50 REVIEWS! You guys are the best. When this is done, I'll release the Author's Cut, complete with snarky comments and deleted scenes, as a separate document, all in one chapter.
This doesn't mean there's not another incentive. If you hit 75 reviews, my best friend Em and I have been cooking up some stuff that I think you'll enjoy. Who knows? Maybe if we get to 100 reviews, there'll be something there too...
A few responses!
Emz: Would it be a spoiler if I said "not yet?"
Guest: Best decide if you want that fight or not- eventually the truth will come to light and things will happen.
Actually-Lori: Sure you do.
Lori and Stephanie's plan is gradually coming to light. You'll understand more of what's happening in this chapter, I promise. Enjoy!
The Avengers had by no means been idle in the past two and a half hours. Pietro had been in surgery to remove the bullets that had still managed to hit him, but he healed quickly, as he'd told Stephanie, and was expected to make a full recovery. Wanda still hadn't figured out what had happened, but it was only a matter of time before she did, and Lori was staying well out of her way to slow the process.
The refugees had to be set down and offloaded back onto solid ground once more. The old Helicarrier had become a tent city for those with no relatives to go to, and relief was pouring in from all over the world.
In the meantime, the Young Avengers kept out of people's way and changed into civilian clothes after being treated for various injuries. Nathan had been hit by a bullet; he was limping, but would survive. Claire had bruised her ribs and her arms were sore from so much archery. Lena and Lori were basically fine, along with Stephanie and Brenda, after she turned up. Tasha was exhausted and bruised black and blue all over, but ice would take care of that.
They moved among the refugees, helping where they could and comforting where they couldn't. The Helicarrier had food donations pouring in from the second they set down on the lake part of Sokovia had just rained into. They passed rations out, blankets, pillows, anything and everything the refugees needed.
Lori found Stephanie rocking an infant to sleep, while her mother kept an eye on the two other children. "Do you think she knows yet?" Stephanie asked, as Lori sat down beside her, without her usual cat-like grace.
"She suspects. You didn't help by saying our powers were similar," Lori murmured. She touched the infant's blonde head gently, with two fingers that stroked the soft down of her hair.
"I had to convince her it was a good idea," Stephanie said, the shrug in her tone, though she didn't shrug her shoulders for fear of waking the baby.
"I know you did." Lori shook her head. "I'll take the blame."
"What? No," Stephanie said immediately, turning to look at her friend. Lori's eyes were dead serious. "You're joking- she'll despise you-"
"She already suspects I did something," the other girl said. "Better for her to despise and distrust me when Civil War comes, than to despise and distrust you."
"And the comm logs?"
"Erased." Lori's voice was bland.
"You didn't."
"After the fiasco last time, of course I did. Whatever we said was for our ears alone. If one of us wants to tell, then so be it. But I'm not letting you take the fall for what had to be done."
"It didn't have to be done," Stephanie murmured.
"Think ahead. The War is coming- you're coming back for that, we all came back for our Phase Two movies. You're gonna be here, so's Claire, Nathan, Tasha, maybe Brenda, we still don't know. She needs to be able to trust you. They all need to be able to trust you." Lori turned to look at Stephanie, who was still rocking the infant. "Just because you made a call that you regret doesn't mean you should end the friendship between you two before it begins."
Stephanie lowered her head. "I do regret it," she admitted. "Your part in it, at least. I don't regret saving Pietro, and I don't regret killing Ultron. But I regret your manipulations."
Lori gave her a sly smile. "Well, I AM a Lokisdoitter," she murmured. "Manipulation is our game."
"But it shouldn't have to be." Her mouth was set in a mullish line.
Lori dropped the theatrics and sighed. "I know. I'm just glad that he's still alive, though."
"How did you find out?" Stephanie asked. Lori smiled and began talking.
This was not the forest.
Lori'd been walking for what felt like ages, trying to find her way back to the car with Lena in front. She'd been able to see the parking lot around Lena's shoulders when the world shivered and changed.
She paused, blinking in shock. Lena was gone. The parking lot ahead was no longer a parking lot, but a market place. She stood at the edge of a stand of trees, staring at it in silent awe.
No one appeared to notice her presence, so she walked forwards. An odd feeling on her thighs made her look down- she was wearing a knee length dress, with an angular hemline, and black tights underneath. Her feet were covered in black boots. She felt her hair- it was slicked back into a long, tight braid.
A feeling in her chest that she couldn't identify started to form. It made it hard for her to breathe, especially as she saw the people in the market place.
They were dressed as Asgardians.
She was home.
It took her a while to reach the palace, but as soon as she did, she found the secret entrance Loki had shown her, during his return to Asgard after the first movie drew to a close. It was still there, blocked with protection spells that practically sang with his magic. She drew a deep breath and pressed a hand forwards. Green fire trailed from her fingertips, connecting to the magic.
*I'm home,* she thought, and pushed that thought forwards.
She only had to wait perhaps five minutes for Loki to arrive. She felt his magic draw closer, and the door flew open. She found herself wrapped in a rough hug, and, startled, hugged back.
"I knew not if you would return," Loki murmured to her. "I am glad you are home."
"I am too, believe you me," she murmured, squeezing a bit. "I'm so glad you're alive…"
He drew away and smiled at her. He looked tired, ashen-faced and thin, but his eyes still sparkled. "Did you really have so little faith in me?" he asked, raising one elegant eyebrow at her.
"Well, you never can tell," she said, returning the raised eyebrow. "I always thought that I was the more powerful one."
Loki smiled. "Come in. I believe we have much to discuss."
"So he is alive?" Stephanie whispered.
Lori nodded, playing with the hem of her jacket. "It was so good to see him," she murmured. "Especially since the last time I was here…" Her voice trailed off.
Stephanie extracted one arm from the child and wrapped it around her friend's shoulders. Lori was usually so confident; seeing her like this, so shaken by the last time she'd seen Loki, dying on a barren planet, was almost scary. "But he's all right now?" she prompted.
Lori hesitated. "He looks tired," she admitted. "Keeping up the illusion takes a lot out of him. He's doing it up to 20 hours a day."
"And Frigga?"
Lori shook her head. "Frigga is either completely clueless- which is so unlikely it's hysterical- or she's allowing it to go on, for some reason. I don't know. She seemed to know. She treats 'Odin' with more of a motherly feeling." Her mouth quirked up in a smile. "You'd like her."
"I bet I would," Stephanie said, settling back in her seat more. "I hope I can meet her one day."
"One day," Lori said softly. "One day…"
Fury dismissed the Avengers as soon as he could manage it. "Go home," he told them, eying them all- their exhausted eyes, their sagging shoulders, their bandaged and healing wounds. "Get out of here. We'll clean up. You don't need to worry about it."
Brenda sighed out a heavy breath. Claire's head was resting on Nathan's shoulder, and he squeezed her opposite shoulder. Stephanie sighed in relief and nudged Lori, who smiled. Lena stretched and grinned broadly at Thor. Tasha crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her neck.
"But Bruce took the plane and ditched," Clint pointed out, rolling his shoulder. Tony looked pained at the reminder.
"There's a plane for you," Fury promised. "Now get."
The Young Avengers needed no further pressure. Claire, Tasha, and Lena were already moving towards the door at a run. Stephanie laughed as she watched them run, turning to look at the other Avengers. Wanda looked like she was hesitating, reluctant to go, but Stephanie walked over to her and murmured softly to her, reaching out to grasp her shoulder.
"Can my brother come?" she asked.
"If the doctors say he's stable enough to travel," Fury said.
"I will go check," Wanda said, and turned to walk away.
Clint followed her, but the other Avengers and Young Avengers followed the three who'd gone ahead. By the time everyone was on the plane, they'd returned, bearing Pietro in a wheelchair. He looked distinctly put out and grumbled as Clint pushed his chair and Wanda fussed over the blanket on his lap.
"I can walk just fine," he complained, crossing his arms over his chest and looking like a five year old child pouting.
"But if you walked, you would begin running, and then you'd tear your stitches out," Wanda said. She shook her head. "Where are we going?"
"Well, there's two options," Tony said, checking his phone. "We go to Avenger's Tower, or we move into the compound early."
"Compound?" Tasha prompted, mostly for everyone else's benefit.
"Yeah. My dad used to have an old SHIELD facility in upstate New York. I've been remodelling it for a few months." He tapped away on his phone, before adding, "It's not done yet, but it's close enough that you can move in."
"You're not moving in with us?" Nathan asked curiously.
"Nah. I still have to be around to be the face of Stark Industries, not to mention handling the press after this." His shoulders slumped, nearly imperceptibly. Tasha nudged his side with her elbow.
"So, what do you think?" Steve asked the plane as a whole, as Natasha took off.
"I'm up for the new place," Stephanie said with a shrug. A few of them nodded agreement.
"Sounds good," Clint said, from where he was watching over Natasha's shoulder.
There were a few more noises of agreement, and Stark turned his phone off with a click. "All right, then. Let me input the coordinates and we'll be on our way."
"A new home," someone murmured; no one was quite sure who.
"This place is a mess," Tasha said, staring at the room in front of them. "This is just- wow."
She wasn't precisely wrong. The walls were freshly painted, and the floor was covered with paint tarps. Furniture was piled against a wall on the far side of the room from them. There was dust in the air, enough to make Wanda cough and wave a hand in front of her face.
"Of course it's a mess," Tony said, sounding insulted. "It's the control center. No one's supposed to work here yet. The living quarters are finished, though, and the medical center should be done within the week."
"Really?" Claire asked, sounding excited. "Can we see our quarters?"
"If you can find it," Tony retorted.
"Challenge accepted," Tasha, Brenda, Claire, and Lena chorused, and split. Stephanie laughed hard at that one, and dragged Lori off. Nathan sighed and followed after them.
"I want to go," Pietro complained. Wanda sighed, shook her head, and pushed him after them.
The facility was expansive. About half of them got lost within the first five seconds of exploration. Stephanie pulled Lori along after her, weaving down hallway after hallway, before finally selecting a door and pushing it open.
"So that looks like a break room," she said casually, peering inside. "Should we go in?"
"Why not?" Lori said with a shrug. "I could use some coffee. Also, I know where the living room for our quarters is," she added, with a dramatic tint in her voice.
"You do?"
"Yeah, and they're absolutely nowhere near close to it," she said, dropping her mystical aura. "They're all so damn lost."
Stephanie collapsed onto the couch, laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. "Oh my gosh," she wheezed, grinning at the ceiling. "Ahhhh I can't breathe!"
Lori collapsed onto a chair and waved her hand at the coffee maker. It started to whir as she leaned back in her chair and stretched out, smiling at Stephanie.
After a few moments, Stephanie shifted and asked, "How long do you think it'll be until they find us?"
Lori held up three fingers, then two fingers, then-
"Hey guys!" Claire said as she barged into the room, Nathan on her heels. "What's- IS THAT COFFEE?!"
"Calm down, and yes, it's coffee," Lori said lazily. "Give it a few minutes."
"Can't you speed it up?" Claire whined, walking over and flopping down on another couch. Nathan wandered over to the foosball table in the corner and spun one of the handles.
"Magic can't solve all problems," she said.
"Then WHAT is the POINT of MAGIC?" Claire demanded loudly.
The door flew open again, admitting Brenda, Wanda, and Pietro. "I thought I heard Claire's dulcet tones," Brenda said cheerfully. "Do I smell coffee?"
"At this rate, we're only getting shots," Lori grumbled. "I need a full cup with your carrying on."
Stephanie lifted her feet and waved at them. "Seat," she called, pointing to where her feet had formerly been. "Sit."
Brenda flopped down on the corner of the couch, and Stephanie put her feet back down across Brenda's lap. "Wanda, there's a comfy chair-" she started to say, before Lori waved a hand and levitated the chair to fit more in the circle.
"Anyone want to fight me in foosball?" Nathan asked.
"I heard foosball!" Tasha announced loudly as she kicked open the door. Lena was right behind her, laugh booming over the room.
"So we've just given up on the lounge, haven't we," Claire said flatly, just as the coffee pot made a noise. "Oh, COFFEE!"
"I call dibs," Stephanie called, raising one hand. Lori waved her hand again; two mugs with "Stark Industries" floated out of the cupboard and filled themselves, floating over to Lori and Stephanie. Claire tried to grab the cup out of the air as it floated over her head, but it dodged and ended up settling into Lori's grip. Stephanie took a drink and sighed out happily.
"Why don't I get magically-made coffee?" Claire complained.
"Because you aren't my best friend," Lori said.
"Ooooooh, that's cold," Brenda hissed, grinning at the faux-hurt look on her face. "What do you want?" She stood up and walked over to the coffee pot.
"You'll make her lazy," Nathan warned.
"Oh, wow, what is it, Hate on Claire Day?" Claire called dramatically.
"Love you too, babe," Nathan called, as he spun the handles on the foosball table.
Brenda turned to look at Wanda and Pietro, smiling warmly at them. "Do you want coffee?" she asked.
"None for him," Wanda said, shaking her head vehemently. "I can hardly keep up with him when he does not have caffeine."
"But sister-"
"No," she said firmly.
"But-"
"No!"
"Have we just given up as a whole on that lounge?" Brenda asked casually as she continued to make three cups of coffee.
"Yeah," came a chorus back to her. She laughed and carried the cups over, giving one to Claire and another to Wanda.
"I can tell you where the living quarters are, by the way," Lori said casually.
"Where?" Stephanie asked, taking another sip of coffee and resting her feet on Brenda's lap as she sat back down.
"Two floors up, directly over our heads."
There was an explosion of laughter, and to Stephanie's silent joy, Wanda and Pietro joined in.