Author's Note: Hey, everyone. I'm back with another chapter of this well-loved fanfic.

Now, before we get started, I should let you all know something. I've been getting a lot of comments asking me to work on this as soon as possible. You should all know that I don't plan on updating this every week or so. Right now, I'm focusing on doing weekly updates for the Black Panther of Amphibia in my Young Avengers series. I will update this story eventually, but I'm asking you to be patient.

The song featured here is a parody of "Chomp and Munch" from Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue. This was by far the hardest part of writing this chapter. It was hard for me to come up with a song parody to use here. I've had a couple of ideas, and this seemed like the best I had. Hope you enjoy.

If anyone would like to help come up with song parodies in the future, let me know. I've already decided on some ideas of what to use in chapters to come, but it's nice to have some input. But just remember that I will be keeping some of the original Molly McGee songs. Also, if you're going to suggest a song, I should tell you that I prefer on-screen singing.

Well, that's all I have for now. Enjoy the chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.

The kids were alarmed by the sound of the McGee parents panicking in fear. They headed down to see Sharon openly alarmed. Pete, on the other hand, tried to keep things calm, but it was clear that he was scared too.

"No, no, no, no!"

"Sharon, it's fine. We can get through this."

"Pete, I love you, but I just don't know if we're strong enough!"

"Uh, Mom, Dad, is everything okay?" Molly asked.

"Did Pete misplace his credit card again?" Loki asked. "I'd check Darryl's room."

"Whoa! I didn't take his card… today." Darryl said.

"It's worse than that." Sharon said. "The twins are coming!"

"The… twins?" Loki asked with a confused expression.

"You mean Uncle Billy and Aunt Jilly?" Molly gasped excitedly.

"We haven't seen them in forever!" Darryl said sharing Molly's eccentric reaction.

"Oh. So they're twin siblings." Loki said. "Wait, why are you scared then? Are they seriously that bad?"

"Obviously." Scratch said. "House guests? No thanks!"

"Those two have tormented Pete ever since they were little." Sharon said. She showed the kids a picture of an younger Pete being squished by the shoulders of two bigger kids.

"Do you just keep that?" Pete asked.

"And every single time they visit, he goes right back to being that scared, unconfident kid he was in Boston."

"Honey. That's not going to happen." Pete assured. "I'm a grown man. They can't bully me anymore."

Just then, the doorbell rang. When Pete answered it, he was face to face with his older twin siblings. The two of them were much bigger than him.

"Silly McGee!"

"Billy! Jilly! Welcome!"

"Hey, Billy, you hungry?" Jilly asked.

"Oh, I'm starving, Jilly." Billy answered. "I got a real hankering for…"

"A silly sandwich!" they both finished as they rushed inside and squished Pete between their shoulders just like they did in the picture.

"With a side of… silly fries!"

The twins added in their rough hug by sucking their fingers before putting them in Pete's ear. He shuddered in disgust with that.

"See? Houseguests. Terrible idea." Scratch said.

"I can see that." Loki said.

"Oh, look! It's Molly and Darryl!" Jilly said hugging her niece and nephew. She stopped when she noticed Loki behind them. "Well, hello. Where did you come from, little guy?"

"Little?" Loki asked offended.

"Hey, Silly," Billy said, "Did you get a new kid since we last saw each other?"

"Well, uh, this is Lukas." Pete said. "He's staying with us."

"Well, nice to meet ya, Li'l Luke." Jilly said.

"That's not my… OW!" Loki yelled as Jilly gripped his hand tightly and shook it. As she shook, she surprisingly threw him up and down.

"Oops. Sorry." Jilly said setting him back on his feet with dizziness in his eyes. "Light as a feather, ain't ya?"

"He's practically your kid already, Silly." Billy laughed. "Wow. We really miss a lot, what with you moving around so much. It's like you can't hold down a job or something."

"Ha. Good one." Pete replied nervously. "Yes, we moved around a lot, but we found our place to call home in beautiful Brighton. Why don't I show you to the spacious and tastefully decorated guest room?"

"RACE YA!" Billy cried out as he and Jilly threw their heavy luggage into Pete's arms.

"Ahh!" Pete grunted struggling to follow his brother and sister upstairs. "What do you keep in these?"

As the adults left upstairs, the kids watched with their own opinions.

"Wait. I sleep in the guest bedroom." Loki pointed out. "Where am I supposed to sleep, the couch?"

"Wow. Those two are… kinda mean." Molly said.

"No. They're wicked awesome!" Darryl shouted as he followed them upstairs.

"You want me to scare them away?" Scratch asked. "I'm trying out this new thing where I spin my head around." He twisted the his top half into a tight knot. "Came up with this on my own. I totally didn't see it in a movie."

"Yeah, that's… looking really good, Scratch." Molly said. "But let's just keep an eye on them for now? Maybe?"

"Or better yet," Loki said, "I'm going to give Pete the help he so desperately needs."

"Really glad you two are here." Pete said as he set down his siblings' luggage in the guest room. Loki, Molly, and Scratch stood outside the doorway to listen in. "Gives us a chance to connect as fellow adults. Equals."

"Yeah, equal parts skinny and puny!" Billy mocked as he poked Pete.

"Ow! Stop pokin' me!"

"Ha! Now, you sound like Silly McGee!" Jilly said as she messed with his hair.

Loki scowled. "Okay. That's it. I'm stepping in."

"What are you going to do?" Molly asked.

"Helping. Just watch." Loki entered the room and approached the three. "Hey, you two. Could I pull Pete away for a moment?"

"Ha! Go ahead!" Billy said as he shoved Pete towards him.

Loki then grabbed Pete's arm and pulled him to the far side of the room. When they were sure they couldn't be heard, they started to converse.

"Thanks for getting me out of there." Pete said.

"Don't thank me just yet." Loki said crossing his arms. "What was all that 'Silly McGee' stuff? They've been calling you that since they arrived."

"Oh, that?" Pete asked anxiously. "Well, just about everyone else in my family has first names that rhyme with each other. There's Billy and Jilly, and there's also Milly, Philly, Willy, Lilly, Gilly, and Dilly…"

"Yeah. I think I get it."

"Anyway, one day I had skating practice and didn't have time to watch the Sox game with everyone. They thought it was silly, and so… Well, you know."

Loki stared judgingly at Pete for a moment before sighing. "Okay. I'll help you."

"Help me? With what?" Pete asked.

"Your reputation with your siblings." Loki answered. "I'm going to help you make sure they never torment you ever again."

"Really? Why?" Pete asked curiously.

"Believe it or not, Pete, you're not the only one in this house with a bully of a sibling." Loki answered.

"You mean you and Thor?" Pete asked. "But he's a hero."

"Sure, that's how the public sees him now, but trust me, what he did to me when we were kids is much like what your brother and sister are doing to you." Loki explained. "I proved myself smarter than him in every academic achievement possible. And did he ever show me his respect?"

"Uh… Yes."

"No! He bullied me to no end. He painted my clothes pink. He noogied me with his hammer." Loki listed. "So basically, I'm the only person in all the Nine Realms who understands exactly what you're going through. And I know how to help you."

"Well… what do I do?" Pete asked

"Easy. You're a city planner. You answer directly to the mayor. You're basically reshaping this town. Just show that off, and they will have no reason to make fun of you." Loki advised.

"Show off?" Pete asked unsure of himself. "I don't know. Doesn't that seem kind of… conceited?"

"That's the kind of talk that's going to get you sandwiched again." Loki said. "Look, you tried be seen as an equal, but they're never going to respect you. If you want respect, you have to take it. Show them that you're the man of the town."

"Well, if you say so." Pete let in a deep breath. "Time to step up."

Pete walked on to his siblings while Loki smiled proudly. He looked on back at the doorway where Molly was giving him a judgmental look.

"What?" Loki asked.

"Telling Dad to be cocky? That was your plan?" Molly asked in an upset tone.

"Look, being friendly isn't going to help your father's relationship with his brother and sister." Loki said. "Trust me. Just watch and learn."

Pete cleared his throat and picked up a framed newspaper which he showed off to Billy and Jilly. "You may like poking at me and calling me silly, but I do have a very un-silly job here in Brighton. Look. Me with the mayor."

"Ooh! Didn't know we were among royalty." Jilly said in a mocking tone.

"Don't mind us, your royal highness." Billy said in the same tone. "By the way, ya go a little mustard on ya tie."

"What?" Loki asked surprised.

"What?!" Pete asked looking at the picture on the newspaper. Billy was right. Pete's tie in the photo had a yellow mustard stain. "No! Aw, man."

"Don't sweat it, Silly." Billy said. "No one's ever even heard of Brighton anyway."

Pete was sadder than ever, and Loki was extra confused. The trickster watched in disbelief as Pete fell into despair.

"I… I don't believe it." Loki said. "It.. It didn't work?"

"Sorry, but it was terrible advice anyway." Molly said. Just then, something caught her eye that made her eyes grow and coo cutely. "Oh, my goodness! A baby ghost! Wookit him!"

"Baby ghost?" Loki asked looking over at the tiny, purple ghost with big eyes hovering around Pete's head. Loki gasped at the sight of it. "Wait a second. Scratch, isn't that a…"

Scratch gasped the same as Loki. "Oh, no! That's no average house ghost, Moll. It's… a Sobgoblin!"

"A what?" Molly asked.

"A very dangerous ghost pest." Loki said. "I read about them on Asgard. They're drawn to sadness and amplify it."

"Come on. Dangerous?" Molly asked with a shrug. "This little cutie-wootie couldn't hurt a little… Whoa!"

In an instant, the Sobgoblin found itself staring face to face with Molly. When she looked into her eyes, her body started to go limp.

"Uh, boys, why do I suddenly feel bottomless despair?" Molly asked before Scratch slapped her awake and turned her away from the Sobgoblin.

"Never look a Sobgoblin in the eye! Never!" Scratch warned. "We gotta get rid of it before…"

"Too late." Loki said. "It's already multiplying."

The Sobgoblin returned to Pete. The sadder he god, the happier it was. Just then, another Sobgoblin appeared coming out of the original. They greeted each other dancing over Pete's head making him even more miserable while Billy and Jilly continued to laugh at him.

"Multiplying?" Molly asked.

"Yes. The more miserable they make someone, the more Sobgoblins will be made, which will only make the misery even worse." Loki said. "At this rate, there's going to be a hundred Sobgoblins in every room before the twins leave."

"What? We can't let that happen!" Molly shouted. "Scratch, Loki, we gotta get rid of the Sobgoblins!"

"That's what I've been saying this whole time!" Scratch yelled. "Are you even listening?"

"Scratch, complain later!" Loki said.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Molly said as she pulled out a box from underneath her bed. There was a drawing of Molly crying an ocean on the lid.

Loki read the writing on the label. "Molly's Box O' Sadness?"

"That's right." Molly said. "In this box is something that's guaranteed to bring me to tears. I promised myself I'd never open it, but we've got to lure those Sobgoblins away from Dad."

"I see." Loki said. "They're drawn to sadness, so if we make you very sad, they'll be drawn to it like moths to a bug zapper."

"And Loki and I will be that zapper." Scratch said. "But do you think this thing can make you more miserable than your dad?"

"Only one way to find out." Molly opened the box and pulled out a rolled-up poster. She stuck it flat on the wall.

The poster showed a glasses-wearing cat hanging on a tree branch while typing on a laptop. Written on it were the words "Hang in there… it's almost Friday". Molly stared at it already feeling sorry for the cat on it.

"Seriously?" Loki asked. "Out of everything we've been through, this makes you sad?"

"Yes." Molly said before singing her woes.

Molly:

Just look at that kitty

So sweet, cute, and pretty

But his work has him hanging on by a thread

They say it's almost Friday

But the truth is it's days away

And that's such a long time ahead

Downstairs, the Sobgoblins (who by then multiplied into four) sensed Molly's sadness building up and floated up to it.

Sobgoblins:

In the dumps

Such sad chumps

Such sweet melancholy

Doom and gloom

Make some room

Misery loves company

Back upstairs, Molly continued to sing while keeping her eyes on the poster.

Molly:

An eight-hour day of work

Under a boss who is a jerk

How can he hope to get his job done

Things are looking so grim

It's way too much for him

It's too much for just about anyone

Just look into his big, sad eyes

You can tell he really tries

Corporation can drain a life

And he does his best to take it

He's vying and wrangling

He's hanging and dangling

Doing all he can just to… make iiiiiiiiiit

Molly finally broke down into tears. She bellowed her woes loudly just before the Sobgoblins finally made their way into Molly's room.

"NOW!" Loki yelled.

Molly broke her vision away from the sad poster and held up a new one. This one had a dog and a cat shaking hands and being friends in front of a sun. The words here read "Don't worry. Be happy".

"Time to kill you guys with kindness!" Molly shouted.

The sight of the happy poster suddenly changed the Sobgoblins. The cute little ghosts suddenly put on vicious faces as if they were angry kittens. They threw black clouds of sadness at Molly, but she rolled up her happy poster and deflected them with it. They returned to the Sobgoblins and most of them had changed from sad ghosts to happy suns. One of them, however, dodged the cloud before it could hit it and flew around the room.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Loki said appearing in front of the Sobgoblin before it could escape. He hit it with a backhand sending it to Scratch's attention where the ghost kicked it into the air.

The three of them batted the last Sobgoblin around until they knocked it to a corner. They surrounded it ready to finish it off, but the Sobgoblin had a wicked grin on its face. It pointed over to the wall and Molly followed it. She then broke out into tears again.

"What?" Scratch asked. "What is it?"

"THE KITTEN DIDN'T MAKE IT!" Molly sobbed pointing at the poster. All the words had vanished and the kitten was missing. The only traces of it left were the glasses that it wore and the laptop which had the word "ERROR" on it.

"How the Helheim is that even possible?!" Loki asked with the most shocked expression ever.

Molly had fallen under the Sobgoblin's spell. With her misery, it produced more of its kind which circled around the room.

Sobgoblins:

In the dumps

Such sad chumps

Such sweet melancholy

Doom and gloom

Make some room

Misery loves company

In the dumps

Such sad chumps

Such sweet melancholy

Doom and gloom

Make some room

Misery loves company

IN THE DUMPS

SUCH SAD CHUMPS

SUCH SWEET MELANCHOLY

DOOM AND GLOOM

MAKE SOME ROOM

MISERY LOVES COOOOOOMPAAAAAAAANYYYYYYYYYYYY

The Sobgoblins left before leaving the room. Loki and Scratch were left standing over Molly, who was laying on her back crying her eyes out.

"I hate Sobgoblins." Scratch said.

"Me too." Loki agreed.

Giving into his siblings' teasing, Pete took them on a tour of the town. Along the way, they continued to push him around making him even more miserable. Pete's clothes changed bit by bit until he wore a pair of suspenders, a bow tie, a goofy baseball hat, and big, round glasses. Even his voice had changed into a high-pitched, Boston accent.

The Sobgoblins followed the family to a diner after the kids kept failing to stop them. They were tired and exhausted, so they stopped trying. All the while, Billy and Jilly entered the diner with Pete between them.

"Sure are glad we could be here for your birthday, Silly." Billy said.

"Race you to the table! Last one there don't get no cake!" Jilly challenged before running to the table with her twin.

"Come on, Silly. I gotta have my cake." Darryl said moving around Pete.

"Pete, it's not your birthday." Sharon fought to cheer her husband up. "You were born in September."

"Yeah, but so are Billy and Jilly, so we changed my birthday to today." Pete said. "It's fine. They were there first."

Seeing her husband like this made Sharon miserable and vulnerable to the Sobgoblins' influence.

Molly sighed with her head hanging low while Loki and Scratch were with her. "We didn't stop the Sobgoblins."

"Come on." Scratch said guiding Molly to the table. "Let's enjoy our last meal before life becomes so bleak, we may never enjoy anything ever again."

"Okay. Mac and cheese?" Molly asked.

Loki scowled angrily as he sat at the booth along with the rest of the McGees. Soon enough, a slice of carrot cake with a birthday candle was handed to Pete.

"Happy birthday, baby brother." Billy said. "It's good to have you back."

"You guys, I got it!" Darryl said. "My -illy name is Chilly. 'Cause I'm so cool."

"Ooh! Chilly McGee! Oh, that's a good one there!" Billy commented proudly.

"I like it! It fits ya!" Jilly said.

"Okay! This has gone on long enough!" Loki shouted. "Pete, you know you're so much better than Billy and Jilly! You work at city hall! You're a responsible adult! These two don't haven't have a home! You need to step up and show them you're not someone who… AAAH!"

Loki yelled after Darryl sucked his own finger and stuck it into his ear. The trickster pulled himself away.

"What was that for?!"

"You seemed pent up. Just figured you needed some 'Chilly' fries." Darryl laughed.

"Chilly fries! Good one!" Jilly laughed with her twin.

Loki had finally accepted that nothing he could do or say could change anything that was happening. He lowered his head and let himself fall under the Sobgoblins' despair. He joined Sharon, Molly, and Scratch while Billy, Jilly, and Darryl laughed continuously. That is, until…

"ENOUGH!" Pete shouted unable to bear his family's misery anymore. "My name is not Silly! It's Pete! And that's Darryl!" Pete removed his dorky clothes until he was left shirtless. His family watched proud of him as they felt happiness return. "I am done being a Silly McGee! And my birthday is in September!"

"You tell them, Pete!" Sharon cheered.

"Well done, Pete." Loki thought in his head. "Now the Sobgoblins will… Wait." He looked curiously at the Sobgoblins which didn't change. "They're not weakening. Why not? Are they drawing misery from somewhere else?"

"I'm not that kid you pushed around anymore!" Pete told off to the twins. "Lukas is right! Why can't you see me as an accomplished adult! I have a loving family and a great job and…"

Pete was interrupted by Billy and Jilly who dropped their heads on the table and sobbing uncontrollably. Everyone was surprised seeing this reaction.

"WE GET IT! YOU'RE BETTER THAN US!" Jilly cried.

"What?" Pete asked.

"Our whole lives, you've been showing off, making us feel like losers!" Billy cried. "And now, you got your fancy job, your fancy family, and your fancy house!"

"With its spacious and tastefully decorated guest room!" Jilly cried.

"We ain't got none of that!" Billy cried.

Loki widened his eyes looking back at Pete. "Wait. Is that why they came in the first place? They were originally drawn to the twins? So… they've been miserable this whole time, and they've been messing with Pete to make themselves feel better?"

"Oh, Billy, Jilly, I never meant to make you feel bad." Pete said. "I just wanted your respect."

"Maybe we don't always show it so good," Jilly said wiping the tear from her eye, "But we got nothing but respect for you."

"We love you, baby brother. We're proud of you too." Billy said.

"What do you say? Bury with hatchet with a Silly Sandwich?" Pete offered.

"Nah. We'll give you a Petey Sandwich." Billy said as he and Jilly both hugged Pete.

The sight of the heartwarming hug made the Sobgoblins panic. They shrieked and turned away.

"Guys! I know how to get rid of the Sobgoblins!" Molly said. "GROUP HUG!"

"Wait. Do I have too…" Loki started to ask before getting pulled into a big hug with the rest of the family. The hug was so big, it made nearly all the Sobgoblins poof away until there was only one left.

"Not so tough anymore, are ya, punks?" Scratch asked flicking the last little ghost away.

"I'm so proud of this family." Pete said breaking the hug. That's when he noticed Mayor Brunson just outside the window staring awkwardly at him while he was shirtless. "Oh. Hello, Mr. Mayor. Family time."

The time has come for Billy and Jilly to leave. They gave Pete one last hug before getting in their car and driving away.

"Sure glad we made up after all these years." Pete said.

"Me too, honey." Sharon said kissing him in the cheek.

"Hold on." Loki said. He pointed his finger like a gun and blasted a green beam of light from it hitting the two. It covered them, but they didn't feel anything. He then blasted Molly and Darryl too. The glow then dimmed away. "There. All done."

"I'm afraid to ask, but what did you do?" Sharon asked.

"Nothing dangerous. The exact opposite, in fact." Loki said. "Those Sobgoblins took us by surprise, and if Pete hadn't stood up to the twins, we'd be miserable forever. I just casted a spell to make sure something like that never happens again."

"What kind of spell?" Molly asked.

"A protection spell, one that covers this entire house. As long as it's up, no magical nuisance will get in again."

"Oh. That's handy." Molly said.

"So what was with the light show?" Darryl asked.

"The spell needed an anchor to keep it up, and I figured the McGee family was the best choice since they live here." Loki explained. "The only way for the protection spell to be broken now is if everyone moves out."

"Oh. Kinda like our curse." Scratch said.

"So as long as this spell is up, nothing magical can get in the house?" Molly asked.

"That's right. Well, unless they're invited in or if they were already inside the house when the spell was casted."

"Oh, thank goodness!" The McGee family looked at the direction of the new voice and found Geoff floating there. "I was getting worried."

"Geoff, have you been here this whole time?" Scratch asked.

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't help with the Sobgoblins. Those things terrify me. They make me so sad that they make me forget that my name is spelled G-E-O…"

"Why do you keep spelling your name every other minute?" Loki groaned.

"Hey, Loki," Pete said, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Loki sighed. "Fine." He followed Pete to the farthest corner of the living room. "What is it?"

"I've been thinking," Pete said, "And I really appreciate your advice. Sure, it didn't exactly work out, but it really meant a lot for you to give it."

"Well, like I said, I understood your pain." Loki shrugged.

"You did. So… Don't you think that if the time ever came, you would… I don't know… make peace with Thor?"

Pete's question made Loki widen his eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"I mean, don't you think that the only reason he picked on you when you were kids is because he thought you were a bit of a show-off?" Pete asked. "That is why Billy and Jilly picked on me."

"No. That's completely different."

"How so?" Pete asked.

"Well, he… I was just… the thing is…" Loki tried to say, but he couldn't come up with a good answer. Then, his mind flashed back to everything this teenage brother did to him, and what Loki did before all that.

"What do you think, brother?" young Loki asked. She waved around his new cape like a peacock showing off its feathers. He waved it at Thor's face bothering him. "Not exactly a set of garish battle armor, but it is made from the finest silk in Asgard. Made it myself, and I must say, I am quite the artist."

Thor gave an annoyed scowl until his eyes turned a can of pink paint at the far side of the room. He then gave a mischievous expression. "Really? I might take up some art myself."

"You see this, Thor?" Loki asked showing off a handful of medals. "While you were off swinging your hammer around the training yard, I earned my way to the top of the learning hall. It's quite nice to be an academic genius."

Thor scowled once more before putting on a smile. He grabbed Loki by his shoulder and pulled him in "Oh, brother. I've discovered a few interesting tricks with my hammer. Would you like to see?"

Loki's flashbacks ended and he found myself in utter disbelief. "Wow. I didn't think… I just wanted his respect."

"Well, maybe that's the only way he knew how to show respect." Pete said. "And who knows? If me and the twins can put everything behind us, maybe you can Thor can to. Just something to think about."

Pete turned around and left the conversation. Loki reflected before looking out the window. He stared up at the blue sky giving a small smile thinking that maybe—only maybe—he could bridge the gap between him and Thor.