A couple weeks have passed since Thor, Steve and Tony visited Loki and Lucy. The Avengers were at the Tower celebrating their latest victory in battle. They sat there, around the coffee table telling jokes and having fun and drinking...until Tony answered a call from Nick on the Stark phone.
"What do you want Fury? We just finished kicking ass for you." Tony said in a frustrated tone as he leaned back in his seat with his feet on the coffee table. His facial expression changed as he listened to the Director tell him some very bad news.
"Thor." Tony called to the Asgardian who was laughing at what Clint told him. Thor turned his attention to Tony, his smile leaving his face when he saw the latter's expression.
"It's Loki and Lucy...they're gone." And just like that, all merriment flew out the window.
Thor landed in front of his brother's house with Tony following behind him. The moment he informed the God of Thunder what Nick told him, he immediately flew to Loki's house with the help of his hammer. Tony barely had time to get his armor on before he followed Thor out of the Tower. Thankfully, he was able to catch up to him half-way before they made it to the trickster's house which already had SHIELD agents investigating the premises.
Thor barely acknowledged the agents who tried to keep him off the property as he entered his brother's house. His eyes widened at the state of the interior of what was once an immaculate home. Furniture was tossed across the room, the coffee table was shattered into pieces, the television had a hole in it, and there were dents on the floor, walls and ceiling, as though a body was slammed into them. Almost at the center of the room was a pile of ashes nestled within scorched wood.
Tony followed him inside and saw the state of the house. His face plate opened as he surveyed the damage done to the place. "What the living crap happened?" Tony asked to no one in particular as he stepped further into the home to inspect the strange claw marks on the wall.
"Loki." Thor whispered as he walked into the kitchen in hopes of finding some trace of him, but was met with a flooded kitchen and destroyed counter.
He backed out of the kitchen and traveled down the hallway and stopped by Loki's room first. Nothing was damaged save for the open drawers and closet that were completely empty of clothes. Then he went into Lucy's room which was next door to Loki's. The interior was what anyone would expect from a child her age, a small bed with Disney Frozen sheets, a cute lamp on the bedside table, a small kids table in the corner with art utensils strewn about and a bookshelf right next to it. The walls were decorated with dozens of crayon drawing pinned up, most of them with figures shaped like her and Loki. The most recent looking one was on the crafting table with Loki, Thor, and Lucy in the middle holding hands. He picked it up to examine the cute kiddie picture and tucked it away in his pocket.
"Thor."
The God of Thunder turned to see Tony hold up a wireless device. "I think we got something."
Back at the Tower, all the Avengers gathered with Nick and Phil present.
"I can't believe you would spy on my little brother and niece like this." Thor said disapprovingly as he narrowed his eyes at the two SHIELD agents.
"This was a security measure." Nick stated with a stoic expression as Tony and Bruce connected the audio surveillance device to the billionaire's computer.
"Loki did mention something about betraying Thanos to be with Lucy, so it is possible he sent his cronies to attack your brother." Phil stated, looking guilty for putting that device under the table.
"That's a good theory as any." Bruce said as he and Tony finally connected the last wire. "There we go, let's hear last night's radio broadcast." Tony said as he turned up the volume. At first, all they heard was the TV displaying a documentary while water was being run in a sink along with plates clinking together.
"He's doing the dishes while listening to National Geographic." Tony stated as he recognized the British narrator.
A knock was heard, followed by the squeak from the faucet knob. Footsteps echoed before the door locks were unlatched. "Hello, can I help you?" They heard Loki's voice as he greeted the visitor. The answer that followed wasn't in English, it sounded courteous, yet it was tinged with malice.
"That's Italian." Clint said as he recognized the language. "There's two of them."
"Well, what are they saying?" Thor asked when he heard Loki speak in the same tongue.
"Loki wants them to leave. He doesn't have what they want anymore." Natasha translated.
They heard more from the Italian visitors. "Yes, you do." Clint translated before his eyes widened at what he heard next, "Give us the brat."
Loud grunts then crashes were heard along with Lucy screaming. Loki screamed at her to hide as they heard the TV smash. Thor's heart wrenched when he heard his brother scream in agony before spark was heard along with a violent crackle of fire blazing accompanied by the other's deafening cries. They heard someone curse in Italian followed by quickly receding feet.
"His partner got away." Clint commented as they heard Loki breathe heavily and stumble. Little feet rushed into the room. "Papa!" Thor let out a sigh of relief when he heard his niece.
"I'm okay Lucy." Loki's voice was strained. Thor saw it in his mind; his younger brother falling to his knees as his daughter rushed into his arms in fright.
"Are the monsters gone?" Lucy's voice cracked over the device.
"Yes, but I fear the other will return." Loki's voice strained with pain and worry. "We can't stay here anymore."
"Are we going to Uncle Thor?"
"No, honey, we can't go to him." Thor's eyes widened when he heard those words.
"But he can help. Your arm, it's-"
"I'll be fine, I heal quickly, remember?" Loki's voice was gentle and light as he tried to assure his frightened child.
"You know where your emergency bag is?" After a pause, Loki spoke again, "Good girl. Now, go grab it, we take what we need and leave." He said with urgency as they heard him shuffle to his feet.
"Where are we going?"
"Where the sun shines the brightest."
"Will Uncle Thor be there?"
"No, he can never know." Loki sniffled, "No one can, he'll never understand. Now hurry, we must go."
Everyone listened for another ten minutes until the door closed and they distantly heard a car engine rev to life then drive away.
Thor slumped in his chair as he stared off into space. "They're gone." His accented voice was low and tinged with worry and fear.
"We're trying to track down his car as we speak. We know it's a black Sedan model but given your brother's shifting abilities..." Phil paused, knowing this is getting harder by the second.
"He can make the car look like anything. Therefore, making it harder for us to find him." Thor finished as he shook his head, "He's always been clever."
"So, I take it the pile of ashes were one of the attackers." Tony stated, remembering the sound of fire cracking and blazing.
"Yep, burned alive." Clint added, "I don't even feel sorry for the poor bastard."
"They were targeting Lucy." Natasha said, remembering what was said in Italian. "If Thanos sent them to take his daughter hostage, I doubt he would send an Italian."
"Whoever they were, they were strong enough to take on an Asgardian. That means they're dangerous at an inhuman level." Nick stated, brow furrowed in concentration. "Loki knew them, he spoke their language. This probably isn't the first time he grappled with them."
"Well one of them got away." Steve chimed in, "It is possible he may come back with reinforcements."
"We need to find Loki and Lucy." Thor said as he stood up. "Whoever or whatever hunts them will not stop."
"And we will. We have Loki's facial recognition ready. Anytime your brother appears within a security camera's view, we'll know." Phil informed them before more agents arrived carrying boxes and set them on the table.
"Now what?" Tony asked in mild annoyance at the random stuff they just dumped in his home.
"These were all in Loki's home, anything that isn't badly damaged are all for Thor to look through. See if he or anyone can find what we can't." Phil added then turned to Thor who stood before one of the boxes that were slightly opened. "You're the one who knew him best, maybe there's a clue in here that can help you find him."
"Thank you, Coulson." Thor nodded to Phil who smiled and patted him on the shoulder before he left with Fury.
All was silent as Thor watched the box with a saddened expression. "Thor, we're going to find them. Whatever's going on with your brother we'll figure it out together."
Thor pursed his lips and shook his head, "It's not that." He sighed, "Loki didn't come to me when he was in trouble. He didn't trust me enough to protect him and Lucy. I thought things would be different."
The team turned to each other before Clint approached Thor a laid a hand on the wide shoulder. "Things are different. He's a father right now. His main worry at this moment is protecting Lucy at all costs. I don't think it's lack of trust that made him not come to you. I think there's something more, something deeper that we have to figure out together." Clint hypothesized, "He must've expected something like this way before you came back into his life. He had the emergency bag prepared for Lucy."
"He's afraid for his daughter." Natasha stated, remembering the tone within Loki's voice when he spoke to the intruders. "Any decision he makes revolves around her, not his personal feelings towards you. Lucy is his main focus, and his weakness. Sooner or later, he'll slip, just long enough for our agents to identify him."
"She's right, we just need to be patient. I know that's not your strong suit, but it's all we can do right now." Steve added, "We'll find them."
Though Thor was still saddened by his brother and niece's disappearance, he felt hope as he listened to their words. With newfound determination, he opened the box and pulled out books, baby clothes, and used medical equipment.
Clint picked up a baby pacifier and saw the nipple completely chewed up, as though an animal bit into it.
"Say, uh, Thor? did your brother happen to have a dog in the house?" Clint asked as he picked up a baby chew toy and saw deep indentations in the hard yet soft plastic. The same could be said for the other toys.
"No, why?" Thor asked as he flipped through a cute children's book.
Clint picked up another toy with small yet deep bite marks, eyes wide when he saw blood staining the edges.
Loki washed his hands in the sink, the blood that trickled out of the reopened wound on his arm flowed down the drain. It hurts, but the pain was worth it. He cleaned around the area before applying disinfectant to the wound then wrapped it in bandages again. Looking at himself in the mirror, he noted how paler he looked after losing so much blood and the bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. His normally combed back hair was in disarray. He was tired, he felt drained. But he needed to keep going for Lucy's sake. If he falters, he'll lose her forever like he lost her mother.
Stepping out of the bathroom, he quietly turned off the lights and turned to see his precious little one sleeping peacefully on the single bed with her stuffed bunny tucked under her arm. He smiled at the adorable sight. She always slept well after a good meal.
He didn't go toward the bed, he sat in the chair stationed by the window of their hotel and peeked out the window for a moment. No one was up at this late hour. At least for now.
Leaning back to get comfortable, he placed his Sceptor in his lap, firmly holding it in his fingers.
It was another night with minimal sleep as he stood guard over Lucy, waiting for any and all monsters that dare come for his baby.
Hi. It's been three years since my last update. I apologize for the long wait. I've been writing other stories and just can't keep my focus on one thing at a time. Luckily, I felt inspiration for this story and decided to type it out.
It's no surprise you figured out what Lucy is exactly, but not her true origins. Some of you have probably guessed the reason why Loki has a wound on his arm.
Thanks for reading. Not sure if I'll keep writing the next chapter soon. But I already have the story planned out in my head.