Author Note: I am so freaking excited for you guys to read this chapter. I know you're going to love it.

The song for this chapter is "Raise Your Weapon" by Deadmau5 ft Greta Svabo Bech. I think I've made this the song of one of the other chapters, but seriously. It fits so well with this. Without that song this chapter would not exist.

Alice woke the same way she had for nearly a week, suddenly, in the middle of the night, but too tired to remain conscious for long. There had been no dream to wake her this time, just the lingering pain of emptiness.

In the darkness, she could still see the outline of where John's body should have been. It looked thicker than usual, more real. Closing her eyes, she gave a dejected sigh. Her hands fumbled toward the outline, desperate to make it disappear. Maybe even go away for good.

When she felt cloth beside her that didn't feel like the sheets, it didn't sink in. She was losing her goddamned mind. It was about time. Her grip on sanity had been slipping for a while now.

Her hand ventured further, found skin. A face. To her sleep-altered mind, this seemed wrong, brought her a little closer to actual consciousness. She knew that face and the smirk that she could feel the muscles tightening to form.

"John?" The name didn't feel right on her lips. There was a reason it shouldn't have been said, but she couldn't remember for the life of her.

"Good morning, darling." When her imagination's projection spoke, she froze.

This wasn't right. The figure next to her was warm, solid. Real.

Her eyes shot open and focused. She wanted it, wanted to see his face, but knew it wouldn't be him…the proper him…looking back.

"John?" One more time for good measure as her eyes fell on the figure lying beside her.

She watched him, studied those feature that had long ago been etched in her mind. They were darker now, the lines in his face more defined, more menacing. His hair looked wild and unkempt. John would have never stood for that. And his smile, because he was smiling, but it wasn't right. It was sly, dangerous; a wolf ready to consume prey

When her eyes met his, they were teeming with madness. Wide and far too green. Those eyes were oddly familiar. She realized they were the exact color they would turn when he wasn't quite himself. When his past was brought up. This side of him had been laying in wait and neither of them had even suspected.

And then he spoke and dragged her from her thoughts with that voice that was his and also distinctly not. Two words, spoken crisply and evenly, but more terrifying than anything she had ever heard in her life.

"Hello, Alice."

A scream tumbled from her lips and straight into his palm. He smothered it, suffocated the sound until there was nothing left but her aching throat.

"Now, now, none of that." His voice was soft, cold. The condescension dripped off his tongue to sting her like acid. "This can go one of two ways, my dear, and the choice is entirely yours. Either you agree to come quietly or I will slit your throat before you even think of making another sound. Do you understand?"

Eyes wide, she nodded. Her mind was racing, heart pounding. If she could get in one good scream, someone would be there to rescue her before the monster had a chance to strike. Then again, if they weren't…

"Good. Now I'm going to remove my hand, and you're going to make a choice. Let's just hope you make the right one." And for a split second he looked away from her and she saw something in his eyes that could not quite be placed. That look made her choice for her.

True to his word, he removed his hand slowly. For a moment they sat in the darkness staring at each other, trying to guess the other's intentions. The silence deafening, the air so thick with tension that it was suffocating them both.

And then he slowly reached out a hand, placed it on her cheek, and smirked. "Good girl."

The words hung in the air, dared her to do something stupid.

And never one to turn down a dare, Alice took a breath and did the only thing she could do. She screamed. One deafening sound, almost inhuman and loud enough to wake sleeping giants. It broke the tension in the air and sent everything into furious motion.

A growl came from the angry god and he slammed her head into the wall so hard her vision blurred. A few blinks and she realized it intended to stay that way. She tried to scream again, but only managed a strangled "fuck" as his fingers dove into her hair. Taking a fistful of her fiery red locks, he dragged her off the bed and toward the window.

Her voice returned with her vision and she screamed again. Called him every name she could think of. Cursed him to hell and back. It didn't stop him, didn't ease the pain in her scalp, but she kicked and screamed anyway because it was all she could do. He was going to kill her regardless of whether or not she put up a fight. So fight she did.

The wood flooring did little for her footing and her bare feet slipped as she struggled to gain some sort of advantage. There were tears in her eyes and her throat was raw from screaming, but she continued her futile fight. And somewhere amongst the cries for help and curses aimed at the shell of her former lover she gritted out, "Dammit, John, stop it!"

And for a moment he stopped. His hand disentangled from her hair and she fell to the floor. In a desperate scramble, she managed to get to the bedroom door. Hearing his footsteps behind her, she flung it open.

A surprised yelp escaped her as she found herself face to face with her attacker. Only it wasn't actually him because suddenly the real him was behind her, grabbing her around the waist and holding her tightly against him. A hand came up to cover her mouth and gripped her jaw a little harder than necessary.

"You didn't actually think that would work did you?" he sneered, his lips pressed against the shell of her ear. "After all, I am a god. And you would do well to remember that."

Again, he started toward the window and the hand on her jaw moved to immobilize her arms.

"Where are we going?" she demanded, trying to escape his vice-like grip. She was thankful that he had stopped pulling her hair because her head was really starting to hurt.

He didn't answer, simply kept dragging her toward the window. Fighting him was becoming harder, but she had enough adrenaline left to give him a good kick in the shin, which made him loosen his grip ever so slightly.

Seeing her chance, she took it. Her head flew back and connected with his nose and she hit the ground running. She wasn't sure where she intended to go; there was a double in the doorway blocking her only exit.

So, she made for the bathroom. Before she could get farther than the bed, the floor began to shake and she could hear heavy footsteps running toward the door. It made the headache all the worse.

"What the fuck?"

Her answer came bounding around the corner. Somewhere in the back of her mind Alice was reminded of Bruce being referred to as a giant green rage monster and she realized just how accurate a description it was.

The Hulk slammed the double aside with little effort and it disappeared into nothingness.

"Brother, leave the mortal girl be!" Thor was next through the door with Tony following close in his wake.

Alice looked from her would-be captor to the three superheroes standing ready to guard her. Loki had his hands up to surrender and Alice felt relief start to wash over her.

And then there were hands, one around her waist and the other over her mouth and she was being dragged backward. There was a moment's pause, wherein the god smiled and waved his hand to make his twin disappear.

"How many times are you going to fall for that?" he taunted, making his brother twitch.

The three started after them, but it was too late.

Alice's feet left the ground and she felt like she was floating. Suspended in the abyss with only the hands of a man likely trying to kill her as support. She tried to slow the racing of her heart, tried to assure herself she would land somewhere familiar.

And much to the surprise of both her and her captor, she was right.

As his old living room materialized around them, he snarled out a curse.

"I thought that would fix it." He didn't say it very loud, but Alice heard the comment. Tony and Bruce were right, he was stuck on Earth. Kidnapping her had been a way to attempt to leave Earth. And it had failed.

She wanted to taunt him, to laugh in his face, but she didn't have time. In one swift movement he shoved her to the floor and kneeled down to straddle her hips. Her wrists were placed over her head and held tightly in place by a single hand.

"What sort of witchcraft are you using?" he demanded. "Why can't I leave this place?"

Shaking her head made her temples throb angrily, but she ignored it best she could.

"I don't know!" She barred her teeth at him, snarled when he gripped her wrists more tightly.

"You must be doing something!"

"Why the fuck would I want to keep you here?" There were the tears again. She fought them with all her might. Didn't want him to see her weak. "I want you gone. Out of my life. You killed John. If anything I want you dead!"

"John was nothing more than a shell. A place to hide until my power returned."

"I loved him!" There came the tears, whether she liked it or not. "He was everything I had ever wanted. More than I had ever dreamed. I didn't deserve him, but he loved me too. If he didn't you wouldn't be here. You're nothing more than a monster."

"I am a monster, but I am far more powerful than you. I'll break this spell if I have to kill you in the process."

"Then do it!"

"No, I'm going to make you suffer first."

"You already have."

The wad of spit that hit him in the face made him hiss. He lifted a hand to wipe it away and Alice's eyes broke away from his. Mind racing, she calculated the amount of time it would take her to run to the door.

As if reading her thoughts, he waved his hand and she heard the lock click.

"You insolent girl," he hissed. "Do not think you will escape so easily."

Still she refused to look at him and he gripped her jaw and moved her pounding head to look at him.

"No matter how hard you try, that lock isn't going to budge," he informed her, smirking at the little twitch of her hands trying to escape his grasp. "There is no one here to save you, no one is coming for you. Your Avengers have no idea where you are."

"I don't need saving," Alice retorted. It was difficult to mask the fear that was creeping into her voice, but she sounded strong enough to make him flinch. That was what counted. "I can take you all by myself."

"And what makes you think that?" His fingers tightened on her wrists and he grinned at the breath she sucked in. "It appears that you are at quite a disadvantage."

"I don't think so."

Summoning the bit of fight still left in her, she kicked her knee up and landed a well-aimed shot to his groin. A mere wince was her only reward. The shock on her face made him chuckle.

"Armor, darling," he said smugly. "You should really stop trying to fight me."

And then her forehead connected with his nose.

He let out a yelp and his hands flew up to his face. Taking advantage of the distraction, Alice rolled over and scrambled away. The headache was getting worse and the room was starting to spin a little.

It's just adrenaline, she told herself. Can't slow down now.

Stumbling feet carried her to the kitchen. The knife block on the counter called to her and she wrenched the largest one from its slot. It looked sharp, dangerous. She didn't quite trust herself with it, but it was her only defense.

Her will to fight was slipping quickly, replaced by a pounding in her head like nothing she had ever felt.

But then the angry god was rounding the counter and she knew she had little choice. One hand on the counter for balance, she held out the knife as threateningly as possible.

"Drop the weapon, you stupid girl," he roared, but she shook her head.

"Stay back!" She took a few staggering steps back.

Her fingers brushed against paint, long since dried. It made her heart leap and crack and the room took a sickening dive.

The knife clattered against the floor and she wasn't sure if she had dropped it or if he had knocked it away. Either way, her legs were giving out and the floor was coming in and out of focus. She felt sick.

Shit, don't puke.

Her hand slipped on the counter and she felt herself fall forward.

"Alice!"

Suddenly there were arms around her and she was leaning heavily against something. Someone. The man who had been trying to kill her just moments ago.

Her eyes opened blearily and she looked at his face. He didn't look like that man anymore. There was worry in his eyes, desperation.

A careful hand brushed the hair out of her face. When he accidentally hit the spot that hurt the most she groaned, tried to pull away.

"Hey, hey, shh. Don't fight." His voice was quiet, scared.

"John?"

He didn't acknowledge the name, but didn't correct her.

"I'm so tired, John."

"Don't go to sleep, Alice. You have to stay awake."

"I can't."

She felt herself being lifted, and she curled into his chest.

Part of her still wanted to fight. Still didn't trust him. But she was too weak to act on it.

The bed welcomed her weight with a groan. It felt like ages since she had felt that satin comforter of his. She wanted nothing more than to bury herself in it and sleep for an eternity.

It was what she wanted clouds to feel like. Soft and warm and all-encompassing. Her eyes slipped shut and Morpheus began to rock her into unconsciousness.

"Look at me Alice." His voice pulled her back to him.

Opening her eyes hurt. The light was too bright. Everything was blurry.

"Just let me sleep." Her eyes closed again, earning her a light shake to jolt her awake.

"It is imperative that you do not sleep." Looking a little flustered, he sat on the edge of the bed and began to run his fingers over her scalp. "Tell me about staying with Stark."

"You don't want to hear about it," she sighed, trying to roll away from his touch and further into the sheets. "I'll tell you in the morning."

"Oh for goodness' sake." He pulled her back. Placed her head in his lap and resumed massaging her scalp.

She tried to get her words straight in her head. They were jumbled, like a puzzle with all the wrong pieces.

"I don't know." The words were slurred, too close together. They didn't feel right on her tongue. "Tony's nice. He gave me drinks."

The man holding her chuckled. "He does that with all his house guests."

Not getting the joke, Alice continued. "Pepper is nice too. She taught Heather and me about a store thing. Thing I should put in the store-" Her grasp on words slipped and this time it was harder to put them back together.

"Don't stop, I've almost found it."

"Found what?"

"Just keep talking. Tell me about Bruce."

"You know Bruce?" He voice cracked a little and she heard him snicker. "Don't make f-…head hurts."

"I know. That's why you have to keep talking."

"Bruce-ugh. Shit." The pain got worse. It felt like her skull was going to split in two. She just wanted to sleep…

"I think I found it." It wasn't clear to her what he was talking about, but he was prompting he to tell him about Thor now and she couldn't place the words together through the pain. "Tell me about him Alice, we're almost done."

"He was…fuck…ow." Her tongue weighed a thousand pounds, wouldn't do what she wanted it to. "He was an asshole. I hit him."

"Did you now?" The amusement in his voice was unmistakable.

"Deserved it," she mumbled. "Said…told…you weren't…not…din't love me."

"Found it."

Suddenly his hand cradled the back of her head and his lips were on her forehead. The cloudiness in her mind began to subside. Water was breaking through the dam that had been created when her head met the wall at Tony's. She could feel it cracking as waves crashed against it.

Her hands reached up to take fistfuls of his shirt. She pulled herself up, kissed him properly. Tried to get closer to that relief. And he didn't fight her, didn't stop focusing that energy at the wall. It started to give, started to let the water bleed through.

When the dam finally broke, when her thoughts were able to flow freely, he pulled back. Their eyes met and she noticed his were slightly less green than they had been. He still wasn't John. That much was clear, but he looked less dangerous.

A smile took her face and he grinned back.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded. "My head still hurts a little."

"That will take a bit to subside, unfortunately. The concussion is gone, though."

"How did you-"

"Magic."

"No, really. How did you do that?"

"That was not a jest. I really did use magic."

Silence spread between them, neither quite sure what to do or say. They had kissed, the girl and the monster, and neither knew how to feel about it. She wondered if the kiss had been a necessary part of making the concussion go away, but she felt it better not to ask.

"Did you really hit my brother?" he inquired eventually.

When she nodded, his grin spread and he let out a hearty laugh.

"He deserved it," she shrugged, trying hard not to blush.

"He often does."

They laughed together this time and it seemed to ease the tension in the room.

She was still tired, so tired, but she knew it was from exhaustion now. The adrenaline had faded and her body was wrecked. When she tried to stretch, a yawn accompanied it and she fell back into the pillows.

"I still don't think you should sleep quite yet," he said, moving a little closer and placing a hand on hers. "Shall I get you something to drink? Maybe a book?"

After a moment's debate, she nodded.

"Just some water would be wonderful. And on the end table in the living room there should be a book called 'Nordic Mythology'. Could you get that for me as well?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her, but obeyed. Returned a few minutes later with a glass of water and the book she had asked for.

"I don't see why you need this," he commented, tossing it onto the bed beside her. "Books often contain inaccuracies."

"So are you saying you didn't fuck a horse?" The quip escaped her before she could stop it. She waited for the reaction, for him to get angry with her again, but he simply chuckled.

Shaking his head, he turned to leave the room.

"I want to help you," she said, stopping him in his tracks.

Slowly he turned to face her, took a few steps back toward where she lay.

"Help me do what, exactly?" he asked.

"Get home."

Raising an eyebrow, he took a few steps toward her.

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" He sounded skeptical and she couldn't blame him.

"Honestly, I have no idea, but I thought the book might help."

For a moment he thought about this. She could see the cogs in his mind turning, weighing the benefits of her offer. It was a risky offer to make. If he accepted and she failed, what would come of it? He was dangerous, there was no doubting that. There was a good possibility her life could depend on making the right deal with him.

"I'll leave you to it, then," he decided, once again turning to leave.

"You could stay," she offered. "Help me figure out where the…inaccuracies are."

Glancing back at her, he shook his head. "I shouldn't distract you. Tell me what you find in the morning."

"Where are you going?"

With a chuckle, he leaned against the doorframe.

"Don't get your hopes up about me leaving you. I still don't trust you alone. If you should need anything else, though, I'll just be in the next room."

He left the room, leaving the door open just a crack. And she watched him go, wishing that he would have stayed and hating herself for the very thought.