I apologize for taking so long to post another. There will be a couple of chapters to be posted very soon. I will also be updating previous chapters with corrections to my grammar and punctuation. Please enjoy.

Tony stepped over to the slumped form of Agent Coulson. The Ironman suit was gone now. Safely stored till he had need of his metal shell.

Coulson looked weary beyond his years. Leaning against the wall and breathing heavily, it was evident at how much healing he still had to do. Stark knelt down and took his hand. "Well," he said trying to sound cheery, "the heart works even at maximum capacity." The half smile Phil managed helped the mood.

Tony helped him stand. "I'd like to go to the lab and run a couple tests to make sure that everything still works in there." Coulson nodded. The elevator ride to the lab was spent in a heavy silence. Each man stewing in their own thoughts.

/

I pushed myself away from Loki even before the golden light had dissipated fully. My stomach churned and clenched. The overwhelming despair of being whisked away from those I trusted sunk heavily into my gut. I felt as though I couldn't breathe.

I stumbled blindly through several of the underground rooms before flopping pathetically on the cold floor. I wanted to cry. To scream. To run away from all of this. But I knew I couldn't get away. I was trapped in this. Even if I did manage to escape Loki, life would never be the same for me. I could never go back to being the naive teenager concerned with boys and going to college.

I realized that the life I had led was gone when this whole thing started. I had clung to a hope for normality for far too long. So I lay on the floor. There was nothing more for me to do. Everything around me felt surreal. Like this was some strange dream. It had felt this way the whole time. Now the world had slanted, become harder, darker. The heavy feeling of utter despair pervaded my body. I wanted to cry, but I knew it would accomplish nothing. So I stayed with my cheek pressed to the floor. Letting the chill of the stone work its way into my flesh.

/

Phil was tired. More tired than he had been in a long time. His heart had proved itself in high stress and activity but his body had barely kept up. The lung that had been pierced still made his breath raspy. His muscles protested after their disuse. Phil ignored those things as Stark performed check after check on his condition.

As Stark worked, Phil's mind analyzed what had just happened. Elizabeth was healthy. This gave him a small amount of comfort. He was happy to see her unhurt but he worried about her mental state. It was clear that she still had a will, her hesitance to kneel at Loki's command was obvious. But she also clearly knew that disobedience led to pain. Coulson had seen that much in her face. Phil knew that he was not going to sleep well tonight.

/

Tony ran the tests on agent Coulson without really thinking. Several times he found himself having to read the results twice to understand them. The look on Elizabeth's face kept floating to the surface of his mind. Her eyes were so full of fear and defeat. So like his own were had found a way to fight back, to use his knowledge to keep the defeat at bay. Elizabeth had no way to do that. Seeing her today had reopened old wounds.

/

By the time Loki made an appearance, I had gathered myself enough to function. I was sitting on the room's sofa, carefully inspecting the gold vine encircling the hem of my skirt. I had decided that I would try and make a case for Loki to let me go home.

Family had been an issue I kept securely in the back of my mind during this ordeal. I truly missed them. They were a large part of the empty sadness that ruled my heart.

I knew that many criminals thought twice when you mentioned family. I hoped that Loki would be the same. Surely he had a family Other than Thor.

When Loki walked in I stood and addressed him before I had time to lose my courage. "Loki, I want to see my family." The words came faster and faster. "I am only a kid still and I know my mom and dad and sister and brother are missing me. I promise that I will still do whatever you want. I just want to go back and be with my parents." I forced myself to hold his gaze. No emotion was visible on his face.

/

Loki was surprised at the feeling behind Elizabeth's plea. She had carefully avoided the topic of family since Loki was first stuck with her. Her expression held nothing but sincerity. Her affection for family as glaringly evident as Thor's ever was.

/

After a moment, Loki sat himself on the couch. His expression was softer, but I didn't trust the gentler expression. He looked at me like a parent would look at a small inquisitive child. "Family is not what you think it is. It is nothing worth missing or having. It cannot keep you safe or make you stronger."

I looked at him in disbelief. "But family cares for one another. What about Thor? Isn't he your brother? He seems to really love you."

As soon as the words passed my lips I knew I had made a mistake. Loki had gone rigid and anger burned in his cold eyes. He slowly rose to tower over me. "Thor is not my brother. He never has been. The people I called family were a lie. I was stolen from my true family. Taken as a prize." He practically vibrated with rage.

As I watched, the color drained from his face to reveal dark blue skin and blood red eyes. I stood paralyzed as he changed from a man to a monster. "I am what Asgard fears most. A creature seen in nightmares. I am cast out from both realms. I have no family." He hissed the last few words as his skin returned to the pale porcelain it was before.

He turned and sat on the couch again. I realized my mouth was hanging open and I was holding my breath. I snapped my jaw shut and focused my eyes on the floor. I wasn't sure what to do now.

My heart still raced with fear. His words had revealed more than he had intended. The fury was tinged with a certain sadness. A sadness that matched the lump in my stomach. He felt as trapped and hopeless as I did.

/

Loki had not intended to lose control quite so much as he did. He had only meant to illustrate the uselessness of holding on to the illusion of family. His feelings had burst to the surface unbidden.

He sat on the soft upholstery and rubbed his face. The pent up emotions made his stomach churn and he worked to squash down the feeling.

/

I looked over at Loki. His face had returned to the solid mask it had been before but his eyes held a tiny glint of sorrow. I felt my mouth form words without thinking.

"I'm sorry." I murmured. Loki didn't reply. He simply stood and disappeared.

/

Tony sat back in his chair, waiting for his story to sink in. The rest of the Avengers and Agent Coulson were silent. Fury had called an impromptu meeting to discuss what had happened at the tower.

Thor spoke first. "It seems Loki is trying to get a reaction out of each one of us. He has only appeared to a couple people at once and only at the tower. I think that if we can all remain at the tower, we may catch him unaware." Barton leaned forward. "Like an ambush?"

Thor hesitated for a moment. "Yes, like an ambush."