A/N: Chapter 3, yay! Sorry for the wait! Me and my Beta both have been immensely busy! As always the story has been gorgeously edited by Ally, to whom I owe my deepest thanks.

Without further ado,

Thor knew something was up when the storm had severed itself into three separate vortexes and the group was thrust in separate directions. He knew Loki had escaped and was immediately regretting the thought that perhaps his brother might have changed after the incident. Obviously removing the muzzle was not his smartest idea of late. He pulled out Mjolnir, and spun it around with mere flicks of his wrist to slow his decent onto Midgard.

He landed in an area unknown to him, yet still far too familiar. He sat down on an overturned tree and wondered why it would seem so recognizable. 'Of course!' Thor thought to himself. It was the place he'd descended to when he'd fought Tony and Steve as he'd attempted to steal back Loki; back before he'd ever heard of the Avengers initiative. Thor's eyebrows furrowed in deep thought, his mouth forming a slight frown. He had no clue as to how to get back to New York, assuming that was where Banner and Stark had landed, or even which way it was to the nearest town. Not that it'd be safe to show up in a European town so soon after the scene his brother had caused wearing much the same attire. Aesir battle attire that is.

He decided to sit and consider his options as he tried to decide where Loki had managed to escape to. Most likely he'd been deposited somewhere on earth as well. There hadn't been enough time to conjure enough magic to send him to any other realm than the one Odin and Heimdallr intended for them. As strong a sorcerer as Loki was, he couldn't manage that.

Thor found himself hoping Loki was safe at least, though it seemed odd to wish that upon a wanted convict, Loki was not just that. He was still Thor's brother and he intended to treat him as such above anything else. In contrast, Loki seemed compelled to make everyone treat him as the convict he was. Thor knew his brother well though, despite what Loki thought on the matter, and knew Loki did this because hate was much easier a concept for him to grasp than love and compassion.

Thor finally knew that his only option for getting a hold of Banner and Stark before they got a hold of Loki, somehow he knew without him there, Loki wouldn't be as welcomed, was to walk until he found a town. Being a god had it perks; in such a way that he would not need sustenance or rest added to the fact that the journey shouldn't take more than a day's time. It was then that Thor suddenly became aware of the heavy weapon in his hand, and he nearly felt ashamed at himself. He took off into the sky without another thought, knowing that fear for his brother had merely caused a lapse in his judgment.

"Banner, I can't believe you let that coward get away!" Stark yelled, more furious with himself than his friend. No, acquaintance; well whatever you call the closest person you've found to your intellectual equal and have known for just over a week.

"Tony, I didn't see it coming any more than you did. How was the other guy supposed to know that Loki would cause the portal to split?" Banner countered, his ever calm, or rather, ever angry self.

He watched Tony stalk across the living complex in the top of Stark Tower. He himself was relaxing on the couch after travel. His body didn't take well to inter-realm travel.

"Would you just calm down and think for a moment? You aren't useful to anyone in that state, not to mention Jarvis just informed us that Pepper is on her way up, and I doubt you want to worry her with the events of the day. It's bad enough she's had to arrange for the partial reconstruction of the Tower and various other buildings you own because of the first time this guy visi-" he stopped short when the elevator dinged.

Tony stopped pacing and turned to face Pepper. The strawberry blonde eyed them suspiciously. "Tony, what's going on?" she asked immediately just catching the anger on his face before he managed to compose himself. She gave him a stern look that told him lying was out of the option.

"Pepper, dear, it's great to see you." Tony said, opening his arms in the hopes of an embrace. After all, it had been what, six hours since she'd last seen him, and he knew she must miss him. Well, that and the fact that he was stalling.

"Tony, I'm not amused." Pepper glared at him with her steel blue eyes, remaining put, just in front of the elevator doors. "I saw that look on your face and I want to know what happened." She tapped her black heel waiting for him to answer, truthfully.

"I was just discussing with Bruce how unbelievably rude you are to me." Tony replied, being the sarcasm-personified annoyance that he was. "I mean you didn't even say 'Hi Tony, most handsome and genius man to walk the earth!' when you came in. How rude is that?"

"Tony!" she raised her voice, "First, I'm not the rude one here, because you are still lying to me. Second, I'm only going to ask one more time. What the heck is going on?" Pepper practically yelled. One woman could only put up with so much Tony, even Pepper. Her tolerance growing even shorter when he flat out lied to her face.

"Pepper, I don't think it's any of your concern." He addressed her calmly, used to her anger, she opened her mouth to say something else, but Tony started speaking again. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Tony, we aren't through talking!" Pepper growled.

"Arrange a flight for Miss Potts to my home on the east coast. And if S.H.E.I.L.D calls, inform them that I'm not available." Tony ignored Pepper, as he constructed the disembodied electronic butler.

"Of course, sir. First class I presume?"

"Tony I can't just take off to the other side of the country right now!" Pepper glared at him, "I still have to take care of the business of reconstruction."

"No, arrange for the jet." Tony replied, and then turned to Pepper. "Honestly Pepper it's rude to interrupt. You really are on a mean streak."

"Tony, to heck with 'not my concern', you're my concern and that makes your business my concern." She said, finally regaining her composure.

"Pepper, as sweet as that is, this isn't something you'll be of much use for and it'd be better if you just got on the plane, okay? I know this isn't a lot of information and I wouldn't do this if I didn't care." His tone changed from sarcasm to genuine concern for the newly appointed CEOs well-being. He closed the space between them and pulled her into his arms. "Pepper, just trust me on this one."

"Tony, I can't just leave. I have work to do, and I'm not going to just run off across the country when it's obvious you're in some kind of trouble…" She paused as she thought about it, "Again." She added for emphasis.

Tony kissed her lightly, brushing her lips with his next words, "Pepper, I love you but you have got to go."

"Tony, I-" she started but never finished due to yet another interruption of her words.

"Um, still here." Bruce said from the couch, "Pepper, Tony's right, you need to leave." Banner backed up the billionaire's words.

Pepper finally nodded, "Jarvis get me a cab to the airport. I need it in about thirty minutes so I can pack first."

"Will that be all, Miss Potts?"

"Yes Jarvis, thank you." She said, and then called for the elevator after backing out of Tony's embrace. "Banner, watch out for him, will you? Don't be afraid to let the other guy step in if necessary." She asked, or more, cleverly disguised an order. Banner nodded just before the elevator doors closed.

"Alright, back to work." Tony said. "Jarvis check for any changes in atmospheric pressure, specifically major occurrences, leaving out the area Banner and I landed in.

"Sir, it may take a while to assess all the possible landing areas of your friends."

"Acquaintance and enemy." Tony corrected, "And that will be fine. In the meantime order Banner and I some Schwarma. I'm starved."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!