Thor felt a chill in the air that reminded him more of the warmth he had left only an hour before. He enjoyed his short stay with Lady Jane as usual, but now there was a renewed tension between them. Perhaps he should not have asked about the golden apple again. They had been snuggled in comfortably and already half asleep when it simply burst forth from his mouth. It wasn't planned, or even something he was thinking about at the time. In fact, he had been avoiding even thinking about it, ever since her blunt refusal the last time he asked.

He hadn't dared ask again, not with that stubborn gleam in her eyes. The same stubbornness that he fell in love with. A stubbornness that could be hurtful when it was directed against him.

After his sleepy questioning, she pushed him away both mentally and physically. Apparently he had ruined their pleasant evening by bringing it up, and had heavily disrespected her decision. Somehow, Thor couldn't help feeling more hurt by her anger than guiltily for his honesty. She needn't repel him so harshly for something as simple as asking. Jane must have known how hard it was for him to ask, to even consider taking her away from the world she loves. Thor hated to imagine what it would be like for her to watch her friends and family age and die without her. But he hated the thought of watching her age and die without him all the more.

So, feeling selfish and hollow, Thor returned to the tower in a dark mood and was instantly greeted by a wall of sound as he entered the common room. It was so unexpected, Thor was already lifting his hammer to attack before he realized they were the sounds of a celebration. There was music blaring throughout the room, just barely masking the shouts coming from a rather drunk Clint. Bruce was also looking a bit red in the face and seemed to be singing along to the song from, literally, under the table. Thor could not hold back a smile at the sight of Natasha surrounded by vodka bottles like some sort of bottle stronghold. He had not seen a celebration like this since long before Stark's disappearance.

Speaking of Stark, he was standing there in the center of the room talking and laughing with them all. It came as such a shock, Thor froze in the doorway and questioned what his eyes were seeing.

Loki was leaning against Stark and had just whispered something into his ear that sent the man into a fit of laughter. Thor's heart swelled as Loki joined in, and the couple laughed long and loudly. It was a sight so sorely missed, that Thor swore to burn into his memory. He would treasure moments like these, because this past year alone had shown him how fleeting happiness could be. How easily the ones you love could be lost, or how heavy the weight of that loss felt. Darker days were sure to come, if such a skilled enemy was still roaming the realms. Thor watched a while longer, attempting to take in every sight and smell, every ounce of goodness his friends radiated.

"THOOOOOR!" Clint bellowed, doing a fine impression of Thor's usual boisterous call.

Nearly everyone turned to look at him, with the exception of Bruce, who seemed to be more interested in his own hands at the moment.

"Thor, nice to see ya, buddy!" Stark called out and walked right up to him. He had to lean close for Thor to hear him, hesitating only the slightest when his eyes flickered to the side for a moment. There was a flash of fear that left as quickly as it came.

"Care to join us?" he yelled into Thor's ear.

"I would love to, Tony," Thor replied, shaken by Stark's sudden nearness, knowing that any moment now the man would fall into a panic. "Are you well?"

"I'm ignoring the evil hallucinations, if that's what you're asking."

"You still see them, then?" Thor asked, frowning down at his friend in concern.

"They come and go. I'm ignoring them the best I can, for now."

Thor frowned more, realizing what the man had looked at over his shoulder. He could only imagine what Stark was seeing and hearing at the moment. Loki had explained to him some of Stark's visions after a particularly rough night spent in the mortal's dreams. His brother had come to find him in the morning looking shaken and sick.

Thor backed away and said, "my apologies, friend. I shall leave you all to your celebration."

Tony grabbed his arm and flashed a grin. It was nearly honest. "No, no," he called out, "Party with us! We are much more fun than dreams about eating Pop-Tarts off of Jane."

Thor sputtered and allowed Tony to pull him further into the room. "How... How did you come to know of t-this?!"

"Weeellll," Stark answered, rolling his eyes towards Loki, "maybe next time don't tell the trickster."

"BROTHER!?"

Loki turned around, already looking bemused. Thor scowled, realizing that Stark and his brother were communicating through the mind link again. As happy news as that was, he was still angered at the betrayal of trust. "I confessed my dreams to you in strict confidence, brother."

"I only told my other half," Loki replied smoothly, " consider it safe between you and I... and a shorter me."

"Hey!"

Thor ignored Stark and continued to glare at his brother. "It was not yours to tell! I was very concerned about... the meaning of such dreams. I trusted your knowledge to aid me, and yet you share my story for petty humor!"

"Thor, honestly, why are you so surprised? This is me. If you do recall, I also told Sif about your damp sheets after your dreams of her wearing—"

"STOP! Do not say it!"

Both men in front of him laughed at his outburst to the point of tears. Thor glowered at them and felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. The pleasure he had gained from seeing his brother and Stark returned to the group was dwindling under the growing weight of discomfort. But Loki changed his mood as swiftly as he ruined it by reaching out and pulling him into a warm embrace.

"Brother," he breathed, utterly shaken by his brother's sudden change in temperament. Loki, who had not given him a hug of his own volition for years before the events that lead to his fall from the Bifrost. Yet here he was, holding him closely as if nothing sour had passed between them in all this time.

"Thor," Loki whispered into his ear, "Tony has agreed to face the trials. I cannot explain it, but instead of joy I feel nothing but an ache of fear on my chest."

Thor's arms tightened slightly around his brother. For Loki to admit his fear so openly meant either his fear was far too great to handle, or he was slowly coming to trust Thor again.

"Fear not," he answered quietly, "for he is a strong man, and the most determined one I have ever met."

He was answered with a tense silence and decided to add a further comment, "you know he truly loves you, brother, for him to do this for you. I must admit, I am jealous of how strongly he loves you."

Loki leaned back and have him a curious look that soon changed to sadness. "The Lady Jane?"

Thor nodded and let his eyes fall to the floor. "I may have ruined things, again."

He felt Loki turn away, sharing a silent conversation with his lover. Suddenly, Stark wandered off to leave them alone and Thor nearly smiled at his friend's unusual show of decency.

"Brother," Loki began once he turned his attention back to him, "why do you always feel that it is your fault?"

"I may have spoken to her of the trails by accident." He paused and met his brother's eyes. "I feel little guilt for my foolish mistake, yet I suffer an ache for how she spoke to me afterwards. I fear this time it truly is the end. Perhaps I should apologize to her? I have done her wrong, and did not act accordingly. I should not have left."

Loki blinked at him and started to smile slowly. His eyes sparked with obvious amusement as he answered, "no, Thor. I think not."

"But I dislike these uncomfortable feelings between—"

"Brother, let her be. She will make her choice someday, and you will have not aged while you wait." Loki's smile slanted into a sly smirk. "Events can change one's mind about eternity."

"As something changed Tony's mind?"

"Apparently so. I am still conflicted on the matter."

Thor reached out and clasped his brother's shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Stop your worrying. He has not failed you yet!"

"Who hasn't failed who?" Tony said from directly behind Thor.

He jumped, much to Loki's amusement, and turned to beam at the shorter man. "You have never failed my brother, Tony!"

The man's curious smile slipped from his face, immediately replaced by an startled frown. Tony glanced at Loki, his eyes growing dark as they communicated in silence. From behind Thor, Loki twitched slightly and let out a soft sigh.

"Yeah, I have," Tony said at last, not taking his eyes off of Loki. "But that's kinda why we're here today. That, and we successfully shut Fury down."

"You closed him?"

Tony's laugh was drowned out by a loud crash from behind them. Apparently Bruce had broken through the widow's bottle fort.

"Bruce! Stop imitating Godzilla and get back under your table!" Tony shouted over his shoulder before turning back to Thor, shaking his head. "As soon as I stop drinking, everyone else starts. Well, everyone but Steve. I think he went to sleep at eight. He goes to bed earlier than most kids these days. I think I died a little inside as he slinked off in all his patriotism."

"Tony," Thor began seriously, "I have no idea what you are saying." He ended with a hearty laugh, surprising the man in front of him.

"So you can sarcasm. That's good to know because—"

There was an even louder crash that shook the entire room. Thor flinched and shot a hand out to keep Stark from falling.

"Jesus!" He shouted, pushing away from Thor to inspect the damage. "Did Bruce just Hulk out?"

He was met with a stunned silence as all eyes fell on the man standing in the opposite doorway. Victor was lurking in what was left of the doorway, dust surrounding him like a halo.

"Hey there, fellow inventor magician guy," Tony called out, his cheerfulness sounding forced. "What did you do to my wall, and why?"

Dr. Doom tilted his head, his eyes unmoving from Tony. A wide, shark-like smile creeped across his face before he replied in a voice that was not his own, "I am here to collect my weapon, Anthony."

The chips Tony had eaten about twenty minutes ago came back up as he stumbled forward and retched all over his shoes. Loki was by his side in a flash, looking terrified and furious.

"Tony, what happened?" He whispered into his ear, his eyes never leaving Doom for a second.

Over the link, Tony heard a babble of curses, concerns, and plans. His panic was contagious, and all his carefully constructed walls came crashing down. Tony groaned and tried to calm his stomach enough to explain. The voice had triggered a complete shut down and he wasn't sure if he was even going to be able to talk. He was surprised he had managed to stay standing at this point.

"He just leaves a bad taste in my mouth," he croaked, wiping his lips on a sleeve. Doom had not moved from his spot, but the others had rushed across the room to stand around Tony protectively.

As he straightened back up again, Natasha appeared by his shoulder and whispered, "what is this weapon he's talking about?"

Apparently she wasn't as drunk as everyone had originally thought. Tony cursed inwardly at her question and tried for a nonchalant shrug.

"You know something so don't you dare lie!" she hissed in his ear, "especially not now. We need to know what he wants and why he wants it so we can take control of this situation. We are losing ground fast, Clint lost his bow somewhere between the whiskey and the vodka shots, and I, for once, don't have many weapons on me."

"We have the Hulk," Tony whispered out of the side of his mouth. He winced when he laid eyes on Bruce's wobbling figure. "Okay, scratch that. We have two angry gods and Steve is somewhere in the building. I know i'm not much help right now, but maybe I can..."

"Anthony," Doom called out, still remaining in the doorway. "I grow impatient with these games, Anthony. Come to me, now."

Tony jerked forward a step and hissed in a mixture of anger and sheer terror. He was doing it again. The bastard was controlling his body like a fucking puppet. Only this time, Tony was still in it.

"Please... Don't," he grunted through clenched teeth.

Tony's body took another shuddering step, his spine bending oddly to shift his weight as the invisible puppet master forced him to walk.

"No!" He screamed, a wild force of magic exploding out from him in a shockwave. All it managed to do was make everyone around him stumble, and send Bruce off his feet completely.

"Oh dear, whatever happened to your magic?" Doom asked in a sarcastically sweet voice. "It seems you forget everything I taught you. Pathetic, really. I had such high hopes for you, my pet."

Tony was having trouble hearing what he was saying over Loki's panicked thoughts.

What has he done?!

Control, body control.

Must make it stop.

How did this connection begin?

My Anthony... He calls him Anthony.

Stole my name for him.

Stole my Anthony.

Should have never happened.

I should been quicker.

I failed him.

I failed.

I failed.

"Help me," was all Tony could manage to think to him before his body twitched forward again.

With a pained expression, Loki flicked his wrist at his side and muttered something. Tony waited anxiously for the show to start. Nothing happened other than his body moving forward another inch.

"fjandinn goðin öll ok Realms að brenna í eilífum eldi!" Loki screamed mentally at him. He tried again and again, and when each new spell failed, he tried to hold on to Tony's arms. He struggled to hold him back, their feet sliding across the smooth floor.

"Loki, I can't... stop it."

"I know... I tired to use several counter spells, but I cannot break something without first knowing what it is."

Suddenly, Tony was jerked out from Loki's grip, nearly falling on his face. But the puppet master intervened and bent his leg at an impossible angle to stop the fall. Something snapped, and his world went white. He cried out in pain, throwing his head back to take a painful, shuddering breath.

"God-damn-mother-fucking -piece-of-fucking -shit-you... You son of a... Fuck!"

He panted, leaning heavily against Loki's body and Natasha's steadying arm. His friends had shifted forward every time he slide closer, keeping a protective circle around him.

"Babe," he thought desperately, "don't let me... get taken."

Loki was still muttering spell after spell, his full concentration on breaking the control. Tony knew when his words reached his lover's ears when Loki let out a whimper and his face contorted in agony. "No... No. Do not ask that of me. You cannot ask me this, not after everything we have done together."

Tony turned to him with as much effort he could muster and smiled faintly. He knew what Loki meant. Not after the roof, not after the cliff. Tony Stark was not allowed to die, according to Loki's law. But, if Tony was going to go down, he would go down fighting. And, if he can't physically fight the bastard, he would at least take away the one thing he wants.

The weapon.

Aka, Tony Stark.

"Lokes, you have to if I can't... If I can't shake this. You have to. I refuse be taken, not again," he begged, his heart racing as he stumbled another step towards the possessed Dr. doom, "please... you of all people know what it's like to spend time with that dick. I won't be able to survive a second time, and I refuse to give him his precious fucking 'weapon'."

"Just give him the weapon!" Clint shouted, a hint if desperation in his voice. Thor tensed behind them and raised his hammer, waiting for some sort of signal to make his move. Tony forced his head to turn to his other side, enough to look at the blond god. Thor met his gaze and raised a questioning eyebrow. Tony nearly grinned in return. A plan had finally started to form.

He didn't need to win right this second, he just needed a distraction to keep the Batman entertained. Something loud and distracting enough for Loki to break him free of its control. Then he could suit up and kick some possessive alien ass.

But, for this to work, he needed to talk to Thor. He needed to give the god information Batman didn't need to hear. So he decided to try something he never did before. He pushed a thought at Thor.

"Point... Break."

He could almost see the words struggle through the air towards Thor. It was painfully hard to get through, especially compared to Loki, but they seemed to reach their destination with no detour. Thor stiffened a moment before meeting his eyes in surprise.

"Smash him with your hammer," he tried again.

Thor's gaze stayed on him as a few words managed to creep back into Tony's mind, "but... he... comrade."

"Hit. Him. On. The. Head."

Tony's body shuddered with the effort it took to hold himself back. It was a loosing battle, one he nearly gave up on until Thor finally made his move. The thunderer had gone still, weighing his options, before taking a deep, telling breath. When he did attack, it was loud, obvious, and direct. He really was the perfect distraction.

"Loki," Tony hissed, twisting his body around with a new-found freedom. The power's grip had loosened ever so slightly. "Come on! There has to be something."

"I cannot break whatever hold he has over you," Loki replied in a dead voice, his eyes dark and afraid. "This is something he established sometime before. I would have to know precisely what elements he used to cast it."

"If you can't fix it, and I can't shake it, what exactly are we going to do here?" Tony snapped. He was starting to break out in a sweat in the effort to keep most of the control. Last time was different. Last time he was barely holding on when the bastard took over and walked him back to the cave. This time, he would fight.

Wait, when did it become so hard to move again?

"Anthony," the voice called out, stilling both of them. Loki's eyes met his with the same question.

Where was their distraction?

Tony felt the air cool, and turned to face the Thor shaped hole in the window.

"God dammit, what the hell happened in, like, ten seconds?!"

"I simply followed in our darling Lokes' footsteps. It worked less effectually with you, as I saw in those delicious nightmares of yours," Doom said, his head tilting to the side a little too far to be comfortable. "Anthony, stop pretending you can fight me. We all know how well that want last time."

"Shut up," Tony hissed, his feet skidding forward again. "Don't..."

He avoided Loki's questioning eyes, knowing full well that the god was already half way to figuring it out. The strong connection needed to control his body? A lost fight? One plus one equals two.

"Why Anthony, you still have not told them of our bonding experience?" Doom asked, "Is that why the female asks you of the weapon? Do they not know?"

"Don't fucking say it!"

"Tony..." Natasha muttered, not taking her eyes off of Doom. "What the hell aren't you telling us?"

"Oh, where should I start?" Doom giggled and rocked on the balls of his feet with a childish grin. "What secrets should I divulge first?" He paused, pretending to think hard on it. "Oh! Perhaps I should tell them about the moment you died? The way your body took me into it, so greedy for life as your soul slipped away. Or how about the way I brought you back to your body? Do you remember, my sweet Anthony? Do you remember the pain? "

The room went oddly silent, and for a moment Tony wished that the son of a bitch froze everyone like last time. The strangled gasp from his left proved that he didn't.

"Died?" Clint hissed from his other side, not daring to take his eyes off of Doom. "You died again?"

"Shut up, Clint," Tony growled through gritted teeth. His legs had stopped moving him forward, but he still felt the pull. That bastard we letting him stay just so he could watch Tony struggle with his friends now.

Cute.

I should know his game by now.

He likes to fuck with your head, there's a surprise.

Nothing new.

Do not Pass Go, do not collect $200

"Yes, your precious, mortal lover died... embraced in my arms," Doom said, almost sadly. His dark eyes were locked on Loki, his lips wobbling with fake misery. "It is no fault of my own, of course. He was the one who leapt to his death. I simply brought him back for you." He took a step forward, causing everyone to tense up more. "Perhaps you should be thanking me, 'Lokes'. I gave your lover a life when he threw it away."

Natasha was muttering something in Russian, one hand now holding a broken vodka bottle and the other, a small knife. She glanced at Tony for a long moment before shifting away slightly.

Oh.

She's worried that there's something wrong with me.

Wait, there's always something wrong with me.

What does she think I'll do, bite her knees off?

I don't even have my suit, i'm not exactly a threat.

Fuck.

"Look, you're making it sound like you saved me," Tony said, surprising himself at how calm he sounded. "You didn't save me, you reanimated my corpse while my little out-of-body experience me floated behind. Nice trick, by the way, trapping me so that I can't escape... not even in death."

Doom smiled pleasantly and took another step closer. Tony felt Loki's fingers dig into the skin of his arm. He hadn't had the courage to face him yet, but he really couldn't keep putting it off. So Tony turned his head slowly, and looked at his lover.

Loki was pale, his face tense but emotionless. Only when Tony saw his eyes did he know how Loki felt. They were dark and glassy. They were the eyes of a broken man.

"Loki..."

He turned to meet Tony's gaze and tried to smile. It was small, an attempt at reassuring, and it didn't reach his eyes at all. Tony hated it. It was the one of most painful things Tony had ever experienced in his entire life.

"I understand," Loki said quietly. "Do not fret over this."

"You understand what? Because I sure as hell don't understand it."

"Why you did not tell me," he replied even softer, shifting closer to whisper in his ear, "I also know how to break his bond with you."

"Oh," Tony muttered, "well then. Any time now would be great."

"You died..."

Tony tensed up at the tone of his voice. "Don't tell me, that's the only way to break the connection?"

"Something similar. Now go to him."

"Excuse me?" Tony balked, "I know you're pissed that I didn't tell you, but handing me over—"

"Would you just do as I ask? I am not sacrificing you to him. You need to be close for this to work."

Tony grumbled, "great. Of course. Why don't I hug him while I'm at it?"

Doom stepped closer again, growing irritated at the lack of attention he was getting. The room darkened slightly. It was nice when your enemy had such an obvious tell.

"If you hug him," Loki hissed dangerously, "I shall show you the anger you fear so much."

"No touching, I get it." Tony turned to face his doom, took a deep breath, and let go. The result was instantaneous. His body practically flew across the room and landed heavily on the floor in front of Dr. Doom.

Doom laughed and for a moment Tony thought it might kill him.

"Oh, Anthony. My little mortal who fights. My Weapon," he spoke in an oddly affectionate voice. "You turned out so well, met every expectation I had for you. I am so proud of you, Anthony."

Tony choked back the second wave of bile that rose in his throat, his eyes fixated on Doom's feet in front of him. Of all things, of everything Tony feared and hated, the bastard had chosen that tone. That fatherly tone that sounded loving, yet so condescending.

"Don't you ever,"

Tony rose to one knee.

"ever,"

He managed to stand.

"speak to me,"

His eyes blazed.

"like. A. Fucking. FATHER!"

Blue flames exploded from his body directly into Doom's face. There was a satisfying squawk, and several shocked yells before everything was washed out by the roar of magic. The room filled with a light that wasn't fire, and everything was washed away.

Something was wrong. Loki could sense it as soon as the room dimmed and the rushing sound of wild magic faded away once again. Bodies were strewn across the floor, each emitting small moans or curses in pain to let him know they were alive. Bruce, Natasha, Clint...

Tony was not there.

Loki twisted around again, counting. The archer, the widow, the beast, Thor was outside, the captain was resting, but where was Tony?

Where was Doom?

"No... fjandinn það allt til helvítis," he muttered to himself, "not again."

"Loki..."

"Tony?! Where are you? I cannot..." He frowned, concentrating on his lover's energy. He was near by, only one floor above them.

"Stay where you are, I am coming to you."

Loki stood and without any further explanation to the stirring members of the group around him, teleported away with a crackle. He winced upon his arrival, the air stagnant with magic.

The first thing he saw was Doom, looming over something on the floor. The second thing he noticed was the look of grave disappointment on his face.

"Why do you look so beaten?" Loki asked the creature, already calling up flames to his fingers. "Have you lost so easily?"

"Oh, Loki. We have all lost something," Doom answered, his voice pitching slightly.

Loki froze, fear crawling up his chest to choke his throat. "No..."

Doom stood shakily, the unnatural grace of the creature possessing him suddenly lost. "It seems I have made a mistake. I though he was stronger than this."

The fear shifted into rage, and Loki let out a wordless scream before sending the creature flying through several walls with a single burst of magic. He didn't stop to relish in his accomplishment, but immediately scrambled over broken furniture to the slumped figure on the floor.

There he was. The missing piece. His Tony.

"Tony..."

Stark's eyes fluttered open in surprise, his mouth opened and a bubble of blood tricked out. "Loki," he croaked, his smile widening with his usual greeting. "Hey there... beautiful."

"Why did he say you were lost?" Loki whispered to him, fingers dancing over his chest to check for wounds. His magic answered the question quickly, and the small flame of hope he held flickered and died.

Tony was crushed. His insides were broken into so many tiny, fragile parts, that Loki could not find where one thing began and the other ended. Then there was his life line, his 'wiring' as Tony called it. Loki's magic sought it out and found more to dead and broken.

Tony's spine was shattered, his insides torn and melted, and his arc reactor was slowly failing.

Too much magic. It was stronger than him, and his body suffered for it.

With a muffled wail, Loki started to press his palms over his body, shooting panicked waves of magic into Tony's flesh.

"Loki..." Stark tried, his eyes widening. "Loki? Loki!"

"No! This is not right!" Loki screamed back, fumbling with his power and burning the skin under his hands. Tony didn't flinch. In fact, he hadn't moved at all since Loki laid eyes on him. "You... You cannot even feel it, can you?"

Tony stared up at him in a calm silence, but Loki could feel his mind catching up. He heard, for the second time, Stark's mental checklist. When the mortal asked himself if this was reality, something died in his lover's eyes.

"I can't feel anything... except cold." His mouth hung open for a moment before he muttered more softly, "I can't feel you there."

Loki bit back another scream. Breaking down would not help him, not now. Not yet. He could fall apart later, when his soulmate wasn't in pieces.

"You must hold on, you must," Loki demanded, focusing his power and readying himself for another wave of healing. "I can heal you, but it will be—"

Something bright came from the hole in the wall, and the side of his face exploded in pain. He didn't scream, but hissed in frustration as the powerful shot tore his hands away from Stark.

"Stop this pathetic show," Doom's voice came, sounding less and less like the mad inventor. Something had slipped, and tilted the balance over to the darker half.

"You two were created by me," he continued as he crawled through the hole. "Did you truly confuse yourself that this was a reality?"

"You may have been the spark that ignited this, but you may not take credit for the roaring blaze it has become," Loki chastised in a mocking tone. "You are nothing but a hot pebble, trembling at the feet of a volcano."

He felt, rather than heard, Tony's laugh. Even through the link, he could sense the exhaustion behind it, but it was still a good sign. His lover could hear him, and could laugh.

Perhaps there is hope.

I just need a little more time with him.

Just a moment.

The dark creature laughed, the tower trembling with it. His power had grown again since its escape from Jotunheim. "You children really believe that this is a Realm shattering love? Did the ease of the mind link fool you into thinking you were soul mates?"

Loki stilled, and the flames he already gathered at his finger tips, fell way. "We are. We were born for each other."

"No."

"Do not speak as if you know!" Loki snarled, "you may have spied upon us in our time together, but you cannot fathom the connection we share!"

"Oh? The same connection that nearly shattered when I stole his life from him, and truly made him my own?"

The room fell silent except for the sounds of Loki's angry panting and the crackle of magic from Doom's blackened fingers.

"S'okay..." Tony croaked from his place on the ground. Loki could just barely see him from behind Doom's legs. Somehow, the creature had worked his way between them.

"Okay," Tony called out again in his weak voice, "you got me... You got this...beaut..i..ful..."

Loki tensed, only half hearing his words. The creature was stepping backwards, closer to Stark. His eyes gleamed with magic and a sick sort of glee. "Is he not an adorable specimen of the vermin called Humanity? He kept me much better company than you, 'Lokes'."

"You tortured me! It is your company that fell short of pleasant."

"And did I not torture him?" He asked, leaning back to smile lazily at Stark. The man's eyes grew glassy and confused as they made eye contact.

"Batman...?"

"See? I even got a pet name," Doom commented, turning his attention back to Loki. "I think he likes me."

Something was wrong. Steve ran down the halls, doing his best to reign in the ever growing panic. He had heard the first smash what seemed like hours ago, but for some reason he just couldn't get out of bed.

It was if time slowed and he was forced to move inch, by miserable inch. He had finally broken free of it with the simple application of pain. Pain could confuse the body enough to change one's perception, to the point where one could even fool a lie detector.

Steve grunted in irritation as he met an all too familiar corner. He was going in circles, or elaborate loops to be more specific. Whatever it was, he was a mouse trapped in a maze. No pain could fool his mind into breaking this one, and Steve was running out of ideas fast.

"Come on guys," he panted as he rounded another corner with the same low table and chrome sculpture on it, "come and get me already."

Something was very, very wrong. It might have had something to do with the over abundance of alcoholic drinks in his system, but Bruce felt a little stranger than usual. Which was really saying something, considering he spent all of his time sharing his mind, and half his time sharing his body with a really angry, green giant. There was really no other word for it, other than 'wrong'.

"Zzzguys?" He grunted in what he hoped was English.

"Bruce," came a concerned voice to his left. "Bruce, just lay still. I think you should sit this one out."

"Mmmfine." That didn't sound confident enough. He tried again, louder, "I AM FIIINNEEE!"

"Thanks, my ears aren't fine."

"WHAT?!"

Something slapped his cheek sharply, and the world settled a little more. Bruce opened his eyes cautiously, and was met with two pale faces above him.

"Bruce?" Natasha asked, her hand going to his forehead. "can you hear me alright?"

"Mmmmyes," he mumbled and tried to sit up. The world decided to throw him off again. "Oh god... what happened?"

"That thing Tony lovingly calls 'Batman'."

Clint made a nasty face on his right and looked around the room. "Don't let Loki hear you... Where did everyone go?"

Bruce finally managed to sit up and Natasha shook her head. "I don't know. I'd like to know what that thing did to Thor to keep him down for so long. He should have been back a while ago."

"Do you think he got his hammer?" Bruce asked groggily.

"Do you really think something that kidnapped and tortured Tony is 'virtuous' enough to lift Thor's hammer?"

"Good point. Don't let me ask any more questions until my brain starts functioning again."

"We need to find them, fast. It's been almost twenty minutes since Loki left," Natasha said, checking her watch. "I think Tony was gone before that."

Bruce felt an old familiar, fear creep into his stomach and it nauseate him further. "You don't think...?"

"The bastard took him again?" Clint finished for him.

"No," Natasha answered, looking out the window. "They're still here."

"How do you know?"

Natasha pointed, and they all turned their heads to look out at the city. Every light as far as they could see was out, and there was the faintest sound of screams drifting from city around them. Something was giving off light, strong enough to set the closest buildings to the tower alight with an angry, green glow.

"Loki's fighting," Bruce whispered in awe.

"Let's hope he's winning."