Chapter 13
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow, sorry it took so long to get this up! I promise I will finish this story. There should only be one or two chapters left. Thanks for sticking with me!
Following a pattern of behavior Alice was becoming all too familiar with, Loki went about life the following day acknowledging absolutely nothing. He lived and breathed as if they hadn't danced together, as if she hadn't caught him following her on her dates, as if he hadn't learned that his brother was willing to risk the fate of the universe to save him. No, the next day Loki slept in like normal, lay about the house like normal, and shamelessly leeched off of Alice for food without lifting a finger to help like normal.
In all fairness to the God of Mischief, he actually wasn't normally that leech-like. He usually found small but meaningful ways to help around the house—things that would lighten Alice's load without degrading him too much. It was only when he was avoiding her—like now—that he became truly useless.
It was maddening, and multiple times Alice planned to confront him about his frustrating habit of withdrawing, but he managed to ensure that Kathy was always around whenever she wanted to attempt it. He knew, Alice was sure, that much of what she wanted to say to him couldn't be said in front of her mother.
After three days of only showing his face when food was already on the dinner table, it was Kathy who finally laid down the law.
Loki took his plate from the far end of the table and silently loaded it with potatoes and casserole, his focus solely on the food. He turned from the table without greeting either Alice or Kathy, and made as if to go to his room, but before he could make his escape, Kathy stood from her chair and slammed her hands on the table
"Oh no you don't," she said, her voice heavy with maternal warning.
Loki froze, and Alice wondered if he'd heard similar words from his own mother.
"You have been creeping around here like a free-loading punk for days, and I won't have it anymore. If you won't acknowledge your host's existence, you don't eat" Kathy said with finality.
She marched over to Loki and grabbed his plate from him, jerking it from his hands as he gaped after her.
Alice was concerned that Loki might react poorly to such aggressive treatment, but her worry was eclipsed by satisfaction at finally seeing Loki get what was coming to him. Thankfully, Loki's only reaction was befuddlement, and he gawked at Kathy like he couldn't comprehend a creature that would dare snatch his food away from him.
"Well?" Kathy said after Loki failed to respond, tapping her foot.
Loki blinked at her, then turned his head towards Alice.
"Thank you for the food, Alice," he said slowly and calmly, then he unhurriedly reached for his plate, taking it from Kathy's reluctant hands.
"I'll be returning to my chambers now, good evening," he said with a little bow.
Then he turned and walked away from them, every inch the refined gentleman.
Kathy folded her arms and grimaced, turning to Kathy.
"'I'll be returning to my chambers'?" Kathy parrotted. "He says the damndest things sometimes, you know?"
Alice shrugged. She knew how strange Loki could come off at times, his image vacillating between the extremes of suave con man and Renaissance Faire escapee, and she couldn't really explain why it didn't bother her. Kathy probably wouldn't be able to fully understand without knowing the bond of trust that Alice and Loki shared. His behavior also made a lot more sense once she knew that he was the thousand-year-old God of Mischief, but of course she couldn't tell Kathy that.
Kathy opened her mouth to speak, then swallowed her words, appearing to think better of it. She shook her head ruefully.
"Well, maybe we can talk about it during our day out tomorrow," she said, smiling at Alice.
Alice walked over to where her mother stood by the counter, wrapping her arms around her in a warm hug.
"I'm really excited for tomorrow. Although it sucks that you're leaving so soon," she said, her words muffled by her mother's sweater.
Kathy patted Alice on the head.
"It's alright, we'll see each other for Thanksgiving. You're planning on coming, right?" Kathy said.
Alice nodded into Kathy's chest, then released her. As they stepped away from each other, Kathy's eye caught on the picture frames on the kitchen counter. She moved around Alice and picked up one of the photos—the one of Alice and Andy on their wedding day, Alice's favorite. Andy was making a goofy face while Alice hung off of him, her arms around his neck, wearing a grin the sincerity and joy of which Alice was not sure she was still capable.
"He really was such a sweety, wasn't he?" Kathy said with obvious fondness.
Alice smiled softly.
"Yeah, he really was."
Kathy put the picture frame back on the counter.
"I don't think I have this picture…" Kathy said.
"Meagan took that picture, not the wedding photographer. She gave it to me as a wedding gift a couple of months after we got married, so I only have the one copy."
Kathy pulled Alice to her in a side-hug.
"You should scan it and send me a copy. I need some more of you to tide me over until Thanksgiving," she said.
Alice twisted around and hugged her mother with both arms, squeezing tight. She frowned, dramatically sticking out her lower lip even though Kathy couldn't see her expression.
"Are you sure you have to leave on Friday? It seems like you only just arrived," Alice said.
Kathy squeezed her back.
"I know, I know. I wish I could stay, but those snotty teenagers aren't going to teach themselves!"
Alice pulled away a little and looked into Kathy's eyes.
"Tomorrow, we are going to have the best day ever," she said in all seriousness.
Kathy returned her gaze with equal solemnity.
"Let's do it," she said.
Alice was determined to make Kathy's last full day in New York a memorable one. After thorough interrogation, she'd determined which NYC must-do's Kathy most wanted to experience but had not yet gotten around to, and Alice formulated a plan. As much as she cared about Loki, she wanted this day to be just for her and her mother, so she'd handed him twenty dollars and a takeout menu and left him to his own devices for the day.
They got cronuts in the morning, then went straight to the observation deck of the World Trade Center. Stomachs still heavy with cronut, they slogged their way up to the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty and took many photos, lamenting that they hadn't bought tickets early enough to be able to hike to the crown.
For lunch, they had Alice's favorite neighborhood pizza slice, which Kathy agreed was the best pizza she'd ever had once you soaked up some grease with your napkin and dumped on a generous amount of red pepper flakes. They attempted (in vain) to walk off the fatty food in Central Park, and Kathy gushed repeatedly about how lovely it was to have so much green in the middle of the city. In the evening they saw a revival of Hello Dolly! on Broadway, and after the show they capped off their epic day with gyro platters from The Halal Guys. It was a much more expensive day out than Alice usually went for, but as she saw the white sauce dripping down her mother's chin, she did not doubt that it was worth it.
"Mom, I'm so glad I could spend the day with you," she said in between bites of sauce-smothered rice.
"Me too, honey. What a lovely way to end my visit," Kathy said.
Alice smiled before taking another big bite of meat. They ate their meal in comfortable silence for a minute, then Kathy turned to Alice, putting a hand on her knee.
"Um, before I leave… You know I've always tried to respect your decisions and stay out of our personal life, but I hope you don't mind if I share some… observations from my visit."
Alice bit her lip, her stomach flipping with apprehension.
"Of course not, Mom," she said, fighting her misgivings.
"It's about Michael. I am so proud of the generous, loving person you are, and he honestly seems like a smart, funny, reasonably good man. I just worry that him living in your spare room might be holding you back. You're unusually attached to someone you didn't know several months ago, and you know, you're not in a relationship with him and he doesn't have a job…"
Kathy's hands twisted around each other nervously, and Alice's gut clenched at the realization that even just bringing up her concerns was making her mother anxious. Alice wasn't the kind of daughter Kathy had to tip-toe around, was she?
"I… I get it," Alice said, not sure what to say herself but feeling like she had to say something. "That makes sense."
Kathy looked up from her hands and met Alice's eyes with an almost painfully earnest gaze.
"Maybe you could help him find a different apartment, or a job? Just set some boundaries, you know? I know he really needed your help before, but he seems to be doing a lot better now, and he's a grown man with skills."
Alice nodded her head slowly as Kathy spoke. Something within her pushed back against even the idea of Loki moving out, but the Kathy's logic was undeniable, and more than her logic, Kathy's clear love and concern for Alice rendered her unable to refuse.
On top of that, while the money from the Avengers was certainly nice, Alice didn't need it. She'd already received $350,000, which would easily pay for a down payment on a house. She'd even be able to buy a house outright—a nice one, too—if she moved out of state. She honestly didn't even know what she would do with any more. Plus, no amount of money was worth worrying her mother.
"I'll talk to him about it, I promise. I… think you're right. It could be hard to make friends, hard to date, hard to… move on if Michael is still staying with me," Alice said, bile rising up in her throat at the very thought of Loki leaving her life.
Alice swallowed it down and pushed onward. Him moving to a different apartment didn't necessarily have to mean her leaving his life. He could find a place nearby. He could even find a place in her same building, possibly. She wouldn't abandon him—never. She could find a way to make both her mom and Loki happy.
"I'll talk to him. I'll talk to him once you leave," she said firmly.
The next day found Alice escorting her mother to the airport, dragging Kathy's heavy rolling suitcase up and down narrow escalators and through the subway labyrinth. She helped Kathy check in her bags, then they parted outside of security, Kathy gathering her daughter up one more time before returning to the west coast.
"I love you honey. Be strong," Kathy said into Alice's ear before pulling away. It was the thing Kathy always said before she left, ever since Andy died.
"I will," Alice said before Kathy was out of earshot. "And I'll talk to him, like you said!" she called after her.
The whole subway ride home Alice sat quietly, hands folded in her lap, and contemplated exactly what she was going to say to Loki and how. In the end he saved her much of the trouble. When she got home he was already waiting for her, seated in his usual chair, but wearing the green and gold armor she'd only ever seen him in once before.
"Welcome back," he said as Alice took a seat across from him, eyeing him cautiously.
"Why are you wearing that?" Alice asked, though as soon as she'd caught sight of him something in her had known what was coming.
Loki shrugged.
"Well with your mother gone I don't have to pretend any more. Neither do you."
If there was anything Alice didn't do, it was pretend. The very suggestion left her feeling defensive and worried.
"What do you mean?"
"I've known you've wanted me gone for a while now, Alice. Let's neither of us lie to ourselves," Loki said, in that distinctive tone of voice that was both reasonable and caustic.
"I don't… It's not…"
The objections stuck in Alice's throat as she tried to voice them and realized at the same time that she had come home with the express purpose of asking Loki to move out. But it wasn't as if she wanted to, she just knew it was for the best. How did he always do this? Talk her in circles until she didn't know which way was up?
Loki raised a hand, ceasing her sputtering.
"Worry not, I also feel it is time for me to move on," he said.
Alice sank back into the cushions of the couch. She should feel relieved that there was no need to convince Loki to move out, since that had been her aim in the first place, but instead she just felt empty. She considered for a moment what it would be like to have the apartment to herself, and her mind caught on a particularly distressing thought. She leaned forward and looked Loki in the eye.
"We will still see each other, right? Will you be nearby? Just because you don't live here anymore doesn't mean we can't be friends."
Loki lifted one eyebrow, shooting her an expression both incredulous and confused.
"Friends? Are we friends?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious to know the answer.
"Of course we are," Alice said, feeling unexpectedly hurt. "What do you think it means to be friends?"
Loki shifted in his seat, his mouth twisting.
"I suppose so. I will… possibly see you again."
"That doesn't sound super reassuring," Alice said.
"Well I thought friends didn't make promises they couldn't keep," Loki snapped.
"Why wouldn't you be able to see me again?" Alice demanded.
Loki sighed and crossed his arms, sinking further into his chair.
"Knowing me hasn't been particularly good for you," Loki said. He raised a hand and started counting on his fingers, "A dangerous woman broke into your apartment, you were stabbed, your mother and pretty much all of your friends are worried about you—all of these things happened because of me. And that was with me trying my best to protect you."
"That's bullshit. 'I'm never going to see you again for your own protection'? That's straight out of some D-grade romance novel," Alice scoffed.
"Romance novel? What kind of story do you think this is?" Loki demanded, his expression growing angry. "I have killed people. I invaded your earth. Anyone who has ever cared about me I betrayed. What kind of ending do you think this story has for a person like me? Or anyone associated with me?"
Alice opened her mouth for an angry retort, but shut it when she realized she didn't know what to say. She had no counterargument, no logical reason for him to stay. Everyone in her life wanted Loki to move out, Loki included, and still Alice's instincts resisted. It was so strange.
Unable to form a coherent reason for Loki to stay, Alice's distressed mind abruptly switched tactics.
"I thought you were worried about your enemies attacking me? What will I do if some freaky extraterrestrial monster shows up for me?" she said.
Loki shook his head.
"You have your Avenger friends for that. I know that leather-clad woman has your apartment under surveillance, and you have your wizard friend," he said.
"You trust them with this? You never seemed to have much respect for their abilities before," Alice said, knowing she was just being contrary.
"I never said that Dr. Strange is impotent," Loki said, taking Alice aback. She hadn't expected him to actually respond to her somewhat facetious argument. She'd also never heard him refer to any of the Avengers by their actual titles.
"What?" she said.
"Dr. Strange. He isn't powerless. He has collected some remarkably powerful relics, like that pendant of his."
"His pendant?" Alice asked, utterly confused by the right turn their conversation seemed to have taken.
"Yes. Pendant, necklace, amulet, talisman—whatever you're calling it this century. He's never told you about what it does?"
Brow furrowed, Alice folded her arms across her chests and looked to the side, casting her mind back to her teacher's appearance. Now that she thought about it, he did often have a heavy, diamond-shaped pendant hanging from his neck. It was a rather outlandish-looking piece of jewelry, but everything about Dr. Strange was outlandish, so it was no wonder that she hadn't paid it any particular attention before.
"No, he's never said anything about it. I just assumed it was some kind of mystic monk thing," she said eventually.
Loki shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, I suppose you're right in a way. It's a useful trinket I've seen several times before. It has the power to return objects to their former state—to turn back time in a localized space, as it were. Your cracked phone screen, for instance, could be completely restored with a simple gesture from that pendant of his," he said.
Alice pulled the phone in question out of her pocket, careful not to catch any glass shards on the soft pads of her fingers. She imagined the phone regaining its post-unboxing sheen, and found the thought unavoidably appealing. Her focus shifted, and her fractured face gazed back at her from the cracked screen. She looked up from the phone back at Loki.
"What does this have to do with anything?"
Loki raised his eyebrows and crossed his legs.
"Not much, honestly. The point is that you should be fine in the good doctor's hands, crippled though they are. He has plenty of tricks up his sleeve."
Loki stood abruptly, brushing invisible dust from his coat and bowing smartly to Alice before she even had a chance to react.
"Well, I think that should be about it. I should take my leave now," he said briskly.
Alice jumped to her feet, taking a half step towards him before stopping herself.
"You know you don't have to, Loki," Alice said, some unknown impulse telling her that it was of the utmost importance that he know this fact. "I would never, ever force you to leave."
Loki fixed his gaze on her, something sad and pitying filling his blue eyes, and he nodded.
"I understand that. I am choosing to leave. I release you of any obligation you have to me," he said.
As if he spoke magic words, the unnamed something in Alice's chest that refused to accept his departure dissipated. She deflated, her mind confused at the missing something that had taken up residence in her consciousness for several months now.
"...Is there at least a way I can contact you?" she asked.
The question gave Loki pause, and he stopped to consider a moment before answering.
"No. That won't be possible," he said, meeting her eyes with a gaze both serious and gentle.
With the confused desperation now gone, Alice was now angry. She wanted to cry and scream, wanted to yell at him, wanted to demand explanations. But no, that was something her twenty-year-old self would have done. Through tragedy and loss, she had earned over a decade's worth of maturity and experience since then, and she wasn't about to throw that away now by acting like a child.
"Well. If you ever decide to let me know what you're up to, you know where to find me," she said.
Loki nodded at her, then took a step towards her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Alice. For everything."
Alice nodded in return, swallowing a lump in her throat, and Loki took a step back, his body fading away in a green haze. In less than an instant he was gone, the impression of his body in the chair the only evidence left of his residence. Alice was certain that if she were to check his room, there would be nothing there.
The following weeks passed slowly and painfully. It had taken so long for Alice to grow accustomed to another person's presence in her home, and it seemed it would take just as long to get used to being alone again. Movies were much less fun to watch by herself, and everyday errands became a much more solemn affair. Alice had to adjust her recipes back to serving just one, and after the second weekend spent alone in her apartment, Alice realized just how much she had allowed Loki to become her entire social life.
The one exception to that was, of course, Oscar, but on that front Alice found herself similarly alone.
"Hey Oscar, um, I'm not sure if you got any of my previous messages, but if you don't really want to talk to me anymore, I get the picture," Alice said into the phone after the third time in a row reaching his answering machine. "If you change your mind, feel free to call me back."
Their last date had gone so well, but Alice hadn't been able to reach Oscar in weeks, and it was getting the point that she could no longer find any plausible reason for his absence other than disinterest. She'd asked Esther if she knew anything, but after some awkward hemming and hawing, Alice backed off. She knew she couldn't put Esther in the uncomfortable situation of mediating between her friend and her cousin.
Jim and Carrie checked in every once in a while, but Carrie was pregnant, and they were busy with their own things. On top of that, Alice had never been that close to her in-laws, and she was worried it would feel disingenuous if she were to suddenly lean on them for all of her human interactions. Kathy still called, but she was busy with the start of the school year, and a call every once in a while didn't seem to fill up all of Alice's empty time. Nobody would ever claim that work as a nurse left Alice with an abundance of time, but without anyone to spend that time with, her off-work hours seemed to stretch out in front of her like the horizon over open water.
After Loki left, Alice had immediately informed Black Widow, who took the news surprisingly well.
"Well, we knew he probably wouldn't stay there forever. You did well, I know there's nothing you could do to keep him there if he'd made up his mind to leave," she'd said over the phone after Alice filled her in.
Black Widow assured Alice that they would continue to keep tabs on her apartment, just in case, for at least a while. She also generously extended Alice's contract by two months, even though Loki was gone.
"This is a well-deserved bonus for putting up with that bastard," she said to quell Alice's protests.
The end of her part-time babysitting gig thankfully did not mark the end of her work with Dr. Strange, though, and her weekly lessons with the doctor ended up being her main source of human interaction outside of work. With nothing else to focus her energies on, her progress in the mystic arts accelerated. Soon she was skipping taking the subway to Bleecker Street and simply walking through a portal to get there. She was often tempted to take the glowing orange ring to get to work as well, but concerns about her coworkers' questions if she were caught held her back. Dr. Strange had even begun teaching her how to summon whips of interdimensional energy that could be used as a weapon, but combat didn't appeal to her as much as the other, more constructive uses of the mystic arts.
Dr. Strange became Alice's lifeline. She couldn't quite say that they were friends, per say, but as time passed they grew comfortable and easy in each others' presence. The doctor was more similar to Alice than she had initially realized. He was practical, straightforward, and no-nonsense, and Alice found his teaching-style well-suited to her personality. They worked well together, and over time she felt comfortable telling him more about her life, as he told her more about his. She hadn't met anybody who had encountered the same level of tragedy that she had before, and it was comforting, to talk with someone who understood. At some point over the course of their lessons, he became Stephen and not Doctor.
With the help of her training to distract her, the months eventually passed by and Alice grew reasonably comfortable with her new living situation. She'd thought she had more-or-less recovered from Loki's abrupt departure when one dim and sullen autumn day in late October proved her wrong.
The air had a crisp bite to it that Alice hadn't expected at this point in the year, so her entire trek home from work was made in a light fleece not quite warm enough to keep her from shivering. The leaves on the trees were already turning, which Alice normally enjoyed, but the desperate flecks of orange amidst the grey sky and the grey concrete just seemed sad and futile today. Little kids skipped excitedly past her, chattering about their Halloween plans. Alice's Halloween plans consisted of a double shift at the hospital to give some of her coworkers time with their kids. Halloween was a kid's holiday, after all.
And then of course there was the date. October 20th. Ten years since her wedding day.
Dragging her feet with every step, Alice made her way up the stairwell and into her apartment, her mind dulled to the point that she didn't even notice the way the door opened without her key. Once she stepped inside of the apartment, it took a moment for her to process what was wrong, although it was plain to see.
Her TV was gone. Her laptop was also gone. She'd wager the modest stack of cash she always left in her nightstand was gone, too. The place hadn't been ransacked, exactly, but the cushions had been removed from the couch, and her desk had clearly been rifled through.
Alice surveyed all this with an empty sort of numbness, not quite believing the awful luck of getting burgled on the day of her wedding anniversary with her dead husband. The numbness stayed until it was shattered by a broken picture frame, in the corner by the hall.
Alice walked over to the glass-littered corner and found remnants of both the picture frame and a vase she kept on the counter, the broken glass glittering on top of the water-soaked carpet. Careful not to cut herself, she turned the frame around and gently prodded at the precious picture no longer protected in its vault. The wedding picture her friend had taken for her so long ago was cut up and soaked with water. It was ruined.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Alice recognized that though she hadn't spoken to her in years, she could probably reach out to Meagan and ask for another copy of the photo. She might not have it any more, but there was a chance. But as she held the soggy picture in her hands, all she could think was that her husband was dead and he was never coming back, and now even pictures of him were leaving, too. He'd never take any more photos. All that Andy would ever put into the world was already in it, and these remnants of him were only going to keep on disappearing from here on out. There was never going to be any more of him.
Alice sat on the floor, heedless of the tiny splinters of glass she could feel entering her shins like little mosquito bites. She cradled the broken frame and picture in her hands and cried, ignoring the front door she'd left wide open to the outside world. Eventually, the tears stopped, not out of a cessation of feeling but out of sheer exhaustion. She shifted her legs a little, which had grown numb from holding her awkward kneel, and the splinters in her shins cried out for attention. The splinters felt exactly like the ones her cracked phone screen had given her fingers before she'd learned how to avoid them.
Alice's head jerked up, an idea forming in her head that would not fix everything, but just might make life bearable. She grabbed her sling ring out of her pocket, where she always kept it in case of emergencies, and formed a shaky circle in the air. Taking off her fleece, she scooped the frame and the picture onto her jacket and wrapped it up in a little bundle before stepping through the portal.
She usually took the portal to the grand entrance of the Sanctum Sanctorum, just to be polite, but this time she went right to Stephen's favorite study room. She was in luck, and he was already there when she arrived.
He started a little at her entrance, expression going from alarmed at the appearance of an intruder, to relief upon recognizing her, and back to alarm again at her distressed state.
"Alice! What's wrong? Are you alright?" he asked, rising from his desk and moving towards her with long strides.
"Can you help me?" she asked, the tears somehow finding their way down her face again.
"Of course, please, tell me what's wrong?"
Gingerly, Alice unwrapped the jacket, showing him the broken picture frame and photo. His brow creased in confusion.
"It's a picture of my husband. I don't have another copy. Can you fix it, please? Turn it back to how it was before?" she asked, forcing the words through her raw throat.
Stephen looked up from the broken frame, concern and trepidation evident in his eyes.
"I… I'm sorry that it broke, but that's not the kind of thing to do lightly-"
"-Please! Please. It's just a small thing, I know. I know I'm being ridiculous, but…" Alice wanted to wipe the tears from her eyes, but she couldn't without letting go of the jacket.
"Please…" she whispered, "please. He's disappearing."
Stephen bit his lip, looking more uncertain than Alice had ever seen him before. Alice didn't care why he was worried, didn't care about whatever mystical best practices he might be breaking. She just knew that she was all alone, and asking for one picture back didn't seem like too much to ask.
"Fine. Let's do this quickly, though," Stephen said, taking the jacket from Alice's hands and moving it over to his desk, where he carefully transferred the broken pieces of the frame along with the ruined photo to the desktop.
Alice didn't even have the energy to thank him, she just followed, anxiety building until she saw the photo whole again.
Stephen moved in front of the table, facing Alice's broken heart, and held his hands out in front of the necklace that Alice knew would fix everything. He made several arcane gestures in front of the necklace, and a compartment that Alice never knew was there opened, revealing a glowing green stone in the center of the pendant—a pendant that Alice now realized was crafted in the shape of an eye.
The glow of the pendant was mesmerizing, and the power it emitted transfixing. As soon as she saw it, Alice realized that Loki had been lying. Whatever this was, it wasn't some trinket that Loki had seen a couple of times before, even in his long lifetime. This was one-of-a-kind.
Stephen gestured towards the frame and picture, and as he moved his hands, Alice could see the pieces start to come together, each bit of glass and wood exploding in reverse back into its rightful place. Her eyes widened in wonder, but before the process was complete, a glimmer of green near Stephen—darker and duller than the light of the stone—caught her eye. Before she had time to shout, Loki appeared right next to the doctor. He pulled the pendant from Stephen's neck, and with a quick slash of his dagger, sliced it free of its chain. The next instant, he was gone.
REVIEW RESPONSES:
EOWINDAWELL: I'm not sure if Loki will come back to life… I am pretty confident that one way or another all the people who were "dusted" will come back, but since Loki died at a different time, I'd say his odds of coming back are more like 50/50. We'll see though! I really do hope this isn't the end for him. I like Frodo, too, but I probably like Eowyn more. She and Farmir are perfect for each other!
Gallifreyx: Aww, thanks! I really liked Dr. Strange too. I hope what he did in this chapter wasn't too OOC. He's very cautious about using the time stone, but I figure he was worried about his friend and thought it was such a small thing. What do you think? I like the idea of a Strange fic, but I dunno if I have the juice to start one right now. Maybe later!
Gammathetaalpha: Yes the persuasion spell is definitely a problem, and it's not something I intend to gloss over. I'm glad you think the story is interesting so far! I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter.
SnowFlame2127: Yep, in the real world, if I was Alice's friend I'd probably suggest she take Oscar over Loki, but you know, this isn't the real world, and Loki is so irresistible! :p Well the story is coming to a close pretty soon, so hopefully it won't linger too much on the drama and romance. What kinds of stories do you like best? As I mentioned above, I don't know if I have the juice right now to start a Strange fic (I don't want to start anything unless I'm confident I can finish it), but the idea is in my head now! Maybe after the next Avengers movie…
Ninewood: I guess my thoughts are that Loki is still the same Loki, even though he was revived in part by merging with an alternative universe. I can see taking that thought in an interesting direction, but that's not where I was planning on going with it. As Loki says in the comics "I am me. First, last, and always."In my head Loki was not exactly angry upon hearing what Thor did, more just overwhelmed, and probably feeling a little unworthy. Like, "What a fool. How could he possibly do something like that?"
Sacraa: I'm so glad you went back to my story! I really appreciate all of your thoughtful comments. I hope you found this latest update and it didn't got lost again. I'm really glad you like Alice. I like her a lot, although it's been a little hard for her to maintain her personality strengths what with the whole "persuasion spell" thing going on. I'm going to be glad once that's dealt with. It's also been loads of fun to write Loki. He's just… he's just a little jerk sometimes, and that can be fun to write, but still lovable. Thanks for reading and I hope you liked this latest chapter!
Rowanoak: I'm glad you like Oscar, he's a cutie :) And of course Loki would feel overwhelmed if he heard what Thor had done for him. In his heart, Loki doesn't feel like he deserves to be saved. Thanks so much for your continued support!
LRRH17: I'm glad you liked my explanation! The Russos keep saying it's not time travel, so this seems like the next most possible option, but who knows! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, and I hope you liked this latest chapter.
Whirlwind421:Thanks! Yes, Thor does love Loki, even though Loki doesn't think he deserves it. Loving family isn't about them deserving it!
XinterestingX: Thanks so much! I want Loki to become good, but we all know him being a better person wouldn't change his basic personality and inclinations. Also I'm so glad you like Alice! I hope I'm not getting any nursing details egregiously wrong. I'm glad you can relate to a Christian character. As a religious person, I don't feel like I often see religious characters, so while it's not a huge part of her story, I thought it would be a nice detail to flesh her out. Thanks for reviewing!
ZurEnAarh: Oscar is such a sweetie-pie. I'm glad you liked the dancing, I was worried it might be a little cheesy. I guess now you saw what his plans with Dr. Strange were!
Irene Sharda: I'm glad you like the story! Loki and Thor's relationship is really important and complex, which is why I know that it's frustrating that they haven't met yet in this story. There's a reason for that, though, I swear! I agree that Loki started to change once his mother died. In this story, he doesn't start to make a conscious, concerted effort to change until after he is resurrected. I also understand that it seems weird that Thor doesn't know that Loki's alive, but all will be explained! Thanks so much for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.