They call her Human Torch! Chapter 34
October 10, 2015
3 hours later.
"-alright well I will let you go now dear, I have taken too much of your time now but we must do lunch soon! You bring that girl of yours, it has been too long since I have seen both of you."
"I promise we will see each other soon Mrs. Grimm. Are you sure you are alright? Nothing I can do for you?"
"Yes dear, you worry too much, I live much too far from there, my home and everyone I know is fine but I would love to give my time when that shelter is up and ready."
"Of course, thank you, I will let you know as soon as the construction is done."
"You do that, goodbye dear."
"Bye."
I hung up the phone and leaned back in my seat to close my eyes for a second. The problem with being introverted is that you get tired of socializing very quickly, it is physically exhausting, even when talking to people you love. Charles understood that there were things I needed to do and kept the chat short but made me promise I would go to the school so we could talk. Brian and Aaron had been an easy call too, they wanted to meet up for dinner soon but the law office they work for had been partially destroyed so they had things to do as well. Mrs. Grimm had been a whole other story.. I spent over an hour and a half on the phone with her and hardly said any words. She was trying to catch me up on everything going on in her life while asking questions but in the end I was just confused as to what she was talking about.
"You okay?"
I opened my eyes and sat up to smile at Steve. He was a trooper, sitting by me and looking at the phone in horror at some of the things Mrs. Grimm had said.
"Yeah, just tired."
"You want to go back to bed?"
"No, no, not that kind of tired.. I'm just not use to talking on the phone so much. I wanted to call Jasper and Billy but I will have to do that tomorrow, I don't think I can handle anymore small talk for today. Are you hungry?"
"Yes, are you? I can make you something?"
I had to stifle a laugh at the way he said it.
"You don't sound very sure about that."
"Well, there has to be something I can make for you in that big kitchen."
"It's okay, I'll make something. Let me call Tony and see how much I should make."
"Bella are you sure you have enough energy back to cook for everyone? We can do something else? Pepper said she ordered the breakfast we ate today, we can do that with dinner too right?"
I shook my head and smiled his way, it felt nice to have someone try to baby me.
"Cooking relaxes me, trust me, the only cooking that stresses me out is Thanksgiving."
I picked up the phone once again and let out a groan at just the thought of having to use it again.
"Is the princess finally awake?"
"Shut up Tony. Where are all of you?"
"Pep, Logan, and I, are looking over some plans and finalizing them so the construction can start. The rest are off volunteering wherever they are needed, don't worry, Jane and Nat are supervising."
I let out a sigh of relief.
"Good. Are you guys coming back for dinner? I want to know how much to make."
"You up for making a feast?"
"Yeah I'm good."
"Well then it will be all of us and probably Nat, Clint, Peter, and Aunt May. The usual suspects."
"Clint? Why is he back? Didn't he go to see his family?"
"Just to touch base apparently, Fury needs all the Agents available, it's not just the city that got damaged, they have a lot to salvage from HQ and survivors that are trapped."
"Shit! I forgot about that."
"Hm well we are almost done anyway, should be there in 2 hours tops."
"K, see ya when I see ya."
I got up and stretched while looking over at Steve.
"It's going to take a while to adjust. I feel like I should be doing something but I'm not sure what."
"I know how you feel. Do you want to start by looking for Bruce?"
"Oh! Yes, that's right."
He took my hand and led me to the elevator once again.
"I can use the stairs Steve.."
"You need your strength to make dinner don't you?"
"Well you got me there."
He smirked down at me and I rested my head on his shoulder for a second. The elevator doors opened up and Bruce was in the Chem lab farthest from the door. He was hunched over a tablet and so concentrated that he didn't hear our footsteps.
"Bruce?.. Bruce!"
His whole frame jumped up and his eyes swirled green for a second before he composed himself. I felt Steve's hand grip on my waist but thankfully he made no other move.
"Bella, Steve, it's good to see you both. I hear congratulations are in order?"
We looked at each other before smiling and nodding back at Bruce.
"I'm glad you both are happy with this new development. How are you feeling? Still tired?"
"Just a little, not enough to get back in bed though."
"So are you feeling up to talking about it yet?"
"Is that why everyone is coming over?"
"Well you did say you wanted everyone here, you only want to say it once."
"You know that's not actually true, I will have to repeat it again and again for the next whole year."
"Look, we won't demand that you talk about it, we just want to know the mystery, I mean you haven't talked to anyone about it, was it bad, were they good to you, was it a nice place, will you go back? We just want to know.. how you are. Bella, you left the planet. The planet. I just don't think the reality of that has really set in yet."
I nodded and sat down at the lab table while Steve sat next to me and Bruce came to stand in front of me. I don't know why or when but Bruce handed me a tissue and I realized my eyes had unshed tears in them.
"I just don't even know where to start.. and I don't want anyone to get upset."
"Why would anyone get upset?"
"It wasn't all bad.. I mean, it went from being a nightmare to being a dream constantly. Bruce I learned so much and there was such beauty that my eyes almost couldn't handle it at times, it was constantly overwhelming. I don't want to say something about how nice everyone was and how beautiful it was if it might hurt their feelings. I know Tony already has a problem with the idea of me ever going back and Kitty too, I don't want to hurt their feeling by telling them how nice it was or how much I would love to go back one day after everyone feels confident in the knowledge that it is safe and I'd be back."
I wiped at some tears about to fall but mostly kept me head down.
"I also don't know how much information is too much, I mean what if the King doesn't want me to say something about them? What if I say something that is meant to be a secret and I didn't know?"
"Did they ever tell you something was a secret?"
"Well, obviously some fighting tactics were used in the guard and no one wants those to get out.. but other than that, everything I learned mostly came from books people gave me."
"Well, the only advice I can give you would be to not tell us the tactics, don't say what you are not comfortable saying. You have obviously formed a loyalty with them and if you feel we do not need to know something, then don't say it. Start from the beginning, describe what the day to day life was like for you, events that stood out? Simple. Tony and Kitty want to know more than anyone because they don't want to lose you, we never want you to disappear like that again but mostly we also want to know that you are okay, that no one hurt you and that, that you are taking this right, that you are not too overwhelmed. You understand that right?"
I nodded and it made so much more sense to try that approach.
"Thank you, Bruce."
He smiled and patted my shoulder before moving to sit by the tablet again. I knew he was probably focusing on that and wanted quiet time so I got up and reached my hand towards Steve.
"We will be downstairs if you need anything alright? If not then I will come get you when dinner is ready."
"Thank you Bella."
I nodded and led Steve out towards the elevator while wiping the last of the moisture from my eyes.
"Bella, if you don't want to talk about it you don't have to. No one will force you."
"I know. I honestly am not crying because of that, I just got emotional for a moment while Bruce was talking about the reality setting in. I guess he is right. It's taking me a moment to realize that I am in my own planet, that we fought off aliens to save the world, and.. and this is our reality.. We won't wake up to live normal lives, this is normal for us. Also just everything with Victoria.. I lived in constant fear before, just thinking that she would strike at any moment but years passed and I grew comfortable, now I am back and I don't know what her next move will be or if I am just going to be kept waiting."
"Maybe she won't do anything."
"Maybe, I guess once everything calms down from this, I should really talk to Jasper and figure something out once and for all. I can't wait for her to make a move. We just need to find her already and make the first move ourselves."
He kept quiet for a moment, enough to let me calm down enough. He squeezed my hand and smiled softly at me but with a look of pure determination.
"We will be ready for whatever she has planned, we will fight against her together and that means nothing she does will tear us apart right?"
"Right."
We smiled at each other while he led me to the kitchen.
"What do we do now?"
"I think I will go with something easy. How about some burgers? I can leave the meat marinating and then just shape and cook it up quickly when they get here. Sounds easy. You want to pick some music?"
"Oh I wouldn't know what to pick really."
"Here, just get the tablet, go to music library and read through the titles, click whatever one you want and if you do not like the sound of it then just click the next arrow here."
He nodded and started going through all the titles without really picking any.
"You have a lot of Disney albums.. Does Walt Disney Still make films?"
"Of course! He is not alive anymore but Disney is a huge company! Disneyland is the happiest place on earth for a reason! it's all so magical!"
"Disneyland? What is that?"
I could have sworn that my brain twitched and blanked out for a moment. Even my breath fell short.
"You- oh my god, Disneyland opened after your time! Holy shit Steve! I mean, I'm sorry, I know it's not ladylike to swear but… screw history, we are catching you up with Disney stuff first! We can watch all the movies and go to Disney world! OH! The wheel of progress! Yes that is perfect for you! I am sooo excited!"
I was bouncing up and down just thinking of the possibility! His hands on my shoulders brought me back to the now. He had a big grin on is face and his eyes danced in amusement.
"What in the world is the wheel of progress?"
"Oh it's a ride! It goes around in a set of a home and it shows how every decade there was progress in technology of the time.. you would have to be there to understand but it will help you see how things changed decade by decade in family homes."
"So Disneyland and Disney World is the same place?"
"No, one is in California and the other one is bigger and it is in Florida. It's like a carnival but the rides are themed on the movies they have released."
He nodded more on board with what I was saying.
"I remember when the first Disney film was released. It was in November of 1928. Steamboat Willie opened at the Colon theater, here in New York. I remember Bucky and I got there early to get good seats..."
His eyes dimmed and his smile turned wistful while he remembered that. I knew who 'Bucky' was from the files I had read but I didn't know how close they were before the war. I didn't know if asking would bring up a bad memory so I tried to lighten the mood for him.
"1928 huh? Geez you are old! You are very good looking for an old man though."
He looked down and smiled.
"You are a bit too late on the old man jokes, Romanoff beat you to them the second she saw me."
"Hmm, well I will just have to beat her at something else then."
His cheeks flushed for a second but he leaned down and touched his lips with mine.
"You are a very good kisser."
"Thank you, it must be in the genes."
"Ha ha, you are so funny."
"That laugh sounded fake.. are you mocking me?"
"I would never!"
I stepped out of his hold and smirked before moving at my top speed to get the meat ready.
"How do you move so fast? You are faster than me."
"It's the fire I think, I can load it in any part of my body, like fuel. If I want to be stronger then I concentrate the fire in my arm muscles and if I want to be faster then I shoot the power down my legs."
"That's incredible."
He looked at me in awe and I looked down to try and get control over the smoke threatening to come from my cheeks. I worked quickly to season the meat and he watched my every move, his eyes moving as fast as I was to keep up with me. The music was forgotten but that was a good thing since I only took 2 or 3 minutes. I prepared a plate with fruit, crackers, and cheese then made a bowl of popcorn.
"Alright, tell me every Disney film you have ever watched and we can move onto the next one from there."
I took his hand and grabbed the plate while he grabbed the bowl and led him to the media room in the first floor before grabbing the remote and settling us on the couch.
"I already told you about Steamboat Willie, then in 1937 I watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, February of 1940 is when Pinocchio came out followed by Fantasia a few months after."
I kept quiet while he thought hard about the titles but loved watching the faces he made and the way his eyebrows furrowed and scrunched as he thought it though. Is it normal to be turned on by eyebrows? Pretty sure it's not…
"Dumbo came out 1941, Bambi and Saludos Amigos in 1942, Victory Through Air Power came out in 1943 but it didn't do well so the nearby theater didn't play it, I never got to see it. The last film I watched was in 1944 it was called The Three Caballeros."
"Wow, those are all classic and popular movies now, it's crazy you were there the year they came out. I haven't heard of Victory Through Air Power though, we will have to look it up because I don't have it. Did you want to start there or do you want to re-watch the ones you named?"
His cheeks flushed over and he looked at me like a shy little boy.
"Not all of them but.. do you have Pinocchio? That is the movie that stuck with me the most."
My heart melted at his shyness, I was seeing Steve Rogers, the original, not Captain America. I couldn't help myself so I leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Of course, I have it loaded in the cloud library. You wanna watch it now right?"
"Yes, unless you want to watch something else or if you have something to do?"
"Nope, I'm all yours until the others get here."
His eyes darkened with my words and he shifted until I was sitting on his lap. Soon the singing voice of Jiminy Cricket floated through the rooms speakers and I felt Steve really relax for the first time since I had laid eyes on him.
…
Exactly 1 hour and 28 minutes later Jarvis interrupted the closing credits to warn us that the family was in the elevator. Steve sighed and squeezed the arm he had put around my shoulders while kissing my cheek.
"Thank you for watching it with me."
"Of course!"
I smiled and kissed his neck since I couldn't reach his lips.
"Come on, they should be starving. I hope it's not awkward though, you know, to see us so close?"
"Well… they know what happened, I'm sure Peter and Charlotte gave them an idea of what to expect."
He looked at me playfully while putting an arm around my waist and puling me to him.
"They will just have to get over it, you are my girl."
"Oh, Your girl huh? That sounds like something a greaser would say."
"Greaser? Like a mechanic?"
"Kinda, never mind… it's from like the 50's. I guess we are catching you up on musicals next.."
He chuckled while releasing me from his hold but kept my hand in his while he grabbed the 2 empty plates to take back to the kitchen. When we walked into the kitchen everyone was already standing in it and all conversation came to an abrupt stop as they all stared at us. Fucking hell.. Peter and Char smiled at us and came forward, ignoring everyone else. I saw they had contacts on and was glad that I at least wouldn't have to explain them to Nat and Clint. Peter and Aunt May had been around too many family dinners and were informed of the existence of vampires, I knew I could trust Nat and Clint but at the same time, they were Agents… if they knew, Fury would know and right now, I did not want to be seen as a bigger threat.
"So? How are ya kiddo's getting along? Good by the looks of it."
I smiled at his bluntness and Steve did as well but he nodded and answered while smiling down at me.
"I would say we have gotten along very well yes. Thank you Peter, for your help and you too Charlotte, we really appreciate you guys stepping in."
Char smiled and came up to put her arms around the both of us before leaning back and pinching Steve's cheek.
"Don't ya mention it Sug! 'nd family calls me Char so none of that Charlotte now."
Steve smiled at her and nodded. I turned towards everyone else and met eyes with Kitty.
"You okay baby girl?"
"Um, yeah.. just gonna take a while to get use to it I guess. I'm glad you guys are taking it so well though… Hi Steve."
She smiled at him shyly and he gave her a small smile too.
"Alright well.. I know this will take time to get use to for everyone but enough with the awkward silences yeah?"
They all nodded and Aunt May was the first one to come forward and hug me before hugging Steve.
"Congratulations you two! I hear this 'mating' is even bigger than if you would have gotten married!"
The air I was breathing seemed to get stuck in my throat that instant as I could not stop coughing. For a moment I had seen Steve inflate his chest almost proud but the next second he was beside me with concern on his face as he patted my back. Tony came at me quickly and pushed a cup into my hands and me, being me, downed it in a second, never stopping to think that Tony, being Tony, would not have a glass of water in his hand. The burn of the whiskey hit me for a second but the next I was coughing once again only this time, it was with fire, a lot of it. Everyone looked on in shock since there was nothing they could do so as soon as the coughing subsided enough, I said the first thing I could to get away from their stares.
"I'm.. gonna go get Bruce for dinner!"
Faster than they could see, I ran up through the stairs like a bullet until I got to the lab and stood next to Bruce.
"Shit! Bella! You can't sneak up on me like that!"
He gripped the side of the table and calmed his breathing before turning towards me fully.
"Um, where is Steve? Aren't you 2 supposed to be inseparable for the next few weeks?"
Shit.
"I um, ran away from the kitchen at top speed and left him behind. On accident."
He raised an eyebrow and studied my facial expression.
"Why?"
"We went up and everyone was in the kitchen so of course they stared at us like freaks until the tension was broken but then Aunt May made a comment about how congratulations were in order because being mates is like more serious than getting married and I just… I don't know, I just freaked out and my breath caught in my throat and I started coughing so Tony gave me his drink but it was whiskey and I started coughing with like fire balls coming out of my throat so everyone stared in shock and I just had to get away from the embarrassment."
He stared for a moment but then broke out in chuckles.
"Don't laugh! That was a total cluster fuck!"
He tried to hold it in and look at me seriously but one look into my eyes and he was throwing his head back in laughter again. I had no choice but to join in on the contagious laugh even though I was still embarrassed.
"Bella why are you embarrassed? That is your family up there silly girl."
"I know just, it bugs me when people stare, you know that. It's just a pet peeve."
"Yeah I know, and I understand it, but they don't. Come on, I'm sure they will leave you alone. Let's go eat."
"Well I still have to actually make it but I make quick burgers, you'll see!"
He rolled his eyes but nodded and followed with a grin.
"You think you can do anymore fire balls?"
"Jerk!"
Walking to the kitchen was slightly less awkward this time since people moved to greet Bruce but I still saw Steve standing with Logan and Tony with a serious look on his face, I could only guess what they were talking about but I was just grateful that he didn't actually seem mad. He looked to me instantly and seemed to forget he was in the middle of a sentence as he blew them off and walked towards me.
"Hey."
"Hi."
"You alright?"
"Yeah.. sorry I left you here, I just.. it's not everyday someone tells me I passed marriage level you know?"
"Yeah, I can understand it now, Darcy told me the 'M' word is a touchy subject. Her words, not mine. I hope you tell me why that is one day though."
His eyes were as soft as his smile and I felt a burst of emotion that was more than just lust.
"I will."
I got to cooking while everyone split into groups to chat but the closer I was to finishing, the more the kitchen smelled and the more everyone got closer to the counter. With my sensitive hearing I could easily hear their conversations but most importantly, their stomachs rumbling. Clint and Nat came to stand by Steve and I before they started speaking.
"You know, I noticed interesting things always happen to you while I am missing."
"You know, they really do! Did you have a good time at home?"
"Yeah, you know how it is, good fun until boss man calls. He wanted me to tell you that the council wants to meet with you the 15th."
"What day does it fall on?"
"Thursday. Today is Saturday."
I nodded and turned to keep cooking but of course it was Nat's turn.
"So Logan told me your instincts went crazy last night? He couldn't explain how the mating effected Steve though. Have you figured it out?"
"No, we can't understand why it hit him while I was getting hurt and not while we were in the middle of the battle against the Chitauri."
She nodded and turned to go back to Clint. I had told her the truth, partially. We really didn't know how Steve got the instinct to mate with me but we knew where I got it from, she just couldn't know it yet. I shaped the meat into patties and started grilling while putting the bacon in the oven and started toasting the buns while I set the bar up with all the condiments.
"Pep? Can you help me with the lettuce and tomatoes while I do the onions?"
I finished my task quickly while she washed her hands to help. Everyone else knew not to ask. Only Aunt May was allowed to ask but I just asked her to set out the pickles I had forgotten while I took the counter top fryer and started slicing the potatoes to make fries.
15 minutes later everything was in bins and ready for everyone to get in line and assemble their burgers. I prepared 2 for Steve and 1 for me quickly before announcing that dinner was ready. I grabbed some orange soda's for us and we ducked out towards the dinning room right on time before hearing the yells of the women as the guys cut in line.
"Thank you, I don't know if I would have ever gotten food if I had to fight through that line."
I laughed as we entered the dinning hall.
"No problem. Now that I think about it, I should have served Bruce too. Wouldn't surprise me if he Hulked out being around that bunch."
I set my plate down at my usual spot at the end of the table but freeze when he placed his in the next chair, Kitty's usual spot. I switched our plates and smiled reassuringly when he looked at me confused.
"It's fine, just sit there. Isn't the man supposed to sit at the end anyway?"
His confusion turned to a frown as he looked down at the plates.
"No Bella, I don't want you to give me this seat just because I am a man. That makes no sense. Besides, the seat usually goes to the head of the family and seeing as I just joined yours last night, I am clearly not it."
"Trust me Steve, Kitty always sits by me anyway, I don't want her to see you in her seat and feel bad, this way she can still sit next to me okay? We all have usual seats and it may not mean much to you but you sitting there really makes it clear to everyone that you are my equal, my mate. You have as much say in this family as I do now."
He looked both uncomfortable at taking my spot and touched as to why I was giving it to him. He nodded and took out my chair for me before sitting down himself and leaning over to kiss me.
"Ew."
We pulled away from each other and saw Piotr standing there in his metal form.
"So you were the victor?"
"Yeah, no one could push passed me or push me aside in this form."
He smirked and turned back to normal skin while sitting down but then he looked up and really looked at us and where we were sitting. He froze and looked between us a few times before looking at Steve with a new appreciation, he nodded at him and began to devour his fries but I smacked his hand away.
"You wait for everyone else! You know the rules!"
He sulked but patiently waited as one by one everyone trickled in.. all freezing for a second at the new seats. Bruce was the only one who didn't care since he didn't know about who sat where but Kitty and Tony froze the longest. Kitty hesitantly moved to sit next to me but calmed down when I reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Tony sized Steve up before nodding at me and Logan and sitting next to Pepper. Aunt May as always made us do a quick prayer before everyone dug in to their food. Less than 10 minutes had passed when people (the guys) were already up and going to the kitchen for seconds.
"God I have missed your food! Even this bacon is better than anyone else's, and you don't even put anything on it!"
"It's because I make my food with love Tony."
He smirked and rolled his eyes while everyone else laughed at my joke.
"So? Tonight the night the mystery is finally over?"
I sighed, hating he was bringing it up in the middle of dinner.
"Yeah, once we are done eating we can all move to the conference room right?"
They all nodded but it seemed they suddenly were focused on finishing their meals. Steve gave my hand a squeeze under the table and I smiled at him before turning back to my food and trying to think of where to start. What to say…
20 minutes later
Once everyone was sitting around the large meeting table, I cleared my throat while looking around. I knew Phil wanted to be here but he was like Fury's right hand man and was tasked with too much to come. Kitty and Piotr were sitting very close to each other next to Tony and Pep, they actually looked like a couple. She was so against the idea though? Jane and Darcy sat next to Clint and Nat, while Aunt May and Peter sat near Bruce. Peter and Char had sneaked in and sat furthest from everyone in the table after going to the bathroom to bring up the little amount of food they had to eat under Nat and Clint's gaze. Logan and Steve sat in the seats right next to mine at the head of the table, I made sure to sit here so I could have a board behind me in case I needed to write something down for them.
I stood up and did a small pace before closing my eyes to concentrate.
"Alright.. um, this feels a little awkward but I guess I will just start in the beginning and as I go, you guys can ask questions? Or ask questions in the end? I don't know, I guess it depends how much you interrupt."
Tony got up and set up a tablet while passing me a shot of Whiskey. There was no way it would get me drunk but I guess it could trick my mind into calming down.
"Thanks."
"Yep. Look just, start at the beginning. What happened after this video right here? All of us have watched it hundreds of times but none of us know what really happened after you touched this guy's hand, who by the way, if I ever see him, I will kick his ass."
It seemed everyone in the room nodded, even Steve a little bit but I think it had more to do because I was touching another man's hand. Would he get mad if I tell him he kissed me?
"Guys, you will not be hurting Fandral! He is a great man, they all are. Look, what happened was a total mistake, I won't tell the story if it will only serve to make you all hate Asgardians."
I arched my brow and waited until they all looked away in acceptance.
"Good, okay."
I looked at the video again and flinched when I heard my scream as I was sucked up with everyone else.
"Okay, first of all, I want to say that I screamed because I was surprised, it did not hurt at all."
Some of them closed their eyes and sighed in relief and I could imagine that the thought had haunted them every time they had to see this video.
"When I was sucked up through the Bifrost, I blinked and suddenly I was on the floor of a gold dome, it is a room but it has cranks and gold gears all moving and working together, it actually looks very steampunk. Anyway, they were as shocked as I was that I had gone through with them, Thor apologized and promised that he would bring me back soon but first he had to deal with Loki, he asked Sif to stay with me, which is this woman here, this is Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg. Tony I swear if I hear you make fun of their names…."
He shut his mouth and put his hands up in surrender.
"Anyway, together they are known as the warriors 3 and Lady Sif. The 3 of them had to take Heimdall to the healing room, which is awesome, their mix of magic and technology really makes it a healing room because it's done quickly. Heimdall is the one in charge of the Bifrost, he see's all, every person on every realm and planet. He can actually see us now probably."
They looked a little creeped out at the fact so I smirked. I know most of what I was saying was hard to believe but they wanted to hear it.. I went on to tell them about the Frost Giants from Jotunheim and how the planet was almost destroyed so Thor had to break the Bifrost, I did my best to describe the Rainbow bridge but it was impossible to describe such wonders.
"With the bridge broken Asgardians could not get out of Asgard and no one could come in. It took a while to start seeing a light in the end of the tunnel. We found out that Loki had used his magic that the Queen had taught him to make hidden portals all over, we made it our goal to find them and hope that one of them led back here to Midgard. Every time we found one, every time I went through and found myself everywhere except earth, my hope dimmed down more and more but whenever I felt like giving up, Heimdall was always there telling me how none of you gave up and that as long as you searched for me, then I shouldn't give up either a-"
I paused and looked down when I couldn't keep talking through the knot in my throat.
"It- it meant a lot. I'm thankful to have each and every one of you in my life."
They smiled and I had to turn the subject around when I saw tears forming in most of their eyes. I turned and started writing on the smart board with the stylus pen.
"This is Yggdrasil, it is what they call the world tree. Up here is Valhalla, it is the hall of the fallen warriors, only the worthy can enter and I guess it is what we consider heaven. They don't really count it at part of the 9 realms though because no one can go there and no one knows what it looks like, no one can get in if you are living. The first realm on top is Asgard, where I was, it is home to Valkyries and Norse Gods. Next one down is Vanaheim, this one too is for gods. No portals that we found led here so I have not seen it but I hear it is stunning. Next Alfheim, land of the light elves is.. stunning, from what I could see, I did not stay long actually."
"Why not? Weren't you able to explore the places you went?"
"I could but.. the morning we went to Alfheim, it was your birthday Kitty, I wanted more than anything to be home so when I heard that they found another portal, I let my hopes get up and when I got there, it all just crashed down on me I guess, I don't remember much after that, someone brought me back to my room and I didn't really have the courage to leave it for a few days."
"Mom."
She cried and got up to come hug me.
"I missed you so much that day."
"I missed you too, it was so hard to miss all those birthdays but.. missing yours was so hard."
She sniffed and I handed her a tissue before she sat down. I tried to compose myself and kept writing on the board.
"After Alfheim is actually Midgard, here. Land of mankind or humans."
I smirked at them and some laughed but others found it interesting.
"From now on I'm totally calling earth Midgard!"
Aunt May threw Peter a dirty look but Tony fist bumped him.
"Just don't do it on your homework kid."
"Under us is Muspelheim, good place for myself but not really welcoming to anyone else. It's home of the fire giants and literally, everything is all heat and fire sooo, no visiting for any of you. Let's see, then it's Svartalfheim, domain of the dark elves, again I did not see this one but I'm kinda glad since I have not heard anything good about it. Everyone keeping up?"
Some nodded and some tilted their heads to read everything I had written over again. Tony, Jane, and Darcy were the only ones who seemed to get what I was saying.
"Did you 3 read up on Norse mythology while I was gone?"
"Of course! We didn't know where you had gone so our only clues were Thor, Bifrost, and what Thor had already explained to me about all the realms the night before.."
"Oh good, that's good then. Um, so yeah, then it's Niflheim, realm of ice. Jotunheim, that's where Loki is from, where the frost giants are from, also ice. Finally, Hel, or better called Helheim, the hall of the dead, realm of lost souls. It's where you go if you do not get into Valhalla basically. I know you guys don't really care much for the places around Asgard but it does factor in.. After I got there and after the fight with Loki, we though he had died, I watched his family go through the grief and the only person who could really help me was the Queen with her magic but I did not want to disrespect her or offend the King, I told him I would not push her. Over time though, he really did become my King, he is a good leader and puts his kingdom before anything else. The first time I walked into the throne room I stood there like an idiot until Thor put pressure behind my knees, I mean I should have known I had to kneel down to him if even his son was doing it but it slipped my mind, now I do it with no problem, I mean to show respect, it's not just because I have to you know?"
I paused and looked around a little lost, I didn't know what else to say, I didn't know what they wanted to hear from me.
"How did you get to join their army though?"
Thank god for Steve.
"Um, well, the first few weeks were kinda boring, I was stuck in shock I guess and we didn't know about the portals yet. The only people I was comfortable around were the warriors three, Sif, Heimdall, and Thor. They took me in and looked for hours on end to find a new portal, we found 4 in total, one to Niflheim, then to Alfheim, Muspelheim, and to Xandar. They are close friends and spend most of their time together so I spent my days training with them, learning about the culture, the planets outside of Yggdrasil, and I also sat them down and explained what television is, phones, explained Sherlock to them, spend hours explaining the entire plot of movies to them.. I mean we became very close, I would fight beside them any day."
I smiled fondly and felt some tears gather in my eye once again just thinking about how much I would miss those times. Then I laughed remembering what I promised Volstagg before leaving.
"I actually just remembered, if the Bifrost is fixed before Thanksgiving, Could I invite them? It's just that I promised Volstagg that I would make him a feast, the food there sucks, it really does, I mean they have gigantic parties with endless amounts of food but they don't have the spices that we do so everything is so flavorless! I admit, I did brag just a little.. you know because a lot of them think this is a forgotten planet, that we never progressed like the other galaxies did.. I guess it's true but we have good food so I had to show face for some things.. Would you guys mind?"
"Wait! You want to invite them here?! Is that even allowed? I mean look what happened last time? What if they destroy the apartment?!"
"Kitty they are not stupid, last time was a one time thing, it was not their fault. And why would it be against any rules? They are visitors coming to my home, there is nothing about that, that should be wrong or illegal."
"But what if they try to convince you to visit them?"
"Eventually I will. I wouldn't get stuck like last time Kitty, again, it was a one time thing. Even if by some miracle it did, they now have the Tesseract so they can use it to fix it just like they are fixing it now as we speak, it may already be done."
"You can't be serious! Why would you consider going back? What if they just visit you here?"
"Kitty, I gave my word to the King, I told them that if they should ever need me for any battle, I would fight with them, they just need to come get me and I'll be there. I know you don't understand it but I owe them everything, I wouldn't be here without him. He risked his health by using dark magic, that is never allowed but he did it on the risk that it would hurt him and me so I could get back. Asgard and all it's people treated me so well, they all tried to help where they could, we got so many tips on where portals could be and-"
"Yes I get it! It's so fucking great! It's magical and beautiful! You haven't said a bad thing about it so far! Did you even want to come back? Honestly mom, if you loved it so much and want to go back so much then you shouldn't have come back at all!"
The silence in the room was so loud to me but it was the anger in her eyes as she glared at me that really hurt. I looked to Bruce, he knew this is what I was afraid of but her words were just as painful. Stupidly I felt humiliated, wondering if this is how the rest of the family felt. Tears filled my eyes and spilled over endlessly until I felt Steve touch my hand. I grabbed his hand and pulled him with me as I rushed out of the room and up towards the roof. He sat me on his lap on the edge of the building and cradled my body close to his while I sobbed and ruined his shirt.
"It's okay, I'm sure she didn't mean it Bella, she is just scared of losing you again."
"I- I know but, she glared at me, I mean what if that is what they were all thinking? Did I sound like I was wishing I was back there? Tell me the truth Steve."
"No Bella, of course not. You were saying how much you owed them because they helped you come back, how much you bragged about how our food is better.. Bella, I understand now why you were afraid to talk to them, you obviously know them better than I do but, I assure you, you said nothing wrong."
I sighed and evaporated the tears from my eyes.
"I'm sorry Steve. We just met and look at all the dramatics I am bringing into your life."
"That is certainly nothing to be sorry for. I know this is a difficult time for you and the rest of them. It will all blow over soon and I know you guys will be back to how things were before."
"I know, I just hate this. She never gets angry enough to yell and it certainly isn't ever towards me.. I guess it just worries me that this is happening just days after my return.. she made her own life and she has had to be independent the past 8 months, I guess she just doesn't need to be babied by me anymore."
"Everything just needs to fall into a routine, a normality. You told me yourself earlier, this is our normal right?"
"Right."
I rest my head on his shoulder and overlooked Times Square for a while but when I heard heavy footsteps on the stairs below, I decided I wasn't ready to break this peace with the aftermath of whatever had happened after I left the room. Steve was right, we all just needed time to get used to being around each other again. Everything would be alright by this time next week.
"You want to go sit on top of the Statue of Liberty?"
"Can we do that?"
"Of course, I used to do it all the time."
We got up as I heard the footsteps climbing higher and I took off with my arms around his waist and a big smile of his face.