Hello again! Chapter eighteen is here ^^ Hope you enjoy it ^^

I don't own the Avengers, only Emma and the alterations made to the original story. I've used some of the scenes from the movie, so some of the lines will be similar, of course I don't own those.

The Attack on Manhattan

Eighteenth Day

I can't pretend not to notice their glances. Each and every five minutes either my father or Steve will glance at me, presumable to check that I'm okay. Which I am. I meant it when I smiled last night. I'll go back to being cheery, I won't mope around. Of course that doesn't mean I've forgotten anything or that I'm not sad anymore.

But I guess that can't really be helped. And moping doesn't help, so this is definitely the better option. Even though it also means that neither my father nor Steve lets me out of their sights for too long. I guess they just needs to be sure. So even though it's kind of annoying, scratch that, it's very annoying, I can't really be angry with them because they do it because they care.

They're in the middle of a hushed conversation, that I'm only getting very little of, since they're whispering. I'm reading, but it's getting difficult to concentrate on the words, with both their voices and glances there, I mean.

After reading the same page twice, without remembering much from it, I slam the book shut. That makes them look at me with concerned expressions. Inwardly I roll my eyes.

"Are you going to tell me what you're discussing?" I ask with just a hint of annoyance in my voice.

They look at each other worried, before apparently coming to a decision. Again I control my urge to roll my eyes at them.

My father walks closer to me, "You should sit down, sweetie," he says in a gentle tone he almost never uses. You should think I was on the verge of a breakdown with the way they're treating me.

I look at him unimpressed. "I am sitting down, Dad. Now, are you going to tell me?" When none of them starts talking I add, "I assume it's something about Loki then?"

My father sighs. "We were discussing what Loki plans to do now that he's free."

I nod understandingly. "Ah okay, he's got an army right?"

Steve nods at me, so I continue my line of thoughts, "So he'll need to get it here, right? That's what he's using the Tesseract for, to create a portal."

Now my father is the one nodding. "So you need to figure out where he's making the portal, right?" I ask.

"Yes, but where do you put something like that?" my father mumbles.

Steve picks up the thread. "If I was him I would do it somewhere quiet, somewhere no one would look, somewhere hidden. A place nobody could find."

I frown, "But that's not Loki."

My father agrees. "Exactly, that's not Loki. He's a drama queen, he wants his name shining across the sky for everyone to see."

My eyes widen the same time his do. "Stark Tower!" we exclaim at the same time.

Steve frowns slightly, "That big ugly…?" he notices both of our looks and stops talking. I raise an eyebrow at him, probably mirrored by my father.

Suddenly he starts laughing, "I'm kidding," he says. He shakes his head slightly, still chuckling. "You should have seen your faces." Then he gets serious again, "So, your tower?"

My father looks like he hasn't quite understood that it was a joke yet, so I take over. "Yes, it's tall, all over the news, it's perfect really. Everyone would be able to see it."

Steve nods understandingly. "Let's go then."

My father agrees quickly. "Go get the others, I'll fly by myself."

With that Steve runs off. My father turns to me. "You stay here, I will come back for you."

I nod with a small smile. "I know, Dad, be careful, okay? Like you promised me."

He smiles at me and kisses my forehead. "Of course, sweetheart, you just have to promise me the same."

I nod again.

He pauses to think and then says, "On second thought, I think I'll leave you with Fury."

I groan. "Come on, Dad, I don't need a babysitter."

"I know, but I want you to be safe," he says while dragging me with him to the control room where pretty much everyone is; Nick Fury, Maria Hill and a lot of agents.

"Take care of her, don't let her out of your sight," he says to Fury seriously. "Don't let her go after me, don't let her get hurt."

Fury raises an eyebrow at my father, as if to say Who are you to demand that of me?. But then he says, "I promise," just as serious as my father.

I groan. Come on! I don't need a babysitter! I can take care of myself.

My father turns to me one last time before he leaves too. "I love you, Emma, I'll come back to you. I promise."

I consider not responding to show that I'm not happy with him, but decide otherwise. I smile at him. "I love you, too, Dad."

Then he runs out of the room to get his suit.

(Loki's POV)

"Would you like a drink?" her father asks casually. I wonder when I started thinking of him as her father instead of Stark.

"Stalling me won't change anything," I say with raised eyebrows. I don't really get what he's trying to do. Shouldn't he be angry with me?

"No no no, threatening." It doesn't seem like threatening. "No drink, you sure? I'm having one." With that he pours himself a drink behind the counter. I just keep standing in the middle of the room.

"The chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?" I sneer, pretending to be the arrogant confident Loki I'm supposed to be. In reality I am afraid; I'm afraid of her, afraid of what's going to happen to her, and I'm afraid of crossing Thanos.

He starts walking towards me. "The Avengers." I raise my eyebrow questioningly, so he explains, "It's what we call ourselves. Sort of like a team. "Earth's mightiest heroes", that type of thing."

Of course, they have a team name now. I mentally roll my eyes. "Yes, I've met them."

"It took us a while to get any traction on that one. But let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demigod." I mentally wince at the word brother, I don't deserve to call myself his brother anymore. "The super soldier, a living legend, who lives up to the legend. A man with breath-taking anger management-issues. A couple of master assassins. And you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. Not to mention the Man of Iron, whose daughter you hurt."

It's like a hole in my heart, but I still say, "That was the plan."

He only shrugs, but I can see the danger in his eyes. "Not a good plan. When they come, and they will, they come for you."

I have to mentally remind myself that I have to do this if I want to live. "I have an army."

"We've got a Hulk."

"I thought the beast has wandered off." Guess Emma was right; they stick together.

"You're missing the point. There's no throne. There is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes, and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. 'Cause if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

"How will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting you?" Emma would hate me if she knew I was doing this. I point my staff at his heart. Nothing happens. I frown confused, "This usually works." Part of me is happy it doesn't.

"Well, performance issues is not uncommon. One out of five…." he says calmly, before I angrily grabs him.

I don't really want to do this, but I have to. I'm breathing heavily as I throw him out of the window. The minute I release him, I see Emma's face before my eyes. Her disappointed face, the way she looked at me two days ago.

I fall down to my knees; didn't I just prove that I am the monster everyone says I am? I like her, and I just threw her father out of a window. How stupid can you get?! Well, one thing is for sure, now she's never going to forgive me.

I lift my head, tears streaming down my cheeks. I can't give up now. I care more about her than I care about my own life. I can't stop the attack, but maybe I can help defeat the chitauri. That I can do. I'll probably die, but at least I'll die on the right side. I have to. With that I throw myself into the fight, this time killing chitauri.

(Emma's POV)

I'm standing next to Nick Fury, not by his good will, mind you. I forced my way here, since this is the only way I'll be able to see what's going on down on the ground. And what I see is terrible, absolutely terrible. Fire, fights, blood, death.

Just a minute before he told my father about the nuke coming to Manhattan. I can't imagine what he's planning to do with it, but whatever it is it's probably not something I'd like. I feel like screaming, why is this happening?! What if something happens to them, any of them? I can't go back to the time before I met them. I can't forget about them.

I stare intensely at the screen showing my father directing the nuke up to the portal. Is it selfish that I don't want him to do it? It probably is. But I can't lose him, I just can't.

He's close to the portal now. Just let go of it now, Dad, I chant in my mind, hoping he'll listen, even though I know he won't and can't. Of course he won't. He'll see it through, like he always does. He'll make sure it hits where it should.

As my father disappears through the portal with the missile, I tune everyone's cheering out. I'm numb, watching the screen intensely for any sign that he's back. I can feel the tears ready to fall from my eyes, willing them not to fall; willing myself to keep believing that he'll come back. After all he has lots of things to return home to; Pepper, work, the Avengers, me. He has to return.

I glance quickly at Nick Fury, he's not cheering either. But he must have felt my look, 'cause he directs his glare at me in a look of pity and sympathy. If that's even possible coming from him.

I refuse to acknowledge his look and instead looks back at the screen, just in time to see my dad appearing from the portal. A small smile grows on my lips, until I realize that he's falling not flying. I frown and once again look at Fury.

He looks back at me at the same time, with the same look of pity on his face. I shake my head slightly at him, still believing my father's fine. He turns away from me slightly, but I grab his arm.

"I need to get down there," I say, demand.

He looks me square in the eyes. "There's nothing you can do down there."

"That doesn't matter," I say with disbelief. "I want to go down there to see my father." When he doesn't answer I raise my voice, "I have to get down there, so get someone to fly me down! There's nothing dangerous down there anyway, so your promise to my dad doesn't matter anymore."

"No." One single word; he's not even listening.

"Get. Me. Down. There. Now!" I demand.

He turns properly to look at me, but before he can say anything, Maria Hill interrupts, "I'll fly you down."

I look at her gratefully, "Thank you." I then turn to follow her through the door.

I'm running and running and running, and it's like time is standing still and I'm getting nowhere. All I can see is my father lying on the ground in his suit. I can't tell if he's breathing, but the grim faces of the rest of the Avengers doesn't promise anything good. I can't breathe, I don't think I can bear to lose him.

I'm about five meters away now and finally someone notices me. Steve glares up from my father, probably hearing my ragged breathing and not-so-silent running, his face turns five times sadder when he notices me. Oh no, oh no, no no no! This can't happen! I won't let it.

My father's suit is broken multiple places, the helmet has been torn off for one. Probably to get to my father's face. The others have also taken their share of cuts and bruises, but the one of most concern right now, is my father.

I notice Steve glaring pointedly at me; he's trying to get the others' attention. And suddenly just as I reach within one meter of my father, the Hulk roars loudly. Loud enough, apparently, to wake the dead, 'cause my father lifts his head startled.

"What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me." I'm both grinning and crying right now. I must look like a maniac, but I don't even care as I kneel next to my father. No matter what, I can't stop the tears streaming down my cheeks, and I can't stop the smile that's threatening to break my face. But I don't care, because my father is here and he's alive and I don't care about anything else at the moment.

I just hug my father as best as I can, with him lying down and all, and settle with him whispering reassuring sentences in my ear. I hold him slightly away from me. "Never do that again." It's meant to sound as an order or a warning, but instead it sounds as a plea, and I realize how weak my voice is. So instead of waiting for an answer or saying anything else, I lean back into my father's arms.

I faintly notice Steve answering my father's question," We won." He says it with wonder, like he can't believe it. And I lift my head from my father to smile at him.

"Alright. Good job guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day," my father says tired. "Have you guys ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it."

I start to laugh, of course he would be the one to say something like that. It certainly eases the mood, which was probably his purpose anyway. "Of course I have, Dad. It's pretty good."

The happiness slowly disappears as Thor says, "We're not finished yet." I know what they have to do, and I understand it, but it still kind of kills the mood.

"But then shawarma after," my father insists and smiles at me. I smile back at him, too relieved not to.

(Loki's POV)

When I can finally move I slowly sit and proceed to turn around. It's only then that I notice the faces of the Avengers glaring threateningly at me. But honestly that's not the face I'm looking for. I'm looking for the kind face with chocolate brown eyes and honey blond hair. And there she is, standing slightly behind Stark.

I try to catch her eyes, but she seem to avoid looking directly at me. I sigh, and directs my eyes at her father instead. "If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now." I won't be able to run or fight or do anything, so instead I let my body relax somewhat and wince at the pain from moving.

"I don't think the offer stands anymore, brother," Thor says. I can't believe, after all this, he still refers to me as brother. Maybe Emma was right? He does care. So much I've ruined with this.

I sigh, before answering. At least I can be a man now and take responsibility for my actions. "Well then, let's go." So I let them bind me and give me a muzzle on to prevent me from talking. All the while I'm still trying to catch her eyes.

What did you think? I really like getting comments from you guys, so please review ^^ Thank you for every favourite and follow, it means so much to me. Only ten more followers and I'll have 100! And there's only two chapters left, so two weeks ^^ I still need to write the last chapter... I'm so lazy :P Well, hope you enjoy the story :) See you next monday!