Author's Note: here it is! The sequel to "Darkness There, and Nothing…" as promised, just in time for Christmas! I hope you guys are having a great holiday so far. Mine's pretty cool—my brother's here! I haven't seen him in 2 years, since he got married! :D So that's cool. Anyway, here's the prologue for "The Edge of Darkest Devotion," which derives its title from the song "Where Is the Edge?" by Within Temptation. The title of the prologue comes from the common phrase in Game of Thrones. Let me know what you think!
Secondary Author's Note Regarding Hiatus & Deletion: all right, so for those coming back and wondering where the other chapters went… Okay. So what happened was, around chapter 7 I started to lose interest in this story. I couldn't understand why. I mean, I love Loki and Thea. I didn't understand what happened but I just couldn't dredge up any kind of enthusiasm for the storyline or anything.
So what ended up happening was, I gave myself about a month to figure out what my problem was. At the end of that month I had determined that if I didn't figure out what my deal was, I was just going to keep going. I wasn't going to leave you hanging forever, that wouldn't be fair. You invested so much time and energy and love into Darkness There, and Nothing… and now The Edge of Darkest Devotion that there was no way I was just going to abandon this fanfic.
Well, that month was well spent. I figured out what my deal was. My problem was, I was getting bored not with the fic itself but of how I was writing it. Now, I don't know if you guys remember for those of you who have been with me since the very beginning of the first Darkness chapter, but I pumped that thing out pretty quickly. It was because of how I was telling the story. The frame story is something that I really enjoyed doing, and it was just working. It was fun to sort of explore the story in the same way that you did which was how I was pushing it out so fast, actually. Like, I knew some of the things that were going to happen in the story but it was as much of a surprise to me as it was to you honestly, and that made me excited to work on it.
Anyway I realized that I needed to do that this fanfic but I didn't know how so I took the rest of the month - after I figured out what my issue was - to come up with a way to fix this problem and I did, but fixing it took a lot of time. I didn't really know how to set up the frame story the way I wanted it, starting in media res the way we did with both Darkness and Once in the Winter's Tide (for those who don't know, that's my Bucky Barnes fanfic set in the same world and eventually they will merge up, so I suggest you read them both). I didn't really have a lot of time to write fanfic anyway for all of my other fanfics and have noticed a lack of updates in all of them.
Anyway, I'm rambling but my point is I'm really sorry that it took so long and I promise that I will do everything in my power to update on a regular basis from now on at least one every three weeks. Another thing is, I do work full-time but I have altered my schedule recently to give myself more time to write so hopefully that will show up in my updating but I also do have novels to write and like that and you know also have carpal tunnel and anyway, it sounds like I'm making excuses but I promise I will try to update this more regularly so we can get to the end and see what happens with our favorite Frost Giant and our favorite mutant-turned-Asgardian. And of course the babies.
So I hope you enjoy this new, revamped version of The Edge of Darkest Devotion. Please don't be mad. I love you all. Please let me know what you think. Hope you all are having a great winter holiday and I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you so much for your patience.
PS—this fic incorporates every Marvel everything there is: TV shows, movies, even some of the cartoons both old and new. If you get confused, feel free to shoot me a question. I would be happy to answer anything you want to know. Also, there will be spoilers for things that happened in the cannon universe up until this point (this is about 2-4 months before Captain America 3) as well as some changes to some events in the Agents of SHIELD tv show, all of which will be explained in the fic. So, yeah, I hope you enjoy. Love to you all.
The Edge of Darkest Devotion
Prologue
Winter Is Coming
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Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross marched down the corridor, the clop-clop of his boots echoing of the tombstone-gray tiles. A trio of babbling scientists followed in his way, chattering away about the specimen they were finally on their way to investigate. Words like "alien DNA," "hostile aliens," and "mutated chromosomes" bounced off the reinforced, supposedly Hulk-proof glass of the observation tanks the former lieutenant colonel stalked past on his way to the bottom level of the former SHIELD prison known as the Fridge. Apparently this latest acquisition heralded a breakthrough in quantum science, alien biology, applied genetics, and all sorts of other garbage fields Ross couldn't have cared less about.
The only thing that really mattered was this: the thing waiting for them in the basement had brought the Chitauri invasion in New York, a massive terrorist attack in London, disrupted the first meetings regarding the Sokovia Accords, and had a hand in the fall of SHIELD and the rise of both HYDRA and some kind of flesh-eating plague.
Ross only slowed, his stride hitching, when he caught sight of a dark-haired woman in a pristine white coat standing outside the holding cell. His pulse spiked, but it slowed when the woman turned to him and he realized it wasn't Betty, the daughter he hadn't spoken to in anything but a professional capacity since the Hulk incident several years before. He didn't recognize this woman—short but built, with a sweep of black hair cropped at her chin and a little more makeup than Ross personally felt a scientist should wear. Her black shirt and slacks stood out against the white lab coat, and she wore odd, fingerless black gloves that covered her palms and disappeared beneath the long sleeves of her shirt.
With her were three other science nerds—a Hispanic-looking woman, long black hair yanked back into a severe ponytail, a dark gaze like a hungry shark's; an older woman with chin-length auburn hair and crows' feet framing eyes the color of a roiling thunderstorm, thin lips quirked in a professional smile; and a scrawny kid with curly brown hair and wire-framed spectacles. Ross jerked to halt just close enough that he could intimidate them with his height, the breadth of his shoulders, the ice in his gaze.
The skinny kid stuck out a hand. "Dr. Leopold Fitz," he said, voice thick with Scottish brogue. "These are my colleagues, Dr. Summers, Dr. Palamas, and Dr. J—"
"Johnson," the woman with the gloves said. She and Dr. Palamas made a point not to extend their hands in greeting. Ross raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Probably some kind of "feminist" thing. Dr. Summers, old enough not to get wrapped up in stupid, fake social justice movements, shook his hand, though. "Skye Johnson," the younger doctor added. "This is a very impressive facility, Mr. Ross. Thank you for allowing us to visit."
"This isn't a party," Ross snapped. "I only agreed because you were recommended to this team by some people I have a lot of respect for." Glenn Talbot, for one; he'd been the President's right-hand when dealing with the enhanced, the inhumans, and the mutants. Maria Hill, who'd been the second-in-command of the director of SHIELD before his death and SHIELD's destruction by HYDRA. And Betty. She hadn't sent him a memo like Hill, and she was still refusing to speak to him at the staff meetings, but she'd signed off on all the paperwork Talbot had forwarded his way.
"Oh, we know that, sir," Skinny Nerd said. His ingratiating smile set Ross's teeth on edge. "But studying such a unique being, someone with such amazing powers…It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance."
Ross tossed a contemptuous glance at the glass. Had to fight his natural instincts and force his twitching fingers to loosen and remain at his sides. The cell's single occupant glared with eyes that flickered like a psychadelic neon light between scarlet, emerald, and electric blue. Ross forced back a shudder at the sheer freakishness of it.
He pointed at the specimen. "That thing is not a 'being' and it's certainly not amazing. It's a menace. If I had my way, it would've been exterminated, but your superior made certain that couldn't happen."
Drs. Fitz, Palamas, Summers, and Johnson turned to study the monster behind the reinforced glass. Ross wondered what it looked like to them. Did they only see a too-thin young woman, dark hair shorn close to her skull so that the paleness of her scalp peeked through? Jutting collarbones, sharp jaw, thin lips that peeled back in a feral snarl showing sharp, white teeth. A straitjacket and leather straps secured the thing to a reinforced adamantium rack that kept the prisoner upright for their study. Did they see a helpless woman or the alien thing hiding beneath that innocuous flesh?
Those shifting eyes—bloody crimson, green like emerald knives, half-insane blue—narrowed as they fixed on Ross's face. He tried to ignore the sense that the creature was looking at it. It was a two-way mirror, there was no way it could be watching.
If he'd had his way, he'd have put a bullet in the thing's head months ago instead of dumping millions upon millions of dollars into figuring out how to contain it so they could stop tranq'ing it into a coma like some kind of mutant elephant.
"So, you've brought me some friends," the creature hissed, rage simmering under the words. Thin, dark brows snapped together as the prisoner scowled. "Throwing the rabble at me won't stop me from snapping your spine when I get out of here, Thaddeus Ross. Nothing could make me forget my debt to you."
Dr. Johnson's jaw slackened. Ross noted with approval that her fingers trembled when she brushed them across the cell's single, large mirrored window. "She can see us?"
"It can sense us," Ross snarled. They couldn't try to humanize it. That was how it got under your skin. "You've got twenty minutes, but it won't answer your questions. It's been wholly uncooperative since we brought it here." Shooting another look dripping with contempt at the creature, Ross curled his lip. Dr. Johnson shot him a look, one elegant brow quirked in cold, scientific disdain. He sneered at her. "Good luck."
Pivoting on his heel, he stalked off back down the hall, trying to shove the image of Dr. Johnson from his mind. She looked enough like Betty that her presence rankled him. He'd intended to sit back and watch the interrogation, but not now. He couldn't focus properly. Better to just sit this one out.
.
Dr. Summers and Dr. Fitz—the only two real doctors of the four—glanced at the three scientists Ross had left to babysit them. SWORD? Or HAMMER? Knowing Ross, probably HAMMER, the more military version of SHIELD. SWORD tended to sit out anything SHIELD or HAMMER dealt with unless the problem made its way into orbit. But that wasn't a huge issue for the field team that had managed to wiggle their way into the Fridge. After all, Dr. Summers had been practicing this little trick for the last month under the new SHIELD Director's supervision.
Daisy Johnson—formerly known as Skye—glanced at the three HAMMER scientists the moment they stopped fidgeting, stopped glancing around at the fly buzzing through the hall, just stopped. Daisy shot a glance at Dr. Summers, who smiled faintly as her power pulsed through the halls, holding the scientists in stasis. The air rippled with energy like a low-grade heat wave.
"Fitz, Kara—cameras," Daisy ordered. "Cut the audio feed. We don't have a lot of time. Jean, can you get a fix on…" She made a face and gestured to the prisoner behind the glass. "Her?"
I've made contact, Dr. Jean Summers nee Grey replied, her voice drifting gently through Daisy's mind. This is who we came for, all right. Your Highness, do you know who I am? Daisy blinked, realizing Jean had looped her into the telepathic conversation with Ross's prisoner.
After what felt like an eternity, those psychedelic eyes fixed on Jean's face through the special mirror.
You are Dr. Jean Grey…No. Dr. Jean Summers, mother of Rachel. A member of the X-Men. Your companions…Those eyes darted to the other three members of the group. Dr. Leopold Fitz, SHIELD agent, scientist. Daisy Johnson, formerly known as Skye, codename Quake. Inhuman, agent of SHIELD, computer hacker. Protégée of Phil Coulson. And Kara Palamas, former SHIELD agent, probationary agent, codename Thirty-Three. Why are you here?
"Daisy," Fitz said, popping off his wire-rimmed spectacles and slipping them into a pocket. "I don't have time to crack the locks; I'll set off every alarm in the building if I rush it. Quake it for me, eh?"
"Sure thing." Daisy raised a hand, flexing her slender fingers. The air in front of her palm shimmered and the titanium keypad on the reinforced adamantium doors sparked. The doors slid open and Daisy and Dr. Summers rushed into the room. Daisy swore under her breath at the vicious cold that slapped her cheeks and bit through her fingers to the bone. "We're here to get you out," she said, arrowing for the dark-haired woman with the shifting eyes. "Coulson sent us. Ow!" She yanked her hand back from the metal buckles latching the straps around the straitjacket. Pain sizzled through her fingertips. "What the hell? What is this stuff?"
Dr. Summers stepped forward. "Let me." Gray eyes narrowed as the buckles clacked, shuddered, and cracked into pieces. "Dr. Fitz, you're going to have to collect samples of this metal. It seems to react badly to Inhuman, mutant, and Asgardian DNA. As for you, Your Highness…" The leather straps fell away as the pieces of buckle clattered to the floor. "I'm assuming you can get out of that jacket?"
The dark-haired woman's eyes flashed scarlet and black brows snapped together. Lines of strain etched deep into the pale forehead and she flexed her shoulders, gritting those sharp, white teeth in a snarl as canvas stretched, popped, ripped apart. Shreds of canvas fell to the floor and the woman stepped away from her personal prison, cracking her neck and rolling her shoulders before straightening almost to her full, rather impressive height—almost, because the shoulders still hunched a little, as if expecting a blow.
Daisy took a step back. She didn't know what she'd expected when getting the mission brief—there hadn't been any pictures of their target, only a vague description—but it hadn't been this.
The woman towered more than half a foot over Kara, the tallest non-alien there. But her bones pressed against her skin, the cheekbones razor sharp and the flesh so pale the veins stood out like branching bruises. Those changing eyes flickered before settling into a green so dark it glittered like obsidian, slashing malachite knives that raked over Daisy, Jean, Fitz, and Kara. A shrug of those wide shoulders plucked a jade green coat from nowhere; the woman yanked it on over the olive green shirt and black trousers that tucked into her black leather boots, settling the gray-furred collar against her neck. The slender, artist's hand ran over the shorn black stubble fuzzing the pale scalp. The malachite eyes fixed on Daisy. Ice shot down her spine.
"Phillip son of Coul sent you?" The words rasped in the air.
Daisy nodded. "He said you're our first priority—" She jerked back when those teeth snapped together loud enough to make her own teeth hurt. She swallowed hard; there was very little that was sane in that face.
"Where is Thea Valerian-Odinson?"
Fitz stepped up, hands held up in the universal gesture of no-harm. "We don't actually—"
"Where?!"
"Hey!" Daisy snapped. Those eyes flickered to vicious, electric blue. "Look, I know you're scared for her. You're scared for all of them. I know, I get it. But we—don't—know—where—she—is. Okay? And you flipping out on us isn't going to make her just pop up out of thin air. We're here to get you first, because Coulson thinks you can help us find the others. Okay? But we need to go—now. So you can either come with us, or wait for Ross the Douche Bag to come back. Your choice."
The hunched shoulders jerked as their target sucked in a sharp breath. A muscle flexed in her jaw and those long fingers convulsed into fists. Despite Coulson's reassurances, Daisy thought of everything the dossier had said this person was capable of and couldn't stop herself from imagining those fingers curling around her throat, squeezing the life from her.
"Take me to Phillip, then."
Daisy nodded and spun on her heel. "All right, everybody, we're coming out hot." She tapped the miniature earpiece and swore. "Still jamming our comms down here. Jean—"
I've contacted Agent Coulson and Agent May, May knows to expect us. Her steely eyes sliced down the hall. We have to go. Now. Ross is coming back.
"What? Why?" Daisy jogged back into the corridor, trying to ignore the prickles of ice at her back as their target prowled behind her. "Fitz, you said he didn't like science stuff; why is he coming back?"
"I don't know," Fitz muttered. "I might have triggered some kind of alarm. Dr. Summers, can you hold him?"
Jean drew a long, deep, even breath and held it. Her eyes zeroed in on the approaching figure, still over a hundred yards away, and General Ross suddenly stopped walking. A thin trickle of blood dripped from Jean's left nostril to stain her pristine lab coat.
"Hurry," she gritted from between clenched teeth. "Telepathy isn't my strong point."
"I got doors," Daisy said, hustling to the elevator closest to the cell. She'd hacked and jammed it before their arrival, forcing Ross to take them the long way to the holding cell so that when the time came, HAMMER would be forced to send their reinforcements that way, too. A few taps at the keypad, a blast of Kree energy, and the elevator doors slid open with a muted ding. "All aboard, ladies and gentlemen. Illegal alien prisons, basement. SHIELD antics and escapades, first floor."
Maybe it was her imagination, but she could've sworn their new team member laughed.
Just as Jean, last of the team to hop on the elevator, lowered her arms, Ross and the HAMMER scientists started shouting. The doors slid shut as Ross pulled his service weapon. Daisy flung her arms up and a bullet pinged against the shimmering force field that snapped up in front of the elevator controls. Fitz punched a button and the elevator shot up the shaft.
"Nice shot…Quake," Jean muttered, wiping at the blood on her upper lip. "You should've been born a mutant."
Daisy huffed a laugh. "No, thanks. Happy being an Inhuman. May, come in." She pressed a finger to her ear. Shook her head. "Comms are still down. Has Ross called for backup yet?"
"They'll be waiting." That rasping voice had deepened, roughened. Daisy turned and tried not to jump back from the man standing at the back of the elevator—still in the same olive shirt and black pants and boots with the wolf-trimmed coat the woman had worn, still with the buzzed hair and the vicious bruises under those emerald eyes. "You should let me handle them."
Daisy exchanged a wary glance with Fitz. "We don't typically kill when we're up against our own."
One jade eye slashed to her face. "These people held me captive and tortured me for ten months. They have Thea somewhere, but they wouldn't let me see her, wouldn't even tell me if she was all right. They kidnapped my children—" He broke off when Daisy winced and held a finger to her ear. She muttered something obscene under her breath.
"What?" Kara demanded. "Was that your comm? What did Coulson say?"
She flexed her jaw and pursed her lips, studying the man looming behind them. One knife-thin, black brow arched upward. Daisy sighed and muttered, "Coulson says to let him make a path for us, and the Director will answer for anything that happens—gah!" A high-pitched whine shrilled through the elevator. Daisy yelped a vile word and yanked the earwig out of her ear, dropping it to the floor as it sparked and crackled. "Ross jammed us again! Gawd, I hate that guy."
Fitz stared at her. "You all right?" She nodded, muttering more obscenities under her breath. "Why would Coulson say that? About her…him fighting for us?"
"Because of who I am, and what I am," the man said softly. He glanced once, disdainfully, at the sparking earwig. Stretched out a hand. Ice crackled as it spread over the comm piece, encasing it in a thick layer of wintry blue.
Kara raised an eyebrow. "Impressive."
"So who are you?" Daisy asked as the elevator surged through the layers of underground HAMMER facility sub-basement floors. "All I know is that you're not an Inhuman and you're supposed to be incredibly valuable, and that because of you, the Chitauri invaded New York City five years ago. Also you're supposed to be an Avenger, but I've never seen you on the news."
Thin lips curled at one corner into a smirk edged with bitterness. "I was reluctantly allowed to be an Avenger. But as for who I am, and why Phil Coulson trusts me…It's simple, really. I'm married to a very powerful mutant, one with empathic and telepathic powers that SHIELD does not want in the hands of HAMMER or HYDRA or anyone else. A mutant who can bring an enemy down with a thought. And he trusts me because I'm married to his daughter, and the father of his grandchildren."
Daisy remembered a moment later to close her mouth. "You're talking about Mirage. The illusionist. Mirage is Coulson's daughter? You're Mirage's husband?"
Kara frowned. "Who's Mirage?"
"A former member of the X-Men. She tutored Daisy on the finer points of using her powers." Fitz shook his head. "Coulson wouldn't keep something like that from us. Something that important. Why—"
"Because he'd expect me to tell you. Or rather," with a sidelong glance at Jean, "expect you to verify my information, to ensure I'm not one of Ross's…abominations posing as Loki Odinson."
Well, that made sense, Daisy thought. They'd gone up against hostile mutants, Inhumans, the Enhanced. Who knew what kind of monsters Ross had managed to make down here?
"Okay," Daisy said. "We've got about five minutes before this bucket comes to a stop. You got five minutes to convince me you, the guy who stabbed Coulson through the heart and are partially responsible for the alien DNA floating through his bloodstream, are Mirage's husband and trustworthy enough to fight with us."
A blink. Two. Loki glanced first at Daisy, then at Jean. "So little faith in your leader…but I understand. Thea always said he was a bit too trusting. So here. Proof enough of who I am, since you know what Thea can do."
Jean straightened up abruptly, blinking as if startled by something. Gray eyes glazed, Jean's attention turning inward. "This isn't Mirage's—"
"It's my brother's."
"Daisy, you need to see this—"
"Show me," she said, understanding in an instant just what Loki was doing. "Show me now."
An image slammed into Daisy's mind with all the finesse of a rampaging bull. She staggered back, shoulder blades smacking into the elevator wall, as the moist, green scent of dewy grass tickled her nose and the world faded into smears of color for a brief instant while a memory flooded her brain like data being downloaded to a flashdrive. Coulson had said this was possible between telepaths; it had to be Jean's work. The recollection didn't play out like a movie in her head—it was just suddenly there, a part of her own memories, as if she'd lived the events herself. Daisy blinked, pressing fingertips to her temple, as the alien memories unfolded, giving her an in-depth look into the mind of the Avenger named Thor, brother of Loki…
.
The morning dawned fresh and golden in Asgard, sweeping away the spring's night chill and leaving dewdrops glittering on the grass and spring birds serenading the Realm. Today was the third day of Princess Althea's residence in Asgard. Today was the day that the Avengers—minus Thor—would return to Earth. But that was for later in the evening. This morning was intended to be filled with good food, storytelling, talk amongst old comrades, and surreptitious observation of the green-eyed prince and his bride. Seeing the change in Loki's demeanor when he spent any amount of time with Thea fascinated everyone.
Thor stepped into the dining hall a few hours after dawn and smiled to see Steven, Tony, Banner, and Coulson enjoying breakfast with Thor's brothers. The twins, Hermod and Balder, had taken a liking to young Captain Rogers during his brief stay. They were—relatively—close in age, and Steven seemed to relax around the twins in a way he rarely did among his fellow Avengers. Perhaps because, like Steven, Hermod and Balder had seen battle, lost friends, and suffered the effects of being nearly immortal when so many of the things they loved and treasured were not.
Tony had hit it off immediately with Tyr, Odin's eldest son, and now the two of them laughed uproariously at some ribald joke. Volstagg and Fandral joined in. Banner, usually so reserved, smiled at whatever Tony had said. Hogun, a match for Banner's quietude, smiled as well.
Víðarr sat a little ways apart, enjoying breakfast with his wife, Bellalyse. Sif ate quietly as well. Thor noticed two empty seats on her left and another on her right. Smiling, he took the single seat on the right, which put him between the warrior maiden and Coulson.
"Good morning, Sif," Thor said as a serving maid brought a platter of breakfast meats and another server brought a bowl of fruit. He nodded to his Midgardian friend. "Son of Coul."
Coulson smiled. "Son of Odin." Then that smile sharpened at one corner into a smirk. "Donald."
Thor grinned. "It was a clever ruse, was it not?"
A minute shake of the head made the crown prince smile even wider. "We flagged your identity as false the moment we ran it through our computers. We knew you were lying. We just wanted to see what you intended to do once you were out. We didn't expect you to get Dr. Selvig drunk."
With a shrug and a smile, Thor said, "We drank, we fought. He made his ancestors proud. It was a good day, despite everything that had happened." Such as hearing—and believing—that his father was dead. An echo of that old pain tightened like an iron band across his chest before the prince shoved it away. His father was well, his twin brother returned to him. He had new kin in the form of his sister-in-law and little Sophie. Things were good now. Despite the conflicts sweeping through the Nine Realms, despite the whispers at court because Loki had been released from prison, today life was good.
And life got a bit better when a delighted squeal echoed through the dining hall. Small feet tapped sharp and quick on the smooth, stone floor as the voice of a young child cried, "Unka Tor!" Thor twisted around on the dining bench in time to scoop up a small toddler in a green and gold dress, hoisting her into his arms so that her sable curls bounced and she squealed happily. Emerald eyes just like her father's sparkled with excitement.
"An escaped prisoner, I see," Thor said with a grin. Sophie giggled and slid her arms around Thor's neck. "And where, pray tell, are your wardens?" Blue eyes followed the little finger that pointed toward the entrance to the dining hall. A tight knot of something, something that the Asgardian always carried in his chest when Loki was out of his sight, suddenly eased and uncoiled.
Loki stood in the shadow of the wide doorway, a soft look on his usually aloof features. Thin lips curved into a smile as he spoke quietly to the slender woman beside him—Thea. Her silvery blue eyes danced as she wriggled like an excited child. She seemed to be pleading with Loki for something. The Frost Giant sighed and took Thea's hand, brushing his lips across her knuckles. Thea's eyebrows rose and pressed her lips together in a comical expression that made Loki sigh again, roll his eyes, and nod. She made a squeaking sound that drew everyone's attention as she threw her arms around Loki's neck.
"Daddy say Mommy can tell now," Sophie murmured, beaming. "Good. Secrets is hard to keep secret."
Thor frowned at her. "What secret, little one?"
Instead of answering, Sophie gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth. She gazed up at her favorite uncle with wide eyes and shook her head, making a funny, muffled sound of negation. But then she smiled a sly sort of smile, one that fairly screamed I know something you don't know, and giggled.
Adopting a mock-fierce scowl, Thor growled, "What secret?" He tickled Sophie's ribs and she laughed.
"Not telling, not telling! Daddy! Unka Tor trying make me tell!"
"I will take that," Loki said, drawing near and plucking Sophie from Thor's lap. "Thank you." Settling his daughter on his hip, Loki smiled at her. "There; you're safe now, darling." Sophie snuggled against him. Thor chuckled; they'd learned in the single full day the little family had been in this Realm that once she latched on, it would take the strength of ten Asgardians to pry Sophie off of the father she'd only found two days ago.
Balder propped his elbows on the table, since Frigga wasn't there to chastise him. Smiling at his brothers, he asked, "What secret is the little princess referring to, Loki? Tell us."
Hermod nodded. "Yes, you must tell. What is it?"
Loki glanced at Thea, who slowly—almost shyly—approached the breakfast table. His entire body, usually held sharp and rigid, ready for a battle with anyone who might try to match that icy temper and infamously venomous tongue…suddenly went soft and loose. A smile that was becoming increasingly familiar spread across the pale face. Emerald eyes warmed like sunlight through green glass. But there was something more than tenderness in Loki's expression now. Something more than love in his gaze. Adoration melted the harshness from his features as he held out a hand to Thea, who threaded her fingers through his as she drew near.
"Do you wish to tell them?" Loki asked. Thor noticed the way he tucked Thea against his side as if sheltering her; the way his thumb brushed gently back and forth across the back of her hand.
This was the hand, the crown prince realized, that she'd burned so badly as a little girl. He couldn't see her palm, but one side of her hand was smooth and almost shiny, covered in scarring from the burn she had sustained once when her eldest brother had been practicing with his mutant powers. It was also the hand that bore her gold wedding ring with its vivid emerald glinting like a green star when she moved her heart-finger.
Thea opened her mouth, shot a wary look at Coulson of all people, and closed it again. Coulson raised an eyebrow before focusing on Loki. The fostered prince suddenly stiffened beneath that cool gaze. Thea glanced at her husband, then at her adoptive father. Coulson took a sip from his mug.
"Phillip, son of Coul," Loki said, his voice strained. "I owe you a great deal. I must ask your pardon for—"
"The really big scar on my chest?" Coulson asked without inflection. He shrugged. "Felt like I was dying…but I didn't. And the only reason I didn't was because you healed me. And the only reason I got my daughter back was because you sent me to go find her. You kept her alive in that place. You kept her and Sophie alive. You don't owe me anything. I'm the one who owes you, since apparently the illusion thing you made of me ended up shooting you through a wall."
Loki huffed a laugh. The tension seeped out of him like poison draining from a wound. "Well, I did infuse it with your memories and personality."
"That means if it had really been you, you would've shot him too, Phil," Thea said with a grin. She shook her head. "Shame, shame, shame. Good thing we got married before you got your hands on a shotgun." Coulson grinned back at her.
Sophie stared at her grandfather with eyes so wide Thor thought they might pop out of her head. "Gampa…you shoot Daddy?"
Coulson eyed his granddaughter. Thor had the suspicion he'd momentarily forgotten about her, since she was half-hidden by Loki's body. "Uh…with a water pistol. Got him all wet. It was terrible. I ruined his hair."
A disdainful sniff from the prince in question. "Alas. My hair. The horror."
"You're not going to distract us," Tyr said around a large mouthful of sausage. Sophie made a face at her uncle's manners. "Tell us this secret."
Silvery blue eyes flicked to Coulson again as Thea and Loki took the two empty seats on Sif's left, putting Sif between Thea and Thor. Thea made stalling noises while she accepted a plate of sausage and eggs and a bowl of creamy, honeyed porridge. At Loki's quiet insistence, she also got a mug of fresh milk. A sliver of suspicion wiggled into the back of Thor's mind. They had a secret…Loki seemed impossibly happy…Thea seemed concerned about Coulson's reaction to the secret, whatever it was…and now Loki was insisting Thea drink milk instead of cider or juice…
Thea brushed back a lock of hair and took a sip of milk. "Wow. This does not taste like the milk at home. This stuff is way better." She took another sip and appeared to be trying to hide in the cup when Tyr cleared his throat and gave her a fond look. She sighed. "Okay, so…well, see, Loki has really strong magic."
Thor's brows rose toward his hairline. Not what he'd expected her to say.
"And his magic is really good for different things, like…sensing stuff. Right when it happens." Thea was eyeing her father now, who'd pursed his lips and sat watching her with patient eyes, like a fox watching the entrance to a rabbit's den. Slowly, one brow began to slide up his forehead. Thea swallowed. "So that's how we know that…that even though it's only been about forty-eight hours…Dad, stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you're about to ground me," she muttered, smiling and eating some scrambled eggs. "I'm twenty-seven. A grownup. I moved out two days ago. And I have a job and everything. Well, had a job. I guess I have a new job. Anyway, you can't ground me for this. I'm a grownup. So you can't."
Coulson smiled. "Let me be the judge of that. What can't I ground you for?"
"Well…okay, don't freak out. But I'm, uh…we are—"
Exasperated with her mother's nervous dance of words, Sophie made an impatient noise and cried, "Mommy gonna have a baby!"
Everyone froze. Coulson's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. The corner of his mouth twitched. He shot Loki a look, but Loki was busy worshipping Thea with his gaze and didn't appear to notice. Thor had to wonder if Loki would notice the crown prince thwacking him on the head a few times with Mjölnir. He doubted it.
The SHIELD agent said, "You guys are already planning another kid? You just got back together. Live a little bit first. Have a second honeymoon. You've still got the little hellion to worry about." To Loki he added, "Once she gets used to you, the hijinks start. Trust me."
Thea glanced at Sophie, now sitting half on her mother's lap and half on Loki's. She brushed a gentle hand over Sophie's hair before looking back to her father. "No, we're not planning on having another kid. We didn't plan this. The beginning of the second honeymoon sort of took care of it for us."
There was approximately twenty seconds of silence, and then everyone seemed to grasp what Thea was saying all in one instant. Everyone started talking at once, asking questions, congratulating them, but Coulson's voice could be heard above the rest. "You're pregnant again? Your mother is going to be thrilled, but Theo's going to come after you."
The former mortal groaned and dropped her face into her hands. From a little ways down the table, Tyr asked, "Who is Theo?"
"My twin brother and a world champion pain in the neck. He loves to tease people about everything. He was horrible with Sophie and Ashley," she added with a rueful smile and a shake of her head. "I still remember when he told them where rainbows come from. Jeez. Yeah, he's going to be cracking jokes about me being preggers after being here for only a couple days. The only reason we even know is because of Loki's magic."
Bellalyse pushed back her dark hair. With an inviting smile, she said, "Well, this is wonderful! Víðarr and I were going to make our own announcement this morning, as well." And Víðarr gave Bellalyse the same sort of syrupy look Loki was currently bestowing on Thea.
The congratulations began all over again. Sophie wriggled off the bench to trot over to Bellalyse and look up at her with solemn green eyes for a long moment. The former Vanir smiled beatifically at the child. Sophie cocked her head like a little bird puzzling something out. She looked at Bellalyse, then at her mother, then back to Bellalyse. Finally she said, "You gonna have a baby too?"
"That's right."
"When…when da baby comes, I can touch it?" Sophie asked hopefully. "An' say hi? We be friends?"
"Of course," Bellalyse murmured. "That would be wonderful."
Sophie nodded. "Yeah. I like babies." She raced back to her parents and climbed back onto their laps. In between grunts of effort, she managed to say, "Mommy, Mommy! There be two babies now!"
Thea kissed the top of her daughter's head. "That's right. Two babies. You'll have two new friends in a little while."
At that, Sophie grew solemn again. "But…but Ashy still my best friend." Sophie frowned. A tiny wrinkle formed between her little black eyebrows. "Mommy…can Ashy spend da night here? Wif me? I miss her."
"I know, baby," Thea said. She exchanged a glance with Loki, who hesitated before giving her a look that suggested caution. Thea nodded over Sophie's head and added, "We'll talk to Grandpa Odin about it later, okay? See what he says. There might be a rule against it or something. So we'll have to see."
The little girl nodded again with a small sigh before snagging a spoon and scooping up a mouthful of porridge. "Mmm," she said, and swallowed. "I like porridge." She beamed up at her mother. "Is just right. Like in da story."
"Okay, before I get distracted," Banner said, breaking his silence to venture into the conversation. Up until this point, he'd only opened his mouth to eat and to congratulate Thea and Bellalyse. "Thea, you mentioned something about your brother and his explanation for rainbows? What's that about?"
A heavy sigh. "I'm gonna let Sophie explain that one. Sophie, honey. You remember when you asked Uncle Theo where rainbows come from?"
Mouth full of porridge, Sophie nodded. She swallowed audibly and then, to Thor's surprise, actually wiped her mouth with a napkin without having to be reminded. But then the Asgardian remembered that, like Thea, Sophie had a photographic memory. Of course she would remember something like that. Covering her mouth to stifle a tiny burp, Sophie fiddled with her spoon while she said, "Yeah. He fibbed."
"And what did he say?" Thea asked. "Tell Dr. Bruce what he said."
Twisting to get a better look at Banner, Sophie said, "So, so…so Unka Teo said that rainbows, that rainbows come from water monsters. An' they k'nap fairies an' smush dem up inside big cans full of poison," at this point Thea was massaging her temples, "an' then dey make paints outta fairy blood an' then they put invisible chains on little invisible air fairy people an' paint rainbows on 'em."
The adults stared at the child for several long moments before focusing on Thea, who looked torn between wanting to slam her head into the tabletop and crawling under the table to hide.
"Holy shi—shipwrecks," Tony muttered. "Your brother's got problems, Princess."
Thea nodded as if she'd heard that said many times. "His power gives him an unhealthy—at least I think it's unhealthy—preoccupation with creepy stuff. Like, he's the one who showed Sophie the movie Igor."
"Puh da sitch!" Sophie cried, grinning.
Her mother grinned back. "Eva!"
"Nooo, not Eva! Evil! S'posed to be evil!" Sophie complained, thunking her head back against Thea's chest hard enough to make Thea grunt.
"Just wait till you're a teenager, baby-cakes," Thea said with a grin. "Then you'll really think I'm evil."
.
The elevator began to slow as Daisy finished processing the information the memory download had given her. She stared at the man, the alien—Loki Odinson, would-be conqueror of New York City, brother of Thor, husband of Mirage—and realized that memory was over two years old. It had come before the Battle of London, before the supposed fall of SHIELD, before the rise of the Inhumans. Before Daisy herself had even been taken in by SHIELD.
These people held me captive and tortured me for ten months…
Coulson had been more and more closed off since becoming the SHIELD Director. She'd thought it was the pressure, the strain of the Kree blood in his veins and the new responsibilities, on top of his dislike of Mirage working with SHIELD and the Inhumans to help them learn to control their powers. And then Mirage had disappeared, Ward has escaped and returned with Kara, HYDRA had risen again, SHIELD had nearly fractured itself trying to do the right thing for a swiftly-changing world, and that world had fallen apart for the umpteenth time. And Coulson had become more and more aloof, less like the guy Daisy knew. Even Mae had been worried.
What had been happening behind the scenes, with the mutants and Mirage and the Asgardians and all of that, in the last three years? Coulson was keeping things from the team. Daisy had the sneaking suspicion Loki knew what at least some of those things were.
And the little girl in the memory. Sophie. Where was she? With Mirage? And what about the t—
"Daisy?" Fitz ventured. "You all right?"
She realized Kara and Jean were staring at her, too. She nodded. "Yeah, I…Yeah. He's legit." If he wasn't, Jean would've been able to tell. Her telepathy wasn't as strong as Mirage's older teacher, but Professor Xavier had assigned Jean to the team just for this reason—to ensure this man was who he claimed to be.
The elevator jolted to a stop. The ding echoed cheerfully through the metal box.
Loki surged forward, straightening his shoulders. Cruelty settled across his pale, angular face like an icy mask. The wolf-coat brushed against Daisy's side, crackling with restrained energy. Loki raised his hands, flexing those long fingers so they twitched like white spider legs, and drew a slow breath. When his sleeves dipped below his wrists, black lines peeked past the hems of his coat-sleeves—jagged lines of darkness etched deep into his skin. A tattoo? She couldn't tell. For some reason, staring at it for too long made her eyes water and her vision blur.
Loki's hands snapped together with a soft clap as the elevator doors began to hiss open. He wrenched them apart, and a cube of glowing, twisting shadow-and-sapphire appeared between his palms.
Daisy stepped around him to get a look at his face and fought the shiver skittering down her spine at the cold deadness in his eyes.
"As my wife often says," he whispered, as the doors slid further apart, "brace yourselves."
"Why?"
"Because winter is coming."
The doors snapped fully open as Ross gave a shout. Loki's lips peeled back in a feral smile and cobalt energy flashed across Daisy's vision. Ice crackled and men screamed as they scrambled to escape. Gunshots echoed and bullets thunked into the wave of ice that spread across the corridor.
Loki never lost that half-mad smile.
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Author's Note: so that was my prologue. I hope it left you with questions. That is what I was trying to do, just like what I did with the prologue for the original fic. Please let me know what you think. I swear I will try to do better about updating. I know I keep saying that, sorry for that too but I promise I will try.
Also, random thing, my beta didn't get back to me with her edits before the New Year but I didn't want to disappoint you guys so hopefully I don't have to do anything too crazy besides a random typo or anything for chapters 1 & 2 (she did edit the prologue so it's fine). Huggles! Happy New Year!