A/N: Good grief, it's February and this is the first update of 2014. I am sorry. University work is hectic stuff.
Of course they wanted to kill him. How could they not? If Loki was killed, Earth would be free. No tyrant would lay claim to their beloved planet. Thor could not fault them for that. And yet a part of him was bellowing inside. Loki was his brother. As much as they might have fought, as much as Loki had hissed and Thor had pleaded… the Thunderer still loved him. Still yearned for Loki's redemption, repentance. But what chance was there of that now?
The Helicarrier had been awash with jubilation as Loki was seen bleeding in his brother's arms. He had tried to be discreet, to appear only to those most trustworthy, but Thor was not easily disregarded, as a being.
And when Thor laid Loki down on a bed and demanded he be healed – there was uproar.
"You understand we can't," Hill had said immediately. "He may be your brother, but he has caused too much damage to our world."
Thor fought not to lose calm.
"Protection then, while he heals. I do not want any of SHIELD harming him."
His fingers flexed as they gripped Mjolnir's handle, and it was a gesture missed by none.
"I have reason to believe he is in trouble," Thor continued quietly. "Trouble that Midgard cannot beat without his help. You cannot end his life when he holds valuable information."
Clint arched a brow, leaning against the wall and giving Loki the occasional hostile glance.
"You sure you're not just making that up to save his ass?"
"He's not."
Both Stark and Eva entered the room in which lay a comatose Loki and an angry Thunderer. Maria Hill turned at the sound of Eva's voice.
"And we should believe you why?"
"Because he told me, and I'd never seen so much truth come from him before," Eva replied calmly. "Whatever it is, it frightened him. A skeleton in his wardrobe, a demon, a ghost, I don't know what. But he has a plan. He kept disappearing from New York to do something. He hasn't told me what." She walked over to Loki, her eyes scrutinising his unmoving face. He seemed so peaceful. There was no malice here, no cunning. Unable to resist, she lifted a stray strand of hair from his face, placing it gently behind his ear.
I kissed that ear once. Twice. Bit it, too. And he'd laughed.
"Will he wake soon?" she asked softly. Thor approached and gazed at his brother.
"Yes. He is simply healing, though it will take longer than I would like. It was a grievous wound, but he will live."
"Good." That single, quiet word slipped from her lips, much to her surprise, yet she kept it hidden from her features. "We need his help, after all."
"The satellite, sir. It's picking up something."
Both men frowned as they stared at the readings, and the second spoke.
"Picking up what?"
A burst of light.
Unnatural.
The ships moved silently through the solar system, weaving their way through the belts and clusters. They could hear the waves of Earth, like sirens. Radio, radio, radio.
The Other smiled.
They had arrived.
A/N: I'll try and be quicker, I promise.
Lightning xoxo