Avengers: new beginnings

Thirteen

Beth hadn't seen Loki for almost a week. Remembering what he said to her, did she believe it? She called him a monster, if she didn't believe him would she have called him a monster? Thor was right about him, she thought. Wanda was great about telling her different stories of all of their battles. She tried making things better for Beth but she was so upset. Loki let her in, made her like him, and then pushed her away.

Thor was told everything. But Bucky claims he planned it, that someone was talking to him. Even Bruce told Thor it was a cover. He was trying to keep her away for his own reasons. Thor thought on it. And after he watched the tape, and him telling himself it was for her own good, he realized, Loki had feelings for Beth and was trying to protect her. So he went to visit him.

Loki looked bad. He was sitting in his cell, cloak off, shirt unbuttoned. It was to familiar to Thor. He had seen his brother like this before when Frigga died. And he knew, this really took a toll on him. Loki doesn't look up at him.

"Loki, stop this, I know what you did for Beth, making her think you are the monster you've Always been , bold move brother," he said. Loki nods sniffling.

"Then you know why I can't stop this," he said. Thor didn't understand why his brother insisted to keep this up.

"Bruce and Bucky know everything, not really the other conversation, but they know you did this to protect her, and now I see why she had so much faith in you," he said. Loki snaps his head to Thor. Was this acceptance? Was Thor telling Loki he knew he was a changed man?

"You're words are humbling, but I have to protect her, they WILL use her," Loki tells his brother. Loki walks over to the door. But Thor walks away, to the panel. He pushes the button and opens the door to his cell. Loki looks confused.

"I believe you'll make the right choice brother, you stay and fight with us, or run from her," Thor says. And he leaves. Leaving Loki standing. He pondered about it.

Loki made a choice. He walked out, slowly, making sure there were tricks. And he tries his magic one time. Making sure he wasn't stripped of it. Putting himself back in Loki mode. That was a thing now, Loki had his own look. He placed his helmet under his arms making it disappear. And walked out. He wandered the halls, while Thor was in the meeting room. Beth hadn't come out of her room in a week, and she was finally there, finally meeting with everyone. But she was in thought. Wearing sweats and a T-shirt with a long over shirt over it. She looked like hell.

Wanda tried getting her out of her deep cave state but it wasn't working. She couldn't even shield her own mind. And she had tried. Bucky felt like she was loosing herself over Loki. But Loki had no idea she had gone this far. He thought she would be okay. But she wasn't okay. He broke her in a way that no one ever had. And she was lost. No one knew if even he could bring her out, but Thor wanted to see if it was worth a shot. Loki needed to know, he was trusted and that there was more than one person who believed in him.

Loki walks into the meeting room, all eyes upon him. Thor nods to him. Bruce wakes, but Loki doesn't wave back. Korg gets happy, why wouldn't he? He use to follow Loki. Loki takes one look at Beth, and his emotion goes from, ready to fight to, what have I done.

"My brother has agreed to join our forces, and graced us with his presence," Thor said. Loki nods to everyone as a group but his eyes fall on Beth again. He did a number on her.

"Any objections, no, okay, on to matters, Loki  as your equal, would you stand with me," Thor asked. That made Loki snap his attention to Thor in disbelief. Was he asking him to help lead a revolution?

"We know everything about TVA, including what they wish to gain, if their plan goes as they wish, they will control all of time, they can rule the realms," Thor says. Loki walks over to his brother. He was glad he told them the truth. But he was upset that he broke Beth.

"Loki, can see and hear them, because they invaded his mind, so we can get intel as long as they come around, or to Loki," Thor said. Everyone was lost. Including Beth.

"With Beth's power, thanks to Dr. Strange's observation, she can manipulate her own mind to see them, or anyone else, but it takes a lot of her power to do so, and a power surge," Thor said. Beth snaps herself to look at Thor. Loki does too.

"You want her to weaken herself by making her poke her own brain," Loki asks. Beth was thinking the same thing.

"Yes, that's the plan, if Beth agrees, we can't actually make her do anything," Thor says. Beth looks at Loki. He doesn't like the plan. He knows that much of a power surge could kill her.

"I'm in," she says. Only because Loki was against it and he knew that. He bows his head shaking it. Thor looks at them both and he rolls his eyes.

"Gods, look, you two have some things to work out, obviously some things were said, but.."

"Things, he told me he didn't want me around, he said he would kill you all and make me watch and then kill me," she said. By this time, only Loki, Thor and Beth were in the room. Everyone had left. Not wanting any part of this fight.

"It's Loki, Beth, he threatens people all the time it doesn't mean he wants to do what he says, he's just maniacal and scenically impaired.."

"Really," Loki says to Thor. As if to disagree.

"The point t is, he isn't going to kill anyone," Thor said. She looks at Thor in disbelief. Loki shrugs.

"Well, I wouldn't say I won't kill anyone I mean.."

"Not helping," Thor says. Loki nods and keeps quite.

"The point is, Loki wouldn't hurt you, he might want to kill the rest of us, but not you," Thor said. Loki again turns to Thor.

"I don't wish to kill you brother, it's beneath me, but he's right, I don't want to kill anyone here, I just want to rough a few of them up.."

"LOKI," Thor says loudly. He apologizes. But then why would he say that to her? Why tel her he would make her watch him kill her friends? And then threaten to kill her too?

"Why would you say those things," she says. Thor backs away, giving them space.

"Because, your life was being threatened, leveraged, and I couldn't bare the thought of you getting hurt by the hands or Modiur."

"Loki, why do you care, we are all beneath you.."

"Not you Beth, you have shown me patience, honesty, loyalty, and trust," he said. Beth looks away. He grabs both of her shoulders. She doesn't really believe him but he sounded sincere. She looks up at him.

"You've become a friend, and I don't have many of them, you mean more to me than you think," he said. She sighs knowing he was telling the turtle. She could tell he was telling the truth.

"Okay, so, do you expect forgiveness," she asks. He shakes his head letting her go. He steps back.

"No, because I wouldn't forgive me either," he said. She looked at him, he wasn't lying about any of it. He wouldn't forgive himself that was heartbreaking to Beth. But she comes closer to him grabbing his arm.

"Well, I'm not you," she says forgiving him. He looks at her, thankful for her remorse for him.

"So we should really meet up with the others," she said. He grabs her arm.

"I don't think you should excel the power, you could get yourself killed," he said. She swallows a lump and nods.

"Sacrificing one for the many is what we do here."