A/N: SORRY THIS TOOK SO DAMN LONG. But here's a bit of Loki/Natasha interaction and a fluffy reunion for you to enjoy to make up for it. : )

From The Ashes

By Anna Morgan

Chapter 7 Varied Encounters

The Avengers stared down at Loki for a good thirty seconds as if his words had put them in a trance.

"Tony, Natasha, come with me outside please," Steve said as he brought them all out of their shocked stupor. "We'll be back in a minute." Tony and Natasha and followed their leader outside after lingering for just a few mores seconds, as if they couldn't tear their eyes from the broken god seated before them, leaving Clint and Bruce alone with Loki. Natasha threw a last pitiful glace at Loki, who was still staring at the ground and trembling, as they exited the door.

They walked outside onto the landing, the same one that they had fought their visitor on those many months ago. The cold air nipped at their bodies as they made their way into the shadows, out of the field of vision to their teammates still inside. They stopped and Steve turned to face them, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Well," Steve asked. "What are your thoughts?"

Natasha crossed her arms to hold in some warmth. "His story matches Thor's," she said flatly. She dismissed her emotions in her assessment. "I don't see any discrepancies in his explanation. He doesn't appear to be a threat."

"I agree. He may have gone a little crazy but he isn't dangerous to us. There may actually be a chance that Thor was right, that he's turned sides," Tony said, looking back toward where he knew Loki was sitting. He recognized that now wasn't the time for his usual sarcastic stance. "Whatever we do with him now, we shouldn't leave him alone. He's definitely showing some symptoms of post traumatic stress, he may be a danger to himself."

Natasha glanced at Tony as she spoke, "We're going to have to take this up with Fury eventually. He's ultimately going to make the decision of what to do with Loki, and the Gauntlet," Natasha said.

"I think we should continue to treat his injuries and keep him here for tonight," Tony argued. "If we give him over to Fury right this second to be put in a cage and 'debriefed' it may shock the hell out of him and send him flying off the handle,"

"Tony's right, Cap," Natasha said. "He's too fragile right now, we can't do anything that's going to put him under pressure or he'll snap. We don't need him reverting back to his old self with a powerful object that can destroy the universe."

Steve nodded, listening to them each attentively. "This is why I wanted your opinions first; I know you two can relate more closely to his state of mind right now."

"What are your thoughts?" Natasha asked.

"I'm thinking we keep him here in one of the R and D labs and establish a watch for tonight, and bring him to Fury in the morning. But I want to get Clint and Bruce's opinions before we decide on a course of action," Steve said authoritatively.

They exchanged glances in agreement. Steve started back across the landing toward the door with Natasha and Tony following his lead close behind. He grabbed the door handle and opened it, standing aside so that Natasha and Tony could enter first. Natasha welcomed the warmth again as the door closed out the cold behind her.

Bruce had begun treating Loki's wounds again, having regained some of his composure. Clint paced in front of them, his eyes watching Loki, who hadn't moved at all. Clint had picked up his arrow but held it in his hand opposite his bow. Steve stood at the door and motioned for Bruce and Clint to come. Neither Natasha nor Tony said a word to them as they relieved their teammates from where they stood.

Bruce set down the bottle of saline solution and shared a glance with Natasha as he brushed by her to follow Steve outside. Natasha approached Loki from the front cautiously and leaned down so that she was at eye level with him just a few inches away from his seated form.

"Loki," she got his attention softly. His eyes rose to meet hers. He was taken aback by how close her startling green eyes were and nearly gasped at her proximity. "Is it alright if I take over for Bruce?" she asked. He nodded and replied "Yes."

She took the bottle of saline solution in her hand and picked a cotton ball from a small pile on the counter. Loki watched her intently as she placed it onto the opening and turned the bottle upside down to release the fluid into the cotton. His eyes followed her hand as she began to clean a laceration on his right shoulder, patting it gently. Her touch was softer than Bruce's he noticed, but with all the skill the doctor had. For the first time since he had come to Midgard he allowed his muscles to relax completely.

His attention turned from the cleaning to study the creature whose hand was now lightly wiping excess blood away as she reached for gauze and tape. He had admitted to himself even as he was broken and defeated by the Avengers that she was beautiful but he had forgotten the extent until now. He almost didn't recognize her when he saw her for the first time; she had let her hair grow out and her dark red curls were now framing her face limply, coming to a stop just above her elbow. It made her look younger despite the fact that some time had passed since their battle. He could hardly believe that the small, deadly woman from that day was the same person who now gently laid the last piece of tape over the wound and smoothed it with her fingers brushing against his bare chest, making him shudder ever so slightly.

His focus was brought back by a blast of cold air coming from the door as Steve walked in with Bruce and Clint. "Natasha, Tony," he called for them as he motioned for them to join their team across the room. Loki felt a small shred of disappointment as she fluidly set the bandages down and turned on heel toward the captain. The Avengers huddled in close so that only they could hear their conversation.

"Okay, here's the game plan," Steve sounded like he was directing troops in battle as he spoke. "We're going to keep this to ourselves for tonight and bring Fury into this in the morning. We'll set up a watch for tonight," he glanced at each of his teammate's faces as he revealed his plan.

"Two hour shifts. Clint and I will take the first shift," Steve looked directly at Clint. "I know you probably don't want to be alone with him." Clint nodded appreciatively.

"Then Natasha, Bruce, Tony, and myself. Keep comms on at all times in case something goes wrong." He finished.

"Maybe we should all camp in one place tonight, too," Bruce suggested. "Just grab sleeping bags or whatever. As long as we're in the same room. We won't have to scramble everyone together in case something does happen."

"I like that Idea, let's do that," Steve nodded in agreement.

"Someone needs to contact Thor as well," Natasha added.

"He hasn't been responding when SHIELD tries to contact him lately," Clint said.

"Tell him we have his little brother. That should warrant a quick response don't you think?" Steve said.

"On it, Cap" Tony said.

With that, they broke their huddle and made their way as a group over to where Loki was still seated and watching their every movement. Steve approached him ahead of the others, his arms still crossed in front of him.

"Loki," he started. "Here's our decision: we want to keep you here for tonight, continue to take care of your injuries. We'll do whatever we can to ensure your safety as well as the Gauntlet's until we can speak to Director Fury in the morning about this situation. But for now, we're going to keep the situation contained to here without his involvement. We will need to treat you as a potential threat until then, given your history." He added sensitively.

Loki's relaxed muscles tensed up and his heart began to race at the captain's last statement. He studied the captain's face, searching for some hint of malicious intent. His eyes had gone from intent listening to a frightened, almost wild look. "I have already made it clear that I am not a potential threat," he replied with a trace of dread and fear in his voice. In his mind, he wondered what do you mean "treat" me?

Natasha could see the wheels turning in his head at Steve's remark. "You won't find cruelty at our hands" she said quickly but gently. "We aren't going to harm you, but we do need to ensure our own safety as well as yours."

His own logical thinking took hold of him once again and he forced himself to relax at her words. He understood their stance and his eyes glanced in Natasha's direction. He felt in his gut that he could trust her, if not the others, at least for the moment. Finally he turned back to Steve and slid slowly from off of his stool and stood, still trembling but with a calmer façade, towering over him.

"Then you lead the way, captain," he said lowly. He waved his hands to conceal the Gauntlet safely from sight once again.

Natasha and Bruce stepped forward and stood on either side of him, placing one hand each on his shoulder, as Steve lead the way to the elevator. They crowded into the small space and rode down in an almost awkward sort of ambiance. The reality of the night's events were starting to seep into everyone's mind as they escorted Loki around one of the research and development floors until Steve came to a stop in front of one of the testing lab doors.

The testing lab's wall and door were the same see-through glass that composed the front of the tower, so that anyone walking by could see everything going on in the room. A glass wall separated the room in half; on one side were a computer and one of Tony's transparent, two-way computer screens suspended from the ceiling, surrounded by a myriad of other testing equipment, books, and notebooks. On the other side of the glass wall was what appeared to be a hospital recovery lounge. The blue padded lounge's back was slightly inclined so that the occupant was in a semi-sitting-up position. Against one wall was a desk chair. A door on the opposite wall led to a small bathroom.

Tony punched some numbers into a keypad outside the room and the door slid open. They led Loki inside the half of the lab with the lounge. He headed straight to the chair and sank down roughly, running one hand through his messy hair as all of the team left the lab, save for Clint and Steve. He sighed. At least they have kept their word, he thought. What do I do now..?

His thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat in front of him. He looked up stridently to see Bruce standing before him holding a bundle of clothes.

"Never thought I'd be the one on this end of the 'clothes-giving'," he said with a small smile.

Loki slowly reached out and took the bundle. "Thank you…" he said quietly.

"They're as close to our size as we could find in Tony's closet," Bruce continued.

"They will suffice," he replied, keeping his head down as he examined the black pants and hunter-green t-shirt.

"There's a bathroom you can change in over there," Bruce pointed toward the door, to which Loki nodded in reply.

….

The first shift passed by uneventfully. Loki emerged from the bathroom wearing the fresh change of clothes and occupied the chair once more. Clint and Steve watched, alternating between sitting at the computer monitor and pacing before the class wall. Mercifully, Natasha arrived just before midnight to relieve them. Clint filled her in on the activity from the last two hours (or, rather, lack thereof) before gratefully departing, Steve closely behind him. Finally left alone, she took the seat at the computer and stared into the glass at the occupant seated on the other side.

Fifteen minutes passed, just as uneventful as the first watch. Loki hadn't moved an inch. Natasha stood and crossed the lab to the glass wall, halting in front of Loki. He looked at her and nervously raised an eyebrow.

"Can you behave yourself for five minutes?" she asked. He didn't reply but simply looked at her. With that, she turned and left the lab, Loki curiously looking after her.

Five minutes later, she returned carrying two fluffy white pillows and a black comforter. She entered his side of the lab, set the pillows on the lounge, and spread the comforter out neatly. Satisfied with her work, she turned to Loki, who observed her silently.

"Come," she said. "You look like you could use some sleep."

Loki narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What trick is this?" he asked.

Natasha shook her head. "No more tricks, no more lies," she said simply. He waited a moment before hesitantly crossing the room and sitting, not laying, on the lounge, not taking his eyes off of her as he did so. When nothing happened to him he allowed himself to relax a bit. Rather than leaving to sit on the other side of the glass wall, Natasha turned to occupy the chair against the wall that Loki had just vacated.

They sat contently in silence for a while. Loki clasped his hands in front of him, lost in his own thoughts once again. Natasha kept her distance, watching him with an unreadable expression of indifference.

Finally Loki broke the silence. "How long have I been gone," he asked, still staring at the ground.

"It's been a year and a half since your show here," she replied. He was silent. "You know, Thor came to us when you were taken," she continued. Loki looked up at her sharply. "That was almost eight months ago."

He remained silent, so she kept speaking. "He was distraught. He came to ask us to help find you, and we've been searching for you ever since."

Her words awoke an irrational anger in Loki that he had almost forgotten existed. He gave a cruel half-chuckle that reminded Natasha a little too much of his old self. She shuddered inwardly from the words that snaked from his mouth. "And what marvelous seekers you turned out to be," he hissed. "I had been left to suffer while Thor prances about Midgard, feigning concern," he ranted. " After what I did for him…for Asgard…

Natasha waited patiently for him to finish before replying calmly, her face and voice unreadable as ever. "He cares about you," she said calmly. "You are fortunate to have someone, a family, to look for you. Some of us aren't so lucky."

He did not reply but stared contemptuously at her, his eyes like daggers. She stared back at him with equal intensely as a silent battle of wit and endurance erupted in the air hanging between them. He knew she was right, but he would not admit it, as much as he wanted to. Not to her at least. He wasn't ready to admit feelings aloud to anyone just yet. He channeled his frustration into his eyes and straight through her. A few moments passed. Natasha was the one to drop the gaze first; she stood and headed back toward the door leading back to the other side of the glass wall, to leave him alone. Before she could reach for the handle she heard him call her.

"Agent Romanoff." She turned to face him. He stared at her with a softer but no less intense gaze, which she returned. "Why are you being so kind to me?"

She searched his face for a moment. "You've been through a hell of a punishment," she replied, a hint of understanding in her otherwise indifferent voice. "You aren't acting like a threat to me, or my 'realm.' I have no reason to treat you hostilely."

They continued to hold the gaze until Loki said quietly, almost as if it were only meant to be a thought, "I never meant any harm to you, or Midgard."

She reconsidered leaving him there to sit on the other side of the glass again. Instead of leaving she turned to walk slowly back to take residence once again in the chair. She sat down and leaned forward, her elbows on her legs and hands clasped in front of her, mirroring Loki's position. She couldn't exactly place why, but she felt something in her gravitate toward him, to occupy the same space he did. So she stayed.

For the remainder of her shift they again sat in content silence, though the air was heavier between them at first. Slowly, the atmosphere became calmer as the time passed and Loki regained control of himself again. Once in a while they would catch themselves looking at each other. Loki, for his part, was fascinated by her. She was a delightful, walking contradiction; a killer and master manipulator of both words and emotions with a silver tongue to rival his own, yet she was more gentle and (dare he say) forgiving than any of her colleagues. She had angered him but her mere presence soothed him. He couldn't read or decipher her because her mind and actions were contradictive, chaotic, even by his own standards. At present, he wasn't sure what to think about it. But he was starting to like it.

At precisely two in the morning Bruce arrived to relieve Natasha. Loki was almost disappointed to watch her go and his eyes followed her as she made her way from his room to the other side of the wall. She passed Bruce and said something to him, though Loki couldn't hear what exactly it was. To his surprise, instead of just walking away from the lab she turned back, opened the glass door, and approached Loki, coming to a stop in front of him.

Natasha then reached out and placed a hand softly on his shoulder and said quietly to him: "Try to get some sleep. Goodnight, Loki."

He looked up at her and caught her eye. Standing up slowly, he reached for her hand on his shoulder and brought it to his lips for a swift kiss, keeping eye contact with her all the while. "Goodnight, Agent Romanoff."

He allowed her to remove her hand and without another word Natasha turned to exit the room again, passing a curious-looking Bruce, who gave Natasha a quizzical look as she left the lab. Loki sighed and sank back down onto the lounge, this time lifting the comforter and slipping beneath it. He closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him as Bruce took a seat at the computer on the other side of the wall.

….

"See, Point Break? Sleeping like a baby, safe and sound."

"I do not know how to thank you, my friends. For watching over him. For everything."

Loki heard voices approaching as he started to come around again. He groaned inwardly at being woken from his slumber; his aching body was gratefully immersed in a comforting and restful sleep for the first time in ages. But it wasn't the sound of the voices that woke him. He recognized the second voice as Thor.

He sat up slowly, his mind comprehending that his brother was close by. Looking around he spotted Thor speaking with Tony in the hallway outside of the lab. Neither of them had apparently noticed he was awake, a fact for which Loki was grateful. He had never been much of a morning person; Thor, however, was, much to Loki's annoyance.

Loki swung his legs over the side of the lounge and placed his head in his hands, forcing his protesting body to wake up. The clock on the wall read 8:30. He placed his head back down in his hands, rubbing his eyes.

"Loki?"

He looked up to see his brother standing in front of him, his arms out to his side, Mjolnir dangling in one hand. Loki stood up slowly. In the background, he could see Tony, Steve and Natasha on the other side of the wall. Loki took a step forward so that he was less than an arm's length away from Thor. Part of him wanted to hit him – he abandoned me to the Chitauri! – but the other part of him, the part that wanted to make peace with Thor on the cliff, that knew how Thor cared for him despite all he had done, that knew Thor had done everything he could to find him (even going to Loki's enemies), won and hushed the voice in his head. To Hel with pride…I want my brother back!

"Thor…my brother…" Loki trailed off almost tearfully.

With that, Thor grabbed Loki into a tight embrace that would have surely crushed a mortal to death, which Loki returned in kind. The two brothers stood there for a minute before breaking apart, almost reluctantly, placing a hand on each other's shoulders – a sign of companionship and friendship.

"I have longed to hear you call me that again," Thor said appreciatively with a wide smile

"Not as much as I have longed to say it," Loki grinned back. Over Thor's shoulder, he saw the smiling Avengers watching the reunion looking as if they may all cry – even Tony. Steve clapped his teammates on the shoulder to leave, allowing the two gods their privacy. Natasha was the last to turn away as she caught Loki's eye for just a second, flashing him a smug grin that clearly said 'I told you so.'

Loki looked back at Thor and retracted his hand. He sat back down on the lounge, Thor following beside him. He examined Loki, taking in his messy appearance – his disheveled hair, the scars on his palms, the clear injuries to his arms and face. Pity and sorrow laced his expression. Neither brother knew what to say then, so they were content with being in each other's company – as brothers, rather than enemies.

Suddenly a thought occurred to Loki. "Oh! Thor! Before I forget," he grinned with his mischievous, haughty grin that almost made him look like his old self again. He waved his hand and the Gauntlet appeared before him. Thor's eyes went wide with disbelief and his smile returned

"You have protected it! This is excellent news! I feared it had fallen into the hands of the Chitauri during your…" it was Thor's turn now to trail off.

"I? The master of magic, allow those filthy beings to snatch it from my clutches? You wound me," Loki said smugly. You have no idea what the cost of its protection was. But here it is…

"My clever brother," Thor said. "Mother and Father were pleased to hear of your safety."

"Odin?" Loki asked, almost confused.

"Yes. The warriors have returned from Jotunheim. The war was quick, as Father predicted. Without the casket, they stood little chance of victory," Thor informed him. Loki was glad to hear this; at least the additional blood on his hands had been kept to a minimum.

"And what is the state of Asgard now?" Loki asked – his smile gone.

"We have done much to rebuild, with Tony's help," Thor nodded in acknowledgement toward the door Tony and the others had left through. "There is still much to be done. But with more men back from war we will restore Asgard to its glory in no time," Thor finished confidently.

"There is something you should know, however," Thor's tone suddenly turned serious. "The Chitauri know you are gone," Loki wasn't surprised to hear that.

"They have been to Asgard again, looking for you," Thor informed him gravely. Loki was surprised hear that.

"What?" Loki breathed.

"They did not do any damage," Thor added quickly. "We were prepared this time – we fought them back easily with more warriors present. We did not know why they were there, but now I realize it must have been for you."

Loki was shocked to hear this. They think I would return to Asgard? What makes them think I would not come here? Dear Valhalla don't let them come here…

Thor must have recognized Loki's concern. He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder once again and said to him, solemnly, "Whatever happens from here on, I will make certain they do not harm you again. They will pay for what they have done to you, to Asgard. I swear it.

Loki looked down at the ground "I deserved what was done to me," Loki said quietly, almost a whisper.

"No, Loki," Thor shook his head, but Loki cut him off.

"Yes. I was a fool. To ally myself with them. To get myself mixed up with their plans. I placed Asgard, our family, and all the Nine Realms in danger. I am knee-deep in blood drawn from three of the Realms. Yes, Thor. I got my comeuppance."

Thor stared at Loki, unsure of what comforting words he could possibly offer. Loki looked at Thor, almost pleadingly.

"I am sorry. For what I have done. To you and to Asgard. To Midgard. All of it. I know apologizing will not fix what I have done, and I do not seek forgiveness, but it is all I can do," Loki looked down with an almost innocent appearance, like a child being made to apologize to his parents.

"You are right," Thor said thoughtfully after a moment. "Apologizing will not fix this situation. But it is a step in the right direction. But someday you will be forgiven. And someday you will forgive yourself."

Loki opened his mouth to protest this statement but he was interrupted by a knock on the door. There stood the Avengers – all of them – Steve knocking on the door. Thor and Loki exchanged a glance that said 'we'll talk later' and stood in unison. Thor opened the door and the two filed out.

"Sorry to interrupt you fellas," Steve said sincerely. "Director Fury has been informed of the situation and had requested that we escort Loki to SHIELD Headquarters."

….

A/N: I want to take a second to answer a very good question left as a review. To the reviewer who asked if Loki was going to be more physically and emotionally affected by his torture later now that his mission to bring the Gauntlet to the Avengers is over – the answer is absolutely! Torture in its very definition is meant to leave lasting scars, and he will continue to struggle with what happened to him as he also seeks to save himself from the darkness. The details of how he will struggle will remain a secret until it is shown in the story however (mwahahahahaha).

As always, reviews are appreciated and very motivating! Thanks to all who have left a review so far! Again, as always, tell me what you think. I love to get feedback. Just no flames please. ss