Loki of Asgard seemed to have taken their agreement as permission to cause more havoc, leaving Hattie tearing her hair out and sighing to herself, unable to sleep and rest. The television wouldn't stop reminding her of that, as did the frequent distant wailing of police sirens and gossip of her friends when they called her on the phone to discuss it all feverishly.

She bit her tongue when he appeared, knowing that her temper would just irk him more and that nothing she said to him would stop him, at least not yet.

At least nobody else has died, she thought weakly to herself, as she sat on a bench in her garden, stroking Loki the cat. She ran over their recent dialogue, which was really little, for he was almost always gone the second she had woken up.

"I didn't know those rentable-carriage vehicles were yellow," he had said, as he appeared with a flash and swept past her, throwing open the doors to the garden, "Out of all possible designs and colours."

"They're called taxis, Loki of Asgard." She had replied, stabbing at the mince with a wooden spoon. "Are you staying inside tonight?"

"No, no, not today." He had called. "There's quite a few creatures intent on… Arresting me, and I am having a whole lot too much fun. I cannot imagine their reason for wanting to do that, though."

"Me neither." She had hissed as he disappeared, a permanent crease now between her brows.

Henrietta came back to the present just as the doorbell rang. Loki the cat gave a mew and patted off into the house as she rose and went to see who it was. She paused in front of the door, for she heard voices. Two male voices.

"Are you sure this is the place, Stark?" A low, thundering voice sounded. "It's too old, look, the bricks are even falling apart. It's not to his taste."

"This is where the greatest fluctuation of the magnetic field is." Another, slightly less masculine one sounded. "The sensor's flaring like mad. It must be, it reacts to this level when his sparks are around."

She felt a stabbing sensation in her heart and ducked, biting her lip and leaning on the door.

"Well… Whoever lives here's not here. Or they didn't hear us."

"Knock again, then."

There was a pause…

WHAM WHAM WHAM.

Hattie jumped back, startled, as the windows rattled.

"What are you doing? You'll break the door!" The second voice hissed. "We don't want to damage the property! We're kind and cautious visitors, enquiring about anything strange for the good of the city!"

There was a pause, then a second, slightly more cautious knock.

"Hello? Special forces. We need to speak with the owner of this house!"

She straightened, pinched both her cheeks to redden them, took a deep breath and opened the door.

Henrietta had spent rather a lot of time studying mannerisms that appealed to the surroundings, especially to masculine men, and in present circumstances she intended to use every trick in the book.

She tugged down the handle and gently pulled the door open, appearing cautious and a little frightened, taking the time to study exactly who it was.

It should also be mentioned that there was exactly one being in all nine realms she was willing to trespass into other people's minds for, and that was the one causing ruckus in town at this very moment in time.

"Hello?"

One of the men was, without a doubt, Mr. Tony Stark, who often appeared on television. He had messy brown hair, a slightly I-don't-give-a-damn look on his face and right now had his left arm in a sling. It also happened that Mr. Stark had a very big ego, and so that fact gave her an idea as to what she should be aiming for in interactions.

The second was one she did not know the look of, but upon further study found him to think of himself as Thor, god of thunder. She forced herself to carry on with the act, pretending she still had no idea what on earth they wanted from her.

Tony Stark adjusted his suit and cleared his throat. Thor observed with narrowed eyes.

"Hello, ma'am, special services… Uh… Are you the owner of this house?"

Henrietta emerged from behind the door fully. Thor stopped glaring and took a step back, folding his arms behind his back and puffing his huge chest out.

"That's right. And who might you be?"

Mr. Stark looked slightly ruffled at the fact she didn't recognise him, but hid it rather well.

"Tony Stark. Iron man."

He stuck out his hand. She shook it.

"We're trying to sort out a rather big problem involving the attacks recently shown on television…" He nodded to himself, dithering. "That is… You do have a television, don't you? Miss…?"

"Henrietta Knott." She smiled rather beautifully. "And yes, I do have a television. Those attacks are simply awful. You must be working really hard on it, Mr. Stark. I've heard that you always do."

Stark inflated, pulling his shoulders back a little, best he could with one arm in a sling.

"Well, we all do what we can." His voice was a lot more relaxed. "Ah, this is-"

"Thor." Thor muttered, not taking his eyes off her.

"Thor." She replied, offering him a smile. "Like the norse god of thunder."

"Exactly like him." He grinned. "We're looking for someone that goes under the name of Loki Odinson. He's been causing all of this chaos."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Stark nodded. "He gives off characteristic green sparks when he… uh…"

"Does magic." Thor said, bluntly.

"Magic?" Henrietta dropped her voice and grinned. "Real magic?"

"Yep. Sounds crazy, doesn't it?" Stark forced a laugh, rubbing his hands together. "Anyway. Have you seen him?"

"What does he look like?" She said, frowning a little.

They exchanged glances. Thor rubbed at his stubble in thought.

"Well… He's got black hair. It's quite spikey at the end. Blue eyes." He made a gesture with his hand. "About this height… Looks as though he's just poured a bucket of cold water over your head on purpose. He's got a strange taste in clothes. Last time, he was wearing this horned helmet."

Henrietta tried not to laugh as he gestured, then looked around.

"Well, there is a Loki in my house, but that's only my cat."

"What a coincidence." Stark muttered, then caught himself and straightened. "Can we come inside? I've detected his electrical charges buzzing about… here."

"Sure. Please do. I apologise about the mess," she added, as she opened the door, "but no matter how much cleaning I do there's always a sheet of dust covering everything. Characteristic of old houses, I suppose."

"Don't worry." Stark said, looking around with interest. "If it wasn't for my butler, I'd be lost."

Thor had to stoop to enter. He still managed to bang his head on the door frame and hiss.

"He was definitely here." He muttered, after he shut the door. "You can smell it."

Both Henrietta and Tony Stark looked at him in question.

"Smells of acid. Burns a little." He explained, then pulled a face. "Can't you smell it?"

"No." They both said, then exchanged glances. Thor shrugged. "I suppose mortal senses are a little less sensitive."

"I suppose so." Stark muttered, then sat as Henrietta indicated he did so. "Miss Knott… You wouldn't mind if we searched the house?"

"Please go ahead. Oh! Here he is. Loki!"

Loki the cat sat in the middle of them all, looking up at them all in turn. After a moment, he leaped into Henrietta's lap and curled up as he did so. The two men looked a little jealous of it as they stood.

After half an hour, they returned to the living room, looking rather awkward and sheepish, for both of them felt as though they were trespassing.

"Found anything?" She asked them, still stroking the cat.

Thor rubbed the back of his neck and looked around, avoiding her eyes. Stark stuck out his hand again, and Hattie shook it.

"Nothing. Well, that would be it, Miss Knott. Thanks for letting us in. Maybe-"

"Stop. Wait."

Thor had raised a hand. Henrietta followed his gaze and froze, feeling a stab deep in her stomach. She shut her eyes tight and brought Loki the cat up to her face, breathing into his fur gently.

There was a clink, a silence. She dared look up.

Thor was holding Loki's brilliant helmet, about which she had completely forgotten, with a rather funny expression on his face.

Stark raised his eyebrows, looking from Thor to the helmet and back again, then he turned to look at Henrietta with his lips pressed together.

She breathed out a shaky sigh.

"You've caught me red handed." She murmured into Loki's fur. "So, gentlemen, what do you propose?"

Thor didn't look angry. He looked a lot of things, but not angry.

"No, stop, Stark. Before anybody says or does anything."

He placed the helmet on the table with a clunk, then lowered himself into the chair and folded his arms, taking up more than half the room.

"You've met my brother?" He said slowly, after a very uncomfortable pause.

"Many times, my Lord." She said, with a small bow of the head.

He raised his eyebrows.

"You know who I am better than you lead on to, lady Knott."

"Forgive me." She said simply, still stroking the cat. "I know who you are and where you come from. I come from there too."

"You are Aesir."

"No. I come from Asgard and will live on until the end of time, with some luck, but I am not Aesir."

Thor sucked on his teeth and nodded. Hattie dared look up - he looked intrigued. Amused, even.

"Have you and my brother…"

He made a gesture with his hands. Hattie rose indignantly, going crimson. Loki the cat ran from the room with a protest. Tony Stark looked from one to the other, for once looking as though he had no idea what was going on.

"With all due respect, my Lord, but if you do not have any other business with me, you may go."

Thor's grin widened; Henrietta's blush deepened.

"You're aware of who he is." He said slowly, still grinning. "Of his character."

"I am."

"And you still insist on protecting him."

"Are you interrogating me, Thor of Asgard?"

"One moment. One second." Stark rose, pointing to both of them in turn. "You, Miss Knott, are housing this… this villain-"

"He's not a villain, Mr. Stark." She said, firmly, although she was starting to tremble. "And I am not housing anybody."

"Oh, no, he's not a villain. Of course not. My mistake." Stark pulled an incredulous face. "He's as gentle and understanding as a kitten. Especially in government buildings and my own damn house, not to mention when he gets his hands on a massive damn army, then - woah. Most gentle man around!"

Thor was still observing everything with interest. Stark seemed put off speaking, only breaking his stillness with incredulous gestures with one hand and running one down his face. Henrietta, though, had fixed her eyes on the floor and folded her arms so tightly it was a wonder she didn't wring herself like a rope. Thor, for all his insensitivity, could feel her discomfort and blew out a sigh.

"It's not the end of the world." He said. "And I don't assume that you two live together, Miss Knott."

Stark rose and tore his hair.

"It's not the end of the world?!" He cried, gesturing erratically at the helmet on the table. "It's not the end of the world? This man is destroying New York City for… for fun! He tried to take over the world a few years ago! He destroyed my house! He's burnt down a major part of the Amazon Rainforest! He laughs at our efforts! People have died-!"

Thor folded his arms.

"We know, Stark. That's still no reason to act so rashly."

Stark looked at him numbly, full up to here with these whack Asgardian beings, then covered his face with a hand and turned away. After a moment, he spun back, ready to burst, when he took a look at Henrietta Knott.

She had tears in her eyes and her fist pressed to her mouth. He blew out a huge sigh and calmed down a little, for it was not a sight that any man wished to worsen.

"Alright. Alright. You're right." He managed, semi-calmly. "Let's not act rashly. We've captured this villain… this crazy man… once already, and sent him back to where he belonged. We'll do it again."

Henrietta didn't say anything.

"And you, Henrietta Knott-" he turned to her, serious, "-are going to help us do it."

She trained her doubtful gaze onto him.

"You don't have a choice." He said in reply. "Very well. Let's do it this way. You will join me for a coffee tomorrow evening, Miss Knott, and we can discuss this furtherly."

Thor snorted in disbelief. Henrietta pressed her lips together.

"A strange way to ask a woman out on a date, Mr. Stark." She muttered. "I think I'll have to decline."

"You won't, not if you want to get arrested for fraternising with an enemy, Miss Knott."

"Stark-"

"Tomorrow afternoon." Stark interrupted the god of thunder. "At four o'clock. I will send a limousine to pick you up. Goodbye, Miss Knott, it's been a pleasure."

With that, he exited the room rather swiftly, without waiting for Thor. Henrietta flicked her eyes up at him, but it was still an apprehending gaze. Thor nodded, thinking of what to say.

"I'm sorry about… all this." He encompassed the room with a gesture. "You do realise it's for-"

"The good of the city." She finished, though not rudely. "Yes, I know, my Lord. I don't wish anybody to be harmed either."

Thor trained his gaze on her and nodded.

"You don't have to call me my Lord. Thor will do. See you."

Henrietta watched him leave, then collapsed into the chair, covering her face with her hands. Stupid helmet. Gah.

Loki the cat came back and sat at her feet with a mew. She let him jump up into her lap and sat stroking him, deep in thought.

"Your namesake needs to stop being mad." She whispered after a few moments. "But I can't convince him. It's like he's possessed. Like he's sick."

Loki the cat fixed huge green eyes into her with concern. She managed a smile.

"I know. He's not himself. He's so different to who he used to be. I could make him do anything, back then, you know. See reason. But now… I don't know. He won't listen to anything. Not even to himself. He's was not like that. He's more rational than this."

The cat seemed to agree. They sat there until it was dark, oblivious to the noises upstairs, for Loki had teleported back into the house.

He groaned and collapsed on the bed, exhausted out of every store he had. The sickness drew out the warm and the good out of him, leaving his skin slowly fading into blue and his eyes sharp and red. He roamed the clusters of his mind, looking for something, although he didn't quite know what he was missing.

"Perhaps I'm hungry." He whispered into the dark, clutching at the covers. "No. That's not quite it."

The sickness hissed and turned his thoughts away from love and happiness, convincing him it was never that which fulfilled him in the first place, but his role and his hobby he had come to love.

True to Stark's word, a black limousine pulled up in the drive at 15:30 sharp. Henrietta had gotten herself ready, dressing elegantly, though modestly and preparing herself for what was to come.
She found Loki sleeping in the room, collapsed on the bed with his shoes still on. She didn't quite want to wake him, for him to see the mess that had manifested yesterday. The mess that he had made.

The journey was spent in silence. The chauffeur said not a word. Henrietta kept sighing to herself until they pulled up at Stark Tower, which, as she saw, had been repaired uncannily quickly.

Tony Stark greeted her on the spacious porch, dressed in the same suit he was in yesterday but with his arm no longer in a sling.

"Miss Knott."

"Mr. Stark." She said, shaking his hand rather coldly. He nodded and gestured.

"Please just call me Tony. I think the formality will just make things more awkward between us." He said as they ascended to the top floor in a lift. "Isn't that right, Jarvis?"

"In the current situation, the stress levels will be extremely high in both cases, Mr. Stark, and so attempts at being casual will have a chance to lower them minutely."

"Precisely." He muttered in reply as the lift dinged, and allowed her to step out first. "Please take a seat. Would you like a drink?"

"Just tea, please." She said, as she sat and put her bag on the floor. She folded her arms and waited for him to sit down.

Tony placed a glass and a cup of tea down, then lowered himself into the chair.

"So. How are you today, Miss Knott?"

"Henrietta." She interjected, her eyes flickering towards him. "And let's cut to the chase, Tony, please. Let me make something clear, though, before we start."

She sat up straighter and sighed.

"I'm going to help you as best I can. I'm not a mad sidekick. Loki is my friend, and your friend's brother, and both of us are concerned for his safety as well as everybody else's in this town."

Tony nodded thoughtfully as he gulped down the drink.

"I see. I see." He put the glass down. "Let me ask you a few questions too, Henrietta, because some things don't add up."

He blew out an awkward sigh.

"Are you aware of the fact he destroyed half of this city a couple of years ago in pursuit of world domination?"

"Yes…"

Tony sucked on his teeth in mock-thought.

"And that isn't reason enough to be at least a little bit weary of this man and perhaps his intentions?"

Henrietta began to smile, but let him continue.

"Because, you know," he took another sip of his drink, "From what Thor has told me and from what I have picked up - he threw me out this window, once, for you information-"

Tony pointed at the huge glass pane and shrugged.

"- he is far from a character you would trust, let alone be friends with. And you, Henrietta, don't look like a foolish woman."

He finished and waited for her to speak. She observed him for a few minutes more, then bowed her head in confirmation.

"You are a scientist, Tony. A genius. You have come to love and know things like quantum mechanics as you do an old friend."

It was his turn to bow his head but not without some satisfaction. Henrietta continued.

"But all you see when you look at my situation is the first page of a book."

"The summary." He prompted.

"No. The introduction. It depends, of course, how it is written, but even so, it is a mere glimpse into a tale. Not enough to know the rest. The details. The setting. The past."

She leaned forward, propping herself up against the table.

"A man is a complex being. We are an incredibly complex species, Tony, so is the human mind. Especially the relationships it sparks and engages with. It isn't quantum mechanics, Newton's laws. It is unpredictable and strange, shaped by circumstance and experience."

Tony Stark scanned over her face, wondering what this was boiling down to.

"My bottom line is: I may look like a naive schoolgirl, but - no, don't protest, Tony, I know what I look like and do not have a problem with it." She smiled, reassuring him a little for the first time since they met. "But my loyalties lie elsewhere, for I have seen and engaged with a man who is capable of love. I would not give him up for the world. You need to read my book in full to understand that."

"He's capable of love, you say." He sighed. "Sorry, but I'm finding that prospect a little hard to accept. Believe. You didn't see his eyes as he grabbed me around the neck and threw me out of the window or tried to stab me to mind control me. I still get nightmares."

"I apologise most humbly." She said, her mouth twitching. "And I am glad you made it out of that situation alive."

"As am I." He chortled, swilling his drink around. "But what I want to say is this. If he doesn't stop, we're going to try and kill him."

"Perhaps you are, Tony, but I know for a fact Thor won't have it."

"Perhaps he won't." Stark shrugged. "But we are going to take drastic measures. I want you to know that. Unless…"

His eyes, previously lost in the bottom of his glass, flicked to her face.

"Unless you will help us capture him."

"You know what loyalty means." She whispered after a moment. "And so you must understand that I will not betray his. There is nothing you can arrest me for either," She cut him off as he opened his mouth, "I'm not supporting him in any way. He comes and goes as he wishes. It's up to him."

Tony finished his drink and shrugged again.

"Well, then, Henrietta. You have been warned. The avengers won't rest until he's in chains."
"I count on that." She laughed, taking a sip at her tea. "What would New York be if it wasn't for the heroes like you? But let me ask you this, Tony…"

She leaned forward, holding her cup with both hands.

"Has anyone of the avengers ever tried to ask him politely?"

Henrietta smirked at the incredulous look she received.

"I may sound mad. But sometimes, the solution is very simple: negotiate with the right words. Not all hearts are lost. Some answer the appeal to humanity, rather than threat to their life. It is what I have discovered."

They both rose. Tony frowned, trying to understand this woman.

"You suggest that we simply meet up over a casual dinner and discuss whether this madman can consider pausing the chaos and destruction he is unleashing?"

"If that's how you want to put it." She smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be there to wind the atmosphere down once the aggression builds up. And, oh. Tony."

She paused on her way to the door.

"Please call off the men you have installed around my house. They put me severely on edge."

Tony couldn't stop the laugh.

"I'll take that into consideration." He grinned, then went to open the door for her. "Here's my business card…"

He struggled to take it out of his right pocket with left hand while the other was still bandaged, then passed it to her.

"Please call me as soon as you get home. We need to discuss the time this meeting will take place. If it will take place. Thor will escort you home - it was his wish."

"Thank you."

She smiled at him. Tony found that he quite liked looking at those round, grey eyes, for there was something humane and understanding about them. It made him trust that maybe, just maybe, this woman had everything under control.

And he liked that prospect very, very much.

Thor appeared a few minutes later. Tony relayed to him the course of the conversation, shaking his head a lot.

"Ask him nicely, she says in short." He rolled his eyes. "I really doubt that's going to work."

"If it does," Thor growled, knitting his eyebrows together, "then he must be madder than I thought. Or he's in love."

Henrietta blew out a huge sigh and pressed a palm to her forehead once she was out of the lift, then jumped, for a huge figure appeared beside her and cleared its throat.

"Don't mind me, lady Knott-"

"Henrietta or Hattie, Thor. It's alright."

"Hattie." Thor nodded. "I just wanted a few words along the way, if that's well with you."

They left Stark Tower. Henrietta looked up at him.

"What do you think your brother would say if he saw you walking me home, Thor?"

Thor grunted.

"That depends on the circumstances and that leads me to my first question."

He stood, and so did she. The traffic swarmed around them, but they were too caught up with one another to take any notice of it.

"Forgive me for being so blunt, but. What is your relationship with my brother?"

Henrietta looked up at this huge man and managed not to bite, for she saw nothing but sincerity and genuine interest in his eyes.

"We're just friends, Thor. Really." She added, when he did not react. "For your information, a kiss on the cheek is as far as our contact has gone."

He raised his eyebrows and looked impressed.

"No. Really?" He chortled, folding his arms. "No, no. I believe you. You have a maiden's blush, and eyes, Henrietta. I'm just flabbergasted, I suppose. How, and what, and why?"

She shook her head, not really knowing what he meant. They began to walk again.

"It's just, well. I hate to say this, but my dear brother is not the most open and considerate of creatures in the nine realms."

"That also depends on the circumstances. Let me ask you this. Who is the older sibling?"

He frowned.

"I am. Why do you ask?"

She looked away, not believing she was going to say this. They reached the end of the road and stood. She looked back up at him.

"Can you say you did everything in your power to make sure he didn't careen off the right track?"

The silence that followed was solemn. Thor didn't grow angry, instead, he fell into musing and sadness deflated his chest a little.

"No. I can't say I did. I guess I was so blinded by who I was, or who my father wanted me to be… I didn't see what Loki was becoming. I didn't think he was in my shadow."

He looked at her and sighed faintly.

"When I realised, it was already too late."

She bowed her head and laid a hand on his arm.

"Don't blame yourself. It's not entirely your fault. It was your father's responsibility - and I do say that with all due respect."

They began to walk again and paused in the drive of her house. Thor had been silent the whole way there but spoke when they stopped.

"Henrietta. You love him, don't you?"

She covered her mouth with a hand and looked away, although she still went pink. After a while, she looked back with a sigh.

"I have loved him since I was five years old."

He looked taken aback, trying to place it.

"Perhaps one day, I will tell you the story in full. But now, well." She smiled at him. "You're considered less than neutral alignment as far as Loki Laufeyson is concerned."

Thor studied her, then bowed his head, took her hand and planted a kiss upon it in a courtly fashion.

"Brilliant. I won't stop you, Henrietta. Who knows… Perhaps father will look on his punishment with a kinder eye if he learns that Loki Odinson knows what love is. After all, not one man but many have changed once it had them in its clasp. And I speak from experience."

He grinned.

"I'll be seeing you around. Look after him. He thinks he's tough, but he's not. He just lets himself get a little lost sometimes and gets a little carried away with that sharp tongue of his."