Author Note: Well, thank goodness for Christmas break. I know it's been forever, but I promise this story is not abandoned, nor will it ever be. I will finish it, but it's so hard to update when I'm in school because I literally have zero time.

This chapter was inspired by "Blinding" by Florence + the Machine.

The thing about dreams is that oftentimes they seem so close to reality that you really can't tell the difference. Thus Loki found that it was easiest to justify visiting Alice in her dreams because she could write them off as fantasy upon waking. Which meant, in a sense, he could too. He didn't have to admit to himself that he missed her.

It was far simpler to meditate and allow his subconscious to enter hers. They could talk, he could try to explain himself while her subconscious got angry with him, and then they would kiss and everything would slip into blissful fantasy.

And so, for the first few days of their separation, Loki used this to wean himself off of her presence. At least, that's what he told himself. After all, they were starting to fight more, which made him miss her less when he was awake.

Of course, "less" was not actually saying as much as he would have liked it to. "Less" meant that he could distract himself from thoughts of her. It meant that he could potentially leave Chicago from time to time. Admittedly, the farthest he had managed to get himself was New Mexico, which was not actually helpful.

So he stayed, going between apartments, thanking his lucky stars that Heather was with Alice and could not come poking around the apartment waiting for her to return from…wherever it was that Tony Stark had whisked them away to.

He was becoming pathetic, he knew this, yet he couldn't stop. Something had to be done about the girl, insisted the forefront of his mind. Once he found out where she was, something would be done. It was something the subconscious would hate for a while. However, it would be better for his sanity as a whole in the end….wouldn't it?

Currently, they were standing in the ethereal light of an imagined Chicago street. The record store was behind them, a busy Michigan Avenue visible in the distance. It was so convincing, their imagined reality. He wished he could be lost in it forever.

"You're being all distant again," she smiled, turning his face so that he was looking her in the eyes.

"Sorry, love," he laughed. "You are simply too beautiful tonight. My mind cannot comprehend."

"You are cheesy as shit. You know that?" she teased.

He did, in fact, know that. However, he had to be while he still could. The way she smiled, the light dancing in her eyes, he had to enjoy it while he had the chance.

"Why did you leave?" she whispered.

Usually that question didn't come up for a while. Most of the time he had at least a few minutes of nostalgia before she asked it. It made him angry that she was starting to ask it earlier each time she dreamt.

"I didn't want to," he replied. It was mostly true.

"But you did," she insisted. "You turned into a monster and then you left."

"Technically you left," he corrected, making her glare at him. "You're the one who left with Stark."

"I didn't have much of a choice!" she sputtered. "He said he was protecting me."

"Protecting you by taking you to…?"

She went quiet then, looking at him suspiciously.

"How do I know you're not still a monster?" she inquired, barely loud enough for him to hear.

It amazed him how quick she was even when dreaming.

"I am a monster, Alice." He grimaced. That wasn't what he'd meant to say.

Her mouth tightened at that, as if she had expected that answer, but still didn't like it.

"We were supposed to get married," she whispered, her voice shaking with tears that were inevitable. "You promised me everything…"

"And I intend to keep that promise, darling," he groaned. That was not true. "You know, until death do us part." That was slightly less untrue.

"You're already dead, John," she accused. "You died on the floor of that club. I watched you die."

That was new. She hadn't accused him of being dead before. Perhaps that was how she was coping with his sudden disappearance.

"I'm not dead," he chuckled, reaching out to take hold of her.

Shaking her head, she stepped back and pushed his arms away.

"You are dead, John. And I can't keep dreaming about you like this."

"But…darling."

He was at a loss. Usually she cried in his arms, yelled at him for disappearing, but she had never accused him of dying.

"No! I'm not….I can't…I can't keep doing this."

It was at that moment that he realized she had not meant to dream of him. Not that one can really choose what they dream of, but she usually didn't try to push him away like this. Generally she was happy to see him, happy to live in the lie they had made together.

This new turn of events angered him. Without thinking twice, he reached out and grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her to him.

"Oh yes you can," he said through gritted teeth. "If I can keep doing this you can too."

"Let go of me!" she protested. "John…this isn't like you."

"I told you to stop addressing me by that name, girl," he snarled.

Fear and horror took her face and her gaze fell from his. He realized she was on the verge of crying, which gave him a sick sort of pleasure. The mortal girl needed to suffer for the hell she was putting his mind through.

"Look at me," he demanded, grabbing hold of her hair and yanking her head back.

She screamed in a mix of pain and fury, the tears in her eyes escaping down her cheeks.

"Fuck you!" she cries, her fists slamming into his chest. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I am Loki of Asgard," he replied without hesitation. "And you are going to pay for what you've done to me, mortal."

"I haven't done anything to you!" The girl was openly weeping now, the strain of trying to fight him contorting her face.

"But you have, stupid girl. You've done so much more than you can even comprehend. I will make you suffer for it, though. I will bring your worst fears to life. Your life will become a living nightmare."

He realized suddenly that the girl was laughing now; a bitter, hateful sound that made him stop his tirade.

"Don't you get it?" she spat. "You already have."

Growling, he pulled his hand back as if to strike her, but she was gone before he had the chance.

It was then that he caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of a storefront window. The suit he had been wearing was now battle armor, his face was contorted with rage, and the horned helm on his head assisted in giving him an incredibly menacing air. Even though he had seen himself like this many times before, it seemed different now. Instead of looking like a God or King, he simply looked inhuman.

Maybe Alice was right. Maybe he was a monster.

Gasping, Alice sat up in bed. It was the third night in a row that she had dreamt of John and it was becoming increasingly unnerving. At first he had only shown up briefly, assuring her that everything would be okay, that he wasn't gone; the type of things that one would expect to dream after losing their significant other so suddenly. However, over the last few days the dreams had become more vivid, his claims of being alive becoming more and more desperate and their conversations beginning to escalate into fights that she doubted her subconscious could make up on its own.

Glancing over at the alarm clock on her nightstand, she couldn't help groaning at the time. 3:17AM was no time to be awake. And yet, she knew that if she tried to sleep, her dreams would be filled with John and his eerie insistence that he would come and find her so they could be together again.

Thinking it best not to tempt fate, she stretched and climbed out of bed, making a beeline for the kitchen. Pepper had shown her how to access Tony's liquor cabinet on their second day in New York. Thus far, she had been rather good about not getting into it. However, after the dreams she had been having, she felt she could use a drink.

Groaning, she reached for the scotch, which looked to be expensive and finely aged. Nothing like expensive liquor to drown the loneliness her dreams were creating.

After pouring herself a glass, she grabbed a sweater and stepped onto the balcony. Grabbing the pack of cigarettes out of her pocket, she lit one and inhaled deeply. The familiar burn of smoke on her throat gave her some amount of peace and dulled the emotional pain that was beginning to make her heart feel like an open wound.

It wasn't that she was unaccustomed to feeling heartbroken. That was pretty common, truth be told. At least, before John it had been. But this…this was different. This wasn't just heartbreak, it was physical pain. It was waking up feeling like the world was falling apart; feeling like her chest had turned into a gaping hole, and that hole would never be filled. It would just stay there and hurt for the rest of her life.

Taking another long drag, she stared out over the sprawling metropolis that was New York City. It was so different from Chicago, had a different air, a different personality. Though beautiful, it really just made her long for home.

"You know," came a voice from behind her. "That's really not a good way to solve your problems.

Alice gasped, causing her to choke on the smoke she had been inhaling. Hacking, she turned to see Tony Stark sauntering onto the balcony with a smaller, curly haired man in his wake.

"I thought," she choked out between coughing fits. "That you…were….in….California."

Gasping for air, she finally managed to get herself together. Tony was smirking as if trying to hold back laughter, and she fixed him with a glare.

"I was," he replied, ignoring her indignant stare. "I had to drop off Point Break and pick up an old friend."

The smaller man stepped up then, smiling shyly. He was a rather timid looking man; certainly not the type of person Alice imagined Tony Stark hanging around with. Of course, hanging out with quiet people did leave more room for Tony to talk. And he really did love to talk.

"Alice, this is Bruce Banner," Tony introduced. "Full time scientist and part time green rage monster."

Rolling his eyes at the last comment, Bruce extended his hand for Alice to shake.

"Bruce, this is Alice, record store owner, sexy punk rocker, and….well…we talked about that already."

Alice knew exactly what he was about to say and she thanked every god she could think of that he didn't.

"It's nice to meet you," she offered pleasantly, shaking his hand.

"You too," Bruce smiled. "Tony told me about the…um…what happened the other night. I'm really sorry."

Offering her best attempt at a smile, Alice shrugged as if it were no big deal. For the slightest of moments there was a pain in Bruce's eyes, as if he were reliving some sort of loss simply by looking at her.

"Thanks," Alice sighed. "It's been a rough couple of days."

"I would imagine," he offered. "I met his…less pleasant side. Not the nicest guy."

Biting her lip, Alice nodded.

"The worst part is that he was the nicest guy before…"

She trailed off, a sob catching in her throat. After letting out a shaky breath, she took a swig of her scotch. The burn of the alcohol assuaged the tension in her throat and she eased the rest of the pain with a long draw on her cigarette.

"So, you're the Hulk?" she inquired, desperate to change the subject.

An uncomfortable laughed escaped Bruce and he shrugged awkwardly.

"I…uh…I guess you could say that," he chuckled. "I try not to let the Other Guy out too often, though. He tends to make a mess."

"Bruce still hasn't quite accepted the superhero role yet," Tony put it. "He's modest."

"That's one way of putting it."

"You can step up to the plate when the occasion presents itself."

"It takes a pretty big occasion."

"Is that why you're here?" Alice found herself asking. "Because of Jo-" She cut herself short, shaking her head. "I mean, because Loki is back?"

It seemed a little blunt, but the pieces were suddenly falling into place for Alice. Tony really thought that Loki would come looking for her and he was calling in the big guns to fend him off.

"Well," Tony tentatively sighed. "He's mostly here to help me with a little project. But he could help protect you from your crazy ex-boyfriend if need be."

Realization took Bruce's face as if it had legitimately not occurred to him that Tony was expecting him to potentially fight Loki.

"Why don't you head down to the lab?" Tony suggested suddenly, catching on to Bruce's sudden hesitance. "I'll be down in a couple minutes. You know your way around."

Jumping at the chance to get away, Bruce gave Alice a quick farewell and headed inside.

For a while Alice and Tony stood in silence, staring out at the city below. The cool night air blew the smoke from Alice's lips and into the abyss.

"So you really think he's coming for me?" she asked, leaning heavily against the clear guard wall.

"You can never be too careful," Tony replied, doing his best to avoid answering the question directly.

"But you are being extra careful."

"Bruce is really just here-"

"Because he's your science buddy. Yeah, I got that. But let's be honest, you would bring the Hulk over to play with science toys with this sort of situation looming overhead. I may not fully understand what's going on, but I know what John turned into. I know he's dangerous. I remember what happened to New York a few years ago."

Looking conflicted, Tony hung his head.

"Listen," he sighed, looking up at her seriously. "This could get dangerous. We know what Loki did last time he was here. I just don't think it would hurt to be prepared. I don't necessarily know if he'll come for you, but I do know that he is bound to do something."

"But you're bringing them all here. At least, you've brought Bruce here and if anyone is capable of taking on an angry…whatever Loki is…I imagine it would be him. Why?"

"Because you know his weaknesses, Alice."

It looked as though it caused Tony actual pain to admit this. His eyebrows were creased worriedly behind his glasses and his mouth formed a tight line when he wasn't speaking.

"So you think he's going to come after me? And then what? What will he do to me, Tony?"

The billionaire sighed and took the glass of scotch from her hand, taking a drink for himself before handing the now-empty glass back to her.

"Honestly?" he groaned. "I think he'd kill you. Cut all ties that his mortal self had on Earth."

"But why?"

"Because Thor says he hasn't left Earth yet. We were convinced he would use his new power to leave here, get back to Asgard, seek revenge there. But he hasn't. The big guy doesn't think he can leave…"

Alice nodded her understanding, flicking the butt of her cigarette off the balcony without a second thought.

"But you guys are going to protect me, right?"

"Of course."

"You've got the Avengers on your side," Tony assured her. "You'll be just fine."

Smiling reassuringly at her, Tony led Alice back into the tower.

This time they met on the balcony of Stark Tower. Loki recognized it instantly and knew without a doubt that this is where Alice was currently residing. He wasn't sure why it hadn't occurred to him before, but it made perfect sense now.

"So this is where they're hiding you, is it?" he smirked, running a hand across her cheek.

"Tony is a wonderful host," Alice gushed, seeming to have forgotten their earlier fight.

"Don't you miss me?" Loki purred, bringing his face inches from hers.

"Of course I do!" Alice giggled, her nose brushing his. "Do you miss me?"

"Terribly, love."

He couldn't help himself. It was driving him crazy to have her so close. Even if they were simply sharing her dream, he knew kissing her would still be satisfying. His lips attacked hers with force, causing her to let out a satisfied moan against his skin. Tongues crazed, hair was pulled, and he even snuck his hands under her shirt for good measure. Though it was only a dream, her skin still felt real and familiar. Oh, how he had missed that soft skin.

"I'm going to come for you, darling," he promised, resting his forehead against hers. "You won't have to miss me for long."

After giving her one last kiss, he withdrew from her subconscious, finding himself sitting in her old living room.

He knew where she was now and he could go after her. Nothing would stop him from kidnapping the mortal girl and ridding his mind of her once and for all.