A Girl & Her God--A God & His Girl

by xXBlack'BladeXx

She's a girl from Midgard, he's a god from Asgard, and together they make up one strange, little family. It's not always easy and nothing's ever really normal, but they never expected it to be. And as long as they're together, it's all good! Short stories and one-shots; Loki & OC (no romance); main story to come later-for now, enjoy these tasty, little tidbits!

6. Until the Realms Tumble Down pt 2

Until The Realms Tumble Down (pt. 2)

Need to know(s): the second half of the two-parter. Remember, takes Place in between the end of the main story I'm writing and Brynn's sixteenth birthday, which is why she's fifteen here.

I feel like I should discuss some of my rules and headcanons for Loki here, since this is where some of them really do start to make an appearance. Let's cover the main culprits in this ficlet for now.

- Loki uses magic to keep himself looking like a normal Asgardian, much Like how Mystique in X-Men First Class uses her powers to look like a normal woman as opposed to her true form. My headcanon is that Odin originally cast the spell upon Loki when he found him as a baby, Loki broke the spell when he used the Casket of Ancient Winters on Heimdall, and now uses the spell himself to look normal. It's kind of like a glamor spell I guess, but it literally changes his eye color and skin tone, instead of just masking it. It's also basically continuous, but it can, has, and does break from time to time, usually when Loki has decided to let it. And since it is something he has total control over, he can let it slip by degrees instead of completely breaking as well.

- Loki has, can, and sometimes does use his Frost Giant powers. It just doesn't happen a lot, mainly because it's just not what he's used to.

- Also just another little concept to clear up: I know I call Loki Asgardian most of the time when he is, in fact, Jotun. I do this because of Loki's current state of mind in these stories. At this point, Loki sees himself more Asgardian the Jotun: He was raised Asgardian, taught Asgardian things, Looks Asgardian over 90% of the time, lived on Asgard all his life, adopted by the Asgardian royal family, knows nothing else but Asgardian everything—he is, for most intents and purposes, an Asgardian. Again, He very rarely does much with his Jotun side, not necessarily because he's ashamed of it at this point, but because it's not how he was raised or sees himself. So because he sees himself as Asgardian and Brynn sees him as Asgardian, I see him as Asgardian. Fair?

Theme song: Now You're a Home ~ Christian Reindl ft. Ruuth

Characters: Brynn, Loki, Thor, Nick Fury, various OCs

Rating: T (language)

Genre: Family, Friendship

Summary: Upon their return home, Loki and Brynn discover that S.H.I.E.L.D. is on the cusp of making the decision that will seal the fate of their future. The question of whether it's going to be a single future or two separate ones remains.

---

"O-okay…"Brynn mumbled, sounding dazed and looking rather dizzy as she clung to Loki, who held her in his arms, "… that felt… really weird…."

The god snickered as he watched the girl gaze around as though she were inebriated. "Can you now see why I insisted upon carrying you?" he inquired. Back in the Bifrost the pair had argued regarding whether Brynn should traverse the rainbow bridge on her own or whether Loki should carry her through it. Loki had pointed out that the experience of traveling through the Bifrost for the first time could be extremely intense for an Asgardian, let alone a Midgardian. Not to mention the fact that Brynn was still recovering from the battle to overthrow the coup. Brynn had pointed out that she wasn't a little girl, and, despite being a human, was neither weak nor frail. She'd also reminded the man that it had been two and a half weeks since the battle, and she'd been told by the healers that she'd made a full recovery from her wounds, despite how Loki remained worried over it. And what about his recovery from the battle? He'd been hurt as well! Wouldn't the trip put a strain on him, too, especially if he was carrying her?

It had taken a good fifteen to twenty minutes before Brynn had finally, however begrudgingly, relented. To be honest Loki was rather amazed that the teen had given in at all, as she was usually quite stubborn when trying to get her way, especially when it came to any such situation that could cause her embarrassment, and took it as a sign that he was right in his conclusion that she was still recovering. He also had a slight suspicion it had something to do with the stress over what was potentially awaiting them with S.H.I.E.L.D. Whatever the reason, Brynn just didn't seem to have it in her to put up a good argument with him at the moment and, frankly, Loki was a bit pleased by that. He was quickly discovering that arguing with a teenaged girl never got easier—even when she no longer despised you. So anything that shortened their arguments was welcome.

Besides, he was right anyway.

Brynn blushed as she looked back at the god with an indignant scowl. Or as indignant of a scowl as she could muster up; she was still a bit stunned from the journey through the bridge. "Just because I understand it now, doesn't mean I'm any happier about it," she pointed out. "You carried me like I was a baby in front of Mr. Freaky Eyes."

"Heimdall," Loki corrected as he gave the girl a scolding look. "I'm not the fondest of the man, but he does deserve respect. And believe me when I say that I'm certain this was hardly the first time he's seen me carry you: He can see nearly everything occurring on Midgard, so I'm sure he's witnessed me carrying you around before."

That didn't seem to appease the teen, as her glower only deepened and her face flushed redder. "That doesn't make it better," she hissed.

Loki simply smirked and rolled his eyes with a snort. "Well, we're home now," he stated. "If you wish for him to bear witness to your humiliation no longer, why haven't you attempted to stand on your own?"

Brynn narrowed her eyes at the man, not appreciating his teasing. As if feeling utterly helpless in front of Heimdall hadn't been enough…. "Fine," she snarled. "I'll get down then." With that she scrambled and pushed her way out of her brother's arms, only to promptly fall rather inelegantly to the ground. "Oof!" The girl shook off her daze and stood again. She brushed herself off before turning her gaze back to Loki and giving him a firm and confident nod before spinning on a heel and marching away. Or at least, she attempted to march away. After turning to leave, Brynn was suddenly overcome with another rush of dizziness and she stumbled back. "Whoa-oh!"

Ever protective and faithful, Loki caught the child before she fell. "Easy," he warned her. "Don't move quite so quickly yet. Your bearings are still settling from the journey through the bridge."

Squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head in an attempt to make the world stop spinning, Brynn muttered, "I don't think I like the Rainbow Bridge." She dared to open her eyes again and was thankful to find the world settling back to normal around her. The girl looked up to meet her brother's emerald gaze. "Is this how it'll be every time?"

Loki smiled. "It will be easier to endure once you have completely recovered your strength," he assured her. The god helped the teen stand up straight again, keeping a cautious hand around her arm in case she should stumble or fall again. "Do you think you can manage on your own now?" he questioned as he carefully looked her over.

Brynn was quiet for a moment as she did some self-checking. The world wasn't moving, she didn't feel quite as shaky, but with her luck that probably wouldn't matter and she'd still fall flat on her face if she tried to walk on her own again. "Um…" she cleared her throat, feeling embarrassed about what she was about to admit, "… it might not be the worst idea if, uh… i-if you help me." She couldn't stop her voice from turning into a soft, awkward mutter as she said this. Nor could she keep the glaring blush from her face. All the blonde could do was keep her eyes turned stubbornly forward and refuse to meet her guardian's tickled gaze.

Loki chuckled at the girl, clearly seeing how hard she was trying to hide her shame. The Asgardian bowed his head and kissed the crown of the child's head, overcome by either a brotherly urge to deepen her embarrassment or simply because Brynn charmed him so, he wasn't sure. "You are utterly adorable," he declared with all sincerity.

"That's kind of a weird thing to say."

"And why is that?"

"Our relationship."

"You're claiming a brother shouldn't be able to pronounce that his adorable baby sister is, in fact, adorable?"

Brynn whipped around to give the god an indignant look. "Well, maybe if she's actually a baby. But I'm not a baby—I'm almost sixteen!"

Loki snickered. "Compared to me," he remarked mischievously, "that does make you a baby, Brynn."

His charge perched a fist on her hip and gave him a flat stare. "Yeah, well, compared to you, Grandpa was a baby," she said. "So that's not really sayin' much, Merlin."

"Nevertheless," Loki insisted, that irksome smile never leaving his lips.

Brynn rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the scalding heat in her face. "Let's just go inside, okay?" she huffed, lowering her head so her hair hid her beet red face.

Chuckling softly, Loki wrapped an arm around the girl and gave her a small squeeze before leading her towards the house, making sure to keep a careful hold on her so that she wouldn't fall in case she became dizzy again. "You know I only tease you because you're my little sister," he murmured. As much as he enjoyed getting Brynn's goat from time to time, and despite how the girl could usually handle what he dished out and deliver it back to him, the god also realized that she could be rather sensitive about some topics. He was also aware that being viewed as strong and capable was one of these topics.

"I know," Brynn muttered back. And she did know that.

"And you know I don't think of you as an infant."

"I know."

"… But you do realize just how cute you are, do you not?"

At that, Brynn raised her head and gave her brother an impish smirk. "Duh," she replied. "That was key in charming you into my trap after all."

"Your trap?" Loki repeated, looking skeptically amused.

"Mm-hmm."

"And what kind of trap might that be?"

"One that ensnares you and leaves you at the mercy of my unbelievably cute quirkiness until you either die from the sweetness of it or fall victim to it and convert from the darkness to a place of kittens and rainbows."

Loki burst out laughing. "Oh-ho!" he exclaimed. "So, that's how it worked."

"Well, how else did you think it worked?" Brynn teased.

"Hmm, as I've stated, it's no doubt you're cute. And it goes without say that you are rather quirky and charming."

"Don't forget absolutely gorgeous." Brynn dramatically flipped her golden locks as if to prove her point.

At that Loki raised an eyebrow and smirked. "All right, now," he snorted. "Let's not get too cocky here, Brynna May. I can see I have my work cut out for me in trying to knock the conceitedness…" the god suddenly trailed off and turned his attention towards the house. Stiffening, he instinctively pulled Brynn closer to him and positioned himself between her and the house as a protective barrier.

Alarmed by this, the teenager looked up at the man's once beaming and playful face to see it darkened and hard. "Loki?" Her voice was suddenly at a whisper.

"We're not alone," Loki stated, his voice also quiet.

"What?"

"Someone is here."

"Who?"

"I don't know, but they're in the house."

Heart leaping to her throat, Brynn held on tighter to her guardian, peeking around him at the building before them. Her mind raced along with her heart. Who could possibly be in there? Was it S.H.I.E.L.D. people already ready to hand down their decision? But there weren't any government looking vehicles around, and surely someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. would have arrived in something like that. Was it simple intruders? Had some lowlifes decided to rob and vandalize the house while they'd been away? And then the most terrifying thought occurred to the fifteen-year-old and the bottom dropped out of her stomach as she quivered. What if it was another enemy of Loki's—someone else who wanted to hurt or use him? That last thought had Brynn wrapping her arms around the Asgardian in a protective manner. She wasn't going to let that happen! Whoever was in the house, whatever they wanted with her brother, they'd have to go through her first! (Although, realistically, that probably wouldn't take whoever was in there very long.) "What do we do?" she murmured.

Loki was quiet for a moment, as if planning some sort of strategy, and then he was pulling away from her, much to the girl's dismay. "Wait here," he stated. "I'll investigate." He was quickly stopped by a small hand tightly grabbing his larger one.

"Um, excuse me?" Brynn snorted dubiously.

Loki turned back to give the teen a firm look. "Brynn," he warned.

"I know you didn't just tell me to wait here alone while you go on ahead to check it out alone," the blonde chided, returning the glower. "I know you wouldn't say something that stupid—that's just crazy talk."

Loki quietly groaned. He knew what Brynn was getting at, and he acknowledged that—despite her proclivity to be over-dramatic—she had perfectly valid reasons for the way she was feeling and thinking, but the fact remained he was just as fervid to protect her as she was to protect him. He had no idea what was going on here—he didn't know who was in their home and if they posed a threat or not: Unknowns were never very friendly, even less so now that Brynn was in the picture. The god had nearly lost her once already (and rather recently); he wasn't about to let that happen again. "Brynn," he murmured, "I don't know what's happening here-"

"Exactly," the girl cut him off, sounding as if that would end this debate.

"I am not allowing you to enter into a situation we know nothing about!" Loki hissed sternly.

"And I'm not allowing you to go in there alone!" Brynn spat back. "So it looks like we're both up a creek without a paddle, bro."

"Brynna May-"

"I'm not letting you go in there alone, Loki," the blonde stated with finality. The slightest sheen of tears glistened in her eyes, and she blinked to try and keep them back. "I'm not gonna sit back while something bad happens to you. Not again. We're family—we face danger together and we suffer the consequences together." Brynn sniffled and quickly reached up to brush away a single tear that had managed to trickle out of her eye and down the side of her nose. "I'm not gonna have you taken away from me." She couldn't keep her voice from quivering.

Loki's face softened. As much as it hurt, he felt utterly touched that Brynn valued and loved him so much that her greatest fear was losing him. The problem was he had the same fear in reverse. And it was that fear that kept his resolve from breaking completely under the authoritative persuasion of those tears of hers. "And I'm not about to have you taken from me," he stated quietly. The Asgardian found himself squeezing the Midgardian's hand a bit more tightly as he whispered, "Not again."

"And I won't be," Brynn responded adamantly. "Not as long as I'm with you."

Loki was quiet for a long time, simply looking over his little sister and going back and forth between the idea of allowing her to accompany him into an unknown that could possibly mean danger or forcing her to stay while he went on to investigate alone. In truth, neither choice was ideal. If he took Brynn with him, they could very well both be walking into a trap, but at least he'd be right by her side to protect her. If he forced her to stay outside, she might not face danger head on, but there was still a chance that something could happen to her while she was alone, and he might get to her too late if at all. Finally, with a heavy sigh, the god conceded. "All right," he gave in. "But stay behind me."

Unable to help the small smile that curled her lips, Brynn simply nodded.

Loki snapped his fingers and, with a brilliant flash of light, a familiar looking dagger appeared in his hand. "Here," he sighed, holding it out to his charge. "I suppose I have been teaching you for a reason."

The girl snagged up her dagger without question. Brynn knew if whatever was in the house was anything other than human, she wouldn't have much of a chance against them, but at least this way she wouldn't be completely helpless. Besides, Loki's combat training had gotten her through one battle already. (Okay, so he'd actually done most of the fighting while she provided distraction, and she hadn't exactly come out of the fight unscathed, but still! She'd gotten in a few good attacks.) Who knew? Maybe they could pull her through again.

With both of them now armed and ready as they could be for whatever might await them inside the house, the duo slowly began to approach the door. They remained hand-in-hand, as if assuring each other that they were both still there and they were doing this together.

"Be ready," Loki murmured as they came to the door.

"Right," Brynn responded, tightening her grip on her blade.

There was no countdown, no warning. One second the door was closed and the next it was flying open with Loki's magic. Everything exploded. The lights flashed on with blazing glory, a storm of confetti rained through the air, bright colored streamers and other decorations dazzled the eye. And in the middle of it all was a large, colorfully painted banner hanging from the wall, boasting the phrase "Welcome Home!" upon its face: A phrase that was echoed by a chorus of jovial, friendly voices.

Standing frozen just inside the doorway, Loki and Brynn stared in bewilderment at the colorful chaos before them. It wasn't an ambush—it was a welcome home party! And the intruders were friends: Caitlyn Willis and her parents, Sean and Maddie Asher and their parents, and Devon McCredie and his aunt—everyone that meant anything in the duo's shared life on Earth was there. Of all the things they had been expecting and preparing themselves for to walk in on, this was definitely not on either Brynn's or Loki's list.

An awkward silence fell over the household as the last of the confetti slowly fluttered to the floor. Everyone just stared at each other, more than a few looks being passed over the dagger in Brynn's grip and the glowing, green magic shrouding Loki's free hand. No one seemed to know how to react.

Finally Devon, ever the funny-man of the group of teenagers, capable of making a joke out of even the direst of situations, dared to break the quiet: "Well, this is the last time we ever throw you guys a surprise party then."

---

"I just can't believe you actually came through the door with a knife in your hand!" Caitlyn giggled. "Like you were actually gonna stab someone!"

It had been about half an hour now since Brynn and Loki had arrived home and walked in on their surprise welcome home party. After the initial awkwardness of discovering who and what was really going on in the house, everything had settled down and the party had gone underway as expected. Brynn's friends—having not seen her for two weeks—had dragged her off to the living room to catch her up on everything that had been going on in the area while she'd been away. Not to mention interrogate her about everything that had been going on, on her end. They'd asked her about everything from how Thor was getting on as the new Asgardian king, to what it was really like living in Asgard, to if she'd met any cute boys during her stay. (The last inquiry was mainly Maddie's and Cait's.) They truly had more to ask her than she had to ask them. Then again, she'd been through more than they had the past several weeks, so that was to be expected.

"Well, I didn't know what was going on!" Brynn defended herself, throwing her hands in the air. "Neither of us did! We just knew someone was in the house."

"And you were all prepared to take 'em down!" Sean exclaimed, punching his fists out in front of him in a mock fighting gesture.

"Well, yeah, I mean, it is our house after all. People can still defend their property against intruders in this country, right? That hasn't changed since I've been in Asgard."

"What would you have done if it had been intruders instead of us?" Devon asked, unable to help snickering. "I mean, really, Brynn?"

Brynn gave the boy an indignant look. "Fought 'em, of course," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "What else?" She was more than a little offended by the looks her friends were all sharing in response to that. "What, you don't think I would've?!"

"Well, you've always been more of a verbal fighter than a physical one, honey," Cait replied placatingly. She patted her bestie's knee. "And, don't get me wrong—you've delivered some major take downs that way. It's just…"

"It's a little hard to believe you'd be much help in an actual, physical confrontation," Maddie finished with a smirk.

Brynn scowled at the brunette. Her friends were all absolutely correct and she knew it; she'd never been much of a physical opponent, so she always tended more towards being a mental one. But the fact remained that she'd never been afraid to throw a punch if she had to. (Not that she ever really made decent contact and usually ended up icing her hand afterwards.) And, under Loki's tutelage, she'd actually come a long way in terms of physical combat, and was willing to bet—if she really had to—she could hold her own in a fight. Given her opponent was simply human. With less combat experience than she had. "Well, at least now I know what you all really think of me," she grumbled, earning snickers all around. She just managed to keep her own mouth from twitching into a smirk. "I'll have you know, I'm actually pretty decent with a blade," she informed them. "And I'm not half bad with a spear or staff either. I've gotten a lot better since you all last watched Loki and me spar."

"That's not sayin' much," Devon mumbled. "You were horrible then."

"And I'm better now!" Brynn insisted with a glare.

"We'll take your word for it, B," Sean chuckled.

Huffing in annoyance, Brynn crossed her arms over her chest and forcefully sat back into the couch. She scowled at the air in front of her. "Some friends I have," she muttered loud enough for them all to hear. That earned another peel of laughter from her friends, and, this time, the blonde couldn't stop a slight smile from spreading. She'd missed that sound more than she realized. She'd missed all of them more than she'd realized and it was just so good to be back with everyone again!

"While we're on the subject, what do you think the Trickster would've done to us?" Devon asked.

At this question, the squad all looked through the wide entryways across the living room and foyer into the kitchen where the adults were all gathered in their own discussion. While he was participating in the conversation it was clear that Loki felt a bit awkward with his situation, as he stood just slightly out of the group.

Brynn couldn't help but smile adoringly. The god had yet to really find where he fit in with her friends' guardians. The facts that he was neither fond of crowds of any size or Midgardian's in general didn't exactly help his situation either. But at least he was trying to acclimate, and that was enough for Brynn.

"I'm not exactly sure," she admitted, addressing Devon's question. "I haven't exactly personally seen him use a lot of his magic yet since he just got it all back. But whatever he would've done, I'm sure it wouldn't've been pretty."

"Maybe he can give us a demonstration some time," Cait suggested.

"Mmm, I'd love for him to give a demonstration," Maddie said dreamily. She stared at Loki with googly eyes as a blush colored her cheeks.

"Yeah, we all know what kinda demonstration you'd like to see him give, Sis," Sean muttered in disgust.

Maddie whipped around on him, looking beet red and irked. "Yeah? Well maybe you should have the same one, then maybe you'd actually know a thing or two about how to make girls happy!" she snapped.

At that Sean flushed just as red as his sister and he glared back at her.

The most uncomfortable of silences fell over the friend group. Once again, Devon was the first one to break it: "Uh, okay, Maddie? Um… we all know why you said that but uh… when you say it to your brother it makes your relationship sound… Brynn?" The ginger-haired boy turned to his blonde friend for assistance in finding just the right word.

"Incestuous," Brynn supplied.

Devon snapped his fingers in victory. "That's the word!"

If it was at all possible, the siblings' blushes grew even brighter. "Shut up!" they both spat, Maddie glaring at Devon and Sean glaring at Brynn.

That only caused Brynn, Devon, and Caitlyn to laugh.

"Well, then," Brynn sighed, clapping her palms on her thighs as she stood from her spot on the couch, "if you losers are done interrogating me for now, I'm gonna go load up on some more punch. Anybody else want some?" As everyone else turned to either inspect or retrieve their cups, the blonde sped out of the room before they even got the chance to hand her anything. "See ya, suckas!" She snickered at the chorus of disappointed groans that followed after her. They fell for it every time!

Nodding a greeting to the adults as she entered the kitchen, Brynn made her way to the pair of punch bowls. "Let's try the green this time," she said to herself, ladling the fizzy concoction into her plastic cup.

All at once someone was standing beside her. "I think you've had enough after that," a smooth voice only half-teased her.

Brynn snorted as she put the ladle back into the punch bowl and turned to face her brother. She smirked at him. "This is only by third," she informed him, lifting her punch to her lips and taking a sip. Yummy: Just as good as the pink punch—if not better! Devon's aunt always made the best punches!

"Precisely," Loki responded with a smirk of his own. "Three glasses of punch—I believe that's more than enough." He arched an eyebrow and gave the teen a significant look. "The last thing I need at the moment is you on a sugar rush."

Brynn just snickered and took another swallow of her drink. "How many have you had?" she asked, spotting the god's empty glass.

"One," Loki replied.

"What'd'ya think?"

"Well… it's hardly something I'd care to consume on a regular or even semi-regular basis—it's much too sweet for that. However, on occasion I wouldn't be averse to it. It is rather tasty and refreshing."

"Lot tastier than the crap you have at parties on Asgard, that's for sure."

"And just how are you able to determine that with any certainty? I thought I left specific instructions with the servants to make sure you weren't served any alcohol."

"You did; they wouldn't let me anywhere near the stuff. But Fandral and Volstagg let me try some of theirs."

A dark shadow settled on Loki's face with that information. "I shall kill them both," he muttered more to himself than anyone else.

Brynn shrugged unworriedly. "They said I was old enough to drink on Asgard. Or nearly, anyway."

"Perhaps, but Asgardian biology is unlike that of Midgardian's—our alcohol would affect you very differently. Despite that, I told everyone you were not to have any, and those two oafs disobeyed me." He paused for a moment as another thought crossed his mind and then gave his charge a scolding look. "As did you, when it comes to it."

The teen quickly held up a hand to stop him. "I didn't drink," she insisted. "I tasted. It was offered and I tasted." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Hardly even did that—that stuff is nasty!"

There was a hum of concession from the god. "I imagine anything Fandral and Volstagg offered you would be dreadful—they have no palate at all."

Brynn gave the god an annoyed look. As much as she loved him and admired his quick and caustic tongue, Loki could be downright snobbish at times—especially when it came to Thor's friends. They weren't her favorite people in the realms by any means, but they were nice to her and Brynn didn't mind and held no ill will against them. So, while she understood his dislike for the Warriors and respected his feelings, Brynn held little appreciation for the way Loki constantly degraded them. She appreciated it even less when he acted like the stuck up prince in doing so. "It was the same stuff you were drinking," she grumbled.

Knowing he'd irked her a bit, the trickster pulled out the smirk that would only help to tick her off more. "It may have come from the same barrel," he remarked, "but I assure you by the time it reaches either of their mouths it is not the same drink: If it's not from their own personal stores, Fandral and Volstagg have been known to add to their drinks until it fits their liking."

All at once the jaunty little tune of the doorbell rang through the house. Everyone suddenly fell quiet and turned their attentions toward the front door. An artic chill suddenly settled over Brynn. Her stomach bottomed out and all at once her body went completely numb. The world around her narrowed to her, Loki, the front door, and whoever was on the other side of it. "They're here," the words slipped from her lips before she even knew what she was saying. "S.H.I.E.L.D…."

Loki couldn't deny he was thinking and feeling very much the same thing, but he didn't want to distress Brynn any more than he knew she already was. "Shh," he whispered, gently squeezing her shoulder. "Let's see who it is first before we start panicking." And with that he set down his cup and moved passed the girl to leave the kitchen and go to the front door. He felt as if he was wading through tar: The dread that filled him seemed to weigh him down and hold him in place. It took an eternity to reach the door. Once he'd managed that, it took another eternity to open the door.

A dark suited man with thinning hair and eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses stood just on the other side of the door. Behind him on either side stood two soldiers armed to the teeth, and behind them Loki could see at least half a dozen more with weapons at the ready just in case. Even though he understood the reason for this, the god couldn't help but feel slightly offended; as if he'd try to make a stand against the government agency in Brynn's and his home! Still, he would give them no reason to use their armaments. "Yes?" the Asgardian addressed the man.

"Loki of Asgard," the man spoke up, finally reaching up to remove his sunglasses, "I'm sure you don't remember me—but I am Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Ah, yes," Loki mused, something clicking in his head. "I remember your face now." He looked the agent over, looking slightly baffled. "I thought I killed you."

Agent Coulson looked very uncomfortable with this statement, as the muscles in his jaw and neck flexed and something in his eyes flashed. But apparently he managed to hold his tongue against whatever he was wanting to snap back. He cleared his throat and said in a very measured tone, "Yes, well, you very nearly did… but that's neither here nor there. I've been sent to retrieve you and bring you to the meeting in order to discuss the terms of your parole here on Earth."

"So soon?" Loki questioned. "We've only just returned from Asgard."

"Yes, we know," Agent Coulson replied, "we've been watching for you. We've decided that it would be best for everyone that the terms are settled as soon as possible. Ah! Hello again, Ms. Hagel."

Brynn, who had finally come back to her senses after the initial shock, was now standing close beside her guardian. She nervously eyed the S.H.I.E.L.D agents. It took all her strength to keep herself from reaching out and grabbing on to Loki in some way for comfort. "Hello, Agent Coulson," she softly said.

Agent Coulson gave the girl a friendly smile. "Good to see you're in a better state than the last time we met."

Oh, great. Memories about the circumstances of how they met last were exactly what Brynn needed to help her calm down now. The teen edged slightly closer to her brother. "Yeah," she very nearly murmured to herself. She let her gaze drop down to stare at the agent's shoes. "I'm doin' okay." She suddenly turned her attention to her fingernails and started picking at them, turning her head so that a curtain of wavy, blonde hair hid her face.

"Well… good," Agent Coulson said, looking a bit unsure of how to address the girl's shy demeanor. This was very different to how they'd first met; she'd seemed full of determination and fire at that time. But no matter—he had a job to do. "Right, well if you two could come with me-"

"You want us both to come?" Loki asked sounding a little surprised as well as uneasy. He wasn't all that thrilled about the prospect of Brynn meeting with Nick Fury too, and the fact that he didn't know exactly why they wanted Brynn there and what they might ask of her didn't help the feeling.

"Of course," Agent Coulson answered simply. "You're to both be interviewed."

The mention of both of them going had drawn Brynn's attention from her finger picking and caused her to come out from behind her curtain of hair. "They want to talk to me?" she asked, sounding just as surprised and uneasy as her guardian. "Why?"

"Well, you are the reason this request has even been made, let alone considered, Ms. Hagel," Agent Coulson explained. "You're the central part in all of this. Why wouldn't they want to talk to you?"

That made more than enough sense, Brynn had to agree. Still she didn't like the idea of it. Both Loki's and her fate could potentially be resting solely in her very own hands; she could very well be the linchpin in her brother either staying free or being thrown into a cell or worse. What if she said something that reflected badly on Loki, or something that was taken out of context and got him into trouble? What if they didn't believe anything she said and thought Loki was somehow making her say things in his favor instead of speaking from the bottom of her heart? They had all the power in this situation—they very well could do that if they wanted.

"Brynn."

Hearing her name, the fifteen-year-old blinked out of her panicked stupor and looked over at Loki. Apparently understanding where her headspace was at the moment, the god was smiling reassuringly at her. When he gave her a slight nod the teen couldn't help but smile and nod back, though she still felt pressured and scared.

"Right then, again, if you two could come with me," Agent Coulson repeated.

"I should go, too," a voice suddenly came from further in the house.

Girl, god, and agent all looked back to see Mrs. Willis striding down the hall. As was typical when she went into "Big Bad Lawyer Mode", (as the teens called it) the small statured woman was somehow made much larger and more foreboding by the fact that she looked all business. The fact that she was dressed in a bright, airy sundress and sandals instead of a smooth, professional dress suit didn't detract from her air of intimidation at all: She could just as easily have ruled a courtroom this way.

"Hello," Agent Coulson greeted her politely, holding out his hand. "I'm Agent Coulson. I don't believe we've met, Ms..."

"Willis," the woman supplied, taking Coulson's hand in a firm, confident grip. "Mrs. Kumi Willis. I've handled the legal matters of the Hagel family for years, and, as such, I am both Brynn and Loki's representative in such affairs."

"Oh, I see," Coulson replied, not seeming to miss a beat. "Well then, yes, Mrs. Willis, I believe it's advisable that you come as well." He looked over the household for a moment, apparently just noticing the party decorations. "I will give you all a minute to get ready." And with that the agent turned and left the door, closing it behind him.

"I guess we're off then," Mrs. Willis said simply. She quickly retreated back down the hall to retrieve her purse and give her husband and daughter kisses, hugs, and instructions dealing with the food they'd brought to the party

In the meantime Brynn and Loki were busy speaking amongst themselves.

"Oh, god," Brynn whimpered, dread rising higher and higher within her. "Oh, god. Oh, god. Oh, god!" She was going to be sick, she was sure of it: Her punch and cake and cookies were all going to make a reappearance right there on the floor of the foyer. She could practically taste the grossness at the back of her throat now.

"Brynn," Loki murmured, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Brynn, listen to me-"

But Brynn wasn't focusing on him. "It's happening," she squeaked, terrified gaze flying to the door. "They're here—it's happening." All at once the teen's chest felt extremely tight and painful. She grabbed at her chest and gasped for breath, even more panic setting in over this latest development. Her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her body.

"Brynn?" Loki sounded extremely concerned.

"I can't breathe," Brynn wheezed. "I can't… breathe!" Her face was going red.

Without thinking, Loki grabbed Brynn's arm and all but dragged her further into the house, past their guests, and into the library study, shutting the door behind them. S.H.I.E.L.D was right outside their front door and ready to go, but they'd just have to wait a little longer. This needed to be dealt with now.

"Sit down," Loki said, gently guiding his charge to sit in one of the chairs. "Sit." He sank down onto a knee in front of the panicking teenager and took her head in his hands to angle her face to his. "Brynn," he whispered, "look at me. Look at me. Look into my eyes." Brynn's wide, blue-gray eyes met his green ones, gazing deep. "Good girl. Now, breathe for me, Princess. Breathe. In-" he slowly sucked in a deep breath as an example, "and out-" he released the breath slowly. "In-" once more he inhaled, "and out. That's my girl," he praised as Brynn successfully mimicked him. "Slowly. Just breathe." Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead to hers. "That's it, Princess—just breathe. I'm here—I've got you."

The pair stayed this way for a several minutes until Brynn had managed to calm down a bit. Finally she was breathing normally and her racing heart had settled. She was still shaking, but at least the worst was over.

"I'm sorry," Brynn croaked out. She met her brother's eyes again as they pulled apart. "I'm so sorry, Loki. I don't know what… or why…" she dropped off, not sure what to say.

Loki smiled gently and shook his head. "Shh," he hushed, stroking the girl's face. "It's all right, Princess. You have no need to apologize—panic attacks are not new territory for me."

"Is that what it was?" Brynn asked, voice trembling. "It was horrible."

"Well, they're certainly not the most pleasant experiences," Loki chuckled. He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs as he looked her over. "How are you feeling now?"

Brynn took a moment to take a deep breath and assess herself. "I can breathe," she answered, "but I'm still freaking out."

Sympathy shone in her guardian's eyes. "I know," he whispered.

"I just… I don't know what's gonna happen, Loki. I don't know if it's gonna be okay or… or not, and I just…" Brynn tried to swallow the lump in her throat. Tears bit at her eyes. "All I can think about is if they take you, and I can't handle the thought of living without you! I can't! I can't! I-" she was cut off as she was suddenly pulled into a hug.

"Shh, shh," Loki soothed, holding the girl close. "It's all right, Princess. It's going to be all right."

"You don't know that!" Brynn sobbed into his shoulder. "We don't know anything that's gonna happen!"

Loki let Brynn go and took her face in his hands again, pressing their foreheads together. "Brynn," he said firmly, but not harshly, "look at me. It is all going to be fine."

"But-"

"Listen to me: It is all going to be fine. Repeat."

"It's all gonna be fine."

"It's all going to be fine."

"Yeah, but, Loki-"

"What do I always tell you?"

"What?"

"What do I always tell you when you ask if I'll leave?"

"… Un-until the realms tumble down."

Loki nodded. "Until the realms tumble down," he repeated with finality. "I'm here with you until the realms tumble down."

There was a knock on the door and it slowly creaked open. "Loki, Brynn," it was Mrs. Willis, "we need to go."

Loki looked over at the woman with a nod. "Of course, Mrs. Willis," he responded. "We're coming." He turned back to Brynn and gave her an encouraging smile. "Are you ready?"

Brynn took a deep breath and slowly released it, forcing herself to focus on what Loki had told her and to push away all the horrible scenarios running rampant in her mind. It was going to be okay. It was all going to be okay. "Yeah," she finally said, though her voice sounded pathetic to her own ears. "Yeah, let's go."

And with that the two of them stood and exited the study. They said goodbyes and thank yous to everyone as they left the house and receiving wishes of good luck in return (and, for Brynn, reassuring hugs from her friends). Then they were walking out the door, Mrs. Willis walking on a bit ahead of them not too far behind Agent Coulson.

Brynn tried to not pay much mind to the two soldiers flanking her and Loki, and she tried to keep her eyes on the black vehicles in front of them and not look at any of the other soldiers lining the sidewalk as they marched towards said vehicles. Not an easy thing to do: It was rather difficult to not want to pay attention to a battalion of amour-clad, armed soldiers in your yard. That wasn't exactly a normal occurrence!

Her paranoia about this all didn't help either. She felt any move Loki made could potentially be seen as a threat by them, or maybe even just an excuse to take him down: She was well aware he wasn't much liked by anyone within S.H.I.E.L.D. Brynn moved closer to her brother, as if her nearness would protect him from such tactics. If they didn't want to shoot her down too, that was. It stemmed from her paranoia, but Brynn had a sneaking suspicion that they all probably considered her a traitor for caring for the man that had very nearly destroyed New York City and unleashed terror onto the Earth. That probably put her on their hit list, too—right next to Loki.

Finally they reached one of the black vehicles and Agent Coulson stood to the side of the door, ushering all three of them inside. Mrs. Willis was the first to climb in and Brynn after her, taking her seat between Mrs. Willis and Loki. Somehow having people she knew and trusted on either side of her made her feel just a little bit better. She still found her nails and cuticles quite interesting, however.

Without warning, one of her hands was snagged up into a warm grip, long fingers entwining with hers and trapping them, keeping them away from the fingers of her other hand and stopping the picking. Brynn looked up to meet her guardian's emerald gaze. She couldn't help but return the soft smile he was directing at her: He could always make her smile.

"You know," Loki remarked, holding up her hand to indicate it, "this is why you can't get manicures." It seemed like an offhand comment, or maybe even a scolding for a bad habit, but the teenager knew what the god was saying: "Don't worry—everything is going to be fine." Brynn just wished she could really believe him.

---

After a car ride several miles down the road to an open field and awaiting aircraft, and a flight on said aircraft, Loki, Brynn, and Mrs. Willis had finally arrived on the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier. It was a massive and magnificent thing, and Brynn and Mrs. Willis couldn't help but gawk around the huge hangar as they exited the aircraft. But then it was quickly back to business.

"All right," Mrs. Willis said. She smoothed her long, smooth, dark hair and straightened her flowery, flowy sundress, completely unfazed by how it made her stand out in her dark, gray, militaristic surroundings. "Let's go get this situation settled." And with that she nodded to Agent Coulson to lead the way.

Once again, Brynn felt the panic rising again and her chest tightened, stomach tying itself in countless knots. A gentle hand on her back drew her attention. She looked up to meet Loki's calming gaze and the apprehension inside of her settled a bit, though it didn't go away completely.

They left the hangar and entered into the belly of the beast. Brynn had thought the outside of the helicarrier looked huge, but from the inside it looked absolutely, colossally ginormous! Seriously, how could something this big manage to stay airborne and at such an altitude? It was extraordinary! It also made everything all the more intimidating. This was it; these were the people that held her and Loki's future in their hands; the people that could separate them permanently if they so wished. This contraption was a literal testament to that power, and she was right there in the middle of it, moments away from being interviewed by the people who held the power.

"Okay, Girl," Brynn thought to herself, forcing herself to stop before her anxiety ran off with her. "You need to calm the hell down. The last thing you need is to get so upset you stumble over your words or can't talk at all. That won't help Loki. Stop thinking about S.H.I.E.L.D's authority; stop thinking about what they could do. Focus on something else. Anything else."

Almost as if summoned by her thoughts, two armed agents came around the corner, escorting a handcuffed man between them. The handcuffed man was big, burly, and looked absolutely mean as sin; Brynn found herself moving a bit closer to her brother's side just at the sight of him. This guy could easily pop her head like a grape with one hand if he wanted.

Apparently feeling her gaze, the goliath looked up from his scowling at the floor and towards her. The moment they made, eye contact, his mouth twisted into a sick grin, exposing a gold tooth. "Heya, Dollface," he rumbled, voice deep and gruff and loud. "Like what'cha see? Come on. How 'bout a kiss fer ol' Donnie?" The man puckered up his fat, scarred, overly large lips and smooched at her, causing the teen to grimace and recoil.

Protective Mode, activate.Grabbing Brynn's wrist and pulling her across to his other side so that he stood between her and "ol' Donnie", Loki turned his attention to the big man. He said nothing, but simply glared the bastard down, allowing just enough of his magic to slip away so that his eyes turned red and the markings of his Jotun heritage appeared on his skin. If they hadn't been on S.H.I.E.L.D property on their way to a life-altering meeting, the god would have let his appearance alter completely to drive more fear into the man. However, they were on S.H.I.E.L.D property on their way to a life-altering meeting, and going full Frost Giant probably wasn't the best impression, even if it was to protect his little sister. So he'd just have to settle for partial Frost Giant. But if this clod made any other such disrespectful advances towards Brynn or him….

Even without turning completely, Loki's tactic worked like a charm; "ol' Donnie" took one look at the god—who was significantly smaller than him, in all reality—and immediately backed away, looking rather frightened. "The hell?!" he yelped.

"Keep walkin', scumbag!" one of the agents leading him barked, shoving one of the man's massive shoulders. Both agents seemed completely unfazed by the entire situation.

"I would do as the man says," Loki rumbled threateningly, small puffs of frost expelling from between his lips. His eyes almost seemed to blaze red and his free hand began to glow green with magical aura.

"Ol' Donnie" didn't need to be told twice. He literally began sprinting down the hallway away from them, yelling about a crazy, psycho demon-man, practically dragging the two agents after him.

Loki glared daggers at "Ol' Donnie's" back the entire way until he was out of sight before turning back to Brynn. "Are you all right?" he murmured, strengthening his spell so that his appearance returned to its normal state. The god reached up to lovingly tuck the girl's hair behind her ears and hold her face.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Brynn replied with a slight smile. She instinctively leaned into her brother's touch. "That was just gross."

Loki nodded in agreement. "Come on, then," he said, taking her hand again.

Hand-in-hand the pair continued on down the hall, quickly catching up to Agent Coulson and Mrs. Willis who had stopped several yards ahead of them to wait for them. Brynn felt her stomach bottom out at the look on Coulson's face. He'd seen the entire altercation (unsurprising), and he didn't seem to have been amused by it (even more unsurprising). That couldn't possibly be good for Loki! All at once her anxiety about all of this that had effectively disappeared during the whole debacle with "Ol' Donnie" came surging back with the strength of a tsunami.

Sensing her distress, Loki squeezed her hand. In all honesty, it was reassurance that he didn't even feel himself. This looked bad, felt bad, and—considering the kind of luck he usually had—probably would be bad.

The group continued on their way without any other predicaments, and it wasn't long before they were coming upon a large set of double doors. As they approached the doors, they quickly whooshed open. There was a large room on the other side, filled with people that were either bustling around or planted and staring intently at holographic computer screens. The front wall of the room was made entirely of windows, making it look like you could walk straight out into the open sky… and then plummet straight down to the earth hundreds of feet below. At the center of everything was a slightly elevated platform upon which stood two men and a woman. The woman was a stranger, but not the men. One of them was a dark-skinned man with an eyepatch dressed in black, wearing a long trench coat, and looking just as intimidating as Brynn remembered: S.H.I.E.L.D Director Colonel Nick Fury. As for the other man...

"Thor?" Brynn and Loki said in unison.

The woman, Fury, and Thor turned their attention to the pair, the Thor grinning heartily at them. "Loki! Little Brynna!" he boomed enthusiastically, coming towards them. "It's good to see you again."

"We just saw you a few hours ago," Loki remarked drily. Why was his brother here? Had Thor been summoned to this meeting as well? Was he to be interviewed along with Brynn and himself? Perhaps Thor had been called as a character witness to speak on his behalf. Or maybe he was here because the throne of Asgard and S.H.I.E.L.D were conspiring together on what exactly his probation on Earth would entail. While he and Thor were on much better terms now than they had been for some years, Loki wasn't sure he liked that idea. He'd already had to make concessions and agreements with Thor in order to have his permission to make his home in Midgard—none of which he was all that thrilled about. He didn't need or want more of that kind of thing coming through S.H.I.E.L.D: He was sure they already had more than their fair share lined up for him on their own.

"And yet, it's still good to see you again, Brother," Thor repeated, his smile never slipping. He clapped the chaos god on the shoulder in affectionate, brotherly fashion before turning his gaze down to Brynn. "You survived your first Bifrost journey, I see," he remarked to her. "How did you like it?"

"I didn't," Brynn answered flatly. Just the very thought of the whole ordeal brought the dizziness back to the girl.

Thor chuckled and he reached out to ruffle the teen's hair affectionately. "Don't worry," he assured her. "You'll get used to it."

A small smile curled Brynn's lips as she gently batted Thor's hand away. She knew Loki found him annoying and infuriating, (not surprising; Thor's personality was the complete opposite of Loki's—not to mention he seemed like he could be a bit of a dunderhead sometimes) but Brynn couldn't help but find herself liking Thor and enjoying his company. They didn't have much more in common than he and Loki did, but it didn't really matter; he was just so nice and friendly and charming. Besides, what they did have in common made up for everything else they differed on, and what they did have was Loki. It was because of this shared interest that Brynn felt slightly better that Thor was there. He might not make things easy on Loki—just like he hadn't back in Asgard with everything he'd made Loki agree to—but at least he would make sure whatever S.H.I.E.L.D asked of Loki was reasonable and would fight for Loki to remain out of a cell.

Nick Fury was coming towards them now, the woman following closely behind him. She was smartly dressed in a raspberry pantsuit and heeled shoes, with her dark brown hair smoothed and pulled back into a neat bun. She carried a shiny black briefcase in one hand, and a friendly smile on her pretty face. The woman looked very professional, but she hardly looked unkind.

Regardless, Brynn still felt a chill rush through her and her stomach churned, once again making her feel like she might throw up. Unconsciously she shifted her hand within Loki's to twine their fingers tightly together, then she took hold of his arm, and pressed closer into his side, putting herself in a position where she was almost hiding behind the god. She peeked out at the woman apprehensively. This woman had to be from Social Services, here to determine what sort of mental and physical state she was in and to deem whether Loki was a fit guardian or not. The question was: Was this woman actually going to be fair and do her job? Or did she have some sort of agenda to follow and that's why S.H.I.E.L.D had picked her? Brynn didn't trust S.H.I.E.L.D with anything when it came to Loki. Not that their reasons for disliking and distrusting the god weren't perfectly valid—Brynn wasn't ignorant enough to think that; but she wasn't ignorant enough to assume that S.H.I.E.L.D would be coming into this without any sort of bias either.

"I'm guessin' I don't need to tell you two why you're here," Fury declared, looking back and forth between the teenager and the chaos god. If this wasn't the strangest set up he'd ever been part of. And he'd been through and seen a lot of strange set ups!

"No," Loki agreed, "you do not." His instincts practically demanded he be sarcastic and snap something back at this obvious statement, but—again—there was the pressure of not pushing any buttons than already were being pushed for Brynn's sake. He could easily contain himself for her. But it still felt so unnatural.

"I'm Donna Smith," the woman introduced herself, coming forward with an outstretched hand, "representative for Social Services. I was specifically requested by Colonel Fury to come and oversee the family interviews."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Smith," Loki responded. He hoped his voice sounded… nice enough. He shook the woman's hand, praying he didn't move as rigidly as he felt. Something told him this whole ordeal would entail a lot of hoping and praying on his part.

Ms. Smith then turned her attention away from the man to the girl standing by his side. "And I'm guessing you're Brynna May," she said with a bright grin.

"I am," Brynn muttered. Gods, did her voice really sound that small and meek?

"Do you like to be called 'Brynna May'?" Donna asked. "Or would you feel more comfortable if I called you 'Brynn'?"

"Brynn," the fifteen-year-old answered, finding it within herself to make her voice a bit more normal sounding. "'Brynna May' makes me feel like I'm in trouble."

Ms. Smith chuckled at that statement. "Well, I certainly wouldn't want you to feel like that," she replied. "Don't worry, Brynn—there's no reason for you to be nervous about me. I'm just here to ask you some questions and talk to you."

"And just how many kids have you told that to before they get taken away from their families?" Brynn asked the question inside her head. She shifted even closer to her brother, if that was at all possible—she was practically in his side as it was—and turned her gaze away from Donna's and down to the floor. Why couldn't this whole thing just be over with already?

With that, Mrs. Willis quickly stepped in to make herself known. "I'm Mrs. Willis," she introduced herself to both Fury and Ms. Smith, "legal representation for the Hagel family and—by extension—Loki." She shook their hands.

"Well, if that's everybody," Fury said after all the introductions were made, "I say we get this thing settled."

"I agree," Ms. Smith responded. She turned to smile at Brynn again. "If you wouldn't mind following me, Brynn." With that she started walking passed them back towards the doors they'd just come through.

Brynn immediately snapped to attention at that. She whirled around and stared after the woman in alarm. "Wait, what?" she yelped. "We're not being interviewed together?"

Once again, Loki found himself pulling Brynn close to him, a protective arm around her shoulders. He didn't like the sound of this.

"We decided it would be better if the two of you were separated," Fury answered, not the least bit fazed by the reactions from the pair. "Ms. Hagel doesn't really need to sit in on the negotiation aspect of this, and having Ms. Smith interview you separately will better ensure that the truth is being told."

It took everything Loki had to not snap back at this statement. To better ensure that he wasn't manipulating Brynn and forcing her to say things to his benefit is what Fury meant! As if he would ever do such a thing. Maybe in the past, but not now, and certainly not with Brynn. He'd remove his own tongue before he would manipulate her in such a way! "Brynn and I would feel much more comfortable if we were to be interviewed together," the god stated. "Is there any way we could-"

"Out of the question," Fury cut him off with a wave of his hand. An adamant gleam shone in his eye.

Unfortunately for Nick, Loki was just as unyielding about this as he was. "I absolutely must insist that Brynn and I be interviewed together," he declared firmly, green eyes blazing. "I refuse to allow my sister to be interviewed without someone else present-"

"We can have someone else sit in on the interview if you would like," Ms. Smith spoke up calmly. "Considering Brynn's age, it's recommended."

"It just can't be you," Fury stated firmly. He narrowed his gaze at Loki as he said this, as if daring the Asgardian to challenge him.

Loki's mouth twisted and twitched as he struggled with himself to hold his tongue. They knew the position he was in; they knew how vulnerable he was in the face of all of this and they were exploiting every last bit of that weakness. Either he did what they wanted without question or they got to lock him away—it was a win-win for them either way.

In desperation Brynn turned to Mrs. Willis. "Would you come?" she asked beseechingly. Mrs. Willis was like a mother (a sweet but scary mother), and the teenager knew she could trust her to help keep things fair if Ms. Smith tried something.

The woman gave her a regretful look. "You know I would, Brynn," she answered, "but I think it's better that I stay with Loki and help him with the negotiating."

"I'll do it," Thor suddenly offered.

All eyes in the room turned towards the thunder god.

Taking note of this, Thor simply smiled and put a hand on Brynn's shoulder as he looked down to meet her gaze. "I will oversee Brynn's interview," he stated more clearly this time. His gaze left Brynn's and moved up to Loki's as he murmured, "If you do not mind, Brother." He didn't need to ask permission for this. In fact he didn't need to ask permission of Loki for anything ever again now that he was reigning King of Asgard (not that he ever did before that anyway). But this was about Brynn and her safety, and that was Loki's hard earned territory; he couldn't very well waltz in and claim authority there, no matter his rank. He had too much love and respect for his brother to do that, whatever Loki thought of him.

Caught off guard by Thor asking for permission, Loki couldn't help but stare at his brother in shock for a moment. He couldn't remember the last time Thor had asked his permission of anything! However, he quickly collected himself. "I-it is up to Brynn," he replied, gazing down at the teenager between them.

Without hesitation Brynn smiled up at Thor and nodded. She loved the idea of having a third party in the room with her and Ms. Smith that would be on her and Loki's side; and if it couldn't be Mrs. Willis, Thor was the next best thing. It was like some of the weight was lifting off her chest. But only some. More of it might have lifted if Thor had any idea about American legal matters.

Thor smiled and nodded back. "Right then," he said, affectionately patting Brynn's cheek. "Let us go." With that he slipped an arm around the fifteen-year-old's shoulder, replacing Loki's, and led her off after Ms. Smith who smiled pleasantly at them and turned towards the doors again.

Loki watched on a bit forlornly as they all walked away, his eyes trailing on Brynn. When she looked back at him with a nervous glance he forced an encouraging smile and nod, earning a return gesture from her. "It's all right," he repeated in his head. "It's going to be all right." It would be nice if he could believe his own words as easily as he could make others believe them.

---

Brynn tried to relax as she and Thor walked side-by-side after Ms. Smith. She tried to tell herself it was going to be okay, just like Loki had kept saying, but she couldn't make herself believe that. Maybe if Loki believed it, too, she could have, but she knew he didn't. He could lie to everyone else, make them believe whatever he wanted them to, but he couldn't to her—it just didn't work. His lies were as obvious to her as his illusions, but not half as pretty.

"Penny for your thoughts," Thor murmured, taking note of the girl's silence. The last time he'd seen her this quiet was when she'd lain unconscious in the infirmary at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Brynn glanced up at the huge man before shifting her gaze down to her feet uncertainly. "I… I don't know what I'm supposed to say," she quietly admitted after a moment. She looked back up at Thor. "I don't know what I'm supposed to tell her about Loki and me."

"I imagine you should tell her the truth; that you're well cared for and highly valued," Thor replied with a shrug.

"Well, yeah, but what if that's not what she wants to hear?"

"What do you mean, Brynn?"

"I mean what if she tries to twist my words around or make me say something that sounds worse than it is? She was asked here by Fury himself—he must have picked her out for some reason."

"I imagine he asked her because she is efficient at her job."

"Or he asked her because she's really good at spinning a web of lies."

"I'm sure that's not the case."

"Loki's right—you're way too optimistic, Thor."

The thunder god chuckled at that and ruffled the head of hair that was as golden as his own. "Perhaps some of it will manage to rub off on you," he teased.

Brynn shook his hand away, a tiny smile twitching at her lips and a slight levity rising in her chest as it usually seemed to do when Thor joked with her. He was just so infectious. The teen honestly couldn't tell if it was endearing or aggravating. "Let's get through these meetings without Loki going to prison," she said, "and I'll be so optimistic I'll put you to shame."

"I shall hold you to that," Thor warned. His lightheartedness quickly faltered as he watched the anxiety return to Brynn's face. The Asgardian sighed heavily. "Just speak the truth, Brynn," he said, patting her back. "Be honest. That is all you can do."

"Yeah," Brynn mumbled. Her stomach had resumed its churning as they came upon an open door and Ms. Smith walked into the room beyond it. "It is. I just hope it's enough." Steeling herself, the fifteen-year-old stepped through the door and then paused as she stared ahead at Ms. Smith, who had already made herself comfortable in a chair at a table, and was currently opening her briefcase and pulling out some files. It was then that Brynn felt the sudden urge to run. To either run away and hide or run back to Loki and refuse to leave his side, she didn't know, but she just felt like she needed to run. She might have actually gone through with it if two large, strong hands didn't gently grip onto her shoulders, effectively preventing her from going anywhere but forward.

"Go on, Brynn," Thor whispered. "I am right behind you."

At this point Ms. Smith looked up at them and smiled sweetly. "You can come on in," she said. "Don't worry—I don't bite."

Brynn swallowed hard and took a deep, shaky breath before finally forcing her legs to move and carry her further into the room.

"You can sit here, Brynn." Ms. Smith indicated to a chair right across the table from where she was sitting.

Without a word, Brynn slowly made her way towards the chair and carefully sat down, rigidly sitting on the edge of the seat. She watched on as Ms. Smith continued to sort through her papers for a moment. What were those documents? One of them must have been her grandfather's will, stating how custody over her would be transferred to Loki upon his death. Seeing as how she was from Social Services, Ms. Smith probably wanted to check the legality of the document. Of course she would find that it was all legal— had seen to all of that herself. And if Ms. Smith had the documents from the psychologist that stated her grandfather was of sound mind when he'd made the decision she'd find that those were all official as well. Nothing on that front could be twisted around to say it was sketchy. But that didn't mean Ms. Smith couldn't potentially find another route to derail it all.

"You can relax you know," Ms. Smith chuckled, bringing Brynn out of her harried thoughts. "I know you're nervous about all of this, but like I said, you have no reason to be afraid of me, Brynn. I might be from Social Services, but I have no desires or intentions to split up families if it can be helped."

"So… you're not dead set on separating Loki and me then?"

"Is that what you've been thinking?"

"… You said Fury brought you in personally. He doesn't exactly like Loki. I'm not sure anybody here likes Loki all that much besides Thor and I, and I think they'd rather see him locked up."

"Well, that might be true. But I can assure you that I'm not here to try and separate you and Loki at whatever cost. I won't lie to you; I play hardball because this is my job and I love it and I am good at it, and sometimes doing my job means having to take children away from their guardians. But what I don't do is make up lies, and I told Colonel Fury that when he recruited me. Unless he's made some serious infractions in regards to being your guardian, Loki will not be taken away because of me, I promise."

Brynn felt the slightest sense of relief wash over her at these words, like a little more of the weight had lifted. That was one less person against them. Whether that really mattered and made a difference for things in the long run was still a crap-shoot, but at least she didn't have to worry about saying something wrong or having her words being twisted around by this woman. "Thank you, Ms. Smith," the girl sighed.

"You can call me Donna," the woman responded with a comforting smile. "Now that we've settled that, let's get on to business." With that statement she slipped into a straight-faced, professional, no-nonsense demeanor that reminded Brynn a lot of Mrs. Willis (except slightly less scary) and began to open up files and pull out papers. Ms. Smith looked up towards Thor and said, "If you would like to take a seat as well." She motioned to a chair against the wall not too far away from the table.

Thor quickly retrieved it, brought it over to the table, and sat down beside Brynn. "I told you so," he whispered to the teen, with a wink and smirk.

Brynn could only smile back. She hated 'I told you so's, but in this circumstance she was much too relieved about the whole thing to punch the thunder god in the mouth. Which was a good thing, considering she would probably break her hand doing that.

---

Brynn stared at the clock on the wall as she picked feverishly at her fingers. She would have some nasty hangnails to deal with later, but that was the last thing on her mind at the moment. She finished her interview with Ms. Smith over and hour ago and was now stationed in a little, out-of-the-way room with Thor and Mrs. Willis as they waited for Loki to finish his own interview with Ms. Smith. The teen had little fear for the outcome of that meeting; her own had been easy enough. While Ms. Smith had done as she claimed and played hardball with lots of prying questions, she'd been fair about it all and hadn't tried to load things or twist them around. Brynn had no doubts she would be the same way with Loki.

No, what the blonde feared was what would come after that. After Donna interviewed Loki, she would have to meet with Fury and report to him all of her information and findings and recommendations. Then the decision would be with S.H.I.E.L.D from there. They would have everything in their hands and they would make the final decision of whether Loki could go free and be her guardian or be imprisoned for his past crimes. If there was one thing they didn't like, they could use it against Loki. Even if there wasn't anything in the information that they didn't like, they could still go against Loki, simply because they had the power and the opportunity, and they didn't have to play fair if they didn't want to.

"Brynn, honey, you're going to make yourself bleed," Mrs. Willis warned as she watched the girl intently.

As if to prove the woman right, Brynn felt a slight twinge of pain and looked down at her hands to see she'd pulled off most of the cuticle from her left forefinger, taking a decent chunk of skin with it. Blood was starting to bead there now. "Dang," Brynn grumbled to herself. She quickly stuck the knuckle into her mouth and sucked at it.

"Here, hold on," Mrs. Willis sighed. She dug down into her purse, found a packet of tissues, and pulled one out. She handed it to the teen.

"Thanks, Mrs. Willis," Brynn muttered as she took the tissue and wrapped it around her finger.

"You need to calm down," Mrs. Willis said gently. She kindly brushed some of Brynn's hair out of her face.

"She is right, little one," Thor agreed with a nod. "There is no reason for you to get so worked up."

"Until I have an actual reason to get worked up, you mean," Brynn replied glumly. She hoped she was wrong, but the girl couldn't help but feel less than optimistic about her and Loki's situation. After all, the whole thing wasn't exactly ideal.

Just then the door opened and Loki came striding into the room, followed by an armed agent.

Unable to help herself, Brynn was immediately on her feet and lunging towards him, having not seen him since before her own interview with Donna. She gripped the tall man into a tight hug.

"Easy now, Princess," Loki chuckled, "I haven't been taken away, yet." Despite his teasing tone, Loki embraced the girl just as closely and tightly in return, like he was never going to let her go. Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe holding her was the only way he'd be able to stay with her.

"Mrs. Willis," the armed agent said, "if you could come with me. You're presence has been requested by Colonel Fury."

"Of course," Mrs. Willis answered, her tone becoming lawyer-like again. She stood purposefully and left the room, but not before touching a reassuring hand to both Brynn and Loki's shoulders

The door closed behind Mrs. Willis and the agent, and it was just Thor, Loki, and Brynn left in the room together.

Thor remained silent as he watched on while Brynn and Loki continued to embrace, deciding to let them have this moment together for as long as they wanted it. After all, there were no guarantees they'd have many more.

Finally the pair pulled apart a bit, though they did so just enough to face each other.

"How was it?" Brynn asked, gazing up at her guardian expectantly.

"It was fine," Loki answered simply. "A bit intrusive if you ask me, but I suppose that is her job. She seemed fair enough, though."

Brynn nodded. "She told me she wasn't setting out to take you away, so there's that. What all did she ask you?"

Loki shrugged as he led Brynn back over to sit down again. "What I'm assuming are fairly normal questions for her to ask: how long we've known each other, how we know each other, how long you've been under my care, what our basic day to day life entails, child-rearing questions, things such as that."

"Child-rearing questions?"

"Yes, questions about diet, and sleeping schedules, and education, among other things."

"She didn't ask me anything like that."

Loki smirked at his charge at this statement. "Well, considering you are the child and I am the guardian, that's to be expected."

Brynn glared at the god, offended by this statement. "I'm not a child!" she spat indignantly. "I might not be considered an adult yet, but I'm not a kid either."

Both Loki and Thor actually laughed at this, causing Brynn's face to flair hot with annoyance and embarrassment. "Asgardians!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Just because you guys can live for thousands of years, you think anyone who doesn't is a baby."

Thor reached to playfully shove the girl's shoulder. "Not anyone, Little Brynna," he chuckled, "just you."

Brynn glared at the large, blond man. Great! Because having one Asgardian god for a big brother wasn't enough, it looked like she was well on the way to acquiring two of them! And, to make matters worse, they were the Prince and King of the entire, frickin' Asgardian realm! "Shouldn't you be on your throne making kingly decrees or something?" she grumbled.

That only caused Thor to guffaw harder.

Brynn's scowl narrowed on him, and she was about to reach over and hit him (no matter if it broke her hand or not) when Loki's arm snaked around her shoulders and pulled her close into his side. Almost instantly, calm washed over her, but she glared up at the chaos god anyway for the principle of the thing. "I'm not a child," she huffed heatedly.

Loki snorted and patted Brynn's shoulder. "Whatever you say, Dearest," he sniggered. It was at this point his gaze fell down to see the girl's hands in her lap and he noticed the crumpled, white tissue wrapped securely around her left index finger. Silently he took up her hand, unwrapped the tissue, and inspected her ripped hangnail, which was still bleeding a slight bit. Pursing his lips, the man looked pointedly at his charge.

She only smiled sheepishly in response.

"No more picking, Brynna May Hagel," Loki softly chastised. "I'll curse your hands to repel each other should you continue to do so."

Brynn snorted in amusement. "I'm so sure."

"Fine. Don't heed my warning—see what that brings you." While it was a warning, Loki's voice was gentle and almost playful, letting Brynn know that she was right and, if she did receive some sort of correction for picking at her nails and cuticles, it wouldn't be that particular curse. The god gently brushed his thumb over the injured area, quickly healing it.

With a smile, Brynn leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her brother's cheek in thanks.

"Awwww," Thor crooned mockingly. "How adorable!"

Loki's face flushed ever so slightly as he sent a death glare over Brynn's shoulder to the thunder god. "Shut up, Thor," he growled.

That brought another peel of laughter from the Asgardian King.

Loki rolled his eyes, and shifted his gaze away, fighting back the urge to send one of his most horrible curses in his brother's direction. Catching Brynn smirking out of the corner of his eye, he quickly turned his attention to her. "And just what are you sneering at?" he grumbled with a scowl.

Brynn giggled and teased; "Now you know how it feels to be called 'adorable' by your big brother." She playfully poked at him.

"It's your fault."

"I know. I'm not sorry."

Loki's glare narrowed, but his thin lips twitched ever so slightly as a smirk of his own threatened to curl them. "Insufferable brat," he hissed.

"Crazy bastard who thinks he's a god," Brynn returned. She leaned forward and kissed him once more.

---

One hour passed. Then two. Then three. Still no one came to the little room to summon the Asgardians and the girl or talk to them. No announcement of a verdict came—just long unnerving silence. Thor had long since closed his eyes and managed to drift off in his chair. Brynn was currently lying stretched out over several chairs, her head in Loki's lap, long blonde tresses fanning out as Loki absently combed his nimble fingers through them.

"Wonder what's taking so long," Brynn sighed as she fiddled with her gold 'Princess' necklace that Loki had given her for Christmas. The god wasn't about to let her pick at her fingers again, and she needed something to do with her hands.

"I haven't a clue," Loki responded, gently working his way through a little knot in Brynn's hair.

"I don't like that it's taking so long."

"I know."

"I wanna go home."

"I know."

The girl looked up at the Asgardian. "I wanna go home with you."

At that Loki's gaze met Brynn's and he caressed her forehead with a thumb. "As do I," he whispered with a gentle smile.

Brynn couldn't help but smile back, seeing her brother's adoration in that look. She loved it when Loki looked at her like that: She hoped he would always be able to look at her like that.

A sudden snort broke the tender moment and caused the pair to turn their attention to the napping thunder god a few chairs down. Thor had nearly toppled forward out of his chair in his sleep, but he'd managed to catch himself before it happened. Still asleep, Thor lifted his head, smacked his lips, and let his head fall back against the wall, his mouth hanging slightly open. He began snoring softly once again.

"I figured he would've been louder than that," Brynn remarked in some amazement. Seriously, with as big as Thor was, how was it possible for that quiet and gentle of a snore to come out of him? He was the frigging God of Thunder! His snoring should have shaken the room!

"Your snoring is louder," Loki said in response.

Brynn was about ready snap back that she didn't snore when her phone—which was resting on her stomach since she'd taken it out of her back pocket to lie down—vibrated. Snatching it up, Brynn sat up and read the text. It was from Maddie.

:Heyo! Saw you guys still weren't home yet, so we went ahead and got all your chores done for you. Also got the party stuff cleaned up and put away. All the goodies we brought over for it we left, so we're coming to your house to fulfill sugar cravings! Everything's good to go at your place! See ya tomorrow!:

Brynn smiled. "Well, that's one less thing to have to worry about," she sighed. Even if they were sent home within the next half hour, the fifteen-year-old was certain she would be far too exhausted to do anything besides crawl into bed when she got there. She hadn't done much all day—and nothing physically exerting—but they day had been so emotionally and mentally draining regardless. Brynn suspected she could sleep for a week after this.

The door to the room suddenly burst open, and an armed agent stepped through and stood off to the side of the door. Right behind him came Fury, followed closely by Ms. Smith and Mrs. Willis.

Brynn and Loki immediately stood, instinctively reaching out to hold each other's hand. Thor, who had started awake at the slam of the door, stood up as well, though not quite as quickly and gracefully as the other two. They waited in anticipation.

Fury took his sweet time saying anything. He looked back and forth between Loki and Brynn, looking them up and down more than once, as if trying to decide that whatever decision he'd officially made was the right call. He didn't look mean or cruel, just stern and calculating. Finally he began speaking; "I, along with many other heads and representatives of the United States—including the President—have come to a decision."

Brynn grabbed Loki's hand with both of her own and moved closer to him. She quickly glanced up at his angular face to find it emotionless and impassive, but his tightening of his hand onto her own, told her he was just as anxious as she was. The teen turned back to Fury.

"And just what is it you have decided?" Thor asked a bit darkly. He shifted slightly to somewhat stand in between the S.H.I.E.L.D director and Brynn and Loki, as if trying to shield them in some way. His massive arms were crossed over his barrel of a chest and his gaze was narrowed at Fury.

Fury briefly looked over the thunder god before turning his attention back to the pair in question. "Loki of Asgard," he said, "your request has been accepted. Under the circumstances that you follow the terms and conditions that have been given to you and that you've agreed upon, and realize that, should you violate this agreement in any way, it will all be voided and you will serve sentence, you are free to remain on Earth indefinitely and serve as Ms. Hagel's legal guardian."

Brynn thought her face would tear in half with her grin, if felt so big and wide. The biggest and most immediate rush of relief and peace and pure joy flooded her insides, bringing tears of sheer happiness to her eyes. "Oh, thank God!" she exclaimed, jumping up and throwing her arms around Loki. She buried her face in his neck as she started sobbing for joy.

Laughing jubilantly, Thor clapped Loki on the back, nearly toppling both the chaos god and the girl clinging to him over.

Loki numbly wrapped his arms around Brynn, completely dumbfounded by Fury's words. He… he was going home with Brynn. He was going to be her guardian. He was free to go with her and be with her and do as he pleased (within reason). He wasn't going to be taken from her and locked away in some cell forever, never to see her again. He wasn't going to be forced to give her up. Could this be happening? Could this really be happening? Could it really have all gone in his favor, or was this just some sort of dream? "C-Colonel Fury…?"

Fury actually smiled, however slightly. "Congratulations, Loki," he said. "Take your girl home and celebrate. Coulson will take you back whenever you're ready." With that, Fury turned and left the room, Ms. Smith following after him.

Mrs. Willis came to stand beside Loki and Brynn, smiling at them. "Congratulations," she said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Willis," Loki replied sincerely, still in shock. "Thank you." He still couldn't believe it. Something had actually gone his way for once in his life! He couldn't remember the last time that had happened! That numb shock suddenly imploded into unbelievable happiness and Loki found himself grinning from ear to ear and laughing and blinking back tears of happiness as he all but completely crushed Brynn to him. Unable to stand anymore, he took a stumbling step backwards and clumsily plopped down into a chair again, still clutching Brynn. "Oof!"

"You're staying, Loki," Brynn sniffled into his ear. "You're staying!"

"I am," Loki whispered back, sounding rather breathless. His heart was about to burst from his chest and fly off, he was certain of it. Maybe his head would join it with as light as it felt. "I can't believe it…."

---

It was after midnight, just a couple hours since Loki and Brynn had arrived back home after their meeting with S.H.I.E.L.D. Everything was quiet and asleep on the farm, or at least, nearly everything. Loki was still very much awake as he sat in bed, studying the document in his hands over and over again. It was a copy of the Terms of Agreement for his probation on Midgard: S.H.I.E.L.D had been sure to supply him with one before he'd left their custody. "A reminder" they'd said. Quite frankly, in his opinion, he didn't need an actual copy of the terms, because looking at Brynn was more than enough to remind him of every rule and regulation he'd agreed to. And she was more than enough incentive to keep him adhered to every single one as well. But they had insisted, so he had accepted one rather than face any sort of repercussions for not doing so.

So here he was, looking over them in black and white and listed order for really the first time. The god sighed heavily. He had no regrets for agreeing to any of these terms, not when it meant his little sister would be allowed into his care; and he didn't disagree that S.H.I.E.L.D had perfectly good reasons for binding him to such a contract; but it was still rather aggravating to know that this was his official rulebook from now on that he would have to follow to the letter. Maybe in future, when he'd proven himself worthy of their trust, S.H.I.E.L.D would become more lenient with the terms, or maybe even get rid of them altogether. But that wouldn't be for a long time. Such a long time that it probably wouldn't ever happen. Loki would have to learn how to deal with being kept on an incredibly tight leash in the meantime.

"Just remember the important thing," Loki told himself. "Always think of Brynn. She's the reason you're doing this. She is what matters." The man couldn't help smiling at that thought. Yes, Brynn's security and happiness were what truly mattered in this situation, and as long as she was secure and happy, he was happy. Stifled a bit, maybe, but happy. He couldn't deny that.

"Loki?"

Looking up at the sound of his name, the God of Mischief found the girl in question standing at his door, almost as if she'd been summoned by his thoughts. She was still about half-asleep, yawning and rubbing her heavy-lidded, blue-gray eyes, and was already suffering from a case of bedhead since she hadn't braided her hair back for the night. Loki smiled and chuckled. He always found Brynn exceptionally endearing at times like this, when she was too groggy to be anything other than a sweetheart. Not that she wasn't one most of the time, but she was remarkably so when the edge of her sarcastic wit had been dulled with sleep.

"Well, hello," Loki greeted her. He pretended to look displeased as he added, "And just what are you doing up at this hour?"

"Bathroom," Brynn answered her voice thick with sleep. She yawned largely then, covering her mouth with a hand. "What about you?"

"Oh, nothing really," her guardian answered, slipping the document into its folder and putting it into the drawer of his bedside table. He knew he would have to tell her about the Terms of Agreement sooner than later, because they would affect her as well, but the god had no desire to share and explain them all to the teenager tonight. It was much too late, and Brynn would be in no kind of state to make anything of it all. Not to mention that Loki had no desire to cause her any more stress so soon, since that was all she'd experienced the past twenty-four hours; and the terms would cause her some stress—he was sure of it. "Just doing some reading."

"Oh," was all Brynn had to mutter. With that, she slowly turned away from Loki's door and lumbered down the hall towards the bathroom like a zombie.

Loki chuckled as he watched after her and then telekinetically pushed his door partially shut again once she had disappeared from sight. Switching off his bedside lamp, he slipped down beneath the covers and sank into the softness of his mattress and pillow, hands folded across his chest. With a sigh, he closed his eyes. It only took a few minutes before the god could begin to feel himself drifting off, fading in and out of consciousness. It really had been an exhausting day.

He was almost asleep when he vaguely heard his blankets rustle and felt the bed shift: That woke him up a bit. He woke up a bit more when he felt something warm and considerably smaller than him slip under his arm and cuddle into his side. Loki cracked his eyes open to see Brynn curled up comfortably next to him, her head and shoulders resting on his chest, her eyes closed. He chuckled. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled the child closer, tucking her head beneath his chin. "Well hello there, Ms. Cuddlebug," he teased affectionately. "Lovely to see you this evening."

Half-asleep as she was, Brynn smiled, relishing in her brother's closeness. She never felt more safe and secure than when she was in his arms. "I'm all yours," she murmured, nuzzling into his chest.

Loki smiled, his heart swelling with joy and pride at those words. He never knew he could be so happy. "You are," he whispered back. "You most certainly are." Smoothing a hand down her hair and back, the chaos god kissed the child's crown.

"And you're not gonna leave," Brynn stated.

"No," Loki agreed. "I'm not going to leave."

"Never."

"Not ever."

"You're staying."

Loki took one of Brynn's hands into his own and squeezed it. "Until the realms tumble down."