Well... how about THAT for a surprise? Loki is alive?! Well, I hope you all enjoyed that little shocker. And I hope you all enjoy this chapter too. ;)

Chapter Four: Raging Storms

"Brother! You're alive!" Thor stepped forward, raising his arms in welcome. Rune stepped away from him, backing away to where his wife stood while saying, "I'm sorry… but I don't know who you are."

Thor paused for a moment, his smile wavering as he replied in an uncertain voice, "Loki? What game are you playing?"

Sonja glanced up at her husband, before turning back to the small group, telling them, "I told you that he doesn't remember anything from before I found him."

Rune lowered his eyes, biting his lip slightly while Stark scoffed loudly, "Oh, come on. You don't really believe him, do you? But don't worry, you're not the first that the great God of Mischief has fooled, and you won't be the last."

"Tony…" Banner whispered under his breath, while Rune took a step towards Stark, his face lined with rage as he hissed, "I am insulated by your suggestion that I am… using my wife to forward my own betterment."

He stared down at Stark, who returned the glare while replying in the same tone, "What makes you think I was suggesting it?"

Before any of them could say a word, Rune raised his fist and punched the man in front of him, making Stark fly to his right and knocked into the kitchen counter. Grabbing an item from the bench, Stark turned to face his foe again, smashing the object against the left side of Rune's face.

"Rune!" Sonja cried as her husband fell to the floor, raising a hand to his face as droplets of blood began trickling down his pale skin. Giving a groan, Rune gave a hiss as he sat up, cutting his hand on the pieces of broken glass that lay beside him.

All of their eyes widened slightly as Rune looked down his hand, before glaring up at Stark again as he got to his feet. Taking a step towards his foe, Rune watched as Stark raised his hands in defence while saying, "I'm sorry, I didn't know what it was…"

He raised his arms above his head as Rune raised his fist, but stopped as he was pulled away by Thor, who called loudly, "That is enough, brother!"

"Let go of me!" Rune pulled himself out of the large man's grip, and turned to face him. Sonja moved to stand beside her husband, telling the small group, "I think it would be better if you leave. Now."

She took hold of Rune's arm and led him out of the kitchen, looking on the cuts on the side of his face and his hand. Thor gave a quiet sigh and turned to his companions, seeing that Banner and Val were still staring around them with wide eyes while Stark slowly got back to his feet, breathing heavily.

A few moments passed before anyone spoke, Banner clearing his throat while saying, "Well… I think it's safe to assume to that he's not lying."

"What did you antagonise him, Stark?" Thor turned to their companion who was still leaning against the counter, his eyes wide as he turned to Thor. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Stark pushed himself away from the bench, he straightened his shirt and said, "I thought that he would… give himself away. Conjure up a knife or something. I didn't mean to smash that glass over his head, I was just defending myself."

Banner shook his head slowly, muttering, "I still think you took it too far, Tony."

Val stepped between to the two men, holding up a hand towards Stark, making him stop as he opened his mouth to say something. She then turned back to Thor and told him, "However you want to look at it, you can't deny that he isn't your brother anymore. Now that we've outstayed our welcome here, I think we should collect our things and go to your ships."

Thor gave a quiet sigh as she turned away and walked into the hallway to the sitting room she had been sleeping in for the past week. Banner quickly followed her while Stark stepped over to the back door, muttering quietly, "I'll contact the others and tell them we're on our way."

Giving a soft cough to clear his throat, Thor stepped out into the hallway and walked over to the small bedroom that he had slept in the last night. He paused for a second, glancing into the bedroom that he stood outside and listened to the quiet murmurs of the couple inside.

"Rune, please calm down." Sonja told her husband while watching him pace from her seating position on the bed. Rune gave a quiet scoff, rubbing his chin with his uninjured hand, replying, "How can I be calm, when there are these people in our house, claiming to know who I am?"

Sonja exhaled quietly and shook her head, while Rune continued to pace. After a few seconds he stopped and looked down at her, his face softening as he sat down beside her while saying, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, Sonja. It's just… difficult. I've finally learnt to place all of this aside and continue on with life… then it all comes back again."

He trailed off, shaking his head slightly while his wife placed her own head on his shoulder speaking in a calming voice, "No, Rune. I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget how hard all of this has been on you."

Thor quietly stepped away as the two cuddled to one another, and continued to the next bedroom. He paused in the doorway, looking around the small room while thinking about what Sonja had told him the night before when she showed it to him. Herself and Rune were in the process of creating this room for their unborn child, and Thor felt a shiver run down his spine.

No matter what he had been told, he could only see Rune as his brother, as Loki. It was a strange sensation for Thor, thinking of his brother as a future father. This thought made another shiver run down his spine as he realised that would make him an uncle.

Shaking his head clear of these disturbing thoughts, Thor began gathering his items, while outside his window Stark was talking to Nebula on their com link, the strong, cool wind pulling at his hair and clothes.

"What's going on?" Stark called, wincing slightly as his comrade answered back, the transmission cracking up, "We're stuck in the middle of a storm. I don't recommend- off anytime soon."

Giving a groan of frustration, Stark glanced around before calling back, "Look, we'll arrive at the ship shortly. We'll just have to wait out the storm there."

Again, he winced as the crackling grew louder, nearly drowning out Nebula's voice as she responded, "I think- to be- un-. The storm's- stronger. It doesn't- likely to end -time soon."

The transmission suddenly cut out, leaving Stark to sigh heavily and placed the communication device back in his pocket, turning to face the house again. Giving a quiet sigh, Stark quickly stepped back inside the door, stamping his feet to circulate warmth back through his body.

He walked into the sitting room, where the others were waiting for him. They all turned to face him as he walked into the room, Thor getting to his feet and asking, "Well? What's happening?"

"Nebula said that the ships were stuck in a storm." Stark replied, shaking his head slightly while adding, "But I think that we should try and reach the ships and wait out the storm there."

Val and Thor gave small nods, before turning to face Sonja and Rune as they entered the room, the latter telling the group, "That would be unwise. The snow storms here are quite ferocious."

Stark ignored this, throwing his bag over his shoulder and replying, "I think I'll take the risk."

He turned towards the hall again and began walking to the door, stopping only when Rune stepped in front of him, hissing, "You may as well commit suicide if you try navigate through that storm. Believe me… I know."

Rune blinked and rubbed his left arm, turning back to his wife as she moved beside him. Stark frowned slightly and waited as Rune took a quick breath and continued reluctantly, "You'll just have to wait till the storm has passed."

"And how long will that take?" Banner asked, taking a step forward while watching them with a curious look on his face. Sonja exchanged glances with her husband, before answering, "Sometimes they can take weeks to die out… maybe longer."

The four of them gave soft cries of shock, staring at the two with wide eyes. Stark allowed his bag to drop to the floor and seated himself in a chair, his face blank. Slowly, the others followed his movements while Rune took a deep breath and turned to his wife, telling her, "I'll be back soon."

He turned to the door, pausing as Sonja placed a hand on his arm and asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the bunker. Hopefully we won't need to use it." Rune gave a small smile, placing a kiss on her cheek before leaving the house. Thor and his companions frowned after him, Stark turning back to Sonja while inquiring, "What bunker was he talking about?"

Sonja sighed quietly and seated herself in the remaining seat beside Val, answering, "We have a bunker in our fields. We use it when storms get too violent for us to stay in the house."

They all soon fell silent, listening to the whistling of the wind that surrounded the house. After sometime had passed, Sonja got up and went into the kitchen where she began preparing some stew for dinner, glancing out of the window every now and then. Finally, just as Thor and the others came into the kitchen, the back door opened and Rune stepped in with Odin bonding inside behind him, both of them layered with snow.

"It's getting nasty out there. I wouldn't be surprised if we had to evacuate to the bunker tomorrow." Rune told his wife, pulling off his coat and shaking the snow out of his hair. Sonja quickly hugged, before giving a sharp inhale of breath, holding his hands in hers while saying, "Oh, you're freezing! Come on, I made some stew. That'll warm you up."

Rune gave a quiet sigh, rolling his eyes slightly as he followed her to the stove, telling her, "I'm fine, Sonja."

She shook her head, pouring the liquid into a bowl while replying in a brisk voice, "You always say. You know, I sometimes wonder if you can feel the cold."

Handing him the bowl, she watched him for a few seconds. Rune gave her a small smile and rubbed her arm before taking a seat at the table. Thor frowned softly, feeling that disturbing feeling again, but it was quickly forgotten as Sonja handed him his own bowl of stew.

The wind had grown stronger in the last few hours, the snow piling against the small house. Rune lay awake in bed while staring up at the ceiling, Sonja sleeping beside him. His mind was full of thoughts as he listened to the storm outside, Thor and his companions one of the stronger thoughts that came to him.

Was Thor really his brother? Why was Stark so hostile towards him? What was his life like before he lost his memory? Did he really want his memories back? This had been a major question in Rune's mind for the last year. Glancing down at his wife, Rune tried to push his thoughts aside while wrapping his arm around her more tightly.

Before he could allow his thoughts wonder any further, there was a loud crash, waking Sonja while Rune turned towards the hallway. He glanced over at his wife as she whispered quietly, "What was that?"

Giving a slight shrug, Rune threw the covers aside and stepped out into the hallway, the wind louder than before and a cool draught blowing towards him. Stopping outside the closed door of the bedroom for their unborn child, Rune glanced over at Sonja who was standing in the door way of their own bedroom.

Turning back to the door, Rune placed a hand on the knob and turned it, allowing the door to swing open. He raised his arm as a blast of freezing wind blew into his face, carrying snow and making him quickly close the door.

"Get your things." Rune told Sonja as he passed her. Her eyes wide, she followed him to their cupboard and pulled out warm clothing, pulling them on, while Rune placed some items into a bag. They then walked down the hall and entered the sitting room, just as another crash sounded, waking the others.

Val looked around sleepily, asking as the two neared, "What's going on?"

Rune threw them their things while answering, "The storm has worsen. We need to move to the bunker before the house is torn apart."

All exchanging glances, they quickly gathered their stuff and followed the two out of the door, each fighting against the strong wind that threatened to blow them over. Rune signalled over to an area in the field and wrapped his arms around Sonja's shoulders, helping her to trend through the knee-deep snow as they bowed their heads and walked, the grey dog following. It seemed like hours had passed by the time Rune stopped the group and dropped to the ground, moving snow aside to show a hatch.

With help from Thor, the two pulled the hatch open and lowered the others inside, Odin bonding down into the bunker. Rune was the last to descend, turning his sight back to the house as a great crashing sound came. The small house collapsed to the ground, making Rune's eyes widen before closing the hatch and climbing down to where the others stood, panting heavily.

"Is everyone alright?" Sonja asked, lightening a candle to show some light. Stark and Banner gave short nods, while Thor slumped into a seat and panted, "Even Jotunheim was not that fierce."

Rune stepped over to his wife, who turned to him with wide eyes as he whispered, "I'm so sorry, Sonja. The house is gone."

He waited as she placed a hand to her mouth, before pulling her into a tight hug. After some time had passed, Sonja shook her head and murmured quietly, "My family's lived there for six generations. It's never once failed us."

She looked up into Rune's face, her voice quiet as she whispered, "The village…"

"I don't see how anyone could have survived. And all the crops are gone." Rune answered quietly, lowering his head as tears begun forming in his wife's eyes. Everyone else lowered their gazes, their minds travelling to Rocket, Nebula and the surviving Asgardians.

Thor placed his head in his hands while his companions seated themselves, an uncomfortable silence falling between them as they listened to the howling wind above.