A/N: Hey, you guys! How are you all? So, this chapter as well is shorter than I planned, but due to the long wait I've put you through and because it works I'm just gonna post what I have. I really hope you guys enjoy! I'd also like to quickly thank all those who have followed, favorited and/or reviewed this fic. You guys are all so awesome and I can't express my gratitude enough.

Jess walked out of the building for the second time in three weeks, followed closely by Steve, Tony, Bruce and Thor. Natasha and Clint had gone ahead to secure Loki in one of the many SUVs that littered their surrounding area. Jess's arms were wrapped around herself in the chilly air, the heat that her fire brought to her insides quickly fading into no more than a memory. Jess bit at her lower lip nervously and brushed a strand of brown hair over her ear.

"So," she said, turning to look at the four Avengers. They were all eyeing her with concern. Despite their obvious well intentions, it felt almost alienating. "What happens now?"

Steve let out a long breath. "SHIELD takes Loki in," he said. "They're going to question him, then determine what they're going to do with him."

"But they're going to want to lock him up," completed Jess for him.

Steve nodded. "They'll probably want to question you, too," he added somewhat apologetically. "But you don't have to if you don't want to, we can –"

"No, I want to," Jess cut him off. "I have a lot of explaining to do, I know."

"They won't touch you," he said immediately. "I mean, because of your… powers. We'll make them leave you alone."

Jess smiled. It didn't quite reach her eyes. She looked so tired. "Thanks," she said softly.

For a moment, Steve just looked at her.

Jess crossed the distance between them, and when she reached Steve he put his arms around her and it almost physically hurt, that pull in his chest that had been growing for the past three weeks. Jess clung to his torso like she wasn't going to let go, burying her head in his chest. He felt her take a quick deep breath.

In the cold darkness, surrounded by cars' headlights and old cement, Jess felt something collapse inside her chest. All the strain and worries of the past few weeks broke through a barrier she didn't realize she had built, flooding her chest in painful tidal waves. She clung a little closer to Steve, even though he was already holding her so tight it was a little hard to breathe.

When she pulled away she glanced up at him for a moment with wide eyes. Then she moved on. She hugged Bruce tight with an arm over his shoulder, and his reaction was somehow startled and welcoming at the same time. Then she went on to hug Thor, and then Tony, and then she finally let go and stood at an arm's length from the four of them, trying to simultaneously take everything in and avoid being knocked off her feet by the intensity of whatever she was feeling. She wasn't going to delve too deeply into what exactly that was at the moment.

She was so tired.

"Come on," said Steve eventually. "Let's go. We can talk more when we get there."

Jess nodded, and followed him, Tony and Bruce into one of the cars. She climbed onto the middle seat, and Steve and Bruce sat at either side of her. Tony sat in the front. She didn't recognize the driver.

"Where's Thor?" she asked.

"He's with Clint and Nat," answered Bruce. And Loki, he didn't add.

The car started, and rolled off smoothly forward. The five passengers rode in silence for several minutes.

"Where are we going?" asked Jess eventually. "SHIELD?"

"Nah," said Bruce. "Nat and Clint can handle Loki. Thor probably wants to be involved too, but we're going to the Tower." He looked over to her and smiled. "We're going home."

Jess smiled softly, too exhausted for anything more.

"SHIELD would probably want us all to come in tomorrow, though," said Tony. His tone sounded oddly detached. "You know, talk to everyone. They'd probably be wondering what the hell you're thinking defending the guy who kidnapped you and committed mass murder during his attempted taking over the planet."

"Tony," hissed Steve, and looked ready to tell him to leave Jess the hell alone.

"It's okay," said Jess quietly, looking down at her lap and playing with her fingers. "I get it. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I made such a mess out of everything. But I'm glad you found me." She paused. "I've missed you."

"Hey," said Steve with concern. "You alright?"

Jess shook her head. "I'm just tired."

The car was quiet for several moments more. Then, with a somewhat uncharacteristic lack of hesitance, Jess leaned her head against Steve's shoulder. She fell asleep in seconds.

Even after they have reached their destination, nobody said anything. When the car parked, its passengers exited the vehicle without a word. Steve pulled away gently, watchful not to wake Jess, and then reached into the car to carefully pick her up in his arms and carry her inside. He supposed waking her up now would be a little rude, and really unnecessary; her weight was virtually nonexistent in his artificially enhanced muscles, and she did not so much as stir as he walked with the girl in his arms.

After laying her down in her bed that's been painfully empty for weeks, Steve found himself stopping at the doorway of her bedroom and looking back at her. Her expression was blank in her sleep, and her body seemed to naturally curl in on itself under the comforter he had draped over her. He couldn't tear his eyes from her, despite how looking at her like that made something constrict agonizingly in his chest. It's been only a few hours since they found out her location, and now she was back but everything was about to change. Steve thought about Loki and Jess's apparent bewildering affection for him. He thought of the flames she held in the palms of her hands, of her eyes glowing and of her temper rising and bursting like a firecracker. He thought of how she had been hiding her powers from them for months and they never knew and wondered what that made of them.

With a sigh Steve tore himself away. There was plenty of time for him to beat himself up later, and right now he just wanted to go to his own bed and sleep.

Tomorrow would be endless.

Jess's eyes cracked open, blinking as the black irises in seas of hazel adjusted to the sunlight pouring out the window. Stretching her muscles against the mattress she turned and twisted and propped herself up on her elbows, glancing around the room. Her room. Which she hadn't seen in weeks, and where she most definitely did not fall asleep the previous night. She must have dozed off in the car. Someone must have carried her all the way up.

Jess scanned the room slowly. Her desk and the bedside table were both precisely the way she had left them, give or take. Messes of books and notes and pens and homework that would now be all overdue. She lifted the edge of the comforter to her nose and drew a long breath in. It smelled clean… ish. It also smelled somewhat like an adolescent who hadn't had a change of clothes in three weeks. Jess tried to run her fingers through her hair and immediately encountered dozens of impossible knots.

Right, she thought. Priorities.

Maybe if she had still been conscious when they had arrived at the Avengers Tower, she would have opted to shower before going to bed, despite how exhausted she had been. She definitely would have changed into clean clothes. But she had not been conscious, so such matters would have to be taken care of now.

When the hot water hit her naked body, Jess nearly shivered despite the temperature. There had been a shower at her disposal after Loki let her out of the cell, but apparently hot water and good water pressure were two luxuries supervillains on the run could not afford. Jess must have been in the shower at least an hour and when she was finally done, stepping out on wet, hesitant feet wrapped in a towel, she stopped in front of a mirror and wiped it with her bare palm to look at her reflection.

Jess looked… okay, more or less. Maybe tired, but that was basically just her everyday look nowadays. She didn't look at all like anyone but a normal girls her age, with normal problems and normal families and normal lives. All things Jess should probably want. But she didn't. What did that say about her?

Walking out of her bedroom, feeling clean and fresh and wearing clothes that made her feel less like a stranger in her own body, and making her way toward the dining area Jess was struck with an off-putting sense of déjà-vu. The memory of a scared kid in a tower full of strangers who knew nothing about her, walking along unfamiliar halls and stumbling onto a breakfast washed her over, sending her mind worlds away.

Jess walked into the kitchen. Standing over a brewing cup of coffee was Pepper Potts, her strawberry blonde hair pulled back and wearing a white blouse and a matching pencil skirt. Jess was so happy to see her she thought she might cry.

"Pepper."

Pepper's head whirled around to look at her with wide eyes. "Jess," she blurted. "Oh my god…" Pepper crossed the room in quick strides and hugged the younger girl like she thought she was never going to see her again. Which might have been the case at one point, thought Jess and hugged tighter. "Oh my god, Jess, I'm so glad you're back, thank god you're alright, I was so worried."

"Hi, Pepper," said Jess softly, and the lump in her throat caught her by surprise. "I've missed you." A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and Jess had to pull away to wipe it.

"Oh my god, are you crying?" asked Pepper, her hands coming up to her face. "No, don't cry, I'll start crying, too." But it was obviously a lost cause; Pepper's eyes were already filling up.

Through the tears and the sobs, Jess couldn't stop herself from laughing at how ridiculous the situation was: both her and Pepper, standing in the middle of the kitchen and crying their eyes out. Pepper seemed to be thinking the same, and they were both laughing and crying simultaneously.

Just when they had managed to regain some of their composure, their heads were turned to the sound of Natasha entering. With a choked sob Jess walked toward her and hugged her across the waist. Automatically Natasha put her arms around Jess's shoulders and bowed her head in a way that felt too maternal for Jess to successfully stop crying. The three of them stood quietly, and Pepper only bit her lip, dried her eyes and blinked rapidly.

Jess was just starting to pull away when the room filled yet again. Each and every one of the five remaining Avengers stepped into the room in a close formation. Clint stood the nearest, and was looking at her grimly. He must've been less than two strides away from her, but she still felt the urge to run to him. She couldn't waste another second.

Her arms curled themselves around Clint's neck as his found her waist, his hard muscles clenching to hold onto her soft skin. He didn't need to think a moment about it as he lifted her off her feet in his embrace and turned her around and for one second despite everything he'd told Stark he felt the solid fear of her slipping out of his reach again, far from his protection which he knew she did not need, so powerfully and suddenly that he forgot how to breathe. When her feet landed back on the kitchen floor he held on for just a little more, and pressed a quick kiss into her damp hair before letting her go.

Jess took a deep breath, wiping her eyes with shaky hands. She took a few seconds to get her breathing together, and nodded.

"Okay," she said. "I'm ready. Let's go."

Nick Fury liked his office. It was spacious, his desk was sleek and smooth, and one of the walls was comprised entirely out of glass windows stretched from the floors to the ceiling. It was rare that issues were important enough for other people to have to enter his office for more than just a few minutes.

Now was one of those rare occurrences.

Fury stood at one of the massive windows, his hands joined behind his back and his long, black coat nearly grazing the floor by his boots. Fury stared out the window down onto the black SUVs driving up. Even from a distance he could easily recognize Jess Cory, stepping out of the backseat of one of the cars looking hesitant, together and deceptively frail. His dark eye followed her all the way into the building.

He didn't have to wait long after that. Less than five minutes later he heard the smooth black door of his office open, followed by the sound of footsteps walking inside. He didn't turn around, staring at the unsuspecting blue sky. It was a beautiful day.

"Thank you, Agent," he said calmly. "You may leave us."

He heard more footsteps and the door closing.

Only then did he turn to face his visitor. Jess Cory was standing at the edge of the room, and looked very young but much more than a child all in the same time. She was wearing a light brown jacket over a red sweater, plain blue jeans and a pair of black boots. She seemed strikingly calm. Fury gave a polite nod.

"Miss Cory," he greeted. "It's a pleasure meeting you again."

"Likewise," she replied. "And it's still Jess, Director."

Fury walked over to his chair behind his desk, wordlessly gesturing at the chair on the other side. With equal silence Jess followed his direction and sat cross-legged across from him.

"Before we begin, I'd like to bring it to your attention that I do not normally do this," said Fury, clasping his hands together on the desk. "Usually other agents are the ones doing interrogations, and I have access to their findings if I need to have a look at them. People don't usually sit in your chair. Usually they sit on a different chair in a small white room, preferably cuffed to a table."

Jess eyed him calmly. "I'd assume so," she agreed. "But then this is not an ordinary situation, is it?"

"Not remotely," confirmed Fury. "Do you understand why?"

Jess grimaced. "For starters, Loki is involved. SHIELD doesn't know nearly enough about him and after his last visit here you're somewhat cross. What more, it involves me. And as it turns out I might be a threat, too. Not to mention that my claims are rather controversial. SHIELD has a lot to figure out and you think the whole organization, not to mention the entire planet, are at stake. And by the way, about that last bit you are wrong."

"Wrong how?" asked Fury, humoring her.

"The Earth is not at stake," she stated with a subtle shake of her head. "Neither is SHIELD. There are two things, two minor things in the great scheme of things, whose fates depend on this. Two lives." She briefly raised two fingers for demonstration. "Loki and I. That's all. No one else's safety is at risk."

"You know what, let's forget about Loki for a second," said Fury. "Let's talk about you. Reports are that you have your father's powers, is that correct?"

"It is."

"When did these abilities first present themselves to you?" asked Fury. "How long ago did you find out the things you can do?"

Jess thought for a moment. "Four months," she said finally. "Give or take."

"And in all that time it never occurred to you to mention it?"

"Of course it did."

"Why didn't you?"

"Why would I? Last time SHIELD had me on their radar they nearly made a human guinea pig out of me, and that was just for the possibility of me developing these powers in the future. The danger to my safety then was serious enough for a bunch of superheroes to legally adopt me and for you to encourage it. I didn't know what would happen if I revealed the truth."

"Reports also state that you have used your powers to halt the fight between Loki and the Avengers. That must have been important to you if you were prepared to out yourself so blatantly."

"Sure. They're all people I care about and I want to see none of them harmed. One risk outweighed the other."

"And we'll get to why you care so much about your captor's safety in a moment, but first we need to finish discussing your powers." He leaned in closer. "Jess, I'm going to be honest with you and say some things off the record," he said seriously. "This looks bad. It looks like you're assisting a supervillain, not necessarily in a sound mind, using supernatural powers no one can understand. Now, you and I both know there's more to it than that. That doesn't mean I understand what's going on, because I don't. I have no idea what the hell you're thinking, sticking for Loki. But I'm going to help you. I am going to make sure that you don't have to spend another minute of your life inside a cell."

Jess looked down at her hands, her calm exterior cracking. "Are you just saying that so I cooperate better?" she asked. Emotions were slipping through the cracks.

"I am not," said Fury. "I give you my word. SHIELD won't touch you."

She met his eye again. "Why would SHIELD want to leave me alone?"

"Because not only are you a minor under the protection of the Avengers, the world knows that you are. When word gets out that the girl Earth's mightiest heroes took into their home has been dragged into the deepest vaults of the same organization that had once saved her life, everyone will have serious questions to answer. Especially if your state when SHIELD first found you becomes publicized, which we have to assume would be the case. The people will make you a martyr, and the government will lose its trust in SHIELD. And that will be our downfall."

"What if you can't convince the Council of that?" asked Jess. "It might sound too much like speculation."

"Then I'll handle it," said Fury. "I'm not done disobeying the Council just yet."

Jess gave a small smile. "Thank you."

"Well, don't thank met yet," said Fury grimly. "Now that we got that off the table, it's time to talk about Loki."

Jess took a deep breath and nodded.

"Give or take three weeks ago Loki kidnapped you from the streets, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"And the next day the Avengers received a live video transmission of you and Loki where he threatened you. Did he make you cooperate by means of force?"

Jess shook her head. "No, he didn't even threaten me. I just did as I was told. I thought it would be best if the Avengers knew his plan."

"There was a bruise on your cheek."

Jess sighed. "Yes," she admitted. "Yes, that was him. Shortly after taking me, he hit me after I repeatedly provoked him. That doesn't justify it, but he didn't use more force than he had to in order to keep me obedient. He had never raised a hand on me since."

"In your own words, can you describe the transformation in your attitude toward him?"

"Alright," murmured Jess. "Well, uh, I never hated him. Not even at the start, I was just… furious. And Thor told me of how Loki got to be the way he was when he invaded Earth, one night when I, uh… couldn't sleep. I always thought there had to be more to the story than Thor realized, and there were things about it I noticed that I think Thor didn't, not redeeming qualities per se, but things that made him more understandable. And he never hated me, either. At some point, I think without meaning to, he took a liking to me. He started opening up more, and – he probably didn't intend to do that, either, but – I could see through his harsh words. And once he accepted me as harmless, his words stopped being so harsh. I know it's hard to believe and that it sounds like I'm insane, but we're friends. I care about him a lot, not because I'm a psychological mess, but because he deserves it, despite everything he's done." She sighed. "I'm not doing a good job at explaining it."

Fury observed her, his expression giving away nothing. "Why do you think Loki is no longer a danger to others?"

"After a while, our conversations became personal. And deep. I realized he didn't truly want to hurt anyone. It may sound too simple but Loki craves acceptance, and he's been looking for it in all the wrong places. Nothing justifies what he did, but there is no need to hurt him any more. You'll want to lock him up, but you don't have to. He can be better. Hell, he already is. He is more than capable of becoming a part of society."

"You can't expect me to just let him go free," said Fury, frowning. "Even if you convince me Loki's suddenly as innocent as a ladybug, I can't just let him walk. And after what he's done I don't even want to."

"I know," said Jess. "I understand. But…" She groaned in frustration, trying to force her thoughts into words. "Why do people lock other people up?" she asked rhetorically eventually. "Is it to punish them or is it to stop them causing additional harm? Because to my understanding – which might very well be completely backwards – we don't get to hand out punishments, nobody does. It seems to me that the only logical reason to put someone behind bars is because they're harmful to others. And if that's the case then there is no reason to put Loki away."

"Well, maybe we do get to punish him," said Fury. "Maybe the human race is entitled to payback against the alien who wronged it."

"Maybe," Jess agreed. "But listen, there is nothing you can come up with, no matter how twisted and bloody, that would make a worse punishment than what Loki puts himself through just by being who he is. I've seen glimpses of his mind during our talks, just glimpses, and his mind is not a pleasant place. It's about as far from pleasant as you could possibly get. But he doesn't take that out on others, he takes it all in, and out on himself. I'm not saying he's not the type to lash out when provoked, but he's willing to change that about himself. And I think that's the most important argument I can make, that he is willing."

Fury looked at her in silence. Jess sighed.

"Yeah," she said sullenly. "I know you don't believe me. But I need you to." She paused. "Would you like me to trust you?"

Fury nodded slowly. "I would."

"And I do. Would you like me to trust SHIELD?"

Fury hesitated. He nodded.

"Right, well, here's the thing: I don't. I really, really don't trust SHIELD. I don't believe it's truly out to help people and make the world a better place, I think SHIELD only works for the benefit of SHIELD. And I know it's got people like you and the Avengers and Agent Coulson, but as a whole I think it's rotten. And I don't trust it to make the right decision, ever, although I might be biased because once it tried to experiment on me. So. Change my mind. Right now, I don't trust SHIELD to not lock me up right along with Loki no matter what you do, and that's freaking me out. I am terrified as shit. But if SHIELD can see through the history of this guy, I'm gonna see what you see in it. I'm gonna see it's trying to do good in this fucked up world. I am begging you. I am literally begging you right now. Please, just… look into the possibility that I'm right. Get Loki a psych evaluation or something, I don't know, you're the boss, just…" she sighed. "Please."

The silence hung for a long time.

"Is there any additional information you wish to share concerning Loki?" asked Fury eventually. His expression and tone were like blank slates.

Jess sighed. "No," she said and shook her head. "No, that's it."

Fury gave a curt nod. He pressed a finger to a button on his desk and spoke into a thin microphone stretching from a point right next to it. "Agent, we're all done here," he said. "You can take Miss Cory back out now."

"I don't suppose I get to ask what your plans are," said Jess.

"It would hardly be a secret organization if I could discuss that with you," remarked Fury.

"Yeah," murmured Jess. "I figured."

The door opened. The same agent who had escorted Jess into Fury's office stood at the doorway.

Jess couldn't figure out what she was supposed to say to Fury as goodbye.

So as she walked out of his office and let the unfamiliar agent escort her out, she didn't.