AN: I'm so happy you guys are still digging it. So here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

The Lover That Went Wrong

- Chapter Nine -

"So no-one is the slightest bit concerned?"

Thor turned his gaze to Clint Barton sitting on the other side of the table, his cynical, apprehensive grey eyes moving from one person to another, waiting for a response, but Thor wouldn't be the one to give it to him. No, he pressed his lips together until they were but two thin lines and cast down his eyes to the smooth surface of the table on which his hands were resting. Never before had he felt this troubled, disliking the situation he found himself in, but he figured he should have gotten used to it by now.

"It's only been three weeks," Natasha replied. She might sound casual and relaxed, but she didn't look like it. Her gaze stood hard, her shoulders tense, and her hands were clasped together to the point where her knuckles had turned white. It was no secret that she held the biggest grudge of all against Loki considering what he'd done to Barton all that time ago, yet in many ways, she reminded Thor of his younger brother – quiet, smart, strong-willed and definitely lethal. They could have been good friends if the gods had willed it differently.

"He can do a lot of damage in three weeks," Clint countered sharply. Thor turned his gaze to the archer again, suddenly remembering that he probably knew Loki better than all the other Avengers – save for Thor of course who still liked to believe that he understood his brother on a level no-one else could. "They could be plotting the world's end."

They were most definitely plotting the world's end, one way or another, and Thor sighed heavily at the thought. Last time Loki had almost completely destroyed the great city of New York with his army of Chitauri, yet now Thor had a feeling that his brother would go about ruling this planet differently, smarter. There was no foreseeing what Loki and Amora had planned for them, certainly not now that they had vanished off the face of the Earth, which troubled Thor even more.

"Or," A new voice interjected, causing all eyes to turn to the doorway, "They could be going at it like rabbits and you're all getting worked up over nothing."

"Stark," Fury said as a manner of greeting. His one good eye narrowed as he took in Tony's appearance – Tony who stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, arms crossed before his chest and lips pursed ever so slightly. "Good of you to join us."

"Well, you wanted an update," Tony said as he straightened his back and shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers. He nonchalantly strolled into the SHIELD-conference room like he hadn't a care in the world, and he was a good actor, but he couldn't fool them. He looked better than last time Thor saw him – which had been right before he'd snuck out of the SHIELD-hospital room – but the dark circles around his eyes betrayed how tired he was, how little sleep he was getting lately, though that hardly surprised Thor. It was no secret that Anthony Stark was struggling. "And you wanted to be a dick about it and force me to leave my basement, so here I am."

"It's good to see you, Stark," Steve said.

Tony threw the Captain a sarcastic smile before returning his attention to the Director. After pulling a chair from underneath the table, letting the legs scrape against the floor, he took a seat next to Thor who couldn't help but frown a little, because Tony had definitely not showered this morning, or shaved, and by the smell of it, he drank an entire bottle of whiskey last night, or possibly before breakfast. There was no telling with the Man of Iron.

"You wanted an update," Tony began after a long, rather awkward silence, "Do you just want me to talk or are you actually going to ask questions?"

"Is the device working?" Fury asked, not at all bothered by Tony's indifferent behavior or by his hostile attitude. Then again, it wasn't a secret that Tony Stark and Nick Fury weren't the best of friends and Thor suspected that their professional relationship had taken quite a hit when Tony started sleeping with the enemy – literally.

"It's kinda working," Tony answered, grinning, but the cheerful emotion didn't reach his eyes, his gaze remaining dull and tired and empty, "I have to toy with the calibrations a little and run some final tests, but then it's all yours for the taking since I don't think you'll allow me to patent it."

"And when do you think you'll be able to do these final tests?"

Tony shrugged. "When the time is right."

"And when will the time be right?" If possible, Fury was growing red in the face, his one eye growing hard, his hands turning to fists.

"What's the problem?" Tony asked, his grin only growing, but again, Thor wasn't fooled by it and he wondered if the others were, but one look at their faces gave him the answer. Thor would never have believed that Steve, Natasha and Clint would ever look at Tony Stark with worry lining their features. They should make sure Tony wouldn't notice. He'd probably throw a fit. "Like Natasha said, it's been three weeks since the bitch and the tramp vanished off the face of the earth."

Thor cast his eyes down at the words. While he knew Tony was angry, that he could never possibly, actually hate his brother, it was still difficult to hear him speak so disrespectfully of him. What they had gone through, the loss they'd suffered, it should have brought them closer together, but life was rarely so kind.

"Just get it done, Stark," Fury growled.

"I would have been able to get it done weeks ago if I'd had Dr. Banner's help," Tony easily replied, untouched by Fury's growing anger. He leaned back in his seat, his dark gaze calmly meeting Fury's. "But you had to ship him off to God knows where to study gamma-radiation."

"You got it working, that's what is important here," Steve said. Thor had a feeling the Captain was somehow trying to dismantle the situation, but this was Tony Stark they were talking about and he liked to antagonize people, get them angry, because that would get them distracted and that would cause their attention to shift away from him.

"Yeah, and what have you guys been doing while I've been busting my ass off?" Tony asked, eyebrows rising. "Besides sitting around all day, doing nothing I mean." Yes, it was a foolproof plan, Thor thought as he watched Steve turn his gaze to Fury while Clint and Natasha exchanged short, annoyed glances. "Nothing, huh?" Tony grinned, his gaze swiftly moving around the conference room. "Awkward."

"I think this meeting is adjourned," Fury sighed exasperatedly.

They all quickly rose to their feet, but Thor turned to his side, wanting to have a more private conversation with Tony – to ask him how he was reallydoing and if he needed help with the god stunner in some way, perhaps to test it – but the Man of Iron was already darting from the conference room, fleeing, and Thor didn't bother to stop him or go after him. He doubted that would be a good idea. Tony would come around eventually, would be able to see past his anger and heartache. All that he needed was time, or so Thor hoped.

-/-

Large, thick pillars lined each side of the massive, golden room which was entirely empty except for one glass pedestal positioned at the far end of the room. Sunlight streamed through the high, colorful windows, casting their entire environment in vibrant colors of red and blue. Their footsteps echoed off the golden walls, the sound too loud for Loki's liking, but they were alone so there was no-one to hear them, no-one to disturb or stop them.

Loki glanced up to find that the ceiling high above them had been decorated with a thousand yellow stars. This room had once been the pride and glory of an Elven lord whose name had already long been forgotten in history. Odin himself had claimed this palace over three thousand years ago after the lord's death, but it had remained abandoned in the realm of Vanaheim, yet its beauty had never diminished.

"We're so close," Amora smiled, calling Loki's attention to her. She folded an arm around his waist, pulling him close, and when Loki turned his head to look at her, she claimed his lips with hers, one hand reaching up to run through his long, raven hair.

He kissed her back, but only briefly. He had other things on his mind. After pulling himself free from her embrace, Loki returned his gaze to the glass pedestal about twenty yards ahead of them, relief and satisfaction filling him, but he couldn't bring himself to smile, not yet. Entering this palace, breaking past the magical wards Odin himself had created, it had all been too … easy. Loki felt restless and precarious, because he knew the Allfather and he knew he would have a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Do you know what this means?" Amora asked, sounding excited and ecstatic, and Loki couldn't blame her. "Victory is close, my dear, and soon we will have the mortals bow to our every whim."

"Don't cheer just yet," He told her. Amora rolled her eyes at him, as if he was spoiling her fun – he probably was – but Loki simply refused to make the same mistakes he'd made before. He didn't allow himself to feel triumphant, not until the stone lay in his hand and he wielded its power. "I do not like this, Amora," He admitted with a burdened sigh, his gaze taking in all that surrounded them, which was nothing but pillars, but he still felt cautious, perhaps even paranoid.

"Odin never believed this place could be found. It belongs to myths," Amora said as they continued to walk toward the pedestal, "But he underestimates his enemies."

"And you underestimate him," He snapped.

She waved his comment away, huffing a little. "We will take the Soul Gem and we will harness its power and the mortal world will be ours," She said determinedly.

"Then grab the damn thing already," Loki replied angrily.

He wanted to get away from this place as quickly as possible, not liking the silence, the easiness, but at the same time, he found himself utterly fascinated, and without a word, he slipped away from Amora. His footsteps were inaudible as he made his way deeper into the room.

He wanted to explore this place a little, wanted to discover what tricks lay hidden from them, because he refused to believe that Odin had not protected the gem better.

He might hate Odin with every fiber of his being, but he still knew him, had been raised by him, and that foolish old man would never be foolish enough to leave something as powerful and dangerous as the Soul Gem defenseless. It was only a matter of time before they discovered the final line of defense.

-/-

Amora could feel the energy thrumming through her body and as she got closer to the gem – the gloriously unprotected, emerald green gem – her smile broadened, her fingers itching to curl around the cold stone, to feel its weight in her hand, to feel its power. She was only faintly aware that her footsteps were the only ones echoing off the walls, that Loki no longer walked beside her, but she didn't care, Loki being able to take care of himself. She only had eyes for the pedestal in front of her.

Just a few more yards and she would finally be able to grab the stone and then it would only be a matter of time before she would be able to wield its power, together with Loki, and they could return to Earth. The mortals would bow before them one way or another and those that would oppose them were destined to die. The mere thought had her heart skip a beat, had a shiver run down her back. She briefly wondered if Loki was truly willing to go up against the Avengers, because while Tony Stark was most likely dead, their biggest opponent remained very much alive – Thor. He would not just stand by as they conquered the earth.

But those were concerns for later. With the Soul Gem, that problem might even be solved. It would give them the power to attack or steal one's soul. They could simply trap Thor's and leave him as a comatose, drooling mess. Oh,she was already looking forward to it!

Finally standing before the pedestal, she reached out, her pale and slender fingers ready to grab the stone, when she suddenly felt the cold edge of a blade pressed to the back of her neck, making her tense, her hand frozen in midair. Slowly, breathing heavily, uncertain of what was happening, she glanced over her shoulder, half expecting Loki to stand behind her, betraying her, but she was wrong.

Instead, she found herself locking gazes with Loki's brother.

-/-

"The stone is not yours to take," Thor said while he kept a firm grip on the sword he was currently pressing against the back of Amora's neck. One smooth movement and he could behead her, but he had never been one for such cruel deaths. Still, he would not hesitate to kill her, because would that not mean the safety of the Nine Realm, of the universe? Perhaps he should kill her then and there, but that would only solve fifty percent of his problems. "Where is my brother?" He asked.

Slowly, Amora turned around to face him, the sharp blade moving around her neck until the tip was pressed against her jugular. She appeared as calm as ever, and Thor knew he had to be careful. She remained a powerful sorceress after all, masterfully skilled in dark magic. His other hand tightened around Mjolnir, ready to either strike her or defend himself.

"I don't know," She said, but she wasn't as a good a liar as Loki, or perhaps she wasn't really trying. Thor added more pressure to that pulsating vein and watched, in half amusement, as she immediately tensed, her light green eyes widening. "If you are to kill me, then do it swiftly," She said darkly.

Thor had a feeling she was preparing an attack, Amora not being one to simply accept defeat, to lay down her head and die. "I want to know where Loki is," He repeated, his cautionate gaze darting around for a moment, knowing that Loki had to be around here somewhere, but he found nothing but dust and pillars. Taking a step closer toward her, he cut the side of her neck ever so slightly – a warning – and watched as she shuddered, her eyes falling shut for a moment.

The sudden warmth of his breath to the shell of his ear was the first thing Thor became aware of, the smooth blade of a dagger pressed to his throat the second. Thor froze, every muscle in his body growing tense at the sensation.

"Don't hurt her," Loki said to him with a low voice. Thor hated to hear the beguilement in it.

Thor watched as Amora quickly stepped sideways, out of his sword's reach, her hand flying up to cover the small cut to her neck, and he let her, already having lost interest in her even though she was his mortal enemy. Slowly turning his head, Thor found his younger brother standing directly behind him and, for one brief moment, he considered spinning around and grabbing him, considered knocking some sense into his head, but he doubted Loki would hesitate to slit his throat, a thought that greatly saddened him.

"I should have known you were Odin's last line of defense," Loki said, his dark green eyes shining mischievously, and for one short moment, Thor recognized his brother, recognized the boy he'd grown up with, but it vanished in an instant, leaving nothing but a cold, detached, hurt man instead. "Do tell me there is an army of Einherjar waiting outside, waiting for your command to enter this place and capture us." Then added as an afterthought, "Or kill us."

"I came alone," Thor told him, "Father warned me the gem was in danger, that his charms had been broken, but I came alone."

"Then you are a bigger fool than I gave you credit for," Loki said mockingly, taking a step back and allowing Thor the chance to turn around and face him – which he did, his hands clenched tightly around his weapons, but not raising them just yet. He didn't want to fight his brother, but he feared he'd have little choice in the end. One look into Loki's eyes told him how far his brother had fallen, how eagerly he had given into his anger and rage, burying his pain and grief. "I should kill you where you stand," Loki spat.

Thor shook his head. "But you won't."

"Is that why you came alone?" Loki asked, eyes widening for one moment as if he was truly surprised by Thor's answer, by the reasoning behind his actions – perhaps he was. "After everything, you still cling so desperately to your hope?"

"Just kill him already!" Amora called from somewhere behind Thor, but none paid her any attention – at least, Thor wasn't. He only had eyes for his brother, for his reaction, wanting to see if he would really kill him. A part of him would accept death by his hand if that was how the gods decided it to be, but a stronger part refused to give up.

"This is what will happen," Loki began slowly, eyes narrowing, his grip on his dagger tightening, and Thor knew he could send it his way in the blink of an eye. Loki was as lethal with daggers as he was with magic. "Amora and I will take the gem and walk out of here, and you are going to run back to your precious Earth and warn your friends. You will tell them that we are coming and we will make them kneel down before us."

"And you think the stone will help your cause?" Thor asked with disbelief in his voice. He took a step forward, unsure of what exactly he wanted to achieve with that, but it mattered nothing. Loki instantly took a step back, his entire posture immediately guarded and hostile. "Last time Thanos showed you how to wield the power of the Mind Gem, but there is no-one to show you now."

Amora laughed, loud and obnoxious. "You underestimate us!"

Again, Thor ignored her and he sincerely hoped it was working on her nerves. "Loki, please do not–"

"I've really had enough of this chatter," Loki interrupted him with a bored sigh.

Thor knew he was losing his brother's interest, that he was wasting every opportunity he had to change his mind, and if he did nothing now, he and Amora would walk away from this place, the Soul Gem in their possession, but Thor found he cared little for the stone.

"Tony is alive," He said – no, blurted out in a final, desperate attempt to get through to his brother.

He watched as Loki's emerald green eyes became darker, yet colder, a reaction he hadn't expected and one he didn't understand.

"And why should I care?" Loki asked with a sharp, cutting voice. "Next time we cross paths, I shall just slit his throat."

"No," Thor replied stubbornly. He was faintly aware that Amora was moving behind him – probably grabbing the Soul Gem, but not even that thought allowed him to pull his gaze away from his brother. His chest grew tight, his throat achingly dry. "You don't mean that."

Loki laughed cruelly, coldly. "Always holding onto your sentiment."

"Just kill him already!" Amora yelled, obviously annoyed.

Loki's arm flung out sideways and with one flick of his wrist, he silenced her – truly silenced her. Amora parted her lips, one hand moving around her bloody throat, but no sound came from her lips. Her gaze turned angry and humiliation lined her face, but she stepped back, arms crossed before her chest, fingers clenched tightly around the infinity gem.

"I was a fool to think that happiness lay within my reach," Loki said as he took a step closer to Thor, his head cocked sideways, his emerald green eyes … empty, "It turns out that Tony was just another cruel trick of life."

"Brother–"

"Tell me," Loki cut in, "How much does he hate me?"

"I'm not a fool," Thor replied, avoiding the question – which clearly amused Loki, because avoiding the question was answer enough, but Thor ignored that small fact. "You may bury your anger and your pain, but I can still see it, and I can see it in Tony's eyes, too."

For the first time in a long time, Loki fell silent, and Thor honestly didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad one.

"He misses you, Loki," He continued on good luck, "And he misses your so–oh!" The pain was sudden and overwhelming, like fire raging through his veins, spreading through his body, and when Thor looked down, he found a dagger buried deep in his side, Loki's hand still clenched around the hilt. He watched, breathlessly, as his brother leaned closer, his lips almost brushing the shell of his ear.

"I don't have a son," Loki whispered callously, "The boy never lived."

Thor gritted his teeth as Loki pulled the dagger from the wound, stepping back.

Amora came to stand beside him, a pleased, smug grin playing around the corners of her lips while her left hand intertwined with Loki's, pulling him away from Thor who was too shocked to speak, to stop Loki from leaving.

"I will see you on Midgard," Loki said impassively and after sending Thor one long look – a look that could mean anything – he walked away.

Thor let him and watched as his little brother's figure became smaller and smaller – as did Amora's – while he wondered what he was doing. He should stop them, take the infinity gem and drag them back to Asgard, but he found himself frozen in place, that sharp pain still filling his body.

Placing one hand over the wound to his side, he sighed, and for the first time, he felt hopeless.

-/-

After throwing open the curtains, allowing in the bright sunlight that instantly flooded the room, Steve turned around to take in the spacious bedroom stretched out before him. It could be considered overstepping certain boundaries, even trespassing, but he was prepared to face Tony's wrath, yet one look at the bed told him that Tony's anger would be the least of his concerns. With a heavy sigh, Steve walked up to the bed on which Tony lay sprawled, an empty bottle of what looked to be very expensive scotch dropped on the floor.

"Stark?" Steve asked loudly. Tony's body jerked at the sound, but his eyes remained closed, clearly unwilling to wake up just yet. "Stark, wake up!" And with that, he kicked Tony's foot that dangled over the edge of the bed.

Tony rolled onto his side, curling up. His short brown hair was a mess, he definitely hadn't shaved in days, and Steve had a feeling he was still wearing the same clothes he wore last week to the meeting with Fury and the rest of the Avengers, minus Dr. Banner. With a heavy sigh, Steve reached down, picking up the empty bottle of scotch, only for his eye to catch yet another bottle tucked away under the nightstand.

"This is getting out of hand, Stark," He said, shaking his head.

"Leave me 'lone," Tony muttered, fingers gripping the bed-sheets and pulling them high over his head, "And close those damn curtains."

He's behaving like an irresponsible child was the first thought that crossed Steve's mind, but of course then he remembered everything that had happened to the guy and he actually felt bad for having the thought in the first place. It shouldn't be a surprise that Tony was lying in bed at two in the afternoon, hung-over or perhaps still drunk, wanting to shut out the world, and Steve honestly felt bad him, but the hard fact remained that this was the worst way to cope. It couldn't continue any longer.

"Get up," Steve said, pulling away the bed-sheets, knowing that Tony was probably cursing his very existence right now – no, make that definitely cursing his very existence. He ducked just in time to avoid the pillow that Tony had thrown his way. "Stark, would you please, for once, behave like an adult and not–" Oh, pillow number two!

"Get the fuck out, Steve," Tony growled.

This was exactly what Steve had expected, but that didn't mean he knew how to react to it, that he knew how to get Stark out of bed and into a shower which he so desperately needed. Still, he refused to just walk away. He had a feeling that Tony would make him pay for it, but Steve continued to believe that Tony's behavior was getting out of control, no matter the circumstances. Someone needed to at least try and put a stop to it.

"No," He said stubbornly, "I'm not gonna watch you drink your liver to death."

"I'm fine with it," Tony mumbled.

"Just take a shower, Tony," Steve tried, unable to hide his exasperation. He pulled at the bed-sheets a second time, only to find a third bottle of strong liquor by Tony's stomach. Before he had a chance to comment on it, Tony grabbed hold of the bottle and threw it at his head.

Steve only managed to jump aside just in time, the sound of the bottle shattering against the wall behind him, making him flinch.

"Tony, Jesus Christ–"

"I said, get the fuck out!" Tony screeched. He quickly sat up in the bed, his brown eyes wide and wild, and for the briefest moment, Steve was taken aback, stunned. "Out, Rogers!"

"Fine," Steve replied as he already moved toward the door. He wasn't done just yet, though. "I thought you didn't care anymore," He added, knowing that he was taking one hell of a risk since two more empty bottles lay within Tony's reach, "But to me it looks like you've never stopped caring at all."

Whatever obscenities and curses Tony shouted at him, Steve didn't hear them as he swiftly left the bedroom and closed the door behind him. He heard the shattering of glass again, Tony most likely having thrown another bottle around, and Steve knew he shouldn't walk away, that shouldn't leave him alone right now, but he did, because honestly, he hadn't the faintest idea what to do. He only knew something needed to be done.

-/-

Fury's open-door-policy wasn't for everyone. In fact, it was for no-one, but after knocking, Steve still entered the office without really having been invited in and just like he'd expected, he was instantly greeted with that don't-you-fucking-see-I'm-busy-look, one he tactically ignored. After closing the door behind him, Steve crossed his arms before his chest and levelled Fury's stare with a calculated one of his own.

"What do you want, Rogers?" Fury asked as he shut his laptop and leaned back in his expensive desk chair, hands folding over his stomach. It made Steve briefly wonder what was on the computer-screen that he obviously wasn't allowed to see. Then again, Fury was a man with many secrets and now one of those secrets had the potential to destroy them all.

"I saw Stark today," He said and he couldn't believe that Fury had the audacity to actually roll his one good eye at the mention of that name. He might not know the exact condition Tony was in, but he wasn't an idiot and he had to have some idea of what was happening to the guy. "He's a mess."

Fury stared at him, seemingly unaffected by his words which aggravated Steve. "And what do you want me to do about that?" Fury asked gruffly. "Send a psychiatrist to his penthouse?"

"You know damn well that that won't solve anything," Steve answered through gritted teeth. He walked up to Fury's desk and looked down at him, somehow hoping that the gesture would make Fury take him more seriously. "Do you have any idea what you've caused?"

Fury's gaze widened with anger and offense. "Are you really blaming me?"

"Why not?" Steve asked fiercely. "Stark spends most of his days drunk or hung-over so if we don't do something soon, there won't be much left of that genius playboy, philanthropist, whatever. And Loki is off running around with Amora, vowing to make our world kneel which isn't the first time he's sung that tune, but I have a feeling he's more determined this time, especially since he has that Soul Gem now."

"Thor should have stopped him," Fury replied heatedly and he rose from his seat and met Steve's gaze at the same eye-level.

Steve faintly remembered that Fury was his boss, but he decided not to care about that at the moment. He'd finally set his priorities straight and for once he'd decided he was on Stark's side, not Fury's and definitely not the Council's. "None of this should have happened in the first place," He said with a sharp voice, and he couldn't believe he was actually speaking to his boss in this tone. He didn't like to have arguments, and he certainly didn't like to have a confrontation with the Director of SHIELD himself, but something needed to be done. He couldn't just sit back and watch it all go to hell.

"I had my orders," Fury said more calmly, though he remained standing and staring at Steve with a cold and hard look in his eye.

"That never stopped you before," Steve replied. He straightened his back and crossed his arms before his chest again. "When the Council sent that nuclear bomb to stop Loki and his army of Chitauri, you disobeyed them. You could have disobeyed their order this time too."

For one brief moment, Fury faltered, a heavy sigh escaping his lips, his gaze falling to his hands. "We can't change what's done," He said after a short silence while he sat back down, his gaze suddenly turning so incredibly burdened, "Stark will get over it and Loki will be stopped."

Steve could hardly believe what he was hearing. "At what cost?" He demanded to know. "We kill Loki? How on Earth will that help Stark? Hell, do you really think Thor will just let us kill him?"

"He'll have no other choice," Fury noted.

Steve shook his head, anger coursing through his veins. "You're in way over your head, Director," He said, "It would be easier to just admit your fault."

"And that will solve anything?" Fury asked, shaking his head as well. "No, the decision was made with good reason and you know it, Rogers. Stark and Loki were never fit to be together, they were two ticking time-bombs to begin with, let alone that they were fit to raise a child. At least this way, the boy is safe and halfway across the world, hidden from sight."

"Yeah," Steve muttered as he stepped back from the desk, eyes not leaving for Fury just yet, "Yet somehow I have a feeling he'd been equally safe here." With that, he opened the door and walked away.

TBC …