A/N:

I promise, I am alive… I really didn't expect so many people to like this fanfiction so much! Thank you all so much! As mentioned, I really am the worst procrastinator. And the reasons I haven't really been writing this is because of the other million things happening in my life. I hope you can all forgive me for that month-long hiatus. I will try for a chapter per week and, if I don't succeed in that, spam my reviews & PMs like there's no tomorrow.

Also, the events in Thor: The Dark World will not affect this, though I might add in some references to Malekith? Perhaps some foreshadowing…

And, now, the weather.

Fear (n.):

a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain,etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had changed; the security was double and the amount of masked guards leading Loki to where he was to be interrogated were much more hostile. This time around he was far more afraid of what his fate might be. He did not stand tall like before, and his matted appearance made him almost unrecognizable to passing agents. He was taken into a small, confined interrogation room, with what seemed like circles all over the square box. He sheepishly sat down in the metallic chair and he was glad that he did so, as the box seemed to move. Of course… SHIELD was insuring that he would not escape. They would make sure that he would be taken back to Asgard. He couldn't blame them; he had caused many crimes to the homo sapiens and they were, surely, angered at his motives to take them over.

The journey to wherever they were to take Loki (probably the SHIELD helicarrier; Loki assumed that they had fixed it in the time he was gone) was long, and he couldn't seem to sit still. Finally, when the box stopped moving, Loki felt some of his muscles relax. Just outside the box were voices; it was time.

A SHIELD agent that Loki had not met yet walked into the box, making sure that he closed the door behind him. He had brown slicked back hair and the standard SHIELD black and white suit. He sat down across from Loki, folding his hands together. Loki watched him move, not trusting the man at all. He felt the impulse to move away, but did not act afraid. He would not show any weakness.

The agent opened up a manila folder that he had brought in with him, reading over a few notes. "So, you're Loki Laufeyson." It was more of a statement rather than a question. Loki had no reaction. "I was on duty the day you attacked New York. Tell me, aren't you supposed to be on Asgard?"

Again, Loki had no reaction. His green eyes were wide as he stared at the agent; the only thing about him that moved was the deep rise and fall of his chest. The agent let out a huff.

"Listen, I'm trying to be nice to you. If you have anything to say for yourself, speak now."

Loki stared at the agent for a moment longer, before opening his mouth slightly. He took in a deep breath, bracing himself for the reaction the agent would surely have, than raised his middle finger.

Steve Rogers was luckier than Loki was, Laette Keene thought, as she watched both interrogations from a SHIELD screen. Her father didn't know she was here and, frankly, as she watched him punch the god of mischief, she was glad he didn't know. The only reason she had come was because she had been invited by Maria Hill, whom knew that her father was training her to become an agent.

She let out a huff and pushed the chair away from the screens, wincing slightly at her father's harsh words. She wasn't sure whether she really thought all of this was fair; sure, Loki had committed some drastic crimes, but shouldn't they leave him to the Asgardians? Why did SHIELD have to involve themselves with Loki again?

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Lae gasped and turned around, nearly bumping into the man that spoke to her.

"Agent Barton… I was just… um…" Laette bit her lip, staring up at the master archer. "I was watching the interrogations."

"Who said you could do that?"

"Agent Hill."

Silence fell between the two. Lae felt her cheeks grow a bit red; her father always spoke highly of the Avenger/SHIELD agent. About how he was true to the jobs he did and how he was sure she would fancy him. The two had known each other for awhile now, but Lae felt no closer to him than the first time they had met.

"Whatever. Looks like your dad's coming out. Might wanna leave, if he doesn't know you're here."

Laette looked back at the monitor and nodded. She mumbled a small 'thanks' to the agent, jumped up, and dashed down one of the hallways. She looked around for somewhere – anywhere – to hide. Mark would kill her if he knew she was here, of all places. As she speed walked down the halls, (she didn't want to attract too much attention to herself by running) she came by a metal door. She rushed towards it and, unfortunately, it was locked.

"Sh*t," she whispered softly. She fumbled with her father's extra keycard and quickly unlocked the door. She opened the door and shut it quietly behind her.

Of all things Loki expected, this was not one of them.

He was touching his face, trying to find all the wounds that the agent had made on him. He had winced when he touched the quickly blackening eye, but, otherwise, he found that he was not bleeding. He knew, of course, that they would send in another agent, but this one looked so fragile. How could she be a SHIELD agent?

She was short, with chopped brown hair and eyes that looked almost identical to the previous agent. His daughter, perhaps? Or sister? She seemed a bit young to be his sister, though.

Loki didn't speak as he watched her relax, than turn, just to tense up again. He met her gaze steadily, again, not showing any fear. She blinked first, not sure how to react to the god's presence.

"Um… hi," she muttered, waving a hand at him cautiously. Loki waved back, still not saying anything. "I'm, uh, armed and… not really dangerous."

Loki watched her move towards the table and other chair, watched as she sat down in the chair. She fumbled with something that looked like a little black box, but Loki couldn't quite tell what it was. She blinked once more, staring at Loki silently. She an aura of awkwardness, as though she knew she shouldn't be there, didn't want to be there, but this was better than wherever she had just come from. Loki slowly stood up and sat down in the chair opposite of the girl, slouching, as though he was saying, "I'm not going to try and hurt you."

The girl finally spoke up again, "I'm Laette. I'm not really supposed to be here… You're Loki, right?" Her voice was quiet, holding back some of the fear Loki knew she must have. He nodded once, still staring at her intently. Slowly, he relaxed himself, though he didn't put his guard down. He cracked his neck as he rubbed one arm.

"Sorry about the agent that was in here earlier… He has some… issues with you." One corner of her mouth went down as she said this, as though she didn't care about what Loki had done, but what she knew about the other agent.

Silence fell between the two once more. Laette looked away, but, as Loki watched her, he noticed the small glances she would take at him. Loki opened his mouth, ready to say something, when the door burst open, with the agent that had beaten up on Loki, looking angrier than before. Loki and Laette both immediately stood up, but they both had different reactions. Laette held her ground, yelling, "Dad!" whilst Loki scrambled to the corner, trying to put enough distance between him and the angry agent as possible.

"Laette Keene, what the hell are you doing here?!" he yelled, his voice echoing throughout the small box. Laette bit her lip, staring at her father.

"I was just… I was looking for a place to… go… and I found his place and I just went in because I didn't know he was in here and I didn't want you to know I was here."

"Who brought you here?" he demanded, his face almost red.

"Agent Hill wanted me to have some experience with how SHIELD works with their enemies," Laette muttered, not meeting her father's glaze. At her words, his face seemed to soften a bit.

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that you stayed in a cell with an extremely dangerous criminal!"

"I think I would be able to take him if he tried to attack me," Laette mumbled, beginning to walk out of the cell. The agent followed her, slamming the door shut behind them.

As soon as Loki thought he could have someone to open up to, she was gone the next instant.

A/N: End of this chapter. What do you guys think of Lae and her father? They will have big roles in the story later on…