Tony pulled up to a dark cabin and turned the engine off. It took a week and a half, but we were finally there. Night cast its shadows upon the house and covered every inch in darkness. The moon sat behind a jail cell of clouds and the dimly lit stars stayed still. Maybe it reflected how much the Avengers weren't wanted. Weren't needed. Not even the sky would entertain us. A swift breeze chilled the air and our breaths could be seen before he rolled up the windows. Pine trees full with life surrounded the area, shading the dead grassland.

I nudged Peter to wake him up. He mumbled for a bit before opening his heavy eyelids. Bruce gently awoke Natasha and Clint and made them get out of the car. We all piled out, except for Steve. I opened the front passenger door and noticed Tony hadn't waken him yet. I glanced down at his shirt and saw no blood stains, so that was a good sign. His stitches and gauze must have stayed together through the last part of the trip. "Steve..." I whispered and tapped my fingers against his arm. He twitched, but didn't open his eyes. "Steve..." I spoke a little louder.

He scrunched his nose and groaned, "What? What is it?"

"We're here. You need to get out of the car." I tugged on his arm lightly and watched as he opened his blazing blue eyes. He slowly reached over and unbuckled his seat belt, taking his time getting out of the car. I offered to help him to the house, but he refused and walked on his own. I looked at him worriedly, but he assured me that he would be fine.

Tony took a panel off of the side of the house and punched in some numbers into the keypad. He scanned his fingerprint next and wiped the evidence from the screen once it passed security. He snapped his fingers and turned to the group as the door opened. "Seems like a lot of security, but it comes in handy when one of us needs to lay low for a bit." He opened the door and turned the lights on by clapping. "Jarvis, wake up, buddy. I'm home."

The cabin inside looked more spacious than it did on the outside. The green wallpaper matched with the brown carpeting and gave off a homely feel. Thick dark green curtains covered the windows and kept out the nightly chill. A big screen television hung on the wall in front of a few couches. Photographs lined the walls, all of various times Tony was out with Pepper, and others of the team.

Jarvis seemed to almost yawn before answering, "Nice to see you again, Mr. Stark. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Just be here for me, J. That's all I need right now." Tony set the keys to the car on the table and waited for all of us to collapse onto the soft couches. He rubbed his hands on his face, letting out the frustration in his system. We were finally safe.

Peter dove onto the couch and rolled around until Clint jumped on top of him. My cousin pushed him off of him and onto one side of the couch, while he occupied the other. Natasha plopped down in between them and stopped any future fighting. Bruce took a single chair, while Steve, Sif, and I occupied the other couch. The mystery woman sat on the floor next to Sif and observed us. Peter shot some weird faces in my direction, and only got a confused expression in return.

"This place runs on its own generator, so I'm not on the power company's system. It's registered under Jarvis' name and was inherited by his 'son'. I took that persona just in case I needed it. This cabin is reinforced by the strongest material I could get my hands on, strong enough to keep the Hulk inside. There are several rooms, cable, and wifi, if anyone needs it." He pointed in different directions, indicating what he was talking about. He strolled over to the small bar in front of the kitchen. "Drinks, anyone?"

I didn't care if Tony was a recovering alcoholic. At this point, we all needed a drink. "Yes, please," we chorused. Tony brought two bottles scotch and whiskey and small glasses. After getting everyone situated, he sat down on the ottoman next to Bruce.

"What happened to Thor? Is he okay?" Barton questioned. He sniffed the alcohol and swished it around the cup before taking a sip of it. He cringed at the burning sensation in the back of his throat and waited for Sif to answer.

Sif glanced at all of us before speaking in a low voice, "Thor is distraught and distant. A chunk of Asgard got blown up before the portal leading to Midgard closed." She blinked back the tears forming in her eyes. "I watched it happen from the Palace. People were screaming. Flames engulfed the city. Worry flowed through me, for I could not tell how much of Asgard would be destroyed. I rushed outside with the Warrior's Three and found Thor on the ground, bloody and beaten. He yelled and cried out for his brother, but Loki was not anywhere within the vicinity."

All of us listened to her story intently. We craved knowledge about our dear friend. Knowing the nuclear bomb went into Asgard only made the guilt worse. Clint leaned back in his chair and adjusted in his seat. He asked, "And then what? Why did he wait so long to send a message to us?"

Sif bowed her head and continued, "He's been occupied with rebuilding what was destroyed. The guards and Asgard's top scientists are quarantining people and that section of the wrecked city. The city itself was not the only thing destroyed. Loki's destruction put fear in the people. He killed Odin. We did not know about this for a while, but after some of you came to Asgard on a suspicion, I began to look into it."

"Dead parents. Seems like our caped friend can officially join the club," Tony scoffed and rubbed his chin. All of us glared at him and his dark humor, but he was telling the truth. Two times of truth in a row. Wow, Tony was on a roll.

Sif ignored the comment and bit her tongue to keep her from saying anything nasty. She finished her story, "He's the king of a broken city and won't be back for a while. He told us to come and see how everything is holding up, but Son of Coul told us of your situation and we had to help."

"Thank you," all of us said in unison. It was a nice change to have someone looking out for us these dark days.

"You are indeed welcome," Sif declared with a small smile. The woman she brought with her bowed her head in silence, acknowledging our thanks. She hadn't said anything the whole time. The woman was just listening.

Natasha put her attention on the woman. She sized her up, taking in the golden markings on her face, her light purple skin, black hair, and the distant look in her gray eyes. Nat pointed her drink towards her and asked, "What about you? What's your story?"

The woman fixed her eyes on the Russian assassin and her eyes darkened. She tilted her head slightly, letting her hair scrape against her shoulder as she thought for a moment. Her mouth didn't open much when she talked, but a strong voice filled the room, "My birth name is Iraencliopitawole Huntsirequae, but it is too long to actually say correctly by most people. For short, I go by Ira. I come from planet Macalia, which sits on the other side of the galaxy. Most of it is overcome by ice and snow, so my people built cities underneath the ice. My people lived peacefully, until the Ancastinomias attacked."

Sif explained further into the story to give some insight, "The species are big red creatures with five legs and claws for hands. Horns adorn their heads, the length showing who is in charge by how long it is. Their eyes glow a fierce gold and sharp teeth to frighten the enemy. They have tried to take over many planets, but most of their attempts fail."

Ira nodded and looked at Sif in an appreciating way. Her tone lowered and she clasped her hands together in her lap. "And that is because of you, Lady Sif, and the Warriors Three. They came to our rescue and freed the people that were captured. My family was not spared in the end, much to my dismay and heartbreak...My father was the only one left alive. Though, he too, did parish because of a virus that spread around after the Ancastinomias fleed." She turned away and grit her teeth. "Those fushkasios."

All eyes were on Sif now for her to translate. Sif raised her eyebrows and bit her lip while she searched her mind for a similar word. "In a simple and clean way, it means cowards."

Ira scoffed, "Cowards is putting it too lightly." She crossed her legs on the floor and her expression softened. "I could not thank the Asgardians enough and wished to be trained by them. They accepted. The first time I went to Asgard, I was in awe. The structures once stood at beautiful heights and the feeling in the air could lift anyone's soul. The smells, the music, the atmosphere, it was all such a joy to be around." Her eyes lit up, but her expression did not change. "I met Loki and Thor. This was around a couple thousand years ago, so they were young and naïve then."

"Young and naïve? I could imagine Thor like that. Loki? I'm not so sure about that," Bruce nearly laughed at her words, but kept it at bay. How more naïve could Loki get? If anything, he was more sensible than he is now.

"Yes. He was." Ira glared at Bruce and held her stare as she continued, "He was the sweetest man. He wrote poetry, performed tricks his mother taught him, sang, and even told the best stories. But..." Her eyes flickered away and focused on the glass she held in her hand. "A civil war broke out on Macalia, so I had to go back. I haven't been to Asgard since. Sif recruited me before coming here to aid her in her endeavors."

Before any of us could say a word about who Loki was now, Sif stood up from her seat and set the glass cup on the coffee table. She fixed her dark blue S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, one that she had borrowed from Coulson to keep her cover, and put her fist to her chest. "I best be taking my leave. Thor is waiting for the news on his friends. Ira will be staying with you until you no longer need assistance."

Tony's eyes narrowed a bit before declaring, "We're fine without her. It's already enough hiding all of us. Another? That's asking a bit much."

"It is for your own protection," Ira added and stood her ground.

Steve laughed for a few seconds. That was single-handedly the funniest thing he'd heard all year. "Protection for the Avengers? That's not what you hear everyday."

Ira scowled. People laughing at her? She wouldn't stand for that. "I am serious. There is no use for me in Asgard and I am the best bet you have at survival. The government is searching for you. You may have been on the run for quite some time, but you aren't going to get very far without an extra set of hands."

Peter intervened before anyone could say anything, "Maybe she's right. Let's give her a chance. She could be of use, after all." He shrugged and set his drink on the table.

As the group considered it, I got up and held Sif back for a second. "Before you call for Heimdall, please go somewhere far from here. If the government can track the readings from your journey, then they can find us." Sif nodded and left the cabin. Jarvis locked the door behind her and secured it before going back to listening to the conversation.

"Can I just say how much I can't wait to sleep tonight? I bet the beds here are so comfy." Clint rested his head against the back of the sofa and imagined it in his head. He let out a longing sigh and peered at the ceiling. "You know Tony Stark doesn't settle for anything but the best."

"Well..." Stark eyed his glass before chugging it down and setting it down on the table, making a sharp sound fly through the air. He growled and cleared the burning sensation in his throat. "Robin Hood is right on that one."

How could Stark joke around with the nicknames at a time like this? All of us were torn, beaten down, and tired. How could he still be full of life and not have a care in the world? Does he hold it in? Does he not feel anything at all? I had to ask him later. I had to know. Coming from Steve, I would understand if he kept it all inside. Tony? I expected something else.

"At least the beds here won't feel like we're sleeping on planks of wood," Bruce commented and sank deeper into his seat.

Steve shrugged his shoulders. His blue eyes seemed to stare off and fixate on the wall. "I didn't really mind it. Better than sleeping on the ground like we had for five months."

"And the food!" Peter chimed in, in disgust. He seemed happy that we would never have terrible food like that again, but the worst wasn't over.

Natasha cringed at the mere memory of it. "The food was horrible."

We all laughed and agreed. It was the first time in forever a laugh even made its way out into the open from one of our throats. I thought I'd seen the cold times behind us in the past.

I've seen colder.

The future seemed terrifying. Chilling. Pain right down to the core. Heart wrenching. But he we were now, sitting in a safe house laughing about the past. It was so hard for me to stay in the present and enjoy it when impending doom stared us right in the face in the future. I heard what Sif had said. Thor was calling out for his brother, but Loki was nowhere to be seen. If Thor made it, he must have too. My attention reeled back in when Tony started talking.

"There are extra clothes for us stored here in the bathroom closet. Since I do supply the group some rather bad ass looking costumes to run around and fight crime in, I had Jarvis place an order for extra clothes for us."

Would that be considered considerate, or creepy?

Either way, we had fresh clothes waiting for us in...the bathroom closet? They had such a thing? Was this a big, walk in closet? Only Tony...

The group all looked at each other carefully, eyes narrowing and muscles tensing up. We shot up from our seats and raced towards the bathroom. Steve stayed put, not trying to hurt himself or open his wounds. Clint, Bruce, and Tony took each other down first. There was only one bathroom, so first come first serve. Peter, Nat, and I took the lead. Natasha nodded to me and I tackled Peter. He hit the ground and swatted me off of him, but by then, it was too late. Natasha locked the bathroom door behind her.

The guys banged on the bathroom door with their fists, eager to get inside and pull her out of there, but it was no use. She had already won. Clint managed to get inside after everyone stopped trying, probably in an attempt to save the hot water for us.

We hoped that's what he was doing.