Chapter 26 – Visit

Hello all the lovely people reading this story - just a note that I'm actually going to be out of the country for the next week so I won't be posting anything new while I'm away. I promise to write lots though and post it all when I get back!

Thanks for reading and thanks for the Reviews!

Loki had been missing from Stark Tower for weeks, but not from the rest of the world. There had been various attacks on different cities, towns, and villages. People slaughtered, burned, tortured, and some had gone missing. He didn't like to believe it, but Tony knew Loki was involved. He'd left a calling card at each one; a message to the avengers in the form of magic. Giving them clues as to where he'd attack next.

The others had been watching him for days, as if waiting for him to break. He just avoided them, or acted with his usual amount of sass. Only Thor didn't avoid him, giving him a pat on the shoulder every once in a while. As if he was used to this. That thought only grated at him more.

Tony was alone in Stark Tower and without being able to control himself he threw the crystal beaker of scotch at the wall, watching in satisfaction as it shattered, but it wasn't enough. He grabbed another bottle and tossed it, followed by the table, overturning it. He continued to trash the living room until he had none of his anger left. He sank down to the floor, exhausted and despairing. Loki was supposed to be with. He closed his eyes his eyes and remembered that morning;

Loki turned suddenly towards him, cupping Tony's face in his hands, blue eyes filled with a pain Tony didn't know how to ease. "I love you." he paused, as if those words were the gravest words he'd ever uttered, and it shook Tony to the core. Why was he saying it like that? "Go out to the plane now. Please just go. I'll meet you in New York if I can.""

But here he was, in New York, and Loki was nowhere to be seen. Eyes closed, he leaned his head back against the wall, wishing he could just forget all of this; go back to that morning and try again because he'd be damned if he'd let it end that easily the second time around.

Loki stood in the window and watched him, face blank, but inside him the war was still raging.

"Look at how weak he is? Despairing at your absence. Angry that you left him." the creature whispered in his mind, and he defied the words.

"You gave me no choice. He'll understand."

"I'll make you kill him."

The words had Loki stiffening, and the fighting began anew, tearing through Loki's mind. He moved forward, towards the open door, weapon appearing in his hand, green eyes murderous.

Inside his mind, Loki fought, unwilling to allow his own body to be used as a tool to hurt his lover. With a scream of hatred, he threw the creature back, taking control again, his whole body shifting painfully. He must've made a sound, because suddenly Tony was looking at him, disbelief clear on his face, quickly followed by a mix of relief and joy. He scrambled to his feet as Loki took in the destruction of the living room. Had that been Tony's doing? Was he really so angry? His own self-disgust grew.

"Where the hell have you been?" Tony demanded, brown eyes defiantly glaring into Loki's blue eyes. running to the window, and Loki felt the shift again, the creature pushing for control. He was fighting back – as hard as he could, desperate for control at least in this instance, but it was slipping, and his whole body was shaking in effort to be the one in control at least for this moment.

"You already know where I've been, Tony." he said softly, and Tony just closed his eyes.

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

"I haven't a choice."

Tony could've punched him for that, but instead he just wrapped his arms around the other man for a moment.

"Tony-" he could feel his control shifting, and didn't want to be close when it happened.

"I could make you snap his neck."

Before Loki even had time to react, he was moving, slamming Tony into the wall, one hand closing around his throat.

Tony's eyes widened in surprise. Was Loki about to kill him? He found himself staring into green eyes, and a shiver passed over him. Something was wrong with Loki. A shiver passed through the hand wrapped around his neck but it didn't tighten, and Tony watched as Loki closed his eyes, body shaking as if he were fighting someone, but that someone else was elsewhere. When he opened his eyes again, pained, crystal blue eyes stared into his own.

"I'm sorry," he said hoarsely, "I just had to see you." he removed his hand from Tony's neck slowly, as if his hand still wanted to crush the life out of Tony's windpipe, and held his hands in a tight fists at his side. He flickered out of sight, and reappeared back by the window, where Tony had first caught sight of him. He looked up once more and green eyes glared with murderous intent before he flickered out of sight again, this time not appearing anywhere else. Tony just stood there in shock. When he eventually moved, he felt something brush his neck and reached up as if to brush it away. He felt the soft landing of something on his hand and pulled his hand away to see a pale blue butterfly resting on the back of his hand. He lifted it up to eyes level and the butterfly fluttered its wings but did not fly off. It was the same blue as Loki's eyes and it brought frustrated tears to his own.

Helplessness was not a feeling he enjoyed and he was about to shake the butterfly off when it spread it's wings. In black calligraphy were three words; I love you. Then the butterfly burst into flames, the ashes a shimmering mix of gold and red. He wondered again how Loki managed that, but shook off the thought. This wasn't about his magic. This was about how to save him.

"What happened here?" Natasha Romanov was standing in the middle of the room, dressed in the usual tight black suit she squeezed into anytime there was trouble, and he turned a glare on her.

"Why are you here?"

"Pepper called me. The others are on the way. She heard a commotion." Natasha's eyes roamed the room with a look that could've been disdain. "And she thought she heard Loki."

Tony would've fired Pepper in that moment if it weren't for the fact that she basically took care of the company for him. There was a crash of thunder and Thor appeared from nearly the same spot Loki had disappeared from.

"Is he still here?"

Tony clenched his hands in fists but shook his head.

"Then where is he?" Thor demanded, and Tony shrugged.

"I have no idea."

"We should meet with the others. There was an explosion under ten minutes ago in France. We need to regroup and figure out what Loki is doing."

"How do you know it was him? He was here."

Natasha turned a cold look on him even as Thor put a hand on his shoulder.

"Would anyone else make the flames into horses and have them race through a square?"

"That's actually fairly impressive if you think about it," Tony said, mostly to irritate her, and he saw it worked as the disdain passed over her features. She didn't respond though, turning on her heals and heading back out again.

"We should follow. We do need to know what it is he is hoping to accomplish."

Tony wanted to grind his teeth but gave a terse nod. He wanted to know exactly what was wrong with Loki, and he also wanted to make sure none of these nut-jobs went out of their way to hurt him. He wasn't gone – this visit proved that – he just needed to figure out how to bring him back.