New Asgard, way back when

Thor watched as the human sorcerer first laid a hand on his brother's sternum, careful to avoid the demarcations where the Rune of Deflection was once carved into Loki's chest. He did not need skin-to-skin contact to tell him that his brother's magic was back to its full strength; it was radiating off him in waves. Thor suspected Stephen could sense it too but alas, it was not his place to deny the sorcerer the comfort and reassurance he was likely seeking from physical touch.

When the burn wound began to slowly heal right in front of their eyes, Thor could barely hold himself back from pumping even more energy through their linked hands for want of it healing even faster. It was Stephen vehemently advocating patience and extreme caution that made Thor stay his other hand from joining its fellow in clasping Loki's palm.

"We wouldn't want to give too much, too fast, lest we electrocute him in our fervour," Stephen had said, his hand firmly pressed to the sleeping Loki's forehead to ease Thor's seidr in throughout the entire process.

The sun had slanted to the west a few degrees shy off high noon when the procedure was finally complete.

"I think it worked." The familiar thrumming of Loki's seidr stirring under his palm was comforting, as was the flush of colour now returned to his cheeks and the warmth to his extremities. He then reached for Loki's wrist. Finally satisfied with the steady beating of his pulse, Stephen placed Loki's hand back on his stomach.

"Thank you," Thor said grimly, his gaze still fixed on his brother. Stephen did not miss the shadows in his eyes.

He nodded in quiet acknowledgment. "We should let him sleep it off for an hour or two."

Thor gazed at him knowingly. "Shall we begin then?"

"What has Loki told you?" Thor poured himself a drink from one of the pitchers on the drinks trolley.

"Not much." Thor turned sideways slightly, tipping the bottle in his direction in an offering gesture. Stephen shook his head in as much refusal as dissatisfaction as evidenced by his next choice of words. "He has not been very forthcoming."

"No surprise there. It has been quite an eventful week." Meeting Stephen's questioning gaze, Thor gave a small grimace. "I am not even sure where to start."

"Breaking it down into pieces might help." Stephen interlaced his fingers over his lap as he leaned in his seat. "For starters, what the hell is going on?"

"Almost a week ago to this day, someone had attempted to assassinate Loki by means of an unidentified poison in his food at dinner. It caused severe gastrointestinal bleeding that our Healers managed to stop in time before he exsanguinated."

"If you could not identify the poison, how did you administer the antidote?"

"There was no antidote," Thor said tersely. "Loki is lucky to be alive. And he was lucky to be able to heal himself with his magic while we kept the blood transfusion going."

"No wonder he was so tapped out." Stephen covered his face with his hands. "And the blood magic he used to counteract the attack on the nursery would have drained him further."

He pried his hands away from his face and levelled Thor with an accusing glare.

"Why was I not told about any of this?" Stephen demanded. "Did you not think I had the right to know?"

"I think you have every right," Thor said softly.

"Then why didn't you?"

"Loki begged us not to."

"Tell me, Your Majesty, am I so low in your hierarchy of security clearance that you could not do me the courtesy of ignoring your brother's hysterical demands?"

"It's really nothing as complicated as that," Thor looked at him in mild irritation. "He simply did not want you to worry."

"This is not a skinned knee we are talking about, Thor!" Stephen seethed, wringing his hands, unconsciously wishing it was Loki's neck instead – "He could have died!"

"Yes, thank you for stating the obvious, Strange, I was there!" Thor banged his fist down onto the table. "All that blood just…pouring out of him."

"All the more reason why I should have been summoned!"

As if he was not listening, Thor's eyes took on a glazed look.

"You did not hear him scream." His face blanched at the memory. "He begged for death, he was in so much pain."

Stephen unclasped his hands abruptly, his fingers suddenly gone cold.

"And he begged for you."

Stephen lost all capacity to breathe, let alone speak. "Then why –"

"He begged for you, and in the same breath, made us swear upon the Norns not to call you."

"Why, Thor?" Stephen cried out in anguish.

"For Norns' sake Stephen. He did not want you to have to choose!" Thor's voice boomed.

"What?"

"I may not have agreed with Loki at the time but I understand why he did it! If we had called, and you did not come – "

"You Odinsons sure love to make decisions for me," Stephen spat. Fury roused in him like a wildfire. "Who do you think you are? Who do you think I am?"

"You are the Sorcerer Supreme! If it comes, no, when it comes to you choosing between this Earth and him," suddenly Thor was in his face, "- and you don't choose him, it will destroy him completely and utterly! Can you not see that?"

"That's not how love works!"

"No, Stephen," Thor admitted as much. "That is how duty does."

He finally sank into his great armchair. "That is why I agreed to all this finding a wife nonsense, for I have decided to abandon my foolish and selfish whims, and keep my crown. If only to protect my brother and my dearest nephew for a while longer."

"Why were they in danger in the first place?"

Thor studied an invisible fleck of dust on his desk for a few long seconds.

"I…had wanted to abdicate."

"What?"

"I had my reasons, of course." Thor avoided his eyes. "Despite his express disapproval, Loki…understood. Deep down. I think."

"You think?" Stephen stared at him, flabbergasted.

"Loki had been invaluable to me the first few years of our settling on your earth, Strange. You have been too. Without him, without you and without the help of our friends, New Asgard would not be prospering as it is now," Thor said wistfully. "We are now a self-sustaining economy, and the monarchy presently is the most stable form of government Asgard has seen since the days of our grandfather King Bor, and Buri before him."

"We are at peace. There are no immediate threats from this realm or beyond, and most importantly," Thor hesitated, before smiling gently in the end. "Most importantly, my brother and I are no longer at war with each other. I could not ask for more."

Thor rose from his chair.

"But I do not believe this is everything I have to offer Asgard." He walked over to the French windows, the rays of sun detailing his silhouette across the mother-of pearl tiles. "I wish to travel, search the galaxies, reconnect with our former allies…"

"Did you know we have blood relatives in Vanaheim? That is where our Mother was from."

He whispered, more to himself than anyone else. "I wish to return Asgard to the Nine Realms where it belongs."

Stephen walked over to where Thor was standing. He looked out across the horizon. The sea was calm today. And yet, "You wish to return to the stars."

"I can finally see it, Stephen." Thor lifted his chin. "I can finally see him. Thanks to you, I have my brother back. Loki has proven his worth, he deserves the throne for no one is more fit for it than him."

"It is time to give what Loki has always wanted."

"Thor…" He shook his head in disbelief. "Even I know that that is not what Loki wants."

"You don't know Loki as well as I do." The steely look in Thor's eyes dared him to say otherwise.

"Oh, on this matter I definitely do," Stephen said, a tad bitterly than he intended. "You are the only reason why Loki stays."

"Stays where? Here?"

"Stays here, by your side, wherever you are." Stephen flicked his wrist. "Stays alive."

He was on a roll now. "You are the third person in our relationship."

"Stephen, you are not speaking sense."

"You remember when Mordo attacked Loki the first time in Greenwich Village? You were so upset you ordered his immediate return to Asgard." Thor turned to him. "Did you know Loki had wanted to stay in New York with me?"

Thor's forehead furrowed.

Stephen nodded. "It's true. Mordo hit him with a nasty spell in the attack, and I urged him to stay for a few days so I could heal him and he could recuperate but he refused. Said he would not go against your explicit orders because you were his King, and he would not jeopardise your rule just because he was your brother."

Thor reared his head, appalled. "You should have told me."

"Loki said not to." Stephen snorted at the irony. "Guess we are all idiots."

Thor stared. "Guess we are."

"I will not fight you for him, Thor." Stephen shook his head. "I fear I would not win. It is not my place. It is not my time."

"Do you know just how alike you and Loki are?" Thor said, clearly frustrated. "You are both too afraid to fight for each other."

"How can I win when you have his life tethered to yours?" Stephen asked softly.

Thor's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Please explain, Strange. I do not understand you humans, sometimes. You and your innuendos."

"He told me of the pact you two made." Stephen inhaled deeply. "That one shall not die before the other, or something to that effect."

Thor was silent for a long time.

"If you had witnessed his deaths as many times as I…you would not begrudge us that." He shook his head. Then he sniffed. "It's a silly pact, isn't it. He's already tried to break it just last week."

Stephen laughed bitterly. "It's the sentiment that counts, really."

"You made a child together, Stephen. You love him, and he loves you. There is no stronger sentiment than that."

Stephen's vision blurred amidst the sudden watering. The sun must be getting into his eyes.

He turned to walk back to his chair, leaving Thor standing still at the windows.

"So, what did you do? He was well enough that evening when we all went back to Asgard together?"

Stephen blinked a few times before answering. "He turned Jotunn. Expelled the residue from his body with his Ice Magic."

"Ah." Thor smiled. "Typical Loki. Always a trick up his sleeves."

Stephen straightened in his chair. "Which reminds me."

"Your people have accepted Loki as the heir to the throne of Asgard for centuries. Even after they found out about his true parentage, there has never been unrest of this kind, has there?" Stephen leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees, his chin in atop his clasped palms. "Why now?"

"I suspect it is because I was never expected to outlive my brother in the first place." A crisp, clear voice interrupted their argument.

"Loki!" Thor dropped his glass on the table and marched to where Loki stood, hanging onto the frame of the door. "What are you doing up? You should not be."

"I am rested, Brother. Thank you." Loki gently pushed away Thor's supporting hand and walked, albeit a little unsteadily, toward an empty chair at Thor's massive writing table, the farthest away from Stephen. He took Thor's unfinished drink and drained it all in one gulp, grimacing in distaste before putting the glass down again. "Going back to your question, Doctor – "

"For the longest time, before and after the fall of Asgard, I was the second prince." He took a deep breath. "I was just that. A spare."

His voice was quiet. "Then Stian was born."

Thor crossed his arms. "I will not have you speak of my nephew's birth as a curse instead of the blessing that it was."

"They have only just gotten used to the idea of me, their fallen prince, usurping the throne from their Golden King one day." Loki stared at him incredulously. "But then you, giving your crown away? And suddenly forcing this unworthy Jotunn and his half-breed down their throat? How did you expect them to react?"

"No one has ever said that about you or your son, Loki."

"They don't need to," Loki snapped. "I only needed to look at their faces after you made your grand announcement."

"But it is no matter now, is it?" Thor implored. "I have rescinded my abdication."

"How do we know if Loki and Stian are truly out of danger?"

Loki finally looked at Stephen, the look in his piercing green eyes and its message as clear as crystal. Do not mention New York.

Another question that had been bugging him, "How are we even sure that that was the reason why you were poisoned and Stian attacked?"

"It happened right after Thor announced he was relinquishing the throne and both attempted murders happened on the same night?" Loki rubbed his chest unconsciously.

"So, you just assumed?"

"I don't know Strange. I was too busy trying not to die remember?" Loki closed his eyes at the memory. "Doing it two times over in the same night does things to your mental faculties."

"No arrest has been made so I assume the perpetrator has not been found." Stephen could not contain his suspicion. "Who is the head of your Panel of Investigation?"

Thor named one of the Generals and Stephen recognised the name as the high-ranking officer Loki had surreptitiously nodded to during the ball.

"I wish to have a word with him."

"By all means, do," Thor urged.

Manhattan, New York

"This sample was taken from the pot used to cook the soup."

"That's why you should never order soup when eating out. Soup is evil."

"Thank you for the public service announcement neither of us asked for, Stark," Stephen said distractedly as he rummaged through the cooler box before producing another vial. "And here is the sample from the water Loki was drinking."

"Where is the sample from the bowl he was actually eating from?"

"Knocked over in the commotion, spilled the whole thing. Scullery maid washed it by mistake."

Tony snorted. "That's convenient."

"Well, I'd better get to work then. I'll run the samples through the PCR machine for presence of pathogens." Bruce scrutinised the vials. "Think that's enough for DNA barcoding, as well?"

"We'll have to make it enough." Tony said seriously. "My database rivals any research universities, easy. If there's any plastidial or nuclear markers of any toxin known to man to be found, plant or animal in origin, we will find it."

Stephen quietly handed over another specimen bottle. It was filled with blood. "Loki's gastric contents."

"How much did they aspirate?" Bruce simply had to ask, looking pale of all a sudden.

"No need to." Stephen's voice was quiet. "Plenty on the floor where that came from."

Tony and Bruce stared at him, their faces varying degrees of stunned.

Stephen's smile was tight and utterly humourless. "Goodness. It's so easy to pull your legs."

Bruce shook his head. "Sometimes you are terrifying."

"The stomach contents may take a while to study, it can be quite tedious unless there are residuals showing distinctive taxonomic elements left…the gastric acid usually beats us to it."

"You are two of the most brilliant minds we have on this side of the planet. If we come up empty then we come up empty." Stephen was antsy. He did not like the idea of leaving Asgard too long. He made a mental note to talk Loki into joining him in New York. Sweettalk him to death, if needed.

"So that's Bruce's gift." Feeling his chest swell with pride at the rare compliment, Tony clawed the air with his outstretched hand. He was not going to let his friend down. "Where's mine? Give it over." He looked to Bruce, "It's a race, Big Guy."

With his safety goggles secured tightly around his head and already immersed in his work, Bruce just shooed him away, gathering his needed pipettes, beakers, test tubes and whatnot.

Tony swiped the flash drive out of Stephen's hand and swept out of the room like the wind. "Come on, Doctor. Clock's ticking."

"The missing footage is between 21:45 and 21:55. A full ten minutes wiped from the security video." Stephen crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "It was as if it never existed."

"You work your magic, Strange, and I'll work mine." Tony's fingers danced over the console, as the hologram in front of them played out the scene from that night. There were several cameras directly covering the front of the Dining Hall that offered unobstructed views of the front, sides and from behind the High Table.

They watched as Thor and Loki walked into the Dining Hall, followed by a retinue of courtiers, their collective faces tense and drawn.

"Bad day at the office?"

"Long story," Stephen murmured.

"Ooh. I love me some medieval court drama." Tony fast-forwarded the video. "I've been left wanting. Ever since The Tudors."

"Stark," Stephen growled. He must have watched this a hundred times. Thor and Loki were having an argument. He could tell from the way Thor kept trying to draw Loki into conversation but his brother was simply refusing to reciprocate, staring right ahead to avoid looking at Thor and occasionally rubbing his temples as if massaging a tension headache.

"Who's that?" Tony pointed at a fine-looking young man who stepped forward as Loki beckoned him over. "Cute mole too. Kinda looks like Peter's before the kid got it removed."

Stephen was impressed, both at Tony's power of observation and perfect eyesight. "That's Einar, Loki's sort-of valet." Einar bent down as Loki seemed to be saying something in his ear, his long fingers gesturing to form a small, joined circle.

"You any good at Charades, Doctor?" Tony asked lightly.

"He was asking the kitchen to prepare him something light, and to make it small." The back of Stephen's throat burned. "He wanted to finish up quick so he could see to our son."

Tony inhaled deeply. "I'm sorry, man."

Stephen nodded but did not say anything further. His eyes still burned.

"This Einar guy. You cleared him?"

Stephen nodded. "He's been with Loki for ages. Has no idea how it happened. Wouldn't stop blaming himself though."

"Isn't the bad guy always the one right under your nose?"

"I doubt the bad guy would stick around for very long once he's done what he'd set out to do. He hasn't left Loki's side since." Stephen straightened and sighed; as expected, the hologram froze on the image of Thor picking up the pitcher of wine on his far right.

Tony worked his magic fingers furiously on the console, "Just gimme a sec…no, a minute actually…wait. Maybe a minute and a half…"

It took the genius billionaire all of ninety seconds to recover the missing minutes. "- and showtime!"

Tony spread the hologram wider, enlarging the frame and increasing the definition.

Stephen pushed himself off the wall and propelled himself forward, his heart pounding in his chest.

They watched as Thor poured himself a glass of wine and offered to do the same for Loki, receiving only a one-eyed glare for his effort; Loki was once again massaging one side of his forehead. Stephen recognised the signs – it was either a tension or a hunger headache, possibly both. The cranky look on Loki's face was telling enough.

Einar returned to the table bearing a tray, off which he lifted a small wooden bowl that he then placed in front of Loki.

Stephen could see Loki recoil slightly as if taken aback, most likely by the sudden strong smell of chowder. He watched in heavy trepidation when Loki visibly took a deep breath as if strengthening his resolve, and started to eat slowly.

"If this was a movie this would be the part where I'd holler my head off if that could get him to stop eating," Tony said, in an awkward gesture of moral support.

"Thanks, Stark." Stephen forcefully glued his eyes to the hologram. He must not look away. He must not blink.

The poison acted fast. All of a sudden, Loki dropped his spoon, his face as still as marble. Thor peered at him, even touched him on the shoulder the very moment Loki's hand grabbed at his throat, the other grappling for the edge of the table.

His face twisted in a grotesque mask of pain, Loki then doubled over, and started to slide down toward the floor. There was a flash of silver as the Valkyrie flew across the dais to catch Loki's head as he collapsed, his body bucking as gouts of blood spewed from his lips, spilling down the sides of his face and running down his chest.

"Fuck." Tony whispered.

Stephen could not speak. He watched through vision suddenly reddened by grief and helplessness as Thor and Valkyrie wrested Loki's convulsing body onto his side, which had been the right thing to do, but the sight of blood spurting out of Loki's mouth and nose, spraying the wooden floor as if someone had spilled a bucket of paint filled Stephen with so much fury he could not breathe.

It took Loki an agonising few minutes before his body went slack and he finally succumbed to unconsciousness. Thor picked him up off the floor like a ragdoll and disappeared from view as he dashed out of the hall and off camera.

"Well." Tony cleared his throat. "At least now we have a suspect."

Stephen stared at him, feeling slightly light-headed himself. His adrenaline had sent his body into overdrive and he had still quite a ways to go before he could still his racing heart – "What?"

"The Einar that splashed the cream into the soup?" With a sleight of his fingers, Tony brought up just the frame he wanted to highlight, "Is not your -" he bobbed his head before correcting himself, "Not Loki's Einar."

Stephen watched the selected footage again frame by frame, "How can you tell?"

"The mole. Your Einar has his on the right side of the chin." Tony pointed. "Look at him now."

The Einar on the screen smiled sweetly at Loki, proffering a small pitcher of milk or cream before pouring some into the bowl.

Tony was right. The mole was now on the left side of the chin.

How could he have missed that?

"A shapeshifter," he whispered sickly.

"Or Tom Cruise." At Stephen's furious glare, Tony lifted his eyebrows. "Ethan Hunt? Mission Impossible?"

"No? Okay."