"Hey," Anna greeted as she entered the lab after Tony had called for her through JARVIS.

"Sunshine, great, you're here," Tony replied, standing up from his chair where he'd been sitting and chatting with a young guy with brown curls and brown eyes. The guy stood up too, looking at Anna with big eyes.

"Yes, you called for me. So I came," Anna explained the unfolding of the events, stepping closer to Tony and his friend; "Who's this?"

"I'm Peter!" the guy introduced; "You must be Anna."

"This is Peter Parker, your surprise," Tony told her. Anna wrinkled her eyebrows.

"Did you get me a prostitute?" she asked suspiciously.

"What? No!" Peter replied quickly.

"God, Anna!" Tony complained; "I don't ever want to hear that word come out of your mouth again!"

"What, prostitute?" Anna asked quickly, Tony quickly slapping his hands over his ears.

"You're the one who made it sound sketchy!" Anna complained loudly.

"I'm not a prostitute," Peter mentioned; "Just so you know."

"How should I know? Besides, it's not like I wanted a prostitute anyway," Anna scoffed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Good, because you're not getting one," Tony assured her sternly; "Maybe a boyfriend if you're lucky, in an appropriate number of years."

"Peter Parker's gonna be my boyfriend?" Anna questioned; "I mean, no offence, bu-"

"He's not your boyfriend, Anna!" Tony argued; "He's your new friend."

"You said maybe a boyfriend!" Anna pointed out before realising what he had said; "Sorry, friend?"

"Yeah, Peter's finishing High school and will be applying to college soon, thought you might like to have a friend who's not, you know... Fictional," Tony explained, rubbing his face tiredly.

"I'm going to be watching you," Peter said with a smile.

"That's creepy," Anna replied with a polite smile.

"No, not like that," he quickly corrected; "I just mean I'm supposed to keep an eye out for your safety and stuff."

"That's great. Tony, why is my bodyguard 15?" Anna questioned Tony curiously.

"I'm 17," Peter corrected.

"He's Spider-man," Tony explained with a sigh.

"Ohh, Tin-mans string-man!" Anna said, remembering a video she'd seen of him on youtube.

"He's the reason I'm voting Empire State University. I couldn't convince him to MIT and he doesn't take bribes," Tony informed.

"MIT? I couldn't get into MIT even if I wanted to, and it's focused on technology, and-"

"And it has good class options, good average results, qualified teachers that's undergone thorough background checks?" Tony finished; "That'd be the one."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Anna said with a sarcastic smile.

"Empire State is good, too, Mr. Stark," Peter reminded him.

"Maybe you shouldn't go. I don't even think they have any security employees at Empire State," Tony thought out loud, eyes focused on Anna.

"But I'll be there," Peter pointed out. Tony's eyes lit up and he pointed a finger first at Anna, then at Peter, then back and forth as he spoke.

"Right! If anything happens to either of you two, I'll be very mad. Anyway, go be friends. You stay safe, you stay out of focus, and most importantly, you stay together. Never leave each other's side, alright?" Tony instructed.

"Are - are we going on a mission?" Peter asked confused.

"I was thinking more like you could get coffee," Tony suggested.

"In which neighbourhood? Since you're so concerned about safety," Anna asked confused.

"Maybe he's worried we'll get lost. Like, we go to a cafe near the zoo and get lost and end up with the lions," Peter suggested to Anna

"Oh, right, could be, and we couldn't just leave because they obviously lock the cages," she agreed; "But how would we get in?"

"Well, I could always, you know, Spider-man my way in," Peter suggested.

"But not out?"

"What have I done?" Tony muttered to himself tiredly.

"Last date for applications isn't for a while anyway," Anna reminded him kindly.

"No, but you're going to be busy the next while preparing," Tony warned her; "You have a lot to prepare."

*

"Teaching," Tony suggested.

"I don't want to teach," Anna claimed tiredly.

"How about law? You like arguing, you could be a lawyer and get paid for it," he continued.

"Tony, I'm not going to get a college degree in just any subject I can think of. If I go, I want it to be something I'm interested in," Anna said.

"When you go, and until you figure out what whatever you want is, we will consider the options," Tony stated; "How about literature? You like books."

A knock sounded on the door and Anna yelled for whoever hid behind it to come in.

The door opened slightly, Loki showing his face behind it.

"Loki, hey," Anna greeted, immediately sitting up in her bed.

"What are you doing here?" Tony questioned, shutting off his iPad.

"I was under the impression Anna might be in need of her nightly companionship," Loki explained; "I thought I would come to offer my services."

"I've got it. I'll take care of her, like I always do," Tony retorted, a hint of a warning hidden in his voice.

"Naturally. My apologies," Loki agreed, giving a slight nod before moving to leave.

"Don't apologise," Anna told him softly; "It was a very kind offer." Loki looked at Anna, smiling slightly at her.

"It was a useless offer," Tony corrected before smiling emotionlessly at Loki; "Thanks, though."

"Of course. Lady Natasha gave me the impression that you had matters to attend to, that is only why I am here." Loki looked directly at Tony as he said it.

"What matters do you have to attend to?" Anna asked Tony confused, her eyebrows raising slightly.

"I don't have any matters to attend to," Tony replied quickly, making Anna raise her eyebrows entirely. "Fine. I originally had some work to get done before tomorrow, but it doesn't matter. They can wait."

"Who can wait?"

"Them all," he replied. "It's fine, Sunshine."

"It's not fine, Tony," Anna corrected; "I don't want you to put your life on hold for me! You've done enough."

"You need to live a normal life," he insisted himself; "You're seeing Peter tomorrow, like a regular kid, and I'm not letting you do that tired because I had to work late."

"You don't have to, Loki is here, he offered it himself," Anna pointed out, pointing to Loki who looked confused before nodding slightly.

"If you must work and you do not wish for Anna to be weary, I can easily stay the night," he informed Tony politely. Tony glanced between Anna and Loki before slowly getting up.

"She goes to sleep right away, I'll be back in the morning if she doesn't wake by herself. Same rules as last time. Got it?" Tony checked, pointing a supposedly threatening finger at Loki, who gave a single nod.

"I will be sure to follow your directions."

"And you, Anna," Tony began, turning to her before taking a deep breath. "Don't be nervous. I know what you're like, but it'll be fine, and if it won't, Parker will be there and he's agreed to take care of you."

"I know. Thanks," Anna said, smiling slightly; "Not for the babysitter, but for..."

"I know," Tony interrupted her before sending her a small smile; "Sweet dreams."

After sending Loki one last threatening glance, Tony left the two, and Anna awkwardly turned to Loki.

"I assume you are prepared for bed?" he asked slowly, holding his hands by his sides.

"Yes. Although, actually," she remembered, quickly getting up from her bed.

"This is against Tony's rules," Loki said in slight distress. Anna laughed slightly as she took some books from her table and handed them to Loki.

"I don't really know what you're into, but these are pretty much all classics. I thought, if nothing else, they could give you a glimpse into human culture," she explained, gesturing for Loki to take them. He slowly did so, looking over the small pile.

"That is... Very thoughtful indeed," he said, looking back at Anna; "And much appreciated."

"It's no big deal," Anna promised with a shrug, not showing any signs of being on her way back to her bed; "It's just a little Jane Austen and such. I just had to get them from my bookshelves."

"It is a great deal," Loki told her slowly, taking a small breath before continuing. "It is a sign of... Appreciation. Caring, dare I perhaps say."

Anna laughed slightly, looking to the ground.

"You make it sound like no one's ever cared about you before," she joked before looking back at his face and freezing in her tracks.

"Loki, I-"

"It is of no matter. Stark believes you to be in bed, perhaps you should attempt to portray the picture he paints of you as someone sleeping," he interrupted.

"I'm sorry I said anything," Anna continued, ignoring his words; "I know staying on earth hasn't been easy on you and that people here are-"

"Midgård has nothing to do with it, Lady Anna," Loki said sharply, composing himself. "My life has been a great deal different than yours. Where your family came to your rescue, no one did such a thing for me. I have yet to find someone who will care for me such as that."

Anna had no reply. She doubted his story somewhat, but only because the thought that no one cared for him seemed obscene to her. How could anyone who spent time with Loki not grow to care for him? Yet, she heard the tone he hid so well in his voice, and she knew one thing for sure; he was telling the truth. She just didn't know if it was the general truth, or the one he knew.

"You should get to bed," Loki repeated quietly.

"Right," Anna remembered, quickly turning away from him. She mentally whacked herself for upsetting him and sat down on her bed before lying down. While getting comfortable, Loki shut the lights off and found his way to the office chair where he'd sat previously; ignoring the perfectly capable armchair standing in the middle of the room.

"Goodnight," Anna whispered softly, unsure if it would be heard.

"Goodnight," the reply sounded from the dark.

"Anna, Anna, you must awaken!"

Anna stirred slowly before opening her eyes.

"I did it again, didn't I?" she realised, slowly sitting up before running a hand through her hair.

"It was nothing extreme. You seemed... Unhappy, with my decision to allow you to continue to sleep if your illusions were not seen by anyone, so I thought this time I would wake you."

"Yeah, it's, it's fine. It's great," she corrected herself, rubbing her head tiredly; "What time is it?"

"I believe it passed three not long ago," Loki replied helpfully. Anna looked at his tall figure next to her bed.

"You can sit down, you know," she told him slowly.

"I do not think Stark would be appreciative of that - in fact, I think it might be against the rules he so adores," he added lightly.

"Well, Stark's not here. Sit," Anna offered again, petting the spot on the bed next to her. Slowly sitting down, Anna could make out his still tall figure in the dark.

"I'm sorry you have to stay up." Her voice was soft against the darkness, Loki noticed. A small smile appeared on his lips, hidden by the dark.

"I am sorry I had to wake you," he replied swiftly.

"No, no, it's... It's good," she told him, yawning quietly.

"You should return to bed. Well, return to your slumber," Loki corrected himself calmly.

"I don't think I can sleep right now," Anna replied with a slight grimace; "In other words, you can leave. I'll come get you if I get tired."

Loki laughed quietly, making Anna look at me.

"I am sorry, it is just... I do not know you all too well, but based on what I have seen, it would be more likely you forced yourself to stay awake than risk bothering someone, even if that someone should be me," he explained, gathering his hands in his lap.

"Maybe you do know me all too well," Anna teased, smiling herself; "How are you liking the books?"

"Quite well. I was reading the one titled Pride and Prejudice just now," Loki replied quickly.

"I see you took me up on the Austen. Do you like it?"

"So far, it is... Interesting. I wish to know the truth of the characters in it, yet they all seem so caught up with their preconceptions of each other to bother assisting me in the search," Loki explained thoughtfully.

"So you got the title figured out," Anna pointed out with a smile; "I think the most interesting part about it is how it's written. Like, I get that it's discours indirect libre, but it kind of makes it confusing when it's in third person with an omnipotent narrator. Everytime someone is introduced, whatever is stated as fact is, in fact, just assumptions made by the people around."

"I had not thought of that," Loki admitted; "I was quite caught up with my fascination with the story. I do see that Darcy wronged Fitzwilliam a great deal, but it seems unlikely we know the full story yet, all things considered. With what you just said and my own considerations, I am starting to question if Darcy may not be so bad after all."

Anna laughed quietly.

"You know, I think you might be the first person in this century who gets to read Pride and Prejudice with no idea of what will happen," she pointed out to Loki, who laughed slightly as well.

"Perhaps being an alien does come bearing its perks," he admitted before the two fell into a comfortable silence.

"Hey, Loki?" Anna asked slowly.

"Yes, Anna?"

"How did you know I would rather stay up than bother you?" she asked curiously, her eyebrows pulled together.

"Well, I did not imagine myself, specifically. I must admit, I do hope you would bother me instead of forcing yourself to remain awake, especially as the bother would be... Well, no bother to me," he admitted quietly.

"Like that quote from Euripides," Anna remembered; "How does it go again? 'It's rotten work'..."

"'Not to me'," Loki continued softly; "Not if it's you."

"I see you've been reading up on your Pylades and Orestes," Anna mentioned lightly.

"Yes. I was under the impression that Euripides, as well as The Iliad and the Odyssey were classics, so I read them. However, it seems, not all humans have read the so-called classics," Loki said, making Anna laugh slightly.

"Well, I think those are mostly classics because they've been used so widely in academic circles. If you want the classics that most people have read, I think you're better off with Austen."

"Perhaps you are right. I found a list of classics on something called The Google with the help of Tony's IA," Loki informed.

"His what?"

"Friday, his IA," Loki repeated.

"I think you mean AI," Anna commented.

"Oh? I believed it was IA, short for, what was it..."

"Artificial Intelligence," Anna replied at the same time as Loki exclaimed;

"Invisible Assistant."

Anna did the best to suppress her smile, even though Loki couldn't see any better than she could him in the dark room.

"Next time you want to read a classic, come to me. I'll help you find one, odds are it'll probably be on my bookshelf anyway," Anna offered.

"I will be sure to take you up on that. It seems you have a... Pleasant taste, in books, based on the Austen you have lent me."

"That doesn't explain it though," Anna commented.

"That I find the Austen book entertaining?" Loki asked confused.

"No, that you know me so well. Am I that easy to read?" she asked, looking at his face in the dark.

"Certainly not. I believe I had an unfair advantage when it came to that particular guess," he added.

"How so?"

"Well, when I was first in my... Cage... The woman, Romanoff and the man, Banner, they came to it. Banner was doing... Something, pressing the squares on the board-"

"The buttons? On the keyboard?" Anna asked.

"Yes, those. I believe Romanoff was only with him for the company, for she did not seem to serve a purposeful role, she merely talked with the man, Banner."

"That's sort of how she does her thing," Anna informed helpfully; "She'll interrogate people without them really knowing, she said they're less on edge and more likely to give something away. She was probably watching how you reacted to what they were saying."

"That could very well be," Loki admitted; "Neither of them seemed to take proper notice of me, which I did find peculiar."

"Yup. You got Natasha'ed," Anna told; "Don't worry. Happens to the best of us." Loki smiled slightly before continuing.

"They were talking of the injuries they had sustained during our battle, and Banner, he mentioned Barton - however he called him Clint - and said he acted as if he was dying, which I found equally peculiar, because I did not recall injuring him very much. Aside from him being hit by a projectile by someone, but that is far less than what many of his team members suffered."

"I remember their battle with you. He was just being dramatic, he was mostly complaining about a papercut he got. I don't really think they're doing a thorough enough screening before letting people join the team," Anna joked.

"That is exactly what Romanoff said, that he was being dramatic. She claimed you, although I did not know it to be you, would get to him once you finished assisting with the.... Bigger injuries," he finished, clearing his throat before saying 'bigger injuries'.

"And I did. He was fine," Anna assured Loki again.

"Yes, and I thought nothing more of it. I was not yet, am still not, accustomed to Midgård, and in Asgård having a healer amongst a team of fighters is not unusual, but then, not many hours after, Stark came storming in with the Captain and... And you," he ended the sentence.

"And me?" Anna encouraged.

"Yes. Now that is a sight I will not soon forget. Both you and the Captain were in your nightwear, and I do not believe I have seen Stark as upset since," Loki said chuckling.

"Oh, god, that's right," Anna remembered, covering her face with her hands; "I was wearing a t-shirt and Tony wouldn't let me put on pants because he wanted to evacuate me."

"Yes, I remember the t-shirt," Loki admitted, still laughing.

"The three of you did not stay long, so it took longer before I came to the realisation, but once I saw that your magic was Asgardian, it seemed natural that you would suffer the same side effects an Asgardian healer would," Loki explained; "One of which is being drained of magic by practising your powers to the extreme, and as magic and energy go hand in hand..."

"That's why I always get so tired," Anna realised; "The headaches, that's part of it, too?"

"Not necessarily, but I must admit I am only somewhat surprised," Loki told slowly.

"Explain, please," Anna asked.

"Well, my mother, she was a skilled healer, she informed me that a healer healing another species will experience headaches, even fainting if they do not stop in time. I believe the reason was that when granted the gift of healing, it was meant to be used among the gods and between them only, so should you choose to go against that-"

"You get zapped with the magic migraine," Anna finished drily.

"Exactly. I suspect that you, after however many generations, have mostly human genes, but the ability to heal remains Asgardian, and will therefore only allow for you to heal one of such."

"And that explains why Thor makes me tired but doesn't give me a headache," Anna stated.

"Gods no, I have no explanation as to that. Thor usually manages to have both effects on everyone he meets," Loki said in a serious tone.

Anna started laughing, unable to keep it in after finally experiencing the relief of understanding her powers a little better. Loki joined the happy laughter, happy he finally got to do just that.