AN: I said it would start getting a bit dark; well, this chapter has a little of that in it, don't worry next chapter will be a little more cheerful, Saphira does get a visit in this chapter that shows her something that may or may not happen in the future. Hopefully, that's not confusing. Some people may not like what happens in this chapter; remember, I've said before I've always got a reason for things happening, ideas that will play out at some point.
Disclaimer I Own nothing
Chapter 51: Though the Time Stone.
Saphira woke up feeling like the spot in the bed next to her was empty; when she opened her eyes, she discovered why Loki and Fenrir were both gone; she raised to see if Loki had just got up to change Fenrir or something, but they were not in the room, meaning their baby started getting fussy. Loki left with him so that he wouldn't wake her. Groaning, Saphira laid back down; she appreciated Loki's thoughtfulness, but she would have preferred being awake to tend to her son; she wasn't worried about him getting hungry; she had a breast pump. She had been stocking up, just in case Loki had ever wanted to feed him, or he was left to watch the baby without her. She thought on nights Fenrir got fussy, it would allow them to take turns taking care of him, but right now, Fenrir had just been born, just hours ago, Saphira would not have minded him waking her.
It was okay, though she trusted her husband could take good care of their son; he's probably boring poor Fenrir right now with talks of magic and shapeshifting. Saphira wondered if her son inherited any of her abilities as well; she would have to wait a few years to find out; sighing Saphira rubbed her face and yawned, maybe she should take advantage of the alone time Loki gave her and try to go back to sleep, she didn't know what time it was. Still, it couldn't be too late, or at least Saphira didn't feel like she had been asleep all that long, and with a second yawn, Saphira laid back down and closed her eyes, but then giggled because she pictured the confused look on Loki's face when she explained what her breast pump was and how to use it. He has learned Midgardain technology and whatnot, but some things are still confusing and surprising to him.
Even though Saphira did love and enjoy spending time with the company on the spaceship, she missed her sister; she wished Enid could have been here when Saphira gave birth and also wished Enid was here to travel the Galaxy with them; Saphira asked her one time if Enid would like them to pick her up, her sister said no, she was too busy; Saphira said Thor could join them too; Enid laughed at Saphira's temp to get her to agree but had still said no. Unknown to anyone, when Saphira had hung up the phone that day, she had cried a little, then never brought Enid joining them up again. And even without her sister, Saphira was able to have fun and feel like a part of a family.
They each had something they liked about visiting other places. Kurt loved gathering information about the places they visited and reading about them; Rogue was amazed by everything; she and Saphira loved going to plays or movies, it seemed like just about every planet had their version of them; Mystique put on an act that she didn't care about any of it, but you can tell she was having fun. Remy stole something from every place they went, souvenirs; he called them, one of the places they went to, they again ran into the Guardians of the Galaxy. When Kurt and Mantis disappeared simultaneously for a couple of hours, Saphira was certain Kurt suggesting they stop at that planet had not been a coincidence. Loki had been proud of how his little brother had been able to trick them. When Remy teased him later, Kurt swore they only went to a restaurant then took a walk in a public garden. Saphira hadn't minded one bit; she got to see Groot again; he stuck by her the whole time they were there.
Saphira smiled at the memories as she tried to fall back to sleep, but even if she was a little bit tired, she was unable; thoughts, unfortunately, drifted to her father, she wondered where he was if he was still injured or fully healed by now, and most importantly, was still a threat to them? There was Thanos; he was still out there; they shouldn't forget about him; he wasn't only a threat to them, but the whole Galaxy also. Maybe it was time they found a place to stay and live, at least for a while; how smart was it to travel the galaxy with a newborn? Didn't Fenrir deserve a stable home? Could he get that growing up on a spaceship? Maybe Saphira will bring that up to Loki in a few days; see what he thinks.
Thinking of Loki made Saphira want him and her baby, so she decided since she wasn't able to sleep any longer, she'd get up, shower, dress, and track them down, join them where ever they were, and take Fenrir from Loki or whoever had him. Saphira stood and grabbed random clothes from her cabinet to put on and went in and took a nice warm shower; afterward dressed and stood in the mirror, looking at herself; her stomach had gone down some, but she still had a little bump there; hopefully, it too will be gone in a few weeks, and she can go back to her jeans, crop tops, and cute little dresses. Right now, she put on sweatpants and a t-shirt, comfortable clothes because she was still bloated and sore; it hadn't even been a day yet since she had given birth, she was still recovering.
Saphira ran her hand through her hair; it was wet from the shower, causing it to look even more curly, and had grown to be just past her shoulders now; it annoyed her that her hair wasn't going faster, hopefully, by the time Fenrir is a year old it'll be back down to her waist, the length she liked it to be, or maybe this time she'll let it grow longer. She'd have to think about that. Saphira ran her hand through her hair once more, then turned to find Loki and Fenrir, then paused because she suddenly felt dizzy, and before she knew it, Saphira collapsed right there on the bathroom floor, darkness surrounded her, and she felt as if she was leaving her body.
"Saphira, my little Guardian, it's been a while since we've spoken." A familiar voice spoke as darkness overtook her; the next thing Saphira knew, she no longer lying on the bathroom floor but lying on nothing, out in the middle of what should be space but was nothing, she's been here before, so when she felt familiar presents hovering over her, Saphira did not feel fear this time but only anger, this was her happy day damn it, that freaking force wasn't ruining it.
"What the hell do you want?" Saphira demanded; the Pheonix Force chuckled as Saphira raised her head and glared at it, then she slowly stood, not taking her eyes off the Pheonix. "And why the hell do you look like that?"
The Pheonix, for once, wasn't in the shape of the firey bird that shared her name, but in the form of a woman and oddly looked a bit like Enid, if Saphira's sister was constantly on fire, that is.
"I can take whatever form I wish, though the Phoenix is my favorite," Phoenix replied, "Much cooler, don't you think?" Saphira rolled her eyes.
"Why did you bring me here?" Saphira asked, "I did what you wanted. The stones are safe."
"For now, but that's a story for another time," Phoenix replied. "I brought you here for a visit to see how my little guardian and future creator are doing."
"I'm doing fine," Saphira said, "I was about to go find my new son and husband, so if you don't mind putting me back in my body, I would appreciate it."
"You were smart enough not to take possession of all six Infinity Stones; you are not ready for that yet. " Phoenix said, "I do have one..."
"No, " Saphira started to shake her head, "No, no way, if you have any more magical what's it's out there you find and guard them yourself, I'm through with that."
"I do have many powerful objects that it is my job to protect, but no, I will not ask you for your help," Phoenix replied, "I brought you here about something I saw in the future and to get a thank you."
"Thank you for what?" Saphira demanded,
"Your son," Phoenix answered, "Without me, it would not have been possible."
"Excuse you?" Saphira snapped, "I may feel you poking around in my mind from time to time, but I'm pretty sure it was Loki that knocked me up, an act you had no part in."
"Stop being crude; Guardian, learn some manners," Phoenix said. "Of course I did not take part, I can not do such things, I'm neither male nor female, for I'm just a force, a powerful one, and it was I who caused Loki's birth control spell to fail so you could become pregnant with his child."
"You did what?" Saphira demanded; Pheonix titled her firey head; as she looked at Saphira, it was both weird looking and a little creepy.
"Ah, so you and Loki believe his spell failed on its own." Phoenix laughed, "Have more faith in yourselves; he's been casting that same spell since you two first shared a bed; why would it suddenly fail now? Loki is the best magic-user in all your nine realms, one of the best in the universe; no, it's not very likely such a simple spell of his would fail."
"Why are you telling me this," Saphira demanded, "Why did you bring me here? If not to blackmail me into finding and protecting more of your magical objects."
"I am here to plan with you," Phoenix said; that's when Saphira noticed the gold necklace around Pheonix's neck; it was the Eye of Agamotto.
"Why and how do you have the Time Stone?" Saphira demanded.
"I borrowed it from the Sanctum Sanctorum; I'll return it later." Phoenix answered, "first, I wish to show you something. Something that may happen in the future if you do not stop it."
"No, I don't want to know if something terrible is going to happen," Saphira said, "I just had my son; I finally have people to care about me like family, I'm happy; you are not ruining that."
"You want to keep that husband of yours alive right?" Phoenix demanded.
"What? No, you're just trying to get me to agree." Saphira said. "Whatever you want me to do now, it's a no."
"Really?" Phoenix demanded. "Then you shouldn't worry about traveling around three years into the future."
Saphira opened her mouth to say something, but her words caught in her throat as the Phoenix took off the necklace with a firey hand and opened it; the glowing green Time Stone came out, floated in the air, then came at Saphira, who held up her hands as if shielding herself, and suddenly she was surrounded in bright green light. Flashes of events throughout history flew through her mind, making her dizzy and giving her a headache.
"Your soul is about to take a little trip through the Time Stone," Pheonix explained. "This is something only the Guardian of the Infinity Stones and I can do."
Saphira felt like she was falling through never-ending darkness, with bits and pieces of future events flying by so fast she couldn't see them even if she wanted to. After a few minutes, Saphira stopped falling and landed on a destroyed spaceship, one she was pretty sure was theirs. It was hard to tell; it was a mess, their furniture and belongings destroyed and lying everywhere; there was even one wall that was in flames. That wasn't the only thing she noticed, but lying among their belongings were a few dead bodies, ones Saphira recognized as Asgardians.
The First alive person Saphira spotted was Loki; he was standing there in the outfit he had made, it was dirty and torn in places, with blood on it, and he had cuts on his face, on the ground next to him, laid his helmet with one of the horns broke off. Behind him could only be Thanos's children, pointing weapons toward him as he looked on, face empty of any emotions, though Saphira knew him good enough to spot an act, and he was worried and angry.
"Hear me and rejoice." A voice said Saphira looked to see Ebony Maw, anger went through her, Ebony Maw was the asshole who tortured Loki the most, the one who could dig the information about her out of her mind.
"You have had the privilege of being saved by the great Thanos." Ebony Maw continued. "You may think this is suffering, no. It is salvation. The universe scales tips toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile. For even in death, you have become children of Thanos."
"You monsters are sick." Enid's voice cried out; Saphira turned towards her and was startled at the sight of her sister; she was in a fancy dress that was once beautiful but now, ripped with bloodstains, she had grown her hair out, but it was a mess, and the tiara she wore, had its large center gemstone missing, and under her nose was covered in blood; she had been in one hell of a battle. Lying next to her on the ground was Thor, who looked either knocked out or dead.
"Monsters, eh," Thanos said, walking towards Enid. "I am sure it may seem that way, but I too know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right yet, to fail nonetheless." He picked Thor up by his shirt and turned to walk back to Loki.
"No, please, leave him alone." Enid cried; she tried to get up but fell back down, grabbing her leg; Saphira looked around and didn't see her, Kurt, Remy, Rogue, or Mystique anywhere, no Fenrir either, except for Thanos and his people, the only ones on the ship still alive was Loki, Enid, and Thor, among the dead, included Heimdall, Fandral, and Vision; his head crushed, and the Mind Stone was gone.
"What is this? What's happening?" Saphira demanded."Why are you showing me these awful things."
"This is a version of events I want you to help me change," Phoenix whispered.
"Frightening." Thanos was saying, "turns the legs to jelly. I ask you to what end? Dread it? Run from it? Destiny arrives all the same, and now it's here. Or should I say: I am."
"You talk too much," Thor said; Thanos now had him on his knees, holding him by the back of the neck. On his other hand was a gold gauntlet with the Mind Stone and a place for the others.
"The tesseract or your brother's head. I assume you have a preference." Thanos held the gauntlet to Thor's head and closed his fist; the yellow Mind Stone in it glowed brightly.
"Well, he is just my adopted brother," Loki replied, trying to stall, "I have this whole new family now, so." He shrugged, then Thor started screaming, making Enid cry out; Loki broke character almost immediately.
"STOP!" Loki screamed, "You're going to scramble his mind."
"I did warn you." Thanos replied, "What will it be? Brother or Tesseract?"
Loki held out his hand and made the tesseract appear; Thanos reached for it, but Enid held out her hand, and both Loki and the tesseract went flying backward, the cube falling from his grip; Thanos turned around and pointed the Mind Stone at her, Enid screamed, holding her head.
"No, stop, you're hurting her." Saphira cried out. As Enid's nose started bleeding more and Saphira realized her sister must have tried to use her powers against Thanos, but he overpowered her with the Mind Stone.
"He can't hear you," Phoenix replied. "No one can; they can't see us either."
Thor jumped up, grabbed Mjolnir, and smacked Thanos on the back; it barely knocked him forward, but it was enough for him to lose control of Enid, who fell over holding her head, crying. Thanos then hit Thor away with one arm; Loki got up his scepter appeared in his hand; he came forward cut across Thanos's leg, which didn't phase him much, but Loki didn't care; he jumped back up and got Thanos again with the blade, then stepped back, pointed it at him, and blasted Thanos across the room with it.
Loki turned to Enid, checking on her; he helped her to sit, looking her over; he ripped off a part of his top and handed it to Enid to hold over her nose; Thanos got back to his feet; Thor was up too and started hitting him with Mjolnir again, this time it worked in keeping Thanos back, one of The Black Order tried to step in and help, but Ebony Maw held out his arms stopping them.
"Let him have his fun," Ebony Maw said. As Thanos started getting the upper hand on Thor again, Loki made his scepter appear back into his hand and ran forward to help his brother, running over and taking out Thanos's knee with it, which caused him to fall to one knee, Thor held out his hand and Mjolnir came to him. He hit Thanos under the chin making his head fly back; Loki and Thor started double-teaming Thanos. Ebony Maw most have gotten worried because he dropped his arms and let the others run in and help Thanos; Thor had to turn from Thanos to fight Cull Obsidian, which he didn't seem to be having trouble doing, as Loki was taking on both Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive with his scepter.
Thanos got back to his feet, pointed his hand with the gauntlet at Loki, who dropped his scepter and grabbed his head, screaming in agony.
"Loki," Thor took down Cull and turned to Thanos, who turned the gauntlet on him, and now Thor cried out, falling to his knees holding his head. Ebony Maw stepped forward, picked up the Tesseract, and held it out to Thanos.
"My humble personage bow before your grandeur. No other being has ever the might, nay the nobility, to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones. The universe lies within your grasp." Ebony Maw said.
Thanos took the tesseract from him, crushed it, then put the stone in the gauntlet, in the place next to the Mind Stone, and gave an evil grin. "This does put a smile on my face."
He turned to Thor, pointed the gauntlet at him, and the space stone glowed a blue light surrounded him, and Thor disappeared.
"Brother!" Loki cried out at the same time Enid cried, "Thor."
Thanos ignored them both and turned to The Black Order. "There is one more stone on Earth I need you to get for me."
"Father, we will not fail you." Proxima Midnight bowed to Thanos, and Saphira felt sick just watching it; she wished Pheonix would take her out of here now.
"And what of you, sire?" Ebony Maw asked.
"Oh, I have a couple of missions myself to go on, one I must find Gamora, she has information I need, second." Thanos stopped talking and looked down at Loki with a smirk; his eyes widened, and he started shaking his head. "Oh, yes, I believe it's time Mrs. Loki and I met."
"You keep away from her!" Loki yelled, jumping up and running at Thanos; he punched one side of his face, then the other, made a dagger appear in his hand, and Loki sliced across the side of Thanos' cheek, then the other, causing them to bleed; he then went to stab Thanos in the neck, but he used the space stone to send the dagger away, then grabbed Loki by the neck with the other hand and lifted him off the ground.
"NO!" Saphira and Enid cried at the same time; Enid tried to stand again, but her leg wouldn't allow it.
"Stop, please." Enid cried out as Thanos choked Loki, who was gripping his arm and kicking his feet; his face was turning red, his eyes turning bloodshot; Saphira didn't want to witness this, but for some reason, she was unable to look away.
"You...stay..away..from..my..wife." Loki was able to get out, then Loki's neck snapped, and he went still; Thanos just let go of Loki, and he crumbled to the floor, unmoving; Saphira screamed and ran to him and dropped next to his body, but Pheonix was right; she couldn't touch him, her hands went through as if she was a ghost.
"My sister will burn you alive for that," Enid said as Thanos walked back to her.
"No, what your sister is going to do is trade me the two stones she has for you," Thanos said.
Enid tried to move away, but Thanos bent down and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder; Enid started punching and clawing at his back. Thanos ignored her and used the space stone to disappear with his children, taking Enid with him.
"I believe you have seen enough," Phoenix said. She grabbed hold of Saphira's shoulder, and once again went falling through time until she landed back in the outside the universe dimension Pheonix likes hanging out in; she stopped glowing green, and the time stone went back into the necklace; Phoenix closed it and put it back around her firey neck.
"Tell me that was a trick, please," Saphira begged, "That's not going to happen, right...right?"
"It's one of many future outcomes that could happen," Phoenix replied; Saphira dropped to her knees, crying.
"It's not fair; we're finally happy; it's not fair." Saphira cried.
"I said it could happen." Phoenix snapped, "Listen to me, now." Saphira looked up at her. "There are some events that only have one outcome, can not be stopped no matter what. But some minor things can be changed, altered; Loki's death is one of them; we can change it, but you have to listen to me, do as I say, no questions asked."
"Anything, I'll do anything." Saphira cried. "Please...if you have some plan, something I need to do, I'll do it."
"Thanos has been a thorn in my side for many years," Phoenix replied. "He thinks killing half of all life is balancing things out; it is not; he's causing death to those before their time he is destroying the natural order of things."
"What does any of that have to do with Loki?" Saphira demanded, "And stopping what I just saw from happening?"
"You are not on that spaceship because Loki has gotten Kurt to promise to teleport you away if Thanos ever showed up; his way of protecting you, when you became pregnant, your child became part of that promise." Phoenix explained, "Though in this case, Fenrir was not on the ship with you."
"Where was he?" Saphira demanded.
"On a different spaceship, with Mystique and Frigga," Phoenix replied, "I can not go into details, but there is a reason for that, and a reason your other family isn't on that ship when Thanos attacks, be thankful they are not."
"Okay, okay, what do I? What do we have to do to stop Loki's death?" Saphira demanded.
"First, make sure Kurt does not teleport away with you." Phoenix replied, "You have to be there to stop it."
"Okay, I can do that." Saphira agreed, wiping her eyes, with the thought of how she could trick Kurt into taking Enid instead of her.
"Second, there are two things I need you to agree on; keep in mind this is all to keep Loki alive and put a stop to Thanos and fix nature's order," Phoenix said.
"What exactly is it you want me to do?" Saphira demanded.
"The first thing I must ask of you, Enid, may very well see it as a form of betrayal. Are you willing to betray your sister so your husband can live?" Phoenix asked.
"What?" Saphira demanded, "No, I would never betray Enid, never."
"You want Loki to live, right?" Phoenix replied, "She won't be hurt or die, do what I want, and you even save Enid from torture."
"What do you mean?" Saphira demanded.
"How do you think Thanos gets you to give him the stones you have?" Phoenix demanded, "When he finds you, there is no mention of Loki's death, and Enid was out of it, barely hanging on after being severely tortured; you give up the stones to save her from further pain."
"Oh," Saphira replied, "Okay, fine, if it'll keep Loki alive and stop Enid from getting tortured by Thanos, I'll do whatever you want."
"Good," Phoenix replied, "I have a plan. There is a reason I need everything to play out in the version Loki lives; this one thing I'm asking of you now is why I interfered with Loki's spell and allowed you to become pregnant. Loki will need someone to stop him from going over the edge; I've looked into the future, I've seen his outcome what he becomes if things play out this way and he does not have a child to love and take care of."
"What happens to him?" Saphira asked; she was pretty sure she knew what the Phoenix was going to ask her to do.
"He can't handle it; he becomes cold, turns away from all those who have grown, to care dearly for him, turning his love for them, you or anything else into hate, as a means to protect himself from more pain. By the time it all plays out, Loki is no longer The God of Mischief, but the God of Evil, so Fenrir saved his father from that fate because I..we need my plan to work, for certain events to play out specific ways. It is the best way to stop the Mid Titan for good."
"I know what you're going to ask." Saphira replied, "If I agree, you have to swear that having Fenrir to love and care for will not turn Loki into what you just said."
"I swear, he turns depressed and cold towards some people, but mostly keeps to himself, Fenrir, and his other family members, but he's alive and not evil," Phoenix replied. "So, everything works out fine in the end."
"Maybe for everyone else," Saphira mumbled, wiping her eyes.
"Let me explain my plan, then you decide," Phoenix said, then to Saphira's shock, sat down right in front of her, then proceeded to explain everything, what Saphira had to do, what would happen, and how everything will go, and in the very end how Thanos is defeated once and for all. Then Phoenix explained what she wanted with Enid, that if Saphira agrees to, she might see it as a betrayal.
"So, that's my plan and how I hope it comes out." Phoenix replied, "What I need with Enid, and what you have to do and what part you'll play. So, my little Guardian, can you do it? Are you willing to betray your sister to save your husband's life?"
Saphira swallowed the lump in her throat, the very thought of hurting her sister in any way, even if not physically, made Saphira feel sick, but to allow Pheonix to do this, will help with defeating Thanos and save her and Loki, so hopefully, Enid understands.
"I am," Saphira mumbled, then winched; why did shit always happen to them? Why can't they be happy and stay that way?
"You know what you have to do for Loki to live," Phoenix replied, "What you have to sacrifice to save Loki and kill Thanos."
"I do," Saphira replied; she hated to be separated from Loki again, to leave Fenrir without a mother at such a young age; he'll be just under three years old, that doesn't give her much time with him, but if it all works out the way Pheonix has planned for it to, the way Saphira hoped it did if she agreed to this, it would all work out best in the end, she could only hope Loki will forgive her for causing him so much pain, she could only hope Fenrir will not grow up to hate her for leaving him so young, Saphira's chest was beginning to hurt, she's changed a bit since starting her infinity stone guest and now the thought of hurting anyone she cared about felt like sticking a dagger in her heart. She couldn't stomach it.
"You know my plan; you know it won't work if Loki dies," Phoenix explained again, "For the future to take the route I need it to take, Loki must live; for that to happen, someone must take his place, that someone must be you, I explained to you why. Are you willing to do it? Are you willing to die so your husband can live?"
Saphira looked at The Pheonix Force, tears falling down her face, and answered without a moment of hesitation as she rubbed her neck, trying not to think of how painful it'd be to get snapped and responded with one word.
"Yes."
AN: The Mind Stone can control people's minds, so I figured if used a different way, it might be able to hurt them also; that's what Thanos was doing; he was using it to cause them extreme amounts of pain in their heads.
Something mentioned in this chapter, like everyone being in different ships, you'll see why later, and I haven't forgotten anything about Saphira being a creator or anything like that; these events take place a while from now, and by the time it's all over, it'll make sense.