Here is the second chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Carrie White, Rachel Lang, Loki (MCU), the Avengers (MCU), other MCU characters or the X-Men.

Chapter 2

Loki's visits were a... controversial subject for those in the Institute who were in the know. Also, her Avenger friends, couldn't forget them.

Carrie understood why they were wary; she could see it every night as everyone, except her designated guard for tonight's visit, went to bed. It was Jean this time, as it often was, and the blonde teen couldn't help but feel bad. The redhead was being forced to give up some of her free time to essentially babysit Carrie. There wasn't any real counterargument to make either, since Loki was guilty of leading an invasion, killing thousands (including Phil) and trying to kidnap her.

There was no way Professor Xavier, the school's staff, or her new friends were going to leave her alone with Loki. Ever.

The god himself, took it in stride. He never failed to mess with whoever was on duty and Carrie couldn't help but feel that even if they still didn't like him as a person, Loki's charm and wit was effective as a disarmament tactic.

When he arrived, appearing in the usual place by her window, he looked around. The dark-haired god turned to Jean.

"Are you aware of our third guest?"

Jean didn't bother to answer or rise from her seat. The door to Carrie's bedroom flung open and Rachel fell face first onto the carpet floor.

"Rachel." Jean said, frowning. "We've talked about this."

The girl didn't answer, her attention on Loki. "How did you know I was there? No one has been able to do that before."

"I perfected eavesdropping before your grandmother's grandmother was a speck in her mother's womb." Loki said calmly. "You have talent though. Its impressive that you can snoop under Miss Grey's nose."

Carrie fidgeted from where she sat on the bed. It was true – Rachel was very gifted with shielding, the only instance of someone passing by her mental walls was the Tesseract. That said more about Rachel's potential than anything.

Carrie on the other hand, was the opposite and exceled at passing by mental defenses. Professor X had been surprised at her ability to spot weaknesses and holes during the mental shielding exercises.

It was strange. There still wasn't an explanation for why she and her sister could communicate with the Tesseract or Scepter's stone. Future Steve had returned the latter without the scepter itself, only the bright shining yellow stone was left behind. Tony still hadn't told her how explanations for that went with all the higher ups in S.H.I.E.L.D who weren't Director Fury or Deputy Hill. On top of helping with reconstruction in New York, the search for Loki, the Avengers needed to veto S.H.I.E.L.D agents and tag HYDRA moles.

She could tell it was tiring for them. Tony especially, even though his right-hand woman took over as the company's CEO, Tony himself was still the source of a great deal of inventions. His personal responsibilities were greater than his teammates. JARVIS had eased her worries, assuring the teenager that he and Tony's other friends were ensuring he didn't overwork himself.

Rachel, meanwhile, frowned at Loki as she sat up and dusted her shirt off.

"What is going on?" She demanded. "What are you all keeping from me?!"

Jean was silent, and then sighed. "The Professor said this would happen." She glanced at Loki. "I take it you already know who she is."

"Carrietta's younger half-sister." Loki said easily. "It was not hard to deduce. The Tesseract reacts the same to both of their presences." He had of course done his research too. It seemed Ralph White possessed a disturbing attraction to the mentally unwell. Were Carrietta and Rachel the only children he had sired? Answering that question ranked very high on the god's now long "to-do" list.

"Good to know." Rachel grumbled, she plopped herself onto the bed beside her sister.

"By the tone of your voice, I take it you are displease." Loki said mildly.

"I do not like having the attention of something that's even older than this whole stinkin' planet." The girl elaborated. "It means trouble for me."

Carrie couldn't disagree with that.

Rachel was adamant on having as normal a childhood as she could. The blonde didn't think her sibling would ever truly become a hero or even join the X-Men. If she ever joined any superhero team, it would likely be in a reserve capacity, or operation control. Rachel didn't mind helping out if needed, but she already had plans for her life that fulltime hero work wouldn't mesh well with.

Loki was amused.

"So, the call of adventure doesn't hold any allure for you." He mused. "What is it that you want then, little one?"

Jean, despite herself, looked curious as well. Rachel kept saying she had plans for her life but never offered details. Carrie, while respecting her sister's wishes, couldn't help but lean into the conversation a bit more.

The young girl looked up at the god, mouth set firmly into a stubborn line. "I want to be a psychologist!"

There was a moment of silence that stretched into two, and then three.

"I take it this has to do with your mother?" Loki inquired.

"Its not just her," Rachel muttered. "A lot of the kids here have families who hurt them and need help to deal with it. Mom never hurt me, but it was scary to watch her lose more of herself every day. I want to be a person that can help others cope with that."

"Rachel," Jean's voice was warm. "That's wonderful."

"It is," Carrie agreed. Heaven knew therapy had helped her tremendously the past year. Andrew (she couldn't call him Dr. Kurt anymore without thinking of Nightcrawler) was good at his job and a kind man. Her new therapist, Nicole, was also compassionate and had a good ear. "There are specializations, right?"

"Yes." Rachel said. "I haven't decided on any."

"A mind healer." Loki sat down in a conjured chair. Carrie could sense the Tesseract but had no idea where it was hidden. "That can be a difficult profession. It requires many years of schooling."

"I'm not a quitter." The dark-haired girl said stubbornly.

"You have resolve, certainly." Loki thought of Sif and her unbreakable will. No one had been able to deter her from her chosen path as a warrior maiden and she was now one of Asgard's finest.

"Are we still having tea?" Carrie asked delicately. Rachel blinked; she didn't notice the tea service tucked away at the foot of the bed when she came in.

"Yes." Loki said. "Do you have Oolong?"

"Of course."

Everyone, including Jean, soon carried a cup of tea. Rachel liked Oolong too, so she picked that one. Carrie chose pumpkin and Jean took the black tea. The conversation that followed was mostly carried on by Loki and Carrie. Rachel and Jean only interjecting with questions a few times.

Apparently, conversations with the blonde telepath weren't the God of Mischief's only way to kill time. He was using the Tesseract to travel between the "Nine Realms" and doing damage control.

Asgard was usually the force that protected the other realms from those who would do them harm. Without the Rainbow Bridge to send their warriors to those places there was unrest and violence. Loki had spent the last few months negating disasters and messing with the Asgardians by dropping them down into the realms they were needed with no warning. . . and returning them home just as abruptly.

"Some of the warriors have begun a betting pool on who I'll grab or return next and where the ones I take will be sent." Loki was clearly amused. "The last time I checked in Volstagg bet one of his finest swords that I would be returning Lady Sif to Asgard next."

"Will you?" Carrie asked.

"I'm still thinking about it."

Rachel would bet her allowance this guy wasn't above covertly swiping a cut of the winnings. He was probably estimating which decision would bring about more profit for himself.

"Where did you send this Sif lady?" She asked and took a sip of tea.

"Lady Sif was needed in Alfheim. It is the realm of the Light Elves."

"There are Dark Elves too, right? From another realm?" Rachel didn't know too much about Norse mythology. That was probably something she should correct.

The conversation continued for several minutes, stretching well into an hour. The topic mostly sticking to the current state of the Nine Realms. Then Loki put his teacup down and rose from his chair. Rachel looked at the clock and realized how late it was getting.

Carrie was smiling. This visit had gone very well, she could tell that Loki liked Rachel. Her sister did have a stubborn, persistent, charm and the girl was very direct with her feelings.

"Same time next week?" The god adjusted his emerald sleeves. As always, his robes and armor were as fashionable as they were ready for battle.

"Of course." Carrie said.

Rachel watched him shimmer out of sight. He just faded away.

Jean sighed.

"Well, that was informative. I'll need to write a report for the Professor before bed. Come on Rachel, you should have been asleep hours ago."

"Can I be here next time he comes?" Rachel asked. She had more questions!

The redhead paused. "I'll ask the Professor, but no promises."

"Goodnight Rachel, goodnight Jean." Carrie hugged Rachel tight to her, nodded warmly at the older woman and they left the blonde in her room.

Okay. So now she could see why Carrie didn't mind him coming over. There wasn't anything in his eyes that spelled trouble for them. He was still guilty though, still dangerous and that was something to remember.

He was kind to her sister too. They seemed to understand each other very well. Rachel didn't get it, but this was making her sister happy, and her safety ensured so she would go with the flow. For now at least.

Hope you enjoyed this!

Sincerely,

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