A/N:
The Avengers, Loki, Iron Man, or anything of the like. Just the thoughts inside my head, and Kaia, Gabby, and Nathan. And taking some personal freedoms with mythology and lore.
Tony tapped a screwdriver against his arc reactor, watching Dum-E wheel around the lab. He sighed and leaned against the bumper of the car. His companion whirred, low and long. "Yeah, I'm just not in a working mood." He glanced back at the car again. "It needs a a new paint job when we're done."
"Is it almost done?" Tony looked up when Clint walked in. "Can't start thinking about painting it if it's not close to being done." He stopped a few feet away and watched the little robot roam around. "You've been working on that car for a while."
"It's supposed to be for Nathan when he gets his license," Tony muttered, dropping the screwdriver in the front seat.
"Well, when he comes back make sure that he takes the engine apart and puts it back together again before he drives it." Clint crossed his arms over his chest. "It's not a free ride. Plus, it'll get him ready to build his own Iron Man suit when you retire."
Tony let out a long sigh. "It's been six months, and Loki is still no closer with all his spells, Heimdall hasn't seen anything either."
"It's just taking a little longer, that's all," Clint tried to reassure the man. He and Loki had been different the past six months, but it wasn't surprising. Every so often Loki would disappear for a day, sometimes two, and come back saying that he had been looking.
Tony rubbed his face with his hands. Clint turned when he saw Pepper walking in and she gave him a nod. They traded places, Clint closing the door on his way out. She walked over pushed his hands back down. "I was supposed to watch over him, they trusted me with him. Tanya's last words to me were that they trusted us, they trusted me to be his guardian, to raise him. And now he's gone, it's been six months, and the only thing I know is that he's been taken by someone who hates me and Loki and wants to bring about the end of the Nine Realms." Tony took a breath and looked up at Pepper. "I failed them both."
"Anthony Stark, don't you ever say that again." Tony looked up to see the stern gaze of Pepper Potts, a gaze no one would have liked to be under. "If you say that you've failed them again, you had better be dying, and have betrayed everyone." She tapped the bottom of his chin and he looked up. "They'll be back here, in one piece, and that will be that. Don't you dare gave up."
There was a light knock on the door and they both turned and looked up to see Loki slowly walking in. "Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all. I was just coming down here to ask if either of you wanted to come with me to the airport." Pepper smiled at him. "I'm going to pick up Gabby, she's coming back here for her break."
"I was actually going to keep working on this car," Tony leaned over to pick the screwdriver up again.
"I'll come," Loki offered. "It's been far too long since I've seen her get air sick."
"You are actually still evil aren't you?" Tony asked while pepper just raised an eyebrow.
"I'm so very glad that you both can see that, it makes me feel so much better about myself." Loki smiled, but no one commented how it didn't reach his eyes.
==========
"Tony?" There was a thud and a shout of pain and Steve winced a little as he walked into the workshop.
"Son of a-" Tony slid out from under the car, rubbing his head, getting black oil all over his head. "Steve? What are you doing here, I thought you were out in New York still?"
"Decided I'd stop by. You okay?" He walked over and pulled over a stool. "I've been here for a few hours, and they sent me down here to get you for dinner. Thor's here, but Clint had to leave."
"I'm sure that Gabby's happy you're here." Tony smirked a little at the slight reddening of Steve's cheeks. "You two have been together for how long now, and you're still blushing like a school girl?"
"Balder's here too," Steve mumbled and Tony leaned in a little.
"What was that?" Tony put his hand to his ear. "I didn't hear that? Did you say the Godly father of your girlfriend is here for dinner as well? Steve Rogers, are you nervous about eating dinner with your possible in-law?"
"Shut it, Stark." Steve hit his shoulder as Tony wiped his face off. Steve couldn't deny that he was happy to see a Tony that was ready to good around and tell jokes again, though.
The two went up the stairs and Gabby was helping Pepper put the food on the table. Loki was rolling his eyes as Thor and Balder laughed at something. Probably stories from Asgard if the look on Loki's face was anything to go by.
"And then-then Loki-" Loki looked at Balder as he tried to talk through his laughter.
"Loki saved both of you from certain death and punishment from Father," Loki finished his sentence. "Must I remind both of you every time that it was my magic, that you both mocked as children, that saved you?"
"All these years, and he still complains our adventures." Thor grinned at his brother and Loki huffed a little. Tony kissed Loki's cheek as he sat down next to him.
"He complains about everything, I'm used to it though." Tony grinned at Loki's withering glance.
"At least I enjoy the things I complain about now," Loki leaned back in his chair as Steve started putting glasses on the table to help the girls. "Unlike with you two bumbling baffoons."
"Be careful, brother," Balder smiled at Loki. "You might accidentally compliment us one day."
"Don't joke about that," Loki scowled a little. "If it happens I'll have reason to not save you the next time you get hurt." Tony wasn't even trying to hide his laughter.
Gabby kissed Steve's cheek, being pulled closer as wrapped an arm around her waist. "How nervous are you right now?" She grinned as he wrinkled up his nose a little. "It's not like you're asking him for my hand in marriage. It's just dinner. Just ignore the fact that both of his brothers are sitting at the table and could possible kill you."
"You have an absolute way with words, you know that?" Steve puffed out a breath as she started heading towards the table, pulling him along. "It's been much too long since I've seen you-"
"Blame school and your job," Gabby threw in, sitting down as he pulled out the chair for her.
"And the first night we have together is a meet the parents type dinner." Gabby snorted.
"The mighty Captain America and his toughest challenge yet." She grinned at him before taking a sip of her water. "You're cute when you're trying to be unamused. There's a little wrinkle riiiiight-" She stopped and looked over when Tony cleared his throat loudly.
"If I'm not allowed to be disgusting at the dinner table, neither are you." Tony pointed his fork at Gabby first. "Next thing you know you two will be making that gross kissy face at each other-"
"We don't make a 'kissy face'!" Steve exclaimed. He opened his mouth to retaliate but Loki suddenly sat up straight and everyone else heard a soft rumble. There was a crackle of light and something suddenly hit the end of the table, bouncing off and hitting the empty chair, tipping it over. There was a loud moan as half of the table jumped up, ready in defense position, Gabby and Pepper suddenly finding themselves behind the others.
Steve and Thor had edged over first, being closer, and saw the person, a man, roll off of the chair, onto his back, hand on his stomach. He had shaggy light brown hair, some dirt and scratches on his face, and he looked like he had taken a tumble down a dirt hill. He put a hand on his stomach, wincing a little.
"Fuck, that hurt," he moaned out then opened his eyes suddenly when he felt the edge of a sword at his neck. Balder was behind him, weapon in hand. "Don't kill me! Shit!"
"Nathan?!" Tony pushed through Thor and Steve, eyes wide.
"Oh thank god!" He relaxed a little, even though the sword was still at his neck.
"What happened?" Gabby had hurried over once the others had stood down, helping Nathan sit up slowly. "You're... older."
"I think I'm older than you now," he groaned, hunching over a little. "Is Kaia here yet?"
"Kaia?" Both Loki and Tony were at attention now. "Is she-" A loud crash caught their attention as JARVIS spoke up.
"Sir, I've detected a large energy disturbance down in your workshop. I believe that it is Miss Kaia and-"
"Hela," Loki hissed as Tony took off running. Steve and Thor were right behind him, hoping tos top him from doing something stupid.
Tony practically slid down the stairs running for his workshop. He looked through the windows and saw Hela, and a woman with long brown hair battling with magic. Golden magic. "Kaia!" Hela caught Tony's eyes then smirked. He hand started to glow red as she held onto a black staff and she slammed it down on the ground, a shimmering barrier expanding around them and stopping a few feet away from Tony. Kaia flew back then rolled, staying on her knees, creating her own shield around herself.
"Kaia!" Tony was fighting against both Thor and Steve, but they held him back tightly from outside of Hela's own barrier. One that would surely kill him if he tried to pass through it. Tony thought that if dislocating his arms would get him any closer to Kaia, he'd do it. She kept her eyes closed as she focused on keeping her barrier up. Tony had been forced to miss how much Kaia had grown up and he would be damned if he'd let her get taken away from him again.
Hela pelted the barrier around the nineteen year old, waiting for an opening in the shield of her weakened magic. She let out a triumphant yell when the barrier shimmered away, not noticing that her own had disappeared at the same time. A wind whipped around the workshop, parts and pieces flying everywhere. Kaia shrieked and covered her head until a body covered hers. She opened her eyes to see that Gabby had grabbed onto her, taking the brunt of any of the objects.
Tony blinked when he saw Gabby dive on top of Kaia and Loki was suddenly standing in front of Hela. He didn't even see them come down the stairs. Loki grabbed onto the staff in Hela's hands and narrowed her eyes at him. "You won't be able to control the powers in this room," she growled at him. The staff started to glow and she smirked. "It's absorbing all the power that we used. You know what will happen if you keep a grip on this. You would dare endanger your family and this realm with Ragnarok?!" Loki winced a little as the staff continued to glow. "It's going to overload your own powers, but by all means!" She laughed with a grin.
"Lady, you need to get your eyes checked." Loki smirked and Hela frowned at his speech.
"That's not Loki," Thor spoke first. They all knew that Loki didn't talk like that.
Loki kicked out and up, catching Hela on the chin, loosening her grip on the staff. He pulled it away from her then dropped and kicked her legs out from underneath her. When Loki stood back up, with the staff in his hands, it started to glow brightly. Tony managed to wiggled out of the arms holding him and ran.
Loki shook his head a little and lowered it while putting a hand to his forehead. When Tony ran over and grabbed onto Loki's shoulders he suddenly seemed much shorter. When he looked up it was not Loki's eyes that met his, but Gabby's. She was wearing Loki's jacket, and holding onto the staff. Steve and Thor were right behind him, keeping an eye on Hela.
The wind had suddenly died down and they heard a call for help as things fell to the ground suddenly. Tony ran over to where he thought Gabby had been with Kaia and started to pull his inventions and parts away from the two and saw that it was in fact Loki holding onto their daughter.
"Oh thank god." Tony dropped to his knees and pulled the two into his arms.
"You are most welcome," Loki coughed out a little.
Gabby handed the staff to Steve. "It was his idea," she started to explain to he and Thor. "Hela would have been expecting Loki to try something like this, and she would be less likely to fight back if she knew that she could get him to start Ragnarok. It was a hell of a trick, but it was worth it." She was breathing like she had run a marathon.
"It was fast thinking, but still dangerous," Steve agreed. "Specially with your still developing powers." Gabby nodded. Suddenly her eyes closed and she fell back to the floor. Thor grabbed her quickly and hefted her up into his arms. Before he could call out to Tony or Loki a hand was placed on his arm as another scooped her form his arms.
"Balder," Thor blinked a little then grinned. Both Thor and Steve looked back to see that Hela was gone.
"She's been taken back to Asgard, I didn't want to waste any time ad risk losing her again," the god explained. "I think that perhaps they would like a moment," he nodded towards the small family, that Tony was currently fussing over. "Gabriella only needs some rest, unused to the kind of power that Loki uses for his tricks." The two men nodded and Steve followed close to Gabby's side, Thor following behind.