Loki shifted uncomfortably, pulling at the handcuffs that held him to the table. He looked around the pristine white room he had been placed in. He frowned again as he ran a hand through his hair. It had gotten much longer than the usual length that he usually kept it and it was starting to annoy him. He sighed, forcing back a yawn.

He hadn't realized that traveling via the Bifrost while pregnant would be so exhausting, until he actually started feeling the exertion on his body. He sighed. Perhaps he'd just close his eyes for a bit...

A few moments later, he found himself being awakened by the sound of someone speaking. He grimaced, certain he had gone to Niflheim. Surely this man could not be yelling any louder. He opened his eyes, intending to unleash a torrent of harsh words. He hesitated upon seeing the bald, glasses-wearing brown skinned man sitting across from him. He knew he had seen him somehow, but couldn't plaace his finger on the exact date.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to bother you Loki, but now is not the time to be taking naps," Jasper Stillwell said quietly, the agitation in his voice evident. The god sighed, shaking his head.

"I assume you are here to interrogate me? Has Thor proven to be unconvincing in his testament to my rehabilitation?" he asked. Stillwell smiled pleasantly, eying the god with interest.

"Well, one can never be too careful these days you know. I hope you can understand given your...history?" he said. Loki nodded.

"I suppose you believe this supposed to scare me?" Loki asked in a bored tone. He began to let his gaze wander around the room once more, frustrated that the it held absolutely nothing that could distract him. The agent frowned.

"I don't get what you mean by that," he said. Loki smiled.

"The room. It gives a sense of...foreboding," he answered. Stillwell didn't bat an eye.

"Well, maybe for you perhaps it does. But for now, I'd like to ask you a few questions. If you really have changed like Thor's been telling us and wish to help us, then I expect you to cooperate and answer them honestly. Is that understood?" he asked. Loki eyed him for a long moment.

"What if I don't want to answer your questions? What if I just wish to be left alone?" he asked stubbornly. Stillwell didn't back down.

"Then I think that there's a nice cell we can prepare for you. For permanant residance," he said with a shrug. "Or we could just send you back to Asgard. Your choice really," he said calmly. Loki glared at him.

"Alright. Ask your questions. You may not like the answers, though," he said.

"Alright, let's get started. First question: What is your relationship with the creature known as Thanos?"

Tony groaned as he sat up, a sharp pain in his back drawing his attention away from the fact that he had a slightly more painful headache. He rolled off the bed and rubbed his eyes.

He'd been up all night, checking in on the status of his company. Apparently, things were still good and everything Pepper had done in his absence had increased his profits tenfold. He vowed that he would never let that woman go.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had insisted that he just go home. He'd been cleared of all suspicions of being under Loki's control and was free to go after all. However, he'd felt uncomfortable with leaving Loki in the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility by himself, so he'd decided to stay. It was three days later and they were still there. He flopped back down onto the bed. How he hated S.H.I.E.L.D.

Tony pushed himself out of bed and went into the bathroom. He glanced at himself in the mirror, a scowl instantly forming on his face. His hair was a mess and he had dark circles under his eyes. He splashed some cold water on his face and brushed his teeth. He decided to skip breakfast, knowing he wouldn't be able to eat it. He knew he wasn't hungover since he hadn't even had any alcohol the night before. He vowed to create his own hangover free Bifrost transportation system in the future.

After he took a quick shower, he pulled on a t-shirt and drank a couple of glasses of water, hoping that would help his headache. He decided he might as well check and see if he could talk to Fury about Loki. He was sure they didn't plan on keeping the god forever. Thor wouldn't allow it. Hell, he wouldn't allow it.

Tony made his way down to the lower levels of the facility, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Director. Maybe he could convince Fury to let him talk to Loki. Maybe Thor. Screw it. He suddenly realized he needed coffee. He should have made some back in his room. He was pretty sure there'd be some in the kitchen, though. Hopefully.

He got a few odd looks from some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, but he didn't care. He was a man on a mission.

He zeroed in on the coffee maker and poured himself a mug of the hot liquid. He groaned in relief as soon as it hit his tongue, growing annoyed when it burned him. He sipped it slowly to prevent further injury to his mouth. As he did so, he rummaged around in the drawers for a painkiller. He found one after a few minutes and popped it into his mouth, washing it down with the coffee.

At that moment, Thor chose to enter into the kitchen, clearly having been up much longer than Tony. The god glanced at him nervously, sitting down in silence. Tony greeted him, punching him lightly on the shoulder. The god took a deep breath and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter.

"Tony, we need to talk," he said quietly. The inventor nodded and sipped his coffee.

"What about?" he questioned. Thor glanced around them, then shook his head.

"Not here," he told the man as he stood. Tony sighed and followed him.

Once they were within the confines of Thor's rooms, the god glanced around nervously. Tony waited impatiently, still sipping his coffee. He got even more annoyed when Thor continued to say nothing.

"What is it Thor?" he demanded. The god ran a heavy hand through his hair and sat down heavily, apparently satisfied that they were truly alone.

"It's Jane. She has come into contact with an ancient power known as the Aether. It...poisons her. The Allfather will not allow me to take her off-world to remove the power from her, so I have devised a plan in which to do so," he said quickly. Tony rolled his eyes skyward.

"Well why are you here, then? Go do it!" he said. Thor hesitated.

"What, you need one of my suits? Take one. Just as long as you bring it back when you're done," the inventor offered. Thor shook his head, taking a moment to pace slowly.

"No, that is not it. I also require Loki's aid," he said, coming to a stop in front of the inventor. He stepped forward when Tony's eyes seemed to bulge from his head, offering a steady hand.

"What?! You know S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't going to go for that. They're still interrogating him," Tony pointed out. "They haven't exactly labeled him as a 'friendly' either," he mumbled into his mug. Where was a nice bottle of scotch when you needed it?

Thor shrugged. Tony's stomach couldn't help but drop at the look Thor was giving him. Hopeful, yet certain.

"You can't possibly think I'm going to get them to let you take Loki along, do you? Fury doesn't even like me, and I almost died for him and his freaking 'Avergers Initiative'. But do I get any thanks? Nope. Just a pat on the back and another psyche evaluation," he wailed. Thor nodded slowly.

"I know they will not support us. Which is why you and I will have to sneak him out of this facility," Thor said. Tony stared at him, mouth hanging open.

"What are you talking about? Have you not been listening to me? Listen to yourself Thor. It would never work. Loki's got about six armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents guarding him 24/7. Even if we could sneak him out of his room, we'd never make it out of the building," the inventor insisted. Thor glanced up at him.

"I will handle the agents," he assured the man. Tony shook his head in disbelief.

"Holy shit, Thor," he breathed through his fingers. The god waited.

"Does that mean you'll help me?" he asked. Tony groaned, facepalming.

"Thor..." he moaned. The god placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Stark, please help me. If we do not do this, Jane will die," he said. Tony sighed.

"What do you even need him for anyway? He's still got no magic for some reason, so he'd be useless in healing Jane. Why not take her to your mother?" he suggested. Thor shook his head.

"Magic will not help her. She has taken the Aether inside of her and it ravages her strength as we speak. The only way to help her is to have Malekith draw it out himself. After he does so, I will destroy it before he attempts to use it for his own gains," he explained. Both of Tony's eyebrows shot to his forehead.

"I need Loki to show us one of his pathways out of Asgard. Odin will not allow Heimdal to let anyone leave without his permission." The god shifted nervously. Tony sighed.

"Loki's only gotten here, Thor. He's still trying to convince S.H.I.E.L.D. that he's on our side now. I don't think you'd want to mess that up for him by doing something drastic when your head's not in the right place," he suggested. Thor frowned.

"What are you saying Stark? That I am putting my brother's life in danger for the sake of my own happiness? That I am merely using him?" he demanded angrily. Tony backed away from the god.

"Thor, just listen, ok? Are you sure you've thought this thing through? That you've considered all the possible things that could go wrong?" he asked cautiously. Thor nodded slowly.

"Of course I have. I would never intentionally put Loki's life in any danger," Thor insisted. Tony groaned, running a hand over his face.

"Dammit. Ok, listen. It's going to be Loki's decision whether to help you or not. I don't know know how this will turn out, but I'll help you. I like Jane so I guess that's a plus for you," he said. Thor grinned.

"I have this program. I originally designed it in case I needed a way to get out of a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility quickly. I know I'm an Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D. probably wouldn't do anything to directly harm me if I do something stupid, but you never know. I guess I could use it so you can sneak Loki out safely without anyone noticing for a bit," he offered. Thor nodded gratefully.

"If things don't go right, I can just say that it was a system glitch," he muttered.

"Thank you, Tony. I appreciate this," he said. Tony sighed, raising his coffee to his lips. He grimaced as he swallowed. The beverage had become cold and now tasted like liquid chalk on his tongue. He put the mug aside on the table. He turned back to Thor with a look of interest on his face.

"You sure you want to do this? The choice is still Loki's though. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s going to find out it was us that helped free him, even if you do bring him back. They're not going to be very trusting of us in the future. If things fail, it'll probaably be worse for him though," he pointed out. Thor nodded.

"I understand your concern Tony, but I know what I am doing. My friends on Asgard will help me once we return," he said. Tony nodded slowly.

"Alright, Thor. I trust you, and I'm sure Loki does too."

Loki gave a tired sigh, leaning back in his seat. Agent Stillwell had kept him up all night with his questions and the god was just starting to feel the effects of sleep deprivation, albeit less sharply than he had before on Asgard.

Almost out of nowhere, the lights shut off and all sounds ceased to exhist. Loki tensed, expecting this to be an attack. He vaguely heard the voice of the Other in his head, repeating his threat from over a year ago.

"No realm, no barren moon where he can't find you. You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain."

He shuddered as the memory faded, leaving behind a bitter taste on his tongue.

Loki heard the door open before a bright light spilled into the room. He felt hands grab him and fumble for the handcuffs around his wrist. Someone gave a hard tug and pulled him to his feet. He immediately began to resist as they began to pull him to the door.

"Loki, it's me. It's Thor. I can't explain right now, but I need your help. Please don't argue. Jane's hurt and I need your help to save her." Loki relaxed once he heard his brother's vioce and allowed himself to be led from the room.

"Is all this really necessary?" he asked. He felt Thor's hair brush his face as the larger man nodded his head.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. would have never let me take you, no matter for how brief a time period I'd claim to need your assistance," Thor told him. When Loki stopped walking abruptly, he almost tripped.

"Loki, what are you doing? Now is not the time for games!" Thor said sharply. Loki wrenched his arm out of the god's grasp.

"Do you never think Thor? What about me?" Loki demanded. Thor paused, a look of confusion on his face.

"I am here on Midgard to get away from all that violence upon Asgard, and you wish to take me back. Are you mad?!" he demanded. Thor swallowed heavily, a thick knot forming in his throat.

"Loki we do not have time for-" he broke off when the other man becak walking back the way they had come.

"Where are you going?" Thor exclaimed, running after him. Loki shook off his attempts to restrain him.

"I am going back to my room. I will not risk my freedom for a Midgardian you will undoubtedly tire of in another year or two," Loki snapped. Thor stared after him, letting his light fall.

"Loki please. I need your help to get Jane off Asgard. Odin has ordered Heimdal to let no one pass though the Bifrost without his approval. Ever since Malekith attacked us, things have been in quite an uproar. Mother did not sacrifice herself for Jane to-" Thor stopped himself before he could go any further. Loki froze.

"What of Mother?" he demanded, his voice wavering slightly. Thor shook his head.

"She was defending Jane and Malekith...she was injured in the struggle," he told him. Loki's jaw clenched to the point of being painful.

"Is she alright?" he asked. Thor let his gaze drop to the floor.

"It is...uncertain if she will recover." Thor glanced up at his brother fearfully.

"When did this happen?" Loki demanded.

"A little over two days ago," he answered. The look of hurt that flashed across his face stunned Thor with its intensity.

"Why did you not tell me sooner? I could have done...something," he said. Thor shook his head.

"There is nothing you could have done, Loki. She has the best healers and even then they struggle to help her," he said. Loki nodded, wiping the still forming tears from his eyes.

"Alright, I'll go. But I wish to see mother first. If these are to be her last days..." he trailed off, his voice cracking. Thor pulled his brother into his embrace.

"Do not say that Loki. Mother will be fine. She merely needs to rest," he said. Loki pulled away from him, regaining his composure.

"I do hope you know what you are doing Thor. How much I will be risking for this. Your Midgardian commanders may not be so keen to accept me back into their arms so willingly after they learn of this," he said in a warning tone.

Thor felt himself become warmer as he himself became a bit more nervous. He knew his plan might not work out the way he had been hoping, but he knew they had to try to make it work anyway.

Tony checked his watch, tapping the fingers of his other hand against the table.

'It shouldn't take this long.' he thought to himself. He grabbed his phone and thought about dialing Thor's number on the phone he'd given him. He decided against it, figuring his interference would only slow the god down even more. Thor would call and let him know when they were in the clear. If Loki had even agreed to go with him that was.

He glanced down at the Stark Phone in his hand, curtesy of Natasha stopping at his tower to grab a few things for him. The urge to call was overwhelming.

"Swear to god Thor, if you get Loki killed I'm going to hurt you," he muttered. He jumped as the phone buzzed suddenly and he dropped it. He snatcheed it up off the ground in a hurry to answer it.

"Thor, what the hell? I set up a clear path for you. You should have called like ten minutes ago," he snapped. On the other end, a slightly out of breath Thor answered with less venom in his voice.

"Stark, I am sorry to have worried you, but Loki and I ran into some trouble. We're fine now. We are in fact on our way to you. The long way I'm afraid. The building has gone into lockdown mode," he said. Tony rolled his eyes, heart pounding. He clutched at his arc reactor, afraid that it would short circuit at any moment from the increased amount of work it was doing at the moment.

"Dammit Thor. I told you to stick to the east wing of the building. There's less security there and a straight shot to the roof," he told him. He heard Thor shift the phone to the other ear.

"Well, Tony it did not work out that way, alright? I would appreciate it if you stopped yelling in my ear and trust me when I say I know what I am doing," Thor snapped back. Tony held his tongue. Anger was not what they needed at the moment.

"I'm sorry. I'm just really stressed. Is Loki ok?" he said.

"He is fine. We will see you soon," Thor promised. Tony sighed, ending the call.

Loki watched as Thor slid the phone back into his pocket, a sudden ill feeling coming over him.

"Thor, who was that?" he demanded. The god shook his head.

"Later. For now, we must get to the roof," he told his brother. Loki grimaced, hating to be left out of the loop of information.

"Please tell me we're not going to be fighting our way to Helheim. I don't think my body could take the strain at the moment," he mumbled unhappily. Thor glanced over his shoulder at him, a puzzled and worried expression on his face. Loki met his gaze with a calm exterior, realizing he had almost slipped up again. He shook his head.

"My magic still has not returned. I can handle these mortals, but if we were to come across a mystical being I do not think I would be much help to you," he explained. Apparently satisfied with the answer, or too preoccupied with their current mission to press further, Thor let the matter drop. Loki hoped something would happen to make Thor forget about it entirely since he was certain it would be addressed later on.

The pair finally reached their destination without further confrontation. As they exited the building and came out onto the roof however, things were a different story.

Captain America stood in all his glory, face as expressionless as stone. Thor stopped moving immediately, unsure of what the other would do. The captain pressed a finger to the communications device in his ear, alerting Fury to his discovery. The director awaited the answer to his offer for backup.

"What are you doing Thor?" the captain yelled over the wind and sound of rushing water. Thor's gaze shot to Loki momentarily for help, but when he saw his brother had none to give, he took control again. Thor began to approach him as quiclky as he dared. Steve held up his shield.

"Stop," he ordered, his voice full of cauion. Thor did as he was told, understanding what the situation looked like at the moment.

Thor was helping his brother escape from a secure S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. Perhaps Loki was threatening him in some way. Perhaps in reality, Loki actually did have his magic and was controlling him.

"Steve, please listen," the god said in his most reassuring voice. The soldier eyed him skeptically.

"Why should I? You've obviously come to realize that Loki can't be trusted, so you're trying to get him out of here before Fury gives the order to lock him up for good. Are you sure you want to do this to yourself Thor? I know he's your brother and all, but he's caused everyone enough pain for an entire lifetime. Back down now, and maybe you'll get a few years on probation from the higher ups."

Loki edged closer to his brother, speaking quietly. When Steve saw him begin to move, he unholstered his gun and leveled it at him.

"Loki stop," he ordered. The god's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Captain, you know me. We fought together on Asgard. Did I not prove my loyalty then?" he asked.

"On the contrary, I seem to remember you fighting with the other side," he said calmly. Loki nodded.

"Fair enough," he muttered. He turned back to Thor.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this, Thor. Perhaps it is the will of the Norns that Jane make this sacrifice for the greater good. She is mortal after all. Her death has to happen sometime," he said as genly as he could. Thor went rigid.

"You sound just like Tony...and the Allfather," he said quietly. The look of hurt that spread across Loki's face barely registered as he returned his attention back to the captain.

"Steve, listen to me. There is such a force as the Aether. It is a powerful Infinity Gem with which an evil sorceror by the name of Malekith the Accursed wishes to use to plunge the Nine Realms back into darkness forever. By some bizzarre possibility, that very same force has attatched itself to the doctor Jane Foster and is slowly killing her," he said in a rushed breath. Steve eyed both he and Loki, slowly lowering his weapon a fraction of an inch.

"What does that have to do with him?" he asked, gesturing with the gun.

"Asgard was attacked a few days ago by Malekith and his Dark Elves. Since then, Odin has forbidden anyone from leaving the realm by the Bifrost freely. I think I know of a way to save Jane, but I must get her off-world. Odin refuses to let her leave Asgard because of the power she holds within her, and I need Loki's help to show me one of his secret passageways from Asgard so that I may go through with my plan," he said. Steve's arm had dropped all the way down to his waist now, and he was on the verge of dropping it entirely.

"What's your plan?" he questioned. The god sighed.

"I plan to allow Malekith draw the Aether from Jane and then once she is a safe distance away, I will use Mjolnir to destroy it," he declared. Steve frowned.

"How do you know it will work?" the super soldier asked. Thor shook his head.

"It has to work, or else we are all doomed anyway. If Jane remains where she is, Malekith will return and kill her to retrieve what is inside her," he said. Beside him, Loki shifted uncomfortably, crossing his arms.

"You didn't tell me all of that," he said. Thor smiled weakly.

"I told you I would tell you later, Loki. Later is here," he said with a mischevious glint in his eye. Loki tried to fight back the smile that sprang to his face and failed.

"Congradulations brother. You are one step closer to becoming a talented liar. That means something coming from me," he complimented.

Voices suddenly began to pour into Sveve's ear, asking his location of Thor and Loki. He glanced at the two gods, shaking his head. Steve pressed a finger to his com, taking a deep breath.

"I'm afraid I was mistaken, sir," he said quietly. Fury paused for a moment, but decided to trust Steve's judgement.

"Alright. Leave the search to the other agents," he ordered. Sheve nodded, lowering his hand. He raised his eyes to meet Thor's and cocking his head.

"Get out of here and take care of that Aether. I expect to see news reports by the end of the week anywy. S.H.I.E.L.D. will find out that way and eventually come to understand what you did was necessary," he told them. Thor nodded, clasping him on the shoulder. Loki approached him more cautiously, a hand crossed over his abdomen.

"Thank you, Captain. For a minute, I actually thought you might actually shoot me," Loki told him. Steve holstered his gun in response.

"I'm just doing my job Loki. To protect my home from threats. It's the same treatment I have for everyone I'm afraid," he said with a small smile. Loki nodded slowly, taking a moment to breathe.

Author's Note : Sorry if my portrayal of Stillwell is OOC. I've never really read the comics and have only seen the movies, so I don't really know that much about him or his characteristics, only what I've read on the internet.