The Greatest Power

Just wanted to say again that I do not own! And spoilers ahead!

Thanks again and enjoy! :)

"Home sweet home," the man said, noting the way they both gazed around at their surroundings as they left the courtroom.

"I thought there was no magic here," Loki breathed.

"There isn't." The man gestured to the balcony. "Have a look."

"Odin's beard," whispered Sigyn.

"That's not real," Loki was quick to decide.

"It is. And unfortunately, so is all the paperwork. Good tinder for your fire though. Come on."

"This place is a nightmare," Loki ground out.

"That's another department. Now that department I'll help you burn down." He led them down the hall to an elevator. "I'm Agent Mobius, by the way." He held out his hand but Loki didn't shake it.

"Lady Sigyn, of Asgard," Sigyn introduced herself when he then turned to her.

"Nice to meet you - both." The elevator gave a ding! and the doors slid open. "Now, Lady Sigyn, if you could wait here please - I have to talk to this Loki alone."

"Sigyn!"

"Oh!" She wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed - time was strange here; it was difficult to explain, just strange - and she jumped when Loki suddenly appeared behind her. "Loki?"

"Come on - we're going to get the Tesseract, and then we're getting out of here."

"Played another one of your tricks I see."

"Of course."

"What happened to the Agent? Did you kill him?"

"No - but I did steal his device." He held up one of those small rectangular devices with a screen that everyone here seemed to have. He had that familiar mischievous glow blazing in his eyes.

It made her smile. "Gods I've missed you!"

They took hands and Loki pressed a button on the device, and just like that they jumped to a crowded office space filled with desks. Loki stopped one of the workers who was passing by pushing a cart. "Hey!"

The man jumped. "Hey, I know you! You're that criminal with the blue box-"

"Shhhhhhhh!" Loki hissed, shoving the man down.

"Ow!"

"What's your name?"

"Casey."

"Give me the Tesseract or I'll gut you like a fish, Casey!" Loki hissed.

However, the man now appeared more confused than frightened. "What's a fish?"

Loki's intense demeanor dropped. "How do you not know what a fish is?"

"I've lived my entire life behind a desk..."

"Well, what difference does it make?"

"Well I wanna know exactly what I'm being threatened with before I comply-"

"Death, Casey! Violent, painful death!"

Sigyn was rolling her eyes. Oh Loki, always dramatic as ever. "How about we just ask nicely?" she stepped in. She flashed a smile at the startled and confused man. "Hi Casey, I'm Sigyn-"

"Cool name!"

"Thank you, it's Asgardian. Could you please give us back the Tesseract?"

"Oh, yeah sure."

Satisfied, she turned back to her partner. "See, threats aren't always the answer."

Loki grumbled. "They're usually faster." Then his jaw dropped as Casey opened a large drawer. "What? Infinity Stones?"

"All of them," Sigyn observed, equally shocked. Time, Space, Reality, Soul, Mind, Power, all of them.

"Yeah, we've even got some more over here, see?" Casey turned and opened the large drawer behind them, revealing more coloured stones.

However, these stones were of different colours than the others: pink, turquoise, silvery-white, pale blue and black.

"These ones are different," Sigyn observed.

"How do you have these?" Loki asked incredulously.

"Oh, we actually get a lot of those," Casey explained. "Yeah, some of the guys use them as paperweights. Some of 'em..."

"I wonder if Lady Infinity knows about these," Sigyn wondered aloud.

Loki settled on picking up one of the green Time Stones. He gazed around in shock and wonder. "Is this the greatest power in the universe?"

But they were interrupted then as one of the hunters - the same woman who had arrested Loki the first time - stormed into the office, startling everyone.

She swung at them with her staff, but Loki grabbed Sigyn's wrist and jumped them away with the device. She just caught some of Casey's startled cry before they landed in another room.

"Oh, back in here," Loki grumbled.

"Were is here?"

"Some sort of torture chamber where that agent showed me my life as it apparently plays out"

This struck her. "How much?"

"Enough. I saw you, Thor, Odin, Heimdall - Mother... And her - death..."

"Oh Loki..."

He sat down heavily in one of the chairs. "Does it really happen? All of it?"

"Yes..."

He swallowed hard before asking, "What happened?"

"Thor brought his mortal love to Asgard because she had come into contact with the Reality Stone. The Dark Elves attacked, going after the Stone, and Frigga was protecting Jane. You think you send them to Thor, but you really send them to her."

Loki nodded distantly before pressing a button on the machine. The images, many memories for her and promises of the near and distant future for him, played before their eyes.

"I love you my sons," Odin said in Norway right before his death. Loki had begun to cry. "Remember this place: Home."

"Loki, I thought the world of you," said Thor on Sakaar. "I thought we were going to fight side-by-side together."

"You just don't get it, do you? I never wanted to be Queen, never wanted to rule over Asgard and the Nine Realms. No, I only wanted you. I had everything I wanted before, and you blew it. I even loved you - Hel, I still do." And there was her own confession to him.

"Sig-"

"You know, maybe you're not so bad after all, Brother." Back to Thor.

"Maybe not."

"Thank you. If you were here, I might even give you a hug."

"I'm here."

The clip ended with the three friends, happy and united.

Now Loki smiled through his tears. "So that's what happens?"

She remained stiffly standing. "Yes."

Loki laughed, more half laugh, half sob.

"Loki?" Mobius stood in the doorway, brandishing a staff of his own. Slowly and cautiously, he began to approach. "Nowhere left to run."

"I don't enjoy hurting people," Loki said suddenly. "I - don't enjoy it. I do it because I have to, because I've had to."

Mobius lowered his weapon. "Okay, explain that to me."

"Because it's part of the illusion. It's the cruel elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear." He gestured to himself.

"Loki, you are not weak," Sigyn insisted.

"A desperate play for control - you do know yourself," said Mobius.

"A villain."

"That's not how I see it."

"Nor I," Sigyn agreed.

Loki looked at her. "And you still love me? Despite knowing what I do? What I become?"

She knelt down and cupped his face in her hands, now fighting tears of her own. "I loved you then, and I love you now. And my biggest regret is not telling you sooner."

"Oh Sig-"

"Aw, it's so sweet." Both looked at Mobius. "Sorry, sorry, it's just, I'm a big fan, really." Then he nodded to the Tesseract. "You try to use that?"

"Oh, several times. Even an Infinity Stone is useless here. The TVA is truly formidable," Loki admitted.

"That's been my experience," Mobius agreed. "Listen, I can't offer you salvation, but maybe I can offer you something better: a fugitive Variant's been killing our Minutemen."

"And you need the God of Mischief to help you stop him?"

Mobius nodded. "That's right."

Loki considered this. "Why me?"

"Because the Variant we're chasing is you."

So yes, I did change things a bit here - I didn't want Loki to witness his death just yet! Ah, the joys of fanfiction!

I'm also planning a Mobius story at the moment, so stay tuned for that!

As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)