Sorry I'm late, didn't have time to post this up last night. As you might have noticed, i've kinda had some trouble with writer's block for the last few weeks, but I finally got over it, after being inspired by the latest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, so this chapter will contain a lot of elements from it. Sorry. Many thanks to Guest, theFGnat, FlockFighter101 and AlisonAPD for their lovely reviews and to everybody who followed and favourited.

Chapter 12

"Coulson's alive?" she screamed, keeping contact with Fury's one good eye. He shifted uncomfortably at her tone.

"We… I felt it was necessary into motivating all of you to work as a team, a common cause if you will. Damn, it worked didn't it?" He said not-so-calmly. Natasha gave him a withering look.

"Yes it worked, well done. It's been a year Fury, why weren't we informed?" Clint shouted from the back, his hands shaking with anger.

Fury looked slightly uncomfortable. "Most of the team members didn't have the clearance-"

"Me and Clint did! Hell, we're level seven, she should have known from the start! Or do you not trust us to keep our mouths shut."

"You wouldn't have cooperated. And you don't have a high enough clearance to know the means of his survival, so I'd stop complaining."

Natasha let out a slow breath then bent her head closer.

"We should have been informed the minute Clint started showing signs of survivor's guilt." She said in a low, urgent voice.

"Coulson was our handler. Do you think it helped Clint, knowing that he helped in Coulson's death?"

"I took that into consideration- we both did. But we both felt, that it was unlikely that Loki would… let him survive."

Natasha glanced at the god in the corner, who was staring at the ground with a confused and ashamed look etched across his features.

"Tasha," Clint called softly, "Let it go." She nodded.

"Something must have happened for you to want to tell us. So, what's happened?"

Fury looked at Clint gratefully. "Coulson and his new team have come into contact with an Asgardian relic." He tapped at the transparent screen and a 3-D model appeared.

"The berserker's staff." Loki and Thor muttered at the same time. Loki looked curious, Thor looked aghast.

"You know it?" Steve asked, raising his head from his hand.

"Indeed," Thor boomed, "It was a weapon used by the berserker army… When touched it would make the user recall their darkest memories and- "

"Go bat-shit crazy- we're well aware." Fury finished.

"Not the phrase I would have used, but correct." Loki mused, pacing around the replica on the screen. "My Fath- Odin banned their use some centuries ago… it seemed that the rage was hard to control and the berserker would eventually turn on his own men, once he ran out of enemies." He stopped turning to Fury.

"Where did you find it?"

"We didn't, a hostile group did, but they've been taken care of." He finished with a grimace. He grinned suddenly, looking up at Natasha.

"You remember Grant Ward, right?"

Her face suddenly went dark.

"Fondly." She muttered through gritted teeth.

"Anyway, your mission is, to go to Ireland, where the staff is being held, collect it, and deliver it to Erik Selvig, who will determine the best possible way of destroying it- unless, of course, our resident Asgardians object."

Thor waved him off. "By all means, destroy it. It is not a weapon to be used by mortals."

Fury gave him a sarcastic smile before turning his attention back to Natasha and Clint.

"Director Fury, I'd like to declare myself unfit for active service at present." Clint said mechanically, staring at nothing in particular.

"I want nothing more to do with Asgardian staffs if you don't mind."

Fury nodded, as if he had been expecting that.

"Anybody want to take Clint's place?"

"There's like… cows in Ireland, isn't there?" Tony said with a face full of horror. He shuddered dramatically. "I'm out."

"I'll go with Tash." Steve said with a shrug. "Doesn't sound too difficult."

"Then I'll leave you two to prepare- You leave at 08:00 tomorrow."

They were about to leave when Loki spoke up suddenly.

"With all due respect to the captain, I'd also like to volunteer my services. I may be wrong in saying this, but I'm sure I have more experience when it comes to this genre."

Everybody, including Natasha, stared at him blankly.

Fury shrugged. "If Agent Romanoff has no objections I don't see why not."

"Oh believe me, she has no objections." Tony said with a smirk, earning him murderous glances from both parties.

"Well if that's the case, go and get this whole mess cleaned up. And one more thing- don't touch the staff."

"What is this contraption…?" Loki muttered darkly. "I feel it will slice me in half."

"It's seatbelt. You have it on too tight, here…" Natasha said suppressing a smile as she fixed the strap.

"You won't have to keep it on for the whole journey."

"And how long might that be?"

Natasha frowned as she calculated in her head. "It'll take us seven hours and thirty-six minutes until we land in Waterford City, which just so happens to have a small airport."

"Waterford?" Loki repeated.

"One of the oldest Viking towns in Ireland- it just so happens to contain an old monastery where the staff is being held."

"Hmm. And seven hours you say? It would seem we have some time to kill."

"Yup. I have some question to pass the time, if you want."

"Fire away." Loki answered, leaning back into his chair.

"Why did you want to come with me?"

"Well I wanted to protect you. The Berserker Staff is dangerous- Humans tend to not recover for some time after touching it… and you have a darker past than most." He finished, before glancing at out of the corner of his eye.

"Which you still haven't told me about by the way."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "And what about your redemption? Did this have anything to do with that?"

Loki shrugged. "Maybe helping destroy an Asgardian relic is the first step?"

They fell into silence as the flight attendants demonstrated the safety measures that Natasha had seen a hundred times. Afterwards Loki turned back to face her.

"If you don't mind I have a question of my own."

"Oh, goody." Natasha muttered. "Loki, I'm just not in a place where I can talk about the red room okay?"

"Oh it's not about that. I want to know who that Grant Ward whom you remember so fondly is."

Natasha frowned darkly.

"He's a douchebag"

"You're going to have to be a little more descriptive than that, love."

She groaned. "We both have a superiority complex. Which means when S.H.I.E.L.D had the grand idea of putting us together on a mission, we didn't have fun. Clint thought it was hilarious though." She said with a tiny smile.

"Now if you don't mind, I'm going to try to sleep. You should too, we might need the energy."

"Natasha, love, they say we're landing. You'll have to help me with this confounded strap again."

Natasha fumbled with his seatbelt again, trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes. She had slept the full seven hours? That wasn't normal… She shook away the thought, trying not to over think. Just be grateful Romanoff.

After landing, and gathering their few belongings, they clambered out of the small plane, thankful to be able to stretch their legs.

They got into the waiting car, and Loki took in his surrounding with some confusion.

"I thought you said we were landing in a city?" He said, glancing at the low buildings and estates.

"You're used to New York. Waterford is relatively small. You'd only have to drive for about ten minutes before finding yourself in farmland again."

He nodded thoughtfully as they pulled up to the large yellow building.

"Our hotel." Natasha clarified as she led him up the steps.

"We start tomorrow."

Just another quick AN- I chose Waterford city, because it is steeped in Viking history and one of the first ports the Vikings arrived in, so I though it most likely that's where the monastery was.