Archive of Our Own ^beta

All those who dwelled in Asgard knew the stories of Ragnarok, or at least knew of the stories. It was the final end to all the realms, to be followed by a time of rebirth and renewal.

Some, such as Loki and Hogun, were skeptical about the renewal part; both had on several occasions claimed that it only allowed for mistakes to be repeated or, alternatively, for a worse outcome to events long past that would be new again.

Some, like Thor and Volstagg, were positive that it would be a true rebirth; that all the wrong-doings of the past would be forgiven, forgotten, and life would be blissful.

But the one thing that everyone thought, from the most hardened warrior to the youngest child, was that the end would come on Some Far-Off Future Day. That on That Day, the worst monsters that had ever been given life would do battle with the people of Asgard and destroy Yggdrasil at her roots.

No one expected that Ragnarok, when it arrived, would come from creatures which lived far beyond the Nine Realms' reach.

Asgard was not the first to fall, but the third; the Chitauri and their god-ruler, Thanos, first wiped out Alfheim and Jotunheim before setting their sights on Asgard. Those warriors who were on Asgard at the time fought valiantly, but swords and glaives and spears and magic were stood no chance against the weapons wielded by the invaders.

The only survivors were Thor, Loki, and Sif; the former had grabbed his brother and dragged him to the Bifrost, and the woman had for the first time in her life run from battle when she realized everyone was falling. The three had reached Heimdall at the same moment, and the guardian had needed no prompting. He didn't even ask for their destination (and Thor honestly hadn't known where he would have asked to go even if he'd had the presence of mind to do so), only told them to move quickly and activated the Bifrost the moment they were within the dome.

Sif would only tell the others many months later, but she had still been looking at Heimdall when the portal activated. She could still clearly hear the guardian's final words, and she carried those words with her to give her strength when she felt most lost:

Farewell, Sister. Help them end this.

In a final display of just how precisely he could direct the path of the Bifrost, the three survivors of Asgard's fall arrived on Earth neatly on the roof of Avengers Tower. The only people in residence to witness their arrival were Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, and there was understandably a flurry of questions.

What are you doing back here so soon? It's only been a few months.

Why is Loki free? Shouldn't he be locked up in a dungeon somewhere?

Who's your friend?

Why do you all look like you've been to hell and back?

The arrival of Natasha Romanoff put an end to the line of questioning. In the Time After the Fall, Loki would come to realize that the Widow had seen something in their faces that she recognized from her own past. He would never ask, but she would someday tell him in her own time, in her own way, and he would only love her more for it.

In the immediate aftermath, he could only be grateful for the reprieve from the questions.

Natasha sent Tony to contact the rest of the team, asked Bruce to see about getting a first aid kit, and led the three shell-shocked refugees inside. She asked them no questions at all, only thanked Bruce for the kit when he returned and set about to tending their wounds.

It would be a few hours before any of the Asgardians (and Sif was insistent that, no matter his heritage, Loki was a son of Asgard and always would be) could explain what had happened, speaking in hesitant words with one beginning and another picking up the thread when his or her companion faltered. The assembled Avengers listened without interruption, although Natasha's lips thinned into a tense line and Steve's eyes darkened in empathy and Tony had to return to the bar several times for more drinks not only for himself but for Bruce and Clint as well.

Over the course of the next few months, they went to work. Tony set about upgrading all of SHIELD's defenses, from the helicarrier to every single outpost in the organization, making sure that any satellite anywhere would be able to spot the invasion coming. Bruce worked alongside the billionaire, keeping them both on track and as calm as was possible with the knowledge that an alien force was coming. Steve, Natasha, and Clint worked closely with Thor, Sif, and Loki, evaluating the trio mentally and physically, and making sure that they were prepared to face the Chitauri and their commander a second (and in Loki's case, a third) time.

It wasn't easy, any of it. The Avengers were working closely with three alien beings who had watched their home be destroyed, and the days where none of them backslid were very few at first. Natasha would always, always remember the day that Loki, who had once been an enemy and someone whom she had once wished ill upon, broke down in tears during a sparring session; she had dropped her staff and pulled the man into a hug, not speaking but only making soothing sounds as he wept for all those who had been lost. Steve had a similar experience with Thor (the Widow suspected that there was somewhat less hugging involved), and Clint didn't say anything but there had been a moment or two when Sif's eyes had seemed a bit too wet and the archer carefully guided the shield maiden to another room where they could be quietly alone.

Even so, they were prepared for the day when the proximity alerts from the satellites announced that the Chitauri were approaching the planet.

The Avengers, all of them, especially the three who had already lost so much, were assembled and ready. And they would not let Earth go without a fight.