Love of my Life
Thor arrived at the house. It didn't stand out from the rest of the neighborhood. It was a two story home with a white picket fence. It had a manicured lawn with green grass and flowers marking the perimeter of the property. When he looked closer he could see that some of the flowers were from Asgard, but not the most ostentatious one. They were subtle enough so as to not attract attention but enough to make the house have a more charming quality than the rest. Thor started to make his way to the entrance but found himself blocked by a barrier. He should have expected this, this was typical Loki. He was always protective of the people he loved most. He suspected the barrier sent a signal inside the house because the next thing he knew, the door of the house opened. In it stood a woman. He could see what had attracted Loki in the first place. She had mesmerizing and intelligent eyes. But there was a sadness in them. They had dark circles under them, as if she hadn't slept in a millennia. She was holding onto the door frame with force and he could tell that she wasn't comfortable. The bundle in his arms decided then that that was the best time to introduce herself. She started crying and that got the woman's attention. She looked at me with wide, terrified, hopeful eyes.
"Can I come in?" He asked. She ran inside the house and suddenly the invisible barrier was lifted. He took care to not jostle the child as he walked towards the house. The woman still stood in the doorway and when he neared her, he could see that she had tears in her eyes. She looked around before gesturing with hidden frantic energy for him to come inside. She closed the door and he noticed the multiple locks on it. There were five in plain sight, but Thor knew there were more that he couldn't see. The woman still stood beside the door, her back to him. She breathed in and turned slowly towards Thor, her eyes on the wrapped blanket.
"So you know?" She paused "You know everything?"
"I know enough" They stood in silence before she got the courage to ask.
"Is- is it her?" She met his eyes, hope in her eyes, but there was also fear. Fear that this was all another dream. That she would wake up to an empty house and the people she loved would still be gone. Thor gave a nod of his head to confirm her statement. She breathed in a shaky breath and a tentative smile grew on her face. The tears that were hidden in her eyes flowed down her face and she cried. But the smile was still present on her face. She started coming closer to him. She reached him and looked at the little face that was partially hidden by the rags that he had found. The woman parted the cloth from the baby's face and she laughed. The baby had stopped crying and was snuggled up to Thor's chest. The baby had grown over the course of the year, but the woman would recognize that face anywhere.
"Can I hold her?" She made a gesture with her hands. Thor didn't hesitate in giving the babe to her. She held her up to eye level when the baby awoke from the motion of being passed. The baby was about to cry and the woman could tell, so she started singing to her. She quieted down immediately. She stared up at her with awe and the woman smiled down at her and continued humming. She started walking around the house with the baby in her arms and forgot about the man that was standing in her living room. She finally had her baby back. Nothing could wipe the smile of her face. Then she remembered the piece that was missing from the picture. She turned towards Thor, the smile ever present on her face. The baby had started playing with the loose ends of her hair.
"Where's Loki? I would have thought he would be the one to bring her." Thor didn't answer immediately, making the smile in the woman's face dim.
…Shouts could be heard from the other side of the facility…
…Blood spattering the walls…
…Wails, coming from the room at the end of the hall…
…A body, blood pooling around them…
He answered before the smile could be wiped from her face.
"He required to go into hiding, for the sake of you and your daughter. The people who took her have not been detained and he needed to take care of them first before he could come back to the both of you." Her eyebrows furrowed, but Thor couldn't tell from what. That disappeared when the baby's small hand touched her cheek. She smiled down at her. She kissed the top of her head, the end of her nose and both her cheeks in rapid succession, making the little girl giggle.
The scene in front of him was perfect. The two people he had vowed to protect with his life were smiling with the sun that came from the open window, giving them an ethereal glow. Thor hated lying to them.