It had been a long time since Loki didn't have a complete understanding of what was going on. He was always three steps ahead, each move he made was calculated and precise. But he could never account for the fact of dying when thrown out of the Bifrost mid-travel. Loki wasn't stupid, he knew he had died, his heart wasn't pumping, and his chest wasn't rising, the air around him was neither cold nor warm. It should've caused him to panic, but as odd as it sounds, it only calmed him. His vision slowly came back to him, the room gradually appearing in front of him; it's seemingly Midgardian look to it threw him for a loop.

"Loki Odinson, or are you going by Laufeyson?"

Loki whirled around, his eyes focusing on the small body settled in the armchair. He glanced around at the room once more before turning his attention back to the body perched in the corner.

"I figured Hell would be colder." His voice echoed in the small room.

The woman laughed, her head thrown back against the chair she was sitting in. She brought her hand up and pushed herself from the chair as her laughter died out. "Your appearance very unexpected Odinson. I was beginning to suspect I wouldn't ever see you."

"And who might you be exactly?" Loki glanced at the woman in front of him, taking note of her seemingly ordinary appearance.

"Emera Viius, also known as Death to those who get curious." She held her hand out, a few blackened veins drawing his focus.

Loki shook his head, disregarding her outstretched hand. "And why am I here, Death?"

She frowned and glanced down at her outstretched hand before turning away and shrugging. Her hand beckoned him forward to follow after her into what Loki could only assume was her kitchen. "I actually have no idea. You kinda just… showed up in my living room. Coffee?" She pointed to a machine on the counter.

Loki gave an apprehensive nod and sat down at her kitchen island, leaning his head on his arms, letting out a low groan. He didn't notice Emera placing a steaming cup of coffee in front of him and leaning against the counter in front of him. "I'm dead aren't I?"

The question came out so soft that Emera didn't even know if he had said it. She sighed and whispered a quiet yes.

"But… I have an offer to make you. You weren't supposed to be here, so I morally can't keep you here. So my point is, I can bring you back, but it's going to cost you some time."

Loki's head shot up, his bloodshot eyes narrowing at the woman in front of him. "What do you mean by 'time'?"

"I mean, the process of coming back to life is extremely hard on a person's body, and with your body floating in space, I'd have to bring your physical form here. You'll be incredibly weak for the next few weeks, so you'll probably have to stay here."

Loki nodded his head as he listened before exhaling. "I'll do it."

Emera froze at those words, her eyes focusing on something behind him. She quickly broke from her trace and lightly nodded her head.

"Follow me," Emera gestured to follow her into her bedroom, "strip."

Loki looked at her with wide eyes.

Emera laughed at his face, pulling out a pair of black sweatpants from her dresser, tossing them at his chest. "Put these on and lay down. Let me know when you're done."

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"This is going to hurt. A lot." She explained, walking back into her bedroom.

Loki nodded at what she said, settling down on the large bed centered in Emera's room, his arms relaxed at his sides.

She glanced down at him, her eyes quickly scanning him, as her hands hovered over his chest. "Alright, I need you to close your eyes and focus on wherever you were right before you came here."

Loki could hear her mumbled words and he could feel the pressure building behind his skull. He gasped as pain erupted in his chest, half of his body felt numb while the other half screamed in agony. The sharp, burning sensation was all he could focus on. His hands scrabbled at his side, desperate to grab ahold of something before coming in contact with Emera. He wrapped his hand tightly around her thigh, digging his fingers into her jeans. He let out a ragged breath, his eyes slamming shut as a burning sensation traveled up his spine.

Emera froze at the feeling of Loki's hand touching her, before quickly peeling his hand away and clutching it close to her chest as she crouched down next to him. She brought up her free hand, brushing back hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. Loki let out a cry, his breathing becoming heavy.

"Shh... Everything is fine. You're going to be fine." Emera slowly rose to her feet, climbing to sit next to Loki on her bed. She took a deep breath sliding her hand onto Loki's chest, stopping when she came to his heart. She closed her eyes and focused on the pain she could feel radiating off of Loki's moaning form. She pulled at the pain that Loki was feeling, feeling the pliable sensation attach to her hand, slowly leaking into her skin. Her eyes slammed shut as the pain shot up her arm, causing her to curl up on herself. Her hand gripped her head, desperate for some form of relief from the sharp, head-splitting pain. She gulped and collapsed next to Loki's still form.

Emera shot up in the bed, her hair matted to her forehead. She quickly scanned the room, taking note of the missing Loki. She groaned and rolled out of bed, shakily standing to her feet. Her throat was dry and she still had a dull headache. She made her way out of her bedrooms and made her way into the living room, spotting Loki folded in the armchair she had previously occupied earlier.

Emera quietly made her way around the chair, crouching down in front of him. Her eyes scanned the state he was in; ashen skin, sunken eyes, and raspy breaths. "How did you get out here?" The question came out as a whisper.

Loki's voice startled her. "I was... trying to get a... a drink and didn't make it before... before my legs gave out." The sentence was broken and mumbled, his eyes not even opening as he turned his body. "What did you do to me?"

"I transferred energy from my body to yours and then back again."

"Is that why you collapsed next to me?" Loki staggered to his feet, his balance notably out of it.

Emera rushed forward, her hands finding themselves positioned on Loki's upper arms, holding him steady. "Honestly, the worst thing you could do is be standing." She gently pushed him back into the armchair. "You're going to be weak for the next few weeks, anything you consume will just come right back up, so I hope you know how to deal with hunger."

Loki groaned and leaned back in his seat. "Where even are we? This place looks sickeningly like a Midgardian home."

Emera laughed. "That's because it is a Midgardian home. We're on the outskirts of New York City, you know that place you let aliens lose in? You made my job very hard that day."

Loki shifted his gaze away from the woman standing in front of him, absently fiddling with a loose string on the chair.

"Well... You should try to get some sleep. The quicker we get you stabilized, the quicker you get to leave."

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"When Deceit courts Death, the reign of the Titan will end."

Wymos and Calios had entered the tavern late that night and decided they would travel the rest of the way to Dohi tomorrow morning. Wymos had just ordered a double room when he overheard Cal having a conversation with someone they didn't know.

"How do you know so much about Thanos?" Cal's naturally soft voice came out barely audible to Wymos as he asked the question.

"I've been amongst him. "

Wymos walked up next to Cal as the man finished speaking. "Who is this Cal?"

Cal jumped and gave Wymos a startled look "oh, this is Gamora."

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"Hear me and rejoice! You have had the privilege of being in the presence of the Great Titan! You may think you are a higher power… but-"

"Nobody wants to hear your bullshit, Maw!"

All heads swiveled in the direction of the offending voice, only to rest upon the tallest of the three kneeling figures.

"Calios, you always were one for trouble." Thanos stepped towards the three. "I am so much stronger than the three of you will ever be once I get my hands on the Infinity Stones."

"How many time do we have to tell this to you, Thanos, you are a mere blip to us, you will never find all six Stones, and even if you did, you'd die before you can even mutter the words 'oh shit'" Wymos's voice came out strong and stoic, his face set like stone.

Thanos glared down at the trio, his hand coming up to wrap around Cal's throat, tightly closing and lifted him off the ground.

"You think you'll beat me but you won't, I'll kill all of you and I won't even bat-an-eye."

Calios's eyes went wide, his hand frantically trying to push Thanos away from him as his oxygen quickly ran out. His frantic movements dying quickly when Thanos dropped him, his body landing in a heap at Thanos's feet.

"Thanos, you know Em wouldn't agree with this. She went into hiding because of you." Vaione muttered, her dark curls falling in front of her face as she glanced down at Calios, her frown deepening.

"That's where you're wrong Vaione, she loved me."


A/N

I'm so sorry that this isn't a new chapter and that I haven't posted Chapter 2 yet. I got sidetracked on the origin story for Emera that I've been trying to write for a while, so I finally decided to do it for my NaNoWriMo project. I also have an idea for a Matt Murdock story that I'm going to write COMPLETELY before I post it. Again, I'm really sorry for the delay for any new chapter for this story and it might be an even longer delay.