The Black Knight

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

Thor turns to his brother, "Is this your doing?" He asks, frowning.

Loki shakes his head and holds his hands up. "It is not."

Thor slowly approaches Coulson; he reaches out and pokes him in the shoulder. His eyes widen and he turns to the others. "He's real."

"Yeah, I'm not dead."

A smile spreads across Thor's face and he wraps his arms around Coulson, lifting him off the floor in a bone crushing hug. "It is good to see you old friend!"

Tony walks over behind the bar and pulls out glasses and a bottle of scotch. "Let's celebrate!"

Thor grins and releases Coulson, while Steve fiddles with something on his utility belt. Thor accepts a glass from Tony and downs its contents. Coulson straightens his suit and smiles. "Did you miss me?"

"Of course we did! I don't know about anyone else but, you're my favorite baby-sitter."

Thor frowns at Tony who shakes his head "Later Thor."

Steve stands and steps over to Coulson, "I believe these are yours." He holds out a small stack of cards featuring himself.

Coulson's smile broadens as he takes the cards. "I wondered what happened to these." He looks closer at them. "Is that...blood?"

~*~*~

Coulson offered to drop everyone off as close to the base as was permissible, if only to ensure Loki didn't escape. Saga lies back on the couch and tries to sleep while Loki is "interrogated".

"Why exactly are you here?"

Loki stares out the glass door, "Because she said Thor would need my help." He turns to face them hesitantly. "And I need to set things right. It's my fault Morgaine and Mordred are coming. I have to help defeat them."

Thor smiles and puts his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Your time with Saga has done you good."

Loki shakes his brother's hand off and steps away. "She should have stayed behind. I should not have let her come. She would be safer in Asgard."

"We beat you; I think we can handle your friend."

"Mordred is no friend of mine!" He sneers "Have you so quickly forgotten that he will not be alone? Morgaine is proficient in darker magic than mine. I was only ever a deceiver; she will not hesitate to kill you."

"If I remember correctly you killed a number of people during your last visit to earth."

"That was different."

Tony gives him a skeptical look. "How?"

"It just is!" He says, breathing harder than before. He turns and gazes out at Saga. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. I wasn't myself. I'm here to help you as best I can." He turns back around, "Please let me."

Tony stares at Loki in disbelief, "You really expect us to trust you after what you did?"

"If you won't trust me, will you trust her?"

Tony sighs and looks at Steve and Bruce. "Banner?"

Bruce shrugs, "This is the first time I've met her"

"Cap?"

Steve nods, "I trust her judgment. But I warn you, if you cross us..."

A small smile creeps onto Loki's face. "You'll kill me? Wouldn't be the first time I've heard that."

~*~*~

A tear falls from her eye and she sits up in the bed. Her breathing labored and uneven, her heart pounding in her chest, a dull ache spreading through her head. A hand reaches out of the darkness and lightly touches her arm. She jumps back wide eyed and breathless. The light flicks on to reveal Steve standing beside the bed with his hands up. "It's alright. It's just me."