Loki paced the length of the hall outside the healing room. "She will be just fine, my son." Odin said, appearing in the hall.
"You wouldn't be the same way if it were Mother?" Loki countered.
Odin sighed. "You need not worry. We have the best healers. You know that."
Loki nodded. "I've lost her once Father...I can't lose her again."
"And you won't." Odin countered.
"He's right. My daughter is too stubborn." Hagar said, joining them. "She gets it from her mother."
"No, that would be her father." Gail said, as she exited the healing room, Frigga beside her.
"How is she?" Loki asked.
"She's going to be just fine." Frigga answered.
"She just used too much power when she wasn't completely recovered from the portal she opened on Earth." Gail added. "She just needs plenty of rest."
"Which she's going to get because I believe she's going to be out for a while." Frigga said.
"She was out for an entire day after we returned from Earth." Loki said.
"It appears there's a trade off for her power." Odin observed.
"Good reason for her not to use it." Loki added.
"You know that she'll most likely still use it." Gail replied. "No matter what any of us say."
"She is very headstrong." Hagar reminded them.
"I know." Loki replied. "But hopefully, I'll be able to convince her to stop."
The group spoke for a few more moments and then Loki went to the healing room and carried Ava out and to their chambers. He gently laid her on the bed and pulled the blankets over her. He then sat beside her and waited for her to wake. He knew that it would be a while, but he wasn't about to leave her side.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Loki called, not looking away from his wife.
"You know it's going to be a while before she wakes." Odin's voice said, as he entered the room. "No use in waiting for her to wake up."
"I know." Loki replied. "But I'm not leaving her...not until I know she is well."
"You however need to go back to Earth and let your brother know of everything that has happened here. Earth is no longer in danger."
"I'll take care of it." Loki replied, already deciding that he would send a copy of himself to Earth. "I can be in two places at once."
Odin nodded. "Alright. I'll make sure that dinner is sent to you."
"Thank you, Father." Loki replied as his father walked out the door. He then created a copy of himself and sent the copy to Earth.
Thor...
Thor had been keeping watch for trouble with the help of Jane and Eric. They used their equipment to track everything while Thor explained more of the magic to Jane. "So, there are nine realms? Nine different worlds?" She asked him.
"Yes." Thor answered. "And we use the bi-frost to travel between them. It's like a bridge."
Jane was getting ready to ask him something else, when her machines registered a spike in activity. She looked at her equipment. "It's happening again." She said. "Do you think it's more of those things?"
"It could be Loki and Ava." Thor replied.
"Do you think that they could be back?" Jenny asked, entering the room. "They've been gone two days now."
"I am sure that it is them." Thor replied. "But just to be safe, I shall go and check."
"Well, I'm coming with you." Jane insisted.
"I'm coming, too." Jenny replied. "Besides, you're going to need someone to drive you."
Thor agreed and he then left with the two women. Jenny soon parked the car at the edge of the forest, just as Loki was walking out. "Brother." Thor greeted, as he climbed out of the car. "What did Father say?"
"And where's Ava?" Jenny asked, as she hopped out of the car.
"Ava is back on Asgard, recovering." Loki answered.
"Recovering? From what? What happened?" Jenny asked, concerned for her friend.
"She is fine." Loki assured her. "She just needs rest."
"What happened, Loki?" Thor asked.
"We got to the bi-frost sight and called for Heimdall, but he did not bring us back." Loki began. "Ava ended up having to create a portal for us to travel to Asgard. We got there and those creatures were all over Asgard...they had taken over."
"That's horrible. We must fight." Thor said.
"We have already fought and won." Loki replied. "Many of our people were injured."
"Including Ava?" Jenny inquired.
"After we arrived on Asgard, she passed out after having used so much power to create the portal." Loki explained. "She still got involved in the fight and later opened another portal...she just used too much power and now needs to rest."
"Thank goodness." Jenny replied.
"What exactly happened, Loki?" Thor asked. "A battle without me?"
"The creatures were trolls." Loki explained. "They have recently come under new leadership. Their new leader wished to take over the universe and he planned on using the Eternity Blade to steal your power, my power, and Ava's power and then using our powers to take over the universe."
"Is everyone safe now?" Thor asked.
"Yes." Loki answered. "Ava sent the trolls far away. They won't be harming anyone again."
"That's good." Thor replied.
"Father sent me to bring you home." Loki told him. "We should get going."
"Will you be back?" Jane found herself asking, looking at Thor.
Thor looked back at her. "I will return one day." He answered. "I'll explain more to you, then."
"What about you and Ava?" Jenny asked, Loki.
"When Ava has recovered, we will return to finish this visit." Loki answered. "Hopefully next time nothing will happen."
Thor took Jane's hand in his and placed a kiss on the back of it. "I will return to you one day."
She smiled and blushed. "O...okay."
Thor then turned and left with Loki. Once they were out of ear shot, Thor turned to his brother. "You're not really here, are you?" He asked.
"I couldn't leave Ava." Loki replied.
"Is it worse than what you told her mortal friend?" Thor asked.
"No...it just looks that way." Loki explained. "She passed out and is going to be out for a while...she just looks so fragile...and while she sleeps, she dreams...memories of her life on Earth...and some of them...are terrible memories."
Thor nodded. "Go be completely with her. I shall be home shortly."
Loki nodded and the disappeared.
Thor arrived at the bi-frost sight. He looked back towards the edge of the forest, his mind still with the mortal, Jane. Something about her curiosity had intrigued him. He then turned his gaze heavenward and called to Heimdall to bring him home.
Ava's dreams...
Ava looked around her as she cautiously walked through the small village. She had come to this place, trying to escape and hopefully blend in. So far she had managed to do so...except for the fact that it was highly frowned upon that an unmarried woman live alone.
She had several reasons for not getting married. One of them was of course, that she outlived everyone around her. She seemed not to age or be able to die. There would be no point in marrying someone only to watch him grow old and die, while she stayed young and lived on. The other big reason had been that she had no desire to marry any of the men she encountered...or to be married at all. Something inside her told her that she was not meant to be married.
Ava soon arrived at the market and began picking out her fruit for the week. "You know, an unmarried woman, living alone and walking through town alone, is rather dangerous." came a familiar male voice, from behind her.
Ava turned to see Pastor Arthur Smith, standing behind her. "Good day, Pastor." She greeted him.
"You really should have a husband." He told her.
"I have no desire to be married." Ava replied.
"But you would make a beautiful bride and an excellent mother." He countered. "Besides, it would be safer for you to have a husband...someone to protect you."
"I can take care of myself." Ava said. I have been for a long long time now. She added on mentally.
"Ava, please, allow me to make you my wife. I need a a good woman by my side and you need a husband to look out for you and protect you. I would be a good husband to you."
"I have no doubt that you would make a fine husband for any woman in this village, but not for me. I am best left on my own." Ava protested. She then paid the merchant for her fruit and began to head for her small cottage.
Little did she know that one of the other young ladies of the village had been watching her and the pastor interact. The woman's name was Rose and she had been trying to get the attention of the young pastor for months, but he seemed to only have eyes for Ava. "I'll fix her." Rose muttered under her breath.
As Ava turned to walk back to her cottage, she briefly faced the direction of Rose. Rose fell to the ground and began having a fit. She convulsed and screamed and cried out. Everyone stopped and stared at her. A few people rushed to her to try and help.
Ava watched the spectacle with a look of shock and horror. Dread instantly filled the pit of her stomach, but she couldn't make herself move. She knew she needed to get out of there, but she just couldn't.
After what felt like forever, Rose finally stopped her fit and came to. "Are you alright?" One of the other pastors of the village asked.
"A spell was put on me." Rose answered. "And I know who did it! It was that witch, Ava!" She accused.
That was all it took. That one accusation had the village descending on Ava and shackling her. She was tried and convicted of being a witch, no matter how much she protested that she wasn't. She knew that she could escape easily, if she used the power that she worked so hard to keep hidden, but that would only make them all believe even more that she was a witch.
After three days of being locked up in a dirty prison cell, she was led out by one of the leaders of the village. She was guarded very closely, so that she couldn't escape. "What's going on?" Ava asked.
"Quiet, witch." One of the guards answered.
They marched through the village, until they entered the very center. It was then that Ava saw what was going on. There was a large stake set up in the center of town, wood piled all around it. She knew that she was going to be burned. "Please!" She pleaded. "Spare me! I am not a witch!"
One of the guards hit her on the back of the head. "Enough witch! You put a spell on Rose and caused her to almost die and you enchanted Arthur to fall in love with you."
"I did none of those things!" Ava protested. "I am innocent!"
The men took her to the stake and tied her to it. "You burn today, witch."
Ava cried and protested. She knew that she was going to have to use her power to escape, but she hoped that she could convince them to spare her. A torch was brought forward and the leader of the town put it to the edge of the pyre.
"'I am not a witch!" She cried.
"Ava, my love, it's alright." came the smooth, velvety voice of Loki.
Ava opened her eyes and she was no longer on Earth. She was in the room she shared with Loki on Asgard. She was breathing heavy and a cold sweat covered her body. Her head pounded and her body ached.
Loki's hands were gently stroking her cheeks. "Everything is alright." He told her. "You're safe, my love."
Ava's breathing slowed and she blinked a few times to stop the tears.
"You need to rest." Loki told her.
"No." Ava protested. "I...can't...go...back...to...sleep." speaking was incredibly difficult for her, even more so than the first time she had rested after creating the portal from Earth to Asgard.
"You need your rest, Ava." Loki told her.
"Too...many...bad...mem...ories...from...Earth...are...my...night...mares."
Loki leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Just think of happier times." He told her. "Think about the memories we share, before falling asleep...like the time when we were children and you were upset about your father leaving for battle and I scared Thor by making snakes crawl out of his morning meal, just to make you laugh."
Ava managed a small smile at the memory. Her eyelids felt heavy and were beginning to droop. She decided that she would think about their more recent memories. She thought about the first night he had walked into the pub on Earth and every night after that, that they had spent together. She then thought about when they arrived back to Asgard and the night that he proposed. She closed her eyes and fell asleep as she thought about their wedding day...and their wedding night.
Loki let out a sigh of relief, when Ava went back to sleep and a peaceful expression came across her face. He kissed her forehead. "Hopefully the next time you awake, it will be for good and with much less of a start." He whispered to her. "Rest well, my love."