AN: So here it is! The epilogue. I know I said I would post it ages ago, but after seeing Thor: The Dark World (five times so far), I realised that I had to rethink everything. I want the Vice chronicles to be as close to canon as possible: and while there are a few discrepencies (for example: the timeline, and the fact that in my world Jane has already met Odin), I feel that I have managed to blend Vice and the Marvel Movie-verse together quite nicely. So of course, this epilogue does contain SPOILERS. If you have yet to see The Dark World, and don't want any spoilers, you may have to wait a while before reading this. It is the longest chapter of Vice - well over 4000 words - and I have put a lot in there. I hope that you enjoy.

Epilogue

Greenwich

The air was still with the constant ringing of phones, the hum of voices murmuring desperately into mouthpieces. Every so often the dull roar of noise would be permeated by the drag of a chair across tiles, a delicate cough, the disgruntled moans of an employee. YourLife Insurance had never seen such an influx of communication, but then again, it was not every day that London was attacked by creatures from another world.

The destruction of Greenwich was almost too impossible to believe. Aliens? In London? Things like this happened in Doctor Who, not in real life. Footage of the decimation swamped the media world-wide. Eye-witnesses were interviewed mercilessly. Yet at the back of many minds, there was the niggling feeling that maybe it was all a hoax. Surely, if they jumped on the Underground to Greenwich, they would find the area as it always had been: luscious, beautiful and rich in history.

As the days wore on, the employees of YourLife began to wish that the sceptics were correct. How did one tell a homeless family that their apartment was not covered for "unexpected alien attacks"? How did one replace a car that had been transported to a completely different realm? Abuse poured through the phone lines while rejected insurance claims flashed angrily upon computer monitors.

Only one employee seemed relatively calm amongst the chaos. It was not that Maria Tyron necessarily enjoyed being abused. In fact, she hated dealing out rejection as much as her colleagues. It was just that this was the first time she had been swamped with vitriol, and at least in this case it was not personally aimed at her. She could hide behind the receiver, beneath the thick London accent she had adopted. Even if the claimants were sitting at her desk, she doubted they would recognise her as the prior liaison officer for the Geraldine station. Alexandra Beckett was long gone: hidden beneath dark hair dye, tinted eyebrows and thick rimmed glasses.

All that remained now were the memories.

As it was, her dismissal from S.H.I.E.L.D had been civilised. Fury was almost... kind. He had arrived at her quarters at seven-thirty. She had no idea what had transpired between he and Thor, but then again, she did not expect she would ever find out. It must have been arduous, though, for Fury looked more exhausted now than he had when departing the cage mere hours before.

"You realise what I have to do?"

No niceties. Nothing. She did not expect them. Her response was to nod.

"Pheromones or not, you have been compromised Agent Beckett, in the worst possible way. I can't keep you on this team."

Alex's voice was weak. "Okay."

"I will allow you to resign: all your leave will be paid."

This had been unexpected. Resign? Leave paid? Alex was convinced she had misheard. Coerced or not, fraternising with the enemy was worthy of worse punishment than this. This was no more than a slap on the wrist!

"But sir-!"

"I like you, Agent Beckett. That is why I sent you to Asgard in the first place. I don't know the full story here. I really don't want to know. You are – were – a member of S.H.I.E.L.D and I understand that our lives aren't exactly normal. We have to live by an alternative moral code. You will lose your job for this, but I won't be responsible for ruining your future."

"Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me, Agent Beckett. You still have a lot to deal with. You are the public face of this organisation, and the press are going to want to know what happened to you. Think of something good."

Alex nodded.

Fury headed toward the door, long leather jacket hissing against the concrete. Fingers wrapped around the handle before the director turned back to face her. "Is there any reason why Malory was so intent on framing you?"

It was in this moment that Alex knew she had a hard decision to make. On the one hand, to throw forward all of Malory's sins seemed petty. A last ditch attempt at vengeance. But what if her words were of benefit to the other women in her position? Women like Becky in Observations?

"It is because of what I know, sir."

Fury cocked his one, unblemished eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"

"About Malory. About what he does."

Fury's fingers now moved from the door handle. His eyes fell upon the small desk, and Alex wondered if he was going to take a seat. Perhaps he suspected a long tale? From the look on his face, it seemed as though he already knew the gist of it.

"Malory only hired me because of the way I look." The words seemed pathetic, but Alex continued. "I am his type. He has hired women like me before, he still does. He picks those that are career driven, knowing he can hold it against us. He has power in the public service. If we do not give him what he wants, he can strip us of our jobs and make it so that we can never get another."

"What did he make you do?"

Alex glanced up, gazing into Fury's singular chocolate toned eye. "Everything, sir."

"But when he discovered you and the prisoner...?"

"He blackmailed me. Waited until he had solid evidence. I guess that explains the camera in Loki's room."

"Can you get me the names of the other women Malory has-"

"Exploited?" Of course she could. She already had. Even though she though this kind of revenge belittling, it had not stopped her gathering evidence. It was nestled among the contents of her desk, a tiny crimson flash drive. Records, accounts, saved emails – all from the women that Malory had used before. Every one of them, like Alex, was blackmailed into not talking. Every one of them yearned to see his head served up on a platter. It was this damning little stick that Alex handed to Fury, the plastic seeming almost insubstantial in his massive hand.

"You will find everything on that. All the women. All of them are willing to talk, to give evidence, if they can be protected from him."

"You have been planning this for a while, haven't you?"

Much to Alex's surprise, Fury almost sounded impressed. She supposed he had been involved in some dodgy dealings himself. This kind of thing was his cup of tea.

"It was my final defence, in case Malory ever went after anyone else."

"Do you think he will?"

"Becky. She works in Observations. She told me he had been lingering around her, making hints. That's how it starts."

Fury slipped the small nugget of information drenched plastic into his pocket with a final nod. "I will look into this further. As for you, Miss Beckett, you will leave here tonight."

This abrupt dismissal sent Alex's life on a wayward trajectory. Years as a workaholic meant that she had enough accumulated leave to fund her for months. After informing the press that she was resigning from her post due to family reasons, she had dropped from the public eye. Her apartment in Canberra was sold, the funds going toward one of her dreams: travel.

Looking back, the months she had spent on the road appeared an idyllic fantasy. Australia, the world, loomed before her – an adventure yearning to be embraced. Everything seemed perfect, until she bumped into Agent Phil Coulson.

To say she was shocked was an understatement. As far as she knew – as far as anyone knew – Agent Coulson was dead. Yet here he was, in the middle of the Tasmanian wilderness, standing at the entrance to her tent. At first she had thought him a figment of her imagination. It was only when Coulson grabbed her arm and dragged her from the tent that Alex realised she was not dreaming.

"Alexandra Beckett, you are coming with us."

Gagged and blind-folded, she had been escorted to what she assumed was a typical S.H.I.E.L.D issue SUV. Hours passed, but the driving did not cease. No one spoke, yet even through the silence Alex could feel the blanket of disapproval. It was hardly surprising. Coulson knew what she had done. Of course he did. And he loathed her for it.

The blind-fold slipped from her eyes, revealing a nondescript room with textured walls. She was seated at a stainless steel table, a glass of water placed before it. It reminded her vividly of Loki's dining table in Geraldine.

Across this table sat Coulson, ever the same in his crisp suit. Only now the joviality was lost from his features. Death had not treated Coulson kindly. Standing at his right was a stern looking agent with a ridiculously chiselled jaw. The gag was swiftly removed, the sodden rag thrown upon the table.

"Where exactly am I?" Her voice was weak, ragged from lack of use.

Coulson cocked an eyebrow. "If I told you that, I would have to kill you." Something about the glint in his eye told Alex that the agent was not entirely joking. "You should be asking why you are here."

"I was getting to that."

"You can thank your friend Lucas Malory for that."

Alex could not stop the shock from tainting her voice. "Malory? I thought he was fired."

Coulson allowed a small smirk to curl his lips, before pushing a folder across the table at her. "Oh, don't worry. He was. That's the problem. Malory held a grudge against you, one which has undermined the entire Geraldine project and also placed you in danger." He gestured for Alex to open the file, before continuing.

"When Malory lost his position, we confiscated everything he had in relation to the project, including what we thought was every copy of your little..."

Alex paled. "Yes, well..."

"Let's just say that Malory was a little more enterprising than we thought. To cut a long story short, he released a copy of the video to the press. You're lucky you've been out of earshot. Let's just say that what they've been saying about you makes Malory look like a pre-school teacher."

Alex's hands trembled as she fingered through the rest of the document. It contained a number of newspaper clippings, all of which elicited within her the desire to vomit. The video. She had thought it a nightmare of the past. Yet here it was, haunting her once more. She could only imagine the damage to her reputation. What would her friends think? What would her family think? But then again, this was so much more than simply the domestic implications. No doubt her reputation was sullied worldwide. The news would have even reached Asgard.

Coulson sipped his water, though Alex was sure if she did the same she would merely bring it back up again.

"Other than ruining your reputation, Agent Malory also revealed the location of Geraldine. The prisoner has been removed to Asgard, the station destroyed. You've cause us quite a little problem here."

"I'm sorry." Alex regretted the words as soon as they emerged. I'm sorry? What sort of the idiotic thing to say was that?

Coulson took away the first folder, handing her one of Tony Stark's digital devices. "I expect you understand the gravity of the situation? We have no idea where Malory has gone. But as long as you remain here you are in danger. Therefore, you are to go under extreme witness protection. This" – he pointed to the folder – "will provide you with everything you need. Your new identity, everything. Read it carefully."

"But... what about-?"

"As of tomorrow, everyone will believe that Alexandra Beckett died while hiking on the Tasman Peninsula. They will find your tent, your belongings and a track leading to the cliffs of Waterfall bay. No doubt they will suspect you committed suicide after hearing the news."

"But..."

Coulson shot her a dark look. "It really is very simple, Miss Beckett. You either live, or you die. Now is your chance to decide which of these two options seems more appealing."

oOoOoOo

The woman once known as Alexandra Beckett sipped her strong black coffee, the insurance claim flashing upon her screen making less sense with every passing moment. The noise had died down now, the phones ringing less frequently, the rapid slash of fingers across keyboards less deafening. Every so often the employees of YourLife would glance at the clock on the wall, yearning for the alignment of hands that would allow them freedom.

Five-thirty came suddenly, orchestrated by the loud thud of headsets hitting desks. Alex dropped her own, slipping it into the top drawer of her immaculate desk. The insurance claim, now completed, was printed and stacked neatly within a document folder. She would deal with it tomorrow. For now, she wanted nothing more than a hot bath and endless re-runs of Castle.

Unfortunately, though, this idyllic evening was not to be.

As Alex finished the last of her coffee, the cubicle was invaded by a flash of colour. Her flat-mate Clara. With fiery red-hair and a propensity for wearing everything green, Clara stood out within the stuffy halls of YourLife insurance. "So... Maria. A few of us were thinking of going to..."

"No."

"You don't even know what I was going to say!"

Alex shot her an exasperated look. "You want to go to Greenwich. You know how I feel about that."

Clara pouted. "But we hear about it all day! Don't you want to know what everyone is whinging about?"

That was just it. Alex did. Desperately. She had obsessively followed the Greenwich disaster since it had first appeared on the news a week before. The only thing they had said was that Thor had been involved. But who was he fighting? Some sources claimed that ship had belonged to Thor's brother. Loki, freed from Geraldine, determined to cause yet more damage. This theory merely caused Alex's gut to tighten. She may have feared encountering Malory again, but this was nothing compared to the ambiguity she felt toward Loki.

Even now, years later, she refused to acknowledge that what she was experiencing was heartbreak. She had always known Loki to be a cruel bastard, and his final words had been clear evidence of this. He was the god of lies, so surely everything he had said about love were mere falsehoods to draw her once more into his bed?

Since Loki, she had been with no other man.

This was just one of the reasons she felt apprehension about going to Greenwich. Did she want the full force of those memories to resurface? Then there were the parting words of Coulson. As Maria Tyron she was not to get directly involved in anything S.H.I.E.L.D related. Surely, walking straight into the ruined husk of the Old Naval College would be doing just that? The public was strictly forbidden from going near the area, and while the crowds still lingered, Alex suspected that the S.H.I.E.L.D presence was strong.

But would they notice her behind the shining beacon that was Clara?

"Okay, but only for a minute."

Clara snorted. "Don't worry, Maria. I'll get you home to Nathan Fillion before it gets dark."

oOoOoOo

Greenwich was worse than Alex could ever have imagined. Chunks of turf, stone, alien technology and human detritus were blended together in the kind of destruction she had not witnessed since New York. Cracks ran through the pavements like veins, stretching from the large craters that could have only come from Mjolnir. The place buzzed with energy: from Thor, from Asgard, from whatever had ploughed through the main square of the College.

Guarding the scene were a strange accumulation of the Metropolitan police force and black-suited S.H.I.E.L.D agents. Alex tugged her ragged woollen beanie down further over her head. The last thing she needed was an unprecedented run-in with Coulson and his team. Thankfully hunger was the deciding factor as to how long her companions remained at the site. After taking a few shots with her iPhone, Clara uttered something about a new restaurant along the Embankment. It was only as they were heading toward the Underground station that Alex felt the hand grab her shoulder.

She stopped, turning abruptly. In a second, years of S.H.I.E.L.D training returned. Beneath the layer of extra padding she had accumulated over her time as Maria Tyron, her muscles tightened, preparing for what was to come. But the owner of the hand was not Coulson, nor any of his team. Rather, it was Darcy Lewis.

"I knew it was you!"

Alex swiftly turned to her companions, only to discover they had already dived into the Underground. Nice.

She smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, I think you must have the wrong person."

Much to her shock, Darcy laughed. "Nope. It's you. Even if you look... like me."

Alex yearned to run away, but at the same time, she wanted nothing more than to scoop her friend into a hug. "How...?"

"I'm just really perceptive." It was in this moment that Darcy lunged at Alex, wrapping her in a hug that knocked the breath from her lungs. "Yay! You're alive. How are you alive? No! Don't tell me. You have to come to Jane's. Selvig's there. And Ian. He's my bit on the side. Cute."

Without stopping, Darcy dragged Alex through the crowd. The London air was delightfully brisk, and Alex found herself enjoying walking above ground. Like many residents of London, she had become somewhat reliant on the artilleries of transport that spread beneath the city.

"So, is it true?"

Alex frowned. "True?"

"That you and Mr Cheekbones were getting groiny?" Darcy grinned once more. "Yeah, I saw all the stuff on the news. But I want to hear it from you."

"Yes, Loki and I were engaged in-"

"Rampant sexy-times?" By now Darcy was almost pinging with excitement. "That is so freaking awesome. I mean seriously. How many people can say they screwed a super villain? I also can't believe you didn't tell me. All that crap about not shagging anyone in Asgard. Liar!"

"You are very disturbed. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Jane does all the time? I just remind her that I'm not the one shagging the blonde surfie with the big hammer."

Alex could not help but giggle at this. "Is 'shag' your new favourite word or something?"

"I'm just learning the local lingo. What's with the accent, by the way, you sound like you've stepped out of The Bill."

Darcy stopped before a looming chunk of apartments. It was a nice corner of London, the street barely tainted by litter. The only mess were the skeletal remains of leaves, blowing lazily across the road. Alex followed Darcy through the door and into the main foyer.

"I guess I'm just used to it. It's part of who I am now."

"So are you in some weird form of S.H.I.E.L.D witness protection then?" Darcy was now pinging. "That is so freaking cool."

It was only as Darcy's key slipped into the lock of the apartment door that Alex realised the gravity of the situation. Her cover had been blown, and behind this shield of wood were two people who would likely think the worst of her. Selvig probably hated her as much as Coulson did. And then there was Jane...

As the door creaked open, Darcy shot Alex yet another exhilarated look. "Oh yeah, by the way, Thor is here too. He's going to totally love this."

oOoOoOo

It was a desperately awkward situation. Had Alex really stopped to think in the crowd at Greenwich, she would have run toward the Underground with her colleagues. This was stupidity at its most profound. Yet it was based upon the same niggling desire that had drawn her to Greenwich in the first place. Though awkward, reuniting with Darcy was a coveted taste of her past. As the door opened, and the residence of the rooftop apartment began to see past the dark hair and accent, it became even less awkward. Jane wrapped her in a hug almost as vigorous as Darcy's. Selvig, though clearly disapproving of her choice in bedfellows, was polite enough. Ian, Darcy's intern and current fling, was desperately cute, and more than a little confused about exactly what was going on.

And then there was Thor.

The God of Thunder had changed significantly since Alex had last laid eyes on him at Geraldine. While still physically impressive, he was no longer simply a creature of strength. Melancholy surrounded him, evident in his gaze, his posture and the way his smile did not quite reach his eyes. This resonant sadness had nothing to do with his current surroundings. But exactly what had caused the God of Thunder to be like this, caused Alex more than a little apprehension.

"Lady Alexandra! I thought you dead!"

Lady Alexandra. It had been so long since she had heard those words. The five syllables seemed to drag her back to Asgard: to golden evenings, sword fighting with Sif, banquets, parties and nights encased in silken sheets.

Alex welcomed Thor's hug, though she could feel the hesitance in it. It was as though he were holding back. Alex's apprehension returned. "It is Maria now. Maria Tyron."

Thor shot her a sad smile. "You will always be Lady Alexandra to me."

Despite her fear that Coulson would come charging through the door at any minute, Alex found herself enjoying the company of her old friends. Over a dinner of pizza and Pepsi, she heard the story of what had happened at Greenwich. The truth was even stranger than the flitters of rumour that saturated the British press. Dark elves, worlds converging, writhing masses of energy. In the space of a few hours, Alex found herself not only yearning to be included in this world once more, but also thankful she had escaped from it. It was only as the hour turned late that Thor drew her aside.

The apartment's roof-top landing was empty but for a few wayward pigeons, their heads bobbing manically as they scooped up the discarded crumbs of pizza thrown to them by Darcy. London stretched before them, blackened only slightly by the scar of Greenwich. The city had become Alex's home, and she found herself proud of its resilience. Fire, plague, terrorism and alien attacks. None seemed to penetrate the spirit of the city. It continued to thrive, and would do so for centuries to come.

Thor looked toward her, impressive, even in his Midgardian clothing. "There is something you must know."

Alex found the breath hitching in her throat. "I suspected as much."

"When Malekith attacked Asgard, many of my people were killed. Including-" Thor paused, the wavering in his voice clear indication that he was reluctant to continue speaking. "Including my mother."

The tears pooled in Alex's eyes before the truth settled in. "Frigga?" The Queen? No... no... that could not be right. Frigga could not be dead. She was the strongest woman Alex had ever met. Surely Thor was mistaken...

"I wish it were not the case. I wish it every day." Thor's voice was broken now. "She died protecting Jane from Malekith. She died protecting us all." A sad smile now broke his features. "I wish you could have been there for the funeral, Lady Alex. I have never seen one more beautiful."

"I wish I could have been there too." Alex's voice was so small now. She did not know what to say. All she could think about was how Frigga's death would impact upon the realm she loved so much. Upon Odin. Upon Thor. Upon... "Loki."

She did not mean to verbalise the name. It simply slipped from her lips.

"Mother's death hit Loki hard. He was imprisoned, deep within the bowels of Asgard, when it happened. I think, in a way, he blamed himself for her death."

Alex started panicking at this point. Why was Thor talking about Loki in the past tense?

"It was Loki that led Jane and I to Svartalfheim. He knew the secret pathways out of Asgard better than even Heimdall. I promised him his life if he helped us. But he did not listen..."

Alex was now gripping the railing to the balcony; her breath coming in short bursts... "No."

Thor's fingers covered hers. "He did it for mother. And despite all that he said, I feel he also did it for you."

"No."

"I am so sorry, Lady Alex. Loki was desperately flawed, but I feel that if anyone could have returned my brother to me it would have been you. If you were given the chance. When I heard that you were dead, I kept it from him. I knew he would never recover from that. Now that you are alive I loathe that I have to tell you this..."

"No, please."

"I am sorry, Lady Alex. But Loki is dead."

The End

Yes, I know. I am a horrible bitch! Please forgive me! But if you've already seen The Dark World, you know that Lokikins is not really dead. I am also providing you with sequels... so worry not! There is more smutty goodness to come. I would like to thank you all for joining me on this journey (or re-joining me, if you read the original too). It has been fun! I love you all, and I know that I would never have gotten this far if it hadn't been for the support of my readers. You guys are brilliant, funny, insightful and wonderful in every way! *blows kisses at everyone* Thank you!