Natasha:

Nat had never felt this scared in all her life. It surpassed the times when her mother would go in a drunken rage, pass the times when she knew she was being followed home, having a gun held to your head kinda makes everything else seem small. She replayed the scene over and over in her head. Ryan had grabbed her hair and held her at first she was going to fight back but then she felt the cold round barrel press against her temple and she froze up. Her eyes kept flashing to Callie on the ground with her brains blown out so she knew he wasn't messing around. But then Clint looked at her and she felt like the world stopped. She had stared into the one person she knew she totally loved and that may have been the last thing she saw. She was honestly thankful when Loki grabbed the gun but she didn't think that he should have killed Ryan, or did she? The guy was going to kill her so it was justice right? She didn't want to think about it, she didn't even realize she was shaking in the car until Clint pulled her closer. The car ride was about 40 minutes but it seemed like a lifetime. Tony ended up driving to his house and they went up to his down personal floor.

Everyone was on edge when they got back. Thor was obviously excited to Loki but he could tell that something was wrong with him. They all sat in silence for a while, finally Nat couldn't keep it inside her.

"I'm so sorry," was the first words spoken to Loki with everyone around. He looked up in her eyes and she could see the sadness in his eyes, like part of him was gone. She could feel the mounting tension in the room. "Here you all talk; I have to talk to Clint." She suggested and then pulled Clint into Tony's bedroom that was littered with everything from wire, to cloths, to cans, food, and CDs.

"You ok?" was the first thing Clint said, it seemed a silly question but what else could he say. She faced the door and bit down so hard she could feel the blood in her mouth. She hated crying, absolutely hated it! But she turned to Clint and when she saw his face, the face she thought was going to be the last if she was shot, the face of her best friend and now her love everything just poured out. She ran and grabbed him and started sobbing into his dark purple jacket.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped in between breathes. But why was she apologizing? For almost dying? For almost getting him killed? She didn't quit know but it was the only thing that she could think of. "I'm scared Clint, I was going to die." She couldn't stop the tears; she hadn't had a break down in about 3 years so she thought it was everything. She felt his arms go around her and pull her closer. He sat on the bed and pulled her into his lap her small frame fit perfectly into his bigger one.

"I'm sorry too," he whispered. She looked up to him in a little surprise.

"For what?" her breathes still heavy with tears.

"I just stood there; I didn't know what to do when you had that gun to your head. I thought of Callie right there and I knew he wouldn't hesitate to do that to you. But I just froze I didn't know what to do. If Loki wasn't there, you could be dead right now. I wouldn't have anyone to love." He looked down; she could see little streams of tears going down his face. Her and Clint were so close that sometimes she thought they had a developed a second sense for each other. She hugged him and he accepted it. "Promise me you won't ever have yourself almost killed again?" Clint laughed a bit in his tears and she giggled along with him. He always had humor even though they had almost just gotten killed. She absolutely loved that about him.

Thor:

Thor was still in shock that he was sitting beside Loki. His best friend missing for 2 years, hell he could have been dead for all Thor knew; but here he was sitting with Thor on Tony's black leather couch with Steve sitting across from them in a chair, with Bruce beside him leaning on the chair and in like Stark fashion, Tony was making food. Clint and Nat had gone away to talk, Thor hadn't even thanked them for finding his brother.

"Nat said, 'I'm sorry' before she left, what did she mean by that?" Steve was the first to speak up after Nat left. Loki sat there for a bit and Thor saw how much his brother changed in the 2 years he was absent. His hair was visibly longer, his eyes were darker somehow, his face looked harder and he looked skinnier and muscular at the same time.

"Well to get to that you have to know that whole story don't you?" Loki did a half smile. "Well let's see, after I left Thor and my so-called family," Thor saw how the hatred hadn't faded. "I met with the former leader of the Torns; luckily he liked me because both of our ancestors were from Norway. Ancestry is everything out there, clean blood, where you're from depends if you live or die," die hung on his lips long enough for Thor to notice. "Well, Arty, the leader took me under his wing and helped me get into the life of a gang, which is not easy I might add. So after a few months I had worked up the ranks to a mini leader for one of the groups. Our territory stretches far more than what the other ones think so we need 24 surveillance on the areas. I was on the west end then one day…" Loki took a deep breath like the words were a struggle to get out. "There was a fight, with a new member of the Golden Dragons came try to start trouble that didn't needed to be started. So one thing lead to another and he ended up dead…" He took another pause and Loki looked at Thor. Thor didn't know how to feel, his brother was involved in a murder? He honestly just felt numb, not remorse, sadness, anger just nothing. Loki closed his eyes and continued.

"Well after that Arty, was killed in a raid on our territory and that's when I rose up and became leader. Actually Ryan was supposed to be next in line but everyone thought he was too crazy, always looking for a fight even if there wasn't one. And for a year everything was going good until… Callie." Loki sighed her name; Thor saw his eyes swimming with thought of her. "Well she was a sister of a person in the Black Spades, but luck would have it we met and we sort of hit it off. We kept it secret, no phone numbers, and almost no contact during the week and only spending a maximum of an hour together, only communicating through letters we would write and put them in a false brick and hide that in a building side, we were, so careful. But then one day, a newbie in our group, Brian was his name followed me when we were meeting and he saw us. She had a tattoo of a black spade, her brother made her mind you, and he saw us and was going to tell Bryan. We caught him in the ally and begged him not to tell, we got into a scuffle and I pushed him off of me and he hit his head hard on a brick siding and he died. It was a sad thought, but we thought we had gotten away with it. But he apparently had called Bryan and he heard the whole thing through the phone. They found us within the hour and that was on Thursday." The story hung in the air and made it thick. Steve was rubbing his hands through his hair repeatedly. Bruce was tapping his foot nervously. Thor stared at the brother he once knew, he wasn't that person anymore. This Loki was tougher, sadder, this one knew his place in the world.

"Loki," Thor looked at his brother. "What happened when Natasha and Clint found you?" Loki looked to Thor with an expression Thor hadn't recognized on him. It looked like Loki was going to bash everything in sight, like he wanted the world to end but he was trying so hard to hide it.

"Well, for all of Friday they had me locked up having no idea what they did to Callie. Then they brought me out and Callie. Ryan said his whole little speech and he shot her. That's when Nat and Clint jumped in and they got me out. But," Loki rubbed the back of his head like he always did when telling a story one thing Thor did recognize from his old brother. "He grabbed Nat and was going to kill her; I wasn't going to have 2 loves killed on this night. I grabbed the gun and shot him." Tony was leaning against the fridge eating a packet of blueberries. His brother had been in involved in not one, not two but three murders? Thor's brain felt it was drowning in his thoughts and worries and what was going to happen next since they found Loki. He had originally planned to take him back to his family and they would love each other again but now he didn't think that was possible. Going day in and day out with a person who had killed two people and maybe a third and acted like nothing happened? Thor couldn't live like that; he promised he'd never try to lie after he lied to his parents about Loki running away. He looked at Loki thinking of what he was going to do now, no one else in his group was going to voluntary take him in and keep him in the house.

"Come Loki," Thor stood up. "We're going home." He ordered.

"Thor, if you think I'm going back to them-" Loki started to say but something clicked or snapped inside Thor, he couldn't tell which one but he picked up Loki by his shirt and raised him so they were face to face. Thor still had a good 4 inches on his little brother.

"WE ARE GOING BACK HOME! MY FRIENDS RISKED THEIR LIVES TO RESCUE YOU SO THAT I COULD HAVE MY BROTHER BACK AND I AM NOT GOING TO LET YOU JUST WALK OUT AGAIN!" Thor roared in his face. Thor was just done with today, he had nearly killed a guy, found his brother but in the process with almost getting Natasha killed it was just overwhelming. His teeth were clenched and his fist stilled balled up in Loki's shirt. Loki looked a little startled that Thor was this tough on him. Before Loki left Thor would always made sure his brother was ok and that no one would hurt him if he was around. "We are going home, thank you all for helping me." Thor thanked his friends. Just then Nat and Clint came out of the room both with red faces. "And thank you two most of all for finding him." Thor nodded his head toward them and set Loki down and walked to the elevator and got in and waited for Loki who was lingering a bit. The black doors closed and it started its way down to ground level. Thor could tell the air was thick with awkwardness and having Kashmir playing didn't really help. Thor saw from the corner of his eye that Loki opened his mouth but closed it multiple times. Thor didn't know what he wanted to hear, but he didn't think anything would make him feel better at this point.

They walked home in silence until they got to their house and to the steps.

"Not much has changed has it?" Loki commented.

"Well, our room has just become my room," Thor said while getting his key out. "I'll go up then you go around back and go up the fire escape and I'll let you in." Thor didn't want to take the chance of anyone in his family seeing Loki, he didn't know why but he didn't. He saw Sif watching TV in the front room and he knew that even if she was asleep they wouldn't have such luck because she had always been a light sleeper. Loki nodded and ran around back, this gave Thor just a bit of anxiety. What if he just ran off again? Thor wouldn't be very surprise considering he had just yelled at him. Thor ran upstairs and opened the window and looked down and was relieved by what he saw. Loki was climbing up the fire escape almost soundlessly. When he got up he faced Thor.

"I must saw that was impressive," Thor complimented him.

"You learn a few useful things on the street brother," Loki smiled. Thor knew Loki was safe here because no one ever came in his room, why would they?

"Is it convenient in you sleep under the bed, I don't want anyone seeing you." Thor asked.

"I've slept in worse places." Loki said and got under the bed, luckily Thor had gotten a long bed so it easily hid Loki's frame. Thor threw him a pillow and a blanket and turned off the light; he got on the bed and made sure not to roll around a lot.

"Thor?" Loki said his name just before he fell asleep. He grumbled in response, he was just seconds away from falling asleep. "I'm sorry." He said and then was quiet. For what? Thor thought in his head but kept his mouth shut. He smiled silently in acceptance.