A/N Wow! I'm not even sure how I found the time to get this chapter ready to post. School has been nuts this week and I had an uncle who died last weekend and the funeral was yesterday, so it was just one thing after another this week. But I did get it ready. However, it may not be as polished as usual as I didn't get to spend as much time revising it as I would have liked. Hopefully, you guys will still like it.

Once again, thanks to my reviewers. You guys are awesome!

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Son-of-hiddle

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Ophelia Lokisdottir

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RoxasGuyXIII

RossyGaray

Common Ground

Clint knocked on Loki's door softly and waited for Loki to respond. Clint figured Loki was debating whether to let whoever was knocking come in as it was a long moment before Loki's voice could be heard through the door telling him to enter.

Clint opened the door and stepped inside, noting the fleeting surprise on Loki's face upon seeing him.

"What do you want?" Loki asked, covering his surprise with a scowl. "Come to blow me up with another of your arrows as revenge for taking over your mind?"

"I didn't come here to fight," Clint said, holding his hands up in surrender.

"I... apologize," Loki forced out, the words bitter on his tongue. "Then why are you here?" he asked, trying to make his tone at least slightly more civil.

"I... I'm not even sure. I guess I just wanted to talk," Clint said, shrugging and running a hand through his hair. He was beginning to think that maybe this was a bad idea after all.

"About what?"

Clint couldn't figure out if Loki truly didn't know or if he was just pretending not to. It was hard to tell with the trickster.

"You're the only one who knows. You're the only one who's been through it, who knows what it's like to..."

"Be unmade," Loki finished for him.

"Yeah," Clint said softly.

Loki sighed and dropped his gaze to the floor. He leaned back against the foot of his bed, letting himself slouch slightly beneath the weight of his exhaustion, both physical and mental.

"Do you hate me for it? For what I did to you?" Loki asked, looking back at Clint.

Where Loki's body language and expression had been closed and defensive before, it was now open and inviting. Well, open and inviting for Loki anyway.

Clint moved over next to Loki and also leaned back against the bed, staring straight ahead and not meeting Loki's eyes.

"I wish it was that simple. It would certainly make things easier. But it's not," Clint sighed. "It wasn't really you who did it. If you were the bad guy then I could hate you, you'd be locked up being punished somewhere, and that would be the end of the story. But you're not the bad guy. You never were. You're just another victim like the rest of us. Like me." The last two words were whispered so softly as to almost be inaudible but Loki just barely caught it.

"You said on Earth, that you wanted to hate me," Loki said but it came out sounding more like a question.

"But I don't," Clint said. "Not really, anyway. I saw your memories." The archer turned to look Loki in the eye. "I know you were glad I was free of the mind control. I know you didn't want that to happen to me."

"But?" Loki asked, hearing the unspoken word.

"But that doesn't make it go away," Clint said, looking away again. "It's... It doesn't make sense. It's not logical. I know you didn't actually do it. I know that it wasn't your fault, but it's hard to separate that from the memory of your face as the tesseract took over my mind. I feel angry but I can't figure out who I'm really angry at. Sometimes it's you, sometimes it's me, sometimes it's no one at all."

"And sometimes it's even those you care about most," Loki said, thinking of his angry words toward his mother.

"Yeah, it's more than a little confusing and frustrating."

"Believe me, I know," Loki said.

"Half the time, I'm not even sure if what I'm feeling is from me or not. Is it like that for you?" Clint asked, looking back at Loki.

Loki thought about lying. He thought about putting up a front of strength and bravado, but something stopped him. He never relied on other people. He had learned long ago that they would only ever let him down. He had long since learned to hide any weakness, any venerability. Those were things that others only ever exploited. And yet, for some reason, he found himself wanting to trust this midgardian. Perhaps it was because the archer had been through something similar. Perhaps it was because the man was truly the only person on Asgard who really did understand. Perhaps it was because Clint seemed genuinely open and honest, which lent itself to a certain feeling of trust. Whatever it was, Loki found himself telling the truth and hoping it didn't come back to bite him.

"Most of my emotions are at war against each other, and I honestly don't know which side is the real one, or even if one side is more real than the other," Loki admitted.

"Yeah," Clint agreed. "Sometimes it's like one set of emotions feels more like me than the other, then other moments I think they're all mine, then sometimes it's as if none of them belong to me," Clint said.

"And you can never tell which side you're supposed to feel," Loki added.

"It doesn't change what I'm feeling, but knowing someone else gets it... that some one else understands in a way the others can't, kind of helps in a way," Clint said. "Just being able to talk to someone and know they really understand."

Loki simply nodded his agreement.

"You know, we're here. Me, the other Avengers, your family. We're all here. Whether you want to admit it or not, you need someone, and we're here to help. Don't shut us out," Clint said.

Loki didn't respond but Clint hadn't really expected him to. Loki did look at him in surprise, though, as if the last thing the trickster had ever expected was for someone to offer him any kind of support.

Before he could really think about it, Clint reached out and squeezed Loki's shoulder. Neither one of them was really sure how it had happened, but at some point during their conversation, something had changed between them. They weren't friends, not yet at least, but they also weren't enemies anymore.

Wordlessly, Clint walked to the door and slipped out of the room, leaving Loki to his thoughts. Somehow they had found some common ground.

)()()(

That night, the Avengers were invited to have dinner with the newly reunited royal family. The team walked into the dining hall and saw that Thor, Odin, and Frigga were already there. Odin was sitting at the head of the table with Frigga to his left and Thor, as crown prince, to his right. Loki's place, as second prince, was to Thor's right but the younger prince wasn't there yet.

Clint had come back to the guest room after talking to Loki and told them in confidence about Loki's conflicting mindset. Thor had wanted to go talk to his brother that instant but Clint had counseled patience. He knew Loki was still dealing with his feelings and wasn't ready to deal with Thor yet, or the rest of his family for that matter. Clint had seen Frigga's tear streaked face as she went running past him from Loki's chambers earlier.

The archer had told Thor about it and he had immediately gone to comfort his mother, later confirming what Clint already knew. Loki's behavior was a bit all over the place, especially where his family was concerned and if he could snap at his mother, who according to Thor he had always been close to, then he was likely still very angry with his father and Thor.

So it wasn't much of a surprise to the Avengers when they entered the room to see that Loki hadn't arrived yet, and they couldn't help but wonder if he would show at all. They couldn't really blame him if he didn't, though. The five of them each took their places at the table. Tony sat next to Frigga, Steve next to Tony, and Bruce next to him. On the other side of the table, Clint left the chair next to Thor open and sat in the chair to the right of it and across from Steve with Natasha to Clint's right, across from Bruce.

They all exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before Loki finally entered the room. He made it several steps into the room before pulling up short at the sight of the only open chair left at the table. Clint wasn't the only one to see Loki's expression darken for just an instant before completely closing off and going blank as his mask slid into place.

Clint glanced at Thor and could see that the thunderer hadn't missed it either. The archer knew he could get in trouble with his next action but he also could tell Loki was only a second away from turning and leaving the room altogether, so Clint decided to take a chance. His common ground with Loki made him want to help the trickster. Clint stood and slid over one seat, into the chair beside Thor, making sure not to meet any of the royal family's gazes and keeping his eyes on Loki.

Loki met Clint's gaze and the trickster's expression softened ever so slightly in gratitude before he glanced at Natasha and a slight bit of mistrust flickered across his face before he could hide it. Natasha caught it easily and looked across the table. Bruce looked ready to jump up and change seats with her but Natasha shook her head ever so slightly. If Loki wasn't ready to sit next to his family, then she didn't think he was ready to sit next to The Hulk's alter ego.

She knew Clint had gained some ground with the younger prince due to their shared experience but she and Bruce were still people on Loki's to-be-wary-of list. That left either Steve or Tony. Tony was the least threatening, not having any powers or special training, but Steve was such a kind, open type of person and was the one who had not only noticed Loki's eye color but had been the first to step forward and request to go with them on Earth, then spoke up for Loki in the throne room.

Out of the five of them, Clint and Steve seemed to be the best options for Loki to sit between. Natasha could tell that Steve had reached the same conclusion and she knew he genuinely wanted to help the dark haired prince. The super soldier sent a brief look at his father. Tony nodded his understanding, a look of pride in his eyes as he lightly squeezed Steve's arm before the young man stood up and moved to sit in the seat Natasha had just vacated. Bruce shifted over into Steve's vacated seat and Natasha took Bruce's previous seat.

Loki's face relaxed ever so slightly with relief and he easily moved forward and sat down, safely positioned between Clint on his left, and Steve on his right.

After the round of musical chairs, dinner was more than a little awkward. At one point, Tony glanced at Odin, Frigga, and Thor. Odin's face was mostly blank with his mouth set in a thin line, but whether he was angry or hurt by Loki's rejection, Tony couldn't quite tell. Frigga was obviously hurt but also understanding and not surprised at all. And Thor just looked sad and guilty, and a bit lost as to how to fix things between himself and Loki.

Loki barely spoke throughout the meal, focusing on the food he was eating and only speaking when he was directly asked a question and then in as few words as possible. He refused to make eye contact with his family and after a few minutes, no one really tried to engage him any more, giving him some space to eat and remain silent if he wanted to.

As soon as they were finished eating, Loki gave a mumbled excuse and left the room. Steve reached out and grabbed Thor's arm as the prince started to go after Loki.

"Give him some space," Tony said across the table. "It's his first day back. Let him have a good night's sleep and maybe things will be better in the morning."

Thor's expression was torn but he heard the wisdom of Tony's words and didn't follow his brother, although it looked like it took a great amount of will for him to do so.

Tony just hoped Odin and Frigga would do the same, at least for the rest of the night. Loki needed to hear from them eventually and sooner rather than later, but that night wasn't the right time. Loki had been through a lot and not just that day. He was hurt, confused, and overwhelmed. Tony had seen it in his face. He needed time, but he also needed people to lean on whether he wanted them or not. And Tony resolved that Loki would have that support.

Loki had a second chance at having a strong, loving relationship with his family, something Tony had never really had with his own parents, and the billionaire was bound and determined that Loki's pride and stubbornness wouldn't leave him bitter and alone. Tony had been down that particular road before and he wanted to spare Loki from that. And when Tony Stark wanted something, he usually got it.

)()()(

Loki woke the next morning feeling more exhausted than when he went to bed the night before. His sleep had been plagued by nightmares, flashbacks to his torture as well as his actions on Earth, but in his dreams, Thor and the Avengers each died, all by Loki's hand and he was powerless to stop himself. Then he had suddenly found himself on Asgard and watched as his hands took the lives of countless Asgardians before taking those of Frigga and Odin. Perhaps the worst part, though, was that every person he killed, died thinking he was some horrible, cruel murderer.

The dream had ended with a malicious and threatening voice echoing trough his mind as he stared at the dead bodies of his family, his hands dripping with their blood.

You think yourself safe? None of them are safe and neither are you. You will kill them all. Then you will know pain.

After that, Loki had woken with a strangled cry and sat bolt upright in his bed, shaking and panting as he wrenched himself free of the nightmare. That had been a few hours ago, and he had not even dared to attempt to return to sleep as the looks in his family's eyes as he robbed them of their lives haunted him, eyes that asked 'why?'

Now, feeling the need to get out of his room, Loki slipped out into the hall and ventured toward the dining area to eat breakfast. He wasn't particularly hungry yet, but it was somewhere to go. As he walked up the hall, he tried to push the nightmares out of his mind but it was easier said than done. He was so absorbed in his thoughts, that he nearly ran right into Steve Rogers.

"Whoa," Steve said, grabbing Loki's arm as they both pulled up short, just inches from colliding with each other. Both men stepped back a step and Steve let go of Loki. "Hey, you okay?" Steve asked the preoccupied prince.

"Yes, I'm fine. I should have been watching where I was going," Loki said, trying to brush the other man off but Steve was smarter than that. He was Tony Stark's son after all.

"You looked like you were thinking about something pretty hard. Anything to do with your family?" Steve asked, perceptively.

Loki blinked in surprise by the question, stunned as to how Steve had guessed his thoughts, but a second later, he relaxed as he realized the super soldier couldn't possibly know the details of Loki's thoughts. And there was no way Loki was going to enlighten the man about his nightmares.

"I don't see what business that is of yours," Loki said defensively, trying to cover his moment of unease.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to pry," Steve said, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"No, the apology should be mine. That was rude and you are only seeking to help," Loki admitted reluctantly, rubbing the bridge of his nose, feeling a bit of a headache coming on. Fatigue had always made him snap easier and this time was no exception. But that didn't make it right. "It seems my family occupies many of my thoughts these days."

"How are things going with your father?" Steve ventured, hoping Loki would open up a bit and not bite his head off again.

He knew how things were going with Frigga and Thor, both of which were not going very well, but Steve hadn't heard of any encounters good or bad between Loki and Odin.

"He's not my real father," Loki said stiffly, almost petulantly.

"Define real," Steve said.

"We do not share blood," Loki said as if it were obvious.

"Blood doesn't mean a thing," Steve said. "My father and his father shared DNA and that was about it. You and your father who you don't even share a single blood cell with, are closer than my father and his ever were. Biology makes people related but it doesn't always make people family. And it's also not the only thing that can make people family."

Loki looked away, not meeting Steve's eyes.

"He loves you, you know," Steve said, causing Loki to scoff.

"Oh, I feel the love all right," Loki said sarcastically.

"Your father is a king. That means he can't show you love and affection the way other fathers can. It sucks, but that doesn't mean he doesn't show you he cares in the ways he can."

"What ways?" Loki asked skeptically.

"If you would stop pouting and open your eyes, you might be able to figure that out for yourself," Steve said, giving Loki's shoulder a pat as he passed the dark haired man, leaving him to think over the words.

A/N So? What do you think? Please let me know! :)

Next chapter will be up Friday and there will finally be an encounter between Thor and Loki. How do you think it will go? Also, Loki will find a bit of a kindred spirit in one of the Avengers. Who do you think it will be? (Hint: It's not Clint this time).