Ynath Esrith: Yeah, she was being pretty horrible. Some may say understandably since Loki hurt Thor so badly, but still; he's a little boy. No little boy deserves to be treated poorly. Earth definitely is a better option for Thor and Loki at the moment.

Thanks again for all your support guys! You're awesome! Now, onward!

ONE STEP FORWARD, FOUR STEPS BACK

A THOR/AVENGERS FANFICTION

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Loki gets Chicken Pox

The next two days went by without major incident. Erik and Darcy still refused to be in the same room as Loki for too long, but Loki didn't really mind at all. Thor and Jane spent lots of time with him so it wasn't insulting. He barely even noticed. The thing that was bothering Loki was Bruce Banner. He had begun to have nightmares about Bruce and would wake up worrying about him. Thor had nothing particularly comforting to say about it and had admitted to worrying about Bruce, Tony and Pepper as well. They both wondered what S.H.I.E.L.D. had done with them after the escape and hoped they weren't in too much trouble. However, knowing Fury, Thor highly doubted that. They were probably locked away somewhere and had little chance of release.

The third morning came and Loki woke up not feeling well at all. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, a feverish sweat covering his body. Loki moaned loudly and stretched, every muscle in his tiny body aching and sore. He was achy, cold, wet, and overall miserable. Worst of all, Thor wasn't in the room. Loki's lip trembled and he began to cry loudly, hoping Thor would hear. He just wasn't in a mood to go and try to find his elder brother at the moment. Sure enough, Thor arrived shortly after Loki had begun to cry.

"What's wrong?" Thor asked. Loki wiped his running nose on his pajama sleeve.

"I don' feel good, Thor," Loki whined, his arms reaching out. He really just wanted Thor to hold him. Thor's brow lowered and he picked Loki up. The boy felt feverish and Thor immediately became very worried.

"You don't feel good? How so? Can you tell me?" Thor questioned. Loki sniffed.

"My whole body h'rts, Thor and my nose is runny." Loki moaned, clinging tightly to Thor.

"I'm sorry, Loki. We'll take your temperature and then get a bath. Maybe you'll feel better after that." Thor told him. Thor managed to find a thermometer and coaxed Loki into allowing Thor to use it. Thor didn't really understand what the number reading meant and Jane had to tell him.

"Oh my," Jane said, "It's over one hundred degrees." Thor blinked.

"Is that bad?" Thor asked. Jane shrugged.

"Not really, it's only 101 right now. But it can get bad if it climbs much higher." Jane told him. Thor nodded and took Loki to the bathroom. Loki refused to undress on his own and Thor had to remove the sweaty clothes and soaked Pull-Up from his cranky brother. Thor got the water started and lifted Loki up into the water, the warm liquid instantly soothing Loki's aching muscles.

"I love warm baths, Thor," Loki said contently. Thor smiled.

"So do I brother."

After his bath, Loki refused to dress himself and Thor had to do it. Loki threw a fit when Thor had suggested wearing regular clothes and not pajamas, landing him in time-out. Loki sniffled sadly for a full five minutes and when he was let out of time-out, he apologized and asked kindly if he could change into pajamas. Thor obliged and once more found himself dressing Loki. The boy demanded to be carried everywhere and Thor was extremely agitated with Loki. Loki refused to eat and was crabby throughout breakfast. Jane took his temperature again and it had remained constant at 101 F. Thor carried Loki to the main room and put a movie on for the cranky little boy to watch. Loki pouted about not being held anymore, but sat quietly and watched the movie. Thor floated in and out of the room checking on Loki every few minutes. Jane needed Thor for her research today and both adults kept a close on Loki from the room next door.

"Are we almost finished? The movie is almost over," Thor asked. Jane nodded.

"Just about. We'll be done right around the same time as the movie." Jane told him. Thor smiled at her. Jane could only work for a minute or two more, however, before someone interrupted.

"Thor?" Both adults turned to find Loki standing in the door way, his face tear-streaked and pink.

"What's the matter?" Thor asked him. Loki began to cry, and Thor walked over.

"Loki, what's wrong?" Thor questioned gently.

"I…I…" Loki began, the boy taking harsh breaths, "I had an accident." Thor glanced back to Jane then back at the clearly upset and ashamed little boy. Loki hadn't had a day time accident in almost two weeks. Thor took Loki's hand and turned to Jane.

"I shall return," Thor told her. Jane nodded.

"Alright, but we are almost finished." Jane said. Thor sighed and knelt down to Loki's level.

"Loki, can we get cleaned up in a minute or two? Jane needs me for something really important and we're almost done. Is that okay?" Thor asked softly. Loki nodded mutely and went to sit on the ground of Jane's laboratory.

"I am so sorry about that. He hasn't done that in weeks." Thor explained, wondering why now of all times Loki would have an accident. Jane waved her hand.

"It's probably the fever or something. That happens to kids sometimes. It's really not a big deal at all." Jane said absent-mindedly, her attention returning to her work.

"Oh," Thor said. That would make a lot of sense. Thor now wondered what kind of illness Loki had contracted. He hoped it wasn't too bad.

Loki slumped down against a wall, ashamed of himself worse than he had ever been in his life. He didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late to do anything about it. Thor probably thought he was just a big baby. Loki sniffled a little and began crying again. What Loki didn't realize was that he was seated in the middle of the laboratory, Erik and Darcy working close nearby. They heard the boy crying and both glanced over to see him sitting there. Darcy just rolled her eyes and blocked him out, but Erik couldn't do that. Loki was the reason he almost caused the total destruction of New York and the enslavement of the human race. What reason did that little punk have to cry anyway?

"Hey, shut it, kid. I'm trying to work." Erik snapped. Loki's head shot up and he wiped his nose on his hand.

"'M s'rry mister…I can' say your name, but 'm sorry. I sort of…" Loki was cut off by Erik's hand.

"I don't care why you're crying. I just want you to stop. I didn't realize Loki was such an infant." Erik said, muttering the last sentence under his breath. Loki heard the last bit, of course, and his lip trembled. He stood up.

"'M not a baby!" Loki cried. Darcy glanced up and Erik's face was hard.

"Oh?" Erik said. Loki nodded and took deep breaths in order to calm himself.

"Yeah, 'm not!" Loki retorted. Glass had begun to rattle and Darcy glanced around nervously.

"Is he doing that?" she asked, but her questioned went unanswered.

"You're not? Then why are you sniveling like a drooling infant? What could possibly so bad that gives you a reason to cry?" Erik mocked. Loki's face reddened.

"Well, I…uh," Loki stammered.

"It's just for attention, isn't it?" Erik spat. Loki's brow lowered and the glass beakers began shaking even faster.

"No it's not!" Loki screamed, then continued, "I had an accident, okay? Are you happy now?" Erik scoffed at him.

"Just as I thought. That is so infantile. Are you Loki or aren't you?" Loki's face burned in anger.

"I am Loki!" Loki bellowed. Glass began shattering from all over the room and Loki blinked. Darcy and Erik hid their heads and Thor put his arms around Jane to protect her. When it was over, Loki glanced up and was shocked to find every glass object inside the laboratory shattered.

"Did…did I do tha'?" Loki whispered. Erik glared at him and Darcy had her tazer ready. Loki screamed and darted off to hide behind Thor.

"Thor! She's goin' to hu't me!" Loki cried. Thor glanced up and stood, blocking Loki from everyone.

"What in Odin's name is going on here?" Thor roared, causing Loki to tremble.

"It's him! It's always him!" Erik called angrily from his desk. Thor glanced back at Loki, who was still shaking.

"What are you talking about?" Thor questioned.

"He made the glass break, I know it!" Thor looked down at Loki who's gaze was now to the ground.

"Is that true Loki?" Thor asked. Loki didn't look up and shrugged slightly.

"Maybe, but I didn' mean to," Loki looked up and gestured for Thor to come closer. Thor did so, and Loki stood on his tip-toes to reach Thor's ear. Loki gestured slightly toward Erik and added, "He was teasin' me, Thor." Without a further word, Thor lifted Loki up and put the boy on his hip.

"I do apologize," Thor said, "but Loki can't always control his magic. If he gets too emotional or upset, he loses control. So please, I would appreciate if you would try to avoid upsetting him to this point in the future." Thor then turned to Jane and said, "May I go now?" Jane nodded and glanced over to Darcy and Erik, both wearing looks of shock.

Thor took Loki back to their shared room and placed the upset boy on the ground. Not only had he wet himself, now he broken every piece of glassware in Jane's laboratory. Loki felt truly awful.

"Alright Loki, what happened today?" Thor asked. Loki scratched his suddenly very itchy arm and took a deep breath.

"I dunno, Thor. I didn' mean t' do anythin' wrong. I just don' feel good." Loki said miserably. Thor patted his head.

"All is well, Loki. I know you didn't intentionally do anything wrong." Thor soothed. Loki smiled slightly.

"'Kay," Loki said, still scratching his arm. Thor didn't notice and changed Loki (who was still refusing to dress himself today) and carried the boy out of the room. It was noon, so Thor decided to make himself and Loki lunch. As he did so, the boy sat at the table, scratching himself like crazy. He had begun to whimper slightly, unable to scratch everything that was itching. Thor heard him moaning and glanced back to see Loki scratching himself like mad.

"Loki, what's wrong?" Thor asked in confusion.

"'M itchy, Thor!" Loki whined loudly. Thor cocked his head to the side. Why would Loki be itchy?

"That's odd." Thor commented.

"What's odd?" Jane asked as she stepped into the kitchenette.

"Loki says he's itchy. I don't understand." Thor told her. Jane's eyes widened a little.

"Loki never had chicken pox?" Jane asked. Thor chuckled a little, not understanding.

"Chicken pox? What is a chicken pox?" Thor asked as Jane walked to Loki.

"Loki, can you show me your arms?" Jane asked. Loki nodded mutely and rolled up the sleeves of his pajamas, revealing multiple red patches littering his skin.

"What is that?" Thor asked nervously.

"That is chicken pox. It's a childhood disease on earth. It causes patches of itchy skin that appear as little red dots. It's highly contagious and if you've never had it or haven't been vaccinated, you can get it too and it's worse for adults." Jane explained.

"Am I goin' t' be okay?" Loki asked frantically. Jane nodded.

"Of course, but I'll have to take care of you until you're better. We don't want Thor to catch it too. Oh, and stop scratching. You'll hurt yourself." Jane told him. Loki's face fell slightly.

"Thor can catch it?" he asked. Jane nodded.

"Yes, he can. You'll have to keep your distance for a couple of days. It's not really a big deal." Jane explained. A few tears escaped Loki's eyes, but he wiped them away. He wished he could stop being such a baby! He liked Jane so what was the big deal?

"'Kay," Loki said. Jane smiled and kissed his raven hair.

"It'll be alright. I have just the trick for itchy skin." Jane told him.

"Should…Should I go?" Thor asked, unsure of what to do. Jane nodded and scooped Loki up into her arms.

"Yeah, you should. It would suck so bad if you caught the chicken pox, Thor." Jane said. Loki buried his face into Jane's shoulder, his body inflamed. How badly he wanted to scratch! It was so tempting, but Jane said not to, so he wouldn't, no matter how bad it itched.

As it turned out, Jane's trick was just a warm bath filled with ginger. She explained that if he sat in the bath for thirty minutes, he wouldn't be as itchy. Jane also mentioned that she would make him special tea to help his fever and sore muscles to feel better. Loki really liked the sound of that. Jane was impressed by how well behaved Loki was for being sick. He was visibly tired and a bit cranky, but overall the boy was very well behaved. Loki clung to her side for the rest of the day, refusing to lie down at all. He wanted to be held and when Jane held him he forgot how badly his body itched. He didn't eat much at dinner and at bed time, Loki begged for Thor to come and tell him a story.

"I could tell you one," Jane said. Loki shook his head.

"You don' know the one 'bout the twelve ducks," Loki told her.

"You're right, I don't. But I know lots of other good stories." Jane said. Loki's bottom lip trembled.

"I wan' t' see Thor!" Loki whined, a few tears escaping his eyes.

"Don't cry, it's okay," Jane said gently, trying to calm the boy down.

"No it's not," Loki said miserably, "I had a real bad day Miss Foster and now I can' e'en tell Thor g'night." Jane sighed and pulled Loki into a hug.

"I know you had a bad day. It's alright, though. You can tell Thor goodnight if you let me tell you a story, okay?" Jane offered. Loki thought about it hard for a moment.

"Yeah, okay," Loki agreed.

Jane told Loki the story of the ugly duckling, Loki enjoying it immensely. Following the story, Jane carried Loki (who still refused to walk) to the main room where Thor was so he could say goodnight. Loki immediately upon seeing Thor squirmed from Jane's grasp and darted to Thor. He crawled into Thor's lap and snuggled into him.

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

"Oh yeah?" Thor asked. Loki nodded.

"Uh-huh. Miss Foster is real nice, but I like you better." Loki informed him. Thor kissed Loki's head.

"I'm sorry you're sick, Loki." Thor said.

"Me too. I can' stay too long or you'll get sick, so," Loki kissed Thor's cheek then continued, "G'night, Thor." Thor kissed Loki's rosy cheek.

"Goodnight and sweet dreams little brother. I love you." Thor said. Loki giggled and slid off of Thor's lap.

"I love you too," Loki said, hurrying back over to Jane and demanding to be held.

"Goodnight Jane," Thor said. Jane smiled and Loki snuggled in close to her.

"Goodnight, Thor," she replied. Jane carried Loki back to his room and the boy was already asleep long before they reached it. As she tucked him in, she found it hard to believe that she hated him a few days ago. Loki was so sweet and Jane honestly couldn't imagine ever hating him to begin with. Loki brought his little goat to his chest and sighed contently. Jane smiled and kissed his head. As she left, she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Loki had always been this sweet.

The following morning found Loki bolting upright in bed from a nightmare. However, the boy didn't have much of a reaction to the dream, instead he immediately began to scratch at his inflamed skin. Loki was just as miserable as the morning before, his clothes soaked in a feverish sweat. The boy eventually yanked off his pajama shirt in an attempt to end the horrible itching. Loki felt so helpless, unable to end the itching. He was scratching so hard that some of the little red patches had begun to bleed. Loki found those and panicked, unsure of what to do. How he wished Thor was here! His big brother would know what to do. Not knowing of anything else to do, Loki began crying, hoping someone would hear him. Jane, who was busy working in the laboratory, heard the cries and so did Thor who was watching television. Jane knew that Thor would want to jump up to comfort him, but she also knew that Thor could also catch the chicken pox if he spent too much time with Loki. Hurriedly, Jane walked out of the laboratory and caught up with Thor who was in the hallway.

"Thor, don't. You seriously don't want the chicken pox." Jane said. Thor crossed his arms and huffed.

"I do not care," Thor muttered.

"Well I do. I don't want both of you sick. I will take care of him. Once most of the red patches are gone, he's not contagious anymore and then you can take care of him." Jane explained. Thor grumbled under his breath but agreed. He'd see Loki at breakfast anyway. Jane smiled and patted his arm. She then walked into Loki's room to find him shirtless and crying.

"Oh my," she said, "Did you scratch?" Loki nodded in shame.

"'M s'rry, but I was really itchy," Loki told her. Jane smiled sadly and picked him up.

"I know. Chicken pox isn't fun buddy," Jane said softly. A few tears escaped Loki's eyes and he nodded in agreement. Jane winced a little; she hated it when Loki cried. He was too cute to cry.

"Aw, come on kid. Don't cry, it's okay." Jane said soothingly. Loki wiped his runny nose on his sleeve.

"I don' feel good Miss Foster," he told her. Jane hugged him closer, her heart breaking a little. Loki hadn't truly felt better from what Thor told her in a long time. She knew that after leaving Asgard, Loki was sick and hurt and now he was sick again. Jane felt so bad for him.

"I know," Jane said rubbing his back, "How about we take a ginger bath? You liked that yesterday, remember?" Loki nodded.

"Uh-huh. It made me not itchy," Loki said. Jane smiled and carried the boy to the bathroom. She prepared the ginger bath and helped Loki undress. She lifted him up and placed him in the water, Loki instantly feeling better. Loki sat in the ginger bath for thirty minutes and then had to get out. Jane helped him dress and carried him to the kitchenette, promising to make him tea. Loki had really enjoyed the special herbal tea that Jane had made him the day before and couldn't wait to have more of it. While it was brewing, Jane took his temperature. To her delight it had dropped a degree, meaning that something they were doing was helping. After the tea was brewed and served, Loki took a drink of it and smiled brightly at her. Jane felt her heart melt.

Jane, Thor and Loki had breakfast together, Loki chatting with Thor. Loki was determined to have a better day then yesterday and was trying to keep his spirits up. Thor noticed and talked with him, hoping the little boy had a better day as well. After the meal, Jane took Loki's hand and took him to her laboratory. She instructed him to play quietly while she worked and promised that he would see Thor in a little while. Loki obeyed of course and sat cross-legged at the foot of her desk with his goat and some other toys that he had collected over the past few weeks. His favorites were the LEGOs, but he was also very fond of his plastic animals that Beth had given him. Loki's favorite of the bunch was the lion and the snake. He always pretended that they were friends and Thor had even played a few times with him. Jane glanced down every once in a while to check on him, Loki on his best behavior. But after a while, Loki began to get bored.

"Miss Foster?" Loki asked, standing.

"Yes," Jane responded not looking up from her work.

"'M bored," Loki told her.

"Play with your toys Loki. I'm busy." Jane said. Loki huffed a little.

"Can I see Thor now?" Loki asked.

"Not now. Play with your toys." Jane told him. Loki pouted and looked around. Darcy and Erik were both there but Loki knew better than to ask them to play with him. They'd just say no. Loki sat back down and moaned.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked, thinking something was wrong.

"Nothin'. 'M j'st bored." Loki repeated.

"Do you want to color?" Jane asked. Loki nodded.

"Uh-huh," Loki replied.

"Let's go. We can go potty and get some more tea while we're up." Jane said, standing.

"I like the tea Miss Foster," Loki said, gripping her hand.

"I know you do."

As Loki used the bathroom, Jane prepared more tea for him. When he was finished, she asked if he was itchy. He said that he was and she rubbed anti-itch on his body ("It's col', Miss Foster!"). Afterword, Jane got him some paper and crayons and the two reentered the laboratory and resumed their positions. Loki lied down on his stomach and colored, still favoring the red and black crayons. He decided to draw a bear for Jane seeing as he never showed her how well he could draw them. Darcy came to swap data with Jane and glanced down to see Loki furiously scribbling. Curiosity got the better of her and she knelt down next to him.

"What are you drawing?" she asked. Loki looked over and stiffened a little.

"Um…I…somethin' for Miss Foster," Loki stuttered.

"What is it?" Loki gulped.

"A-a bear. I can draw 'em real good." Loki told her. Darcy blinked in amazement; he really was just like a little kid. Maybe Loki truly wasn't dangerous after all.

"That's neat. You'll have to show me when you're done." Darcy said, standing. Loki stared up at her in shock then shook his head, a big grin splitting his face.

"'Kay! I'll draw you one…um….Wha's your name again?" Loki said, his face reddening a bit. Darcy grinned; he was so adorable! Why didn't she see it before?

"You can call me Darcy," she told him.

"I like your name. I'll draw a bear for you!" Loki squealed happily, his attention returning to his picture. Darcy giggled and returned to her work. Erik gave her a funny look, but said nothing. Loki wasn't bothering him today so why even bring it up? But out of the corner of his eye he saw the little boy color and he couldn't help but grin.