AN: Happy New Years, everyone! Thank you so much for the incredible support! I can't believe it! You are all amazing, and I can't thank you enough!

I hope you all enjoy!


Chapter 17: A Start


Malekith could smell death in the air as he walked down the abandoned halls of Asgard's palace. For as far as his eyes could see, there was not a soul—only the dark stains of blood lay as evidence that these halls were once occupied. Goblets once filled with mead and wine littered the golden floors unused. Rotting food served as evidence of a festival gone wrong.

Opening the large door to the throne room, Malekith hissed as he stepped on a motionless Asgardian. Looking around the room, the Dark Elf could see the struggles of a people outmatched. All around him lay broken glass, shattered jewelry and spilled blood. If Thanos could do this to a whole group of people, he didn't want to think of what he could do to him if he failed.

Stepping carefully towards the throne, Malekith sent a smile towards the Titan who sat on Odin's seat. In the sparkling chair, Malekith could see a sick smile over Thanos's face. The Titan seemed pleased with the carnage around him—always trying to please Death. In his hand, Thanos swirled a goblet of mead and welcomed the Elf.

"I pray you have news for me."

"Yes, Lord Thanos." Malekith smiled, "I have traveled throughout the realms, as you wished. No Asgardians were found…I fear we must take this hunt to Midgard."

The Dark Elf could see the obvious disappointment on Thanos's features. Between the two of them, they had allies on every realm besides Midgard. Having to infiltrate the human world would be risky—especially after the monumental failure Loki encountered. The humans were an unpredictable people, and obviously more powerful than they had previously thought.

"I would suggest we approach this cautiously, my Lord." Malekith added, "If we are too hasty, we may face the same fate as Loki and lose the stones. Infiltrating their group allows for the highest chance of success."

Malekith watched as Thanos thought seriously for a moment before nodding.

"Do what must be done." The Titan decided, "But leave Loki for me."

Bowing, Malekith sent the man a wicked smile before disappearing in a mist once again. It would not be hard to find the Asgardians once he reached Midgard and once he found the perfect pawn the whole thing would be like child's play. By attacking from within, they wouldn't have time to rally their forces. They wouldn't have time to retaliate because once they noticed the stones were gone…

It would be too late.


Pepper hummed quietly to herself as she set up a pair of wine glasses on the small table her and Tony shared. In the background, she could hear the faint lullaby of beautiful music she had playing on the radio, and she could smell the sweet nectar which was dinner cooking. It had been ages since she had seen her boyfriend—the infamous Iron Man—and when he had messaged her saying he was coming home early with a surprise, well, she decided to give him a little surprise of her own.

Pepper would be the first to admit that romance wasn't exactly her forte. She was always forced to be so professional as Tony's secretary, and now that their relationship had moved far from professional in nature, she had a hard time adjusting. Tony had told her to loosen up—to let her hair down—and she had been giving it her best go. She truly hoped he enjoyed tonight.

Interrupting her thoughts, a bright smile beamed across her face as she heard the unmistakable sound of the elevator beeping. Lighting some candles quickly, she took her place in front of the elevator and waited eagerly. With the final beep, Pepper's eyes brightened as she saw the stupid smug smile of Tony Stark…

And her heart sunk when she realized he wasn't alone.

"Hey, Pep!" Tony grinned, "Look who followed me here!"

Clicking off the music, Pepper gave Tony a forced smile. Behind him, Thor and Jane waved at her awkwardly—something unspoken on their faces. With another beep of the elevator, hazel eyes widened as more people entered the room with clothing that looked out of this world. Glaring at her boyfriend, Pepper pulled Tony aside.

"Hey, be careful!" Tony warned straightening his suit, "It's Versace."

Pepper growled as another elevator-full entered the room.

"I'm going to pour bleach on your precious Versace if you don't start talking." Pepper hissed, "This is your idea of a surprise?! Who are these people?!"

Pepper could feel the rage growing as she watched a particularly large man walk over to the dinner she had set out and started eating it. Another—this one with golden locks and looking suspiciously like Robin Hood—had already started to drink the champagne. Gritting her teeth, she was met only with Tony's famous cheeky grin.

"It's only temporary, Pep." Tony assured, "There's a bit of a situation on Asgard and Thor needs our help."

Letting out a sigh, hazel eyes looked deep into the caring brown of the man she loved.

"Why didn't you tell me, Tony?" she wondered, "There is so much to prepare now, and guest rooms to set up, and food and…"

"It's all taken care of." Tony interrupted, "I didn't want you to worry. Doing everything for me isn't your job anymore. Enjoy the moment, ok?"

Before she could argue, Tony placed a kiss on her lips and walked over towards the group of homeless Asgardians. For the most part, they looked harmless enough. Some of them were still clad in outfits that looked ready for war, while others were dressed in normal clothes. They had unimpressive features, well, aside from two of them having the prettiest eyes she had ever seen…and all of them being beautiful. Still, Pepper hoped that after a little adjusting they would cause her no trouble.

"Welcome to Stark Tower, guys." Tony smiled, "A few of you have been here before—some on particularly nasty terms—but for the rest of you, a couple ground rules."

Pepper noted that the Asgardians looked on towards Tony eagerly.

"Hands off the liquor." Tony started, "I know how you Asgardians drink and I'm not made of money."

Tony smiled to himself.

"Well, maybe I am." He corrected, "But I would rather you not touch the nice stuff."

There was obvious disappointment amongst the group.

"Also, no breaking things." Tony added, "That means stay away from the windows, Antlers."

At this, Pepper could see one of them look away and scowl.

"Besides that, mi casa es su casa…or whatever they say." Stark beamed, "So relax! I'll order in some Chinese. It'll be great."

Pepper let out a defeated sigh as Tony turned around and flashed her a grin. Behind his enthusiasm, she could tell that he was nervous about something—and she didn't think it had to do with their guests. If there was something wrong on Asgard, the woman knew that it would likely come to Earth. After what happened only a few months ago…after Tony almost died…she was terrified.

"See, Pep." Tony assured pulling her close, "Everything will be ok."

Pepper's heart sunk.

He was lying.


Opening his eyes quickly, Loki cursed as he was met with the darkness of one of Stark's guest rooms. Breathing deeply, Loki sat up and put a hand to his sweating forehead. Though the room was quiet, he could still hear the broken cries echoing from a horrible nightmare. It was not often that he dreamt, but when he did he was always met with horrible flashes of a time gone by.

In the quiet of slumber, he was reminded of the tortures he faced as he fell from Asgard. He was reminded of the lies and tricks he played to gain Thanos's praise—to gain his trust. And in the wake of these memories, Loki was left only with the harsh reality of the present. He was left feeling unfulfilled and confused…wondering if it was all worth it.

Breaking the silence of his thoughts, however, the Prince jumped as a voice shattered his reserve.

"Good evening, Mr. Odinson." A mechanical voice chimed, "Is there anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable?"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Loki realized that his visitor was none other than Stark's computerized servant. A hiss escaped the Prince's lips at his rapidly growing headache, he stood up from his warm bed—the cold floors a harsh contrast on his feet.

Shuffling across the dark room, Loki opened the door quietly and made his escape. Walking down the silver steps of Stark Tower and walking out near the balcony, he was suddenly reminded of his last time there. He could still hear the screams of the Midgardians in the city below, and could still taste the excitement of a war almost won. On his hands, he could still recall the feeling of Stark's quickening pulse as he threw him out the window—and he could still see the devastation in his brother's face at what he had done.

Looking out at the city below, Loki still didn't know if it had been worth it. The throne still eluded him, he still didn't have his father's approval or love, and in the wake of everything he was left with a palpable regret. His lust for the throne had hurt those closest to him-casualties to his selfish needs. In the waking hours he managed to keep the guilt away, but in the dark—when his thoughts were his lone companions—it was unbearable.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Turning his head around with a snap, Loki narrowed his eyes at Tony Stark. The man was cleaning one of his many glasses, and casting a glance affectionately over his large assortment of alcohol. From the looks of it, the man had been awake for hours—the pattern of sleeplessness hard to miss. Standing up to leave, Loki was taken aback as the man poured him a glass.

"Here" Tony insisted pushing it towards him, "I never did get you that drink."

Casting a cautious glance over the beverage, Loki simply narrowed his eyes at the man further. To his frustration, Stark simply shrugged his shoulders and took it back.

"No loss. More for me." He decided, "But this is 50 year old scotch."

The god could feel his jaw clenching as the mortal spoke further.

"Oh well, I tried." Tony sighed, "So what's going on?"

What was going on? Loki laughed at the absurdity at Tony's question. What was going on was that he was going to be killed at the hands of Thanos. What was going on was that everything he had ever done had been a complete failure. What was going on was that he hated where his pathetic life had ended up. He hated that he felt like a prisoner in his own flesh. He hated that he failed everyone that ever meant anything to him. He wanted to scream because he was so disjointed…because he didn't know who he was or what he wanted anymore.

"I've been there, you know." Tony started, almost reading his mind, "I've been the bad guy."

Letting out a growl, Loki turned himself away from the mortal and stood before the window once more. The last thing he wanted was for this pathetic creature to give him a therapy session. He had seen things that this mortal could only dream about. He had lived a thousand mortal lifetimes-been to every corner of the universe—and this human actually thought he could be relatable. It was a laughable sentiment, really. He was certain this Tony Stark would tell him nothing of substance.

"I've killed more people than you, actually." Tony continued, "I was in the weapons business. Lucrative—of course. I didn't care who I stepped on to get what I wanted. We were not so different."

At this, Loki wanted to laugh again. He was certain that Stark's need was childish—greedy. The simple wants of a mortal were nothing compared to his. The death of thousands of humans was incomparable to what he had given up to get the throne—it didn't come close. If Stark truly knew the pain he had caused himself to become king of Asgard, well, he wouldn't dare try to compare them.

"In case you cannot tell, I care not for what you have to say." Loki said bitterly, "Will you stop this torture if I humor you? I can see you only want attention."

To Loki's disappointment, the man simply returned a challenging smile. In his mind, the god was seriously weighing the consequences of throwing the man and his smug look out of the window again.

"Maybe." Tony agreed, taking a drink, "Maybe not. Attention seeking? Now, that's something we definitely share."

Loki cursed under his breath as Tony kept talking. The man continued to ramble on about how his company gained him unimaginable wealth and hoards of women. He continued to speak of the festivals he would go to, and the fantastic parties he would throw. If this mortal was trying to make a case against evil, well, Loki was sure he was failing. Just as he was about to tune the man out further, something caught the god's attention.

"But despite everything I wasn't happy." Tony admitted, "I can see you're not, either."

Closing his eyes, Loki let out a frustrated sigh.

"I'd fix it now, before it's too late."

Without thinking, Loki spoke.

"It already is!" He spat, "I'm never going to be some hero! I'm never going to be like Thor!"

Loki could feel his nails digging into his palms again as his fists clenched. Across the room, he could see the shock in the man's eyes as he took another large drink of liquor. The god wanted to scream at the man and tell him that he didn't know what a miserable life was. He wanted to scream and tell him that he didn't know what it truly meant to hate your life—to hate yourself.

"I've done unforgivable things." Loki explained bitterly, "One cannot just take back what was said or done. One cannot just say 'sorry'. Sorry is an empty word."

To Loki's surprise, Tony just shook his head and smiled as he punched in the number on the elevator to leave.

"Yes, but it's a start."

With that, Loki was alone again. Hissing out profanity, Loki angrily threw a pillow across the room. Did the mortal truly think that saying sorry to the people he had hurt was really going to change anything? The man had no idea the extent of the monster he was. He had no idea the amount of pain his want for the throne had caused…

Casting his green eyes over towards the bar, Loki noticed a lone glass of alcohol sitting untouched. Gritting his teeth, the god walked over and downed it in one take—savoring the burn as it went down.

No.

Sorry was never going to suffice.


Thank you so much for reading! See you all in 2013! ありがとうございます!