Walking into a field, a snow-covered field mind you, the whole group was prepared for their jaunt to Asgard. Thor had gotten permission, albeit reluctant, from Odin for them all to go. It had taken a few days to make the preparations, but they were ready to go.
Loki had warned them that the jaunt was going to knock the wind out of them for a moment. As they all gathered in the area that Loki had made glow in the snow, Wanda moved over to him, shivering lightly. He had suggested they not bring a lot of Midgardian gear, as they may leave it or lose it once they arrived in Asgard. He wrapped one arm around her, but looked up as they all gathered around.
"Any time, Loki!" Steve called out. Loki's eyes did not budge. Instead, he waited for the signal from Thor that everything was ready. Moments later, a lightning bolt went across the sky, and Loki shouted to them all.
"Brace yourselves! NOW HEIMDALL!"
A flash of multicolored light flew down and hit them like a ton of bricks, and just like that, they were moving faster than the speed of sound along this light path. Wanda tightened her grip on Loki's hand, closing her eyes as she was hit by an onslaught of sensory input. The light flooded her eyes, and her ears pounded with the rush of wind and noise. Her body felt both weightless and as though it weighed a million pounds, all at once. It felt like it lasted an eternity, but it was mere seconds, and the group landed in the main room of the Bifrost bridge, and the majority of the Midgardians hit the deck momentarily, nauseated by the travel.
"If I had ever wondered what Daniel Jackson meant when he talked about gate travel on Stargate, I'd be willing to bet that would be pretty close…" Banner muttered, as he got to his feet shakily. He wiped his brow, removing a sheen of sweat. Wanda kept her mouth closed, clinging to Loki with a pale face and shaking hands.
Loki stroked her hair for a moment, as Thor allowed them all to get their wits about them. When everyone was composed, and not about to lose their cookies, Thor spoke to the man in the center of the room.
"Heimdall, I'd like to introduce you to the Avengers… Steve Rogers, who goes by Captain America, Bruce Banner, the Hulk-"
"I would like to point out that I honestly prefer the Jolly Green Giant versus that name, thanks."
"Duly noted." Thor continued. "Tony Stark, Iron Man. Clint Barton, who is also known as Hawkeye. Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, and finally Vision. A few others stayed behind, in case the Jotuns attacked before we returned. Everyone, this is Heimdall, the keeper of the Bifrost."
Heimdall gave a smirk, and nodded. "So you are the Midgardians who have had Thor's attention. I'm sure the AllFather is curious to get to know you. Some more than others."
Thor motioned for them to follow him, and they began to walk across the giant, rainbow bridge that connected the main part of Asgard to the Bifrost. Wanda gasped as she saw Asgard, and Loki chuckled, motioning for her to continue walking.
"I guess since I've seen it countless times, it's nothing special to me anymore." He shrugged, a smirk on his face, as she shook her head.
"It's gorgeous."
They continued, seeming to take forever as they crossed the massive bridge. Reaching the main palace, they entered the building, everything around them seeming to glitter in gold and gems. Wanda's face was in awe at the beautiful building, and as they entered, she halted for a moment. Loki stopped, and pulled her to the side.
"Wanda?"
She took a deep breath. "It's silly... But he's... Loki he's a God. And from what Jane told me, he wasn't thrilled with her..."
Loki chuckled. "There's a large difference in the two situations. First off, Thor brought Jane here without permission. That was a huge mistake. Second, Jane, as spunky as the woman is, is also your quintessential damsel in distress. You, my dear, can not only fight as well as any Asgardian when you put your mind to it, but you can also wield magics more as powerful as mine, and even my mother Frigga. My father values a warrior, it is the way of our people. Even if he disapproves of us together as a couple, because you're a mortal, he will be unable to deny your prowess in battle. That is what will make the difference."
With that, he took her hand and led her behind the others, as they approached the throne of the Allfather. Loki moved to the front of the group of heroes, and took a knee with Thor. The two glanced up at Odin, as he peered down from his throne.
"So. These are the mortals who have my sons attentions?" he asked, as they simply nodded. Thor stood and introduced them to Odin, going down the list of Midgardians. As he reached Wanda, Odin looked her up and down appraisingly, but said nothing at the moment.
"Midgardians, I bid you welcome to Asgard. We have arranged for you to have quarters here, to regain your strength. You will need it, with the foes you face. We are also arranging for the armies of Asgard to assist you in your battle, which, from our intelligence, will take place on Jotunheim. We have time to stop them before they cross over to your world."
They nodded, as the Allfather stood and walked towards them. He stopped at Thor and Loki, giving each a look. "I would like to speak to my sons in private. Someone will take you all to your quarters." he said, but then looked at Wanda. "You. I want you to wait with Lady Jane. Yes, Thor, I am well aware you brought her here without my permission. Heimdall is, after all, honor bound to inform me of such things." he said, as Thor started in surprise, but said nothing. Wanda nodded, her face flushing red, as she bowed her head in respect. As she was the only one who had done so, Odin gave her a look of mild approval. He then motioned for his sons to follow him, and Loki and Thor turned and followed him out of the throne room.
As they reached another room in the palace, the last door of the final room they entered slammed shut with a loud bang, and Odin turned to face his sons, a look of annoyance on his face.
"You have brought your women here? For what? Why would you bring your Midgardian, frail women with you? Loki I can at least understand somewhat, she is a wielder of sorcery, even if she is not a warrior, but Jane? Why do you defy my, Thor? I expressly commanded that Jane was not to return to Asgard, yet you have been bringing her back and forth, like a Midgardian teenager in the throes of puberty! What do you intend to do?" Odin ranted at them, as both had the common sense to at least look contrite.
"I apologize, Father... I-"
"Do you plan to wed this Midgardian?"
Thor's eyes met Odin's as he nodded. "I do. I would give up Mjolnir to be with Jane."
Odin scoffed. "And when she is old, weak, and frail, and you are young, virile, and strong? What will you do then?"
Thor's face fell. "I would figure it out... I am sure there are ways I can become mortal..."
At that, Odin threw up a hand in annoyance. "And you, Loki? You, who have just gotten back into my good graces? Would you give up possibly inheriting the throne honestly? Would you turn mortal, and give up your immortality and vast powers, in order to be with that mortal out there?"
Loki's eyes hardened, but the slightest of nods could be seen. "I know, unlike Thor, that there are other options."
Odin's face grew angry. "Do not suggest it. The artifact has not been used since the humans were in their infancy! We will not!"
"Why not?!" Loki's voice grew angry. "These women have proven themselves in some way or another! Jane is bright, and would be an asset to our scientific teams! Wanda is a warrior, not that you have seen her prowess! She rivals myself and mother with her magics!"
Odin raised a hand to strike Loki with the mentioning of Frigga, but Thor grabbed his hand. "We came to you for assistance. These are Asgard's enemies as well. They attack Midgar to anger us, not the Midgardians. We owe them this. You angered the Jotuns first. Clean up your mess, Father." Thor said, angrily, as he turned to walk out of the room. He stopped at the door, and turned his head to glance at Odin.
"You will have to get used to Jane being around. She will need an Asgardian doctor for when she births my child." he said, as Odin's eyes widened in fury, but before he could speak, Thor was gone. Odin turned to Loki, rage in his face.
"Have you, too, impregnated your Midgardian female?" he asked, as Loki shook his head, surprised. "Did you know?" he then asked his younger son, as Loki's head shook again.
"I swear, by Valhalla, I did not. Not that it bothers me. I do not hold your prejudices, Father. I've come to appreciate the Midgardians for the strengths they possess. Now, if you do not mind, I have a brother to congratulate. I, for one, will be glad to welcome my niece or nephew into the family, even if his grandfather is not." Loki turned to leave, then stopped, and turned to his father. "Do not let this become another situation as it did with other children in this family tree...Keep in mind, differences can be a good thing." he said, as he then left the room and took off to catch up with Thor.
As he reached his brother, the God of Thunder stopped to glance at him. "Are you here to lecture me, too?" he asked, as Loki grinned.
"And agree with that bigoted old windbag? Not a chance! When is she due?" Loki asked, as Thor grinned a bit.
"The doctors here believe she is around 5 months along. We're simply not sure when she will deliver, because the gestation time for Asgardians and Midgardians vary so much."
Loki nodded at that. "Midgardians are nine months, correct? We're more along the lines of seven. And if you factor in premature births, we're looking at a birth that could happen literally any time."
Thor nodded, worry on his face. "The pregnancy has been hard on her. She has been ill. She hides it well, with her makeup, but her skin is pale and her eyes sunken in. I fear the energy and life force needed to sustain even a half-Asgardian being is too much on her. The physicians here believe that she needs more than she can get on Midgard to sustain her. And there is nothing I can do to get it to her, unless she stays here." he said, giving Loki a knowing look.
"The Fruit of Life. If you take it out of Asgard, it rots. Father would feed you to the denizens of Hel itself if he knew... You need to be careful." Loki said, concern on his face. At that, though, they walked up on the women, and Loki gave Thor a look. "Can I?" he asked, as Thor chuckled and nodded.
With his brother's approval, Loki went up to Jane and picked her up, smiling. "Congratulations are in order, from what I understand, little sister!" he said, as Jane laughed a bit.
"Thank you!" she said, as Wanda gave her a look of surprise.
"You are expecting?" she asked, as Jane nodded.
"I am. I'm about 5 months along. It was a shock believe me, I wasn't sure if Midgardians were compatible with Asgardians, DNA speaking, but I guess we are." she said, as Wanda smiled. Jane looked to Thor as Loki put her back on her feet. "I'm guessing he took that as well as we expected?"
Thor nodded. "And then some. I'm not concerned. He can strip me of my immortality, for all I care. I'll do whatever he wants, as long as you and the baby are cared for." Thor pulled Jane to him, as Loki smiled. He took Wanda by the hand, and waved.
"We'll be off now. I think Wanda would like to see the sights around Asgard." he said with a chuckle, as he wrapped her arm in his, and the two began to stroll around the beautiful city.
"Loki... Does your father hate Midgardians?" she asked, after a while. He stopped and looked at her, surprised.
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Well, just, the way Jane was talking with me about his reaction to her before... He doesn't like us very much it seems."
Loki sighed. "Father values purity among our people, which is ironic because he took in a little, weak frost giant infant and spelled it into an Asgardian. He believes, though, that us immortals should be with other immortals. Which is ridiculous to be honest, because it's not really immortality. We just age slower than you. And there are ways to make your people more long lived, but Father will not hear of it."
Wanda gave him a curious look, which made him smile lightly at her. "Way back, when the world of the Midgardians was in it's infancy, a few worthy Midgardians were chosen to use a device, an artifact, that we have, which extends their life, and gives them the longevity of a true Asgardian, if their soul is pure and they have the spirit of an Asgardian. Basically, if the thing deems you worthy, it makes you like us. Father has it locked away. But, it does exist."
With that, Loki stared out over the horizon, stopping. "Wanda... The differences in our aging will not stop me from figuring out how we can be together until we both age together...I will work this out, for our sakes, and for Thor and Jane. My brother deserves to be with his beloved and their child for all eternity."
Wanda looked over the horizon as well. "And you? Have you ever wanted a child?"
He looked down at her with a smile. "I actually have. I still do. And one day, I expect you will be the mother of my children. But we have plenty of time for that, my love. Come. Let's head to my quarters, and get some rest. We'll need to be up early tomorrow to plan our attack against Jotunheim. Time may move a bit differently here than on Midgard, but that won't buy us much time." he said, gripping her hand tightly as he led her to his quarters for some rest, and something more.
