Sorry for the delay, but here is chapter five!

Disclaimer: I do not own Carrie White, Rachel Lang, Loki (MCU) Asgard and its inhabitants, the Avengers (MCU) and other MCU characters.

Chapter 5

Loki had insisted on Kurt's presence so he could help Carrie with teleporting everyone to Asgard. While everyone agreed because it was proven correct, there was another reason why someone from the Institute accompanying Carrie was important.

Carrie, to put it bluntly, was still traumatized and not exactly stable. She still had triggers to deal with, some that surprised her, and it would cause her powers to act up. That wasn't even getting into the nightmares.

Sometimes her powers wouldn't act up, but the dream left her a mess refusing to leave her room for hours. There had even been a few 'accidents' though thankfully they were rare.

Kurt, as one of her peers who spent quite a bit of time with her, possessed a good grasp on what to avoid and how to calm Carrie down if she was accidently triggered.

Case in point, the closets.

Kurt watched the queen direct her handmaidens calmly. She had taken his insistence about any closets having their doors removed in stride, though some of her aids had looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

Carrie had taken comfort in closets at first, so long as the door was open. The enclosed space was something familiar in a rapidly changing world that didn't stay the same for long. Then one night she had a nightmare and woke up right into a panic attack. In her distress, Carrie actually closed the door on herself and couldn't focus on her powers enough to let it go. Rachel, quickly sensing something was wrong, woke up Jean and they got Carrie out.

The damage was done though, and Carrie hadn't been able to sleep until they removed the doors from the closets, replacing them with a curtain.

Kurt looked down at his newest friend – she had nodded off as they followed Queen Frigga and he had to carry her the rest of the way. By all accounts, Carrie didn't seem nearly as drained as the last time, but he couldn't help but worry for her. At least her sleep seemed peaceful.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced," the queen said kindly, breaking Kurt from his thoughts. He looked up from the bed and realized that all the handmaidens and aids were gone. It was just them and the sleeping teenager in the bed beside them.

"Ah, yes, you would be right." Kurt bowed his head. "I am Kurt Wagner, your majesty. I also go by Nightcrawler."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Frigga nodded her head. "I am Queen Frigga, of Asgard. King Odin's wife, and the mother of Thor and Loki."

She still recognized him as her son. Kurt wasn't entirely surprised; sometimes he was the one assigned to watch over Carrie whenever Loki called. He never had a bad word for the woman who raised him and there was still respect and fondness in voice whenever he spoke of her. While Kurt would never allow Loki to excuse his actions on a difficult upbringing, it wasn't hard to understand why he turned out the way he did when you put all the pieces together. The things that drove Loki off the deep end seemed to be results of Odin's decisions, and from what Kurt had gathered, the queen was much better at parenting than her husband. She had wanted to be honest from the beginning.

Kurt wondered if it would have changed anything. If it would have saved anyone.

Well, there was no point wondering about what ifs. They could only move forward.

"It's a pleasure and honor as well, your majesty." Kurt nodded. He shifted in his chair – it was the most comfortable thing he had ever sat on. "I take it that you have questions about some of the. . . accommodations, I asked for on Carrie's behalf?"

That was sophisticated enough way of putting it, right?

"I understand if you cannot divulge private information, but I would like to know what I need to account for while you are all guests." Frigga said calmly.

Kurt smiled grimly. "Carrie's upbringing was. . . a very poor one. Very painful." Horrific was a better word. The things the news and Chris Hargensen's trial revealed about Carrie's childhood still made his stomach turn if he thought about it too long. "Her mother was abusive, and Carrie grew up a pariah in her hometown, the town scapegoat, who everyone took out their frustrations on. Its left. . . scars, deep ones in her mind. She cannot stand closets with closed doors partly because her mother would leave her locked in one for days at a time. She also cannot stand the smell or taste of pork because of a cruel prank and is still rather skittish around people she doesn't know."

Frigga's lips were pressed together. The warm, regal, aura now taunt and cold, there was a sense of restraint in her posture. "I see."

It was silent for a moment as the queen regained her composure, stifling her displeasure, and spoke again. "Thank you for telling me this, I will see that this is considered during your stay. Is there anything you need, Kurt?"

He smiled. "No, your majesty. The only thing I would ask is for a room close to Carrie's. If she is having a nightmare or panic attack, its important I can get to her quickly. She's never been to Asgard before, so she'll feel better if she knows I'm close by."

"Very well."

By the time their meeting was finished, Thor was well aware he needed to apologize to Jane. Odin was dismissive of her from start to finish, and even openly compared her presence in Asgard to a goat sitting at a banquet table. Jane silently endured it, but the smoldering fury in her eyes worried Thor. It was a relief when his father asked to speak to him in private, and Jane was taken away so his mother could see to her. Hopefully the walk would also cool her anger, but he knew better than to think his mother wouldn't pick up on Jane's displeasure.

Oh, she would not be pleased with Father at all.

"My son," Odin said. "I need you to give me more insight into the mortal girl who brought you here."

"Yes, you speak of Lady Carrie. Her full given name is Carrietta Nora White, she was born to a... unkind woman who is ill in spirit." Thor chose his words carefully. He gave what he hoped was a concise but adequate summary of the girl's story, saving more details for his actual interactions and observations of her. The mention of Thanos was an unpleasant shock, and the old king's expression became grave.

Odin was silent after he finished, brow furrowed in thought. Knowing better than to interrupt him, Thor waited, more patiently than he would have before his time on Midgard.

"What of Loki? How would you gauge the relationship between them? Do you believe he is trying to poison her against his enemies? To make her less inclined to act against him?"

Once again, Thor responded with carefully chosen words picked out beforehand. He knew his father well enough to have an idea of what information he would demand.

"I believe their time together on the island softened him to her while also providing some humility. Lady Carrie is not one to judge, insult, or belittle others even if they have wronged her personally. By all accounts she treated him with far more respect and dignity than any other mortal in her position would have, especially after his actions in New York and given the dire straits of their shared predicament. There is also the matter of the time loop to consider, it is likely in his best interests to treat her kindly as well. I don't believe there is any malice or ill intentions tainting his house calls. I daresay he may be reminded of himself to an extent. . . Loki always had difficulty befriending our peers and was never truly liked."

Thor had been left with much time to brood on the matter, and the answers that came to him left only more regrets. There was so much he had brushed off in their childhood. So many times, he hadn't stood up for Loki that only with the benefit of hindsight he now knew better.

Odin tapped his fingers on the chair he stood by, thinking.

"This would a much easier matter if you were able to bring him to Asgard right after the battle." Odin sighed. "Loki's meddling has significantly lessened the damage his actions caused. If not for the crimes on Midgard I would be lenient with his punishment and forge ahead. He must answer for his crimes against the mortals, however. A king must take responsibility for failures to control his own people, especially his own family, and a father must discipline his wayward child."

Thor listened with a heavy heart.

"Loki is a matter that will require much thought, before this I would have had him imprisoned for life – your mother would never stand for him to be executed. His current actions have earned him warm regards among our people and they may object to confiding him to a cell for life." Odin looked out the window, and Thor recognized his father was done speaking on the matter.

"As for the mortal girl, Carrietta, I want to observe her longer. I have no doubt your mother is doing the same. We will seek out a method to extract the Aether from the mortal woman. Once we've resolved the current crisis we must start making preparations for Thanos' arrival."

"Lady Carrie may be able to extract the Aether." Thor said. "She fears harming Lady Jane in the process of any attempt. Perhaps Mother can be of help, we still have not determined if the nature of Lady Carrie's connection is magical or not. At the very least, it could provide valuable insight into why Thanos may want her."

Odin smiled. "Well said my son." He walked over to Thor and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am proud of you, Thor. You are becoming a worthy king."

"Thank you, Father." The young Asgardian tried to ignore the fact that the compliment did not warm him the way it would have months ago.

Unsurprisingly, he found himself doing the exact opposite as he made his way to the guest wing of the palace. The weight of a realization he did not want to have heavy on his shoulders.

He didn't want to be king anymore. It just wasn't suited to his nature before his banishment and after it. While priorly he was simply too brash and hot blooded to appreciate the responsibility and restraint that kingship required, now he recognized the ruthlessly of the position as well. His father had banished him, knowing there was a possibility he would not learn what he needed to. Loki would only have been spared thanks to their mother's love if Thor brought him back to Asgard immediately after the Battle of New York.

Thor didn't have that ruthlessly. He didn't want to learn it either.

Loki. . . Loki would be much more suited to it. He would be able to make the difficult choices Thor would try to swing his hammer at instead, even if it broke his heart to do so.

His younger brother wasn't beyond redemption. . . there was a possibility that the matter could work itself out. Someone needed to take the throne after his father died, Odin, as mighty as he was, would not last forever.

Thor sighed to himself. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

Hope you all enjoyed this!

Sincerely,

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