Rachel Point of View
"So who exactly decided that placing a tracking device on, or in, another human being was a good idea?" I queried, looking around me.
There was a blank look on Natasha's face, which didn't surprise me. Clint looked vaguely offended and more than a little worried, and Steve looked very offended just at the idea of a tracking device. Thor wasn't there at the moment, I remembered Loki telling me that he had returned to Asgard for a few days to deal with something. Tony was still smirking, though he looked just a little unsure of himself, and Bruce was slowly trying to inconspicuously back out of the room.
"Well, in my defence," Tony began.
"Get back in here, Bruce," Natasha said calmly, but her tone made it very clear that he had no choice. Bruce walked back into the room, sitting gingerly on a chair.
"In my defence," Tony continued, "I just wanted to make sure that she was safe. It's not easy to do facial recognition on someone who can change her species."
I had to give him credit for that, he did actually have a valid point.
"Isn't there something in the American constitution against tracking other people like this?" Steve asked in confusion.
"Well, technically, there isn't anything directly talking about tracking devices and privacy laws…" Bruce began uncertainly.
"But I'm guessing this grey area means that the implanted tracking device isn't entirely legal, is it?" Clint said, his voice hard.
"Uh, it isn't illegal per say," Tony countered.
"Stark, this isn't something you can just experiment with however you want," Natasha's voice was level but the anger that was simmering below the surface for me was evident in the assassin's stance. "And Bruce, I thought you would know better than to be involved in something like this."
The doctor looked down at the pair of glasses in his hands, breathing slowly and not looking at the group around him.
"Hey, do I get a say in this?" Ezra piped up from where she was sitting on the floor.
"No," I stated quickly.
"Who else have you implanted with these tracking chips?" Natasha was stone cold, slipping into interrogation mode a little too easily.
Tony opened his mouth to reply but Bruce cut in over the top, "No one else."
Clint rose an eyebrow at this but said nothing.
Tony sighed, "He's telling the truth, I never put one in anyone else."
I nodded at him, but I was starting to have trouble controlling my magic, feeling it bubbling below my skin. I felt a hand on my wrist, calming circles rubbing into the back of my hand. In all that had just happened, I had momentarily forgotten that Loki was still beside me. He had been uncharacteristically quiet.
"Can we really believe them?" Steve asked, looking at Clint and Natasha.
Clint and Natasha nodded.
"They're telling the truth," Loki said quietly.
"And what makes you so sure, Reindeer games?" Tony added slyly.
"I am the god of Lies, Stark," Loki stated calmly, "It's my job to know if someone is lying." He smirked at the billionaire. "And you are not."
Bruce let out a breath, "Now that this has been sorted, can I go?"
"Yea," Steve said, "Sorry for having kept you Bruce."
The doctor nodded once and then quickly made for the stairwell, Ezra close behind him.
"Well, now that we have this sorted out," Tony was cheerful, but stopped short when he saw the look that Natasha shot him.
"This isn't sorted out Tony," Steve said calmly, "We're a team, and like it or not, Ezra is now part of that team. You can't just go doing things like this and not tell us."
I cleared my throat quietly, and four sets of eyes turned to look at me.
"Would it be acceptable for Loki and me to take our leave?" I asked politely, the stress making me revert to my natural speech pattern.
Both the assassin's turned to Captain America, it was clear that he was the team leader.
"Yea," He began, "yea you two can go." He sighed wearily.
Loki slipped his hand into mine and lent into me.
"Ready?" He whispered into my ear.
I nodded and clasped my husband's hand tighter. In a flash of green we were gone from the tower and landed back in our dingy apartment.
"Was that really necessary?" Loki asked me, sitting on the edge of our bed.
"Was what necessary?" I asked distractedly, my mind still in a whirl.
"The confrontation about your friend's tracking device," He replied, "While I do enjoy watching the Avengers face off against each other, it was not strictly necessary."
I sat on the bed beside him, jittering with adrenalin and unspent magic.
"Ezra was one for her own secrets, as much as you are, if not more so. She has never appreciated people prying into her actions," That much I knew and was the motivation behind my actions.
I tried to slow my breathing, concentrating on dissipating the pent up energy.
"Sweetheart, are you alright?" I could hear the concern in Loki's voice.
I was mildly surprised that the master of magic couldn't feel the waves of energy and magic rolling off of me, he must be getting complacent.
"No, I don't think I am," I replied tersely, "Can we go somewhere that I can let off some magic without levelling New York for the third or fourth time?"
Loki rose, his tall thin frame standing in front of me, and he held out his hand.
"How about we return to Asgard for some time?" I stood beside him with a smile.
"I believe that would be enjoyable," I replied.
Four weeks later
"What is that noise?" Loki's voice was gravelly with sleep as I was pulled from my slumber by a persistent sound.
"My phone," I groaned as my arm flailed to grab it from a non-existent bedside table. With another flick of my wrist, it appeared in my hand.
"Who is it?" Loki asked as he rolled over to look at me.
"Tony," I said with a small sigh, answering the phone and silencing the blaring of AC/DC.
"Hello Tony," I tried to sound less like I had just awoken as I sat up in bed, the dark sheets pooling around my waist.
"Someone sounds like they just got up," came the American accent through the phone.
"I did actually," I answered, "Do you know what time it is on Asgard?"
I heard a chuckle, "I didn't realise there was a time difference, how about that. Anyway, I rang because I thought you might want to know that your little apartment is finished. I have the keys here in my hand," a faint metallic jingling came through the speaker.
Try as hard I might, I couldn't stop the smile on my face at that news.
"Hey Stark, we will arrive in New York in about an hour. Where are we going?" I asked. True to his word, Tony had taken care of everything, including the location. Being the person he was, he refused to tell anyone the location, especially me and Loki.
A laugh came through the phone and I could feel Loki scowling beside me.
"How about we meet at the Tower and I drive you there?" I was going to agree but I heard a muttering from beside me.
"There is no way that I am getting in another vehicle that you are driving," Loki said adamantly, loud enough to be heard at the other end of the phone. "I swear you were trying to get us killed the last time."
There was an indignant exclamation on the other end of the line, but I talked over him. "We can meet at the tower, but I'm driving," There was a sigh and then the line went dead.
I looked to my right, to see Loki sitting up beside me. Characteristically he was barely clothed, his skin was unusually warm even for an Asgardian, which puzzled me given his blood line.
"Shall we return to Midgard?" I asked, slipping out of bed and towards my clothes.
"Indeed, I believe we have a house that requires our inhabitancy," Loki replied.