SHIELD car just behind mine. Loki is being pushed by Thor towards the center of the Bethesda Terrace, and Tony, carrying the Tesseract in a case, is just getting out of his beautiful, sleek new Acura. A white van pulls up a moment later, and Erik Selvig gets out. He opens the back doors of the van and pulls out a large, glass container with decorated metal handles on either side.

I look around to make sure no one is watching, and then quietly open the door of the SHIELD car and step out, still invisible. Gently closing the door behind me, I make my way to the Terrace just as Dr. Banner places the Cube inside the large glass container. Loki is standing quietly in the middle of the Terrace, head lowered. He almost looks sad, but it's hard to tell, because he's wearing the gag again. I smirk as I wonder what he said this time to make Thor replace the muzzle.

The Avengers stand in a circle around Thor and Loki as Selvig hands the glass tube containing the Tesseract to Thor. I walk up next to them, checking again to be sure I'm invisible, my heart speeding up.

This is it.

Thor takes the new Tesseract container, laying a hand on Selvig's shoulder with a sympathetic and grateful look on his face. I can tell that Selvig isn't doing great, and I know it's because of the mind control. I feel bad for him. I'm sure it was a nightmare to him, and still is. My gaze travels over all the Avengers standing around the two Asgardians and the Space Stone. Natasha is wearing her usual calm and collected face, and Barton next to her is expressionless. Tony's face is unreadable, besides the fact that he looks rather happy to be rid of the troublesome aliens, and Banner just looks tense, but also relieved. Steve is glaring unabashedly at the muzzled Jotun, however. I smirk slightly, knowing the Captain's sense of justice won't be satisfied until Loki and the Tesseract are long gone. Then my gaze falls on Loki. His head is still lowered, and if I didn't know better I'd think it was out of shame. But again, I can't really tell what he's thinking because the gag swallows almost a third of his face.

Just then, Loki's gaze snaps upward, looking right at me. My eyes widen in astonishment, but then he looks past me, and I relax, knowing he can't actually see me. But how in the world can he sense my presence? There are several other people very close to him, and yet he knows where I'm standing! I shake my head in amazement, and watch as Thor hefts the new Tesseract container, laying it across his arm so that Loki can grab the other end's handle. Loki's eyes leave me and meet his brother's, and then he grasps it.

Suddenly, an urgency grips me. It's almost as though I can sense a huge opportunity at my fingertips. I watch Thor look around at all the Avengers, nodding his farewell, and then time seems to slow down. A million options, timelines, choices flash before my eyes. So many worlds, so many places, so many futures. Any of them I could have ended up in, but somehow I am here. And now this time, this moment, is presenting me an opportunity. I have a choice to make. And with every fiber of my being, I know that this decision will directly effect the rest of my life here.

Remain on Earth with the Avengers, or go to Asgard with Thor and Loki?

Weighing my options in a split second, I know one is much safer than the other.

And I can only hope that my next action will not potentially ruin the timeline.

Author's Note: OK FIRST OFF I'M SORRY! I know this chapter is incredibly short, but I simply couldn't resist this magnificent cliffhanger. Isn't it beautiful? *sniffs and wipes away a tear*

Second off, I will have another chapter out later today or maybe tomorrow to make up for what I just did. I know, I know, you didn't sign up for this, you hate my guts, and you are gonna unheart if I don't quit doing this to you. *sigh* But you'll survive. I promise.

*Ijustcan'tsaythesameformostofthecharacters*

Thank you so much for reading!

Signing off, AuthorsDream.