Ok people, here's the next installment of Key to Redemption by yours truly, 666Silvermoon! Or Silver for short.

Loki: *tries to break apart the chain at his ankle attached to the wall* Is this really necessary?!

Silver: *sighs irritably and turns to him* Since you kept trying to escape and pull pranks on Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, yes! Now be quiet while I finish the introduction.

Loki: I was only going to put colored dye in their shampoo and cottage cheese in their toothpastes! What's so wrong with that?

Silver: What's wrong with that is that I'd have to deal with their complaining and yelling!

Diana: *patiently waits while the author and Loki squabble*

Loki: Well if I wasn't so bored then maybe I wouldn't feel the need to pull pranks!

Silver: Well it's not my fault that you're bored. I gave you multiple things to keep you occupied and yet you push everything away.

Diana: *turns to the audience as the arguing gets louder* Please excuse them. I'll try and get them to stop fighting by the end of this chapter. In the meantime, 666Silvermoon owes nothing of the Marvel Universe or anything else but me and my animals in this story. She'd really like it if more of you guys reviewed her story, since she'd like to know what you all think about it. But, enjoy!

Chapter 6

Diana's P.O.V

The sun was barely lighting up the sky as I woke up and got out of bed the next morning, yawning slightly as I changed out of my oversized black and white flannel sleep shirt into a pair of black yoga capris and a forest green sports bra. I pulled my curly hair back into a tight bun after brushing out the knots in it and put my black running sneakers on as I walked downstairs to grab a quick before workout meal of a glass of milk and an apple. I ate quickly to prevent from Loki waking up and soon I headed out to the stables. As I opened the door the sound of soft snoring and gentle grunts told me that all my horses were still asleep, but soon that would end up changing.

I climbed the ladder up to the hay loft and stretched out my muscles and got down to work. After my short stint in MMA fighting I kept up with my workout, though I don't do it as often as I use to. The punching bag hanging from the beams of the roof helps, as does the pull up bar and the hay bales are perfect for doing flips and jumps off of, along with handstands, so I have no need of an actual gym. By the time I was finished with my workout my body was covered in a light sheen of sweat and a healthy burn was in my muscles as I cooled down.

The sounds of awakening horses greeted me as I walked down the ladder with a bag of grain over my shoulder. I gave each horse a light breakfast, some a little more than others depending on their breed before heading back up to the house. As I entered through the kitchen door I noticed that Loki was his sitting at the kitchen table, my grandfather's cane leaning against his chair. His eyes widened slightly as he took in my appearance before they looked away, his pale cheeks gaining a hint of pink.

"What in the name of the Norns are you wearing?" He said, his voice slightly strained as he kept his eyes away from me. I looked down at my clothes in confusion before looking back up at him. "It's just some yoga pants and a sports bra, what's so wrong with that?" I said as I shrugged before grabbing some eggs from the fridge and got to work on making some scrambled eggs and toast. "It's not like you've never seen a woman before Loki, I know the old myths about you and your children after all." I add nonchalantly as I whisk the eggs and pour them into a skillet. "Would you like some tea or coffee with your breakfast?" I ask as I turned my head to look at him.

His head is still turned away as he tries his hardest not to look at me, but his jaw was clenched and there were dark circles under his eyes. "I may have seen other women but at least they didn't strut around in barely any clothes like a harlot." He spat at me, his voice still strained.

My hands froze from cooking the eggs, eyes widening before they narrowed, hands shaking as I turned off the stove and turned to him.

Third P.O.V

Loki was feeling especially tired this morning, after the little bit of sleep he was able to have was filled to the brim with nightmares, so after waking up for the fifth time and seeing that the sun was shining he decided to stay up and head to the kitchen to see if he could get something for breakfast. As he swung his legs over the side of the bed he spied the cane Diana left against the nightstand.

He slowly reached for it and grabbed it before bringing it closer for him to inspect it. He saw nothing special about it, besides the silver raven's head topping it off, but the wood was worn and felt warm in his hands. He figured it belonged to her father or grandfather as he used the cane to steadily stand up and head out of his room. He slowly made his way to the kitchen and sat at the table, and not five minutes later his head whipped around as the kitchen door leading in from the back of the house opened and in walked Diana.

His eyes widened as he saw what she was wearing, and a bit of blood rushed up to his cheeks and down south. To him she was barely clothed in a tight pair of black trousers that stopped just below her knee and a green chest covering of some sort with some black shoes on her feet. The clothes showed off her curves exquisitely to him, and it also showed off a few scars along her ribs and stomach and the visible muscle tone of her arms, legs, and stomach as her skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat. He looked away before his body betrayed him and she noticed.

"What in the name of the Norns are you wearing?" Loki cursed his voice for sounding so strained, but it's not every day he sees a woman like Diana in so little clothing. And the fact that it's been awhile since he's last had sex hasn't helped either. He saw her look down at her outfit before informing him what kind of clothing she was wearing, 'jogging capris' and a 'sports bra' she said, and then asked what was wrong with it as she headed to her fridge and got out some eggs.

"It's not like you've never been with a woman before Loki, I know the old myths about you and your children after all." That knocked him for a loop. He considered turning around and asking her what she knew, but dismissed that thought. It can't be too much. Humans were never the smartest bunch of creatures in the Nine Realms. He thought to himself as he dismissed her statement and didn't even hear her enquiry of if he wanted tea or coffee as he turned slightly to face her, barely noticing the tattoo of a tree along the entirety of her back.

What came out of his mouth he would regret later, and feel slightly guilty in saying, but for now he was more focused on keeping his composure and to keep anymore blood from flowing towards his groin. "I may have seen other women but at least they didn't strut around in barely any clothes like a harlot."

It got deathly quiet as Diana froze in place, her spine straightening before her shaky hands turned off her stove and turned to face him. If Loki had been a lesser man he would've cowered before her at the look in her eyes. They were even paler then before, barely showing any of blue at all, and they were filled with anger and what looked like pain. Her hands shook at her sides as they curled into fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. It didn't hit Loki that he had said something wrong until Diana's fist flew towards his face full on and pain bloomed along the side of it.

Diana's P.O.V

After I punched Loki I finished making scramble eggs and toast, slamming his plate down in front of him before storming back up to my room, my own plate in hand. I angrily scarfed down my food before grabbing some clean clothes from my cherry wood dresser and heading to my bathroom. The dark orange walls barely brought any comfort as I stripped down and turned on my shower. I furiously scrubbed the sweat and dirt from my body as angry tears fell from my eyes as the word Loki called me ran through my head, but in a different voice. A voice that isn't as cultured and charming, one that was rougher sounding and deeper. I barely held in a scream as I banged my fist on the wall of my shower; the pain helped me reign myself in enough to finish my shower and get out. I dried off, dressed in a black bra and black panties under boot cut dark denim pants, a grey tank top and a black and red plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I finished up my outfit with my black cotton shoulder bag; containing my wallet, house, car and motorcycle keys, and my small sketchbook with a few pencils; and added my black cowboy boots to my feet before stomping down my stairs, my cats and dogs scattering as they sensed the mood I was in. I glared at Loki one last time before I stormed out of my house, slamming the door behind me and locking it before heading to my garage.

I opened my manual garage door and pushed out my black 2000 Harley Davidson FXSTB Night Train, closed the door back up, got on and started her up. I took my silver and black goggles from the handlebars and pulled them over my eyes before riding off down my driveway and out to the road, where I turned left and headed towards town.

In the twenty minutes it takes me to drive to town I managed to calm down enough so when I parked in front of my mom's bakery slash café I didn't want to kill something anymore. I put my kickstand in for my bike and pushed my goggles up to my forehead before heading inside. The familiar blue and white striped overhang with its curly cue words saying Cakes N' Crumbs in black and the faded white walls with its glass door and big bay windows greeted me before I entered the store.

Soon as I stepped over the threshold the scent of coffee, vanilla, cinnamon and lemon assaulted my nose. I breathed in deeply, and it helped me relax further as I headed up to the counter, where my mother was dealing with one of her regulars, a regular by the name of Miles Hamilton.

Mr. Hamilton played chess with my grandfather when he was still alive, and he would always have a kind word for my mother, brothers and I after my father died. His hair had long since gone pure white, and his skin was as wrinkle as a man who's 72 usually has, but his brown eyes were still keen and sharp as ever. He always gets a blueberry muffin and a cup of green tea from my mother's bakery every morning. He swears that my mum's baking keeps him young.

I smile as my mother finally notices me as she rings him up. "Diana! Sweetie, it's nice to finally see you." She says warmly to me in her heavier Irish accent, her ocean blue eyes shining and her golden blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail. I laughed softly as I shook my head.

"Mum, it's only been a week since you last saw me, and it's been half that time since we last talked on the phone. I know you love me, but come on. " I say jokingly as I walk up to the counter with its glass display right next to it before I turn to Mr. Hamilton. "Hello Mr. Hamilton, how have you been? Still trying to find someone to match you in chess?" I joke with him, knowing the only man who's been able to beat him so far had been my grandfather.

He chuckles jovially and replies back," No my dear, not yet. Your grandfather is still the only man who has beaten me, though your brother tries once in a while." I softly laugh, knowing my brother Aiden could never back down from a challenge in his life.

"No offense to my brother, but my horse Apollo would be a better opponent against you." I joke, causing him to laugh out loud, along with my mother as she hands him his tea and muffin. "Oh Diana, don't be so mean to your brother." She lightly chastises me, but I can see she's trying to hold back a few giggles.

"How are your horses by the way Diana? I hear that your mare Cinnamon is getting ready to burst with that foal of hers." Mr. Hamilton asks kindly as he turns to leave.

"Oh she's fine. She should be foaling within the next day or so. Mr. Russell should be happy with the filly or colt that she has, especially if her foal has as sweet a temperament as its mother. And if its coloring is anything like its father then it'll be perfect for his daughter." I reply. Mr. Russell being the man I'll be selling Cinnamon's foal to once it's weaned, since his horse Tanner is the sire and he wanted to surprise his daughter Chloe for Christmas in a few months. His horse Tanner is a nine year old American Quarter horse with Palomino Paint coloration and a slight high spirited nature. He's hoping that by mixing Cinnamon's and Tanner's genes would bring out the perfect foal for Chloe.

Mr. Hamilton smiles and pats my shoulder before saying goodbye and taking his leave. My mother then turns to me with a slight knowing glint in her eye. "Alright, what happened?" I looked at her in surprise, but knew I really shouldn't be. My mother has always known whenever I did something, like the time I put a frog in the shower when my brother Lucas was in there or the time when I put purple hair dye in a bottle of shampoo I gave this girl who bullied me in high school. I sighed as she looked at me expectantly, before rubbing my thumb into the palm of my opposite hand, a nervous habit I developed in middle school after puberty.

"Well, you know the villain who was the cause of the Manhattan Alien attack a year ago?" I asked my mother, rubbing my hand a bit harder. She looks at me confused for a moment. "Yes, his name was Loki right? Like the Norse God of Mischief and Fire? (1) What about him sweetheart? " She asked me, her eyes narrowing slightly. I bit my lips at this, just knowing she's not liking where this is going.

"Mum, I think it's best if we talk in the back room." I say quietly as another customer comes in to the shop. She looks at me but nods hesitantly, before leading me to her back storage room after putting Sara, the girl who works with her part time, in charge. As I sat on one of the only stools back here, with my mom sitting in the other, I contemplated how to tell her I was harboring a known criminal in my house.

"Well, I'mkindaharbouringhiminthehouserightnowcuzhelandedinthewoodsnottoolongagoandwasattackedbyabearandIdidn'thavethehearttothrowhimout." I said all of this in one breath, but by the look on my mother's face she got the jist of it.

"WHAT?" By how loudly she yelled she wasn't very happy. "What do you mean you're harboring him in the house? He's a known criminal Diana, he's dangerous!" She said as she lowered her voice to a whisper yell, knowing the walls weren't the thickest.

"Mum, he's mortal." With that her eyes widened slightly, knowing that when he attacked Manhattan he was God-like after it was reported he was smashed into the marble floor of the penthouse of Stark Tower and survived. "If he wasn't then he would've healed from being attacked by a bear a few days ago and he wouldn't be anywhere near here. He's also malnourished, and covered in old scars. I could see every one of his ribs, and he can barely eat half of whatever food I give him, no matter how small the portion." I tell her all of this, seeing her eyes get wider as her jaw drops.

"Oh my..." She says, "So you're thinking he was tortured? Like Cleo and Angus and the rest of your animals?" I nod, rubbing my thumb into the palm of my hand again.

"Yes mum and he looked so defensive when I saw his scars, like I was gonna make fun of him or something. He's incredibly defensive, and it's like he's from a different time all together mum. He-", I cut off at this point, this morning's incident going through my mind. My mother notices, and her eyes narrow. "He what Diana?" She says warningly, and I sigh.

"He called me a harlot when he saw me in my work out outfit." I almost whisper, crossing my arms under my bust. My mum is noticeably angry, considering the last person who called me that is the reason I have the scars on my face, ribs and stomach.

"I hope you did something to put him in his place Diana. Your father and I didn't raise you to be a doormat to people." She says to me angrily, making me nod emphatically. "Mum, I know Da would be rolling in his grave if I didn't. I ended up punching him while he was sitting at the kitchen table, and I'm pretty sure he's developing a black eye right now." I tell her with a half-assed grin.

My mum smiles proudly at my admission, even if she does know I can take care of myself in more ways than one. We talk for another twenty minutes and we decide to wait a few more days before my mum is introduced to Loki, and we agree not to tell my brother unless it's absolutely necessary. Soon we leave the back room of her bakery, and I buy some of the chocolate chip cookies my mom makes before going back outside and heading down Main Street to the Arts and Crafts store. I purchased some charcoal sticks and a few pounds of good sculpting clay before heading to one of the clothing stores in town and getting a few shirts, pairs of pants, a set of pajama pants and a tank top, even a few pairs of boxers for Loki. Just because he was being an ass didn't mean I had to be a bitch back, or so I told myself as I loaded my purchases into the saddlebags on my bike. I was feeling a bit better, but halfway home I start cursing every deity I learned about in school as it starts heavily raining.

I make it home in one piece, though I probably look like a drowned rat as I grab my stuff and put my bike away, but as I walk up the porch I'm dry as ever. I lock the door behind me as I enter my home, and see Loki had moved to the living room while I was gone. He was currently napping on the couch, but it didn't look like he was sleeping peacefully. He was slightly twitching and groaning as he tossed his head from side to side, his hair escaping from its ponytail and sticking to his face from the cold sweat he was in.

I cocked my head slightly and put down my stuff on the coffee table before taking a closer look at him. I opened one of the windows in the living room a crack, before gently laying a hand on his forehead and concentrating. Within minutes his body had relaxed and he had quieted down enough to actually look peaceful despite the darkening bruise around his right eye. In the back of my mind I thought on how he looked younger as he was sleeping, his scowl absent from his face making him seem the most relaxed I'd seen him since he passed out after the bear attack.

While he was sleeping I grabbed my sketchbook and one of my new charcoal sticks and started sketching Cleo as she herself was napping on the arm of the couch at Loki's feet. However, by the time I got a rough sketch of her done Loki stirred, causing her to wake up and yowl rather grumpily.

Her yowl caused him to wake up fully, his eyes looking around before they finally landed on me, and they slightly narrowed. However, before he opened his mouth I opened mine first.

"Before you say anything I know punching you doesn't make me a very good hostess, but this is MY house Loki, and I expect you to give me the same courtesies I give you. I will not have you disrespecting me after I took your sorry ass in and gave you food, clothes and shelter after saving you from that mother bear. I did not appreciate you calling me a harlot simply because I was wearing less clothing then you're used to seeing on a woman, especially not since the last time I got called that I gained the scars across my face and on the front of my body that you saw this morning." I say to him angrily, closing my sketchbook with a snap.

His eyebrows rise at my admission, but I'm not done. "So, I figured when you fully heal you could help me around my house and with my horses and my garden, to pay me back. If you're any good at that kinda stuff that is." I raise my own eyebrow, seeing that I've knocked him for a loop, but he soon finds his voice.

"You expect me to work like a beast of burden for you? To be used in such an undignified way is not fit for a Prince of my-" He starts angrily, but I cut him off.

"Unless you haven't noticed, you're not exactly a prince right now Loki, you're as mortal as I am at the moment." I say coldly, "And I'm expecting you to pay off your debt to me. I need help around my stables, and you need a place to stay and to stay under the radar. I am offering you sanctuary Loki; you won't get a better offer than mine." I look at him expectantly, seeing the internal battle he's waging with himself in his eyes.

Eventually though, he softly growls and looks away. "Very well," He spits out angrily, "I'll help you with your horses and with your home, in exchange for sanctuary." I smile warmly, before extending my arm out to him. He looks at it, and then looks up at me before reaching out slowly and grasping my forearm, and I copy the motion. "It's a deal then." I say with a small grin. He studies me for a moment before he sighs and deflates as he nods. "Yes, it's a deal."

Third P.O.V

Heimdall couldn't believe what he was seeing. Loki, the man who had nearly killed Thor and tried to destroy an entire realm, had just been cowed into submission by a mortal woman of Midgard. Not only that, she knew what and who he was and was not even scared of him. She was actually offering him sanctuary, in exchange for help with her animals.

He was astonished by the woman's actions, but he secretly grinned to himself when she punched Loki. Heimdall still didn't like Loki after all, especially after being frozen solid by him. He knew one thing; he would have to continue to keep an eye on Loki, not only for Prince Thor's sake, but also for his own amusement. This woman might be able to rid Loki of his dangerous pride, and if anything he might be able to watch her put him in his place once more.

On Earth, Stark Tower

Tony Stark was always naturally curious as a child, and it got him into trouble more times than he can remember and it stuck with him into adulthood. So when he heard through the grapevine that a centralized energy source had been detected in upstate New York like the one that had expelled Thor onto New Mexico all those years ago he had to investigate. He knew the energy source was way smaller than the one Thor originally came on, so it probably wasn't him.

Tony just couldn't figure it out. Why would the energy be so focused on one point? Why would it be so much smaller? Was it trying to be discreet? Could energy sources be discreet? All these questions were floating round inside his head as his friend and colleague Dr. Bruce Banner entered the lab he was working in.

Bruce had eventually accepted his proposal for working with Tony in his research and development labs in what was once Stark Tower, but had been renamed Avengers Tower after the whole Alien Invasion the year before. So far though, only Bruce had accepted his proposal of living in the Tower with Tony. Steve Rogers had moved to a small apartment in Brooklyn after his tour of the states to see what had changed in the 70 years he had been in the ice, and Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton still lived and worked with SHIELD. Tony knew Clint still had nightmares of being controlled from time to time, but Natasha helped as much as she could in her own way.

Bruce looked over Tony's shoulder at the computer screen he was currently eyeballing. "Did that energy convergence happen recently Tony?" Bruce asked, adjusting his glasses. His dark brown eyes squinted slightly as he got closer to the screen, examining the information. Tony didn't mind Bruce hovering, he was a friend after all, but he could help make a crack at him, friend or not. "Hey Bruce, if you wanted an excuse to touch me you could've just asked." Tony said with a smirk, and pouted as Bruce did nothing but roll his eyes and continue looking over the data on the computer screen.

"This looks a lot like what happened with Thor in New Mexico, but it's different as well. The energy isn't as high, and it's more centralized than when Thor came here." Bruce looked at Tony; the slight greying in his curly brown hair a bit more noticeable then it was the year before. "Tony, you don't think that another Asgardian was banished here do you?"

Tony was already thinking along those lines when Bruce brought it up. "If one of Point Break's kin was banished here, don't you think we would been called in by SHIELD already? Or don't you think Thunder Boy himself would've called and let us know if any of his friends were being banished here?" Tony says to Bruce, though his mind is still buzzing with possibilities.

"Unless Thor was forbidden from coming here to tell us who on his planet was being banished here, like if he knew the person being banished personally. Like a childhood friend or a sib-" Bruce was abruptly cut off by Tony.

"That's it!" Tony exclaimed. "Reindeer Games is the one who was banished!" Tony's mind was buzzing, and to him it all made sense, though from the pinched look on Bruce's face he obviously didn't believe him. "Come on Tony, it's Loki we're talking about here. Asgard wouldn't banish him after only one year of being in their jail." Bruce said, but Tony wouldn't have it. "Oh come on Bruce, you gotta admit it makes sense. The reason why the energy source was so centralized like it was being used to transport only one person, the reason Point Break hasn't popped on by to let us know his insane little brother has dropped on by. It's either that, or Loki worked some of his mumbo jumbo magic and escaped, and is now roaming free all over upstate New York. Either way, we gotta find him and put a stop to whatever mischief he's up to now!"

1)This is actually true, Loki was never known as the God of Lies in Norse Mythology, he was only known as the Liesmith. To the Norse he was the one who gave fire to the first humans, kind of like Prometheus to the Greeks.

Silver: *wipes sweat from brow* Finally done with that chapter, longest one yet too.

Loki: *is currently passed out on the floor, chain still attached at his ankle to the wall and a dart imbedded in his shoulder*

Silver: *kicks away a tranquilizer gun sheepishly* hehe, sorry about that folks, but it was either him or me. And since I write this thing it was gonna be him. But don't worry; he'll be up and about by the next chapter. Which I'll try to start writing next time I have free time, but I could really use your opinions people!