A.N.: So... it's been a while... Sorry... Hopefully I'll speed up now (though I can't promise anything).

A.N.2: This is the first of two stories in this series which will be DW/Avengers crossovers rather than DW/Thor crossovers. For the sake of Avengers, this is set during the Shakespeare in the Park scene.

Spoilers for: Utopia, The End of Time Parts 1&2, Dark Water (there are significant series 8 spoilers later in this story!)

Series summary: When he was a child, Loki got a visit from a man who told him that he was a time traveller, and that they would meet many times throughout the prince's life; but he wouldn't always look the same, nor hold the same company. And, many times throughout the prince's life, that's exactly what happened.

Disclaimer: Don't own Doctor Who or Avengers

Chapter 1 – The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

It had been a year since he had heard the sound, and as he turned around he knew exactly what he was going to see there.

The door to the time ship was thrown open, and a man he had only seen in a photograph stepped out: a tall man with a wild mane of untameable brown curls and a large, toothy grin.

"Ah, wonderful!" the Doctor exclaimed, walking over to Loki and leaving the door of the TARDIS wide open. "I had wondered that I had taken a wrong turn somewhere."

Loki's brow furrowed as he stood from the rock upon which he was perched. "You wished to find me?"

"Indeed I did." the Time Lord nodded.

He had only just finished speaking when a woman walked out of the TARDIS. She was smiling, her brilliant green eyes shining from her face; but the smile soon melted away when she began to take in her surroundings: the darkness, the rocks, and – as she wrapped her arms around herself, hunching slightly – the cold.

When she reached the two of them, she held out a hand to Loki. "Sarah Jane Smith."

Loki flashed her a wide smile as he took her hand in his, bowing to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Loki Laufeyson."

He took only a little pride in the blush that rose up her cheeks as he released her hand, but the feeling was squashed at the odd look the Doctor gave him.

Loki turned to the Time Lord. "What brings you to this miserable corner of your beloved planet?"

"It's not so bad," the Doctor shrugged. "New York can be lovely in the winter."

"We're not in New York."

The Doctor winked. "Not yet."

A small shape appeared in the distant sky over the Doctor's shoulder: a figure floating down from the heavens with a large piece of material spread out over his head. They were heading in their direction.

"What did you wish to discuss, Doctor?"

The Doctor's brow furrowed; he turned to see what Loki was looking at, spotting the figure floating down from the sky. He nodded in understanding; Sarah merely looked resignedly confused.

The Doctor rocked on the balls of his feet before replying. "I actually would like to ask you a favour."

Loki's first instinct was to decline. After all, this was the man who had left him to rot in one of the darkest, coldest wastelands in the universe. But, then again, this was also not the man who knew anything about that yet – and wouldn't be for centuries – and there was still enough left of the Loki from before he invited the Frost Giants to interrupt Thor's coronation to remember that the Doctor had, at one point, only wanted to look out for him.

"Ask away."

The Doctor beamed once more. "We'll be gone a mere few seconds," he assured the trickster, beginning to make his way over to the TARDIS.

Loki and Sarah Jane followed the Time Lord, crossing the rocky path to the blue box sitting silently on the top of the cliff. With a single, flared movement of his arm, the Doctor retrieved the key for the TARDIS from within the cavernous pockets of his long, brown coat.

The door of the TARDIS creaked as it opened, giving way to a brand new control room – or an incredibly old control room.

"You see," the Doctor began, as Sarah Jane closed the door behind them and the Time Lord pulled levers and pushed buttons, "there is a friend of mine-"

He was cut off by Sarah Jane as she walked around Loki to take her place at the Doctor's side. "Friend?" she exclaimed with disbelief. "This is a man who has tried to kill you on multiple occasions, and you refer to him as a friend?"

The Doctor was silent, his eyes downcast, as he set the TARDIS into flight. Only once the time rotor was moving up and down and they were on the move did he speak.

"He was once."

The Doctor stared forlornly at the TARDIS console for a moment, then shook his head, his curls bouncing around his head.

"There's only a short window of time in which I can do this, and if we reach Gallifrey a minute too late, the High Council will rescind the permission they so graciously extended to us."

Loki blanched at the sudden mention of the Doctor's home planet, and the casual manner with which it had been delivered. So this Doctor, so early in his personal timeline compared to the others whom Loki had met, did not know what would become of Gallifrey, nor the part that he would play in its downfall.

He was beginning to remember just why it was so important that he didn't give anything about the Doctor's future away.

The TARDIS travelled for another five minutes or so, the ride smoother than the trickster ever imagined it could be in the time ship. Soon, the time rotor stopped moving, and there was a definitive thump as the ship landed.

Loki turned and headed towards the door, taking long strides, ready to burst through…

But the Doctor was faster, reaching his side and placing his hand on Loki's chest to stop him from advancing any further. Loki scowled, turning up to face the Doctor and demand him to remove his hand, but the Time Lord spoke first.

"I should really be the first to leave," he explained, slightly wary. "The other Time Lords are not as… hospitable to those who are not from Gallifrey."

Anger flared within Loki; he had half a mind to burst through the doors and blast any Time Lord who attempted hostility towards him with his magic…

But he didn't have enough time to start a war on Gallifrey while he was still preparing for one on Earth. Instead, he swallowed his pride, raised himself to his full height, and let the Doctor go first with a nod of his head.

The Doctor lowered his hand from Loki's chest and turned to the doors of the TARDIS, opening them slowly and peering out.

"Good afternoon," he told whoever was standing on the other side.

"Where is the alien you have brought to converse with the Master?" a voice outside barked.

The Doctor turned back to Loki, gesturing him forward. Longing for the days – soon to come – when he would no longer have to take orders from anyone, Loki obeyed, following the Doctor out of the TARDIS and standing by his side.

He had stepped out of the TARDIS and into a long, white corridor, the bright colour enough to offend his eyes after a mere few moments. It was not even punctuated with any other splashes of colour, for the only other person in the corridor was a Time Lord standing just in front of them, wearing long crimson robes with an absurd collar.

The Time Lord looked the trickster up and down, his scrutinizing gaze making Loki's fingers itch to reach for his daggers – but, luckily for him, he turned back to the Doctor before the urge became too strong.

"He will have ten minutes," the Time Lord explained, "no more, no less. If any… funny business occurs, the High Council will hold you personally responsible."

The Doctor scoffed. "The High Council can only execute me, and look where that nearly got them last time. Omega was not happy."

The Time Lord's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

"Follow me," he grumbled, before turning on his heel and heading down the corridor.