No song for this chapter. Lately, I've been feeling a little weirded out about this story, it's like something from "Stranger than Fiction." I sat down to write this chapter (which I had long planned) just after the Boston Marathon. The coincidence was unsettling. Then I go to Iron Man 3, and no spoilers, but several of the salient plot points are in the upcoming chapters of this fanfiction, which I had already written. Less unsettling, but just convinces me once more that I should really be working for Marvel.


Chapter 58: Bad News

The next morning, there was a knock on Loki and Natasha's door. "Hey, are ya naked?" Darcy's voice called through the door.

"Yes," Loki shouted back, a grin on his face before he shifted forms.

Natasha laughed, and Femme Loki smiled a little in response, clueless but glad to see her happy. "No, Darcy, we're decent," Natasha called, walking over to open the door.

"Sorry to barge in," Darcy said, remaining in the doorway. "Fury called, he wants everybody up at the clubhouse ASAP for some kind of meeting. Oh and pack your stuff, sounds like we're heading out," she explained.

Natasha frowned. "We weren't scheduled to go back until tomorrow."

"Yeah," Darcy shrugged. "Change in plans, I guess. Well, I gotta go get like, three other people, so bye!" she waved a little, and ran off in a hurry.

Natasha and Loki looked at each other, concern and suspicion written clear on their faces. Loki waved a hand behind her, and all of their stuff was packed. "Let's go," she said solemnly.


Once everybody made it up to the clubhouse, Tony set up a video chat with Fury on the big screen TV. The SHIELD director looked even more imposing larger than life.

"Sorry to cut your vacation short, people, but we've had a serious incident here in New York." The screen shifted to news coverage of a variety of locations, several on fire, the others swarmed with rescue crews, paramedics, and even civilians helping to move the injured out onto the street. "A series of explosions has occurred between five PM and eight," he explained. "We thought the first was an accident, it happened in a hardware store that sold propane, but then the second, and the third..." Fury trailed off, disbelief in his voice. "There were five explosions in total. We are expecting more, although the time since the last has been longer than the intervals in between."

The Avengers and their friends stared at the screen in shock. It felt unreal, half a world away, and it took a moment to get their heads around it.

"What measures have been taken?" Steve asked, ever the leader.

"All cell phone service has been shut down, but we don't think that it was a cell phone detonator, so we may lift that soon. The problem is, we can't seem to figure out what caused the explosions. No accelerants were found, no debris in the victims that was not local. The only lead we have right now is this:" The screen changed again to a series of surveillance videos, played in fast motion. In each, a young woman stood perfectly still for a couple minutes before there was a flash of light and the tapes ended.

Loki frowned a little, but said nothing.

"We're trying to track the identities of these girls, but we need you to come in. Several terrorist groups have claimed responsibility, but none of them seem legit. The city is pretty shaken, and the media has been giving us a hard time." A couple news broadcasts popped up on the screen, one with the ominous title "Where Are Our Heroes?"

"We'll be there as soon as possible," Steve offered.

"I've already had everyone's baggage loaded up," Tony said helpfully.

"Good," Fury said. "Put the civilians on one of your planes. I sent out a Quinjet for the Avengers after the second explosion, it should be there soon." Right on cue, the sound of a jet overhead could be heard.

Everyone nodded, and Tony turned to kiss Pepper, Thor folded Jane in a tight embrace, while Clint and Darcy had a small, quiet argument.

"Um, Sir?" Loki asked shyly. "Bit of deja vu, here, but which plane should I go on?"

The room grew quiet as everyone waited to hear Fury's response. "Go with the team," he said gruffly. "I have a feeling we're going to need your... expertise on this one," he lamented.


The plane ride back was quiet, mainly punctuated with reports from Agent Hill as the time passed. The death toll rose as surgeons worked—and occasionally failed—through the night, but then stabilized in the early morning. Google set up a system that worked independent of the cell phone towers so that people could locate their loved ones.

By the time they got back, it was all over.

After the fifth attack, no more came. The city seemed to be on pins and needles, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Until the perpetrator was caught, no one would rest easy. But in the 9 hours it took the Avengers to reach New York, there were no new leads. Things were looking grim; if they didn't find something within the next twenty-four hours, it would likely be a very long investigation.

As soon as the plane landed, Bruce rushed off to the nearest hospital to see what good he could do.

Tony and Steve both made public appearances. Tony gave a speech, in which he called the instigator a coward. Steve preferred to be seen doing what little good he could, talking with the families, visiting the wounded, and brainstorming with police.

Clint and Natasha worked more quietly, investigating the girls from the security tapes away from the public eye. They had chosen to keep this detail from the media—the girls may not have been willing participants, judging by the glazed look on their faces in the last few minutes of their lives. It was slow going, as they must identify each girl before trying to find their family, and then subtly gather any information they could without raising suspicion.

Thor opted to stay out of it. He was not a citizen of New York, or even this planet. He, as well as Fury, felt that it may not be appropriate for him to get too involved. When pressed for a statement, he expressed his condolences to those who had lost loved ones, and related that he had every confidence that the other members of the Avengers team would find the person responsible.

Loki was left alone with his thoughts. His counterpart had found a way to lie almost as soon as they returned. He knew why She had done it—seeing the streets of New York spattered with blood brought back too many painful memories for Her. He remembered, too, but he had a better lid on his emotions than she did.

All the same, as one day dragged into two, and then three, Loki decided to take Dr. Bryardie up on her offer to talk. The meeting was rather uneventful, and it seemed the tension which had been so thick between them had dissolved.

"So, Natasha," Rowena suggested as she poured another cup of tea. She was weary of speaking of the explosions—it was all anyone talked about these days.

"Yes," Loki took a sip of his own, a spicy chai. "Do you still think it's wise for us to... proceed?"

"I do," Rowena said confidently. "This may be a mortal perspective, but the way I see it, there will always be some crisis or tragedy going on in the world. Wait for the perfect moment, and you may miss your chance altogether."

He nodded. It was a very mortal thing to say, but it was the transience of this world he had always loved. In Asgard, where nothing changed and they had eternity, certain things seemed to lose value. Here, he was reminded that you could never count on the future to give you a better opportunity than today.

Misreading his pensive frown, she turned her cup round and round in her hands. "It's a good thing, Loki. Wanting to do this with Natasha. Everyone has darker desires, and it's alright to act on them—within reason. This is what it means to accept your shadow, you have to find a way to incorporate it into who you are without letting it take over. It's about..." she trailed off, trying to find the right way to put it.

At this, he smiled slyly. "Control?"

Rowena nodded solemnly. Then she smiled awkwardly. "It would be remiss of me if I did not make sure that you and Natasha are being... safe?"

He chuckled. He knew what she meant from one of the hygiene books his counterpart had read. "As we are both immune to diseases of all sorts, and Natasha cannot become pregnant, there is no need."

Her eyebrows drew together. "Natasha cannot conceive?" she asked.

Loki sighed and set down his cup. "I do not know the specifics, only that her body will not allow a pregnancy to come to term."

She tilted her head a little. "How do you feel about that?"

He leaned back, lacing his fingers in his lap. "I don't know. I'm not sure that children would be a good idea at this point anyway, and Natasha agrees."

"But?" she prompted, sensing his hesitation.

He smiled winsomely. "But I don't like being told I can't have something." She laughed. "If it becomes more than that, if at some future point we wish we could..." he trailed off, thinking. "I may yet be able to find a way. But it's not a concern of the present, to be sure."

She nodded. "Well, I wish you the best of luck in your bedroom adventures," she said, mildly teasing. "Just remember to take it slow. Use a safeword, and have fun." She stood, gesturing that their time had come to an end.

He stood as well and rolled his eyes a little, but at which part she was not sure. "Thank you, Dr. Bryardie," he said formally, took her hand, kissed the air above it, and left.

Rowena stood a while staring at the door he had gone through. She really, truly hoped he hadn't been scoffing at the idea of using a safeword.


A/N: Ok, time for a little lifestyle PSA. Always, always, always, always, always, ALWAYS use a safeword. Not sure I got enough alwayses in there. Exploring your darker desires can be exciting and fun when done in the right environment, but rape is NEVER ok, and the safeword is what keeps that from happening. Ok?

So while we're on the topic, I had a guest reviewer ask me what the "contingency plan" was, if it was from the comics (it's not) or what. It's actually referenced a couple times previously in this story, once in chapter 4, when newly Femme Loki tells Natasha that if Clint had died and Loki and Natasha had survived (and he had succeeded in taking over the world), that Loki had planned to carry out the threats he made in the hellicarrier personally. To prevent Clint from trying to kill himself and thus rob Loki of his talents, Loki crafted a dream which detailed this scenario. It's the dream that appears in chapter 57, and is also hinted at the end of chapter 20. Clint, Femme Loki, and Natasha also discuss this during chapter 39. Hope that helps clear things up.

As always, your reviews all mean so much to me. I'm going through a really rough time right now, and every tiny bit of encouragement from you guys makes a huge difference. See y'all on Wednesday for Chapter 59.