A/N: Hey guys! Welcome to my first Thor/Avengers-ish themed fanfic!

Right up front I'm gonna say that this is definitely an a/u kind of situation, where the story would take place somewhere between after The Dark World and kind of goes off on its own from there. I did my best to make sure that, regarding S.H.I.E.L.D for example, I stuck with the Marvel Universe as closely as I could but somethings did get tweaked here and there. That being said I hope you guys still enjoy the fic! Don't forget to drop a review!

Okay, on the with the show!

Chapter One

On his desk Director Sheldon Kaufmann had a picture of his wife and daughter propped up between his office phone and a UFO shaped paperclip dispenser filled with cow-shaped clips in the neon green "abduction beam" acrylic base. Jennifer, his wife, always looked much younger than him despite them being only a year apart. Recently she'd begun to accumulate creases around her eyes and her nasal labial fold had grown somewhat deeper. The day she realized it out came the face creams, the masks, and any other "treatment" she could get her hands on to hold onto a youth that had been lost long ago. Their daughter, Tiffany, looked like Jennifer did when she and Sheldon first met. Lovely and a certified heartbreaker at seventeen. Weapons provided by his branch of "definitely-not-a-secret-S.H.I.E.L.D-operations-location" had done well to keep the boys away from her. If he remembered right, she had a date tonight with a boy named . . . oh what was it . . .? Tommy? Timmy? Billy?

It didn't matter. If Sheldon did his job right Timmy-Tommy-Billy would run screaming from the front step within minutes of stepping into the Kaufmann household for the obligatory introductions to the folks. Jennifer tried to remind Sheldon that he had been in that position once too. A reminder that Sheldon firmly filed away in his mind never to be looked at again. He wasn't the boyfriend meeting the girlfriend's parents anymore. Now he was the father of the daughter meeting a boy who would try to put his hand up Tiffany's skirt.

Not his daughter, by God. No way.

The intercom on his desk buzzed, drawing Sheldon out of his thoughts.

"Director Kaufmann, they've arrived."

With a sigh, Kaufmann leaned forward and hit the button to respond. He'd been aware of his meeting for weeks but dreaded it all the same. "Send them in and send for Adela."

"Yes sir."

Moments later the door to his office came open and they walked in.

Director Kaufmann stood from his black leather desk chair and extended a hand to his guests. "Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D, gentlemen. I'm Director Kaufmann."

The golden-haired God of Thunder, Thor, reached for his hand first and gave it a firm shake. It was still somewhat intimidating to see him in person—Sheldon had only really ever seen him on the news following the incident with New York City and the 2014 incident, during his time with the Avengers. It was like being in the same room with . . . well, he didn't know any celebrity names but he was sure it was comparable. "Good to meet you, Kaufmann."

Next to Thor stood his dark-haired half-brother, whose very demeanor sent chills down Kaufmann's spine. This brother he remembered from the New York City incident as well. Just . . . on the opposite side. In the back of his mind Kaufmann recalled the gold, horned helmet and flowing green-and-black garb this man had worn as he led an alien invasion into the streets of the city. How he had tried to become a king—or God—or something over the mortals. Arranging to have Thor come be a part of their team, however temporarily, had been a topic of great discussion amongst the office. Loki however . . .

When Kaufmann reached a hand out to Loki it was met with a dark glare and folded arms. He retracted his hand and instead opted to adjust the front of his navy blue suit. He gestured at the two chairs (less comfortable than his own by a mile, he noted with the same officious pride he always had whenever someone came to his office and had to sit on that side of the desk) with a practiced smile. "Please, sit."

The brothers sat. Kaufmann did the same.

"I'm glad you could come." At the last minute Kaufmann realized he had only addressed Thor, whom he was glad to have there, and quickly had to slide his gaze over to the more menacing brother so as to not offend. "Both of you. I wasn't sure if we would be able to get in contact with you, considering—"

"Considering that we live in Asgard?" Thor responded with a jockish grin.

A nervous chuckle passed Kaufmanns's lips. "I—ah—yes, you have no idea how hard it is to get messages across realms." He cleared his throat. "But—ah—we have a good team and they found a way."

"Apparently." Loki said, drawling the word so that there was no room for question. He was not interested in being here or the small talk Kaufmann tried to make.

It was odd to see the two brothers dressed so casually. Thor, in a pair of torn blue jeans and a red plaid shirt over a black t-shirt, and Loki, in a nice black button-up shirt and black dress pants. It was a difficult reconciliation to make given that Kaufmann had previously only seen them in their hero (and villain) garb. As it was, they just looked like two regular people.

"Ignore my brother," Thor said, and received an annoyed glare in return. "He is a bit of an ass."

"Better than an oaf." Loki turned his attention on Kaufmann. "You said this is S.H.I.E.L.D. Tell me, how is that so? Wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D destroyed? Something about . . ." his dark grin made Kaufmann's blood run cold. "HYDRA agents?"

He'd known this question was coming. It was reasonable to ask but he always hated having to answer it. The revelation of the HYDRA infiltration had nearly torn S.H.I.E.L.D to the ground. There was so much chaos back then—every minute was fraught with terror that he or his people would be arrested or worse. He hadn't been able to get away with everyone under his management, but he did manage to save a select few and rebuild where they wouldn't be found. Despite the public opinion of the "dead" S.H.I.E.L.D organization, Kaufmann knew (and made sure his people knew as well) that someday they would be back. Someday people would cheer for their return and things would go back to how they were before.

"That was an unfortunate turn of events for our organization," Kaufmann began in his tight, practiced PR voice. One doesn't reach the level of director without learning a thing or two about how to converse about sensitive topics without really saying anything. Unless that person was Nick Fury, who had gotten his title with gumption and immovable morals. "However, we at S.H.I.E.L.D have learned from that tragic mistake and are taking steps to make sure nothing like that ever happens again."

Loki's grin grew wider. "Practice that in the mirror, did you?"

"I—"

"So tell us," Thor interjected, much to Kaufmann's relief. "Why is it you wanted so badly to get in contact with us? I imagine it must be pretty important."

"Oh, um, yes, it is." Sheldon ran a hand over his thinning hair. Thinning. Not thick and lush as it once was. As was the hair on the two men across from him. His heart sank. "You see, S.H.I.E.L.D has always been about protection. You're familiar with Director Fury, am I correct?"

Thor nodded. "I am."

"Then I'm sure he's told you this before, but when our organization was founded it was to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. The HYDRA fiasco has tainted that dream but not killed it—there are still a great number of us who want to do what we can to uphold the principles of protecting the innocent in any way we can. That is the function of a shield, in the traditional sense. Protection. Defense. We may be seen as villains right now thanks to the actions of a few, but how we are seen doesn't matter. It's what we do that counts." Pride surged through Kaufmann's chest as he spoke. He had been a member of S.H.I.E.L.D for the better part of thirty years and loved every minute of it. It was his dream to someday become a director and do his part in upholding the pure ideals. There was very little in his life that Sheldon could admit to holding that near and dear to his heart. He didn't have to practice saying any of that. It all came from the heart. "And once again, the world needs S.H.I.E.L.D protection. Though we don't have a lot of details right now, we believe it may be an interdimensional threat. We have several agents currently working on digging up more information on this—"

The intercom on his desk buzzed again. "Director Kaufmann, Adela is here."

He pressed the button. "Perfect timing, send her in."

As the door to his office came open a second time, Kaufmann looked over the heads

(heads of thick hair, thick hair he didn't have himself anymore, hair he once had when he was young like them but now he was old and it was thinning oh God he was turning into his father)

Of his guests, who had turned to watch the approach of Agent Adela. Adela's green hair fell like vines to her shoulders with a small section braided back away from her face. For a split second following her entrance into the room, tight leather clothes hugging her muscular body as she walked, Kaufmann thought he saw the God of Thunder give her an appreciative appraisal. The father in him quivered and he was seized by a brief flash of irritation. Irritation he tried to quickly assuage. Adela was his employee, his adult employee, not his daughter. He didn't need to fend off her gentleman callers the way he had to fight them off from Tiffany.

Besides, he reminded himself with a small twinge of pride. Adela doesn't need anyone to protect her from anything. She can protect herself. Shit, she's the one I'd go to if I needed protection.

Adela, along with her best friend Sabrina, were two of his original team members he'd been able to spirit away when the shit hit the fan for their organization. He saved them from prosecution and had grown attached to the girls. Probably because, despite both of them being nearly thirty, they looked young for their age and reminded him so much of his own daughter. Especially Sabrina. Adela was what Kaufmann hoped Tiffany would be if push came to shove and she needed to protect herself.

She gave Kaufmann a salute. Always the soldier. "You called for me, Sir?"

"Yes, I did—Gentlemen, this is Agent Adela. She is one of the agents I spoke of earlier, who is currently in search of information regarding the threat. Adela, this is Thor, God of Thunder." He gestured toward the Adonis in blue jeans and bit the inside of his cheek when he saw the sparkle of allure in her green eyes. Kaufmann reminded himself again that Adela wasn't Tiffany. That it wasn't his responsibility to chase off anything that might happen between them. It was difficult. Fatherly instincts didn't always stay left at the door when he walked into the building in the morning. She shook his hand.

"Pleasure." Adela kept her face blank. Neutral. The same lack of expression that kept Parker Reese from hitting on her at the Christmas party last year, despite all the egg nog he'd drank for liquid courage.

"Likewise." Thor said with a grin.

He's like a golden retriever Kaufmann thought, swallowing the urge to laugh.

"And his brother," Kaufmann continued. "Loki, God of Mischief."

She didn't extend her hand to Loki or greet him as she did his brother. Nobody was happy about what Loki did regarding the aliens, but Adela harbored an extra splash of hatred for it. She had wanted to run into the battle and fight him herself but Kaufmann held her back. Fury had the situation under control even when it didn't look like he did. He was glad she'd listened. A rare lapse in personality for her—he didn't know if she would've survived or gotten herself killed trying to accomplish a mission that wasn't her's to begin with, but he didn't want to find out. He'd used a card he wasn't proud of using but worked every time he had to. He reminded her that Sabrina needed her to stay alive, and it shocked (or shamed) her into obedience.

Adela turned her eyes on the director. "Director Kaufmann, what is it you needed?"

"We were discussing the recent trouble. Do you care to shed some light on it? This is your case, after all."

She nodded. "There has been a rise in cult activity as of late—and based on my investigations they have all been associated with this symbol." She reached into her pocket and unfolded a piece of lined paper with a drawing of a snake consuming its own tail.

"An ouroboros," Loki said as Thor took the picture out of Adela's hand. The two leaned in together to observe it.

"Sabrina's research tells us that this symbol was once used during Medieval times, specifically for a cult said to worship vampires."

Loki scoffed. "Vampires? Really?"

You two are Asgardian Gods, a kid slings spiderwebs in Queens, and a giant green monster rampages through the city when a guy gets mad—why are vampires so hard to believe? Kaufmann thought.

Adela shrugged. "That's what I was told. I'm not saying it has anything to do with vampires in this case, or that it really had anything to do with vampires back then, but that's what Sabrina thinks."

"That's all well and good," Loki continued. "But what does this have to do with us? We're not vampire experts, if such a ridiculous concept actually exists."

"Because," Adela continued, patience growing thin with the dark-haired Asgardian God. "There's a chance, whatever this threat actually is, it could be from another dimension. At one of the sites associated with this symbol, we found a Netherlight."

"Netherlight?" Thor asked. By the quirk in his voice Kaufmann could tell his interest was piqued. Same with his brother, though he remained silent.

"It's a . . . spyglass of sorts. It allows the user brief glimpses into other worlds. Likely they were using it to try and find the location of whatever it is they worship."

"That's why we've contacted you," Kauffman interjected. Everyone turned their attention to him. "If this is an interdimensional threat, as we suspect, we're going to need the help of an Avenger." His smile strained when he looked to Loki. "And someone who has experience with non-human threats."

For a moment, the brothers shared a look. Thor then nodded at Kaufmann with a huge grin. "We'll do it."

Loki turned to his brother. "Hold on—"

"Wonderful!" Kaufmann stood. "Thor, you and Adela will be working together to find information regarding these cults in the field." He turned an apprehensive eye on Loki. The words sitting on his tongue tasted bitter. "Loki, you will be working with . . . with Sabrina in the archives, researching the cult associated with this symbol to help fill in the blanks for Adela and Thor."

Loki leaned forward; anger drawn obviously in his face. "Hold on a minute. I never agreed to any of this. I—"

"Well," Kaufmann strolled out from behind his desk. "You can help us find and neutralize this threat before anything happens—or I can have Adela arrest you now for what you did to New York City. I imagine us bringing the villain responsible for that mess to justice would go a long way toward restoring S.H.I.E.L.D's image."

It took an ungodly amount of self-control for Kaufmann not to smile when he saw that he had Loki cowed. That Thor, who had spoken on behalf of punishing his brother in Asgard when the event first happened, didn't jump to his defense. The God of Mischief frowned but said nothing.

"All right," Kaufmann said, coming out from behind his desk. He gestured toward the door to the office. "Let's introduce you boys to Sabrina and get things rolling."

There was nothing particularly special about the archives room to make it stand out. Really, no one would be able to pick it out from any of the other rooms built into the abandoned factory which this particular branch of S.H.I.E.L.D called home without the sign above the door which read ARCHIVES. Agents walked the hallway around them, slowing in their steps to get a glimpse of the famed God of Thunder and his notorious brother. Kaufmann caught a few of the female agents huddled together whispering, then giggling. It got worse when Thor winked at them and they devolved into schoolgirlish squeals before running off. Sometimes it was hard for Kaufmann to believe he worked with adults.

For the entire journey from his office to the Archives room Kaufmann dreaded introducing Sabrina to Loki. It felt too much like introducing Tiffany to Loki—both girls were sweet and innocent and that was the kind of person Kaufmann heard Loki preyed on. Like introducing a lion to a lamb, Kaufmann felt wrong about it.

She's an adult and she knows her job, he reminded himself over and over again. The sounds of shoes clacking against the cement floor and the voices of the other agents droning around him as they went about their day seemed, in that moment, to deafen. She can take care of herself.

That being said, if he found out this trickster god harmed one hair on her head—

"She's a little odd," Kaufmann said as he clasped the knob on the archives door. "But she's a great agent, and she's good at her job."

He pushed the door open.

"Sabrina?" He called into the room as they all entered. "Sabrina, I've—"

"Hold on! Hold on I'm coming!" her voice floated out from somewhere in the stacks. When they renovated the factory into being a secret headquarters for their organization, they gave great attention to keeping the archives off the computers and kept them strictly on paper. It only took getting burned once for S.H.I.E.L.D to learn that perhaps it was a mistake to store their sensitive information on computers where they can be accessed and exposed. It worked out the first time in the sense that the HYDRA agents were exposed and the core organization could begin to heal itself from within, but it caused enough trouble to detour them from continuing with that modern day practice. This way, if anyone wanted to expose anything, they at least had to work for it.

Out from the maze of shelves built from iron bones adorned with boxes and binders filled with files and glass displays for artifacts came a small woman with bubblegum pink hair. She wore a cropped polo blouse and a short pink-and-gray plaid skirt. The tie around her neck, adorned with pins from Paramore and Melanie Martinez, was the same color scheme as the skirt but with much more emphasis on the gray than the pink whereas the skirt was the reverse.

"Hi Director Kaufmann." She shifted the cardboard box in her hands, attempting to hold onto it despite the obvious weight. She eyed Loki and Thor uneasily. That being said, her gaze lingered a little too long on Loki for the director's tastes. What crime did he commit in a past life to be surrounded by women whom he felt the need to father? "Who—?"

Irritated that today of all days Sabrina chose to dress like that

(come on Sheldon you know Sabrina that's just how she is if it wasn't this it would be something else)

Kaufmann swallowed his parental urge to cover her up and gestured to the guests.

"Sabrina this is Thor and his brother Loki. Thor will be working with Adela on the Oroboros Case and Loki will be. . . will be working with you."

She shifted the box again. "Oh, okay then."

Frowning, Loki glared at Kaufmann. "This is absurd. I am a prince of Asgard, burdened by glorious purpose. My talents go far beyond—"

"Wait," Sabrina said, drawing everyone's attention. "You are?"

"Of course I am." He crossed his arms. Kaufmann didn't like the viperous look in his eye—but he remembered that if Loki tried anything, if he hurt Sabrina in any way, Adela would have him dead on the floor before any of them could blink. Already he could feel her tensing beside him. Readying herself to strike.

"Well, Loki was it? I think . . . I think I know what your purpose is." She walked up to him and shoved the box she'd been carrying into his arms. "Your glorious purpose is to put that box on the top shelf back there, so I don't have to climb that ladder and break my neck."

The flabbergasted look on his face was too delicious. Kaufmann couldn't help but smile and hide a chuckle behind his hand. When he looked over at Adela he saw that it had made her smile too. That was Sabrina for you—the only person in the world who could make Adela smile.

He was glad he'd been able to save them both. Of all the people he worked with back then, Sabrina was the one he feared for the most. Adela was strong and could fight for herself. Sabrina's talents lay in the written word and in her mind. Hardly powers that would aid her if arrested. She was small and emotionally delicate. She never would've survived behind bars. As it was Kaufmann put her in the archives as to better suit her powers and to keep her out of the field.

"I-I-you—!"

Thor smacked him on the shoulder with a jovial laugh. "Have fun, brother! I'll be seeing you later!"

As much as he didn't want to, Kaufmann left Loki alone with Sabrina in the archives and guided the other two out. They had other places to be and he had to swallow the urge to stay and look after the smallest member of his team.

She's strong, he reminded himself yet again. She can take care of herself.