Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one
You know, this fic may end up being longer than I originally thought
When I started writing part five, this is what I imagined
Part Six
Squeezing Loki gently on the shoulder, Captain America turned to follow his teammates in the direction of what the god realized must be the medical wing. He was limping. In fact, the sorcerer realized, all of the Avengers were injured in some way or another. Powers. Now he almost felt guilty, not to mention alone, which was ridiculous considering who he was.
Well, almost alone, Loki amended as the least noticeable, and in his opinion, most dangerous of his brother's allies stepped forward. Unlike some of the Avenger's other associates, he would never underestimate Phil Coulson; that was mistake he had made only once. The man was dangerous, the ultimate wolf in sheep's clothing. To the god's great irritation, he had no idea just how long the agent had been standing there.
"Mr. Liesmith," Coulson greeted, opting for one of the other's titles as oppose to either of his paternal nom de guerre. It seemed safer. He gestured for the god to precede him. "If you could come this way, Director Fury wishes to speak to you."
As they walked down the seemingly uniform halls, the sorcerer once again had to suppress the urge to run. It wasn't like there was anything stopping him. He could be halfway across the country in the blink of an eye if he wished. Once again he weighed the pros and cons, only to come to the exact same conclusion as before. Loki kept walking.
Eventually the hallway opened up into a large common room. It was empty of people, save for a single one-eyed figure sitting in the far corner. For a brief time, the god was surprised. Although, he realized after a moment, he shouldn't have been. Of course Fury didn't want him in his private office.
Gracefully, Loki took a seat across from the other, his expression giving absolutely nothing away.
Finally Fury spoke. "If it were up to me Loki, I'd throw you in the deepest, darkest pit I could find and throw away the key." The god looked unfazed, which in truth he was. Compared to some of the other hellholes he had been exiled to over the years that sounded almost like a vacation. The Director took a deep breath, "unfortunately the sad fact of the matter is that S.H.I.E.L.D. has never been capable of holding you for long, and so we are prepared to offer you a deal."
Loki almost blinked, but managed to hold onto his composure. If it would save Ariana, he would let them lock him up, not that he was stupid enough to say so considering the other's words. "What kind of a deal?" he asked cautiously. There was no way he was agreeing to anything until he knew the details.
Reaching for a cigar, Fury's single eye darted to the infant still held in the god's arms before aborting the motion. Instead he shrugged. "The usual." It wasn't as though S.H.I.E.L.D. would be the first law enforcement agency to offer a criminal to serve their sentence on the outside. The F.B.I. did it all the time. "You have talents Loki, talents that could greatly benefit my organization." Plus the added bonus of keeping the other out of trouble.
Magic users were rare on Earth, and ones as powerful as the shapeshifter were almost unheard of. Only Dr. Strange could even hope to equal the other, and the Sorcerer Supreme had admitted in confidence that he suspected Loki was stronger than he. After all, the god was almost a thousand years old.
"I believe your daughter . . ."
"Ariana sir," Agent Coulson put in from his position against the wall, looking up from his Blackberry. "Ariana Lokidottar." He paused to consider that, turning his attention of Loki. "Unless she bares her Father's name." The statement was more of a question.
The god shook his head silently. In truth, he didn't even remember the man's name, wasn't sure he had even asked. Some random mortal he had picked up at a bar in Kentucky. Also, Loki admitted to himself, he had been slightly drunk at the time, something for which he blamed Puck for entirely. Well, him or Crowley.
"Ariana," Fury acknowledged the name. "Will be more than enough leverage to keep you in line." Not that he was threatening the girl, just pointing out the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s protection could be withdrawn.
"You're," the god's composure shattered as he swallowed, hard. "You're letting me keep her."
Now Fury looked surprised. "If you believed we would take her, than why did you come?"
Loki just closed his eyes, hunching his shoulders as he tightened his grip on his daughter. "Because," he said softly. "I knew she would be better off in your hands than she would be in the Allfather's."
Eye of the Beholder
Well, once again the entire scene in my head didn't make it into this part
Yes, I call them parts, they are too short to be chapters
No matter, more motivation to write Part Seven