Hey guys!

So sorry it's been so long! I won't bother rattling off excuses, but let's just say, reality sucks sometimes :p

Good news though! My brother is going through chemo, and he's on the road to recovery! :)

Anyways, Loki comes in in this chapter! Yey! Haha so, here ya go, enjoy! Reviews are wonderful, btw;) I love to hear your thoughts!

Alice began making her way back to the cafeteria, hoping to finish her meal, when Clint came jogging up behind her, a crooked smile on his lips.

"Not bad," he chuckled, "for a rookie."

"Not bad? I was freakin awesome! And don't you forget it!" she laughed. Suddenly, the wall behind them exploded. Red lights started flashing and men with guns came running out into the hall. One was shouting commands, and the rest kneeled down and aimed their weapons at her. Or so she thought.

She turned around to see what they were actually pointing at; a tall man with dark hair dressed in abnormal green clothing.

"Hello, Agent Barton. Nice to see you again," he said smugly has he stepped over the rubble, smirking. Right away, she knew exactly who he was. She'd seen his face only once before, in one of SHIELD's files. Natasha had told her about what he'd done to Clint, how he'd been possessed. She felt white-hot rage bubbling inside at the thought of her friend being hurt like that. There were others behind him, about to follow him through, but Alice was oblivious. She wasn't going to stand by and watch him try to take over the world, or hurt anyone, again.

In the blink of an eye she sent him crashing back through the wall, herself closely following and straddling him to hold him down on the floor.

"Alice! Wait!" Clint tried to stop her.

"Give me one good reason not to kill you, Loki," she growled. She held his wrists down, glaring at him, expecting fear. His emerald eyes looked into hers with a flicker of surprise, then they were cold and menacing.

"Get. Off me. Or you will be the one to die," he hissed. He moved to throw her off, but found she was a lot stronger than he'd expected. She allowed herself a small twitch of a smile. Men were all the same. He'd be scared now that he knew she was stronger. She felt her stomach drop a tad when he returned the glimmer of a smile, an evil glint in his eye, then threw her back through the opening where she collided with someone and crashed into the opposite wall. A tall, muscular man with a red cape and blonde hair, rubbed dirt out of his eyes and started to pull himself to his feet.

"My lady, may I help you?" he reached his hand out to her.

"Thor…I wouldn't…" a woman with long, strait, black hair pulled into a pony tail looked cautiously at Alice. Alice didn't even notice them. Or the 3 men standing off to the side, one who happened to be laughing at Thor's expense.

"Oh, Thor! 10 seconds on Midgard and already you can't keep the women off you! Hohoho!" a heavy-set man with a thick red beard guffawed. Alice was on her feet, crouched and ready to spring her next attack. Loki stepped back into the hall, looking hostile as ever. His icy glare unnerved Alice. Where did he get eyes like those? Men, she could deal with. She was faster. Stronger. Smarter. But this one was different.

"WILDES!" Fury barked, striding down the adjoining corridor towards her. Alice's head snapped up. The Avengers followed behind, Steve and Bruce looked concerned, while Mr. Stark could barely contain his amusement.

"Agent Wildes, I do not believe you were authorized to make an attack," Fury was standing right in front of her now, glaring daggers at her. She straitened up and looked him in the eye.

"So sorry," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "next time, I'll run and get you to sign my permission slip, THEN defend SHIELD! What's-"

"Director, it was my fault," Clint interrupted, "I hadn't told her the plan yet. I was just getting ready to, when-"

"When my friends and I made the mistake of teleporting into the building," Thor finished for him, "it seems that Midgard's buildings cannot withstand the impact that comes with teleportation," he said thoughtfully.

"I wasn't expecting you for at least 2 more weeks," Fury directed is gaze towards the god of thunder, "how did you make it here so soon?"

"Soon?" Thor looked genuinely confused.

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Alice said, exasperated.

"I talked to you only a few days ago," Fury said, ignoring Alice.

"Thor, how is this possible?" the woman with the pony tail spoke up.

Loki had been glaring at Alice, knowing it made her uncomfortable. He now turned to the others, rolling his eyes, "the time between the realms goes at different rates. Our weeks of travel was likely only 3 days here on Midgard."

"Oh right I forgot! We learned all about that in Real-Life Experiences with Norse Mythology 101!" Tony said sarcastically, earning a deadly look from Loki.

"Good," Fury said, before Tony could piss off the demi-god any further, "this gives us more time than I'd thought."

Alice's eyes flicked back and forth between Fury and the group of new-comers. Thor was just as she imagined him, if not taller and more impressive, and perhaps more polite. The dark-haired woman was beautiful and fierce at the same time, and her 3 companions looked like the warriors of old. And then there was Loki. She always thought that if she ever looked into his eyes, it would be as she killed him. She'd looked into the eyes of evil men before. They were always cruel and full of malicious intent, with a touch of insanity. Loki's were empty…and bitter…and hurt…like he'd never known joy. She felt an unexpected pang of sympathy, then quickly whisked it away, scolding herself. He was the enemy. Pure and simple.

"I'm sure you're all tired after such a long trip," said Fury, breaking her thought, "Agent Phillips will show you to your rooms. We can discuss matters later this evening." A nervous agent from the ranks of gunmen walked up.

"Very well! We shall see you again when the sun takes its leave of us," Thor said, and they followed Agent Phillips away.

Hours later when darkness had swallowed up the city, they were all seated around a metallic conference table. Monitors beeped and hummed behind them. Alice had spent the day with Stark, it seemed he was a bit put out at being the only one who hadn't formally met her, and felt the need to make up for lost time. He'd interrogated and tested Alice, and had Jarvis log it all in a computer file. Everything from what she looked like to what she ate, her IQ and even which shampoo she used, much to her amusement. He told her it was strictly for research, but the glint in his eye suggested otherwise. She decided she liked the snarky billionaire. His arrogance could be irritating, but his overall desire to make the world a better place, and the lengths he would go to achieve it, made her respect him.

"Alright, now that we've busted up a few walls and witnessed New York City's first vampire vs god smack-down, can we discuss what the hell is going on?" said previously mentioned playboy.

"Some answers would be nice," Alice said with a curious glance at the Asgardians. She was nervous. Her whole life she'd wondered what exactly she was, and now it seemed she was about to find out. What if she didn't like what she heard?

"I think it would be best to let Thor explain, since he knows firsthand," said Fury with an ominous gaze towards the god of thunder. Thor glanced at Alice, then proceeded to speak. He told the whole story, from when the Valkyrie slaughtered the Vakre, to Heimdale discovering that Thanos had evil plans for Alice, to SHIELD finding her and Thor speaking to Fury. He also told a briefly of their journey from Asgard to Midgard, explaining why they needed Loki to use the road the Frost Giants had taken long ago. All of them there had heard all this except Alice, and they now looked at her expectantly, some nervous to what her reaction might be.

I'm a monster, she thought, a feeling of self-loathing and despair coming over her, I was never supposed to have lived. There's not even any others like me. But I still have so many questions that are unanswered…

She glanced at Loki, and thought she saw empathy, but it vanished as soon as he caught her eye. Clint, who was sitting next to her, put a comforting hand over hers. She looked towards the rest of them, a look of determination on her face.

I'll deal with this later.

"What do I need to do?"

Natasha gave her a proud smile that came mostly from her eyes, and the rest of the Avengers seemed to do the same.

"The plan is for you to go to Asgard," Fury replied, "you'll be safer there, ergo The Nine Realms are safer."

"You want me to leave? I can't just leave you all to fend for yourselves against this Thanos creep," Alice said defiantly, "I can help. Together we can beat him."

"Your courage is admirable," said the dark-haired woman, who Alice had learned was the Lady Sif, "but Thanos cannot be beaten by mere mortals, even such extraordinary ones as yourselves."

"Lady Sif is right," Fury agreed, "you being here would just make things worse. If Thanos comes and you're long gone, there's a chance he'll move on and keep looking for you."

"A small chance! How do we know he won't wreak havoc, then move on?" Alice said, beginning to get a little angry. How could they expect her to just run? Everyone exchanged glances, all knowing she was right, but knowing that it was necessary. The risk of her being captured and an army being made was too great. Even Tony was quiet.

Loki, who had been silent the whole time, now spoke darkly, "If Thanos comes and learns that you aided the escape of his primary war weapon, he will undoubtedly do everything in his power to obliterate your lovely little city."

"Well it didn't really work out when YOU tried, now did it?" Clint practically snarled.

"No, and it didn't really work out for your little friends the Chitauri met either, did it?" Loki sneered back.

Before Clint could leap across the table and rip Loki's throat out, Steve spoke up, "We don't have much choice. We can't let Thanos take Alice, under any circumstances. So either she leaves, and we do our best when Thanos gets here, or she stays and we risk her being captured."

"And even if we could hold him off, as long as she's here he'll keep coming back. It would only be a matter of time before he got to her," Bruce said calmly, his arms folded over his chest.

"I don't see what the big fuss is about," Tony said nonchalantly as he reclined back in his chair, "I think Thanos is all talk. If he had the power to destroy Earth, why did he send Reindeer Games?" instead of glaring, Loki looked mildly interested, as well as Thor and the rest of the Asgardians.

"I mean think about it," Tony sat up and gestured with his hands, "even after we whooped Loki's butt, Thanos didn't come knocking. We could barely stand on our feet. That would have been the time to take over the world. Maybe he's got an other-worldly flu or something."

"The Man of Iron has a point," Thor mused.

"Then Alice goes," Fury said with a sense of finality in his tone, "the sooner she leaves Earth, the better off we'll be. We defended our home planet once, we can sure as Hell do it again. Especially since there's a good chance he's not as powerful as we think he is."

Alice sat back in her chair feeling slightly defeated. She knew it was for the best, but something just didn't feel right about running and leaving her friends, and her planet, to a shadowed fate.

"Very well," she said a sigh.

"Then we will leave at dawn!" Thor said, a bit too enthusiastically for her mood, and the meeting was adjourned.

It was still early, only about 7:30, and since Alice didn't sleep much anyways she decided to go back to the training room and mull everything over. Leaving her planet to go to a place she didn't even know existed, with people she barely knew. Her heart was fluttering with every step through the metallic corridor. She heard footsteps, someone jogging behind her, and turned to see who it was. At the far end of the hallway was Clint, so she stopped and waited for him.

"Hey kiddo, working out again?"

"Yeah. It helps me think."

They fell into step next to one another and continued in the direction of the training rooms, Alice not really paying attention to anything he was saying. Loki hadn't really been what she'd expected. For one, he was way more attractive than anyone had described him, and the picture she'd seen didn't do him justice.

I think Earth's number one war criminal is sexy. Ha. Great. I wonder what Clint would think if I told him. I doubt he'd take it well…probably not a good idea…

"Alice!" Clint elbowed her, bringing her back into reality.

"What? Oh, sorry, sorta zoned out…"

"I said, do you want to set up the hand-to-hand combat ring?"

She looked around and realized they'd arrived. The familiar scent of rubber and the echoing of their footsteps on the gym floor soothed her.

"Sure," she turned and smiled at him. He was her closest friend, and she felt her heart wrench when she realized she'd probably never see him again. She looked into his eyes and realized that was probably why he came with her, to spend one last evening training together. He gave her a smile in return, but she could see the sadness he was trying to mask.

Just then, the door burst open and Stark came striding in, followed by Thor and Sif, and Loki sauntered behind.

"Hey! My favorite assassin and vampire, hangin' out in the gym!" Tony beamed at them, "I'm just showing Point-break and his lady friend here around, and of course Rock of Ages needs a baby-sitter at all times so he's here too."

"Awesome, Clint and I are just getting ready to have a go-round. Feel free to watch him get his butt kicked by a blind woman," Alice said, smirking devilishly as she picked up her blind-fold.

"You fight blindly?" Sif said, and even though Alice couldn't see her she could hear the puzzlement in her voice.

"It's the only way I have somewhat of a challenge against a pathetic mortal such as Clint," Alice said jokingly in the direction of Sif's voice. By now Clint had raised a platform that was much like a boxing arena with the push of a button, and put on his protective padding.

"Pathetic mortal! There is nothing pathetic about some of us mortals, sweetheart," Tony said with a sly grin and a wink.

"Alright Bella, let's go," Clint raised his arms as Alice readied her stance. Fighting with him was always fun for her. He'd swing, and she'd duck, hearing the swoosh before it hit her, and she'd retaliate, listening to the beating of his heart to locate him. He'd also talk to her, giving her tips and instructing her form. He used to beat her, but now with his training she mostly won. She always had to be careful of how hard she hit or kicked though, she could easily break his bones. After a series of jabbing, swinging, kicking, and dodging, Alice finally pinned him face-down on the floor. She pulled the blindfold off triumphantly, and Clint rolled over and pushed her off, laughing.

"I bet Bella Swan couldn't do that,"Alice said proudly, but laughing none the less.

"Oh, I have to log this. Jarvis, put this down- Vampire mix thingy whoops Agent Barton's ass; blindfolded," Tony said as he poured himself a drink from the water cooler.

"That was quite impressive," Sif said, walking up to Alice, "I thought for sure I was the only maiden warrior of that skill level, but you have proved me wrong."

"Why thank you!" Alice said smiling at her. She liked this woman, Sif. She was a fighter, like Alice.

At least there's one person I can be friends with in Asgard.

"Hey! How about Thor and Alice have a go," Tony said as he sat down on one of the wooden benches, "you know, Asgard's Mightiest vs. Earth's Mightiest type thing."

"I'd love to!" Alice's eyes lit up at the idea of a real fight, no blindfold and no worrying about broken bones.

"I would not want to hurt the Lady Alice," Thor said, laughing at her enthusiasm.

"You spar with me all the time, Thor!" Sif crossed her arms and challenged him, a smile playing on her lips.

"Getting beat by a woman would be hard on his pride," Alice said nonchalantly, pretending to inspect her nails, "I understand..."

"The Mighty Thor would not be beaten! I accept your challenge!" Thor boomed and leapt up onto the large platform. Clint pat him on the back on his way out and wished him good luck, then sat down next to Tony and Sif.

Alice glanced over at Loki, who was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed on the more shadowed side of the gymnasium. She thought she saw him roll his eyes, but she couldn't be sure. She turned her attention back towards Thor and grinned at him, then the battle began.

His size and strength were a huge advantage over her. While she could usually beat Clint with her reflexes and lightning speed, they didn't help her much against Thor's bulk. Each kick or punch she landed on him was like a friendly nudge, despite the fact she used all her strength. Quickly she was starting to tire from attacking and dodging. She knew she would have to be clever, using his size against him and her agility to her advantage. Opportunity came knocking when he lunged at her with frightening speed. She grabbed hold of his right arm and twisted herself so she was facing away from him, and jerked up with all her might, his momentum carrying him up and over her, then slamming him down on the ground. Taking advantage, she leapt on top of him and pinned him down with her knee in his chest. He looked up at her, surprise all over his face, and her wind-chime laughter rang out through the room.

"Okay, why didn't anyone film that?" Tony said, looking at Clint and Sif who were smiling and chuckling.

"You're a great fighter!" Alice said as she helped Thor to his feet.

"Apparently not as great as I thought I was," Thor chuckled.

Loki snorted from the dark corner where he stood watching. Alice narrowed her eyes at him.

"Do you think you could do better?" Alice said lightheartedly, though the darkness in her eyes and her defensive stance challenged him.

He leered at her, setting her teeth on edge, and said simply, "yes, I believe I could."

"Would you like to try and prove that claim, perhaps in a duel?" she was treading on thin ice, and she knew it.

"Alice…" Clint said warningly.

Loki's eyes seemed to glimmer as he looked at her, his voice smooth and velvety when he spoke, "A duel without weapons or magic is a rather poor one, don't you think?"

Alice merely scoffed at him and turned towards Clint and the others.

"As I suspected, he is in fact the coward I've heard about. He knows if I could beat Thor I could certainly beat him," she said evilly, knowing she'd most likely just touched a nerve. For a moment she felt remorseful, but then remembered Loki's jibe at Clint from earlier that evening, and the remorse faded. She turned to face him again, and her breath caught in her throat. He was standing right in front of her, just inches away, a dangerous glint in his eye. She could see every detail of his face now. His ivory skin was flawless, contrasting with his long raven hair that was slicked back. His eyes were swirling kaleidoscopes of greens and hints of blue, lined with dark lashes. He had a wintry smell, like pine and frigid air, with a touch of mint. She hated the effect he had on her; with most people it was the other way around.

"Well, if you insist, love," she could hear the barely suppressed anger in his voice, despite his calm and silky tone.

"Alice, I wouldn't do this," Clint stood and glowered at Loki, who merely smirked at him.

"Hey, Cupid, Dracula can take care of herself," Tony remained impassive, but Alice could tell he was a bit tense, "he doesn't have his hoodoo-voodoo magic anyways." Thor and Sif exchanged nervous glances, but said nothing.

"You'd better listen to your little friends," Loki taunted.

"Alice, he's dangerous," Clint tried again to warn her.

"So am I," she murmured.

And thus, the battle ensued.

She'd never fought like this before, ever. Her speed had never been matched by anyone on Earth, and neither had her strength until Thor, but Loki was almost faster and definitely stronger. They kicked, jabbed and punched in a flurry of movement, a beautiful yet dangerous dance, each one trying to find an edge. Seconds blended into minutes, and she lost all track of time. At some point, Tony's voice cut in.

"Hey Drusilla, whatcha think? You're having a karate match with the megalomaniac god that tried to take over the world. You can add that to your résumé on your Vampire Diaries application."

"I think," she said, then ducked a kick and parried a blow, "you might have been wrong," she tried in vain to the kick Loki's legs out from under him, then rolled to avoid being crushed, "when you said Thor was Asgard's mightiest."

Loki faltered slightly, but that was all she needed. She grabbed his shoulders near his neck, then hooked her leg behind his and pushed herself forward, causing both of them to fall to the ground, with her holding herself up over top of him, successfully pinning him to the ground. She allowed herself a smile, and her blue eyes shone gleefully.

"But I am Earth's champion," she whispered.

His eyes burned into hers, and he chuckled darkly, a husky noise from the depths of his throat, "Oh, but my dear, you haven't won yet."

Her brow furrowed slightly. What did he mean, she hadn't won yet?

"You see…" he tilted his head forward and whispered in her ear, causing shudders to run down her spine, "you've abandoned your footing."

Dismay flashed across her face as she realized, too late, he was right. Her feet held up only part of her weight, in a push-up position, so that the majority of her body mass could pin his shoulders down. But her feet were right next to his, so all it took was a twitch of his ankle to kick them out from under her, and she was lying flush against him. Faster than she could think, he rolled over, so that she found herself staring up at him. He had a look of pure triumph, his eyes glittering malevolently.

He had beaten her.