Sorry for the delay in updating - I had a lot written ahead, but now I've caught up to myself. That tends to make updating slower for me, since I often don't have time to write much...

I'm aware that this chapter is largely filler - but it is necessary filling. (That sounds weird... It made more sense in my head.)

Kloi stood beside her brother, waiting for the reactions of her Dad's friends. She was fairly confident that Tony would accept Loki's explanation, for her sake, if nothing else. And Thor loved Loki so much that she doubted he would hesitate to believe and forgive his brother. But the others... She honestly had no idea - except that Fury would make life miserable for anyone who didn't keep hating Loki. Well, she would deal with him later.

Thor's face was difficult to read, but she guessed that he was thinking over the explanation very carefully. He trusted his father, she knew, but he had been fooled by Loki before and wasn't going to accept this without at least looking for deception. His eyes cleared as he seemed to make his decision, and he smiled at Loki. However, he did not step forward.

Loki bowed his head to his brother ever so slightly. Thor had learned a little tact, at least. He was waiting for the others to make up their minds on their own, not trying to affect their decisions.

Tony shifted uneasily. His logical mind had sifted through everything, and it all made sense. What was more, Kloi seemed to believe this brother of hers- and he trusted Kloi. She had told the how she was a double agent in her mother's army. It made sense that Loki would be the same thing... He shook his head slightly, and then sighed. There was no help for it. Kloi was his daughter, and he had to believe her. Whether he liked her brother or not. He glanced at her - she was watching him. He gave her the tiniest of nods, and watched with a small smile as relief filled her eyes.

Bruce was likewise torn. He was inclined to think the best of everyone. After all, he had been misjudged so many times. Now that there was a way to think better of Loki, his compassionate nature wanted to take it. But... He didn't want to be foolish. He decided to watch Thor and Tony, as they knew the individuals involved better than anyone else did. He saw each come to their decision, and made his own. He would accept Loki's story - for now. But he wouldn't trust the trickster god. If Loki wanted to be trusted, he would have to earn it. Hulk had taken Loki down once (Bruce ignored the possibility that Loki had allowed that to happen) and could do so again if need be. He gave Loki a hard calculating look, but nodded.

Steve was standing at ease, his eyes closed as his mind sorted through a whirlwind of information. He didn't trust Loki. He found Loki's story about Coulson very convenient, and difficult to believe. He saw the faces of the men from the NYPD that had died attempting to save civilians. His eyes - had they been open - would have flashed as he remembered the children that had screamed and cried, and the men and women who died to protect them. Then he thought farther back - back to the days of Peggy and the Howling Commandos. He was a leader. He had to decide what was best, and carry that out. The problem was, he had no idea what to do. He'd seen truth in Loki's eyes, and goodness knew he had seen lies often enough to know the difference. His own eyes snapped open as he reached his decision. He couldn't keep Kloi away from her brother- and it seemed that now the world needed Loki's help. He would keep a very close eye on the man, but accept his help. There was little else he could do.

Clint was glaring openly at Loki. He didn't care what the man said - Loki had messed with his mind, and Clint didn't believe him. His mind was already made up. There would be no forgiveness for Loki - not from him. No matter what he said, fact was that Phil Coulson had died at Loki's hand. His handler had been one of the few people that Clint trusted or actually cared about. If the others decided that Loki was to help them (a stupid decision, as he was likely to turn on them the first chance he got) then Clint would make life miserable for them all. He wanted nothing to do with Loki - and wanted Loki as far away from earth as he could possibly get.

Natasha knew what was passing in Clint's mind. As a spy and assassin, she was wary and suspicious of everyone and everything - except her current team. She didn't even trust Fury, really. She certainly didn't trust Loki. But at the same time, she knew the ins and outs of creating a cover story. The fact was, had she been in Loki's situation (if he was indeed telling the truth) she would have done the exact same thing. In the end, she decided that she neither believed nor disbelieved Loki. She certainly didn't trust him, but she would reserve her judgement for a later time when everything was clear. That didn't mean she would let her guard down in the meantime. Oh no - it didn't mean that at all! She was the Black Widow, and she was always watching and ready for anything. she just refused to take sides on this particular matter.

Kloi looked nervously at Steve, Clint, and Natasha. They hadn't given any indication of whether or not they believed her brother. Well, Steve and Natasha hadn't. It was clear what Clint's opinion was. She sent Steve a beseeching look, hoping that the things Tony had said about him were true. If he was as honorable and... just plain sensible as Tony made fun of him for being, she knew that he would at least work with Loki. Natasha was a wild card. She couldn't really be predicted - though Kloi knew that she was very close to Clint and might be swayed by his opinion. Then again, Black Widow was more than capable of thinking for herself...

Tony sighed and spoke first. "So are you like my nephew or something then? Cause there's no way I'm claiming you as my kid. Nope, no, not happening."

Kloi flew forward into her adopted father's arms with a murmured, "Thank you, Dad."

Thor smiled brightly again, stepping forward to lay a hand on his brother's shoulder. If his decision hadn't already been obvious to his teammates, it was now. Loki gave him a look that puzzled everyone else - but Thor must have known what it meant, because he laughed.

Bruce stepped forward beside Tony and smiled gently at Kloi. Then he looked to Loki and his face hardened. "I'm not happy about this, but I don't feel that I have much choice. Everyone deserves a second chance - I'd be a hypocrite if I denied you yours. But don't mistake me. I trust Thor, not you. I will accept his word, not yours. If you want to be trusted, you'll have to earn it."

Steve nodded sharply, though he didn't move from his position. "Same. I don't believe a word you say, but I trust Tony to know that his daughter is telling the truth. You put one toe out of line, and you've run out of chances. Got it?" He didn't wait for an answer, but turned to the two members of the team who had yet to give their opinion on the matter. "You two. Thoughts?"

Clint's glare did not abate. "Am I the only one with any sense?" He looked at Natasha. "Tell me your brain hasn't checked out for the weekend too."

Kloi snorted. When Clint's eyes fell on her, she shrugged. "Don't mind me. I just think that Dad is rubbing off on you. That was a line worthy of a Stark."

Natasha sent Kloi a look as if to say that she was not helping, then turned to her friend. "You know that I trust no one outside the team. However, if what he says is true, then he's gone about his little "mission" exactly the way I would have. Therefore I have no opinion on this matter, and am reserving judgement for a later time - assuming, of course, that there is a later time."

Steve gave Clint a careful look. With this new enemy, they couldn't afford to be divided. "That sounds like reasonable idea."

"What does?" Tony asked. Evidently he hadn't been paying much attention.

"Probation." Steve answered grimly. "I seem to recall that Hulk took care of Loki last time. I think that between the lot of us we can handle him. If Thor will be personally responsible for his brother, and Tony will be personally responsible for Kloi..." He paused. "That work for you, Barton?"

Clint gave him a sour look, but nodded. "You're the Captain."

Steve looked unsatisfied with that answer, but let it go. "Romanoff?"

Natasha nodded. "Like I said, I'm reserving my judgement for a later time."

"Well, that's it then." Tony said brightly. "Although I would thank you to not insinuate that my daughter needs babysitting to ensure she doesn't go off the deep end, Cap. Kloi's perfectly sane."

Kloi laid a hand on his arm. "It's fine, Dad. It hardly seems fair that Qillaq should be under constant surveillance and I should be skipping about scot-free."

Loki shook his head. "I won't be under constant surveillance, except by Heimdall. If I'm to find Jadis, I'll be going places that none of you can follow. There is also the matter of Thanos - I must finish him as quickly as I can, without raising his suspicions."

Kloi nodded, but most of the team frowned. Before they could say anything, Fury piped up.

"Absolutely not. This is madness. This man destroyed half of New York City, and you are all just going to let him tag along? And go off on his own? I forbid it!"

Tony smirked, glancing at Clint. The man was glaring at his superior.

"You lost the right to order us around when we learned that you are the reason for Phil's death." Clint said coldly.

"Oy, Nicky!" Kloi grinned. "When are you going to learn that sometimes it's better to just shut up?"

He gave her a one-eyed glare.

"...Nicky? Dare I ask?" Loki wondered.

"Your sister seems to be obsessed with nicknames." Tony informed him.

"He deserves it." Kloi contributed. "He was being a jerk. Now he'll be Nicky till the day he dies. And you can bet I'll find a way to get it on his tombstone!" She ended happily.

Loki chuckled. "And they call me the god of mischief."

"Shall we get started?" Steve asked drily, hoping to get everyone back on track. "What do we have to do?"

Loki sobered instantly and fell silent, clearly thinking hard. "Go back to wherever you would ordinarily be. Kloi - lay low. Everyone prepare for war. I doubt it will come to that, but Jadis needs to see you making preparations. She can't think that you have some sort of secret weapon you are waiting to unleash. I expect that wherever Thanos is, I will find Jadis." He paused. "That does present a problem. She will recognize me at once."

Kloi spoke up. "What if you return to earth as me? Tell me how to get to Thanos, and I will go in your stead. You can follow our connection to find me."

"What good would that do?" Bruce wondered. "If you disguise yourself as him somehow, Jadis will still know that he's alive."

"Yes." Loki nodded. "But she never thought me capable of much magic. Kloi is powerful, but I am even more so. Thanos has magic as well - magic that bound my own when he had me before. If Kloi goes in my stead, it will be the less powerful magic that is bound. I will be able to break her out of it, but she would not have the power to release me."

"Also, I can mess with Jadis's head. Thanos is aware of my existence by this time, though he can't possibly know of our connection. If I go as Loki and drop my disguise right before you all arrive, it will send everything into confusion."

Loki nodded. "It is a risky plan, with many flaws. But it is the only plan that has even the slightest chance of working. I do not like to have Kloi put in harm's way - but I know that she feels the same for me." He smiled at her sadly. "If you are willing to go, I will not stop you. You know what he will do to you for my failure to enslave earth."

Kloi nodded. "I've faced pain before, Qillaq. I am not afraid to face it again."

Tony was shaking his head. "No. No, no, no. Absolutely not!"

"Dad, it's the only way!" Kloi told him, but he still refused.

"No! I'm not letting you go! He'll torture you!"

"Andy! If I don't go, we won't beat them. If we don't beat them, my mother will torture and kill us all. I'm in for pain either way. Let's just go with the way that I don't end up dying, ok?"

Odin laid a hand on Tony's shoulder. "I know how you feel, midguardian. I too had great difficulty allowing my child to carry out his plans. I know the pain that he underwent, I know what it has cost him. Yet I did not dare stop him. I knew what would happen to the worlds if I tried. As fathers, we wish for nothing more than the knowledge that our children are safe. This has been denied us. Let us then do our best to honor their pain, and not protest their sacrifice."

This shut Tony up. He knew that - based on Loki's story - Odin had been through a lot with/for his son. He really couldn't argue with that.

Steve opened his mouth to protest as well, his old-fashioned values coming into play. A well-aimed jab from Natasha's elbow made him think twice. He opted to just let the siblings do whatever they deemed best. After all, this was apparently something they were good at...

Loki and Kloi moved close together, talking rapidly at a pace only Tony could have hoped to keep up with. Even he was failing miserably. The fact that they kept using words that sounded like nonsense (he guessed that they were Narnian words, or else magical terminology) certainly didn't help.

Soon Loki pulled his sister into a tight hug, and she kissed his cheek.

"I'll be alright." She murmured, and then they stepped apart. Moments later, they seemed to have switched places. Loki now looked exactly like Kloi, and vice versa. Loki made a laughing comment in a language that most of the Avengers didn't understand. Thor, however, grinned and clapped his brother on the shoulder, returning a comment of his own in the unknown language.

Kloi (who now looked like Loki) faced Tony. "I'd give you a hug and kiss, but I think that everybody would find it a little weird. Qillaq has told me everything I need to know. Trust him - what he says goes. My life may well depend on it."

Tony nodded sharply. "Be careful, kid."

"Oh, Dad - when am I ever careful? It's not in my nature." She grinned, and then nodded at Odin, Heimdall, and Thor. She spared a nod for the rest of her father's team, and sent a cheeky grin in Loki's direction. Then she was gone.

"Well." Loki said after a moment. "We'd best get moving."