Disclaimer: Just as before, I own nothing that is owned by someone else. Avengers belongs to Marvel, etcetera, etcetera!
AN: I'm back, guys, with another chapter. Thanks for reading and, as always, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter and have a wonderful time!
When Bruce and Natasha arrived on top of Avengers Tower, in the Starko Jet, it was cold and windy; a noticeable change for them, given the fact that they had just come back from India.
The ship was run by an Artificial Intelligence, so they hadn't had anyone driving them there.
They'd been eating gummy-bears the whole way through, courtesy of Tony's humor, so, although the cold wasn't too pleasing, they were excited to be there to have some real food at the Tower.
It had been a good thing they remembered to take their coats with them, but they hadn't expected the brutish cold to hit them so hard; maybe they should have taken an extra layer of coats. And possibly a giant bear-fur.
To their utter confusion Thor was sitting on the side of the tower, on the park bench Tony had installed.
"Thor?" Bruce said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
Thor beamed at them, brightly, but somehow it didn't seem like Thor's usual smile, "Thank you, Banner, Romanoff." Thor said, glancing at both of them before saying "This is much appreciated."
"Thor, why are we here?" Natasha asked. Her facial features had tensed up immediately after seeing Thor. She and Bruce both knew something was up if even Thor, the guy who was busy being a prince and getting ready for being a king, was here.
"Worry not for Midgard, Ms. Romanoff and Banner."
Bruce and Natasha looked at him, confused. What else would need helping with, besides earth?
"The issue at hand regards Asgard."
"Wait… What?" Bruce said, confused still.
"Thor, that does regard Earth." Natasha said. They looked at her, not knowing what she meant. "Asgard is an important asset to the protection of earth, so if Asgard is, in any way, in danger then so is Earth." She answered through the icy wind.
"That is true, Ms. Romanoff, but Asgard is the one currently in need of assistance; therefor Asgard is the one that currently needs help."
"No doubt. I'm willing to help Asgard, if it makes Earth safe too." Natasha said.
"Me too." Bruce said, "What's going on with Asgard, anyway?"
"Odin, All-Father, king of Asgard, has been kidnapped. We need to discover who did the kidnapping and where he is; then we must rescue him." Thor said, importantly.
"Where is Stark?" Bruce asked, looking around.
"The Man of Iron went to sleep shortly after he made contact with you." Thor answered.
"Ah." Bruce said, a glint of annoyance in his eyes. Tony went to sleep right after calling him about what sounded like an utter emergency… Perhaps Bruce shouldn't have been so annoyed given who it was, but he was, all the same.
"Wait… Does that mean… We are going to Asgard?" Bruce practically yelled through the wind. He and Natasha were shivering cold.
"I don't understand what troubles all of you. The Bifrost has been restored, so you need not worry about the journey causing any fatalities." Thor said, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Thor, you're asking us to go to an entirely different world." Natasha said.
"There may be, as you Midgardians might call it, a little culture shock. But I am sure you will adjust."
"A little culture shock?" Natasha said, skeptically.
"I have explained all I can." Thor said, "We should now find rest for the morning ahead." He walked away, cape rippling dramatically in the wind. Leaving Bruce and Natasha in the freezing cold, still a bit confused.
Bruce and Natasha exchanged glances before fallowing the thunder god inside the Tower. They were still looking forward to real food and they were really, really dehydrated.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
*The next morning*
Pepper had another meeting in two hours; one that Tony was supposed to be attending with her.
They had been falling apart for months now and they hadn't had sex for at least an entire month, which felt like a year to Pepper, but she somehow suspected felt like a second for Tony Stark.
She understood, of course, that he was busy helping the world and building new, improved, machinery. She wasn't needy, but it was like he was across the world and right in front of her at the same time and it frustrated her to no ends.
She wished he'd tell her what was wrong. She was honestly considering asking him herself, but he seemed so moody of late. She didn't want to start a great row; not with all she already had to worry about with her job, though she knew she would have to eventually broach the subject if he did not and she dreaded that day.
She sighed, as the shrill whistle indicating her hot water was boiled enough screamed at her. She was making herself coffee, in the kitchen of Avengers Tower.
"Is that coffee?" Steve asked, anxiously, as he poked his head inside the doorway.
Pepper chuckled, "Mhmm." She said, "You want some?" she asked, glancing at him after carefully poring the hot water into the coffee maker.
Steve grinned from ear to ear as an answer and Pepper laughed out loud.
"Okay!" she said, before grabbing another mug in the cupboard.
Steve grabbed the chair from out of under the table and sat down.
"Do you need any help?" he asked, glancing at the coffee.
"I could do with some clean dishes." She said, smiling.
Steve went over to the sink and started washing the dishes.
Pepper poured the coffee into both mugs and sat down.
"Thanks." Steve said.
"So…" Steve said, fidgeting, "How has your day been, so far?"
"Okay, I guess." Pepper looked down at her coffee.
Steve glanced at her a few moments, nervously, "Can I talk to you about something?" Steve asked as he finished the last dish and sat down next to her.
"Sure. What's up?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Well... It's about you and Tony…"
Steve noticed Pepper tense up.
"Did you guys…Get in an argument or something?" he asked, trying to be as polite as possible.
"No." Pepper said, "That's just the problem. He won't talk to me about what's wrong." She said before she stepped out of her chair and stood up, "Thanks for the concern, Steve, but I really don't want to talk about this right now." Then she left the room, leaving him, and her hardly touched coffee on the table.
Steve sighed, as he looked down at the contents of the dark coffee swirling in his mug.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
Loki was lying on something hard and it was colder than ever. But something warm was lying on top of him… The dog.
"Excuse me?" he heard a female voice say. She was probably what woke him up. "Hey, are you okay?"
He opened his eyes to the bright morning light. He was then awake enough to notice that his face was stinging and a little bit numb from the cold. It was probably a blueish color by now.
He was then greeted by the concerned face of a woman. As his eyes gradually adjusted, he saw that she was a beautiful woman. Her hair was a strawberry blonde.
"Hello. I'm Virginia. Everyone just calls me Pepper…" she said, holding out a hand.
His gaunt face was so pale and his dark circles… he looked ill. She knew this was foolish but she felt a great need to help the poor man, so she held out her hand.
He looked at the hand cautiously.
"Come on. I can help you." she said as she grabbed onto his hands and pulled him up. His hands were bony, shaky, and freezing cold.
She knew she would regret this but she couldn't just leave him out here in this weather.
"Come on." She said softly, leading him inside Avengers Tower.
"Can she come too?" the willowy man asked, glancing at the dog who was following them.
"Um." Pepper glanced at the dog, her sad eyes staring straight at Pepper's eyes. The breed of dog looked to be a German wired-haired pointer. Pepper had had one of those during her childhood. Damn.
She led him and the dirty dog, let's not forget the dirty dog, to the elevator and they went inside. She pressed a few buttons and then they were going up.
He jumped at the sensation of the elevator and glanced around anxiously.
"Never been on an elevator before?" Pepper asked, jokingly.
The strange sensation of the… 'Elevator'… reminded Loki sickly of a lighter version of the Bifrost. He fidgeted around nervously. He was in Avengers Tower… Now all he had to do was face Thor… and the entirety of the Avengers… And Thor.
"What's your dog's name?" The woman asked.
"What?"
"Her… Name? What's your dog's name?"
"Oh… Um." He thought a moment. "Asta." He said.
The elevator stopped and Pepper led him to the table she had talked to Steve in not too long before. Steve was no longer there. Her coffee still looked a bit warm, but she'd probably have to heat it up. She glanced at the homeless man and thought, "He probably wants something warm and energizing to beverage!"
"You want me to make you some coffee?"
Loki furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Wha—" he cleared his throat, "What is coffee?" he asked.
The woman laughed at him for some reason which was a bit irritating.
"Well…" she said as she walked around the room grabbing at things and pushing some buttons, "You are about to find out."
o0o0o0o
Tony woke up to the annoying sound of his alarm clock, screaming around his bedroom. Usually, he would appreciate ACDC, but he seemed to be sporting an early headache and he was still very sleepy.
He scratched his back and sluggishly rolled off his bed, tumbling down onto the hard floor.
He sighed, tiredly and stepped out of his room, into the hallway.
Bruce and Natasha were leaning on the hall corner, way too comfortable with each other, and he, Tony, groaned loudly.
"Hey, Tony." Bruce said, smiling.
"Hi," Tony said, grinning at them, "Brucey, Natty." Natasha rolled her eyes.
"Hello, Stark." She said.
"Stark? Aren't we a bit too friendly for 'Stark' by now? I'm hurt." Tony said, holding his hand to his heart for dramatic effect.
"So… Thor's taking us to Asgard?" Bruce said, as they all started walking together, heading for the kitchen.
"Yup." Tony said. "Did anyone else notice he seemed kind of sketchy?"
"I feel like he's not telling us something." Natasha said. "Why does he need us, anyways?"
"We need to give him the benefit of the doubt." They heard from behind. Steve. Awesome.
"Hi, Steve." Tony said, unenthusiastically.
"Hey, Steve." Bruce said, smiling at his friend.
"Guys, I don't think we should be talking about Thor like that." Steve said, seriously, "He's helped us countless of times and we should repay him for that."
They started walking again.
"Let's have waffles for breakfast!" Tony said, leaving the 'Thor' subject for another time.
"I'll make it." Steve readily volunteered, as things began to calm down with them.
"Good morning." They all jumped at the sound of Thor's voice behind them. He was giving them that strange smile again. Something just wasn't genuine about that smile plastered to his face.
"Hey, Thor!" Steve said, politely, as they began to walk again; some feeling a bit awkward given the fact they had just been talking about the big guy.
"Did someone say something about waffles? I have had this Midgardian food and would request to have it once more."
"I'm making waffles, Thor. Sure you can have some." Steve said.
..::..::..::..::..::..::..::..
Loki heard voices in the other room, getting louder and louder as they approached. The voices of the Avengers.
He wasn't sure when his heart started banging in his chest, but the more he tried to calm himself down the worst it seemed to become.
His breath hitched a little. Okay. He was okay.
Their voices become louder, as did their footsteps. He could hear Thor.
Suddenly the door swung open and he jumped.
The Avengers stopped in their tracks, eyes meeting Loki's.
Asta began growling at them and Loki was completely petrified.
I am sorry for the cliff-hanger. Thank you all so much for reading this fourth chapter.
(Asta is inspired by an actual German wired-haired Pointer I had had since I was two; she died a year ago and Asta is to commemorate her. Her name was Belle, which means 'beautiful' and Asta is a Norse name meaning something along the lines of 'Devine Beauty'. She was a kind and motherly towards the other dogs… I have a lot of dogs. I have a lot of fond memories about Belle.)
Until next time, and there will be a next time,
-P.H.