Sylvie and Loki slip back into the room, hoping the animated storytelling has kept their absence unnoticed.

Kang calls for her, "Sylvie! Are you hearing all this?"

"Yes," she answers as she pushes her way through to stand beside his desk.

"And? They say they're not leaving unless there's a place for them on the timeline. Don't you have something to say?" There is a dangerous edge to his voice and Loki sees her shoulders tense.

"Well, I suppose that means either you have to find a place for them or they're going to camp in the hall. I doubt there's much other choice," Sylvie replies.

"Open a door. Force them through. Call on the TVA. Prune them," Kang replies, "There's most definitely that option."

"And?" Sylvie asks, crossing her arms, "What then? They survived Alioth and the Void for how long? What makes you think they won't do so again? Find another way through? And come back even more angry than they are now?"

Kang pauses, "I suppose you're right. But what to do with them?"

"Find a place on the timeline where one of us wasn't supposed to die," Mobius offers. "I know most of us are nobodies, but..."

"Most of you would just disrupt the timeline again if you were brought back," Kang says, "We'd just end up pruning you."

"Don't break us apart," Iris says, their voice quiet, "I don't want to be without my family."

"We'll live quietly," Thor says, "If we have to just exist in one village or do nothing of significance for the rest of our lives, I'll do it."

Kang laughs, "You think there's a world out there where a Thor and Lokis can live quietly?"

The older Loki walks forward, "Please. I can. I will. We all have been for the months we've been in the Void. Even if we're on a world by ourselves, I beg of you, find us a home."

Sylvie hears something in his voice she recognizes - desperation.

She watches as Cyd takes his hand, "You owe us this," Cyd says, "You could have stopped so much suffering, including our own, but you just...decided not to. Even worse, you thought it was necessary. You had our memories erased! We should know who we were, but we don't and it's all because of you. So let us remake ourselves somewhere and somewhen else."

"I'm not responsible for erasing your memories. The TVA did that all on their own," Kang says.

"Yeah," Cyd scoffs, "Because you decided to make them and gave them some kind of orders to harvest us, didn't you? So this is on you."

While Kang is distracted by Cyd, the younger Loki slips from beside Ayshi, leaving the alligator standing by them. He knows it's here- his sword. He can feel its magic. He scans the room and quietly sneaks over to where the feeling is strongest. There is a pocket here, someplace hiding it in magic. He cautiously reaches into it and feels the hilt. He draws it out and smiles, an immense sense of relief washing over him as he feels his own magic intertwining with it. He tucks it away in his own magical pocket before creeping back to where he left his friends.

When he arrives, Ayshi has stepped beside the others so they can be seen as well; Loki has never heard his friend's voice angry, yet it is harsh and quivering as Ayshi speaks, "You stole everything we could have been from us. We survive and we rebuild because that is in our nature. You will make this better, even if that's just a little bit."

The others shuffle their places until the entire family is standing in an arc around Kang's desk; Iris speaks next, "You might be able to get rid of us. You could probably off us all, one by one. But if we're on any timeline, we will find a way back to the Void and to one another. Four of us were archivists- we're exceptionally good at finding things and reorganizing stories. We can surely do it for our own, time and time again."

Kang stares for a moment, his eyes scanning the people around him, people who have also cut off any means of his escape except for the gadget on his desk. Thor's hand rests on Stormbreaker. Hunter has one hand on the weapons at her hip. And the youngest of them dramatically reveals a sword, pulling it out of the space in front of him with a flourish of his hand.

Loki points his sword at Kang and it bursts into flames, "You will find us a home. Or we will take ours here. But I am not going back to live in the Void. If you send me somewhere and I wind up back in that place, absolutely nothing is going to stop me from coming back here and making your life wholly miserable until the day I die."

Ayshi gestures to the sword, "That's impressive. I didn't know you had a flaming sword."

"That's because the other one lost it," he says, gesturing across the arc to Loki.

The older Loki protests, "I didn't technically lose it. I knew where I'd left it. I just didn't bring it back."

The younger Loki rolls his eyes, "That's a very Loki thing to say, isn't it."

"Why yes, it certainly is," the other Loki quips.

Loki's sword droops a little as he starts laughing, "Are you all sure you're ready to live with two of us for the rest of our lives?"

"Make that three," Ayshi says, "You forgot the alligator."

"Perhaps four?" Sylvie says cautiously.

All eyes turn to her, including Kang's, "What did you say?" he asks.

"Nothing. Never mind. It was just a silly thing," she hurriedly adds.

Her only friend lets go of Cyd's hand and turns to her, taking both of hers in his own, "No, it wasn't nothing. What do you want?" Loki says gently, eyes locked with hers.

"To leave this place and never come back. And if I could have a family, too..." she answers, her voice soft, directed only to him.

He kisses her forehead before answering her, "You can." He releases one of her hands, turns back to address Kang, and takes Cyd's closest hand, "Find us a place on the timeline. And Sylvie's coming with us."

Mobius raises his eyebrows, "Really? After what just happened out there?"

Loki nods, "Yes, Mobius. Please, trust me."

Mobius nods, "OK. I do."

"Thank you," Loki replies, returning his attention to Kang, "We are going to stay together. One way or another. We built ourselves into a family from nothing, and now that we've found one another, we aren't letting go." At that, Cyd reaches for Miriam's hand, Miriam to Iris, Iris to Mobius, Mobius to Hunter, Hunter to Thor, Thor to Ayshi, Ayshi to Loki, and Loki sets the alligator on Kang's desk. The alligator starts to move toward Kang.

"Um...what's it doing?"

"He's making sure you don't get out of line," Loki says, gesturing with his sword, "and I don't know if he'll stop once he decides you don't need all your limbs."

The other Loki nods, brow raised, "He's not lying. I've seen it. He took of the hand of another us. Just launched straight at him, bit off the hand, and started a melee like none I've ever seen before. It was impressive."

The alligator grumbles.

Kang holds up both his hands, then quickly tucks them back under the desk, "Whoa...there's no need for dismemberment."

"Then find. Us. A. Home," Hunter says. "I don't care what you have to do. I don't care if you have to create something out of nothing. Do it. Now."

Kang glances out the window behind him, "There is one place..."

"Oh?" Mobius asks.

"A timeline I was going to have pruned," Kang says.

"Tell us," Miriam demands.

Kang nods, "It could work... There's a timeline where things go wrong. The Avengers undo Thanos' snap. Everyone comes back who was turned to dust when he used the Infinity Stones. They fight him- well, a version of him. There's some time travel involved. But they fight Thanos. And eventually, they win, with the sacrifice of one of them."

"Who?" Thor asks.

"Tony Stark. He uses the gauntlet to kill Thanos, but it, in turn, kills him."

Thor feels the news settle over him like a lead blanket, "Oh."

"But that's not when you'd be coming back. Everyone goes to homes they had or that they make after. Thor, you go back to New Asgard on Earth for a little while, but you then take to adventuring with the self-proclaimed Guardians of the Galaxy. What's supposed to happen is that you and they go out on missions, come back to New Asgard to rest once in a while, and sometimes they go back out without you, others you go with. One mission gets dodgy and you stay behind on this spaceship to allow your friends a chance to escape. In the Sacred Timeline, you survive this and end up back in New Asgard just after they land, ready to tell your people that you're dead. But in the timeline I'm thinking about," Kang pauses for dramatic effect, "instead of surviving, your heroic distraction kills you. They don't see you die, but they come to that conclusion, same as before. They'll head back to New Asgard and you won't come back. They'll deliver the news and then take flight, despondent, and things spiral out of control for them from there. In the Sacred Timeline, New Asgard becomes their haven, a place they come back to even when you don't go out with them. With you dead...it won't become that. New Asgard loses the connection to the stars and the Guardians lose their anchor, so to speak."

"So what are you proposing?" Thor asks.

"I can send you in just after their ship lands in New Asgard. You wouldn't need to tell them everything that happened. But you could. It wouldn't really mess with things too much, even if they knew. And so long as no one decides to throw off anything else..." He turns to each Loki in turn, "As long as none of you throw off anything else..."

"As I said, I will live quietly," Loki says, squeezing Cyd and Sylvie's hands, "I have too much to lose if I don't."

"And the rest of you?" Kang asks.

"I just want to wear something with bright colours," Cyd replies, "No more beige. Give me flowers and the whole rainbow of clothes."

Mobius shrugs, "I mean, I'd like a jet ski, but..."

Kang laughs, "I doubt that would mess with the Sacred Timeline."

"So," the younger Loki says, gesturing with his flaming sword, "Do we have a home or am I telling this one to do something to convince you to send us there?" He nods to alligator Loki.

"Well...if you think you can keep things on track, yes," Kang says. "Thor, you'll have to go into space with your friends once in a while. And if you tell anyone about all this," he waves his hand to indicate the whole of the Citadel, "You have to make sure they aren't going to do anything stupid with the knowledge."

"No," Iris says, quiet anger sharpening their words, "This isn't a negotiation. You owe us lives. Don't prune us. Ever. We can't live the rest of our days constantly afraid that the choices we make are going to lead to our destruction. I'm not going back to the TVA and our family is not going to be bound by you." All eyes turn to Iris and the room falls silent, all promises not to make waves erased by their demand.

"Well I can't guarantee-" Kang begins.

"No," Miriam interrupts, "You can guarantee. That's absolutely within your power. You do this. I have no problem waiting right here until you figure out how."

Ayshi finds their voice, "Loki? Loki? Mobius? Hunter? Thor? Cyd? Is this really want you want? A life you have to curtail in order to appease him?" they say, gesturing to Kang, "Are we to just bow to whatever it is he's afraid of, to define ourselves by whatever standard he won't tell us is too much?" Ayshi shakes their head, "No. Iris is right. This isn't a negotiation. I want to be safe."

Miriam nods, "I lived too many years being told who I was. Do you realize we didn't have names when they woke us? Your TVA called me Archivist-83. We had to rebuild ourselves. We don't leave without a guarantee our timeline is safe."

"But-" Kang begins to protest.

"No! No excuses," Cyd snaps, "They're right. If there's a problem with the rise of another Kang that could destroy everything, prune your own damn self, not us! I mean...that's what would make sense, right? Take care of your own problem and stop taking your shitty decisions out on the rest of the multiverse."

Kang stares at him, "Excuse me?"

"Did I stutter?" Cyd asks, "Find us a home and take out the source of the problems in the multiverse- you."

Kang picks up his own TemPad, "Well, I suppose I can allow this. So long as you don't-"

"We said no strings," Miriam says.

Kang sighs, "Fine. And I'll keep the TVA out of your timeline."

"How do we know you aren't lying?" the younger Loki asks, sword still levelled, alligator at the ready.

"Because I believe you when you say you'll find your way back here if I do. And I know if that happens, you won't be leaving again, will you?" The expressions of the people around him confirm his suspicion.

"And Sylvie?" Loki asks.

Kang fixes his eyes on her, "She knows too much."

Mobius sighs, "Kang, I know the look on Loki's face. And it says that if she doesn't go, he won't go. And if he won't go, Cyd and I aren't going. And if I'm not going, Hunter's not going. If Cyd's not going, Ayshi, Iris, and Miriam aren't going. And if Ayshi's not going, you can damn well bet that the other Loki's not going. And if he's not going, the alligator on your desk isn't going, either, and he looks like he's getting hungry. So it's in your best interest to just let her go, unless you want to be lunch for that cranky guy." He points to the alligator.

Kang slowly nods, "Alright. I'll let you go. All of you."

"Show me you're not tricking us," Hunter says. She pulls out one of the TemPads, "Tell me when we're going." Kang gives her a date and she types it in. A few moments later, there is a readout on her screen, "It looks legitimate. There's not a whole lot here on this particular part of the timeline, but it is set for pruning. So you're going to call that off before we walk through that door."

"I will," Kang answers.

Hunter tilts her head, "Oh? When?"

Kang hesitates, then sighs, "Before you go through."

"How about before you even open that door for us? Like...now," Hunter replies. Kang picks up his own gadget and makes a few adjustments. Hunter's TemPad beeps. She checks it and, satisfied, pockets it. "If you go back on your word, I will find you again. And power vacuum or not, I won't hesitate to kill you. I'll survive Alioth just so I can gut you." Fear flickers across Kang's face.

"Where do you want me to open the door?" Kang asks.

"By the car," Iris says, "We're not leaving everything we've worked for behind."

"Then go and I'll open it when you're near it."

Loki gestures with his flaming sword, "You're coming down with us. I don't trust you."

Kang slowly stands as the alligator inches closer to him. He walks around the desk and the friends part to let him pass.

Thor walks up to him and grabs his arm, "Let's go. We don't want to wait for you to change your mind."

Hunter comes along his other side and snatches his unusual TemPad from his hand, "I'll be hanging on to this until you need it."

The others follow; Sylvie hangs behind a moment, then she calls to Loki, "I'll catch up."

His face falls, "Sylvie, please, don't stay here."

"I'm not going to. I just have to grab my bag," she says, giving a small smile, "I'm not going to stay in this forsaken place." She dodges into the side chamber. She joins them as the elevator returns after its first trip down. She slips in as the doors begin to close, a bundle slung on her back. She has something in her hand. She smiles as she places her gold band with the single intact horn on her forehead.

"You found it again?" Loki asks.

"I did. That's the fun thing about time. You can loop back and pick things up you lost, so long as you're careful. I found my cloak again, too," she says, "And something I think you're going to like."

The elevator opens and they step back out into the dark hall and catch up with the rest of the family. Cyd takes Loki's hand as they walk down the hall, Sylvie still holding his other.

They step out into the rocky terrain and she lets go, slinging her bag around to her front as she walks down the steps, "Here. I grabbed these from Lamentis." She hands Loki a fabric wrapped bundle and watches as his face shifts the moment he feels what's within it.

"How?"

"Like I said...time's fun like that. I could go back to the train after it stopped and take whatever I wanted. So I did."

Loki releases Cyd's hand and gently lifts the cloth from around his daggers, "Thank you, Sylvie. I never thought I'd see these again."

"I hope you never have to use them again. Or, if you do, that next time you don't nearly throw one into my face," she smirks.

Loki laughs as Cyd's eyebrows shoot skyward, "What the heck were you two doing?" he asks.

"I promise, I'll tell you that story once we're wherever next becomes home. But I don't want to spend one more minute in this place than I have to," Loki says, "So it's going to wait."

Cyd shakes his head, grinning, "I still can't believe we're going to be somewhere we can call home."

"There will be challenges, no doubt," Loki says, "But we'll learn to live with them."

"I feel like there's going to be a lot of learning to live for a few of us. You've been in the outside world. I've lived in the TVA and the Void," Cyd answers.

Sylvie nods, "I grew up in apocalypses and then ended up here. I'm not going to be used to staying in one place, let alone one that isn't going to be imminently destroyed."

Loki shrugs, "Well I've lived in Asgard, in a truly hellish place, then I tried to take over a planet before coming to the TVA and then ending up with Sylvie on a quest to find this place...then back to the TVA. So it's not like I've had a lot of experience in a normal life on Midgard, either."

Cyd scans their family, "Have any of us?"

"I think Thor told me he lived with his girlfriend there for a while," Loki says, "So I suppose he's the closest we have to an expert."

"Well this will be interesting," Sylvie says.

"Yeah, it sure will be. Another adventure," Cyd says.

"What's another adventure?" Mobius asks as they reach the car.

"This. None of us have ever, at least in what we can remember, lived a normal life on this planet. Except maybe Thor, given he had an Earth girlfriend," Cyd answers.

"Well...about that..." Mobius begins, "Kang says we might start to remember things once we're there. Probably not all at once, but we might start to find little pieces of our lives here and there. Given what you, Ayshi, Miriam, and Iris all went through, this could get rough."

Cyd shrugs, "Well...I guess we'll deal with it if it happens. But we'll be together. That's got to be the best place we can be when it comes, right?"

Mobius nods, "I suppose you're right."

Thor comes over to them, "We have a solution to the problem of the car. Kang is going to strategically place the door so we can push the car backwards through it, given the front is against a rock. I will push. It shouldn't be too hard if the strongest of us work together."

"You mean the Asgardians work together," Sylvie says, "Aesir bonding time."

Thor laughs, "You read me well. Come, let us go push a car through a door."

They walk to the battered station wagon, "I still can't believe that thing made it this far," Sylvie says.

"We couldn't figure out how it kept going, either," Cyd says, "But we figured it was Void magic. Now, though...it looks like it was supposed to fall apart yesterday."

Thor brushes off his hands, "Come, friends, with any luck, it won't fall apart until we get it to Midgard."

Cyd hugs Loki, "You've got this, love. Let's go make us a home."

The door opens. Loki, Sylvie, and Thor brace themselves against the rock and push. With a groan of distressed metal, the car slips into their new life.