This was not a place Steve Rogers ever wanted to be again, but here he stood inside the ship that had been his resting place for nearly seventy years. The wreck was too large and frozen to move, but Fury thought perhaps there was still something useful to be found in it. Since no one else is alive that could give them any insight Steve was volunteered. He shuttered as he entered the cockpit and it wasn't from the frigid cold. He closed his eyes and saw the water coming fast toward him, the haunting violet eyes staring back at him in the glass. Had she saved him? Had she known the world might need him someday? So many questions ran through his head.
"You know you could always ask me instead of driving yourself crazy with what ifs." Steve opened his eyes and found Sigyn sitting on the pilot chair. "It is nice to see you again Captain."
"How did you get here?" Sigyn held up her hand and let fire wreath around it.
"Magic." Steve shook his head and sat down in a chair that was to the left of hers. She turned the chair and faced the super soldier. "What would you like to know? You clearly came here for answers."
"Why were you here? Why stay with me after the plane went down?" Sigyn reached forward and took Steve's hands in hers.
"I was here because you were important."
"Why?"
"My Gran is a seer, she saw the future one with you in it, one without. You are needed Steve. It wasn't your time to leave us." He rose quickly and turned away from her.
"What about Bucky?! Why couldn't you save him too?!" Sigyn pushed herself off the chair and turned him around.
"Your friend gave his life for a cause he believed in. It isn't fair, or right, but life isn't fair Steve. If it was I would not have been here for you. I would have been raising my children, sitting at Loki's side as his queen, but I was here with you. I don't regret being here with you. I didn't save you Steve, your augments are what saved your life. You have been given a gift, that can seem like a curse. You have been thrust into a world you don't know, with skills that the world desperately needs. It's not perfect, but only you can choose to look forward or remain in the past."
"You know this from experience, don't you?"
"All too well. I wandered the realms. Never settling, never feeling complete. Half my heart was missing and that half was so very broken. I know you see Loki as a monster, but he wasn't. If you knew the man I did perhaps none of you would have judged him so harshly. One day you will see that all is never what it seems. You have to take a few things on faith."
"This coming from a goddess." Sigyn smirked.
"I am no goddess. I'm just a woman who wants a quiet life with the man she loves and the family she is trying to build. Will that happen? Norns only know, but I'm hopeful."
"Are you on our side or..." She sighed and again took his hands.
"I am on no one's side Steve. I will fight to protect this world and the people in it, I will fight to protect my family and take down anyone who stands in my way. I don't take sides. I do what I think is right. To choose a side locks you into something that one day you might not want to follow anymore. Follow your own moral compass, listen to your gut. That's all the advice I can give you."
"It's far better then what others have told me."
"They tell you just deal with it. You're so lucky to have lived through that. Oh and my personal favorite you have a new lease on life whats so bad about that?" Steve chuckled. Sigyn squeezed his hands.
"At least someone understands."
"More then you will ever know." Sigyn looked down for a second with a thoughtful look on her face. "May I show you something Steve?" He gave a short nod and she lead him to sit down across from her. Her hands sought his again and her magic pass between them. Steve let out a gasp as a vision entered his mind. It was of Loki as a young man. He was barely an adolescent. He had yet to grow into his lanky frame. Steve saw a brawny Thor standing next to him. Both boys were covered in mud and banged up, but were laughing and smiling. It seemed to be a happier time for the brothers. The malice that Captain Rogers had seen was not in the eyes of the younger Odinson. Loki looked happy standing at his brother's side.
The voices of their friends congratulating Thor echoed around them and Loki's smile fade a little. The warm glow in his eyes dimmed. He and Thor had done the hunt together, bagged the beast together and yet Thor got all the accolades, all their attention. Steve noticed a movement from behind the boys and a pale finger tap Loki on the shoulder. The younger boy let his brother's friends take him, patting him on the back and singing praises. Loki slunk back into the shadows and joined the owner of that pale finger.
"You look like you fell out of tree Loki." He laughed and just shrugged his shoulders. The young violet eyed wraith of a girl tweaked his nose playfully and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Thor looks happy."
"When is Thor not happy when he's the center of attention? Everyone loves him." The look in Loki's eyes wasn't annoyance. It was more like admiration for his big brother. A dark shadow passed over the two and the girl stiffened. An older boy with a nasty sneer was leaning against one of the stone columns.
"Did your brother have to save you again little prince?" The girl glared and Loki pushed her behind him.
"My brother and I worked together to defeat our foe. You should have a care Theoric you are addressing your betters." The older boy growled and took a step forward. His momentum halted quite abruptly when an even larger shadow passed over them.
"Your mother is looking for you my son. You must clean up before the victory feast." Loki nodded to his father. His eyes met the girl's and she gave a slight bow. "Lady Sigyn could use an escort back to her mother as well."
"I will make sure she finds her way father." Loki offered his arm to Sigyn and they both left Odin to deal with Theoric. Steve heard what the old king said to the boy, the image faded and Steve opened his eyes.
"Who was he?" Sigyn's eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed in anger.
"He was the man who murdered me...the one who set all of this in motion. His name was Theoric. He was a bully, a coward and coveted what he could not have."
"You."
"Aye, he wanted a trophy, a daughter of higher nobility to further his station. Little did he know how high on the food chain I was."
"Thor told us." She nodded and looked up. "In the vision Loki didn't hold the malice I saw in New York."
"No, he was always mischievous and a bit standoffish, but never evil. That came later. He was broken, half his heart was gone and he was alone. Some people can stand after that happens, others cannot. The man you fought in Germany, the one who was set to unleash Hel on New York and the rest of the world is not the man I knew. The man I knew was brilliant, kind and quiet."
"That still doesn't excuse..."
"I know and the lives lost in New York are on my hands more so then his. Yet he is imprisoned and I am free. Even in a realm as advanced as Asgard there is still injustice."
"Will you ever return home?"
"Asgard is not my home anymore. I feel like I belong here. My family is here, my work and if I'm needed I am already here. No need to wait for Odin to make up his mind if he wants to help." Sigyn frowned and turned away from Steve.
"Do you think you will ever forgive him?" She turned back and sighed.
"I already have, but I will never forget what he did. I don't think Loki ever will. He hates being lied to, no matter the circumstance." Steve gave a nod. "We all make choices, they define us, shape us and if we are lucky we come out whole on the other end."
"And if we aren't?"
"Then I pray that there is always someone that will stand by our sides to help us when we can't be strong." Steve looked around the icy interior and shook his head while smiling sadly.
"There is nothing here." Sigyn tilted her head and smiled.
"It's time to move forward. The past shaped us, but we don't have to let it haunt us. The people of this world need you now. It's not perfect and it's not the world you knew, but there are good people here who need good man like you to protect them." She placed her hands on his shoulders and gently gave them an affectionate squeeze. "Never give up your principals to fit into a box others will try to put you in. Stay who you are Steve, no matter what."
"I'll try."
OoO
"Where did you disappear to?" Darcy leaned against the door jam of Sigyn's office. To keep up appearances she had returned to work and was still digging for old relics of the Vikings. Nicola too had resumed her job as Sigyn's assistant. Darcy had been staying with her family, but she had just got a call from Jane asking her to meet her in London. Darcy had been trying to figure out how to tell her cousin she was leaving in a few days. She loved being around her family and hated to leave, but Jane had no one, well she had Eric. Poor Eric was still not right after New York and part of her wanted to kick Loki in the balls for that. When Sigyn hadn't looked up from her paperwork Darcy rolled her eyes and stepped into the room. She slammed her hands down on the file and Sigyn jumped. "Did I get your attention now?"
"Quite, sorry Darcy. Norway wants to bury me in paperwork for the new dig site. What's up?" Sigyn placed the file in her drawer and stood up to stretch. She had been sitting for hours and even though it didn't cause her to ache like it would a mortal her muscles thanked her for the stretch.
"I asked where did you disappear to?"
"I went to talk to an old friend." Darcy narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.
"You don't have any friends other then me and Nicola so who did you go see?" Sigyn's lip twitched and she opened her mouth to answer, but Darcy cut her off. "Now when you say old friend do you mean human old friend or really fucking old friend?" Sigyn snorted and wrapped her arm around her cousin.
"He's old enough, but not ancient."
"Not like you?" Sigyn growled playfully and gave her cousin a nuggie. "Ow, come on Signey that freaking hurts."
"I'm only twenty seven thank you. Just my soul is old." Darcy wiggled herself out of her cousin's grip and threw Sigyn the finger. "I went to speak to Steve Rogers."
"Like Captain America, Steve Rogers?" Sigyn nodded and Darcy wrinkled her nose. "I thought he was the enemy?"
"None of them were ever the enemy. They were protecting their home Darcy, your home, not even Loki can blame them for that."
"I can't blame them for what?" Sigyn smiled up at the blonde haired man towering behind Darcy.
"The Avengers for defending the Earth." Loki rolled his blue eyes and stepped around Darcy to enter the office. He sat himself on the corner of Sigyn's desk. His arms crossed over his chest. Even with the glamour he cast on himself Darcy could see the arrogant air of a prince in his eyes and expression.
"And why would you two be talking about them my I ask?" Darcy tapped her phone screen and showed a news story about Tony Stark.
"It seems someone had fun blowing up his suits and his mansion in Malibu." Sigyn read the story over Darcy's shoulder.
"Can none of them stay out of trouble for two seconds?"
"It would seem not, my love. It would seem Stark's past deeds came back to haunt him."
"Aye, it still saddens me though. So many innocent people..." Loki rubbed her shoulders and kissed his beloved's cheek.
"My sweet, caring darling. You can not save everyone." Sigyn nodded sadly. "All of the paperwork has been filed for the next site, my love. Shall we go home?"
"Yes, we are in a holding pattern till they approve the next site. I can leave Killian to catalog all we found so far and we can have a few days to spend with the little ones." Loki wrapped his arm around his wife. "Come on Darcy let's go home." Darcy followed behind trying to figure out how to tell her cousin she was leaving at least for a little while. The snow began to fall lightly, but Loki could feel it would pick up soon enough. By the time they pulled up to the cabin the roads were snow covered. Thomas was sitting out on the porch with Nari who made a happy noise when he heard the truck pull up.
"Someone missed you today." Thomas handed his grandson off to his mom. "Good thing you got in before the blizzard. The weather station said we are in for it tonight." Nari giggled as the snow flakes landed on his nose and cheeks. His chunky little fingers lifted up to try and catch the large fluffy crystals as they fell.
"Did they say when the system is moving out?"
"In the morning. By the weekend it will be all melted." Thomas opened the door and the family filed back into the cabin. Darcy retreated to her room and pulled out her suitcase. The little room was snug, but the fact she could be with her cousin it was well worth the tiny space. She could hear them all talking in the dining room as she packed up her none essentials.
"Leaving?" The voice of Fenrir made her jump and she clutched her chest before throwing a pillow at his head.
"God dammit you scared the hell out of me! Don't you ever make any sound when you walk?!" Fenrir shook his head and entered her room. He shut t he door behind him and sat on the edge of the twin bed. Darcy let her pounding heart calm as she continued to pack, ignoring the man sitting on her bed.
"Going to ignore me now?" Her eyes slid to glare at him and she let out a little growl. "If looks could kill."
"Then stop sneaking up on me you idiot." He sighed and went to rise from the bed and leave the room. "I didn't say you have to leave." He rolled his eyes and sat back down.
"But you are?" Darcy zipped the bag up and tossed it on the floor to sit beside him. "Does Sigyn know?"
"Nope, Jane called this morning asking me to come back. I want to..."
"But you don't want to leave your cousin."
"How do you do that?" Fenrir tilted is head. "Finish my sentences."
"I've been doing that for years with Sigyn. She just never heard me."
"She and Loki do that all the time, it's just a little creepy. Knowing someone that well..."
"It's scary to some, a comfort to others." He looked to the door when he heard his father's laugh echo down the hall. "For them it's a connection that I don't think anyone else will ever understand. I envy them sometimes."
"Wish his brother had that same devotion. Poor Jane is still pining away over him. I hated leaving her, but Signey is family and I needed to be here."
"Thor is a good man with many responsibilities, knowing Odin he has him cleaning up messes brought on by the destruction of the BiFrost. My sister told me they have it almost fixed. I'm sure my uncle will be one of the first to use it to return here. He loves Midgard or he would not have come to help." Darcy nodded and looked down at her suitcase. A low sigh left her lips and she flopped back on the bed.
"I need to tell Signey I'm leaving on Monday."
"Want some company?" Rising up on her elbows Darcy looked Fenrir dead in the eyes. "I've only ever gone where Sigyn went and as a wolf I really wasn't allowed in many places. I love it here, but I'm ready to get to see some of the outside world. As a biped now it should be easier." Darcy snorted and patted his thigh.
"I could use the company. Jane was a mess when I left goodness knows what I'm walking into. Knowing my luck she will be a babbling idiot." Fenrir rose up and held out his hand to her. "Time to tell the family we are going on an adventure!"
"Minus the dwarves, wizard and dragon." Darcy grinned ear to ear and took his hand.
"You see this is why we get along. You are as much a geek as I am."
OoO
Fenrir sat in the hotel room Sigyn had booked for him in London. Darcy wanted to wait to spring Jane on him just in case Jane was spiraling into what Darcy called Ben and Jerry's meltdown. He had no idea what that was, but it didn't sound good. The room was nice, large and the bed was soft, but he was restless. He missed the sounds of home and his family. Scrubbing his face he rose from the bed and jumped as his phone went off. It was a rap song and he smirked.
"Darcy." He thumbed the screen and put the phone to his ear. "Hello Father."
"Have you met Thor's mortal yet?" Fenrir inwardly sighed at how his father hissed his uncle's name. Taking a deep breath and remembering his father could be volatile even at the best of times he took the high road.
"No not yet, Darcy wanted to make sure she wasn't ready for a rubber room as she put it. How are things there?"
"Your mother is at a meeting with the Norwegian historians on her finds. She is trying to debunk some myths about us without showing how much she truly knows. I stayed home on her request." Fenrir laughed.
"She didn't need you telling the mortals what fools they are."
"She knows me too well even after all the years apart."
"You are her one and only father." There was a long pause of dead air between father and son before Fenrir spoke again. "Once Darcy gets Jane back on her feet we will be back. I'm hoping that won't be too long. I feel something in the air..."
"I felt it too, so has your mother. Like a darkness creeping into the worlds. Be careful Fenrir. I don't like it."
"I will father, give Sigyn my love.
"I will." Fenrir hit the end button on his phone screen. The feeling of dread hit him a little harder knowing both his parents felt the shift too. He always was more sensitive to shifts in energy so he felt things before anyone else as did his brother. It was the animal blood in their veins. He looked out the window and watched the birds. Even they knew something was up. The flock turned and spun but it wasn't like any murmeration he had ever seen. They seemed panicked and out of sorts. His focus was on the birds that the small hand on his arm was a shock. He turned and growled deep, baring his teeth at the person who dared touch him.
"Easy boy, it's just little old me." He relaxed seeing the beautiful blue eyes he was coming to love. Darcy smiled up at him and pulled him away from the window. "Still not used to be on your own are you?"
"Not standing on two legs at least. As a wolf I've been on my own on and off for hundreds of years. You tend to get used to being alone." Darcy frowned a bit and he took and squeezed her hand. "I had my siblings Darcy and Sigyn most of the time when I needed to come home. A few other times I had my father."
"I really don't want to ever meet Odin. I'll end up smacking the other eye out of his fucking head." Fenrir snorted and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'd pay good money to see that sweetheart. I'm pretty sure my father would hold him for you so you can." They stayed like that for a few more moments until Darcy pulled away slightly.
"Oh I nearly forgot, I went to see Jane, but she wasn't home. Her mom said she's on a date."
"So she has moved on."
"Yeah, but..."
"But what?" Darcy took a piece of equipment out of her large purse and handed it to him. He looked at the readings and his head snapped up. "This looks like readings from the Bifrost."
"Yeah, but without it actually being it. All her stuff is going off. Something big is going on and only Jane and Erik know how to really read this shit."
"Did Jane's mother say where she was?"
"Yup, and we are going so get a jacket on and prepare for me to practice my driving through London skills." He groaned as he shrugged on his jacket. "Oh quit bellyaching wolf boy. It's not that bad." He followed her out the door and sighed under his breath.
"You really want to test my wherewithal don't you?"
"What?"
"Nothing sweetheart let's go find your wayward scientist."
OoO
"Who the hell is he?" Jane stared at the young man who was crammed into the back of the little car Darcy had rented.
"He's my intern." Fenrir held out his hand to Jane and she shook it.
"My name's Ian. Turn here." Darcy took a sharp turn and a horn blared as she cut another car off. Fenrir hissed as his head hit the headliner.
"Where the hell are we going Darcy?" Fenrir looked at the gauge again and told her to turn again. He saw a spike in the gauge and pointed passed Jane's head.
"Over there. The readings are coming from there." Darcy pulled up to what looked like a warehouse complex. Jane climbed out of the car and looked around. The place seemed ordinary. Fenrir handed her the phase meter and she narrowed her eyes at it.
"These readings are so weird." She stared at readings and Fenrir looked over her shoulder. "Who are you again?"
"Ian Boothby, I'm Darcy's inter." She shook her head and began to walk the direction the energy was spiking. She stopped as the meter fell and crunched her face as her phone began to play an annoying rap song. She answered and shot an exasperated look at Darcy.
"How do change this damned ringtone?"
"A woman with two Ph.D's should be able to change her own ringtone." Fenrir gripped her shoulder and nodded toward farther into the warehouses. "The intern said it's this way." He growled under his breath and Darcy just smirked back at him. "Oh don't give me that look." She watched Jane storm forward. Darcy gripped Fenrir's arm and pulled him along. "If we don"t keep up we'll never find her. So move it buddy." Darcy shivered a bit seeing the truck suspended in midair. She looked back at Fenrir and he shrugged. He had seen mages do things like this, but the feel of the air around them felt strange. It was like a dark magic that seemed ancient. The group of kids they had found led them to a stair well where the anomaly just got weirder. One child threw a bottle in the well and it disappeared only to reappear above them and fall back down to disappear again.
Jane's instrument started beeping and the meter began to move upward. Darcy looked over her shoulder and could see the excitement in Jane's eyes.
"Don't touch anything!" Jane ran off in the direction of the power spike. Fenrir wanted to stop her, but he knew that would bring up a lot of questions from Jane he just didn't want to try and answer. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach he felt dread. The energy he felt was dark, almost an oily feel that crawled up his skin. He wished his father was here. Loki was far more knowledgeable about magic then he would ever be. He watched Jane's retreating figure and hoped she would return soon. He wanted to be as far away from here as he could as soon as he could.
OoO
He paced and kept looking at his phone. It had been only ten minutes since his uncle had taken not only Jane, but Darcy too. Fenrir had tried calling Sigyn, but her phone went right to voicemail. His father wouldn't be caught dead with a mortal device unless he absolutely had to. He was kicking himself for not having stopped Darcy from grabbing on to Thor. The last place she needed to be was Asgard. He looked at his phone again and growled. As the seconds ticked by he go more and more worried. He tapped Sigyn's contact info again and prayed she would answer.
"Come on mom, answer!" He wanted to scream or throw his phone when it chimed to voicemail yet again. "Gods she is going to kill me."
"And why would I do that my dear boy?" Fenrir stilled and turned slowly. He let out a relieved sigh seeing his mother and father standing in front of him. He ran and hugged her. She could tell he was upset even before she felt the tension in is body when they hugged. "Fen?"
"I tried to stop her, but she's so damn head strong..."
"Who?" She looked around the lot and saw the damaged red car and the glass everywhere. A little further away was the burned design, a telltale sign the BiFrost had been used. Loki's eyes moved around the area making sure they weren't about to be ambushed. Sigyn saw Darcy's hat on the ground and her heart stilled. "What happened?" Fenrir explained all he knew to his parents and Sigyn wrapped her arm around his waist. She could feel the guilt and fear in him. Her gesture made him relax a little. Her eyes met Loki's and he sighed.
"We have to go to Asgard to get her back." Fenrir shook his head violently.
"You can't father! They will throw you in the dungeons if you return and Jor will be lucky if they don't keep him there or worse. This is my fault, I will go." Sigyn gave him a squeeze.
"Your father is right Fen. He and I have a better chance of getting her back. No one knows you are no longer a wolf. They will think you mortal and send you right back here. Loki and I have to do this." She lifted her hand and closed her eyes. The dark energy around them throbbed. She shivered at the disturbing feelings it caused. "This magic is ancient and dark. I don't like this..."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Find Dr. Selvig. His knowledge of physics could come in handy." Fenrir sighed and his gaze dropped to the ground. "I will bring her home Fenrir. I promise." He nodded.
Loki had wandered off a little following the echo of the dark energy. There was something almost familiar about it, yet foreign. He didn't like this at all. He took out the "blasted" phone Sigyn had given him and hit one of the top contacts. Jord's voice filled his ear. She had taken to the technology of man well. He explained the situation to her and told her to be on her guard. With Sigyn and himself gone, she and Thomas were the only ones standing between their twins and whatever was causing these anomalies. Jord was almost back to full strength and Thomas was a formidable warrior, but Loki was not taking any chances with his children.
"Loki?" He said a quick goodbye to his mother and walked back to his wife's side. "You don't have to come with me..."
"It's high time I return if for nothing else to hear Darcy tell off Odin."
"You can't go looking like that." He gave his wife a mock look of hurt.
"I thought you like how I look..." Sigyn laughed and laced her fingers with his before bringing the heel of his palm up to her lips. She brushed a soft kiss to his skin and smiled.
"I love you my darling, but if you go back they will arrest you or worse. I will not lose you to their ignorance." Loki stepped back and his magic surrounded him. When it faded a beautiful dark haired woman was in his place. Sigyn shook her head. He was wearing a dress of nobility and would stick out like a sore thumb standing next to her in her reaper armor. She lifter her hand and shot a bolt of magic at him changing the dress to leather armor of the Valkyrie. Loki looked down at his state of dress. He rolled his eyes and changed the color to a dark green from the dull brown she had made it. "Valkyrie travel in pairs or more. This will be more believable."
"As you wish." Her clothes shifted into her wraith armor as she made her way to the burnt design. Her mask formed over her face leaving only her violet eyes visible. Loki took his place to her side and Fenrir stepped back.
"You make a beautiful woman father." Loki's eyes narrowed at his son, but he chuckled.
"Keep talking son and I will do the same to you." Fenrir made a face and stepped back a bit farther. "Find Selvig and stay safe. We will be back as soon as we can." Sigyn twisted the staff in her hand and slammed the hilt on the ground. Blue light surrounded them and they vanished before their son's eyes. Fenrir took one last look before heading off to find Selvig.
Hey everyone, I know its been a long time since an update. Let's just say life got in the way. I'm hoping in posting this I can get back to writing more often. Thank you for your patience with me. To my steadfast followers I say thank you and to the new ones I say welcome. We will be heading for Asgard in the next chapter. Let's see how much mischief I can cause.
Raven