Chellybean17: I'm glad you're enjoying it! I hope to keep updates as frequent as possible, but I starting working this week so we'll see.

Tinideanfan: Glad to hear you're addicted! Little Loki is pretty adorable :)

Ynath Esrith: Tony can be a real jerk sometimes. Hopefully he'll warm up soon! Let's just hope that Odin will leave them be and Loki can stay safe and happy on earth.

Thanks again so much for the feedback! You guys are all incredible! Now, onward!

ONE STEP FORWARD, FOUR STEPS BACK

A THOR/AVENGERS FANFICTION

CHAPTER TEN: The Slaying of Surtur

After the initial exam and incident at the cafe, Bruce had stuck around to make sure Loki was healing properly. He was worried about Loki's lacerated stomach and tissue damage in his throat, stomach and bladder. By the fourth day on Midgard, Loki's fever had broken and the pain medicine had begun to work. The boy's voice was becoming strong once more and some of his energy was back. He was still falling asleep early, but he would actually play instead of lying around. Bruce was happy with his progress and kept telling Thor there was nothing to worry about. But to Thor, there was plenty to worry about; Loki had no appetite and what little he did eat came back up later. There was also Loki's self-esteem to worry about. Not only had the boy been wetting the bed, but he had been having day time accidents as well. Loki was ashamed of himself and not just because of that. He was scared of his own shadow and the nightmares kept him up a lot. He clung to Thor, terrified that if his brother left his sight, he'd disappear. So while physically he was healing, emotionally he was declining.

The fifth morning of their stay in Stark Tower found Loki curled up in Thor's bed yet again. Loki sat up and yawned. Besides noticing the wet bed, Loki quickly noticed something else; Thor wasn't in bed. Panic over took him and Loki began to cry loudly, a pressure building in his chest. He didn't realize it, but what was happening to him was a panic attack. Loki frantically stood up, his chest heaving, and left the room searching for Thor. He arrived in the main room to see Pepper and Tony sitting on a couch, but no Thor. Pepper glanced up and saw the pale, shaking Loki and met his frightened eyes.

"What's the matter?" she asked, Tony now looking up as well. Loki's lip trembled and he began to cry again. Pepper shot up and went over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. The hand did little to calm him so Pepper picked him up, ignoring the dampness.

"Loki? What's wrong sweetie?" she asked.

"I-I had a bad dream a-and went t' sleep with Thor, and when I woke up he wasn't there!" Loki cried. Pepper held him close, trying to sooth him.

"It's alright, Thor will be back," Pepper said softly. Loki was mumbling inaudibly as Pepper held him, her presence not calming him the way Thor's would.

"Thor is taking a walk," Pepper explained to him, her words not calming him in the slightest. The only thing Pepper could think of to do was to rock back and forth slowly (as to not upset his stomach) until he calmed down. Pepper walked over to a chair and sat, then began to slowly rock back and forth. Loki's sobs soon became sniffles and hiccups and he looked up at Pepper, shame written all over his young face.

"I...I'm sorry," he mumbled. Suddenly his feet were much more interesting than the conversation he was having. Pepper held him closer, trying to tell him everything was alright. He had no reason to feel shame.

"It's okay Loki. Everything is just fine. Thor will be back soon." Loki nodded, not really believing it.

"'Kay," he mumbled.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Pepper said. She held Loki tight as she walked, the boy grateful for the closeness. They entered the room and Pepper sat Loki down (much to his displeasure) and she opened his drawers.

"Do you want to wear pajamas?" Pepper asked. Loki shrugged.

"Sure," he replied. Loki really didn't care what he wore so long as he got out of his wet clothes. Pepper picked out a footie with fish on them and help Loki dress, the boy blushing the whole time. Taking Loki's hand, Pepper left the room and went back to the main room, Thor now sitting next to Tony.

"Thor!" Loki cried happily, darting over to his brother and climbing on to his lap. Thor smiled brightly and patted Loki's head.

"Hello Loki," Thor said. Loki smiled broadly, his green eyes shining.

"I missed you," Loki told him. Thor chuckled slightly.

"You did?" Thor said, his tone teasing Loki slightly. Loki nodded and giggled a little, catching Thor's tone.

"I did, but I may not next time," Loki replied. Thor tickled him and Loki laughed, his feet kicking wildly. This continued for a while until Loki was in tears and his little sides in stitches. Thor finally stopped when he felt that Loki had had enough and they ate. Thor gave Loki the stomach soother that Bruce had given him and Loki was able to eat half of his scrambled eggs and a slice of bacon. Thor celebrated of course, this being the most Loki had eaten in weeks. Loki soaked up the indirect praise and smiled brightly.

The rest of the morning was seemingly uneventful, Loki coloring and the adults doing whatever it is adults do. He was sitting at Tony's bar and coloring, no grown-ups in the main room at all. Loki knew where they all were of course, but that didn't stop him from getting lonely. After all, no one likes to be alone all the time. Yawning slightly, Loki sat up straighter and glanced around seeing no adults at all. He placed down the crayons he was using and hopped off the stool. Loki was hoping that someone would be willing to spend time with him. Sure, he wanted someone to play with him, but he knew how adults worked. Playing was too low for them, so quality time would have to do. Loki wondered around the main room for a while, his eyes searching for someone-anyone-to talk to who could talk back. He didn't want to talk with his ram because it couldn't talk back. A person made for much better company anyway. Eventually, Loki spotted Bruce walking out of the elevator and into the main room. Grinning, Loki sprinted over to him and tugged on Bruce's shirt.

"Is something wrong?" Bruce asked, automatically thinking the boy needed something. Loki shook his head.

"Nah, I'm j'st bored," Loki explained his little hand still on Bruce's shirt. Bruce's face softened a bit.

"What do you want to do, then?" Bruce questioned. Loki glanced down in thought, trying to think of some great game to play with Bruce that would keep them both occupied.

"I know," Loki said, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. His cat-like eyes narrowed and Bruce gulped a little; he didn't like that look on Loki's face at all.

"What?" Bruce asked nervously.

"You're gonna be Surtur the fire demon. I'm gonna try t' slay you, okay?" Loki explained. Bruce nodded and Loki dashed off and sprinted down the hallway. Bruce stood there awkwardly for a moment, not sure what he was supposed to do next.

"Um…what do I do now?" Bruce called out.

"Hang on!" Loki called back. A few moments later, Loki returned, carrying blocks and boxes with him. He dumped them all on the ground then sat down. Loki began to arrange them all and Bruce realized that Loki was making a village for him to destroy. When Loki was finally satisfied, he darted off again, leaving Bruce alone to raze the city. Bruce growled a little and kicked over a box. He let out a malicious chuckle and moved on to knock over a tower of blocks. In the other room, Loki was busy securing a blanket around his neck and was trying to find a sufficient sword. Finally, Loki found a long white stick (the one found on the blinds. He had to tear it off.) and used a spell to make it look like a sword. Satisfied, Loki sprinted out of the room and headed toward Bruce who was slowly destroying the village.

"Halt foul beast!" Loki called out. Bruce stopped and fought to hide a smile; he was playing a demon after all. Bruce scowled at Loki the best he could and growled at him.

"And who is it that demands me to do so?" Bruce demanded. Loki posed heroically and pointed to his chest.

"Tis I! Loki of Asgard!" Loki cried loudly. Bruce smirked.

"Make me, O!Loki of Asgard!" Bruce prompted. Loki ran toward him and tried to tackle Bruce to the ground. Bruce decided to let Loki win this round and fell over, making dying sounds as he went.

"You are just too much for me," Bruce whispered and he sighed heavily, his eyes closing. Loki erupted into a fit of giggles and Bruce sat up with a big grin on his face.

"Let's do it again!" Loki said when he had finally stopped laughing long enough to speak. Bruce agreed and together they began to rebuild the city.

Hours passed and Bruce and Loki were still playing that game. Thor had joined in, sometimes as Surtur's assistant and others as Loki's sidekick. Everyone, adults included, were quite enjoying this, Loki's wild imagination fueling the game and changing the scenarios. Both men quickly learned that Loki still had a few sly tricks up his sleeve, the little boy finding unique ways of escaping Surtur's grasp. It was entertaining to say the least. This time around, Bruce and Thor had captured Loki and were attempting to feed him to another horrible demon in Limbo. Loki was pretending to be bound at the wrists and ankles and was struggling valiantly. Bruce rounded on him, an evil sort of look on his face.

"It was foolish of you to come here. Now I will kill you, great hero of Asgardia." Bruce said calmly and slowly. Loki scowled at him.

"Ne'er! I will not be beaten so quickly!" Loki said defiantly. Bruce chuckled and called for Thor. Thor walked in and bowed to his "master".

"Yes Master Surtur?" Thor asked humbly.

"Keep an eye on our prisoner while I prepare for his demise." Bruce commanded him. Thor bowed again and Bruce left. Thor then turned to Loki (who was still struggling) and smirked as evilly as he could manage.

"There is no escape for you, Loki." Thor said harshly. Loki stuck his tongue out at Thor.

"Just because you see none, doesn' mean there aren't any," Loki retorted. Loki was trying to make his voice deeper, to make the hero persona seem more real. He was actually quite proud of how low he could make his voice sound. Thor waved his hand indifferently.

"Those are the words of a trickster," Thor commented offhandedly. Loki smirked and his cat-like eyes narrowed.

"Exactly," Loki replied softly. Thor looked down, the tone of Loki's voice different somehow. It was deeper, more menacing. Before Thor could question it, Loki took a deep breath and a blinding green light engulfed the room. Thor quickly shut his eyes and waited for the light to fade. When the light had faded, Loki was nowhere to be found.

"Loki?" Thor questioned, breaking character. A little shuffling of tiny feet was heard and before Thor could call out again, a cry sounded from behind him and a weight was added to his shoulders. Thor looked up and saw Loki on his shoulders, tugging lightly on his hair.

"I sure scared you, didn' I, Thor?" Loki asked proudly. Thor chuckled lightly and patted Loki's leg.

"You did indeed, little one. When did you learn that trick?" Thor asked, curious as to how Loki knew that particular bit of magic. Thor could remember Loki casting that much later in childhood. He was worried about past spells, motives and memories flooding back into his innocent little brother. Loki shrugged and put a hand on Thor's blonde head.

"Dunno. I just knew it somehow. Pretty neat, huh?" Loki said cheerfully. While Loki was cheerful, Thor was worried. What did this mean for the boy? Would Loki now start to remember things, events and spells? Would his old ways come back to him? Before Thor could ponder more, he felt Loki slip off his back.

"I'm going t' escape now. You should call Mr. Banner back so we can keep plain'." Loki said, sprinting off to hide. Thor sighed and shook his head; he didn't want to worry. Although, if something like that happened again, he'd have no choice but to investigate further, meaning he'd have to ask Loki some difficult questions that Loki may or may not be willing to talk about.

"Master Surtur!" Thor called anxiously, resuming his character once more. Bruce hurried back into the room and a look of mock anger spread across his face.

"You let him escape?" Bruce cried out. Thor bowed and got on his knees so he could beg. Loki liked it when the adults made it look convincing.

"I beg your forgiveness, Master. He is too strong!" Bruce scowled at him.

"But of course! He is Loki! Master of tricks, lies and strength! That's why you were supposed to be watching him!" Bruce cried, Thor's head lowering.

"Thanks for all the kind words, Surtur," Loki called, his little sword in his hand, "but I don' really like fl…flat…I can' say that word." Loki finished, unable to continue. Flattery can be a hard word to say when you are so small after all. Bruce got the idea and lunged for Loki, Loki tapping him with his sword. Once again, Bruce fell to his death and Thor surrendered and Loki laughed. Thor didn't question Loki about the spell, and Loki's laughter echoed through the Tower, Bruce joining in with him.

Loki never lost interest in that game of his, but Thor and Bruce were slowly getting worn out as the game got more and more elaborate. After lunch, Loki crankily agreed that they should stop playing and do something quiet for a while. Loki was extremely hyper and was having trouble sitting still. It was the first time in a while that he wasn't completely miserable and wanted to expel as much energy as he could. Thor had to force him to sit down and play quietly, Loki having none of that at all. Eventually, Bruce coaxed Loki into coloring and Loki sat at the bar counter, scribbling away. Bruce had retreated to take a nap (having been in Loki's slay Surtur game longer and having no experience with children what so ever) while Thor lounged on one of the couches and watched television. Loki had no interest in television and blocked it all out, his focus on his drawing. Tony was out visiting his good friend Rhody and said he'd be gone all day. Pepper was in her office getting work done. Since Thor and Loki's arrival, she had little time to do any paper work and was catching up on it.

After sometime, Thor had passed out on the couch; his late nights with Loki catching up with him. Loki yawned slightly and knew he should probably take a nap too, but coloring seemed much more interesting. Around three in the afternoon, Pepper came out of her office and spotted Loki sitting on a bar stool, squirming and yawning. She walked over and sat down next to him.

"Hi Loki," Pepper said cheerfully. Loki turned and smiled brightly at her, a yawn sounding from him.

"Hello Miss Potts," he answered.

"Are you sleepy?" Pepper questioned as he yawned again.

"Yeah, I guess so," Loki replied, picking up a crayon and coloring some more.

"Do you have to use the bathroom?" Pepper asked. Loki shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so," Loki repeated, setting the crayon down and hoping off the stool. His stomach didn't hurt on impact and Loki gasped a little in surprise.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Loki looked up at her and smiled brightly.

"My stomach didn' hurt when I jumped off that stool thing," Loki said excitedly, dancing slightly out of both excitement and a need to pee. Pepper smiled at him.

"That's very good news," Pepper replied patting his raven hair. Loki giggled and blushed at her touch.

"I'm gonna go now," he told her, bounding away from the counter. Pepper, still smiling, returned to her office, Loki's happiness radiating through her as she went.

Loki made to the bathroom (he was very pleased with that) and then he realized just how tired he actually was. His little feet were dragging across the floor with every step he took, his eyes irritated and itchy. Thankful that he was still in pajamas, Loki crawled into his bed and feel asleep relatively quickly. When he woke up, he was well-rested, not having a single nightmare. Loki wasn't pleased however find that he had indeed wet the bed again, even though he had gone to the bathroom before hand. He wondered how long he had been asleep and didn't know how to tell time, so he had no way of knowing what time it was now or how much time had passed. Sniffling, Loki got out of bed and left the room, hoping to find Thor, Pepper, or even Bruce. He really wanted to avoid Tony since he enjoyed teasing Loki as much as possible. Loki reached the main room and saw that no one was in it. His lip trembled a little and he heard the sounds of raised voices coming from Tony's office. Curious, Loki walked over and put his ear up to the door, listening. The voices belonged to Tony and Thor, and they were clearly heated about something.

"That isn't what I said at all, Thor. I said that they had Banner bugged the whole time. Banner didn't know." Loki heard Tony say. He wasn't sure what Tony meant by Bruce was "bugged", he just hoped that it wouldn't hurt him; Loki really liked Bruce.

"So what is Fury going to do?" Bruce asked. Who was Fury, or was it even a person at all? Loki didn't understand what the grown-ups were talking about.

"Indeed. What is Fury's next course of action?" Loki heard Thor ask.

"Probably send Barton, or worse; Romanov." Tony answered. Loki was really confused. Who were all these people? And what made this Romanov worse than Barton?

"So we truly have been compromised," Thor muttered. Compromised? Wasn't compromise a good thing? Loki was leaning in to listen better when he felt someone grab him. Loki instantly tensed up, waiting for the first blow.

"You really shouldn't be eavesdropping, kiddo." Loki opened his eyes and saw that it was Pepper who had grabbed him. Loki squirmed out of her grasp and Pepper grabbed his hand instead.

"'M sorry," Loki said. Pepper smiled, though to Loki it seemed faked, forced. It was like Pepper knew something that Loki didn't know.

"Did you have a good nap?" she asked. Loki shrugged and his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, but what's the grown-ups talkin' 'bout that I can' know 'bout?" Loki asked suspiciously. Pepper laughed nervously.

"Um, boring stuff you wouldn't understand." she said quickly and dismissively. Loki scowled at her.

"I'd understan' fine!" Loki retorted, crossing his arms.

"Did you have an accident?" Pepper asked abruptly. Loki huffed a little; why wouldn't Pepper answer his question but he had to answer hers?

"Yes, but," before Loki could ask again, Pepper was dragging him away from the door to Tony's office, muttering to herself. Pepper quickly found Loki clothes and helped him dress, Loki fuming the whole time. Why wouldn't she tell him anything? He could understand lots of things! It just wasn't fair!

"I don' like bein' so little," Loki mumbled to himself as Pepper stripped his bed. She glanced back at him.

"Why?" she asked. Loki crossed his arms and pouted.

"'Cause, no body e'er tells little kids the important things." Loki whined loudly. Pepper stopped what she was doing to come and sit by Loki.

"Listen, it isn't that we don't trust you, it's just sometimes adults talk about things that little kids shouldn't have to worry about. It's nothing personal, really." Pepper explained. Loki sighed dramatically and laid his head in her lap.

"Yeah, okay. It still stinks." Loki muttered. He heard Pepper laugh.

"I know it does. I was a kid once too you know." Pepper said. Loki laughed lightly and lifted his head so that Pepper could stand up. She finished stripping Loki's saturated bed and Loki got off Thor's bed and followed her.

"Can I help you?" he asked. It seemed fair to help since he was the one who peed in the bed to begin with. Pepper nodded from behind the pile of sheets and blankets.

"Sure you can," she replied. She led Loki down to the building's laundry room and showed Loki how to start the washing machine. Pepper lifted Loki onto the machine and told him which buttons to press. He followed her instructions and laughed gleefully when it actually worked. Pepper praised him and helped him off the washing machine. Loki skipped happily next her, proud of himself for helping to clean a mess he made.

The rest of the night was relatively boring, the adult males still inside Tony's office. Pepper was keeping an eye on Loki and gave him his stomach soother before eating. Dinner was simple, just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with Jell-O for dessert. Loki fell in love with both items and actually ate his whole sandwich and half his Jell-O. Afterword, Pepper played with Loki for a while in between doing laundry. Loki was getting sleepy around eight-thirty, so Pepper decided to bathe him and put him to bed. Loki, who was too tired to care, didn't mind Pepper helping him take a bath and didn't argue with her. Pepper then dressed him and put him to bed, kissing his forehead as she left the room. It wasn't until then that she began to worry about the day ahead.

Around midnight, Loki woke up screaming. Thor immediately turned the lamp on the nightstand on and went over to him. Loki latched on to Thor instantly, his presence chasing the dream away. After Loki had calmed down Thor was about to put the boy back in his own bed when Loki began to whimper.

"What's wrong?" Thor asked tiredly.

"I wan' t' sleep with you," Loki explained, equally as tired. Thor obliged, of course, not caring where Loki slept so long as he did in fact sleep.

"Thor?" Loki asked once they had both gotten in bed.

"Yes brother?" Thor replied.

"Can you tell me a story?" Loki asked softly.

"Which one?" Thor questioned.

"The one where Tyr tried t' slay Surtur. I've been thinkin' 'bout that one all day." And so Thor began to tell the brave Loki of Asgard the tale when Tyr almost slayed Surtur, the boy falling asleep well before the end.