Ch. 23
Skye and Darcy decided to skip out on their responsibilities one afternoon and just catch up. They had gotten to know each other fairly well on the Bus, but had hardly seen one another since they arrived on Asgard. Skye suggested that they go to the outdoor market, remembering how many beautiful items there were on display. However, remember how much trouble they had last time, Skye made sure a contingent of five palace guards came with them.
"So, you and my dad?" Skye asked Darcy, as Darcy eyed a gorgeous handmade scarf at one stall.
"Um . . . yeah. Sort of. We're taking things slow. Like glacially slow. Is it . . . is it weird for you?" Darcy asked tentatively, letting go of the scarf and peering at Skye.
"A little . . . at first. But, Jane's with my uncle and nobody bats an eye at that. And you are a lot older than me," Skye pointed out impishly.
"Only six years!" Darcy shot back.
"You totally could have been my babysitter when I was a kid," Skye said.
"Okay . . . now I'm the hot babysitter who ran off with your dad. That doesn't sound weird at all," Darcy said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
Skye burst out laughing. "Really. It's fine. To be honest, it would have weirded me out more if you had hooked up with Coulson."
"Coulson? After he stole my iPod? No way. Plus, May would have beat me down before I got within ten feet of him," Darcy said.
"So, it's true? I haven't seen them in a while," Skye said wistfully. Every waking moment was spent either at the healers, practicing her craft, or training with Loki.
"Yep. They are totally together. It's kind of cute. They do the whole 'holding hands underneath the table' thing. It's adorable," Darcy said.
"Good. Good for them. I always hoped . . .," Skye trailed off, giving Darcy a big smile. "I really am glad about you and my dad. I know how lonely he is. He really doesn't have any friends here. And, yeah, of course, it'll take time to get used to having you as my step-mom, but I can tell you make him happy. I don't think he's known much happiness, especially in the last few years, ever since he found out about . . ."
"The whole Jotun thing. Yeah, it really threw him for a loop. He's still pulling out of it. We had to meet with a delegation last month and I could see his hands shaking, even though he tried to hide it," Darcy said.
"He met with the Jotuns?" Skye asked, perplexed.
"They're on the brink of civil war. Since Loki took out his bio-dad, there was a huge power vacuum left behind. Factions at each other's throats. Loki offered to mediate and to pay reparations for the destruction down by the Bifrost," Darcy explained.
"He did?" Skye asked, her voice hopeful. The fact that he had not only met with the Jotuns but offered to pay for the devastation that he had wrought on their realm made Skye smile. It seemed as though Darcy was a good influence on her father.
Darcy nodded. "Look, Loki did some unbelievably awful things. I'm not excusing what he did. But he's trying to make up for it little by little. It'll take decades, but he's working on it. He won't admit it, but he's ashamed of what he did. He lashed out in pain and anger for so long and now, he's trying to come back from it."
Skye stared at Darcy, amazed at what she was hearing. Perhaps there was hope for her father after all.
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Thor walked into the cavernous training rooms and beamed heartily as he saw Hogun and Sif alongside Coulson, May, and Grant, barking orders at the new recruits. He was glad to be back on Asgard. If he were honest with himself, fighting marauders across the Nine Realms was much more satisfying than sitting around the S.H.I.E.L.D. plane trying to describe the Bifrost and how it worked to Jane and FitzSimmons.
But, he longed for a respite to the weeks of hunting down the malicious rabble that tried to take advantage of Asgard's instability to wreak havoc on weaker prey. Volstagg had been fine company, but Fandral had been mooning about, worried that he had lost his edge. After being rebuffed by Skye, Darcy, and Jemma, Fandral had lost his confidence with the ladies. Thor had little pity on him, knowing that his dear friend had used his string of romantic liaisons as a sort of game of conquest, not truly treasuring the women he had seduced.
Thor's thoughts turned to Jane and how he longed to see her again. After being together for so many months, the weeks of separation had worn on him. He desired nothing more than to see her again, to be with her again.
"My friends!" Thor shouted joyfully as he drew near and drew both Hogun and Sif into a firm embrace. Coulson smiled up at him, shaking his hand, and May nodded warmly at him. Thor noted that they were standing quite close together and he wondered if they had become more than friends in his absence.
"My nephew!" Thor said to Grant, clapping him on the back, and Grant gave him his usual pained smile at the family endearment. Thor could sense that there was something amiss with his niece's husband. For some reason, he reminded Thor of Loki, full of pain and brokenness. Loki, however, wore it on his sleeve, lashing out at everyone. Grant, on the other hand, kept it hidden, tightly controlled under a façade. If Thor hadn't have spent centuries dealing with Loki, he might have been fooled. As it was, he kept a wary eye out for his nephew, worried that some day he might follow in his father-in-law's footsteps.
"Might we have a word?" Sif asked. "Alone?" she added, giving Coulson and his team a smile.
Thor nodded. "Of course. If you'll excuse us," he said to Coulson and led the way to small side chamber to speak with Hogun and Sif.
"What is it that you need to tell me?" Thor asked.
"You've got to take the throne," Sif said gravely.
"Sif, I cannot . . ." Thor began.
"She's right. You are the rightful heir. Because of what Loki's done, Asgard is shattering apart. Your cousin's base of powers and his followers grow every day. If you step in, take the crown, Asgard will know peace," Hogun said grimly.
"I will not betray my brother like that," Thor insisted.
"That's all he's ever done to you. How many times has he lied to you? Betrayed you? You cannot allow Asgard to go up in flames because of your loyalty to a brother who disowns you at every turn," Sif replied.
"You are speaking treason, Sif. If Loki were to find out . . . I promised him that you would be loyal," Thor said.
"And I am loyal. To Asgard. And it will only survive with you as its king," she said.
Thor took a deep breath. "We will speak no more of this. Sif, Hogun, you are my dearest friends, but I cannot do what you ask."
"Then Asgard will burn while you run back to Midgard," she said disdainfully as she turned and left, Hogun at her heels.
Thor sighed as he watched them go. The worst part was that her words held truth and he knew that she wanted the best for Asgard. He shook his head. He had never truly entertained the notion of trying to wrest the throne from Loki, but neither could he watch Asgard fall. He let out a slow breath as he wished for simpler times.
He would make no decisions at the moment. He needed to talk to Jane first.
Author's Note- I cannot wait for Tuesday's episode, the second one of the season! That first one really knocked me for a loop! I won't get to watch the second one until very late Wednesday night, so no spoilers please!
And I just checked and this story has 250 followers! You all rock! Thank you so very much! Knowing that you are enjoying the story so much is so incredibly motivating!
