(Bruce)

The next morning I woke up just as the sun began to rise and notice Loki standing outside, I walked up to him and held onto his hand.

"you don't have to do this." I begged hoping he wouldn't go

"I must it is the only way to ease everyone's mind."

Sorrow and pain returned to his eyes, it was the same look that had dissapered for so long but now it was back. He smiled but it was pained but the kiss that followed was warm and compasionate but it did nothing to erase the pain in his eyes. I watched him disapeare, going back to that dreaded cell that he had spent years in and I remembered the feeling when I had stood there, the nuaseating smell of blood, the pain and cries of dying agony, I wanted to break down again but instead I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and headed to Tony's house.

"Good morning Doctor Banner." Jarvis called out

I paid Jarvis no attention as I headed down to the lab and towards my lab station where I had several vile of blood already set up to anyone they would think that it was just blood, they wouldn't think that the blood came from a scientist, a monster, and a frost giant. That's the thing though is that when it came down to the very blood running through our veins we were still the same as everyone else. Even down to the very molecular structure we were the same, the plasma, the blood, the marrow, our very structures were the same the only thing that was different was what we could do or turn into. But still Loki and I were just as human as Tony was but it was what we could do that made everyone forget that deep down we were still human and began to see us as nothing more then monsters.

"After everything that's happened thought you'd be sick of blood by now."
"Very funny Tony but I still have work to do."

I watched Tony approach and take one of the viles and carefully examined them but just like me he couldn't see the difference and yet he knew who they samples were from. He set them back down and began on his own project at the station across from me.

"Are we really going to go through with this? Bringing them here who know's what's going to happen?" I questioned, I knew that Loki was right and that it would be best if the guards did come but I didn't want anything to happen to Loki he's suffered through enough already and I didn't want him to suffer any more.

"I don't know what's going to happen Bruce but think of what could happen. If we win this then maybe everyone will see what we see, they'll understand that he deserves a second chance to truly prove he's changed, no one should have to go through all that he did it's brutal." Tony stopped working on his suit "He can leave it all behind him if we win this. Listen I want to help the guy just as much as you do."
"You know what'll happen if we don't win?"
"Of course I do but I think we can count on Thor to try and save Loki from any more pain."

There was so much that could wrong with this case but at the same time there was a lot of good that could come from it as well if we did win. I just didn't want Loki to hurt anymore he's been through enough hell already and there was no way I was going to let anyone send him back but it's going to take everything we have to convince everyone in that room that Loki's changed and deserves a chance to prove it. I just don't know if what we have is going to be enough to convince that he's not the same god that killed so many people and almost destroyed New York, I don't know if they'll ever even see what me and Tony saw in Loki but we had to try. WE couldn't just sit here knowing that because of SHIELD Loki almost died three times in a span of two months there's nothing that can justify that, after all all he wanted was to escape for one night and yet that one night had given him more then he bargained for.

The days past by and I found it harder to sleep knowing that at that moment Loki was back in hell, back in that cell that had broken him, that very place that had driven him to come to Earth, the very place that had given him demons that haunted his every waking moment but it had also given me every reason to fight for him. It just felt empty not having to go to Loki to help him out of a nightmare or to wake and not see his emerald eyes shining in the sun, it felt so alone without his pressence and I didn't like it. But I knew that it was for the best to give the public ease of mind knowing that Thor did come back for Loki and that during this time he had indeed been locked up in prison but could we really save prove to everyone that what he went through was wrong? Could we really end all of his suffering?

As we sat in the courthouse waiting for Thor to bring in Loki I couldn't sit still, I was worried about what was going to happen.

"Bruce you need to calm down everything's going to be alright."

Then did I hear the loud beeping coming from the monitor on my wrist but I just threw the watch in my bag, how could I calm down knowing that today would decide Loki's fate.

"Stark is right Bruce you really should calm down."

I stood up quickly and turning around I saw Thor bring in Loki, he wore chains and he looked terrible and hie eyes seemed tired and exhausted as though he hadn't slept at all which he probable didn't.

"No tricks no brother I do not wish to.."
"Oh save it Thor and take these damn things off." Loki said irritated and Thor unlocked the chains realesing Loki and went to take a seat with the rest of the Avengers in the jury stand. Loki came closer, smiled painfully, and threw his arms around me hugging me tightly.

"I missed you Bruce."

I held him close to me and kissed the top of his head.

"I missed you too Loki but I promise you'r going to be just fine they're not going to hurt you."
"I appreciate the offer but now is not the time to be making promises you can not promise."

I lead him over to the table and as we sat I held tightly onto his hand as the judge entered and the case began.

(Loki)

At least I did not have to wear those dreaded chains throughout the case but that did very little to ease my nerves. Looking around everyone held anger and hatred in their eyes as they looked at me and some even whispered no doubt they were discussing how pointless this trial was and that they should have let me die. My eyes stopped on three guards, the very guards that had caused me years of torment but I forced myself to look away and instead I looked down at my hands as Bruce held onto mine. I couldn't bring myself to up at him, couldn't bring myself to look at any of them.

"You see your honor we all remember what this monster did to New York the last time he was here all we were trying to do was capture him before he did any more harm but it seems we could not save Stark or Banner from the fiends powers."
"But he hadn't done anything wrong."
"Enough Stark! Banner please recall the night you meet Loki."

Bruce stood but he kept his hand on mine as he told about the night I came looking to clear my mind and how he had offered me a place to stay for the night since it was getting terribly cold out. He explained how all we had done was simply chat and that he had told me that I could stay as long as I wanted to but I had no intentions of doing any harm to the city or the people.
"Is this true?" the judge asked and all I could do was nod not trusting myself to speak in case old habits led me to lie which would do nothing but hurt me further.

"How do we know he's telling the truth though after all he is a master of lies." an agent said

"I think we can trust that he will not lie today seeing as how much is on the line, isn't that right?" again I nodded still not trusting myself to speak "Now Banner what did SHIELD do exactly the first time they tried to capture Loki?"

Again he explained that they had broken in when we were both asleep, that they had drugged him greatly. Then the judge had him explain what he saw when he went to rescue me this time I heard several gasps from the crowd but that meant very little. It went like this back and forth between SHIELD, Stark, and Bruce as they explained their own sides. But it was clear that no one cared and that this whole thing was just a waste of time.

"Judge we have some videos we wish to share with everyone I think everyone should see these." Bruce spoke up and as he brought out the suitcase with the videos only then did I look up. Why were they showing them now it was still pointless they would always see me as a pathetic monster who deserved to die. But never the less like everyone else I too watched the videos that they had gathered of what SHIELD had done to me and my body began to ache watching them beat me, being left alone, everything I had gone through while there. I clentched my fists and looked down, I didn't want to watch them anymore, didn't want to give them a reason to hurt me any more, I couldn't stand to hear my own scream, to watch me suffer as I did, I wanted to shout out to keep fighting that Bruce was coming but it was a video, a video of what had happened to me.

There were several gasps and some even shouted out in anger as they watched Coulson and Fury beat me while I had been to helpless to save myself, as they watched me go mad locked in that glass cell or as I laid there bleeding out from broken shards of glass, as Tony fast forward through the days that I had been left there, abandoned, alone to die with nothing but my thoughts and the glass around me and yet somehow Tony had manage to catch some of what I had said before I tried to kill myself and he turned up the volume for all to hear.

"I had become nothing more then an empty shell of the former god that I was, let them see what becomes of monsters like us, after our punishment has been decided and the torture begins, let them see that even after it's all over we're never truly free and sooner or later we die because we know it'll free everyone else from all the pain we have caused them and that even when they know that we're bleeding and dying that they just stand there, laughing and rejoicing that they're free of us, that there's one less monster for them to deal with, let them see the truth." that was what I was though I was a terrible monster. " That was what I wanted was for whoever the poor fool was to see what becomes of people like us, those who just wanted to be an equal, to be great, to show the world that we're stronger then they thought, but in the end we're nothing more then freaks who will never be free of the damage that we caused or the pain and fear we carved into the world, that no matter what the world will never mourn our deaths, that no one will ever come to rescue us from our demons and that there's no escape for us, not even in death will we be free."

The court room feel silent and as I looked around some people had tears in their eyes, some clentched their fists, and after a moment many people were shouting. Some thought that it was fake video, that there was no way that I had possibly changed at all, some even thought that Banner should have just let me die. But then there were a few who were angry at SHIELD for abandoning me to die like that even if I was a monster and what I did was wrong hadn't they just admitted that all they wanted was to capture me before I did any harm, how did abandoning me in a glass cell to die helping, even Thor admitted that he did not know that SHIELD had me locked up and would have come for me sooner had he been told. SHIELD's excus was that they didn't know how to reach Asgard even though several agents admitted that they were told that under no circumstance were they to call Thor or any of the Avengers.

"That's not all your honor we also have some photos we wish to project." Tony said

"Objection honor there's no proof that these videos are accurate they could be photoshopped for all we know."
"They're not photoshopped your honor this was how they were when Tony sent them to me to view." admitted standing up "Mr. Stark sent me hundreds of uploads of videos to go through and these were the best ones that I could find for this case to prove the cruel treatment of Mr. Odinson while he was locked up."

It's Laufyeson I'm no son of that idiot Odin nor would I ever reclaim that name but that doesn't matter at the moment. I must admit that I was quit amazed by some of the reactions for I was positive that they would only see me as the monster that had tried so hard to destroy them all and yet some seemed to believe that I had changed for I could have used my powers as I now realize to fight back or to even escape and yet I didn't do any of that. No instead I suffered through it all, I let it happened when I had the power to stop it all.
"Your honor this is a photo that I took when I first began to heal Loki's injuries." Banner began and only now did he leave my side. He pointed out several of the injuries and explained the best he could about the injuries he knew and that the others were strange markings that he didn't understand how I had accuried them and I couldn't bring myself to explain the strange markings. Another photo was shown this was after SHIELD had first captured me and Banner showed the injuries that I had gotten from that experience. It was like this for a while, he showed several photos of my injuries and I found it harder to continue sitting there, I wanted to leave, I couldn't stand to sit there any longer listening to Banner explain all my injuries, couldn't stand to look at the wonds that had healed but we weren't quit done yet.

"Is there anything else you wish to present Fury?" the judge asked but Fury only shook his head clearly defeated but we had one more card to play. "It is to my understanding that you have one last piece of evidence that you wish to share."
"Yes your honor I would like to call to the stand the guards."

I looked up and in their eyes was torture, pure evil and I coward back in my chair but not once did they take their eyes off of me as they approached the stand.

"Loki has told us much about the punishments that you enacted but he failed to go further into depth about what you did to him in Jotunhiem do elaborate further."

What are you up to Stark? Why would you bring that up now after providing so much more evidence I think we're done with this and yet this was what he was going to do?
"With pleasure Stark. There is a time when in Jotunhiem the frost giants go through the harsh weather that would kill any human within minuets due to such low temperatures and cruel weather."
"We would chain him in the very chains he came in for those prevent the freak from using his powers and soon it came to our attention that that also meant he couldn't change into his origin form."
"We would leave him there imobilized, alone, suffering. We knew that he would be fighting to change forms while there and it was a brillient sight to watch the proud prince break right in front of us."

They kept explaining those rash months and sudden;y my body ached and I wanted to scream but instead I bite my lower lip trying not to show them that I was still weak. I looked down as I felt something slid down my arm and I saw a trail of blood flow down as every wound I every had reopened on the skin and it hurt terribly.

"That wasn't the only punishment you took great joy in though was it?" Tony asked

"Oh no another one of our favorites was we would mix all the most deadliest poisons from all nine realms and we would throw it at him."
"We knew that his magic and frost giant origin would save him but it was a beautiful sight to watch his skin burn from the poison that seeped through the surface."

Hunger for pain had taken over their eyes, it was the same hunger that I had seen for years, the same hunger that had been my very downfall as they ruthlessly destroyed me.

"Tell me Stark have you ever smelt burning flesh, it's the most glorious smell ever." they licked their lips as burn marks scortched my skin.

"Don't forget about the screams!"
"Ah yes such music to our ears never have we heard such melody as his screams of torment."

No, no, I closed my yes trying to drown them out but the room turned into Jotunhiem and the chains began to bind me as I struggled to change forms so that I didn't freeze in the harsh cold but they began to gather around me. They lashed out at me with chains and whips, they cut open my already bleeding body that was scared enough from previous tortures but they wouldn't stop, they kept laughing as I struggled. But someone pushed through them and even though I couldn't see who was there due to the blinding light that didn't matter, for only when they wrapped their arms around me did I know who it was.

"Loki."

I opened my eyes to make sure that he was really there before I barried my head in his shoulders as tears streaked my face but that didn't matter, I didn't care if they saw how weak I had become I was never strong to begin with and now soon there would be nothing of me at all.

"I need to get him to a hospital quickly." Bruce said picking me up and running out of the courtroom not waiting to hear from the judge. I knew that he was using some of Hulks strength for no mortal could run so fast while carrying me unless they had the strength that Banner possesed. As he ran I began to feel dizzy and tired.

"Hey stay with me ok we're almost there."

I closed my eyes for a moment and when I opened them I was being pushed through door after door, there were several people around me but they were all blurry except for Banner and I kept my eyes on him. I winced when I felt someone inject something sharp into my shoulder.

"It's ok Loki it's just a sedative your going to be asleep for a bit but I'm not going to leave your side I promise no one's going to hurt you."
It was a lie that much I've alway known, Banner couldn't protect me forever but the room was spinning and I was tired. As I closed my eyes I saw nothing but darkness and that was ok with me for I had gone through enough torment already and the darkness was comforting.