Hey guys! So, this chapter is meant to give a hint of background on how I imagine Loki's time with Thanos to be like. A lot of things need to be inferred and a few things will be touched on more in later chapters. And, not everything is going to line up with movies (duh, this is fanfiction). :)

There was an almost imperceptible shadow movement across Loki as he started back over to them from the Hulk. Although it may have been insignificant to some of the others, Frigga let out a sharp cried warning just as a humanoid figure leapt at the frost giant king from the top of the bunker behind them. They let out their own yell, which alerted Loki even before Frigga did. He turned in time to catch the person and throw them to the side. But, he did gain a very nasty slash in his lower arm as he did so.

Thor hurled his hammer at the newcomer, forcing them to dive to the side and give Loki just a moment to regain his footing. However, he didn't have long. The Silvertongue had to block several aggressive strikes from them even as he stumbled away.

Both the Anaheimien and Asgardian families reacted, though the Frost Giants wasted no time in defending their king. Ice encased their arms with a quiet hiss and they rushed forward.

The strangest thing of all was Loki's reaction of utter shock. He almost waited too long before speaking.

"Wait, wait, wait!" he ordered his guards, holding out a hand to stop them.

Thor, who was closest, followed the same command in pure bewilderment.

The thing that had attacked his brother was quite literally half robot and half human. It had no hair and metal seemed to be fused into their skin. And yet, they had eyes of a living being.

"Nebula, what are you doing?" Loki asked, showing that he knew this creature quite well.

"What am I doing? What are you doing? Here? And with them?" Nebula snarled in return, shaking as if she was just barely able to contain herself from ripping him apart. Her pointed question was aimed at all the people behind him. But, her gaze hovered mainly on Thor, Odin, and Frigga.

"A lot has happened since we parted ways." Loki responded, cautiously taking a few steps to the left.

"A lot has happened? I know exactly what's happened." she hissed "Your spineless guts went crawling back to Asgard after Thor stopped you on Earth."

"Well, I think I remember that slightly differently." that was all Loki said to correct her, even though it was dripping with sarcasm. He wasn't interested in setting the facts straight.

"It doesn't matter. You went back to them. Back to your 'family.'" Nebula clenched her fists "I thought the two of us had a mutual life problem. You told me you left your father and that I should leave mine. But now you're back fighting against Thanos. After everything you did for him." she cocked her head at him with narrowed eyes, as if expecting a reaction to that.

"Decided it wasn't the place for me." Loki held out his hands in a vaguely shrugging gesture.

"Then I suppose the guidance you gave me is worthless now. I should have stuck with those I was raised with."

Loki had to hold out another warning hand to the Frost Giants, who were creeping forward in anticipation of the next fight.

"Thanos didn't give a damn about you one way or another and you know that." he said "You should have left that place long before I gave you a reason to."

Thor blinked at the two of them, eyebrows furrowed into a scowl. Both his parents were listening to the conversation behind him. All the members of the royal families were nearly on their toes as they waited to dive in at any given moment. But Loki seemed more interested in talking her down than getting into a brawl.

"Why are you fighting for them?" Nebula demanded.

"The same reason you will. Because Thanos is a mad Titan who wants nothing less than full dominion in the universe."

"My father has a good reason." Nebula growled.

"Your 'father' set you against your sister and then tore you apart when you lost." Loki responded immediately with disdain. Svleiva brought her head back in repulsion.

"So now you're finally going to admit that you came from a loving family." Nebula now spoke softly. The lack of emotion in her tone only made the woman more intimidating.

Thor pressed his jaw together as he waited for Loki's response to that. He looked at Frigga and Odin, who were right there alongside him. His mother listened with grief in her eyes and he felt a brief wave of pity for her. She'd never deserved the pain of Loki's rejection.

Her husband beside her just looked weary. Weary of hearing the the truth of Nebula's statement be debated.

Unfortunately, his brother didn't give any reply. He just stared at the cyborg with a rigid expression. His gaze briefly flicked away, but returned as soon as Nebula spoke again.

"You had everything with him, Loki." she said coldly "When Gamora left, he adopted you as his own. The favorite." she spat the word as if it were a curse "Everything you always dreamed of and you abandoned it."

"Well it turns out it isn't as glorious as you imagine it to be." Loki said forcefully.

Thor exhaled, glancing at the ground and swallowing. Nebula remained expressionless but for her narrowed eyes.

"What about Gamora? Did you even try to find her after she left? Or did your passion for her die with your loyalty to Thanos? She's be useful for you now I imagine."

"Gamora and I never loved each other." Loki retorted "We were in the right place at the right time and used each other to our advantage. We had an arrangement that apparently fooled everyone in the Black Order."

Nebula paused, silently trying to process that information.

"What better way to get into Thanos' higher ranks? Being so distraught at her disappearance." Loki continued, aware that she wasn't quite convinced "And keep him from noticing Gamora's gradual wane in loyalty. She wanted out and I wanted in. That's all."

"I don't believe you. I saw you two when you worked together." Nebula said lowly.

"You saw what you were supposed to see." Loki responded icily.

Nebula literally bared her teeth at him, pulling back her arm to a threatening position.

"Frost giant!" she screamed at him, the statement obviously meant as an insult.

Hena tilted her head forward in a furious glare, breath shaking as she exhaled angrily.

Loki still held up a hand to keep the Jotuns where they were, but he eyed her warningly.

"Well, if you're on Thanos' side, then you're being overpowered by Frost Giants." he said calmly "As well as Asgard, Anaheim, Alfheim, and Vanaheim. So, tell me what I am all you want, Nebula, it won't change that fact."

"No, but I can change something else." Thanos' daughter shifted her attention to Hena and then Mazi. Thor raised his hammer slightly.

"Nebula." Loki said, pointing a finger warningly "Look at me. Me."

He wasn't quite sure he could even hold the Jotuns back if she made one step forward. Out of the corner of his eye, he was glad to see that Odin stepped forward. It hid Mazi from view, but also made the cyborg change her focus. The King of Asgard had always been a highly respected-and feared-figure, no matter what Thanos claimed to be.

"Nebula." Loki spoke again, finally turning the woman to him again.

"Thanos has no idea you're here, does he?" he asked with a small shake of his head "I know your plan. You think that if you come over here and kill me that it will put you back into his good graces. Perhaps you could even bring the scepter and Tessearct back with you. Show him how capable you are." he waited briefly, eyebrows raised "Well, it won't change anything. He'll continue to hate you just as he always has. Your deed will be forgotten before the battle is finished."

"You have no idea how large of a bounty is on your head." Nebula responded "But, if I can bring you alive? No, Thanos will give me whatever I want."

"And what is it you want?" Loki asked honestly "To be Gamora? To make him fawn over you?"

"If you come willingly." Nebula said quietly "He still needs you."

"Do you really think I am going to fall for a pathetic attempt to appeal to my ego?" Loki questioned "Make your play Nebula, one way or the other. I'm not coming back. I've chosen my side. And you're about to chose yours. You knew when you came over here, right into the heart of our territory, that even if you managed to kill me, you would be dead moments after."

Hena wrung her fingers. The anxiety from everything she was hearing was impossible to hide. She'd never heard of any of the people Loki was bringing up. He had so much hidden from his time with Thanos. And it was going to be revealed all at once right now.

"You have a choice. Right now. Will you come with us or are you going to return to Thanos? Will he even welcome you back?" the God of Mischief asked honestly.

"I won't fight against him." Nebula said, but there was little to no conviction in her voice as spoke "This is who I am."

"You are not beholden to him. You get to choose. You can change what you're doing." Loki replied firmly as he eyed her.

Nebula vaguely shook her head and when she spoke, it was breathy and scared.

"He won't let me." she whispered, eyes wide.

Thor blinked and relaxed the arm that held his hammer at the women's sudden display of emotion.

"Why do you need his permission? Help us defeat him. But you need to lower that blade before someone over here takes your life." Loki said tensely.

Nebula glanced down at her knife as if remembering it was there. For several seconds, she looked to be honestly contemplating the decision. Those watching were still very ready for an attack. As Loki said, she would be dead long before he was.

Finally, Nebula let her arm fall to her side and looked up at the Frost Giant king. There wasn't an immediate welcome for her from him. He waited silently for a moment until she spoke.

"What now?"

Loki scrutinized her briefly.

"You fight him just as if you were fighting us." he replied. He briefly closed his eyes as if he had to hold back a grimace. When he spoke again, his voice sounded a bit more fatigued and he let out a strained sigh.

"Now, has Thanos brought the Black Order with him?" he asked "They weren't with him a week ago. Clearly I am quite far from being his confidant right now. I have no idea where they would be."

"He sent them to start conditioning other realms for a change of command. He expected Anaheim to be an easy win. He's been trying to bring them here, but his opening isn't stable."

"Why are you here? I was certain that you abandoned Thanos." Loki said. His voice hinted at a bit of suspicion. Nebula shouldn't have known where the Titan was going unless she kept very close tabs on him.

"I knew my father was coming here several weeks ago." Nebula responded quietly "I've been here since I discovered that."

Svleiva looked at Valder immediately and they shared a glance. Frigga had told them that their realm was a bridge for Valhalla to the mortal world, but they'd still felt that someone else had been observing them. Now they knew why.

Loki didn't react to the news. He just wanted Nebula to continue without a confrontation.

"You wanted to see if you could rejoin him." he nodded.

Nebula paused for a just a few moments before speaking again "I believe that a few of them may be here." she didn't reply to his statement.

"Proxima?" Loki asked, mind clearly racing. None of the others would recognize the name. Thor briefly scowled. He was confused but also relatively unnerved to hear his brother talk so directly about those he had served with over the last few years. He had consciously decided to ignore the fact that there had indeed been a higher power controlling Loki's madness. Even when the second son of Odin had been imprisoned, he'd left that idea alone. Hearing this conversation made it far more real than he was comfortable with it being. He wished he'd addressed the nagging feeling with Odin a year ago.

"Proxima and Corvus. Thanos will send for Cull. And he'll put him on the trail of the green monster your group totes around." Nebula's tone remained flat and monotone, despite preparing to attack the family she'd been adopted into.

"That is the mortal's weapon, not mine." Loki observed the battlefield shortly, searching for Proxima and Corvus. Then he gestured at Nebula to follow him back to the others. His gait was slightly favoring one leg, showing that the attack, however brief it was, had taken its toll. With a wary look up at the Frost Giants, the cyborg did follow.

"To be fair, he isn't technically our weapon, he just becomes kind of useful when a battle strikes. Such as this." Hawkeye said dryly, bow loaded but aimed at the ground.

Hena took a step back from the two former Black Order members, eyebrows furrowed. And she wasn't the only one to feel that way. Valder couldn't have shown more distrust if he'd tried.

"She'll help." that was all Loki said to address their concerns.

But Valder shook his head rather earnestly.

"She just threatened my wife and daughters. There is not a chance in hell she's coming in here."

"Thanos doesn't want them dead. He can't use them that way. They'll stay alive." Nebula replied. Valder tilted his head down as he narrowed his eyes in utter repulsion.

"And safe." Loki shot her a look "You truly can't even attempt to show half a bit of sensitivity can you?"

"That's not really in my nature." the cyborg replied. She stared straight ahead, trying to provoke him.

"Then behave." the silvertongue said simply.

"Oh shut up." she snapped in response, breaking their vaguely formal way of speaking.

Loki rolled his eyes, but let them land on Valder.

"You can trust her."

"Thanos' Black Order consist of whom?" Odin obviously had little patience for that discussion. He had heard of that elite group by passing word when he was younger, though not much about their leader. He felt the same misgivings of allowing the stranger into the center of their ranks, but he would not show them to Nebula. Instead, he wanted every bit of information his son and the cyborg could give on Thanos' potential help.

"All the beings he found strong enough to serve him on a more personal level. He raised a lot of them. They will not be easy turned. Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, Cull Obsidian, and Ebony Maw are the ones still with him." Loki glanced at Nebula as if to confirm.

"And you, if you return with me." the cyborg said in response.

"Don't make me regret letting you live." the God of Mischief replied shortly. Odin's eye flicked to the woman in a slight scowl as well.

"Where will he send his servants?" Valder asked grudgingly, trying to ignore his paranoia.

Though he expected Loki to answer, Nebula spoke instead.

"My father will separate them." she spoke in a raspy whisper, without meeting their eyes "He'll put one at the head of a group of soldiers. They'll decide what they personally want to do from there."

"Then we should do the same."

Valder looked over at Hena as she spoke. She observed Nebula from top to bottom, easily noticing what pieces of the woman were metal and what pieces were actual flesh.

"If each of us can lead men to head them off, we can stop them from getting far into our territory."

"I concur." Odin spoke definitively "Thor." he put his attention on his oldest son.

For a brief moment, the God of Thunder looked at Loki, concerned that he might take offense at their father giving the responsibility to himself rather than the younger brother. However, Frigga was coming up to her second son. Loki's arm was still bleeding from the cut Nebula had given him, but Thor was surprised at the apparent disappearance of his other injuries. A bit of his anxiety went away as the queen of Asgard subtly put herself in between Laufey's son and the battlefield.

"The Warriors and I will gather groups of our soldiers." the hammer wielder said with a nod.
He glanced at Hena, wondering if he should wait for her to do the same.

Then he remembered that her parents would most likely take that responsibility. Since he'd only been with her the past few weeks, he had easily forgotten that the princess was not as close to the throne as he was. Valder and Svleiva were still in full command of their realm.

"I'll go in with Hawkeye and Natasha." Captain America told them, adjusting his SHIELD "If there are any others like Red Skull out there then we need to go after them first."

The mutant's name caught Loki's attention briefly and Nebula shook her head.

"He's dead? I'm genuinely surprised it took this long. They're going to want you even more for that."

"I'd say it was well worth it." Loki responded flippantly.

"I'm going back out." Hena spoke up between them "I'll come with you, Thor." she turned to her father "But first I'll go and check on the soldiers guarding the commons. They may need more men there."

Valder nodded, reluctantly accepting his daughter's responsibilities as princess. He had to go to the opposite side of the realm. There were new creatures, but Thanos was even angrier now. And, along with that, Nebula had confirmed that her adopted father wanted both Mazi and Hena for himself.

After she finished speaking, Thor made to leave. He didn't want Loki to come, but he was also certain there would be an argument if he objected.

However, Nebula was still there. It was likely that both of Thanos' former servants would have a few tricks up their sleeves. They would probably enter the battlefield together.

Then the God of Thunder saw something that made him blink in confusion. As Frigga was going to speak to her second son, Loki turned away. He did it deftly, almost as if trying to pretend he wasn't aware of her presence. She was merely a foot from him, but he avoided eye contact while he put his attention on Nebula.

"Proxima first?" he asked plainly.

"Corvus will be there with her." the cyborg replied "We can't take down one without the other."

"Well, I'm sure we can, it just wouldn't be as kind." the Frost Giant king looked after the group, waiting for his brother to depart. Thor could have sworn he looked guilty. Like he could not bear to interact with his mother. But, the emotion was gone within moments and the facade returned.

Frigga pondered momentarily, inspecting her son. Then she gestured at the maids to come over themselves. One from Anaheim and one from Asgard were both free. They gathered several things and began walking over. The queen didn't press Loki for the time being.

"Be careful." Valder said after Hena as he retrieved his own weapon "Come back and report on the common's status to Firo. But let me know what the men say as soon as you hear it. If they're struggling, we need to send others over immediately. I won't let the citizen's homes fall to Thanos' creatures."

"Loki, where are you going to go?" Hena asked, glancing back after she confirmed with her father.

"Assuming the Black Order is actually here, I'll be where one of them are eventually. Nebula and I will try to...predict their plan."

"I don't need to predict it. I'll know it the moment I see them. I know them better than you." Nebula said coldly.

The God of Mischief looked over at her in irritation. Hena waited expectantly for him to return a scathing response.

"Perfect." his voice was dry and annoyed "Then you lead the way. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to see you."

"At least I don't have a kill or capture order hanging over my head."

"You just might." Loki finally looked back over at Hena "I'll follow shortly."

The princess stared for a moment before nodding and backing up.

The Frost Giants who'd hovered above Nebula as she threatened the God of Mischief slowly began their way back over to their king. But, after a brief pause, he inclined his chin after the Anaheimien princess.

"Go with her."

The Jotuns stalled at the unexpected order. They exchanged a glance, red eyes resting in a scowl. Loki had half turned away already, so they remained where they stood for several seconds.

"Others can go with the princess." one of them spoke. Their voices were so low and gruff and that made it hard to detect an kind of emotion in them. From the sound of the brief conversation, these two Frost Giants were reserved to be the king's individual sentinels.

"No, the others are fighting. Go protect her. I'm fine here." Loki was brisk as he ordered them away again. He waved a hand to solidify the command "Go."

And finally, after a little more hesitation, they turned around to run after the woman.

"And remember not to touch her!" their king called hastily to them just before they got out of earshot. Thor scowled in surprise, realizing that was something Jotuns had to continually be aware of if they allied with others for battle.

The healers Frigga had beckoned over were waiting patiently for the second son of Odin to realize their presence before they started to tend to him. As he noticed, he let out a deep, annoyed sigh. However, he did resign and allow them to inspect the new cut on his arm.

"Same knife." he said under his breath to Nebula.

The cyborg said nothing, but continued her expressionless stare forward. The wound she'd made was long and deep, though it wasn't anywhere near what it should have been there if she'd really been trying to kill him. No one mentioned that fact, however.

Frigga stood by her youngest son as they treated him. She kept her vigil without trying to speak with him directly quite yet. But Thor could see that his brother was anxious to leave again.

"What other injuries do you have?" the Asgardian maid spoke to him with a glance up at his face to see his expression. The God of Mischief shook his head tightly.

"Nothing that needs attention right now."

The healers acknowledged his words, and then began a very superficial search. They skimmed over previous wounds as well as small scratches and cuts they considered to be insignificant, but dressed some of the facial lacerations given by Red Skull. Their patient did not object, but his minor fidgeting showed the well-hidden impatience underneath his calmness.

"Loki. You're exhausted. Stay." Frigga said steadily. He still had Red Skull's blood on his clothes and skin. It made uncovering wounds a little more difficult as they could not tell what was HIS blood and what wasn't. The burns he'd obtained from his sessions with Thanos were still leaking liquid. They had to be aching far more than the Jotun let on.

"I have to go back in. Nebula and I can talk to Thanos' other servants." he replied in disagreement.

Hearing that, Odin turned from his position by the Tesseract to more fully face them.

"Not yet." he said "If Thor and the others can head them off, it won't be necessary."

"Yes, but if we can speak to them, it might not be necessary to head them off." Loki countered "They'll have knowledge we can use. And, should one of them be open to switching their loyalty, all the better."

"You have brought the Chitari and the mortal beast back to our side. Let that be enough for now. It is better we fight them than risk their defection." Odin's words had a hint of finality to them, showing he clearly wished his adopted son to remain there. Frigga looked at her husband, chin raised cautiously.

As unusual as it seemed now, Loki had been the more obedient and passive child. Mischievous, yes, but he always yielded to his father's instruction. At times doing it so well that he felt his proposals were shunned by Odin and Thor. With that had come resentment. He'd never wanted to disagree with the king. It was a profitable trait to have when the situation demanded it, but it had led to him withholding his opinions from his father and brother. Thor had spoke up about nearly anything he disliked in his youth and expected his younger brother to do the same. So, when Loki did not, the God of Thunder had assumed he was in agreement.
The habit to stay silent was so ingrained that the black-haired Jotun almost held his tongue at the king's current direction.

"They'll respond to faces they know rather than faces they do not. In conversation or in battle. Nebula and I will get farther than anyone else." he replied offhandedly.

"They'll also be more aware of the reward for capturing you." Valder reminded him.

"I'm certain that everyone over there wants me dead already. I'm not cowering here because of that." Loki pulled his arm from the healers the moment they finished. He shook his head slightly at the battlefield as if wondering how it had come this far.

"Which way shall we try first, Nebula?"

I can't even believe how similar Loki and Nebula are to be honest. Nothing too big is going to come of adding her in, I promise. No Guardians of the Galaxy stuff (haven't really seen them much), just a few tidbits from Thanos' life. There are a of Nebula's lines from Endgame in here that I enjoyed. :)
And, I know I keep saying a big chapter is coming, but at the rate I am able to write, it would take like 2 months haha. So, shorter chapters are what we will do for now. Unless you guys are very patient people.
Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a review for me. It would make my day!