Chapter 21 –
The small clusters of white flowers swayed slightly as a gentle breeze fluttered low across the dampened soil. Natasha crouched down balancing herself on her feet as she grazed her finger along one of the eight tiny petals that fashioned the delicate blossoms growing along the ground. The green urn shaped-pistols tickled her fingertip as she continued to glide her hand carefully across the dainty plant. Her dark blue eyes glanced out toward the distance for a moment to check for signs of her comrades. After all, that was her actual reason for settling on this spot. This was the rendezvous point they had chosen and she had volunteered to check on the arrival of the others while Clint secured the scepter inside the vehicle. But just because she had a task to complete didn't mean that she couldn't appreciate the beauty in front of her even if it was only for a few seconds. It wasn't something that she allowed herself to indulge in often, her love of flowers. It was a silly and frivolous convention and one that she would never admit to partaking in. But the sight of flowers always soothed her even though she never understood why. At the sound of his footsteps behind her she pulled her hand away from the blooms as if they were scolding hot embers instead of delicate little buds. It was not that she hadn't known he was there. His presence was safely tucked away in her mind at all times, albeit unfortunately, and it was easy enough for her to distinguish his proximity. He had been pacing around behind her since Clint had retreated downhill several minutes ago. Sometimes mumbling under his breath at how long it was taking for the others to rejoin the group. Maybe he was just anxious to return to Asgard. She certainly was desperate for him to leave. They couldn't get back to the Helicarrier fast enough as far as she was concerned. No, she wasn't surprised that he was back there. It was just that she hadn't realized that he might have begun to pay attention to what she was doing. She had always been taught that an attachment to anything even something as insignificant as flowers was a weakness. She hated the idea of anyone thinking of her as anything less than formidable but especially him. He was arrogant enough without giving him added ammunition.
"Is the archer not returning?" His voice was a sultry whisper as he moved to kneel beside her. Her heart beat quickened at his nearness and for the millionth time since his return to Earth she inwardly cursed herself for her lack of control in his company.
"And leave the scepter unguarded? Fat chance," she snipped. She pursed her lips as she forced herself to continue to look ahead of her. She hated that she showed her annoyance so plainly. She took a deep breath trying to bring herself back to her usual state of calm.
"Whose decision was it that I remain with you, Agent Romanoff?" Loki inquired not bothering to hide the teasing tone of his voice. "I wonder is it that the archer is too unsettled by my presence to have me below with him, just the two of us, or is it that you rejected the idea of having me so far away from you."
"You really are deluded. You realize that right?" Natasha replied coldly as she finally turned to face him. His lips upturned in a slight grin as his emerald eyes seemed to dance before her. Damn the cocky bastard, she thought to herself but her face remained devoid of emotion.
"Am I?" His voice maintained that breathless quality that always played havoc with her senses. Her eyes began to focus on his lips and the memory of how they felt moving against her own. She stood up immediately in an attempt to break the thrall that always seemed to come over her when he was this close. "It is rather pointless to deny your attraction to me not after I've felt it from your own lips."
"You are putting an awful lot of importance on one…" She objected holding onto her stoic demeanor by the skin of her teeth.
"Two… two kisses," the mischievous prince interrupted, his grin growing wider by the minute. "And by the way that you were staring at me a few seconds ago I believe you are quite anxious for the third."
"The only thing I'm anxious for is your departure," the black widow insisted as she focused her attention back to the other side of the hill.
"My only question is what attracts you to me," Loki continued as if she had never spoken. "Is it the lure of the forbidden? Wanting something just because you know you shouldn't? Or do you think you can save me?" He took a step closer to her as his eyes gazed up and down her body lustfully. "Thor thinks that he can, fool that he is. He can't accept the fact that we are not truly brothers."
"Maybe he just doesn't place any importance on bloodlines the way that you apparently do." She took a slight step backward trying to keep a safe distance from him. What was keeping the rest of her team? She could feel her stoic façade slipping from her. "If anyone is a fool it's you," Natasha spat out in the hopes of angering him and dispelling the sexual tension that seemed to be building between them. She did not want him. She didn't. She kept repeating to herself. She was not going to let him confuse her this way.
"Is that so?" Loki seethed. "And what do you know about it? Was it growing up in that academy of assassin's that makes you such an expert on families? Or how many husband's and father's you murdered in your illustrious career? Perhaps it's the children that you disposed of so readily."
"Shut up!" Natasha ordered as she clenched her hands at her side trying to hold back the urge to strike him with all of her might. "That's right I never had a family but you did and they are willing to forgive your atrocities but you continue to push them away and hold them in contempt for still being unwise enough to care about you. So like I said, you're the fool." The hurt that she felt from his words was written all over her face and underscored in the vibration that tinged her voice. The fact of which only furthered her anguish. Why was it so difficult to hold back her emotions from him?
"I shouldn't have said those things. I'm… it was unwarranted," Loki remarked softly. She stared up at him dumfounded. Was he actually attempting to apologize? He reached out his hand toward her and looped his fingers around a lush red coil of her hair. "I really think you could you know." His warm breath falling across her face as he leaned in closer, she blinked her sapphire eyes up at him curiously. "I think you could save me." His lips were only a hairsbreadth from hers as she closed her eyes expectantly. Her entire body trembled with desire. Then suddenly she felt him back away from her. She hated the disappointment that filled her at the realization that he wasn't going to kiss her. "And who is the fool now?" he intoned venomously as he took another step away from her. His condescending princely bearing had returned tenfold except for his eyes. His dark green eyes were filled with regret and longing as he regarded her even as his face held an egotistical smirk. She could hear Tony and Steve razzing one another as they climbed up the hill behind her but her gaze remained fixed on the demigod. Was it the sight of them that had caused him to change so abruptly or had his gentler behavior been just a rouse to frazzle her and make her feel stupid. What part of him was real and what part was fake she wondered. What kind of game was he playing? Whatever it was she wouldn't let him win.
Natasha stared at the shimmering archway from her place on the floor along the far side of the chamber. Her back leaning against the wall as her daughter sat curled up in her lap, her small head resting against her chest as she slept. Loki had been gone for nearly two hours and with every second that past she became more and more fearful of what was keeping him from returning to them. There was a moment not long after he had left that she felt a surge of pain and despair flood through their bond but it was over almost as fast as it had begun. Since then she had felt nothing except for the usual sense of his presence. She could easily discern that he was no longer in the castle, the distance between them was far too great for him to still be inside its walls but where in the city he was she had no clue. Sitting around and waiting was not something that she excelled at. She had been spending the last hour thinking of memory after memory of their time together. From the first time that she had ever seen him, to his return to Earth and all of her desperate attempts to deny what had so obviously been developing between them. Recollections of their first kiss, the first time that he had ever told her that he loved her, when he had shown her the site on which he would build their home and then made love to her on the lush mountain top were among the millions of remembrances that had been replaying in her mind. So many happy moments he had given her. What would she do if anything happened to him? The voice of Gregor Ivanovich suddenly rushed into her head taunting her mercilessly as she sat there waiting for her husband's return.
"You can't say I didn't warn you, little Natushka, but you refused to listen. Now look at what this family of yours has made of the once unstoppable Black Widow. You are but a shadow of yourself. So weak and fragile you've become. So dependent on a man."
"Go to hell!" She shouted at the empty air before her. Her daughter jumped up in alarm at the sound.
"Mommy!" Rowan gasped as she stared around the room wide-eyed and trembling. Natasha pulled her little girl in for a tight embrace as she brushed kisses along her strawberry curls over and over again.
"I'm so sorry, Sweetie," she entreated soothingly. "Mommy was just having a bad dream. Everything is fine. We are all fine." A loud thunderous boom could be heard from overhead as the entire chamber shook in its wake. Then the glittering lights of the mystical opening faltered… once… twice before completely winking out leaving nothing but a dark marble wall in its place.
"The tunnels have been sealed," an old woman gasped. The horror in her voice sent a shiver of fear running down Natasha's spine.
"What does this mean?" A young boy who was no more than twelve questioned his mother fretfully.
"If I ventured to guess," Tobit interjected calmly. "That loud crack we heard a moment before may be a clue. Perhaps, the Great Prince summoned power from Mjolnir to close the portal to protect us from the Jotunn threat. Yes… Yes... not much else would cause such a raging sound of thunder, not of that magnitude anyway. Though I fear for him to have done such a thing that the Frost Giants must have truly overrun the castle grounds for now no one else may enter the tunnels."
"But Daddy!" Rowan shrieked as she pulled herself free from her mother's arms. "What about Daddy?"
"It is alright, Sweetie," Natasha replied in a level voice. "Your father can take care of himself." She wished she felt as confident as she sounded. Whatever it had been that destroyed the portal, whether by Asgardian design or an attack from the Frost Giants, made little difference. Only one thing was certain. The war was escalating.
"With this entrance closed off from us," one of the soldiers spoke up with an air of authority that quickly quieted the myriad of voices that had begun talking over one another in their nervousness. "There is little doubt that it is time for us to seek aid from one of our allies in this realm. Gather your things. We shall begin the trek to Vanaheim at once."
"Mommy," Rowan whimpered as she wrapped her small arms around her mother's leg and held on fiercely.
"Sweetie, it is okay," Natasha soothed. She brushed her hands through the strawberry ringlets that adorned her daughter's head. "Your father will know exactly where we are and as soon as he has made certain that your grandmother is safe then he will come to us." The journey began quickly and without any preamble. It was not a difficult walk by any means although it promised to be quite long. The distance from the city of Asgard to Vanaheim was nearly fifteen hundred miles away and they would need to cover it on foot. The environment was much more advantageous inside the tunnel than it would have been if they were attempting the same expedition above ground. There were no Asgard Mountains to climb, no wild bilgesnipe or any other beast threatening their way and the corridors were spacious with a mellow light ever glowing by magic. The enchantment of the tunnels was built to quicken the passage between the two kingdoms at a faster rate than real time but it was still going to be an extremely long and arduous hike. The guards had conditioned everyone to a simple pattern right from the get go. They would walk for thirty minutes than rest for fifteen and then repeat. It was during one of these restful periods that things began to get bleaker for the black widow. It started with a dull ache in the center of her back. Natasha bit her lip to stifle a gasp as the pain increased moving slowly around to her stomach.
"Tobit," She breathed through pained gasps as her hands moved protectively over her belly. "It's happening again." Before the words barely had a chance to leave her mouth she felt her body collapse to the ground. She had no control over the action of her limbs as the pain permeated throughout her abdomen. 'Oh god, please… please don't let anything happen to my baby,' she thought desperately as a strange frosty shiver began to descend over her, replacing the pain with a peculiar sense of other worldly cold like nothing she had ever experienced. The elderly healer was at her side in an instant his hands moving over her body as the pale yellow light from his fingertips enveloped her completely.
"Interesting," Tobit remarked in his faraway tone as he moved his hands back and forth over her. "He is quite the fighter. This latest attempt from your body to rid itself of the child is not yet over. Your insides are bubbling like a volcano aching to erupt yet he holds it off quite well. It is rather remarkable to feel him in action. Like a battle, not so different from the one going on above us I imagine. Yes… Yes… like a mini version of it. Quite interesting." He let the light wink out from his fingertips as he moved his hands back to his sides. "He can't maintain this shield much longer though I'm afraid. He is such a little thing after all."
"Do something," she snapped. Rowan gripped her hand at her side her dark green eyes gazing at her nervously. "It's all right, Sweetie. It's not painful anymore. I'm going to be fine just like before." Her daughter nodded quietly as her hold tightened against her fingers. "Tobit, what are you waiting for. Help him."
"Yes… Yes… of course, I have something I think will be just the trick to give your child more energy and calm your body," the healer pronounced as he sifted through his backpack before pulling out another vial of that strange orange liquid. He gave her his hand and helped her sit up and then placed the tiny bottle in her palm. "Here, Lady Natasha, drink this and then lay back and rest. Doctor's orders." He smiled before he sat himself down on the ground at her side and pulled out one of the books that he had brought with him and began to read. "I just wish I had more time to pack. I'm certain one of these spells would be quite useful but I don't have all the ingredients." His voice trailed off as he began to flip through the volume at a languid pace. She did as he instructed and leaned her body back against the wall. The strange sensation that had flooded her moments before had lessened slightly and she was grateful that the pain was completely gone. Rowan cuddled next to her mother and Natasha smiled as the chill in her bones got fainter and fainter. She wrapped her arms around her daughter before she closed her eyes and attempted to rest.
The scent of violets washed over her long before she opened her eyes. She knew this place well. She used to dream of it often. Even though she still did not know where her mind had conjured up the images of this park from. She was sitting at the bottom of a yellow slide. The swing sets were several feet in front of her and to the left was another jungle gym. The long green slide on that one spiraled down from a walkway that was made to look like the deck of a pirate's ship. The myriad of flowers that surrounded the park were gorgeous and lifted her spirits. It had been awhile since she had dreamed of this place. She wished she knew if it really existed. It would be nice to think that perhaps she had been a carefree child once playing here before her amnesia and before the Red Room got its hooks into her.
"Ouch," she snipped as she felt a tiny sting against her elbow. Her eyes caught sight of the tiny pebble that hit her as it continued its way down the slide. Natasha looked in the direction of where the small rock had come from but saw nothing unusual. "Weird," she said to herself as she moved to stand up. She took a step forward and felt another light tap against the backside of her leg. There was no doubt about it this time. Someone had definitely thrown the offending object at her. "Hey, cut it out!" She spoke sharply as she searched around her for the culprit. A childish giggle could be heard in the direction of the coiled slide. Natasha stalked forward catching a brief glimpse of a small child as they moved around the slide quickly and hid behind the rock wall on the opposite side of the playground.
"Look you don't have to hide," the black widow entreated as she took a cautious step forward. "Just don't throw things at me, okay? It's not nice."
"It isn't?" replied a small voice. "I didn't know that."
Natasha walked around the rock wall but to her surprise there was no one there. The soft laughter came once more, only this time in the direction of the yellow slide where she had been previously sitting. "It's customary to introduce yourself before starting a game of hide and seek." The black widow sauntered back to the other jungle gym. "I'm Natasha and you are?" The little boy stepped out from behind the slide. If she had to guess his age then she would have placed him at no more than four years old, perhaps even three. He had dark black hair and bright blue eyes. His expression was serious at first and then suddenly he broke into a large mischievous smile.
"New," he chuckled as he took a tentative step closer to her. "I don't have one yet. You're pretty."
"You don't know your name?" Natasha inquired. He was a cute little boy with large dimples along his cheeks when he smiled. He reminded her of someone and she was certain that she should know who but her mind felt foggy whenever she tried to think of it.
"I haven't been awake very long and I can't remember anything from before I woke." He walked closer still until he was only a foot from her. His blue eyes gazing up at her as he seemed to scrutinize her every move. "Does one normally remember? Is it strange that I don't know?"
"Why don't you come with me and I'll find someone who can help you figure it out?" she asked. She wondered what could have happened to him that he didn't remember anything. He didn't look like he'd been hurt but he must have some sort of brain injury if he didn't even know his name. She should take him to a hospital, she thought as she gazed around the park in a state of confusion. She couldn't think of what direction the hospital would be from here through the fog that had settled over her.
"I do so want to," the boy grinned impishly. "But I can't yet. I don't know very much but I do know that."
"You're too young to be alone in a park," Natasha stated as she tried to clear her head. "Your family must be worried sick."
"I know there are those who love me. I can feel it all around me," the child mused. "I'm glad that I got to see you."
"Do I know you?" the black widow pondered as she struggled against the murkiness that was overtaking her brain. "I feel like I should know you."
"I feel lots of things from where I am," the boy continued without responding to her question. "I see things, too. All sorts of things. There is a darkness coming if she gets her way, the girl and I will be no more."
"What girl? What are you talking about?" Natasha probed. A sudden fear creeping into her heart at the ominous sound of the small child's words.
"Destroy the stone," the little boy ordered. "If you remember nothing else, remember that. He must destroy it."
"What stone?" she demanded. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration but every thought that she had seemed to be covered in a mist. "I should know this shouldn't I?"
"Keep her close to you or the chances of the other succeeding will be almost certain," the child divulged with an authoritative tone that did not fit his age. "Every time I've seen the darkness come it began the same way. Don't lose her. If she stays by your side than all is certain to be well but if she strays then it will be much harder to stop."
"I'm not really here, am I?" the black widow charged as the fog began to lift if only for a moment. The boy's bright blue eyes sparkled and his smile returned even wider than before.
"I must go," he told her finally. "The barrier is weakening and I must tend to it, another strike is coming. Do try and remember what I told you. It's important."
Natasha's eyes flew open. Her entire body writhing in agony. Her arms and legs were shaking uncontrollably and the pain in her middle was beyond excruciating. Tobit was kneeling over her. He pressed his palm against her abdomen, a strange blue light swirling in circles above the back of his hand before it descended like a bullet straight through him and into her belly. The pain stopped immediately. The sweat was falling down her face as she sucked in a harsh breath of air. "The baby… is it?" she panted.
"The child is alright," Tobit assured her. Rowan was sitting against the wall, her arms wrapped around her legs and her head resting against her knees. Her dark green eyes were glassy with unshed tears. Natasha reached her arm out toward her daughter and the little girl rushed forward and hugged her mother tightly.
"I wish Daddy was here," Rowan whispered against her neck. Natasha could feel the tiny droplets of water on her skin as her daughter finally let her tears begin to flow. She couldn't deny that she felt the same. She held onto her daughter tightly. As Rowan's little arms clung to her so securely, Natasha was overcome with a deep desire to never let her go. She had this strange feeling that she had forgotten something; something important. But she pushed the thought from her mind. It was probably just a combination of all that was going on around her wreaking havoc with her senses. Her fear for the well-being of her unborn baby, the raging war above them and not knowing when Loki would return or if he had even found his mother. It was no wonder she was having difficulty getting her mind to settle.
"We will be together again soon, Sweetie," Natasha soothed. "Until then, we have each other."