Loki took a deep breath. He had somehow managed to escape from those nasty Guardians! OK, he had lied to them, but that was hardly any excuse to act so….barbaric. He had even ended up giving them some money that he had conjured. No harm, no foul, right?

Anyways, Loki had stumbled inside a shawarma joint. Just his luck. Grumbling aside, he was famished, so he ordered a whole bunch. Thank Odin he wasn't a vegetarian!

After taking a few bites, and chewing his food like Frigga taught him, Loki decided it was time to brainstorm. Hiring people didn't work, and trying to lure in Captain America with tempting music didn't work, and goodness, nothing worked! Loki absent-mindedly crushed his cup of soda.

Captain America is like a cockroach….impossible to kill….but if I stay persistent, he will be mine!

Loki was so absorbed in wanting to murder the American, he had almost forgotten the reason for this quest in the first place! Once he killed Cap, he would rub the corpse in The Other's face so hard! Loki smirked at the thought, causing some female diners nearby to almost faint.

Exiting the store, Loki was hit – by a flash of inspiration! He knew how to catch Captain America: he would pose as some bank employee, inform Tony Stark that he was bankrupt, which would force Stark to hold an Avengers meeting so that he could tell the other members that their boy-scout club would have to close due to lack of funding, and while Cap was there at the meeting, Loki would strike! It was the best plan Loki had ever had, not ridiculous at all!

A few days later, Tony Stark was in his mansion, taking a bath. The bathtub was full of 100 dollar bills, much better than rubber ducks. When the doorbell rang, Tony had to scramble to put on some clothes, since Pepper was away for the week.

"Coming, coming, hold your horses", Tony called as rushed to the door. The doorbell was being rung over and over again! Whoever was at the door must have been impatient. Tony opened the door to find some guy in a snappy, green business suit and glasses staring at him. The man gave a smile, and walked past Stark inside the mansion.

"Uh, can I help you?" Stark asked in bewilderment. The green-dressed man, turning around with a sly smile, dropped a large suitcase on one of Tony's glass tables. The man nodded.

"Oh yes. Or rather, I can help you, perhaps", the gentleman said with an air of someone who was doing a huge favor. The man sat down on one of Tony's leather couches, as if he owned the place. Tony voiced this.

"Oh, but you see, I may very well own this establishment soon", the man said, and if he wasn't wearing any glasses, Tony was sure he'd see a twinkle in those eyes.

"What? Are you crazy? Do you think I'd sell this place to you?" The man laughed.

"I am from the bank of *cough* and it has come to our attention that you, Mr. Stark, are horribly bankrupt" the silky voice said with only the one hitch. Stark shook his head.

"Yeah, no. I would know if I was bankrupt. I would have been informed, by either Pepper, or Rhodey, or JARVIS, or someone. And my company is doing completely fine", Tony tried to explain. The man chuckled.

"Go ahead, ask JARVIS then. I'll wait". And, true to his word, he grabbed a magazine, and began to flip through it as Tony ran to his room to speak with JARVIS privately.

When Tony left, the man stood up, looked around, and in a whoosh! Of green light, became Loki! Loki chuckled to himself! It was all too easy! Pepper, the only one who could have gotten in his way, was on vacation – a vacation Loki had created! As for that pesky AI JARVIS, Loki had gone to the trouble of putting a spell on him the night earlier!

In his room, Tony locked the door behind him.

"JARVIS, please tell me I'm not poor, for the love of money!" Tony begged his smart computer. JARVUIS turned on, with a noticeably green glow.

"Sorry, loser, but all your money is gone, vanished, kaput", JARVIS explained in a pretty rude voice. Tony wondered if his gambling finally caught up to him. Was this the price he had to pay for his sins? Was this karma?

"Oh no no no no, what do I tell the others?" Tony asked himself in a panic. He heard footsteps behind him.

"Why, the truth, of course", the man gently but firmly encouraged. Tony knew the mysterious bank guy was right.

A week later, Tony gathered the Avengers inside the new Avenger's Tower to explain the horrible situation. Loki, unbeknownst to them, was there, using his magic to make himself look like a fancy statue. He stood still, as Black Widow and Hawkeye, Bruce Banner, and then Thor arrived. Now Loki just had to wait for Captain America!

"Well, guys, I don't know how it happened, but it appears I am in debt. I hate to do this, but it may be necessary to disband the Avengers". Everyone gasped, and Hawkeye could be seen trying to calm down Bruce. Tony was staring at his designer shoes, trying to hold back the tears. Loki grinned evilly.

Then the phone rang. JARVIS rudely informed Stark that it was for him. Tony left the room to answer. When he came back, he had a look of shock on his face.

"Tony, what's wrong?" Natasha asked sharply. Tony looked up, and then grabbed her in a hug! Everyone gasped again.

"We're saved! We're saved! Captain America earned a billion dollars from insurance that he finally cashed in after he got frozen!" Tony sobbed. Everyone else sobbed too. Tears of joy leaked all around, with one exception: Loki's tears of rage and humiliation!

To Be Continued!

Author's Notes:

Well, that was fun to write, but maybe my silliest chapter yet. So, hey, if you can, give some feedback. Did you like this chapter, or should I tone down the silliness? You tell me!