Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Avengers or any of its associations.

The months after the mayhem the God of Mischief had caused in New York City were not ones remembered fondly. With Thor returned to Asgard with the prisoner Loki, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were left to make reparations. Bruce Banner left the country again to escape persecution for his past actions as Hulk, and Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton had to disappear for a while to secure their covers in order to resume their duties as agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Back in Asgard, the trial for Loki went predictably. It was very clear to all that overlooked Odin's judgement that Loki did not regret his actions. Odin spoke of his disappointment in his son, his regret for how far Loki had fallen, and in return, the mischief maker had spat on the ground at Odin's feet.

Thor did not return to Midgard after, and instead chose to stay in Asgard to see his brother through his punishment, the guilt weighing heavy on his shoulders. Despite this, he held his tongue when Odin stripped Loki of his powers and his title, humiliating him in front of all of Asgard and muzzling him like an animal to keep his silver tongue in check.

It took two years for everything to return to normal. When the reparations to the city were finished, Tony worked on reconstructing his tower. On the day marking the second anniversary of its destruction he was to host a press conference to celebrate its finish, and all the Avengers were to attend, including their beloved Asgardian.

Steve was planning to return to normal society on the same day. He'd spent the time catching up on all that he had missed while he'd been frozen. Even with all the changes that had taken place, he vowed to never abandon the morals and traditions that he had been raised with, feeling that if he ever did, he'd be abandoning himself as well.

Clint and Natasha had returned to active duty after the first year, when S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to destroy all evidence of their involvement in the battle with Loki and the Chitauri. They were currently in a motel room in India after completing a mission in a neighboring country, planning to meet up with Bruce to catch a flight together to New York City in time for the opening of Tony's tower.

Bruce had initially turned down the invitation, wanting not to abandon his reestablished practice, but Tony had been surprisingly secretive about the tower, and Bruce was much the pursuer of his own curiosity.

''I'm excited to see Thor again,'' Clint was saying, taking a sip from a beer as they finished packing up the few belongings they'd taken on their mission. ''It's been two years. I've been dying to find out what punishment that bastard Loki was given for what he did.''

Natasha said nothing, her feelings on the subject less secure than his.

She could not care less about what had happened to Loki. It had taken her so long to get his words out of her head that she could do without ever even hearing his name spoken again. The nightmares had persisted longer, and they were always the same. Of Loki slamming his hand against the glass cage in the helicarrier in anger, frightening her as none had in such a long time. Of his breath fogging the glass from his proximity, his face twisted and vicious and flooding with the intensity of his words.

She shook her head slightly to clear it, and she saw the action catch Clint's attention though he did not ask her to explain. There was a knock on the door just as they finished packing, and they went to greet Bruce before leaving for the airport.

The drive to the airport was in silence, and no one spoke even after they had boarded the private jet Tony had arranged for them. It was only after Clint had gotten a few more drinks in him that he spoke, and it was only to whisper sweet things to the stewardesses as they tended to them.

Whatever romantic tensions there had been between Natasha and Clint had turned platonic after everything that had happened in New York City. Neither wanted to be compromised for their feelings again in the future.

When they landed, Pepper was there to greet them. She rode with them in the car to the tower, and though their eyes tried to search out the answer behind Tony's secretive behavior when the tower was in sight, they saw nothing to alleviate their curiosity.

Tony greeted them at the doors, ushering them along. On the inside, it seemed to be the same as the tower that it had replaced, though they were restricted to the lower levels. Tony let Bruce free in one of the labs to entertain himself until the party, and he allowed Natasha and Clint to let off some residual steam from their mission in the training room in the basement with Steve.

When it came time for the party, the four dressed and joined Tony outside of the banquet hall that he had dedicated the entire fourth floor to. They peeked inside as they waited to be announced, and were surprised at how the room had filled to the brim with the press and political figures that had come to see the unveiling of the tower. They knew outside the streets would be filled with the public waiting for the same thing.

Or something else, perhaps, Natasha thought as she heard the resounding crackle of thunder in the sky even over all of the noise from the banquet hall.

They were joined a few minutes later by Thor, looking as handsome as ever despite the distance he'd traveled across the realms to be there. The only difference between his appearance now and when they had seen him last were the circles beneath his eyes, only lightly purple but still pronounced against his otherwise flawless skin.

They were ushered inside less than a moment later, and Natasha and Clint hung back as the cameras flashed on them all. The press didn't go out of their way to capture the two on film, focusing more on Steve and Tony and Thor, the faces that the public craved the most.

When the initial excitement died down, Tony moved to stand on the stage at the front of the room, and they lined up at his back as he took his place in front of the podium there to address the crowd. He held his hands up, enjoying the spotlight, and Natasha had to suppress a roll of her eyes in response.

The room silenced when he tapped the microphone, and he cleared his voice before speaking.

''First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming. This is an important day- a symbolic one, in fact- of the changes that have come to pass despite all that we have faced in the past.''

Behind him, they were all surprised by the lack of narcissism in his opening lines, but they knew him too well to expect that to last very long.

''I am many things- but we're not here to talk about my genius and my billions and my good looks, are we?'' he grinned, and the crowd laughed. Clint snorted beside Natasha, and she suppressed a laugh of her own in response.

Tony sobered slightly before continuing. ''Not only am I the leader in clean energy, but I am also a member of the Avengers, the assembled group of talents that saved all of your asses two years ago today.''

The crowd was not fond of this statement, not sharing Tony's sense of humor, but he cared little as it suited for his own amusement.

''I constructed this tower in honor of both of these accomplishments, and ultimately, as a tool to be utilized for the greater good.''

Natasha's brow furrowed in confusion, and she looked to the others to see that they had also the same reaction to his words.

Without waiting for them to comprehend, Tony pressed a button on the podium before him and a screen lowered at the side of the room. Everyone turned their attention to it as a projector played the live stream of the outside of the tower on the canvas. A portion of the tower was covered from view by a large curtain, and the Avengers knew that their curiosity would be lifted along with it.

''I present to you, my friends, citizens of New York City... the Avengers tower.''

The curtain pulled away, revealing the lettering underneath. Natasha could not help but gasp along with the crowd as the letters glowed bright white against the blackness of the night, though it was more from the beauty in the symbolism than the actual vision before her.

Champagne was passed around, and with the ceremony over they went to mingle among the guests. That was easy for Natasha. She was used to molding and blending herself to fit in among any crowd.

The transition did not come as easily for Thor. He was much larger than the people who surrounded him, and his Asgardian clothes did not compliment the black and white attire of the guests. Clint rescued him soon enough, intent on getting the answers he'd so long anticipated, and Natasha could not help but position herself close enough to listen in on their conversation despite her convictions on the subject.

She learned quickly of Loki's imprisonment, of his humiliation and his helplessness without his powers or his tongue. She didn't care for the parts of the story laced with sentiment, and when she'd heard enough she moved away to enjoy the party.

But the fun did not last long.

The tower shuddered suddenly, and rumbled as if from an impact.

Beside Natasha, Tony lowered his drink from his lips and expressed aloud the very same thought that had crossed her own mind in response to the sound.

''Well... Fuck.''

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I know it wasn't very exciting, but it's just the introduction, so please give this story a chance. And please review!