A/N: Really random note. I'm using Asgardian rather than Aesir, simply because that's what they seem to prefer using in the films.

Chapter 3

The sun had long set, bringing a new chill to the air; it didn't concern him much though. He could feel the cold brush his skin, but it lacked any bite to it. Sam and Sven had left their place at the carfax, when the crowds thinned and changed, paying them little mind. By the time they left, the women who passed wore very little and were in shoes that did not look the least bit comfortable. They laughed, cackled, shrieked, shouted, and talked while the men swaggered by, looking, in Sven's humble opinion, far more comfortable.

After a group of such men and women walked by, Sam scraped their coins into his pocket and stood.

"Com', Sven," he grinned, shuffling off. "'M migh'y perched, I am. T'me ta ge' Ol' Sam 'is drin's. Buy lo'sa drin', som'thin' nice wiv all a monee ma Sven go' me. Ma luc'y lil boi." He continued in a similar vein as he walked, shuffled more like, down the road with the boy in tow. Sven immediately fell into step, the pattern becoming familiar to him now, and reached into his bag for the rest of his sandwich. It was a clever idea of his, to save it, and he congratulated himself on his good thinking as he devoured the food. Perhaps he could do the same tomorrow. That would be nice.

So, Sam mumbled and shuffled while Sven ate and scurried after him. Down one road, then the next, and then another and another and another. The child didn't pay much attention to which way they went because, really, walking and eating such a big sandwich without spilling anything was hard enough to do without distractions. He was halfway through when Sam stopped again. The boy looked up to see a small shop front, or what he assumed was a shop. It was nothing like the ones on the bigger roads they'd sat by all day. This was tiny and dingy in comparison, reminding him more of an altered house. It was closer to the size of the short tunnel they had slept in last night, long and thin. Both walls were covered in various goods, running down to the end where a man stood behind a counter.

"Stai, Sven," the old beggar, pointed to the ground outside of the shop, as if commanding a dog, causing a small, sharp, jab of resentment from within Sven.

It quickly faded and the boy merely nodded and continued his meal as he watched Sam go inside, not quite staying put but peering at him through the glass panel in the door. The mendicant hobbled to the other end and opened one of those drinks cabinets that Sven had seen in the bakery, and withdrew a bundle of four strange cylinders. Sam must be thirsty. The beggar took what Sven could only presume were drinks to the shop vendor he placed them down and emptied out his pocket. After a few seconds he looked back at the drinks cabinet, then at his money and then back at the drinks. Sven was certain he was going to take another one, but instead he reached for something on the front of the counter and placed that with his drinks instead.

The child took a hasty step away, out of sight, as Sam turned back to the door. He finished the rest of his sandwich just as Sam reappeared, cradling his precious cargo. He grinned down at the boy, showing all his yellow and blackening teeth, looking much like a proud child.

"Sven goo' boi taday. Go' us lotsa monee. Goo' boi," and he handed the child a small rectangular object, beaming as if he was handing over the most wondrous gift in all the realms.

Confused, the child took the purple object, the bar crinkling ever so slightly in its wrapping as he did so. He turned it over in his hands, examined it and then turned it back again. He looked back up at Old Sam, trying to understand what he'd been given.

"Is cho'ola'. You li'e cho'ola'."

He did? He didn't remember anything about cho'ola'. "What do I do with it?"

The old begger's expression suddenly became dark. "Ea' it, stupi' boi. Wha' else? Ungra'ful bas'ar'. Buy you cho'ola' ou' ma poc'et and trea' li'e this." He turned and walked away, still muttering under his breath.

Sven rushed after him. He hadn't meant to upset Sam; he simply did not understand what he was to do with the object. Eat it? Well, he may as well try. If he didn't then Sam might not let him buy more food tomorrow. He just needed to get it out of this package. He fumbled and fiddled with the purple wrapping, unable to tear it open. He gave up on his fingers in the end and tore it open with his teeth. Inside was a brown bar of what must be cho'ola', divided into segments. He broke off one and sniffed it. It seemed fine so he plopped it in his mouth.

He suddenly realised why Sam had looked so happy when he had handed this to him. A…savoury…bitter… sweet! A sweet creamy taste rolled round his tongue, made even more divine when it started to melt. He bit into it and hummed contently. This must be the best thing he had ever tasted! He was sure it was even better than all of things that he had forgotten.

"Thank you, Sam," he said brightly, breaking off a new piece, "It's delicious." Sam turned round; blinking down at him, confused as if his deed from earlier had already slipped his mind. "The cho'ola'. Thank you for giving it to me."

A slow smile spread over Sam's face and he patted Sven's head. "Goo' boi." And they moved on, Sam glugging down his drink.

(&)

"So, let me condense this into three simple and easy words," Tony said from across the table. "You lost Loki."

Thor frowned, crossing his arms where he stood in the S.H.E.I.L.D. meeting room. The Avengers were gathered round a circular table while Commander Fury stood to the side wearing an expression that could put Thor's own storms to shame. "We did not lose him, he was taken from us."

Stark waved his hand in a dismissive 'same thing' way. "What d'ya do? Leave the door open? Drop the keys for his buddies to find?"

The Asgardian glowered at the man. "The sentinels of Asgard's prison are not so careless."

"But they let him escape?" Agent Romanoff pointed out from her seat beside Agent Barton. Thor had tried not to focus on the archer; however, he couldn't help but note that as soon as Loki was mentioned, the man had gone as taut as his bowstring. His eyes were hard, rooted on the bearer of bad news. Thor had hoped that time had softened and healed the scars that his brother had inflicted on the man; make him more amicable to this news. It seemed as if he had been hoping in vain.

"No one 'let' him escape." And how keenly he knew that. He calmed his voice before he continued though; his friends were within their rights to be angry with him. They would be even more so soon. "The fault does not lie with the guards, but with me." The truth was a bitter tonic to swallow. "He never reached Asgard. We-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoooooooa," Stark interrupted. "Can we just rewind there and play again. 'He never reached Asgard'?"

Thor would have bristled at the rude interruption if it had been any subject but his horrific failure. "He was snatched from my grasp as we travelled home. It should not have been possible for us to have been intercepted, but we were and my brother was ripped from my grasp." There had been nothing he could have done; he had played out the moment enough times since then to know that. Over and over again, as he had done after Loki had fallen from the Bifrost, but unlike then, no matter how he looked at it he could see nothing that he could have done. His brother was gone before he could truly process what had happened, and then it had been too late.

"Thor," Bruce started from his seat next to Stark. "Do you realise that was about a year and a half ago?"

"I am aware of this."

A wave of frustration and barely contained hostility swept round the room, though, to his relief, it was far calmer than Commander Fury's reaction to the news earlier that day. Bruce rubbed his eyes while Steve raised his eyebrows as of to suggest that Thor was making a jest. Natasha's expression remained as neutral as ever, though she gave him a measured look and leaned forward on the table. Clint's eyes flashed dangerously, his jaw working and fists clenching. Tony was more vocal in his disapproval.

"Any reason you didn't think this was news worthy until now? Not even a quick space-Tweet, 'Hey, Loki's loose! Heads up.'"

"It did not concern you; it was a matter for Asgard to deal with. I have not been idle: I have been searching for my brother while dealing with the flames of discontent throughout the Nine Realms. It has been a trying few months." He admitted, putting it delicately.

"Erm, 'did not concern' us?" Tony asked incredulously. "You do remember whose planet he tried to make free from freedom, right? Or did I just dream that while high on pixie sticks?"

"Stark's right," Steve added. "We've been in the firing line for eighteen months without knowing it."

"If I had thought you were in any danger, I would have come immediately, but we've seen neither hide nor hair of him. It is as it was when he fell from the Bifrost."

"When he was with the Chitauri?" Natasha asked again.

"I do not know how much of that time was spent with them," Thor replied uncomfortably, a feeble attempt to place the situation in a slightly better light. It didn't work.

"So, he's with his evil buddies who like to conquer planets in their spare time," Stark put in. "Well that's just swell for him, maybe they can start a book club between invasion plans. So when's baby brother turning up again with his friends to gate-crash our freedom party? Not that I think we can't take then, but a little warning is always nice."

"I do not think my brother will lead them again. I think he was taken against his will."

"What makes you think that?" Steve asked.

Thor hesitated as Loki's last expression floated across his mind's eyes. The shock and fear in that split second before he was snapped away from his grasp was not feigned, nor the cry of dismay that quickly faded from his ears. His gut told him that Loki had been taken unwillingly to a terrible fate and his head told him that this was wishful thinking. Had Loki not always been a talented performer? He knew with which his war-brothers and sister would side. That flash of a moment would not leave him though and it was enough to reignite that flame of hope that had been snuffed out after the Battle of New York. His comrades would never understand that though, but he at least had to alert them to the possibility that there was more than met the eye to this affair.

"Many things," he said, knowing they would not take it well, though they would like it better than the blunt truth. "Of which I cannot explain with mere words. I know that Loki was not returning to allies."

"So, you want us to take your words for it?" Clint asked again, anger simmering underneath the surface.

"Yes."

Clint's expression darkened and Thor thought that a brawl would have have broken out if Steve had not quickly spoken up to distract and defuse the situation.

"What about the Tesseract?" Five pairs of eyes turned to the captain. "I mean, if they wanted the Tesseract all along, then surely they must have tried to take it when they took Loki?"

Bruce's gaze turned to Clint. "I thought they only needed the Tesseract to open the portal for their army."

"They tried to take it," Thor quickly confirmed, eager to avoid any hostility that Agent Barton may throw his way. "But my hold was too strong. The force was enough to knock me from my course and I found myself on Alfheim instead." It had taken him a week to make his way back from his unintended detour, by which point, Loki was well and truly lost.

"Why do you think he's here now?" Bruce asked, as ever, calmly. "If your Gatekeeper can't see him, then why do you think he's returned after all this time? It doesn't really make much sense."

"He sensed a flash Loki's magic close to this realm."

"'A flash'?" Bruce repeated. "So he may not even be here?"

Once again Thor hesitated. "It is possible," he admitted, ignoring the sighs that went round the room. "But Heimdall was certain it came from far within the boundaries of this realm, too far for it to be simply passing by."

"Can you narrow it down?" Natasha asked.

"Somewhere in the north?"

"Yeeeeeaaaah," Tony drawled. "That really narrows it down."

"Cut it out, Stark," Steve said a little too softly to be a command. "You're not helping. At least we've cut out half the planet."

"And left ourselves with the half that has the most land and people," Natasha reminded.

"Who's up for the world's largest game of Where's Waldo?" Tony's voice held forced bravado.

Thor looked to Steve who simply shrugged, the comment passing over his head as well, uniting the two in a mutual perplexity before Bruce continued.

"Tony has a fair point, how exactly are we going to find Loki? He seems to be taking a more incognito approach this time and I don't fancy waiting for him to strike first."

It was at this point that Fury finally stepped up to the table from where he'd be glowering at the edge of the room. "We're using the same methods as last time, minus looking for the Tesseract. We've also brought in Doctor Foster and Doctor Selvig to search using their own means."

Thor's head lifted. "Jane is here?"

"We flew her in as soon as you told me the situation; she arrived about ten minutes ago, so if you don't mind, I'd rather you kept your happy reunion until after she's done. The less distractions the better."

He nodded, understanding though more than a little disappointed. What were a few more hours on top of the months, though surely one little visit couldn't hurt.

"What do you want us to do in the meantime?" Steve asked.

"I want you all on standby. As soon as we have location, you're moving out. We're wrapping this up A.S.A.P. Get Loki back into our custody before we have another incident."

"Then what?" Clint asked.

"Then I take him back to Asgard," Thor answered.

"Because that worked so well last time," Tony chimed.

"The same mistake will not be made twice," Thor assured. "Measures have been taken. The Bifrost is completed and it is a far more secure mode of transportation. Breaking through the branches of Yggdrasil is no mean feat."

"But it can be done?" Natasha asked.

"As I have said, we have taken measures."

They didn't seem comforted and the Asgardian couldn't find it in himself to be angry at them. Their distrust was understandable, if not disheartening.

"We can deal with that when we have Loki," Fury said. "First we need to find him; that is our priority, not what happens afterwards. You're all dismissed."

Whoot whoot. Next chapter, Thor tries to soothe things over with people and Sven learns a little bit more about the World, or at least he thinks he does…