Thor looked around as they landed in D.C. It felt oddly like New York. He didn't know if he liked it. As Ella played on her cell phone, he wondered exactly what was happening before she spoke, her voice low and full of concern. "Steve said that they trying to stop HYDRA. They're at base. We need to go now. The helicarriers are about to be launched."
"What do you want me to do?" Thor asked and Ella climbed from the cab they had been in as they stopped over the Potomac. The area was cordoned off and completely unable to access. Ella paid the cab driver as Thor followed her, wondering how odd it was to see his sister on Earth. She had adapted so well.
Wandering over to the side of the bridge where other people stood and gawped, Ella looked up as three helicarriers slowly began to ascend into the air. She bit down on her lip and knew that they couldn't get higher. There were people's lives at risk.
"This should be easy for the God of Thunder," she said and turned to look up to her brother and he arched barrow at her. She rolled her eyes. Did he need her to spell everything out? Clearly, he did. She pointed at the helicarriers and then back to him. "Use your hammer and bring them down."
"Where would you be without me?" Thor enquired from her, holding his hand out and waiting for his hammer to come to him as his appearance suddenly changed and he had his usual garb on his body.
She watched him rise into the sky as she began to run towards the building, knowing that she had to do something. There would be HYDRA agents inside and she still had to find Steve. As she entered the building, she noted it was on lockdown, three men guarding the entrance. She dealt with them easily, avoiding their punches and throwing her own, knocking them over.
Once she had dealt with them, she rushed forwards to the elevator and let it climb up the levels until she was almost level with the helicarrier. It was then when she saw Steve. He was on one of those ships while her brother dealt with the other two. But he wasn't alone. There was a man dressed in black with a silver arm who he was fighting. He was being pummelled to the ground.
Ella stopped the elevator and looked at the glass. She used her strength to pull the railing from the side of the elevator and smash the glass. It tumbled to the ground, which seemed miles away. Looking to the helicarrier, she suspected she could launch herself onto it. She didn't have much of a run up, but she had to try. She leapt into the air, thankfully landing on the edge of the ship. She hauled herself onto the mesh walkway and ran over to the man who was holding Steve down. She grabbed him by the neck and pushed him from Steve, throwing a punch to the side of his head.
Steve looked up at her as she caught Bucky's attention and he struggled to move to his feet. She dropped to her knees to avoid a punch from Bucky, only to reach up and elbow him in the stomach. He stumbled back slightly and she jumped to her feet again, moving to kick at him once more. She was not dressed for battle. The summer dress she wore was short and so not restricting, but Steve was concerned how injured she might get.
"You're tough," Ella commented as Bucky threw another punch at her and Steve finally climbed to his feet. He moved to the other side of Ella as Bucky looked between the two of them.
"It's Bucky," Steve said and Ella's eyes widened as she heard him speak.
Bucky? His friend, Bucky? She didn't know how to react to that, but she had no time. She saw her brother in the distance. He was distracted. He didn't even notice the agents setting up a large gun in the building that was aimed directly at him. Looking to Steve, she saw him nod once. "Go," he urged from her.
"I'll be back," she said and ran off the edge of the hellicarrier and back into the building.
She activated the lift again and got off at the next floor. Moving along the corridors, she balled her hands into fists before she came to the room with three HYDRA agents, each one of them holding a gun in their hands. Thor had gone down to help Steve as the agents moved to aim their fire power at him. They had little chance as Ella snuck up behind them. Kicking one of them in the back, she watched him fall to the ground with a grunt as the other two turned to look to her. She kicked one in the groin while wrestling the gun from the other man's hand. She used it to knock him unconscious to the ground. The one who had been down after she had kicked him in the back had tried to get back up, but Ella kicked him in the chin and he fell out cold. The final one, she managed to hit in the stomach and he doubled over before she pushed him to the ground. Lifting his head up, she banged it back down and he went unconscious.
She took a steady breath and moved to her feet. But she hadn't seen the man in the doorway. She only noticed him when she heard a bang. She didn't register what had happened for a moment. It was only when she looked down to her stomach did she see blood pooling there, slowly dripping from her skin. Placing her hands to her wound, she knelt down on the ground as the man moved closer to her.
"Goodbye, you little bitch," he said.
Ella was about to protest, but he pushed her then. He pushed her and she went hurtling from the building into the river below.
….
Hauling her from the river, he didn't know how he was going to explain this. How was he supposed to explain this to her. He kept his arm around her waist as he dragged her onto the muddy banks, looking down at her. They were both sopping wet and she was just breathing. Lowering his hands to where she was bleeding, he let his hands hover over her. Frigga had taught him how to heal. He remembered certain tings that she had taught him over the years and he thanked himself for having paid attention. He pulled the bullet from her and healed her. Once he was satisfied she would be fine, he raked a hand through his dark hair and sat back, one leg stretched in front of him and the other bent upwards. He watched for a few moments as Ella slowly came around. She started coughing, spluttering loudly and he moved again.
He took hold of her by the arms and urged her to calm down. "Sh," he urged from her. "It is alright. You are safe. I have you."
Ella's hands went to his forearms and she took hold of them. He kept his arms around her as she turned her gaze to look upwards to him, her eyes widening. At that moment in time, she forgot about everything. She forgot about who she had been fighting and why she had been fighting.
"Loki," she whispered his name and he nodded once. "Am I dead?"
"No, Ella," he responded, voice soft as he moved a hand up to brush her matted hair from her face. "It is me."
"How?" she asked him. "You were dead, Loki. I saw you…you died."
"No," Loki said to her. "I never died, Ella. I just…I faked my own death. I did it because I knew that I would only return back to a prison cell. I didn't want that. I couldn't cope with that."
"What?" Ella asked him. "I…what?"
"I know it is a lot to take in and you have just been shot so I would advise you not to make any brash movements."
Ella ground her teeth together and let out a deep breath. "You arsehole," she hissed at him and his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed.
"I do not believe I am familiar with that insult."
"Then let me try some others," she said and slapped him on his chest. "You bastard! You cruel, cruel bastard! I mourned you. I cried for days…I was beside myself and you have been alive the entire time! Did you know that we mourned you? Did you even care?"
"Ella-"
"-Why do you never think of anyone but yourself," Ella said and moved to her feet, only to gasp in pain at the sudden movement. She took a deep breath and placed a hand to her stomach as she noted her brother move up too. Loki took hold of her, an arm going around her waist.
"Do not make any sudden movements," he demanded from her.
"How could you do this?" she snapped at him, not caring about her injury. "Loki, how could you do this to us? To me? After everything we have been through…you knew how much I needed you and you left me. You abandoned me."
"Ella, you are better off without me."
"You do not get to make that decision," she responded and Loki slowly moved his arm from her. She was fuming. She was angry. Holding her hands up, she shook her head. "I need to go and help Thor and Steve."
Catching her around the waist, he stopped her from rushing off and she looked up to him as he kept his grip firm and tight, refusing to let her go. He didn't want to let her go. He wanted her to stay with him. He wanted his sister for a few more moments. He needed her.
"They have dealt with," he said to her. "I saw those planes falling from the sky as I dragged you out of the river. Thor has Steve."
"They will be looking for me," Ella said.
"I know," Loki responded to her. "And you can go in a minute, just…just one more minute."
Ella stopped trying to push his arm from her then. Instead she turned to face him, looking at him with wide eyes as he watched her. Moving a hand to her cheek, he ran his thumb the length of her cheekbone as he saw tears threaten to spill from her eyes. What was he doing? He was being so foolish. He knew that he could not leave her with her memories intact. He was going to ruin her all over again.
"You hurt me, Loki," Ella said to him. "You've hurt me before, but this…making me think you were dead…that is cruel. It is not only painful, but it is cruel."
"I am sorry," Loki said to her. "Ella, please know that I have spent so many hours contemplating telling the truth and coming back to you. But, if anyone knew I was here, then what do you think would happen?"
"You can redeem yourself," she said to him. "Loki, you helped save Asgard. You-"
"-I would go straight back into a cell. I also destroyed a section of Earth. One good deed does not cancel out a horrific one."
"You could have gone somewhere else," she replied. "You could have run and do you know what? I would have run with you. I would have followed you and been with you because, despite everything, I forgive you."
"I could not subject you to that."
"No, you subject me to thinking that you are dead instead," she hissed back to him. "You know it will take a long time for me to forgive you for this, right? I mean, when will you stop doing things to make me angry with you?"
"It was not my intention," he promised her and she bit down on her lip. "I promise."
"Come on," she demanded from him. "We need to go and see if Thor and Steve are okay and then we can talk."
"Okay," Loki agreed, lying to her once more. He looked at her for a brief moment and took a deep breath. "I missed you, Ella," he said to her and wrapped his arms around her. Cradling her against him, he felt her move her own arms around his waist and she hugged him back. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before pulling back. "I'm sorry that I have to do this, Ella. I love you."
"Do what?" Ella asked, but before she had a chance to ask anything else, she found herself blacking out.
Loki caught his sister before she fell to the floor. He held her in his arms and carried her along the river. He needed to leave her where they would find her. He placed her near the bridge and bent down to his knees. He laid her down gently and once again let his hand brush against her cheek. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead before moving to his feet and disappearing.
….
Ella awoke in a bed. She had no idea how she had gotten there. What was happening? She opened her eyes, managing to peel them open slowly. A hand was grabbing hold of hers and she turned her head to the side. "Loki," she whispered.
"Not quite," the voice replied and she saw Thor sat by her bedside.
"I had such a weird dream," she mumbled, a hand going to her forehead as Thor moved to sit on the edge of his chair. "What happened?"
"We stopped HYDRA," Thor said to her. "Steve is very badly beaten. He is in the room next door. He is still sleeping."
"Will he be okay?"
"The doctors say he should be fine."
Ella nodded and looked down. She was dressed in a blue gown, her hair felt heavy on top of her head and she swore she had a pain in her side. She moved a hand to her side, but felt nothing there. She must be imagining it.
"Good," Ella said.
"We found you unconscious by the river," Thor informed his sister. "What happened, Ella?"
"I…I don't remember," Ella said, trying to recall what had gone on. "I remember leaving Steve to deal with Bucky and then everything after that is fuzzy. I don't know…"
"It's alright," Thor promised her. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you are safe."
"I am," Ella agreed and Thor squeezed her hand once more.
"So what was that dream about?"
"Loki," she said. "He was still alive. It felt so real, Thor."
Thor bowed his head, uncertain of what he should say to his sister. He could only nod once as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the pillows. She swore it had been real. Then again, perhaps it was just wishful thinking.
…
A/N: Do let me know what you think!