Disclaimer: You already know, but I'll say it again; I own nothing except my OC Alice Little and her odd perspective.

Chapter Six

Captain America's shield does not work like a boomerang. Steve Rogers has to calculate exactly where to throw his shield, from what point, and the direction in which he must run in order to catch it. This is one of the many reasons Captain America is a badass and no one can tell me otherwise.

Anyway, that's how he saved my life. Technically.

While I was being strangled by Loki, Steve dropped down somewhere behind him and threw his shield at Loki's head. It hit it's mark, but Steve forgot to add in the fact that Loki was wearing a metal helmet and had me held at eye level…yeah, long story short, the shield hit Loki's head, his head went forward, and his helmet knocked me out. Come to think of it, that wasn't really a long story…

I woke up about twenty minutes later, and was moved into the Quinjet. Natasha and the co-pilot where kneeling next to me, the co-pilot just having finished stitching my arm up. Upon seeing me awake, Steve approaches us, asking if I'm all right.

It takes me a moment to remember and attempt to process where I am and what is currently happening. All I'm able to manage in response to Steve's concern was, "I, um…I'm good. My arm hurts like hell, as does my head, but I'll survive." I add the 'hopefully' in my head. I try to stand and he moves to help me up, but I assure him that I can walk fine on my own. I return to my seat and soon enough, we're on our way back to the Helicarrier.

I'm still processing everything that happened and everything that's still happening. So…I really am in the Avengers universe. Huh. That…that sounds completely insane, even in my head. How? How is this possible?

It's not even like I just got dropped here. Nothing's been exchanged or taken away from the world I knew, but things have been added—superheroes, aliens, things like that are the only differences. Other than that, everything else has been fairly normal.

Except how I didn't die when Loki tried to kill me.

I don't understand. I have this huge gash in my arm from a relatively natural cause, but I'm able to defend myself from magic with ease? Since when?

Jesus Christ, what the hell is happening to me? Am I going crazy?

oOoOoOo

"Who's the kid?" I hear Tony ask. "No, wait, better question; why is there a kid here?"

"That is a very good question," I answer, and it is. Why does SHIELD find me so dangerous and untrustworthy that they have to keep such a close eye on me? Also, WHY THE HELL AM I IN THE MCU?

"Do your parents know you're here?" Tony asks, in a somewhat condescending tone.

"That depends on how you want to look at it," I respond.

"Meaning?"

"They've been dead for like four years."

"Ah, so you're another orphan for SHIELD's collection."

I laugh, even though the situation didn't really call for it. He has a point. The only one in this jet that still has any family is Loki, and he's rejected his adoptive parents.

"So what's her story, Romanoff?" He asks, turning to face the agent in question. "Child Genius? Master Assassin?"

"Film junkie," I decide to say, for lack of a better descriptor.

It starts to rain outside, and it doesn't start lightly, either. It's pouring, almost violently, and lightning flashes across the sky every other second.

"Where is this coming from?" Natasha asks, not directing the question at anyone in particular. The jet shakes in another flash of lightning. Loki is gripping his seat, looking towards the ceiling in worry.

"What's the matter?" Steve asks him. "Scared of a little lightning?"

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," Loki replies.

"And enter Thor," I say quietly. Before anyone can ask what I meant by that, something heavy lands on the jet. Or rather, someone.

Tony puts his helmet back on and powers up the suit, then opens that rear hatch of the jet.

"What are you doing?" Steve asks.

Thor appears on the lowered hatch. As Thor approaches them, Tony lifts a hand and prepares to fire a repulsor beam at Thor, but before he can, Thor swings Mjølnir and Tony is knocked backwards into Steve. Thor lunges for Loki and snatches him out of his seat. Closing his fingers around Loki's throat, Thor flies out of the jet with his brother. Tony follows them, and Steve, after him.

Natasha lands the jet not too far from where Loki is. I search for the button Tony had pushed earlier, then walk out onto the edge of the cliff.

"Hey," I hear Natasha say. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To talk to Loki?" I respond. "If I'm allowed to, that is. Just…I don't know if you saw, but something…happened back there, and I have a feeling that there's a chance Loki might know something."

"Hold on," she says. I wait a few moments before she steps out of the Quinjet and heads towards where Loki is, strangely enough, waiting patiently. She turns around briefly as if waiting for me to follow. Wait, she doesn't mean…Well, then. I guess it is for security purposes. I'm smart enough to know that one should not argue with the Black Widow.

We get to the end of the cliff and Loki is nowhere to be seen. Did we go the wrong way? Oh my—did Agent Romanoff lead me out here to push me off?

However, she starts to carefully descend down the edge of the cliff. Oh. I see now. There's another level to this cliff, about ten feet below. I must not have noticed it from further back. I slowly attempt to follow Natasha down to the next level…and promptly fall off the hill. Luckily, I fell on my uninjured arm. Unluckily, I now have one stitched up arm and one scraped up arm.

When I get back to my feet, I see Loki sitting on the other edge of the cliff, facing me and looking quite amused.

"Shut up," I say, unable to think of a better response.

"I haven't said anything," Loki points out.

"You've calmed down considerably," I say. "You lost your shit back there; you tried to kill me."

"And yet here you are, speaking to me as if I didn't."

"Maybe I have a death wish. Just kidding. I'm actually curious about something. But first, not that I'm complaining, how are you so relaxed all of a sudden?"

"I'm unarmed and slightly injured. There'd be no use in challenging you now, no matter how small or weak you are."

"True—wait. Hey! You know what, insults aside, I need to know what happened back in Stuttgart."

"I'd like to know as well."

"Oh, like you don't already. You did something. You always do something. That's how it works in fanfiction and in the comics; I am here because of you, when shit hits the fan, and it's this weird, it is Loki's fault. What. Did. You. Do?"

"I didn't do anything, nor do I know of this…fan-fiction you speak of."

"Well, if you didn't do anything, then how am I in an alternate universe with the ability to do whatever the hell helped me avoid death-by-magic three times?"

"Have you maybe considered that it was you who did that? How would it benefit me to grant a pathetic mortal with such power?"

"Pathetic? Excuse me?"

"Maybe that's why SHIELD thinks you're a threat. They know you're some sort of aberration and want you detained."

"So, the conclusion you've made is that none of this could possibly be your fault and I am, simply put, a freak."

"Yes."

"That's interesting coming from the Frost Giant."

Uh oh. Why did I say that? Why did I say that? How stupid can I be?

It's at this point that Loki blows his freaking top, "What did you say?!"

"That was a nice talk, we should really…never do this again—I'm gonna go now," I say, rushing back to the Quinjet. Natasha returns shortly after, with Loki in tow. Oh dear God, this is going to be a long, awkward ride back to the Helicarrier.

oOo