Author's note: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! They are so inspiring!

I started this fic after Episode 1, just seeing if I could guess where they were going to go, and fit Mabel in between the scenes. But I didn't predict the love story between Loki and Sylvie. So this will diverge from the series at some point coming up. So just think of this as a reset charge ;). Loki and Sylvie will view each other as siblings, and their romantic stuff got sent to the void. That's all! Thank you for reading!


Mabel sat at her desk and stared blankly at her screen. She realized keeping up the pretense of her job was going to be exhausting. She'd had to collect a Variant already this morning, and it was all she could do to keep from screaming in the courtroom. But in order to save more lives, she had to stay calm and not let on that she knew anything about her past. Yet. It was excruciating.

The implications swirled around in her head. The only explanation was that she was a Variant. Something had happened on Asgard to rip her away from her family and from Loki, and they'd wiped her memories, then indoctrinated her into this insane organized circus. She needed to understand what her choice had been for them to pick her up.

Her memories had opened up the whole world to her. Were they all Variants? Who knew about it? And how would she tell Scarlet, her only ally so far in this mess. Besides Loki.

She smiled at the thought of him. Apart from making love over and over again last night, their kiss had bonded them. They had held each other's faces, exploring, imparting their mutual love for one another. They hadn't said it, but she'd felt it. The passion in his lips stayed on her skin.

She touched her mouth with her fingers remembering.

Another memory surfaced. They'd been coming all morning.

...

"Sigyn my love," said Loki.

She stood in the palace garden, the moonlight casting the floral splendor in a hazy blue. She turned when she heard his voice.

"Loki!" She ran to him, and he embraced her, lifting her into the air. These stolen moments were all they had anymore, now that both Loki and Thor no longer needed a tutor.

"We don't have much time," he said. "I'm being sent with the Warriors three and Siff to Muspelheim. Apparently the army needs some rallying. They've all but lost."

"And Thor?" she asked.

"Already there of course. Couldn't be bothered to wait another few hours. Always hogging the glory."

"And how are you? I miss you. Your duties keep you away."

"I'm well. My only concern is for you. By the way, how are your powers progressing?"

"How do you feel about having a Goddess for a wife?" she asked smiling shrewdly at him.

Loki grinned and twirled her around. "I'm so proud of you my clever, powerful darling. The Goddess of Victory."

"And Fidelity."

"Oh yes, and that."

"Have you told your father about us yet?" She placed her hands on his chest and stared up at him.

"Patience my love," he said, taking her chin in his fingers. "All will be revealed. The timing isn't… right yet."

"But once I join the Valkyries, I won't see you for a whole year."

"I know. I hate that I have to go, but it's at father's bidding."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head on his chest. "Then we'll be married. We'll finally be one."

"About that…"

She looked up. "What?"

"I can't wait darling. I brought…"

Out of the shadows, a judge from the courts stepped out into the moonlight from behind a tree.

"I want us to finally be wed," he said. "I know it's sudden, but we always knew we couldn't invite everyone we wanted to."

She threw herself into his arms and kissed him. "My love, it's all I want."

"Then you're ready?"

"Yes."

They clasped hands.

...

Mabel gasped, heaving in breaths in her desk chair.

Oh dear Lord. They'd married. She was his wife.

Her love for him surged, and her anger raged red and hot for the TVA. What had she done to deserve this? Her eyes filled up with tears that she quickly swiped away.

Loki and Mobius were going out with a squad to the hurricane disaster to find the Variant. She couldn't wait until he got back. She was going to kiss him and kiss him and kiss him…

"Mabel, there you are."

Mabel swiveled to see Scarlet looking agitated.

"I just got back," said Mabel. "What's wrong?"

Scarlet leaned close, her voice barely a whisper. "Let's go to one of the theaters," she whispered. "It's not safe here."

Mabel's heart thumped. She grabbed her TemPad and bag and followed Scarlet out.

Once they were in Theater 4, Scarlet opened up a Time Cell and they stepped in. They were in an alleyway in New York, Earth. Scarlet closed the doorway. She breathed a heavy sigh and leaned against the brick wall of a building.

"I swung by Mobius's desk to look for your file papers," she said. "Ravonna was there. She had them."

"What? Oh god."

"She asked me why I was there. I didn't know what to say, so I just made something up about Mobius asking me to get them for him. She definitely didn't believe me."

"Oh Scar, I'm sorry I got you into this mess."

"That's not all. Did you know we have two files? One we can check out, one that's confidential. That's what happened with your file I think. They got mixed up, and Ravonna got Mobius to check yours out from the Library so she could fix it."

Mabel bit her lip. One tiny error had started all of this.

"I just don't understand why we have a confidential file too," said Scarlet. "What information would need to be hidden from us?"

Mabel sighed. It was time to tell her. She braced herself for Scarlet's reaction. "I'm about to tell you something that is going to blow your mind, but I promise it's the truth. Do you trust me?"

Scarlet nodded. "It's about my past isn't it?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry."

….

Scarlet's knees hit the ground, and she wretched dryly.

Mabel knelt next to her in the dirty alley and put her hand on her shoulder. She pulled out a handkerchief, and Scarlet wiped her eyes with it.

"It's all been a lie," said Scarlet. "My whole life. This job, this… this… whatever it is we do here."

"Oh Scar."

"I always wondered why this place automatically appeared for me when I opened up a Time Loop." She gestured around her at the city. "I must have lived here. On Earth. I had a life that I can't remember."

"We all did. They stole us."

"What do we do?"

"We bring them down."

"How?"

"I haven't figured that part out yet," said Mabel with a slight smile. "But one thing I know, we have to pretend like everything is fine. We can't let on that we've figured out we're Variant's."

"You're right. They're already suspicious of me though. Do you think your Loki will help?"

Mabel smiled. Her Loki. "Yes. He's already hatching a plan. As soon as he finds the Variant, I'll tell him everything. We can create our own Avengers," said Mabel trying to add some levity.

Scarlet chuckled, then wiped her nose. "Only without superpowers."

"That's the thing isn't it? I had them on Asgard. I don't know what they were yet, but maybe there's a way to tap into them here."

"My best friend the superhero. Jeez."

A beeping went off in both their pockets. They pulled out their TemPad's.

"Oh no. Oh my god," said Mabel.

Scarlet gasped. "How is this possible?"

Their view of the Timeline was branching like crazy.

"We have to go, someone bombed the sacred timeline. It's all hands on deck," said Mabel.

They exited the Loop, grabbed their Time Sticks and ran down the hall to the prep area.

"See you on the other side," said Scarlet, running off to her unit.

Mabel's team was already there.

"Where are we going?" asked Hunter G-46.

Mabel pulled up her TemPad assignment. "Xandar, 2046. Let's move."

As they ran through their doorway, another memory pushed into her brain, and she froze before she could follow them.

...

Loki set her back on the ground. He'd pushed her against the wall of the garden, and insisted they consummate after their personal ceremony. He buckled his belt as she straightened her dress. The pale moonlight made him glow blue, and she marveled again at his handsomeness.

"Gracious darling," he said. "Being married does make a difference."

"My husband." She slinked her arms around his neck as he pulled her against him. "Come back to me soon," she said, caressing his face.

"Do you want to be with me?" he asked.

"More than anything," she said.

"Then I'll come back. I'd do anything for you."

He pulled her in for a kiss.

...

"Mabel, Mabel, lets' go!" G-46 grabbed her hand and pulled her through the doorway.