Author's Note: Hello, and welcome to the second installment of the ChristyVerse!

If you're not sure what that means, go read my other story entitled We Can Be Found. It sets up the background for this universe. If you're too lazy to do that, the basic premise is that all the Avengers live in the Tower and Steve Rogers has adopted a seven-year-old girl named Christy.

If you have read We Can Be Found, welcome to the sequel! The title comes from a quote by George Bernard Shaw, which reads, "Some men see things as they are and ask, 'Why?' I dream things that never were; and ask 'Why not?'" This quote basically sums up the tone of this story.

This is the story of the redemption of Loki Laufeyson. Not because I'm a Tom Hiddleston fangirl who swoons over his attractiveness, but because I honestly believe everyone has a chance for redemption.

I hope you enjoy. In the meantime: review, favorite, and follow; but especially review. Feedback is appreciated and vital.

I Dream Things That Never Were (And Ask Why Not)

Prologue

It was the weekend after New Year's and all through Avengers Tower, there suddenly came the crack of lightning and the rumble of thunder.

Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Christy were on the Common Floor. Bruce and Tony, as per usual, were AWOL in the lab.

Christy looked up and frowned at the noise. "Is it gonna storm? I hope not. I hate rain."

The three adults all glanced at each other. Clint looked out the window. "It was sunny a few minutes ago. So either a storm moved in really fast, or else…"

Steve nodded. "Or else."

"Or else what?" Christy asked impatiently. She hated being left out of the loop.

"Or else Thor's back." Natasha supplied.

Christy suddenly appeared much more cheerful. "Uncle Thor's here?"

"He earned that 'uncle' bit pretty quick." Clint said. "You haven't even met him yet!"

"I know, and I'll still ask him if I can call him that, but…he seems nice. From the stories and the pictures."

"He is nice." Steve said. "He's also a bit overwhelming at first, so do me a favor and…"

Steve never finished his sentence. All at once, there was a sharp thud on the balcony outside the Floor.

"How does he get here?" Christy asked, slightly in shock. Natasha smiled.

"He flies using his hammer. He winds it up like a baseball bat and…"

"Greetings, friends!" came Thor's loud, boisterous voice as he entered the Tower. "It has been a long time. You are well, I trust?"

"We're fine, Thor. Good to see you again." Steve answered for all of them.

"Jarvis, might wanna tell Tony and Bruce that we've got company." Clint said quietly.

"I will, Agent Barton." the AI replied.

"Stark and Dr. Banner are…working on something, I presume?" Thor asked.

Natasha nodded. "Yeah, they usually hole up in the lab. Tony more than Bruce."

There was a slight sense of awkwardness permeating the room. During the months since the Battle, the five Avengers that remained on earth had more or less grown used to each other. Friendships had formed; bonds formed in battle had been deepened.

Now, there was another person in the mix. None of them had any problems with Thor…but apart from during and directly after the Battle, they hadn't had much contact with him. They were back to square one.

Christy could sense the awkwardness, even if she couldn't determine the source, so she decided to break the ice. "Hi."

Thor glanced over, startled. Upon catching sight of Christy, he knelt down and said, at a much reduced volume, "Hello, little one. And who might you be?"

"I'm Christy. I live here."

"She's my kid, Thor." Steve explained. "I adopted her about five months after New York."

"I see! This is wonderful! And…" Thor trailed off, unsure of how to phrase things. "There has been no…trouble?"

Steve caught the unspoken question. "No, not a bit. Mostly because she actually knows she's adopted, I don't defame her birth family, and I don't compare her to anyone else."

"Ooh, Point Break, that's a burn!" Tony exclaimed, as he and Bruce came out of the elevator.

Thor glared at the billionaire. Bruce nudged Tony's ribs and shot an apologetic glance at the Asgardian.

"Be nice, Stark, we don't need a diplomatic incident." Steve said firmly. He did not, however, rescind his statement, and he could see that Thor noticed that.

In the brief few days that Thor remained on earth after the battle, he had filled the other Avengers in on the back story of him and Loki. Steve had been rather upset to hear of the poor way that Loki's 'adoption' had been handled. Even before he'd ever adopted Christy, he'd had a soft spot for mistreated, lonely kids that stemmed from his own rough childhood.

In his mind, Loki's upbringing didn't excuse his actions, but it did mean that the so-called 'All-Father' had a lot to answer for.

Thor dipped his head slightly. "I see your point, my friend."

"Why would you ever do any of those things, Daddy?" Christy asked, frowning. "They're terrible!"

Thor sighed and explained. "My brother, Loki…he was adopted, you see."

"More like stolen." Bruce muttered. He hadn't been best pleased with the story either. No matter how much Loki had to answer for, nobody deserved that.

"Fine, stolen from the realm of Jotenheim after he was abandoned to die. We were in a war with the Frost Giants that live there and there is much…enmity between Asgard and Jotenheim, which continues to this day. We do not…speak of them kindly, and they are viewed as brutal and without much redeeming quality."

"That's racist." Christy said bluntly.

"Christy…" Steve warned.

"Well, it is! To say an entire group of people is bad is wrong. It's just as bad as the Nazis!"

Steve started to shush his daughter, but Thor shook his head. "No, she speaks correctly. You have a wise child, Steven. I wish I had had such intelligence at her age."

Christy looked a bit stunned. "But everybody knows it's mean to do that…right?"

"Unfortunately not." Bruce said quietly.

"At any rate, Loki was not told of his true race for all of our growing up and it was revealed to him at a most inopportune time. I was also…not the most observant brother. I was the warrior, he was the mage. Warriors are held in higher regard among my people than magic-users. Loki spent much of his growing-up in my shadow."

"So…basically your dad failed at adoption." Tony summed up. Thor glowered, but nodded.

"Aye, he made some rather poor choices."

"And guess who pays the price." Natasha said bitterly, gesturing out the window at the city.

"Okay, can we talk about something cheerful, now?" Clint asked. "I mean, not that it's not great discussing how Thor's crazy brother had a terrible childhood and all, but…no seriously, we're changing the subject."

"So, I guess we're having team dinner tonight?" Steve asked swiftly.

There were collective nods all round.

"Shawarma?" Tony asked. Everyone but Christy looked mildly amused.

"Maybe we can actually enjoy it this time." Bruce said.

"Yeah, our resident old man fell asleep." Natasha joked. Steve rolled his eyes.

"I was resting my eyes and I had every right to, Romanoff! It was literally two hours after the battle! We were all knackered."

"Honestly, I'm sorta surprised that place was even still standing." Clint said, getting back his sense of humor.

"What's shawarma?" Christy asked.

"It's meat that gets roasted on a big spit, and then pieces are cut off so you can eat it." Bruce explained. "It's good—we ate it after the battle."

"So…are we going out, or what?" Tony asked.

"Well, Thor did just get in from…wherever." Steve pointed out.

"New Mexico." Thor answered, a slightly loopy smile crossing his face. "I was visiting with my Lady Jane, and Darcy, of course."

"Okay, since Shakespeare in the Park's all whacked from hanging out with his girlfriend, I'll order takeout."

Thor looked as though he were trying to decipher whether Tony had just insulted him or not.

Before an intergalactic incident could erupt, Christy asked, "Can I call you Uncle Thor?"

The deep scowl on Thor's face softened. "Of course you may. This must be so very strange for you."

Christy shrugged. "I'm getting used to strange."

When dinner was over that night, Christy wanted to show her newest uncle her room, so Steve invited Thor up to their floor for a bit. After Christy was tucked away in bed, conversation began in earnest.

"So what's happened with Loki?" Steve asked. He'd suspected that the Asgardian's sudden appearance had something to do with his wayward brother, but he was also smart enough not to discuss this in front of Clint. The archer was still very much scarred from his experiences.

Thor frowned. "My father has yet to announce his fate officially. He is still deliberating."

"Still? It's been almost eight months!"

"These things take time. It is not a regular thing…a prince turning traitor."

"I still say Odin has things to answer for. And didn't you say Loki fell off a bridge and went missing?"

"Aye, from the Bifrost." Thor sighed. "We presumed him dead; who survives a fall from the Bifrost, after all? Yet perhaps…no, not perhaps. I should have looked for him! I should have jumped after him…"

Steve laid a hand on Thor's bicep. "Trust me; it doesn't help to go down that route. I speak from experience."

"You are correct, my friend. I remember your tale well." Thor glanced at Steve's face and noticed that it was tightened. "If I may…perhaps you should take your own advice."

Steve laughed quietly. "Yeah, probably. I'm working on it. Anyway, my point is, Loki falls off this Bifrost, goes missing, and then, what, a year later shows up leading an alien army? What I wanna know is, what happened during that year to change him from a boy wanting daddy's attention to a megalomaniac hostile?"

Thor nodded. "You make a sound point. But as it stands, Loki is currently imprisoned in a holding cell on Asgard. He has not…been allowed visitors. Not even my mother, whom he would always listen to."

"So he's alone and he lost?" came a small voice. "That doesn't sound good."

Steve sighed. "You're supposed to be asleep. You have school tomorrow."

Christy came into view from behind the couch. "I got thirsty."

"And decided to eavesdrop while you got water. Uh-huh. Get your drink and go back to bed."

Christy nodded and went into the kitchen. "But really, if he's alone and doesn't have anybody…does he have anything to do? Or read?"

"I would not think so." Thor said softly. "At least, not much."

"Then that's really stupid. 'Cause all he has to do is sit there and plot revenge, like in the movies. And then he's never gonna be sorry for what he did."

"I don't know if that would happen anyway, baby." Steve said.

"But it could! Anybody can become good. Nobody has to be a bad guy forever, only if they choose to. Why couldn't Loki choose to be sorry?"

Thor was looking thoughtful. "I wish that what you say would occur. And I also agree that it has little chance of occurring if my brother sits stewing in his cell."

"But what's a fitting punishment, other than imprisonment?" Steve asked rhetorically.

"I know not. But my father will summon me when he is near to making a decision. By then, I may have thought of something."

It was about three weeks before Thor had to leave. Odin had summoned him back, for Loki's sentencing.

As he prepared to leave, Christy said to him, quietly, "You will talk to your dad…right, Uncle Thor? 'Cause I don't think locking him up and leaving him there is a good idea. And I live on the planet he attacked."

Thor nodded. "I shall, little one. Your logic is sound; my father will surely see reason in what you say."

As the Asgardian said his farewells to the others and took to the skies, Christy couldn't quite shake the feeling that things were about to get even stranger than what she was already accustomed to.

Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter should come soon.