"So, doc is a screamer," Clint Barton commented matter-of-factly.

Loki turned and stared at the archer. "What?"

"I mean, it figures, redheads, passion, you know." The man shrugged. "Look, the walls are a hell of a lot thinner here than you're used to. I, uh, think pretty much everyone within three rooms of you heard."

"No one is to breathe one word of it to her," he warned, fighting his rising temper.

Barton snorted. "We won't. Nobody else will say anything to you, either, I got the short straw." Loki frowned. "We drew straws to see who had to let you know. I lost."

"So they do still fear me. Good."

The damned mortal had the gall to chuckle. "Maybe you can't do the magic shit, but you're still a hell of a lot stronger and faster than most of us. Bruce is the only one who could stop you if you decided to freak out."

"I'm not likely to. Humph, at this rate we'll never get to enjoy being newly wed."

"Yeah, it's too bad for you that you don't have your power; you could have soundproofed the room with it."

"I also could do many other things with it, most of which your team would not approve." Loki huffed bitterly. "You wondered what kind of punishment this is; it is excruciating. Were it not for her, I'd prefer death to this…powerlessness."

"Nah, I get it. Kara explained it really well. Wait, isn't she supposed to be practicing releasing and binding your magic; didn't I hear your old man say that before we left?"

"You did."

"Well, maybe she should do what he said; and in between, you could soundproof the room just to test and make sure the release worked."

"My deviousness must have rubbed off on you while your mind was controlled."

"Don't flatter yourself. I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. as an assassin. Being devious is a job requirement."

… …

Kara finished tying her hair up in a ponytail and used a damp washcloth to wipe the sweat from the back of her neck. Loki was lying on the bed in his briefs; he looked equally miserable. "The water in the tank must have heated up again. I don't suppose you'd be willing to shift to Jötunn form and cool it back off?" she asked hopefully.

"I have a better idea. Why don't you practice releasing my power and I'll ward the tank to keep it cool perpetually…just in the interest of testing the release, of course," he said as he stood.

"Of course; aren't you the devious one."

"Hmm. I have to give credit to Barton. He reminded me that the All-Father ordered you to practice, and then pointed out I'd need to test it."

She stared up at him and then grinned at his sour expression. "Now was that really all that difficult?"

"Was what difficult?"

"Giving credit to someone else."

Loki smirked. "You cannot imagine how deeply it pained me."

"I'm sure." She sat down and concentrated, reaching in for the key as Odin had explained. Finding it, she 'turned' it in her mind and felt a rush of power run through her. Loki gasped. "It worked, I take it?"

He looked down and shrugged. "One way to find out." Kara felt another wash of power as Loki vanished.

… …

"That mother fucker," Nick ground out as Loki suddenly materialized on the rolling stairs next to the cooler's water tank, dressed in full Asgardian armor. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled. The supposedly magic-deprived prince stared down at him with a disdainful expression.

"I think I'm warding this tank so that the water remains cold enough to cool the buildings properly. I trust that meets with your approval?"

"How the fuck did you get up there?" he snarled at the god, who ignored him and ran one finger in a detailed pattern on the surface of the tank. "What happened to your magic being bound?"

"They're no doubt practicing the release and rebinding of his power as Odin ordered," a calm voice said from behind him. Nick turned to glare at Councilor Haakun. "Prince Loki must test that the power is properly returned to him before Princess Kara reestablishes the binding. Then he will need to attempt to use it again to ensure that the binding also worked."

He shook his head. "Next time warn me," he growled up at the literally royal pain in his ass. "My people need to know not to reclassify you as a hostile."

"I do not see anyone reacting poorly save you, director," Loki commented absently as he continued to trace an invisible design.

Looking around, Nick realized the bastard was right. Nearly a dozen of his people stood around simply watching. Not one of them had so much as reached for a weapon. "Son of a bitch."

… …

"Well, did you tell him? Natasha asked her lover when they reached their room after an evening of star watching with the team…plus Loki and the other-realm guests. It had taken most of the day to bring in Kara's targets, the blast screens and finish setting up the remaining supplies flown in by S.H.I.E.L.D..

"Yeah, this morning."

She looked him up and down as he slipped out of his pants. "Wow, and you still have all of your parts. Amazing."

"Aw, come on, Nat. He wouldn't hurt someone who was just trying to help."

"You're suddenly a Loki fan? A magic quiver and he's your buddy, I never thought you were for sale."

"That's bullshit, and you know it. When we came back from our mission and found Loki roaming free in the tower you were all over me to get over it, and now you're pissed that I have?"

He was right, she was being unreasonable. "I simply don't understand what happened in less than a week to change your opinion. You're the most stubborn man I know. How did he do it?"

The look in Clint's eyes was…wondering. Oh, this had to be good. "He trusted me, Nat. He trusted me to protect the woman he loved; not because of a threat, he went out of his way to tell me he wouldn't hold me responsible if she got hurt as long as I'd tried my best. He trusted me to protect her just because she deserved protecting."

"You would anyway."

"Yeah, I would. But he knew I hated him for what he did to me, even if he was more or less forced to do it. Most people would have assumed I'd let someone get hurt just because they were important to someone I hated. But not him. It got to me."

"Interesting. Good psychological warfare tactic. He was in your head before, he probably knew better."

"You know damned well I wouldn't fall for that. Besides, it wasn't just that. During the trial, he refused to defend himself. And he was pissed when we defended him. I really don't think he was faking it; he'd given up. He was just going to man up, take his punishment no matter how bad it was. All he wanted was for them to heal Kara. That's it, nothing else. He totally lost his shit when Odin wanted to give her a reward for her help in the battle and instead of asking to be healed she asked for clemency for Loki."

"Okay." Natasha finished removing her own clothing and stepped up behind him, running her hands down the almost perpetually coiled muscles of his back. "I get it, he proved himself to you. That's good, since we're all going to have to work with him for the remainder of our careers." Clint's neck was revealingly tense, and she was certain it wasn't because of the trickster. "How are you doing?" she asked.

"With no decent place to perch, you mean?" Clint shrugged. "I've been using the rolling stairs out at the tanks or the top of the Quinjet when it gets too bad. I'm managing." They both looked up at the knock on the door. "I'll get it." He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist.

Her eyebrows rose as she heard Loki's voice in the corridor. He said a few words too low for her to catch, then the door closed. "What's happening?"

"Kara just unlocked his mojo again for practice, so he's stopping at all of the rooms and asking if anyone wants theirs soundproofed. I said yes."

She grinned. "He just might be worth having around after all."

"You going to scream for me?"

"Never, but I'll make you scream."

Her Hawk grinned and then ran an appreciative hand over her bared breasts and across the curve of her hip. "Promises, promises."

… …

"Yeah, I love you too…oh, I'll call you back in a minute, babe, someone's at the door." Tony set the phone down and opened the door to the cubicle masquerading as a bedroom. "Hey, Frosty, what's up?"

Loki glared at him. Gee, that was new…not. "Really, Anthony? I come here to offer you a favor, having already done you several today and you still choose to insult me? I do have limits to my patience."

Wow…the man was tense, seriously so. "Hey, Loki. I'm sorry, man. Come in, take a load off. You want a drink?"

"Is that your solution to everything?" the god snapped, but he came in and sat down on the chair that was placed by a small table.

"Well, it works for me. Bruce grabbed a bottle of my best scotch when he was packing my stuff. Gotta love that guy." He poured a generous splash of the amber liquid into one of the traveling glasses Banner had also packed and handed it to his aggravated almost brother-in-law. "What's wrong, besides me being an ass?"

"I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle being without my magic long-term. It's only been a few days and I've had it back two hours all told today, but its…"

"Getting to you? Yeah. Know what you mean. I was stuck in a business conference for a week. They'd decided that all tech was banned from the conference - this was pre-Afghanistan, so I didn't have this puppy," he said, tapping the arc reactor. "Oh, and there was absolutely zero alcohol. I overdosed on caffeine, and still almost lost my shit before it was over. If the purpose of the conference hadn't been for support of one of my pet projects, I'd have blown the joint." He smirked at Loki's confusion over the last term. "I'd have told them all to fuck themselves and left."

"I can't do that."

"I know. Me, I'd drink, but I don't recommend that as a solution. It's brought me more trouble than it's probably been worth."

"Besides which, the amount necessary to have any real affect on me would tax even your resources."

"Yeah, probably not a good plan. My other coping mechanism is sex, but you're already using that one."

"Not as much as you'd think. Between her rather difficult conversion and her back injury we've had very little opportunity." The emerald eyes narrowed in a glare and Tony got the feeling Loki was daring him to say something about Kara's screaming the previous night. Oh, what the hell.

"Wow, no wonder she was having such a good time." He dodged behind the table as Loki predictably lunged for him. "Aw, come on. You practically asked for that comment; and it's not like I said anything to her."

Loki subsided and took a healthy swig of the scotch. "And you won't if you want to return to your lady in one piece."

Tony spread his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Wouldn't dream of it. She'd be totally embarrassed. I'd do that to you, but never to her. It's weird, I know, but I love that girl, totally platonically, I mean. She's something special. You're a lucky man, Lokes."

"I know it."

"Feeling better?"

Loki frowned, tilting his head to the side. "Yes, actually."

"Good deal. So, did you just need to talk or did you want something?"

"I'm soundproofing rooms of those who wish it before Kara rebinds my power. Even snoring can be heard from room to room here."

Tony laughed at the god's mischievous smirk. "Yeah, it can. Sure, absolutely. Pepper is going to fly in tomorrow evening. Don't tell Cap, but she's bringing Beth, too. Did you soundproof his room?"

"I did, I suspect he agreed in hopes of not hearing others, rather than anyone hearing something from him."

"Yeah, I don't know if they've gone there yet. Pep suggested I arrange for Beth and Darcy to have a room to share."

"Darcy?"

"Jane Foster's assistant. Apparently she's been, uh, hitting it off with our favorite rage monster, so Pepper is bringing her along."

"Hmm. Brave woman."

"She tasered Thor when she met him here. After Jane ran him over in their truck."

"Ahhh?"

"Used a taser on him. It zaps the target with enough electricity to knock them out for a good while."

"I like this woman already."

"Thought you might. Hey, you should give Jane a chance too, she did run Thor over… twice."

"I have nothing against Dr. Foster, she simply did not strike me as interesting. I'm not certain what Thor sees in her, she's far from his usual type."

"Well, she's smart, pretty, dedicated…"

"As I said." Loki shrugged. "Thor has always been more interested in more superficial qualities, and this woman has none."

Tony thought about that for a second. "You know, you're not the only Odinson that's learned a lot in the past year. Fandral tells me that Thor's changed too."

"He has." Loki shrugged again and stood. "I'll set the soundproofing in the walls, then I must go. Kara is no doubt wondering if I'm delaying my return to hold my magic longer."

"Are you?"

… …

That was a damned good question, Loki thought as he completed the soundproofing sigils on both Tony and their doors and entered the room he shared with his wife. The worst of it was, he did not know the answer. It was painful, having access to his power for brief spurts of time, knowing full well that it was temporary. It might be easier to not have the prospect of accessing it at all, but that would interfere with the other part of his sentence: assisting in the protection of Midgard. He opened the door to their room and sighed wearily. "It is going to be a very long century," he said to Kara's questioning look.

She held her arms out for him and he allowed her to gather him close. "I think it will get more bearable. I was a horrible mess after they did that drug therapy that expanded my empathic senses and I thought I'd never get used to it. Eventually I did, I still didn't like it, but I found ways to deal with it."

"And now you must do so again, because of…"

"Don't even go there," she said, pushing him back. "I am sick and tired of you blaming yourself for everything. It's because of you that I have love…romantic love. If you hadn't done everything you did, I would never have met you and likely would have continued living half a life, seeing my friends pair off and find love and been miserable believing I could never have that. I'm sorry you're having a hard time, but I'm not sorry that it all led to us being together. If that means I'm a selfish bitch, so be it."

He smiled and shook his head ruefully. "Are you quite done?" She nodded, a deliciously chagrined expression gracing her mobile features. "I apologize for not handling my issues better. You are more understanding than I no doubt deserve and I will endeavor not to continue the, ah, 'pity party' as I believe Tony calls it."

"I just want you to be happy, at least a little bit."

"I am happy, for the most part. But being relatively powerless is going to take a great deal of adjusting."

"Humph. You're nowhere near powerless; I saw you in combat practice today. You were still kicking ass against not only Captain America and Iron Man, but two of Asgard's finest…with just 'pathetic mortals' as back up."

"True. Now imagine how easily I could have defeated all of them had I that power I miss so sorely." His smirk grew as realization dawned on her.

"You could have taken Bruce, too, if you'd wanted; it's just that the bad guys didn't know it," she said quietly. He nodded. "And Thor?"

"Hmm, so long as I don't adhere to his standards of honorable combat and make no mistakes, yes, though, I'll admit, with great difficulty."

"Crap. Good thing I fried the bugs S.H.I.E.L.D. left in here. Don't ever tell anyone any of that. They'll have ulcers worrying about something that's never going to happen."

"Kara, one day they will anger me greatly. The only thing that will save them from my wrath is knowing that you care for them." He stroked the pad of his index finger down her nose and tapped her pursed lips with it. "It is your compassion that will keep me from breaking the terms of my sentencing; not the binding of my power, not fear of Thor or of Banner's beast. Just the love in your sweet heart."

… …

She had a lot more faith in Loki's heart than he did, Kara was certain. Now that he was making friends of his own, and was out of his brother's admittedly large shadow, he really was learning to care. He'd backed off of Tony for the nicknames, and the aggravating genius hadn't held much back in that area. Loki had even stopped snarling at Nick, well, mostly. Even she had been tempted to smack that man a few times today. Smiling she rose up on her toes and pressed a kiss to the sharp angle of his cheekbone. "Have I told you how amazing you are?" she asked.

"Not today," was his oh-so-serious response.

"Ha. Well, you are. I think you're handling this much better than anyone, except maybe your mother, expected."

"And here I thought you were talking about my body. Ah well."

Kara burst out laughing. His smug expression told her that was the response he was expecting so she shook her head ruefully and hugged him close. "Yes, you're gorgeous, and you know it. So what will it take for me to get that gorgeousness back into bed with me?" She gasped as they materialized on the bed, under the covers, totally nude. "Damn, I forgot to bind your magic back."

"So you did. Go ahead, get it over with," he said, sounding disgruntled.

She concentrated and felt the incoming wash of power that told her it had worked. "I'll bet you can still work all kinds of magic on me," she told him as he hovered over her, nuzzling her sweet spot.

"No doubt."

… …

Morning had come and gone with no mention of the screaming he'd drawn from his lady with his sexual 'magic'. Thank Yggdrasill for soundproofing sigils. Loki stole a glance over his shoulder toward the rise where Kara was refining her fire. Nyvorlas and her honorary brother flanked her, the former to monitor how her emotions factored into her control, the later was taking scientific measurements of the intensity of the flame she produced. At Stark's insistence she was standing behind the blast shield, good. While the fire would do her no damage, a miscalculation could cause the salvaged materials to explode and she was certainly vulnerable to flying debris. Satisfied that she was well protected, he turned back to his hand-to-hand combat practice in time to use the scepter in its spear configuration to knock two of Barton's arrows out of the air. "This was supposed to be hand-to-hand practice," he barked at the man. He'd been teamed with Barton and Romanov yesterday. After the other team's humiliating loss and his own scathing commentary on it, Rogers had suggested an everyone versus Loki match…just for fun, as he'd put it.

"Hand-to-hand for you; since we're pathetic mortals, we get to use whatever we want."

He frowned. The archer had a point. It did even the odds a smidgen and would give him better practice. A red, white and blue blur caught his attention and he twisted to avoid the shield Rogers had flung in the manner of an oversized discus. The other combatants scattered as it continued on its path, then scattered again as it careened off of a rock face and returned to its owner. "You'd do well to consider your teammates when you launch that thing, Rogers."

The captain grinned as he grabbed his shield in midair. "I rarely miss. You've got some fine reflexes, Loki."

A regal nod was his only response as he swung the spear to intercept Hogun and Sif's joint attack. The weighted base blocked the mace and a quick twist sent Hogun stumbling backwards as Loki's blade caught that of Sif's sword. She staggered at the impact, but quickly recovered to swing again, a bit too enthusiastically for a practice bout. Fine. Sidestepping, he caught her blade with his, just above the guard, effectively hooking it and then pulled up and out to disarm her. Another move to the side and a spin put him in position to bodily slam his shoulder into her back. He turned in time to see her sprawl face down in the red dirt. "If you do not keep this at a level appropriate for practice, I will respond in kind," he hissed.

She glared up at him and then stared in consternation as he offered a hand to assist her in rising. Her hesitation was brief and she nodded as she took it and stood. "I apologize. I was caught up in the moment. It won't happen again."

"What the fuck." Loki sighed and refrained from rolling his eyes at yet more profanity from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director. "How did you get that damn weapon back?"

Fury had been locked in long distance conferences along with Haakun when they'd practiced the day before and hadn't seen him with the alien crafted weapon. "Odin gave it to me," he began. Holding up a hand before Fury could let loose with yet another vulgar diatribe, he elaborated. "After he broke its connection to the Mad Titan; it can no longer be used to enslave the minds of others. It is now simply an energy weapon powered by the tesseract."

"There's nothing simple about that," the one-eyed mortal groused.

Loki shrugged. "I need some manner of protection. Would you prefer Stark build me a weapon? I am used to the weight and feel of this one. Besides which, its elegance suits me."

"Oh, by all means, your weapon of choice must be elegant." Fury continued to glare at him for a moment and then shook his head and started to laugh. Loki wondered if the stress might be getting to the man. "Okay, I get it. You really go out of your way to be as different from Thor as possible."

"It hasn't a damned thing to do with that oaf. I simply have good taste."

"Yeah. Right." Fury strode off in the direction of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s remaining Quinjet, still chuckling and shaking his head. Imbecile.

"Is good taste that little valued on Midgard?" he wondered aloud.

"In the armed forces, yes," Rogers said. "Except maybe the Marines." Loki stared at him, astounded that the captain would even have an opinion on taste. "Well, that's what Beth says. She thinks only the Marines have attractive dress uniforms."

"Beth…ah, your young lady; Kara mentioned her. A physician, is she not?"

"She will be this spring; she's in her final semester of med school."

"Hmm. It will be helpful to have an actual medical doctor your team can trust. Banner does a fine job, but I suspect he'll be happier concentrating on his research."

"Hey! Blue Boy! Get up here, we need your expertise!" Loki frowned at the new nickname. Stark was really going too far this time and he needed to teach him a lesson, however subtly. As he moved toward the rise he noticed Rogers doing the same.

The man stopped and stared at him. "Oh, I didn't even think…which one of us do you suppose he means?" That was a good question, Rogers was wearing his bright blue uniform…

"Hurry up and haul your star-spangled ass up here!" Stark shouted.

"Okay, he definitely means me," the captain said. Loki grimaced and watched the super soldier trot up to where Stark waited. He'd deal with the so-called genius later.

… …

"Seriously, Tony; do you have to use profanity?" Steve asked as he reached them.

"Oh, give me a break, you military types use it all the time."

"I don't. And I'd appreciate it if you don't use it at all, but since I know that's not going to happen, I'll settle for you not using it with me."

Tony stared at him, totally bemused. "You really are a boy scout. Wow."

"Tony, leave him alone," Kara told him. "Steve doesn't nag you about your…okay, never mind, yes he does." She frowned at the both of them; looking so annoyed he had to laugh. "It's not funny. Both of you grow up and be nicer to each other. God, I'm stuck with a bunch of overgrown adolescents."

"And a god," Tony couldn't resist adding.

"Two gods, if you count Thor. But trust me; they're every bit as adolescent as the rest of you. Sometimes I think Bruce is the only other grown up on the team. Except maybe Nat…maybe."

"I think we've been scolded," he told Captain Perfect.

"We deserve it. What did you want my expertise on?"

"That tank…it's from your era, isn't it? Do you have any idea what happens when one catches fire? Jarvis couldn't find sh…squat on the subject."

The man frowned, his eyes distant as he considered. "As best I can remember, nothing on the outside. They'd just burn fiercely inside and anyone unlucky enough to be trapped in it, well, you'd need their dog tags to identify them."

"Okay, that's good, so the shell is strong enough that it just contains the fire, right?" he grinned as cap nodded.

"Yep, you can even drop a grenade in one, close the hatch, and the body of it will hold."

"Great. Kara, go for it, kiddo."

"You've got it." Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the derelict tank. A faint rumbling sounded. "Uh, that doesn't sound so good."

"No, it doesn't…holy shit," he yelled as the tank exploded, parts flying up and out in an arc that was going to bypass the blast shield. "Oh fuck," he whispered.

"Nyvorlas? Anything?" Kara asked hurriedly.

"Nothing I can do will help."

"Oh hell." Kara turned toward the group participating in combat practice…they were right in the path of the flying debris. To compound the problem, another large chunk of the wreckage was heading for the arc reactor generator. "Incoming!" she screamed at the top of her lungs."

The group stopped and turned, Tony could see their horrified looks as they realized they really had no place to go. Loki took a step forward and yelled one word. "Key!"

"Go!" Kara yelled back. Tony had no idea what they were talking about until Loki raised both arms and a green glow spread out from his hands and formed a dome over the gathered combatants. "Tony, what'll happen if the generator is hit?"

"The core is protected, but the release of the already produced power might flatten the portables."

"Oh dear God," Kara whispered. They stared, their attention now on the generator.

"Got an idea." He raised his gauntleted hands and prepared to use his repulsers to push the flying junk past the generator. It might hit the side of the building beyond it, but that would be minor damage in comparison.

"Oh," Kara gasped. "Go Bruce!" Tony shut down the repulsers as a green behemoth charged out of the building closest to the generator and leapt into the air, slamming his body against the large piece of tank, then twisted to grab the two pieces it split into and hurled them out beyond the encampment. They turned back to Loki's magical shield which was now glowing brightly as it absorbed the impact of a virtual rain of debris. "Oh crap, some of that is going to bounce back here," Kara muttered in a horrified voice.

"Stark, give us a hand!" Cap and Himself the Elf were pulling on one edge of the inner blast screen that overlapped the outer one. Grateful he was in his suit, Tony grabbed hold of it and helped them move it around so they had protection from the rear…just in time. He flinched reflexively as some of the lighter pieces that had bounced off of the magic shield slammed into the clear screen and turned to lean his armor clad back against it and braced the servos in his leg armor as the heavier sections hit. The shield vibrated but held.

"Oh, damn, that was close. Thanks, guys," Kara said.

… …

Loki let the magic fall and checked on his companions. No one appeared to be injured, though most still looked as though they were in shock. "Anyone hurt?" he asked. No one indicated an injury so he headed up the rise to where Kara sat on the ground between the two blast shields. "What in the nine realms happened?" he asked angrily.

"It's my fault," his lady said in a small voice.

"I much doubt that." He softened his voice as he realized how upset she appeared. "Tell me, why did it explode? Did you miscalculate?"

"I didn't realize it hadn't been drained of fuel. It was the fuel tank that blew, I could feel it ignite, but there wasn't enough time from when I realized what was happening until the actual explosion so I couldn't douse the flames."

He drew in a deep breath and then let it out slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and stave off a headache. "Did no one think to check the salvaged vehicles to ensure they no longer contained fuel?"

"It never occurred to me," Kara told him. "Like I said; it's my fault."

The sheer annoyance of the situation made his hold on his temper tenuous at best. "You are not a military person, you do not know anything about salvage, and you were not responsible for acquiring the targets. It is not your fault."

"No, it's mine." He turned to see Fury striding up to them, a male agent trailing behind him like a puppy. "It should have occurred to me or to one of my people and it didn't. Is everyone okay?"

"Just shaken, it would appear," he answered. As contrary as it sounded, he was annoyed that the man had accepted responsibility so readily. It would have been far more satisfying to berate him for the incident.

"Good. Agent Sitwell, have our techs check the remaining salvage. If there is any fuel in any of it, in any amount, I want it drained and removed from the area."

"Yes sir, Director," the man said crisply.

"Nice job, by the way. Great teamwork," he said, indicating Stark, Rogers, Nyvorlas and him. "This mess Odin stuck us with just might work out."

"Well, then that makes one of us that thinks so."

An angry roar reminded them that Banner had assumed his beast form. Loki shuddered. While the Hulk wouldn't be able to touch him if he didn't want him to, the memory of the pain the beast had inflicted was still with him. "Well, this is a good opportunity to see how my projections are working now," Kara said, climbing to her feet.

Loki reached out a hand to assist her. "Need you get close?"

"No, I'll try it from here." She turned to face the angry giant, took a deep calming breath and concentrated. Between one roar and the beginning of the next, the Hulk toppled over, the green fading from his skin and his body shrinking as he collapsed. "Wow, it wasn't that easy before."

"Impressive," Fury interjected.

"Yeah, but let's just hope he's okay. Do you have a medical doctor around?" Kara asked.

"Next best thing…Medic!" Fury yelled and a uniformed woman rushed from the area near the Quinjets. They headed down the rise to meet her beside Banner's now restored human form. "Check his vitals, stat."

"Yes, sir." The nondescript female bent over the scientist's body and began checking his pulse and such. Her light brown hair was escaping from its braid and her unremarkable features were set in a determined grimace, no doubt controlling her fear that Banner might suddenly grow large and green again.

"He will not be able to change again so soon," he commented to the woman.

She glanced up, her tense features relaxing. "Thank you, sir, I wasn't aware of that." She turned back to her work, pulling out apparatus from her bag, doubtless to take other readings that meant something to the mortals.

"Hey, the amulet worked," Barton said as he joined them.

"Indeed. He retained all of his clothing, though the shirt is torn." Loki frowned. "I believe that was due to the sharp edges of the debris rather than his change in size."

"Yes," Nyvorlas interjected. "I saw the pieces cut into him while he was in the air. By the time he changed back to this," he said, pointing as the human body prone on the ground, "the wound had mended itself. Remarkable. You will be sharing the story of this creature?"

"I know little of it. Perhaps one of his teammates will do so."

"Other teammates." Loki frowned at Fury's calm statement. "You all worked together as a team. Like it or not, you are now part of that team."

He stared at the usually hard face now set in an amused expression. "I'd consult them on that before you make any assumptions," he snapped.

"Uh, Loki?" He turned to where Captain America stood in full uniform, his trademark shield at the ready. The soldier was flanked by the Black Widow, Hawkeye, Iron Man, and Loki's own lovely Hellbringer. "He's right," Rogers continued. "I think you've proved it to everybody. Welcome to the Avengers."

… …

Author's Notes: Woowhoo, turnaround time has impressed even me for this chapter. Hopefully I'll have another one out before next weekend, but no promises. Thanks, as always, for the reviews. So, tell me, do Beth and Steve get it on next chapter, or do they wait? And if they do get it on, who does the seducing? Inquiring mind (mine) wants to know what you think! PM me if you have a strong opinion on it! Until next time, beloved readers…