Vali had been hiding. He'd heard when Loki got up, and followed him. He'd been slinking around in the shadows when the big spaceship had appeared. When he saw how terrified he was of it, he followed Loki back to his room, and watched him send Sigyn back to Midgard. When he came out, Vali slunk back into their room, and dressed himself in his own armor. He was only eight, but he was as tall as a normal thirteen-year-old. He could hold his own against whoever this guy was. Loki rushed back into the room, while Vali was lacing up his boots.

"Vali, come here." He commanded.

"I wanna help you and Uncle Thor fight, father!" Vali beamed. "You taught me how remember?"

"No." Loki commanded. "Come with me." Loki took his hand, and led him down the halls to… the escape pods. "Wait, Father!" Vali protested.

Loki looked down at his son, eyes wide and frightened. "Vali, whatever happens, I want you to promise me something."

Vali blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, Father?"

Loki gripped Vali's shoulders. "Never give up. Whatever happens, you're strong enough to overcome it, remember this."

"Father…" Vali frowned.

"I love you, my son." Loki crushed Vali to his chest, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Remember that."

Vali was stunned. "But I wanna fight, Father!"

Loki shook his head. "Not this time, my treasure. You promise?"

Vali nodded numbly. "But I'm not leaving! I can't! I have to help!"

Loki pressed a small device into Vali's hand. "When you see Thor again, give him this. And remember, Va. Remember how dearly I love you."

Vali's eyes filled with tears. "St-stop it. You're just… playin' a trick, or something. We can fight this guy together."

"No, Vali." Loki insisted, gently shoving him onto an already crowded escape pod. "Goodbye, Vali. I love you."

"Wait!" Vali screamed, launching himself back at his father, but the doors had already closed. Vali could see Loki nod to him, with a small smile through the glass window, then turn and run into the bowels of the ship. "No! Father!" He pounded on the doors, tears flowing down his face. "No! You-you can't die again! Father! P-Please!" He screamed, and banged, as the rocket thrusters fired up and shot them out into cold, dark space.

"Father!" Vali screamed, heartbroken, as the ship shrunk into a small speck before his eyes. It's okay. He's still alive, Vali reassured himself, until the tiny speck exploded in a fireball. He slid to the floor, and wept, clutching the device to his chest. A kind-hearted soul offered him a sweet, but Vali only wept. One of the gladiators that had fought on the bridge with his father, a Kronan, crouched down next to him, a sympathetic smile on his face. "Hey, little guy."

Vali hiccupped and sniffled, refusing to look at him.

"My name's Korg." The Kronan introduced himself. "That, over there, is my very good friend, Miek. Would you like tell me what's going on?"

"M-My F-F-Father." Vali sobbed, forgetting his acute fear of strangers in his grief. "He w-was on the ship. He sent me in here, and then he d-died, again. And… I don't have any friends left, 'cause I don't know where Mama went."

"Oh, that's rough, man." Korg nodded in sympathy. "Your dad was King Thor's brother? What did he say his name was, again… Loki?"

Valin nodded, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"Hey, you know what?" Korg smiled brightly. "We're going to go to this place called 'Midgard', and we're going to build a whole new city, there! Maybe once we get there, you can stay at my place? Since your dad's gone, you know."

Vali looked up. "Really?"

Korg nodded, and smiled. "Technically, I don't have a house, there, yet. But I can assure you it shall be built."

Vali gave him a shaky smile. "Thanks…" He glanced down at his hands, suddenly aware of the fact that pretty much everyone, here, was a total stranger to him. Strangers typically meant mean words and sharp smacks. He looked funny, and he was too big, and he was a… what was the word… bastard. Nobody liked him.

He shrunk down against the closed doors, looking around in fear.

"Hey, don't be afraid, buddy!" Korg patted him on the shoulder. "We're not going to hurt you! What's your name?"

"V-Vali." He stammered, whimpering slightly.

"Alright, Vali, it's gonna be okay." Korg picked up Vali, actually a bit of a feat, since he was three-quarters giant, and weighed as much as a healthy thirteen-year old, and carried him back to the seat he'd been on.

One of the men sitting next to the Kronan turned and smiled at Vali. "Hey, kid. You know, you saved my life, once."

Vali blinked with wide eyes, scooting closer to Korg's side. "R-really?"

The man nodded. "I was injured on the training field, and when they brought me to the healing hall, I was bleeding out. Lady Eir was busy, and you sewed up my wound. If it wasn't for you, I'd be three years dead, right now."

Vali thought about this for a while. "Oh." Was all he could find to say.

Another woman spoke up from the other side of the room. "Your quick thinking saved my sister from permanent paralysis in her legs."

"You encouraged me when I was sick, and didn't think it worth it to fight." A young man put in.

"You kept my leg from amputation."

"You helped deliver my son."

"You gave me the cure for the poison my husband was fed by his enemies."

Vali looked around at everyone in the pod. He didn't know what to say.

"Looks like you're a real hero, buddy." Korg smiled.

Vali looked up. "Hero?"

"Yeah." The first man nodded. "You've helped so many people, and with Lady Eir gone, you're pretty much the only healer Asgard has left."

Vali sat up a bit straighter. Maybe he was friendless. Maybe everyone he knew and loved was dead or unavailable. Maybe he was in the middle of space with no habitable planet for hundreds of miles around. But he would not give up hope. He'd promised his father that much.

When he got back to Midgard, and the city of New Asgard built, Vali sat, one day, on the steps of the house intended for Thor. The Thunderer hadn't even shown up, despite it having been two months since half of everyone turned to dust. Korg said he was busy with the Avengers, so Vali waited patiently. That day, with the sun shining down through the clouds, Vali sat on the steps, turning the gadget over and over in his hands.

Just then, a shadow cast over his form, and he looked up to see the Thunderer, himself, standing there, staring at him with a strange expression on his face. "Vali?"

"Uncle Thor!" He jumped up in excitement. "You remember me?"

Thor nodded hesitantly. "What are you doing, here?"

Vali shrugged awkwardly. "I was… waiting for you. Um… Father…" He bit his lip.

"What did Loki do?" Thor asked softly, his voice shaking.

Vali held out the device. "He told me to give you this."

With trembling fingers, Thor tenderly took the device from his nephew's palm. AS soon as he held it, it made a small whirring noise, and a projection of Loki appeared in front of them. He was sitting on the bed in the Statesmen, leaning forward on his knees with a pensive expression on his face. Vali gasped, his eyes wide.

"Well, if you're seeing this…" Loki's illusion began. "I'm dead." He sighed, fidgeting with his fingers like he always did when he was nervous or upset. It was such a very Loki thing to do, that a pang of longing stabbed through Vali's heart.

"I'm terribly sorry about that." Loki chuckled mirthlessly. "I… I know what that's like, being the one left behind. Of course, you do, too, and, well, Balder left a message for his surviving siblings when he was gone, so it's the least I can do." He turned to look straight at Thor. "Of course, I can't see the future, so I don't know exactly what to say, like he did. But I know I can tell you this. I love you. And… I want the best for you. I want you to go on living, and live so hard and so long that… thinking about me doesn't hurt, anymore. Sigyn probably ghosted off after this." Here, he turned, and looked affectionately at Sigyn's sleeping form behind him.

"So, you probably don't know where she lives, now. I would say, if you can, try Alfheim." He waved a hand in dismissal.

"That doesn't matter. I'm talking to you. I might make one of these for her, but probably not. Anyway, to get back to my point. I always wished there was some specific thing that I could've done for the twins after the accident, you know… to keep their memories strong. To honor them, sort of. I don't know if you felt the same, but if you did… there actually is something you could do for me, two things actually. First, and foremost…" He sighed.

"I really need you to take care of Vali. He doesn't have anyone else, now, and he needs you. I'm sorry to have to drop him on you, but when you get to know him, he's so sweet. He'd do anything for the people he loves, please, Thor. Give him somewhere to belong. If not… could you deliver him to Angry – that is, Angrboda? I... I…" His voice broke. "I can't stand the thought of his being alone. Orphaned. Just make sure he's taken care of. Please. Consider it my dying wish."

At this, Loki dragged a hand over his face. "As for the other thing… I understand if you'd rather not, but… I've always been afraid of… being forgotten, you know? Even after death, the thought of nobody remembering who I am, it, it…. What can I say? It's frightening to me, to have lived in vain, to have no… no legacy. So, if you could, could you tell my story? You don't have to make me the protagonist. I don't even have to be the hero. Just make sure... make sure I'm not forgotten. I can be… just a footnote. 'Oh, and by the way, Thor had a brother' sort of thing. I can be the villain in your story, even. Just please don't let me be forgotten. I'd like your children to know… my name." He shook his head fiercely. "I'm just being pathetic. You don't… you don't have to… do anything for me if you don't want to. I'm sorry, I'm just being petty. Do you even care what I have to say?" He mumbled. "Are you even still listening? Allfathers, this is ridiculous. If you are… still listening." He steepled his fingers in front of his face, his emerald eyes swimming in tears. "I do love you. And you'll always be my brother. If… If I made it to Valhalla…" A lone tear trailed down his cheek, and he angrily swiped it away. "Norns, look what you do to me Thor." He grumbled half-heartedly. "How could I ever have pretended you're not my brother?" He smiled forlornly at the camera. "If I made it to Valhalla, I… I look forward to seeing you, again. I'll save you a seat at Bor's table." The image froze, and dissipated into nothing.

Thor stared down at the small device in his hand, tears flowing freely down his face. "I will, Brother." He whispered. "I'll tell your story. And I'll care for Vali. You have my word." Vali watched him in silence, not sure what to say. Then, Thor held out a hand to Vali, and together, they walked hand-in-hand into the house.

Around the same moment, a bright light appeared in Tony Stark's workshop.

"Hey, look, a Bifrost person!" Tony cheered half-heartedly. When the light faded, a familiar elvish prince stood there, dressed in all white, his face streaked with tears.

"Legolas!" Tony's face split into a grin. "What brings you to Earth-Heim?" Hopefully something good…

Legolas offered the engineer a polite smile. "I'm sure you've noticed the… disintegrating life forms, yes?"

Tony nodded, pressing his lips together to keep from crying. He missed Peter like a son, and didn't want those emotions welling up, right now.

"My entire family was transformed to dust, before my eyes." Legolas explained, his voice wobbling dangerously. "Last I heard of Sigyn, she was on Midgard, so I came to see if anyone's heard from her."

Tony nodded. "Look, Lego, I'm really sorry, but, uh… she's gone, too."

Legolas nodded, his countenance stoic for just a few more seconds, before his face crumbled, and his shoulders slumped as a broken sob escaped his lips. "Then I am alone." He whispered.

Tony rounded his workbench, and wrapped the elf in a warm hug. God knows the entire remaining half of the world needed an enormous hug. Legolas leaned into Tony's arms, and wept for about five minutes, then pulled back, wiping his cheeks, and breathing deeply. "Thank you, Anthony."

Tony nodded in sympathy. "Of course."

Legolas heaved a shuddering sigh. "And… Loki?"

"Thor says he wasn't even turned to dust. Thanos broke his neck on their ship." Tony explained, his heart aching for his science bro.

"I see." The prince closed his eyes. "I'll be going, then."

"Wait!" Anthony called. "You could always stay with us, you know."

Legolas shook his head. "My parents are dead. I have a realm to rule." He grimaced. "Or, whatever's left of it."

Tony nodded in understanding. "Well, any time you want to drop by, the door's always open."

Legolas smiled again, this time with a hint of actual warmth. "Thank you again, Anthony. You're a kind man, and I'm glad you're among the survivors. I'll most likely take you up on that, sometimes."

Tony nodded as Legolas disappeared in bright flash of white light. With Pepper pregnant, and the three children Loki and Sigyn left behind, he really had his hands full, here. Vacantly, he walked into the house, noticing, not for the first time, how much quieter this house was than a house with three children in it ought to be.

Sleipnir was always buried under headphones and notebooks full of hand-written lyrics, listening to her Mother's iPod. She had a beautiful singing voice that people rarely heard. As she got older, she looked more and more like her father. After many months of heartache and tears, She started to smile, again, and her laughter could be heard ringing through the house. Her song were surprisingly catchy, and her voice clear as a bird's song. At the tender age of twelve, she was already a rock star. Figuratively. She developed a razor-sharp wit, and nobody could match her for metaphor and nicknames. Her love for all things glamourous and glitzy knew no bounds.

Gandhi, after his parents disappeared, was at first inconsolable. Well, until he found Tony's old stack of video games. At that point, he drowned himself in their stories, their graphics, their coding. Tony taught him the wonderful world of programming, and soon, when he wasn't playing video games, or lounging around the house, shape-shifted into an enormous snake, he was creating his own games. With a brilliant mind for mathematics, and a love for the overly complicated, he was a theater kid, with a flair for dramatics. His laugh was boisterous, and infectious. You couldn't help but laugh along, even if he was laughing at the paint he'd just dumped on you. Sleipnir referred to him as "the crazy one", a title he wore with pride.

Little Fenris was the quiet type, anyway. He'd spend hours sitting quietly, keeping his thoughts to himself, always a level above everyone else. He was extremely hard to upset, or offend, and often was the one to work out peace between his squabbling older siblings. Of course, this didn't mean he wasn't a bit of a troublemaker, himself. He wasn't above a little mischief, and when he was sitting quietly on the couch, staring off into the distance, daydreaming, a wide smile would sometimes creep over his face, and Tony would fear for his life. Fen had a highly analytical mind, and when Pepper introduced him to Legos, he became obsessed, filling his entire room with minifigures, and building huge, impressive structures from the blocks, without instructions, or anything.

So, as the children grew, the laughter, and healthy noise in the house overflowed, as well. Tony was happy, raising his own daughter, and Loki's three hoodlums, and by 2023, they were family.

Narfi had just finished his battle training, on a particularly clear day, and skipped into his house, eager to show his mother the news tricks he'd learned.

Angrboda was sitting at the table, working over a formula with her new husband, Thyrstr. Narfi had just skipped up to the table, when Thyrstr suddenly looked up, with a very strange expression on his face. He glanced between his wife and son, his eyes widening in a panic, and gently brushed his fingers over Angrboda's. She looked up, only for him to crumble into dust before her eyes.

"What…" She breathed, her eyes widening in horror.

"What did he do, Mother?" Narfi gulped, as Angrboda, in stunned silence, brushed her fingers over the pile of dust, her expression flooded with horror.

"Thyrstr…?" She whispered. "This is a joke. An… illusion? Thyrstr!"

There was no answer.

"Thyrstr, this isn't funny!"

Silence.

Angrboda dropped to her knees, and let out a hollow, broken scream, the likes of which Narfi had never heard before, or would ever hear, again. That scream would haunt his nightmares for years to come.

But, right then, he didn't understand why his mother was screaming.

"Mother?" He knelt next to her, wrapping her in a reassuring hug. "Mother, it's alright!"

Angrboda was sobbing so hard, she couldn't speak, but she clutched to Narfi like a lifeline, as if letting go of him would unravel the world.

They stayed like that, in a broken huddle on the kitchen floor, for a rather long time. Dust particles floated through the air, and the sun slowly dipped behind the horizon. Once the room was cold and dark, Angrboda woodenly picked Narfi up, having ceased her weeping hours before, and tucked her son into bed. After singing him a mournful lullaby, she, also returned to her room.

Narfi found her body the next morning, cold, unmoving, a dagger clasped in one hand, and the necklace Thyrstr had given her on their wedding, only two months before, in her other.

Her wrists were slit.

The king of the Jotnar, who happened to be Narfi's uncle on his father's side, and his cousin on his mother's, whose name was Bylestir, took Narfi in after the incident. Since time moved faster on Jotunheim than on Midgard, the blip only lasted three months, but in that time, Narfi grew to adore Bylestir, and looked up to him as he would a brother.

When Thanos makes a promise, never, ever assume he'll break it. So, when Thanos promised Loki that if he failed, the Titan would make him long for something as sweet as pain, we can assume he made good on that promise.

Loki lay, miserable and broken in a pitch-dark cellar under Thanos' cottage in the Garden. He waited for Thanos to return, yet dreaded it, as the only thing the Titan ever brought him was pain and agony. His body had been altered with the reality stone, and it was now impossible for him to die, unless someone, besides himself, was actively trying to kill him.

You really are the worst brother…

It was agony, knowing he could never accept the sweet embrace of death.

He hoped, he prayed Sigyn and the children were safe. And that was all he could do. It had been three weeks, and that was enough. Loki wanted to die.

Overhead, there seemed to be a bit a bit of a commotion. Familiar, sweet voices, those of his friends. Natasha, Anthony, and… and… Thor. Thor was here. Was he here to save him? There was no telling.

On shaking, painful limbs, he dragged himself across the floor, groping through the darkness for the small ladder, leading up to the ground floor. He could hear Thor's footsteps above him. "Thor…" He whispered.

You really are the worst brother…

"Please, forgive me, Thor." He croaked, praying his brother would hear him. "I-I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… t-t-taken the stone. P-Please…"

Thor didn't hear him. His voice was too weak. Feebly, he dragged his battered body up the first two rungs of the ladder and thumped on the floorboards over his head. (If he hadn't taken the tesseract, he would've died in the inferno. How else could he have gotten out of there, in time?)

You really are the worst brother…

"Thor, brother, please… Get m-m-me away f-from here." He whimpered, knocking again, on the boards over his head. The footsteps passed over his head, and left. There was silence. Thor'd left.

There was silence for a few seconds, then the other footsteps departed, as well. "No! Please! An-Anthony!" He pounded in vain against the trapdoor. "Anyone! H-Help me!"

It was too late. They were gone, and Loki was locked down here, until the Master decided to have another little play session.

That was when he noticed purple blood dripping through the cracks of the floorboards.

This hadn't been a rescue mission. They weren't here for him. They were here to kill Thanos. They didn't care about him. Nobody cared about him. He was alone, now, and not even the Master could allow him to eat, drink, or just care for him, because he was dead. He couldn't die, so he was locked in. If he had eaten in the last three weeks, if he had been at his full strength, he might have been able to simply break the boards, and escape, but he was weak, and broken and hungry. Miserably, he laid his head down on the floor.

You really are the worst brother…

I-I'm sorry, Thor." He whispered. "I d-didn't mean it…" He didn't mean to survive. That didn't matter, now. Thor was gone, and he was never getting out of this place.

Had his brother even known he was there?

Suddenly, Loki felt very small and helpless, as the darkness pressed in around him. He wondered how long forever was.

The sun will shine on us, again.

To Be Continued…