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Loki wasn't given long to bask in relief before reality came crashing back down – mostly in the form of Odin clearing his throat.

The Allfather had sent the soldiers trotting off back down the Bifrost and now stood behind the princes, Gungnir in hand and expressionless. There was no way of knowing his thoughts on the situation, but given the flinty glare being levelled on his youngest son, he wasn't happy.

"Father, I-"

"Is genocide how you intend to handle all of your problems, Loki?"

The trickster seemed to take the comment like a punch to the gut. The colour visibly drained from his face as his mouth snapped closed and rather than trying to answer he simply looked away.

"What did you expect him to do? They threatened to nuke the city." The voice was small but determined. "And besides, an all-out battle would have had the same result anyway."

Evie had been somewhat hidden by Loki, but stepped out from behind him now, bypassing his arm as he tried to stop her.

"Well? Uncle Thor would have killed them all too." The girl folded her arms. "Unless Asgard takes prisoners. Or slaves."

"Enough Birdy." Tony put a restraining hand on her shoulder, pulling her back. "You've been watching too much Game of Thrones. Asgard doesn't take slaves."

"Usually." Loki added. He was prepared for the glare he expected for the comment, but instead Odin's gaze was fixed on Evie. She looked uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

"You certainly look nothing like Loki, but you have his spirit." The Allfather said levelly. "Not many Aesir would speak to the King in such a way, and surely not one only half Aesir."

"Well proves that I'm not half Aesir then, Doesn't it? I'm half Jötunn."

"You are proud of such a fact?"

The girl shrugged slightly, backing up into Loki. The Allfather was intimidating to full-grown warriors; to a fourteen year old he was terrifying.

"Should she not be?" Loki's question was quiet as he wrapped a protective arm around his daughter's shoulders.

It was reasonable to have expected any response to that sort of statement, but the last thing the prince ever expected was for Odin to actually smile.

"Someone needs to be." The king said. It was the last thing Loki expected him to say.

Odin looked up at the sky, although there was no evidence left of the destruction that had been wrought.

"You did well, Loki." He added quietly.

"I…What?"

"Is it so hard to believe? You successfully dealt with an enemy invasion without incurring any lasting damage to Asgard or her people. There are no warriors here who can boast such a feat and certainly never against such a large force."

The trickster stared at him open mouthed. It wasn't as if he had never received praise from the Allfather before, but his skills had always been magic and deception. Odin had never seen reason to commend him in a battle situation before.

"I thought you didn't approve of wiping out a race like that…"

"Not without good reason. I believe we can all agree you had good reason. I would ask what that weapon you used was. Where did you learn such magic?"

Loki looked like a deer caught in the headlights, which was an unusual thing to see on someone usually so poised and collected. "It wasn't magic. It was science. Human science."

Odin's gaze flickered to Tony, before he looked back down at Evie again – still appearing worse for wear after the explosion. She glared up at him, confidence returned now that she wasn't full centre of attention.

"Apparently human science is a fickle thing. Did you know that it would be that powerful?"

"Not in so many words, no." Loki's arm tightened around his daughter's shoulders instinctively. He turned slightly when he felt Tony's armoured hand on his arm.

"Look, can this wait?" The inventor asked tersely. "Yeah, Lokes could have planned that better, and definitely should have told us what he was going to do, but at the moment he's kind of wavering on his feet a little. I'll earbash him about science-safety after he's been bandaged up. Yeah?"

"I do not need bandaging and do not call me Lokes."

Tony poked him right in the wound across his arm. Loki was not the sort of person to yelp, but a very definite wince flashed across his face.

"Bandaging, right there. Complain again and I'll poke it harder."

"Poke me again and I will throw you off this bridge!"

"Windows, bridges – what is it with you throwing me off of things?"

Odin watched the two of them in what could only be described as amusement. "The two of you truly are well suited."

"Well that could be taken as an insult." Evie's remark made Tony snort with laughter and Loki managed a tired grin.

"Stop being a pest, kiddo." Stark ruffled the girl's hair so that it stuck up at all angles.

"Dad!" Evie scowled and batted him off, causing Odin to laugh.

"Ah yes, there it is. I was failing to see much of Loki in you, but that expression is one I came up against many times. Particularly in the teenage years."

The irate looks from both Evelyn and Loki made Tony start laughing too. It was true that the two didn't really share many common features, but their indignant pouts were identical. When the double-glare turned on him he grinned disarmingly.

"Hey, he has a point." He winked at Loki. "And you should see what happens when Birdy's woken up before eleven AM; she's got your 'mewling quim' look down pat."

The trickster seemed to lose the ruffled-feathers look and allowed himself to smile at the comment, hugging Evie again with his good arm. "Well, I am glad to know that the important things have been inherited." He glanced back up at his father again, a brief flash of indecision on his face, then gently pushed his daughter forward. "Evelyn, I am not certain if you have actually been introduced to your Grandfather."

The teenager stared up at the king of the Gods with the expression of someone desperately trying to pretend they aren't massively intimidated. "Not introduced so much, no. Do I curtsey?"

Odin chuckled. "These days all I ask of family members is that they do not try to take over other realms. Curtsies and the like are not necessary."

"Okay…uh…" The girl glanced back at Loki awkwardly. He simply smiled reassuringly, leaning back into the arm Tony's had snaked around his waist. "So, do I call you Grandfather, Pops, or what?" She heard a stifled snort from her father but resolutely ignored him. After all, it was a fair question.

"Sleipnir has always called me Afi, and your Grandmother Amma."

"Afi and Amma. That'll take some getting used to."

"You have been calling Loki Möðhy all these years have you not?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Evie bit her lip in thought, then nodded to herself. "I'll get used to it." A broad grin crossed her face. "I have Grandparents!"

"And your Amma will flay me if I do not take you to see her right away now that you have met your Afi." Loki added. He didn't sound like he was joking either. He looked back to his father when Odin cleared his throat.

"Infirmary first, young man."

"I'm fine-"

"Infirmary first."

"Yes Father." He had the put-upon tone down pat and Odin shook his head with a wry smile.

"Do not even think about using magic to –"

Loki grinned and vanished, taking Evie and Tony with him. The Allfather was too stoic to really show his frustration, but Thor audibly chuckled.

"You did not seriously believe he was going to walk all the way back?"

"I suppose it would have been too much to ask really." Odin turned back to Heimdall, who was still resolutely staring up into the sky. "Are the chitauri truly gone?"

"Truly. There are no traces here, nor for as far as I can see. The chitauri are gone."

The remaining tension visibly drained from those left on the Bifrost. Obviously Loki hadn't had any doubt that he had succeeded in killing them all, but the confirmation was needed for everyone else to really feel that it was over.

The humans were pretty much recovered from the effects of the blast - Loki's hurried healing spell had seen to that - but only physically. Bruce had regained consciousness and was wiping away blood from his ears in bewilderment. It was taking some time to process what they had all just witnessed, and if nothing else they were very aware that Loki had been holding back all those years ago in New York. He really knew how to take out the opposition.

"Earth still retains some chitauri technology." Heimdall said, cutting over the Avengers thoughts. "But it is dead – useless now."

"We'll put it all into deep storage." Fury was quick to reassure. "Including anything Stark has squirreled away."

"Good luck with that." Bruce was forlornly pulling his torn clothing around himself. "He's a little territorial, if haven't you noticed."

"I will make Loki talk to him." Thor added helpfully.

"I think asking Loki nicely might work out better."

Thor looked around at the wanton destruction that was littering the Bifrost. "Yes. Asking may be a better idea…"

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

"Möðir!"

The very first thing that Tony realised was that this certainly wasn't the infirmary, rather Loki had taken them straight back to his chambers instead. However, that only briefly registered before everything was eclipsed by scrambling hooves and Sleipnir was right up in their faces.

"You promised! Modir you promised you would not get into a situation like that again! You promised!"

"Sleipnir..." Loki's voice was muffled in his son's neck as the horse wrapped his large head over the tricksters shoulder. "It is fine, look, I am fine."

"You are hurt, you could have been killed!"

"I had it under control..."

"You did not! I was watching! You blew everything up!" Sleipnir actually went so far as to kick Loki quite hard in the leg with one of his front hooves. "You were reckless! Again!" He added in a second kick for good measure.

"Ow! Sleipnir, that hurt!"

"Good!"

It was strange in a way; the interaction between the two of them. There was no real sense of a parent and child relationship, and something that seemed far more like two siblings having an argument. Tony realised that this was a dynamic the two of them had was probably only achieved due to the closeness of age. Loki had been so young when he'd had Sleipnir that the two acted more like brothers when angry. Tony and Evie had had their own bust-ups over the years, but it was always as Father and Daughter.

"Sleipnir, Loki, both of you stop that right now." Frigga stepped out from the bathroom, looking decidedly unimpressed with either her son or grandson.

"Mother…"

"Amma…"

The two broke apart, looking decidedly shame-faced. The Queen looked between them, her gaze lingering on the bright smears of blood Loki had left across Sleipnir's grey coat.

"You need medical attention, my son."

"I am-"

"Injured. Do not even think about trying to claim anything less than that." Frigga said sternly. "I know of your dislike of the infirmary and I am not fool enough to think you will go there willingly so instead I have drawn up a bath. You are going to clean up, heal yourself as much as possible and sleep. Am I clear?" She didn't wait for a reply, and instead rounded on Sleipnir. "And darling, I know you were worried, but you forget your own strength. Be more careful." Again she moved on without letting her victim respond, and finally let her gaze fall on Tony. "And what did you think you were doing letting my son put himself in such danger?!"

"I…What?"

The Queen stalked forwards, and – blood relative or not – every movement stated proudly that Loki had learnt from the best. Infact, Loki's evil-death-stalk paled in comparison, which was frightening in its own right. Tony had been proud that he had stood his ground that first time back in New York when the trickster had tried to get him with the sceptre, but now he began to back away as Frigga approached him.

"You allowed Loki to go ahead with a plan that you did not even know the details of and which could easily have resulted in him being killed!"

"Allowed is a strong word…"

"That explosion could be felt all the way to the far end of the citadel, and you let him do that!" Frigga's ire was almost palpable as she bore down on the human. "And that creature! You should have talked him out of that insane plan before he nearly got himself killed!"

"But I –"

Frigga slapped him.

It wasn't hard, as slaps go, but it certainly shut Tony up. He stared at the queen in shock, one hand moving up to touch against his rapidly-reddening cheek.

"Okay, Mother, I think you have suitably terrified him." Loki sounded far too amused for Tony's liking. "You know full well no-one would have changed my mind, even had I divulged my plans." He placed a gentle hand on Frigga's arm. "I am sorry I worried you Mother. It was not Tony's fault."

"Of course it was not; but you are injured and he is not, so he can bear the brunt of my anger for now." The queen smiled sweetly at Stark. He was still staring at her in horror, but she didn't seem to notice and turned back to Loki. "Now – clean up and rest, yes?"

"Yes mother." The trickster glanced at Tony, then back at Frigga again. "Uh…Maybe…maybe you could help Evie…? You two should probably spend some time together…" He looked genuinely worried as he suggested it.

However, there was apparently no need to be concerned, since Frigga's face lit up and Evie grinned. Loki had suspected that his mother had been wanting to meet her grand-daughter, but seeing was believing as she kissed his cheek with a soft 'thank you' and then brushed past him to greet his child.

"Oh look at you, you are the spitting image of Loki at your age!"

"I…am?" Evie seemed rightfully confused since it was generally agreed that she bore no resemblance to the trickster whatsoever bar eye colour.

"Of course!" Frigga cupped the girls cheeks, turning her head gently this way and that. "A few thousand years ago and you two could have been twins! Oh look at those dimples! I thought I would never see those again!"

"Few thousand years? Mother, do you even recall how old I am?"

The queen shot her son a sharp glance. "You are my little one no matter how old you get, Loki, and do not dare forget it! Now I believe I told you to go have a bath."

Tony elbowed his partner gently in the side. "Come on; let the ladies have some bonding time." The contact was light, but Loki still hissed at him and stepped away, an arm curling protectively around his stomach. "Drama queen!"

"You know damn well I –" The trickster was cut off as his mother suddenly gasped sharply and Sleipnir whinned and backed away. "What?"

"Oh Loki…" Frigga sounded breathless as she took her hand away from her mouth – where it had flown in alarm. The look on her face was a queer mix of awe and shock. "Look at you…"

Loki looked down at his hands and was horrified to see that he had dropped his glamour again without noticing. Apparently the fight had taken far more out of him than he had realised; leaving the spell weak and feeble.

He glanced back up at his mother, red eyes stricken. "Mother, I…"

"I had almost forgotten what that colour looked like on you." Frigga's awestruck expression warmed into a beaming smile. "The last time I saw you like this you were a tiny babe in my arms." She reached out completely without fear to cup his cheek. "You were colder then though. And I believe you were crying at the time."

"I was mere hours old, of course I was crying." Loki managed. "You are not…It does not bother you?"

"Bother me? Loki, I have never forgotten that this lay under the glamour your father placed on you, and I have always hoped to one day see it again. You are stunning." Frigga smiled and traced one of the curling lines that ran along her son's chin. "In an ideal world you should never need to hide it again."

"This is not an ideal world."

"It is not, but I would still love for you to be comfortable like this." The queen's eyes glinted with mischief. "One day you will have the confidence to walk around Asgard as you really are."

Loki smiled slightly. "I cannot imagine that it would go down particularly well."

"My son, when the time comes – and it will – and you want this to be made common knowledge it will be done with the full support of your father and myself. Asgard will have no choice but to accept you anew."

"I cannot see that happening for a long time, as yet. And it will not just be myself it would affect." Loki glanced at Evie, making it clear who he was alluding to.

The girl shrugged. "Can I just point out that I'm still pissed I missed out on the blue gene? I'd have loved to have been blue. And the red eyes, ooh, Halloween would have been awesome!"

"You would have stood out somewhat."

"I'm a Stark; I stand out anyway."

The endless optimism made the trickster's smile somewhat more heartfelt. He closed his eyes and in a moment his blue skin shimmered and slowly bled back into his Aesir flesh-tone. Frigga frowned in disappointment.

"Promise me that at least once you will walk into the throne room like that."

"If you want me to send father into another Odinsleep, certainly. I seem to be good at causing them. Did he tell you that I accidently brought on the last one?"

"He told me that you were present; I made the deduction myself. You do have a way with people, Loki." Frigga patted his cheek again before turning back to Evie with a smile. "Now, my dear, shall we go and clean you up?"

The girl grinned. "I still haven't quite got to grips with having grandparents. This is so awesome!"

She and the queen left the room, chatting happily. It was obvious they were going to get on well, and only time would tell if that was going to be a good or bad thing for everyone else involved.

Sleipnir paced after them enough to nose the door closed. He then looked over his shoulder at Loki, his gaze thoughtful.

"Blue is a pretty colour on you. You normally only wear green."

Loki didn't even look like he knew how to respond to that, but Tony got there before he needed to.

"I thought horses were colourblind…"

"Excuse me?! We are not colourblind! I may not be able to see the full spectrum that you can, but I am perfectly capable of telling the difference between blue and green!"

"Okay, sorry."

Sleipnir snorted and it sounded suspiciously like a snigger as he stalked back over to Loki. "I am still extremely annoyed with you, Möðir, but I will leave it for another time. Amma was right; you need rest."

The trickster looked shell-shocked. "You are not…bothered that you just saw me as I really am?"

The horse nudged at him gently. "What does skin colour matter? You smelt the same and sounded the same. And besides, the blue was pretty. What did all those lines on your face mean?"

"You know, I am not even sure." Loki gently stroked his son's neck. "Maybe it is time I tried to find out."

"Could be birth marks." Tony suggested.

"Or maybe a family thing?" Sleipnir added. "And may I just point out that I am also very upset that my eyes are not red. I feel my reputation would have been even greater had I had red eyes."

"Eight legs and red eyes, Jesus…"

Sleipnir cocked his head at Tony. "What is a Jesus?"

"Seriously? Never mind, it's a figure of speech. An Earth thing. I think." Tony glanced at his lover. "Earth, right? Not another alien like you guys?"

"That would be telling." Loki grinned, but there was a harsh edge to it that said it was getting to the point where he was really struggling to hold back the pain he was feeling.

Both of his companions seemed to notice this as Sleipnir nodded in the direction of the bathroom. "You need to do as Amma said. Go and bathe, then rest. I can come back tomorrow and we can talk about how I am really angry about you taking stupid risks. Otherwise I fear you are going to collapse on the spot."

Loki laughed painfully. "Alright, you might have a point." He gently knocked his forehead against Sleipnir's in their version of a hug. "I will see you tomorrow, my dear."

The horse bumped Tony in the stomach with his nose. "Look after him."

"Always."

The bathroom was full of steam which hit them as a wall of heat. The tub was one of the decadent sunk-into-the-floor types and was edged with tiered ledges that also acted as steps down into it. Currently those ledges were hidden under the hot water and foam. Tony took a few moments to remove the Ironman armour before following his lover into the room.

Loki's hands were trembling as he began to undo the many straps and buckles holding his armour in place. It was telling that he didn't use magic to do it for him.

"Here, let me." Tony pushed the shaking fingers out of the way and began to deal with the complicated fastenings.

"Do you know what you're doing?"

"I built the Ironman suit; I think some belts are within my skillset." True to his words the man was making short work of them, stripping off the heavy leather. With each layer of clothing removed the extent of the bloodstains were revealed. The green tunic that acted as the base layer to the armour was drenched down his left arm, the jade turned an ugly brown. The collar had been stained the same colour where the wound along his cheek had bled down his face.

"Where else are you hurt?" Tony asked quietly. He began pulling the shirt open, relieved to find that the horrific throat wound they had seen inflicted didn't actually exist. Loki must have had the clone in place by the time The Other started sawing his neck open.

"To be honest I cannot tell. Everything is hurting right now." The trickster eased the tunic off, a wince crossing his face as he withdrew his injured arm.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised." The man's gaze tracked across the deep bruising decorating Loki's stomach. "I'm no medical expert, but that looks like internal bleeding."

"It will heal."

"You sure? A human would need some serious medical attention for that."

"Not human, Tony." Loki raised a hand up to the back of his head and it came away stained red. "I will be fine."

"Yeah, you really look the epitome of health right now."

The trickster smiled slightly, carefully pulling off the rest of his clothes. In any other situation Tony would have made some sort of suggestive comment, but he was silenced by the massive bruising covering Loki's body. He hadn't thought that much contact had been made during the fight but the evidence infront of him said otherwise. The prince seemed unaware of the scrutiny as he stepped into the pool, then sank down to his knees so that the waist-deep water was up to his neck.

"Don't fall asleep in there; I don't want to have to fish you out if you drown."

"Then join me and make sure I stay awake."

Tony rolled his eyes at the sleepy response. He didn't really believe that the prince could drown in the bath-tub but Loki was obviously feeling the effects of the gruelling fight and some pampering was never going to be turned down.

"Fine."

The trickster had stretched out and was floating on his back with his eyes closed. The phrase 'everything hurt' was cliché but at the same time he felt that it certainly did the job. Maybe too well, to be honest. Even without using his magic he could tell that there were some bones that could probably do with being set and there was definitely something going on where he had taken the hit to his abdomen.

His arm felt like it was on fire.

Loki smiled as the water around him rippled and he opened his eyes to see Tony standing next to him.

"You're totally falling asleep there Capricorn."

"Hmm, it would seem so." He closed his eyes again, floating aimlessly so that his head bumped against the man's hip.

"Well, if you're just going to do a beached whale impression you'll have to deal with me on flannel-duty, and it won't be pretty." Tony emphasised the threat by dropping the wet flannel right onto Loki's face.

The trickster spluttered, floundering and ripping the piece of material off his mouth and nose.

"Yeah, I meant it."

"You cannot let me have a few moments of peace before insisting on attacking me with bathing implements? I just want to rest!"

"Nope. Quicker you're sorted out, the quicker I can bundle you into bed."

"I am not a child!"

"Rubbish; you're acting just like Evie when she's too tired to think rationally." Tony didn't bother with the flannel and simply used a handful of soap suds to start sluicing off the blood from the prince's arm. The cut underneath had already started to close up although it still looked livid. "Does this still hurt?"

"Like you are pressing a red-hot brand into it."

"A simple 'yes' would have done."

"Okay then; yes."

Tony huffed with quiet laughter, although he was gentler as he continued to wash the wound clean. Loki didn't try to float again, but instead found the edge of the pool and settled down on one of the ledges.

"At least this looks clean. We'd have been in trouble if there'd been some form of weirdo poison or something like that." The man continued as the wound was revealed in its entirety. The cut ran from about mid-way of Loki's upper arm, down across his elbow and nearly to his wrist, curling round where he'd tried to pull back out of the way. It looked horrible, but at least it was clean and sealing itself up.

Tony decided that it didn't need bandaging so moved on to the cut decorating the back of the trickster's skull. He made Loki tip his head forwards and began to carefully wash out the clumps of blood matting the dark hair. It was a job made harder by the fact that he didn't want to use soap so close to an open wound.

They didn't speak for some time. Tony was slow and methodical in gently washing away the grime from Loki's hair so that he could find the deep cut made by The Other's staff when it had smashed across the back of the trickster's skull. It had bled quite copiously – as head wounds usually do – and from Loki's little hiss of discomfort was probably pretty painful. There was certainly an egg-sized lump under the cut. Tony resisted his inner-parent that was screaming to put an icepack on it.

By the time he moved round to finish wiping clean the gash down the trickster's cheek, Tony realised that his partner was trembling.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Not in so many words." Loki opened his eyes and although he smiled up at the man standing over him his eyes definitely had a tell-tale wetness to them. He leant into the gentle touch as Tony scooped up a handful of water and carefully wiped at the cut on his cheek.

"Talk to me, Goat Horns."

"I fear I am somewhat overwhelmed by today's events."

"Yeah, I got that much. You're talking like Shakespeare – that's always a giveaway. The worse you're feeling, the posher you talk. It's like a Richter Scale for you feeling bad."

"Truly?" Loki's smile brightened slightly. "I had not realised that…"

"Hadn't. There's an abbreviation we use called hadn't." Tony ran his thumb along the cut, wiping off the last of the crusted blood. "Now, if you can manage not to sound like a fifteenth century English nobleman, talk to me. I think I can guess what the problem is, but I want you to put it into words, yeah? Just…say whatever's in your mind."

"My mind is rather full right now." Loki tipped his head forwards and felt Tony move to stand infront of him so that he could rest his forehead against the man's stomach. "I…I do not…don't I don't know how to explain what is going through my head at this moment."

"You don't have to make sense, don't worry about full sentences, just talk. Monosyllabic if needs be."

"Who made you into a psychiatrist?"

"Bruce made me do it a few times. It helps, believe me." Tony carded his fingers through the thick wet hair against his stomach. Loki's arms wrapped around his waist, holding him like a life-line. The trickster sighed heavily, struggling to pull his thoughts together and put them into words.

"I don't…I cannot make myself believe that it is all over." He finally whispered. "I have spent…oh I don't even know any more. Twenty years? Ever since I met them, since they found me in the void…I have wanted them dead. It has not been long, not for me, not for my life time but it has felt like eternity. I just…I wanted them dead. With every part of me I wanted to kill them all. I thought I hated the Jötnarr, but that was nothing compared to what I felt for these creatures. Everything, everything has been about killing them. All that hatred I had towards Asgard, my family, my race, it all went to the chitauri. And now…Now I feel so empty. I looked up and watched them disintegrate into stardust and…I feel nothing."

"What do you think you should be feeling?"

Loki shrugged, an awkward motion with his head pressed into Tony's stomach and arms around the man's waist. "I don't know." He stared down at the water that rippled inches below his nose. "Pleased? Relieved? Mostly relieved I suppose. I have never had demons like these before. I have never come up against a foe that has haunted and hunted me so badly or for so long. I just do not understand how to deal with suddenly losing all that fear in one go. I don't need to be afraid anymore, and…I cannot understand that."

"You've had all of what? Fifteen minutes? If that? I wouldn't worry; you've hardly had the time to process what's just happened. I don't think any of us have. I mean, I hope your Mum's good with crying teenagers because when Evie is acting that over-excited it usually means she's one step away from a meltdown."

"Mother will be fine, I can assure you. She dealt with me for all those years." Loki raised his head to look up at his partner. "What of you? How do you feel?"

"Me? Just peachy."

"I am being serious, Tony." He raised a hand up to place his palm over the arc reactor. "Are you well?"

"Well…Jarvis might have had to help out a bit, but I'm alright now. If you set off that sort of explosion over my head you've got to expect me to have minor blip or so."

"Lasting damage?"

"No more so than I already have. I'll be fine."

Loki sighed and let his forehead thunk back against Tony's stomach. "I am sorry."

"Not your fault, Capricorn, not your fault."

"It was. I did not think about the consequences. I am sorry."

"Loki? Hey, look at me." Tony crouched down so that they were eye-level. "Don't do this to yourself, okay? You're tired, in pain and so full of emotions that you don't even know what you're feeling right now. Don't add guilt into that mix, yeah? Just don't think about it."

"But I…"

"No." Tony rested his forehead against the prince's, hands cupping Loki's cheeks. "Don't. Right here and right now it's just me and you and nothing else, okay? Just me and you. Don't think, don't worry, don't guilt-trip yourself."

Loki nodded, taking in a shuddering breath. "That is easier said than done."

"I know, but at the moment you don't need to angst over everything in existence."

"You are contradicting yourself; I thought you wished me to talk."

"Did I ever claim to be any good at this therapy crap?" Tony grinned and Loki managed a quiet chuckle.

"Alright, that is true." He rubbed a hand across his eyes with a sigh.

"Can you heal at all? Your Mum kinda ordered it after all."

Loki flicked his fingers and all that happened was a brief glimmer of green. "No. Currently my magic is limited to holding up the glamour I usually use."

Tony knew that he wasn't talking about keeping himself looking Aesir – that was Odin's magic, after all – but rather of the peculiar little cloaking spell kept up to proclaim that he really was male, hiding his hermaphroditic self.

"Why are you keeping that spell going?"

The trickster looked up sharply, confusion etching his expression. "I always keep it going. I always have. It is one of the first things I ever learnt."

"Is it really necessary right now? You could be using that magic to fix yourself up."

"It is always necessary."

"You dropped it for me once."

Loki's gaze flickered away, seemingly hesitant at allowing that memory to surface. "That was before I had to lose it involuntarily. Right now I think it is better for my sanity to keep it going. I feel…vulnerable without it."

Tony didn't need to ask any further about that. He knew what the chitauri had done. Loki had every right to want to hide those sorts of aspects of himself away after basically being used as an experimental brood mare. It was probably bad enough that he had had to put up with the healers having to know his secret when they fixed the damage caused.

"Okay, fair enough. So, no magic means no healing so we'll have to skip that part. How does a good night's sleep sound?"

"Wonderful. What are the chances of you being able to drag me into the bed chamber?"

"Non-existent. Get your heavy butt there yourself."

Loki laughed. "I suspected as much."

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Many hours later found Tony doing what Tony did best; tinkering with the suit. He didn't have any spare parts, and didn't really have the proper tools either, but it hardly mattered. When his head was full there was only one thing that usually helped.

So he tinkered.

Loki had fallen asleep almost as soon as he'd hit the mattress, so exhausted that he never even realised that his partner wasn't nearly tired enough to sleep too. Tony had spent a bored few hours playing with his phone before Evie returned, and they had talked quietly for a while, mostly about Frigga. The girl was rather thrilled with her new-found grandparents.

However, the events of the day had been strenuous for the teenager too, emotionally as well as physically and all too soon she excused herself for bed as well.

This left Tony finding minor faults in the suit and trying to fix them with little more than his emergency tool kit.

And the rather persistent pain in his chest that he was absolutely not going to let Loki know about.

There weren't any clocks in Asgard, or rather there weren't any mechanisms that he recognised as clocks. He was pretty certain the Aesir had moved on from looking at the sun, but still, whatever method they used had so far eluded him and he was having to rely on an app he'd quickly penned to tell him what the time was. Okay, okay, so he'd based it on the position of the sun, but he was allowed to do that! He needed a starting point at least!

As it was, said app stated that there was a 99.78046% chance that it was quarter past two in the morning.

Great.

And actually that pain in his chest was getting worrying. Stark was more than aware of the danger he was in, especially since the episode after bringing Evie to Asgard. His life expectancy was pretty low, and he had a bad feeling that it was going from bad to worse after what Loki had done to the chitauri.

He picked his phone up again.

"Hey, Jarv, you there?"

"I am always here, sir." Jarvis regulated his volume according to how he was spoken to, and now replied to Tony's whisper equally quietly. "Is everything alright?"

"You saw what happened earlier, do you think everything is alright?"

"A fair point, sir. I will refine that to; is there any way I can help at the moment."

"Is the scanning function in the arc reaction still good?"

"I believe it is in perfect working order, sir. Do you wish me to run a scan?"

"Yeah, something's not right and it would probably be better to know if it's serious."

"Very well, hold still please, sir."

Back home, Tony wouldn't have had to ask; Jarvis would have been scanning constantly and updating him if something out of the ordinary came up. However, in Asgard they hadn't continued that level of communication because it was far too draining on the arc reactor that was still powering pretty much all of Tony's tech. He had enough problems without the reactor giving out on him too.

The phone vibrated in his hand and a stream of data appeared on the screen.

"Can you translate for me Jarv, I'm not feeling up to wading through that lot."

"The data is not conclusive by any means, sir."

Tony frowned. It wasn't like Jarvis to beat about the bush when asked a question.

"Of course it's not conclusive – but inconclusive is fine right now. Do I have anything to worry about?"

"…Yes sir. I am rather afraid that you do."

The man nodded slightly. It was the answer that was both expected and dreaded in equal measures.

"Go on then. What's happened?"

"A myocardial rupture, sir. It is small at the moment, but will grow."

Oh…Oh that wasn't good…

The news actually made him feel sick. The man ran a shaking hand down his face, staring at the lines of data on his phone. They only told him the same as what Jarvis had hesitantly stated.

Myocardial rupture. There was a rip in his heart. That delicate pulsing muscle that kept him alive, and it had a tear in it. In medical terms, he was completely and utterly fucked.

"Jarvis…I…What can be done?"

"Heart surgery may be able to seal up the rip or at the very least slow the damage. But it will need to be done soon. Immediately if possible."

"I'm on Asgard!" Tony's voice began to rise in a panicked yelp until he remembered he could wake Loki. "I'm on Asgard!" He repeated in a hiss. "How the hell am I meant to get complex heart surgery?! These guys have barely invented the wheel!"

"Can their healers not help? I believe their magic is extremely effective."

"No. Apparently the arc reactor messes up magic. Minor stuff appears to work, but nothing major. And the reactor's pretty damn close to my heart so that makes it all even more of a fucking mess!" Tony dropped the phone into his lap so that he could bury his head in his hands. "Oh God, I'm going to die!"

"Sir, I…"

"I'm dying Jarvis. Like, really dying."

"Is it possible to get back to Earth, sir?"

"The Bifrost would kill me, you know that. Stop trying to be optimistic." Tony scrubbed a hand across his eyes. "Right, how long have I got without medical intervention?"

"Realistically, sir?"

"No. In an imaginary world made out of sparkles and rainbows."

"Your sarcasm is noted, sir. It is extremely difficult to tell how long you might have. At most you could have a year – with the surgery."

"And without?"

"…It is most likely you will not see out the week. The damage will increase until you have a fatal haemorrhage. I am sorry sir."

"Oh God…" It was a long moment before Tony could compose himself enough to speak. "I…Jarvis, will it hurt?"

"You won't even know when it happens, sir. It shall be instant."

"Oh goody, a silver lining." The man sounded shaken to the core. "How the fuck am I meant to tell Loki and Evie?" His voice came out as a broken sob. "How?!" A wrecked, ruined little word. "How?!"

He had accepted that he had a finite time to live – had accepted it a long time ago. However, finite had been written down as 'ten years' and he had been slowly whittling away at that deadline with the certain knowledge of how much time he had left. He was still working on the assumption that he had roughly four years to live a good life, and then take anything extra as a bonus which could be used to tie up affairs and such. To suddenly lose that neat little timetable and have to condense his entire life into a few days…

For all of his intelligence, Tony could not get his mind around the idea. A few days and then…What?

He didn't even really believe in anything after death. He'd dismissed the cute little idea of a Heaven long ago when his parents died, and had never filled that space with an alternate theory. What did happen? Had Loki ever mentioned anything? Not really. Nothing to conclusively confirm an afterlife of any sort.

In his heart-of-hearts Tony had to admit that he didn't believe in anything. No Heaven, no Hell, no Limbo. Nothing. Oh the ideas of such places appealed. The thought that there was something next, somewhere nice and happy, was a lovely thought. Even the theory of some empty nothingness that you sort of floated around in for the rest of eternity was at least some sort of next-life, however crappy.

But he couldn't even make himself think that that was the answer.

In Tony Stark's mind he knew what would happen in a few days' time: Nothing. He would simply cease to be. No 'him', no conscious mind to hold the idea of 'Tony Stark', absolutely nothing. Every thought process would just stop and his soul – whatever strange conceptual thing that may be – would fizzle out like a candle on a birthday cake.

Nothing. Not even a 'him' left to understand that there was nothing. It was a thought that was possibly more horrific than any Hell the church had ever dreamt up.

And how the hell would he tell Loki? Evie? Any of the others, to be honest? Loki would…well, it was impossible to know how he would react. He'd thrown a hissy fit the first time he'd found out about Tony's heart problems, but that had been because he hadn't been forewarned. This time however, it was kind of his fault.

If the trickster hadn't set off those explosions, the damage wouldn't have occurred.

This was going to break Loki.

How was he going to tell him?

Unbeknownst to Tony, he actually wouldn't have to.

Across the room Loki lay staring at the ceiling, unmoving. A slow and silent tear trickled down his cheek as he heard Tony begin to sob quietly. When he finally felt the mattress dip as the man climbed into bed beside him he pretended to be asleep. This didn't stop Tony from latching on to him as if he could do anything at all about the death sentence.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Heimdall was unsurprised to find himself with company in the small hours of the morning.

"You should be resting."

"You know why I am not."

"We have had this discussion already; you know what you will have to do, and you are not up to it after all that has happened today."

Loki nodded slightly, fully agreeing with that statement. "But I shall have to be. I thought I had plenty of time to get my strength back – possibly prepare Tony for my plan – but now I must act quickly."

"You could have at least waited for the sun to come up."

The trickster smiled grimly. "Actually, I really do not think that I could. I thought five years was a short life-expectancy – mere days means that I could lose him at any moment. I will not take that risk."

Heimdall glanced at him. "I still cannot bring my mind around to this idea of you caring this much for someone."

"Should I be insulted?"

"Just accept the truth when you hear it. Have you spoken to the Allfather about this?"

"Of course not. He will hardly be pleased that I did not grace the infirmary with my presence when he told me to. Disappearing off into another realm will not do me any favours."

"You are set on doing this now, then?"

"I am set. I would ask for your help to allow me to use the Bifrost, otherwise I shall have to find my own way there and I do not know if I have the strength for it."

"You do not." Heimdall dismissed him as simply as that, knowing full well that Loki wasn't under-estimating himself in this respect. "Why should I help you?"

Loki shrugged, striding out to the edge of the bridge and peering down into the nothingness. "Why not?" He tried to spot the void, but was on the wrong side to see it. "I would have thought that the Allfather would be very disappointed should something unfortunate befall me again. And what would Mother say…?"

Heimdall scowled. "Very well, but only because this is a noble cause, for once, rather than your usual schemes."

"Schemes? Oh, you do wound me." The sarcastic remark was tempered with the flicker of a smile that Heimdall returned in kind. "So, shall we do this?"

"Very well, my Prince."

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

It was snowing when Loki appeared on the mountainside, a thick blizzard that would mean death to the unwary. It was a formidable piece of scenery with harsh, unforgiving rock and a wind strong enough to pitch people off the side of the mountain.

He landed in an ungainly manner, but regained his footing quickly, pushing through the waist deep snow. Unperturbed by the extreme environment he made his way towards the cliff face. The Himalayan rock was shrouded in a thick mantle of ice, weather-worn into a smooth impassable face that would turn away even the most determined of Sherpa's.

It had been a long time since the trickster had last set foot in this area, and he was only half certain he still remembered the way. A faint tingling made him glance down at his hands and scowl when he saw them flushing blue. The glamour seemed to have lost its stability since his time with the chitauri, and the extreme cold was triggering it to drop and let his true skin show. He cursed and tried to call it back up only for it to fail again a moment later.

Fine, it wasn't like there was anyone to see anyway.

Loki splayed his fingers out against the cliff wall, his blue hand looking strangely at home against the ice. It didn't feel cold, although logic said that it must be, however, the smooth surface wasn't yielding what he was looking for.

The trickster knew that his goal was in the area that he was looking, though, so began to move his hand across the ice. It was easier to use his sense of touch to find what he was looking for rather than his eyes, since thousands of years of ice were hard to see through.

Ah, there...

Loki felt the sudden change in texture under his palm, the smooth ice giving way to the faintest hint of a raised design.

It would have been impossible to see the tiny mark on the surface, let alone tell what it was without prior knowledge of it. However, the prince was aware of the small ying-yang symbol under his palm. He pressed against it, sending a pulse of heat into the hidden design.

For a moment it looked like nothing was going to happen. The ice remained stubbornly inert and Loki glared at it.

Then, with a whisper of rock and ice sliding across each other, a thin - near invisible - crack down the large wall began to widen. It moved smoothly and silently, opening up to become a rough hole into the mountainside. Unlike the dark, fatally cold tundra, a gust of warm air blew out of the tunnel and fanned Loki's hair back from his face.

There was a dim glow, far in the distance that lit the rocky opening. The trickster glanced back at the snowstorm momentarily, before stepping through the doorway. Behind him the rough entrance slid closed again, trapping him inside the faintly lit tunnel. This didn't faze him, considering he had been expecting something of the sort to happen.

The tunnel was long and winding, a rough-cut hole through the hard rock that made up the infamous mountain range. It was easily ten miles long – possibly more – and the only light source was whatever dim glow was in the far distance. Loki had actually remembered it being far longer; it had seemed to take an eternity the first time he had come this way.

As it was, now the journey seemed to take no time at all. It was different when he had been carrying his three badly injured children…

The end of the tunnel opened up quite suddenly and, just like the first time he had come this way, Loki stopped momentarily. The area unveiled was impressive enough to even make him forget about the various aches and pains for a moment.

A huge cavern was before him, lit around every wall with flaming brands so that it was filled with a warm glow that chased the shadows and cold away. At one far end a deep pool shimmered in the light. Enormous columns lined the space, reaching up to the high ceiling. They were intricately carved, as were the walls, although it was hard to identify which culture could have been responsible. There were hieroglyphs, Norse runes, Aztec pictograms, Japanese Kanji and much more – enough to represent all of the world's many people. Some of the massive pillars had paintings of deer and mammoths, hand prints and giant elk that had not walked Earth's fragile landscape for tens of thousands of years. The paintings looked like they could have been fresh.

Loki splayed his hand out over one of the prints; his fingers were slightly longer and his palm slimmer than the person who had placed the image on the ancient column.

"His name was Broud. It has been a long time since he placed that hand print here." A man appeared from around the pillar, dressed in a grubby robe and a length of string serving as a belt. "I've just made a pot of tea, would you like a cup?"

"You were expecting me?" The trickster withdrew his hand from the art-work, almost like a child caught in the act.

"Of course not, but I work on the basic assumption that if I'm always expecting someone, when a person eventually shows up I won't be found wanting in the tea department. Shall we?" The little man grinned and without waiting for a reply turned to lead the way. "You're looking rather worse for wear by the way." He added over his shoulder. "What have you been up to, Loki?"

"It is a very long story."

"Anything to do with your bid to take over the world?"

"Is that all anyone remembers me for?"

"It was pretty noticeable." He didn't sound like he minded in the least. "What type of tea would you like? I've made green, but I've got a pretty good collection."

"Green will be fine, thank you."

There was an area next to the pool that had a small fire going, with a couple of mats down around it and a rolled up futon mattress. There were also a handful of what appeared to be miniature mountains, only a few inches high. One had a miniscule glacier carving out a path.

"Make yourself comfortable, please." The man pottered around the fire, taking the little kettle off of the flames and finding two cups from next to the pool.

"I did not expect to see you still here, Lu Tze." Loki said quietly as he sat down on one of the mats. "It must have been nearly fifty thousand years since I was last here."

"Try one hundred thousand and we'll be closer to the mark."

"That long? Really?"

Lu Tze grinned. "They say that time flies, but I have never noticed it myself. How are your children now? They seemed to be recovering nicely when you left here."

The warm smile on Loki's face faded. "I do not know; I no longer speak with them."

"Oh? What happened?"

"Hel blamed me for what happened. She and Fenrir left as soon as they were able. She wasn't even properly healed and neither had recovered from what had happened. The moment she woke up she grabbed Fenrir and…left."

"What of Jormungandr?"

"He was far too badly injured. Even after I brought him here." Loki shrugged sadly. "In the end even my own magic wasn't enough to heal him fully. All I could do was keep him comfortable and soothe the pain from the burns. He is currently residing here on Earth. I needed to find somewhere cold and dark where he could recuperate."

"Let me guess, Mariana's Trench?"

The prince smiled slightly. "The myths do say that he circles the world. It may not quite be the entire planet, but a fair distance none-the-less."

Lu Tze took a delicate sip of his tea. "And now here you are again. How have you come to be here this time, Loki? It is obvious an awful lot has happened to you in the intervening millennia."

"As I say, it is a very long story."

"And I have nothing but time on my hands." The man's grin said that there was very much an in-joke in that statement. "Humour me and then we shall see if I can help you."

It was strange really. Loki barely knew the man – they'd met but once – but there was no hesitation in trusting him. Even for a pagan God there were some people who didn't quite fit the normal spiritual rules. This was someone you simply trusted.

And besides, Tony's life was weighing in the balance.

So he talked.

They finished the whole pot of tea between them as Loki told the full tale of what had happened over the recent years, starting with Thor's aborted coronation. Lu Tze was a good listener, nodding and 'ah ha'ing in all the right places, but never actually interrupting. The trickster spoke freely about Evie and Tony, explaining the tentative beginnings of their relationship and the sudden arrival of their daughter. He also didn't leave anything out in regards to the chitauri, both the first meeting and then what had happened after he had been recaptured.

When he finished his companion was looking sympathetic.

"So in a nut shell; you've fallen in love with a human, and now he's going to die far sooner than either of you previously thought."

"If what I overheard was correct, I am losing him as we speak."

Lu Tze placed his empty cup down on the ground. "Why have you not tried those famous Golden Apples Asgard always boasts of?"

Loki raised a scornful eye-brow. "They are poisonous to humans – hardly the effect I'm looking for."

"And magic won't work because…?"

"The arc reactor. I did mention it."

"Oh yes, of course you did, sorry. Well, I can see why you've come here then." The old man shook the teapot hopefully, but it was completely empty. "Apparently it didn't work out so well for you last time – you make it sound as if your children weren't exactly pleased with your coming here."

"Believe me – their anger has nothing to do with this place and everything to do with me. I am certain that this is the best – if not only – course of action."

"Have you spoken with Anthony about it?" Lu Tze said the name as if he knew him personally.

"No." Loki admitted. "I came straight here; there was no time to speak with him. I am aware that there are more effects than just the healing, but it is healing that I am most interested in." He shook his head hopelessly. "I cannot let him die. Not so soon."

"Do you really think that's your choice to make?"

"This is my fault! He would not be on the brink of death if it were not for my foolish actions!"

Lu Tze calmly piled some more wood onto the fire. "If only you felt like that about all the humans who perished when you led the chitauri here. Weren't they your fault too?"

"I-"

"Official count of three thousand six hundred and ninety two dead. Nine hundred and twenty two with wounds that affect them to this day and over ten thousand with clinical depression and PTSD." The little man reeled off the numbers monotonously like someone discussing the weather. "What of them, Loki? You ask to save one person when you took the lives of so many without a second thought."

The trickster looked stunned. "If I thought it were possible to take all of that back then I would."

"Time doesn't work like that, as you are aware."

"I am aware…" Loki nodded very slowly. He hadn't expected to be shot down quite so badly and all of that hope he'd felt since his arrival was draining away like blood from a wound. It left him with the same light-headed sick feeling too. "Thank you for your time…I will make my own way out."

He made to get to his feet, but was stopped by Lu Tze raising a hand.

"Did I say I wouldn't help you? I was simply pointing out some unfortunate facts." The little man smiled benignly. "After what's happened to you and your little family in the past few years I think you deserve someone doing something nice for you. No?" He laughed at the stunned look on his visitor's face. "You really thought I would turn you away, didn't you?"

"You had rather convinced me of it, yes. Why would you help me after listing all of that?"

"Well, I felt that points needed to be made, but I don't like to let people lose their loved ones." He looked stern for a moment. "But I would like for you to promise me to try and reconcile with your eldest daughter and sons. If at all possible."

"I severely doubt I will ever get the chance, but if at all possible then I will try."

Lu Tze grinned brightly. "Perfect." He rose to his feet surprisingly smoothly for someone apparently so old. "Shall we?"

It was half an hour later that Loki left, a clay flask tucked under his cloak. Behind him in the deep cave a fresh set of Norse runes were carved into one of the many pillars, spelling out his name in payment for the gift he now held. Just like all of the countless other names scrawled across the walls to forever remember all of those who had made the same journey for the same reasons.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Loki tracked his lover down to the grand library and found him nestled in a corner with half of the astrology section. There were some uncomfortable-looking wooden benches, but the man had simply pulled the cushions off of them and made a sort of pillow fort. He was also munching on an apple.

"Hey you, where've you been?" Tony's big smile didn't in the least betray the fact that he had terrible news to eventually impart. "We missed you at breakfast."

"You do know you will be skinned alive if you are found eating here?"

"I'll take my chances. After all, I have the Defender of Asgard to protect me."

Loki laughed, sitting down next to him. "The what?"

"Ooh, you missed that one. It's what they're all calling you."

"Who are 'they'."

"Dunno." He took another large bite of apple, then spoke with his mouth full. "People. It's been all over the citadel, what happened yesterday. They love you. Bet you could go Frosty the Snowman and they'd still lick your boots at this rate." He sniggered at the look on Loki's face. "Okay, so maybe not that much, but you're suddenly the flavour of the month and they really are calling you the Defender."

"Well, it has a nicer ring to it than 'Trickster' I suppose." Loki picked up one of the many books surrounding them. "You are researching the Void?"

"Nah, call it scientific interest; I'm just curious."

"Where is Evelyn?"

Tony craned his head round to look down the avenue of bookshelves. "She was around here a moment ago. I imagine she's found the fauna aisle. Always has had a thing for dinosaurs. Give me a second." He picked his phone up and keyed something in. A moment later there was the recognisable whistle of R2D2 as the text was received and Evie appeared around a corner, her own phone in hand.

"Hey, Defender of the Realm!" She didn't seem to think through that Loki might still be injured and simply plonked herself down on top of him. "Where've you been all morning? You missed breakfast!"

"Ow! Yes, I am aware." He shuffled a little to one side so that his daughter wasn't entirely squashing him and settled an arm over her shoulders. "I had something to take care of."

"Where'd ya go?"

"Yeah, where were you?"

Loki glanced at his lover. Tony had put his book down and was looking alert and curious; no signs of what he was hiding.

"I know about your conversation with Jarvis last night." He said bluntly.

The man's face fell, the colour leeching from his cheeks.

"Oh…you heard that?"

Loki reached out to rest his hand on Tony's arm. "I heard, but you need not worry; I have a solution."

"There isn't a solution!"

Evie looked between her parents, worry etching itself across her face. "What conversation? What's happened?"

"It appears that yesterday didn't really sit well with me, Birdy."

"Are you ill?"

Tony looked unable to answer that, but Loki came to the rescue for him. "Your Father's health has deteriorated somewhat, Little Bird, but it is nothing to worry about now; I can solve the problem."

"Loki…I'm dying…"

"But I can save you."

Evie stared at Loki. "You can? Like, really save him?!"

"Evie, you know nothing can be done…" Tony was shut up by Loki's finger on his lips.

"Shush. Stop that right now! When I say I can do something I mean it, and you should know that by now!"

"Okay, okay!" The man pushed his partner's hand away. "Fine; I have a rip in my heart, how you gonna fix it?"

Evie's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "You've got what?!"

Tony waved a hand to silence her, which only served to annoy the girl. "Wait a moment, Birdy." He narrowed his eyes at Loki. "I thought you said there was nothing that could be done. Magic won't work!"

"This is not magic, not in the normal sense." Loki withdrew the clay flask from the pocket in his cloak. "I had to go far afield for this, but it will work." He handed it over.

"This being..?" Tony tipped it and heard the tell-tale slosh of liquid inside. The flask was plain pottery, long and thin with no decoration at all to say what might be in there. "Loki, what is this?"

Loki grinned. "Just what it sounds like. Water."

The man frowned, but didn't question the simplistic answer. If Loki had vanished to find a bottle of water and was then acting like he'd solved all their problems, there was something more to it than simple refreshment. Tony wasn't quite sure what water could do for him though. The only magic water that came to mind was from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and unlike that film, this pottery receptacle most certainly wasn't the Holy Grail.

Magic water…

"I love how I can see your thought processes."

"Shut up."

Fountain of Youth? Was that a thing? Most likely not; even to someone sitting in the halls of the Norse Gods, it seemed somewhat too far-fetched. There was that old myth about some well Odin had given his eye to; but as he had since been told that the injury was actually a war wound, Tony didn't think that that could be it either.

Ah.

A grin crossed his face. There was one other story about magic water.

"Got it yet?"

"I thought that place didn't exist, some guy invented it in the thirties."

Loki laughed. "Not at all. The legends existed for millennia but as human technology grew the Keepers thought that it would be too dangerous to allow the myths to continue, so one of them wrote it as a piece of fiction. That way humans would just assume that it had come from there."

"I don't get what you're talking about…" Evie said grumpily.

"Shangri-La, Birdy, Shangri-La." Tony's grip on the flask had changed so that now he held it a lot more reverently. He shook his head in awe. "This can't really be from…"

"I told you I would find a way."

"This will heal me?"

Loki's eyes gleamed. "And more. This will heal you, but that is not all." He tapped the wax seal on the pottery. "Immortality."

"…You are joking!"

"Not at all. Your injuries will be fully healed, but it will also grant you the gift of eternal life, if you wish. Not indestructible, but certainly immortal."

Tony let out a breathless laugh, staring down at the innocent little bottle. "Oh my God…" He tipped it again, hearing the contents slosh. "So one sip and…"

"That is all it takes."

"There's more than one mouthful in there." Evie pointed out slowly.

"I am certain that there are others in the Avengers you would wish to offer the remainder to."

Tony still looked entirely disbelieving as he shook his head again. "This is…I can't get my head around it…I had only a few years left, which yesterday became days, and now…Now you're saying I can live forever. We can live forever."

"We can. I am immortal, Evelyn is immortal, and now you can be." Loki clasped his hand around Tony's shaking one. "We can have our forever, Tony."

Stark laughed, completely uncaring if there was an element of sob to it. "Forever. Yeah, I think I like the sound of that. Let's finally have a forever."

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

I could leave it there really…But I'm not! So much more to go :D The least of which is clearing up all those ends I suddenly loosened about Loki's other kids. Ooh, what's up with that?

Huge, huge amount of plot left to go – I'm talking like, at least the same number of chapters again as it's taken to get this far. So much more to write! (And I can't wait) so don't start thinking I'm wrapping up, because I'm really really not!

Tune in next time folks!

Oh, and if you haven't seen Captain America 2, or been watching Agents of Shield, you might want to, or at least Wiki the plots. Just saying….