NEW YORK, 0630 HOURS.

With Anthony still passed out on the bar and Pepper asleep on the lounge, Loki left Avengers, formerly known as Stark, tower. He had wondered long about what to do with his day, with sleep not an option for him due to repetitive and horrible nightmares, and after a minute of soul searching with a morning newspaper he understood very little of, he walked in the direction of the Shrine.

It was no less impressive than it was the first time he had seen it, but there was an addition to the Shrine, a plaque which read 'the fallen born again on Miracle Day, a reminder or what almost was'. He understood. He had brought all those people back, they were now living productive lives, he hoped. Almost was? That did not make sense. It had happened, otherwise there would be no shrine, and there would be no ultramodern repairs on two hundred year old buildings. It had happened, and nothing could make up for that.

He slowly began to read the names like before, placing his hand on the granite. He felt cold, in a dark, meaningless part of himself. The hand he touched in the granite was his own, and he stared into his own eyes as the sun rose behind him.

"I used to say Tahiti was a magical place," said a man behind him, "but this place . . . it's something else."

"You are supposed to be dead, you inconsiderate bastard."

"I guess nothing's going right for you today," Phil Coulson said with a small smile, "I read your file," Coulson mentioned to the papers in his hand.

"Good reading?" Loki turned to face Coulson with a sad, somber look on his face. Coulson stood firmly, straight of limb and gentle of face. He had a small smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, but they almost seemed fake. He was cast in deep shadows, almost looking like an oil painting.

Coulson shrugged, "a little boring in the middle."

Loki smiled, "that was probably the part filled with boring monologue of constant self-questioning and mind-splitting confusion."

"Something like that," he said, "You seem to be on the side of good, and Bella seems to trust you," Loki looked up at him, "I thought that would get you. She's an old friend of mine, and I have every reason to trust and respect her decisions."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Coulson said simply, "I trust you to serve your own interests. The trick is to make your interests work in conjunction with ours."

"What do you want?"

"I want to make you an offer," Coulson said simply, "join SHIELD."

"What is my motivation?" Loki asked, spreading his arms.

"You're stuck here," Coulson answered, "you're afraid to die. Your interests are the same as mine at this point. Protect our home."

Loki was silent for a moment, taking in everything Coulson had said with a mostly open mind. Coulson was right. The reason he was here was that he was afraid to die, and so he was making a move to create meaning in his life again. He was here now, and so he had to make the most of it.

"You are wise for a human," Loki said simply, "where do I sign?"

"Imagine that," Coulson said, "you've found your conviction."

"Shut up."

LOKI WILL RETURN IN THE WRATH OF HEL

He stepped onto the driveway and towards the Washington townhouse. To be honest, he was a little nervous, after being gone for so long, he hardly knew what to say, if he did know in the first place. As soon as he reached the door, he rang the bell.

He could hear footsteps from inside, and the door opened.

The person who answered wasn't Bella, but a willowy Hispanic woman who looked like an older, surlier version, "who are you?" she snapped at him.

"My name is Luke," he said, "Luke Silver." The woman began to speak loud and fast, she grabbed his ear and dragged him through the door. She was screaming in a language he couldn't understand.

"I do not understand!"

"My Isabella thought you dead," she said in poor and heavily accented English, "You broke her heart!"

Bella appeared at the top of the stairs, "Ma!"

"Help!"

The figure in the armor was unmistakable, even back-lit by the flashing stars behind him and the reflected Earth-light shining onto him. Thanos stood from his throne with narrowed eyes, "You're in my way."