Scars

"All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out using the internet as an escape path," Bruce said.

After Ultron had crashed and ruined the party, everyone picked up the pieces they could and moved to the lab. Thor was the only one who didn't stay, instead following a loose legionnaire that had stolen Loki's Staff. Everyone else was discussing what happened. Alice sat in the back of the room, picking glass out of her hands, feet, and knees as the adults talked.

"He's been in everything files, surveillance he probably knows more about us than we know about each other," Natasha said.

Alice and Loki looked at each other for a moment. Ultron knew about them. The enemy knew about them. Alice looked away for a moment, still struggling to get the glass out of her skin, Looking around, no one was paying attention to Loki or Alice. So he took the opportunity. "let me help" he whispered as he sat beside he taking her foot in his lap he took the tweezer and set them aside and used his magic to slowly pull the glass out of her foot.

"Jarvis was the first line of defense," Alice heard, looking u to see a hologram of Jarvis's computer structure shown, but it was torn apart. "Jarvis," she whimpered, gripping Loki's bicep he rubbed her legs to help her calm and soothe her sadness for her lost friend.

"Brother?" Loki said as Thor marched in and grabbed Tony by the throat

"Daddy!" Alice jumped up, trying to get to her father. Loki picked her up and put her on the table next to Maria before her feet could even touch the floor.

"Brother! Put Stark down and think about this. Use your words" It was amazing that at this point Loki was being the reasonable one.

"I have more than enough words to describe Stark at the moment," Thor said as he tossed back Tony.

"Thor, the Legionnaire" Steve got down to business Thor dropped Tony, and Loki walked back over to Alice.

"Trail went cold about hundred miles out, but it's heading north, and it has the scepter. Now we have to retrieve it again."

"Well, the genes out of the bottle clear and present is Ultron"

" I don't understand. You built this program why is it trying to kill us" Cho asked. Tony began to laugh, surprising and enraging everyone. Alice grabbed Loki's arm, sinking her nails into his coat and in his skin last time her father laughed like this, it didn't end well.

"Daddy," Alice whispered Bruce shook his head, " You think this is funny" Thor was pissed.

"No, it's probably not, right? Is this very terrible, so this so-it-it's so terrible," he continued to laugh.

"This could have been avoided if you didn't play with something you didn't understand."'

Alice covered her ears. She no longer wanted to hear her father all this was too much she wanted to run to her room and lay, sleep until all this was over.

"No, no, no," Loki said as he finished up with Alice's feet and knees. " Tony is in the wrong, Thor is in the wrong, I am in the wrong. We're all in the wrong and all to blame"

"How am I to blame I did not create that Ultron think"

"Because brother, you gave him permission to use the stone when you have little to no knowledge yourself," Loki said he made a duplicate to finish taking care of Alice and wrapping her wounds as he gave the others his full attention. " Inside the scepter in the mind stone. The mind stone... is very unique. It can read the mind. When Tony started 'playing' with it, it tapped into his mind reading him. Ultron is... the you that needs to be in order to face your fears. Ultron is you" Loki turned around to see everyone look a mix of confused, surprised, and angry.

"What ... did you forget? It is my scepter".

Tony's glare was so intense it was digging a hole into Loki's cold soul. Loki was actually a bit frightened. " Get your hands off my daughter" Loki rolled his eyes snapping his fingers and his duplicate disappears Bruce come to her aid.

"You're welcome, by the way, while you all were arguing, I tended to her wounds"

"Strike Two," Tony basically growled Loki simply rolled his eyes

-

After the argument Dr. Cho left, Loki went to his room to use magic to possibly find Ultron, Alice went to her room to change and patch up her other wounds, and The Avengers went to look for Ultron.

-

"Ow," Alice whimpered as she peeled off her shirt, the fabric sticking to the cuts and glass in her skin. She whimpered as she turned around and looked at her back in the bathroom mirror. It looked terrible glass sticking out of her skin, blood oozing down her back, and there was also blood dripping down her neck which meant a head injury she couldn't quite see as well.

Maybe if she stayed in Loki's room and refused to go downstairs. She had grown bolder as of late yet couldn't find it in herself to deny her father anything. Maybe if she denied him tonight, she would have been unharmed. Maybe she could have just laid in bed with Loki and avoided this entire situation.

But then again, she helped Dr.Cho. Would Dr.Cho still be here?

"Let me help you" Alice jumped hearing the new voice she held her shirt up to her chest " I'm sorry" Loki looked away " I wanted to help. I saw the blood dripping down your neck earlier. You're hurt, let me help"

"okay" Alice whispered holding the shirt tightly to her chest and turning her back towards him " I... please help" Loki turned back around seeing her torn and bleeding back towards him " It's hurt" she whimpered and tears spilled.

Loki held his breath and stepped forward slowly using his magic to painlessly remove the glass from her skin once all the glass was removed he kissed her shoulder "Almost done," he whispered. Using more magic, he healed the cuts on her back and her head. With everything healed, thing left was dry blood and some painful bruising, but he could do nothing really about that.

"May I?" he motioned to the washcloth on the counter she nodded. wetting it with warm water he began cleaning the dry blood from her back and neck.

Alice turned around, facing Loki, still clenching her shirt to her chest. " Yes please" she leaned into his chest, letting her head lay on his shoulder as he cleaned her back and neck. Such an intimate yet innocent moment of care, love, and heart. There was skin, but there was no sexual tension there was love but no lust. There was just ... love and need.

Once she was clean, Alice pulled back and looked up at Loki he brushed a hair behind her ear. " there's still some... in your hair. I think a shower will be needed to get that out," Loki said

"what did he mean when he said Strike Two? Are you in trouble? Did I get you in trouble?"

"that is nothing you need to worry about darling"

"If it's about you then I most definitely need to worry, tell me, please" Loki wrapped his arms around her pulled her close h kissed her forehead.

"Remember when we first meet on the helicarrier, my cell"

"it was long ago, but I remember it as if it happened just a few hours ago"

"Eight months ago"

"That's long"

" Very. On the Helicarrier, we first met. Your father pulled you away. That was strike one. A deal had been made I could stay and prove my chance but I had three wrongdoings and I'd be sent back home for punishment."

Alice wrapped an arm around Loki's waist, one arm holding her shirt still. " I'm sorry. It's my fault you're two strikes down"

"Two strikes are worth it because they lead me to you. Now you need to shower clean tonight's filth off of you, relax" Loki gives her a soft kiss on the lips. Giving her one last kiss before leaving her in the bathroom to shower.

"Call if you need me I'll be there"