I was looking through and rereading some of my documents in the Beyond Mischief folder on my laptop earlier (procrastinating the editing of chapter 42, hey!) and found this scene, which I originally planned for the plane ride back to New York when I still thought that Thor was truly gonna confess everything after telling himself that he would. But then I came up with the idea of him releasing a lightning bolt and the story took on a new direction.
Out of nowhere, Thor heard Frigga's voice from afar, soothing like the gurgle of a small stream on a warm spring day. You are a miserable liar, my love. He saw her tender smile in his mind's eye, almost felt the gentle touch of her warm hand caressing his cheek. Your heart is too good for lies and that is a wonderful thing. Thor looked at Loki, who, despite his Jotun form, had reminded him of their mother when he had smiled the first genuine smile Thor had seen on his lips in a long time the night before. How could he ever expect to cut a better figure than his father if he led his brother further down the same path of lies, deceit and pretense that had destroyed their entire family? If he led his friends down with them? No, he could not do this, not anymore, not to any of them. He would not take a single step further. Thor harrumphed. "Yeah, about that." He waited until everyone was looking at him. "There is one last thing you need to know."
Valkyrie grimaced. "What now?"
Thor looked at Loki and bit his lip. "I kind of made another mess bringing you back and I need your help to clean it up."
"Another mess?" Valkyrie enquired. "How much more of a mess can you make in less than twenty-four hours?"
"He didn't defeat Hela," Loki deduced instantly. Of course, he did. He was too smart for his own good. "I knew it."
"No, I didn't. I made a bargain with her."
"You made a bargain?" Loki chuckled weakly. "And how did that go down, brother?"
"Not so well, to be honest," Thor admitted. "I offered her my soul in return for yours." Loki's red eyes opened wide. Thor inhaled deeply to steady himself. "And that of one of my friends."
Next to him, Valkyrie's mouth opened in surprise. "You did what? Whose?"
"Not yours. A mortal, human soul. She was quite specific about that."
"Thank God," Rocket mumbled. Nebula shot him a derisive glance. Bruce's face turned ghastly pale. Tony was just standing there, gaping at him with an expression of pure disbelief stamped across his face. Pepper spoke first. "Let me just … You sacrificed one of our souls to be tortured by the Goddess of Death in hell after we die, just so your brother can live?" she asked, her face going white with terror. When Thor nodded, she leaned against the wall, her fingers looping around the pendant of her necklace. "This is too much." Her voice cracked. "It's too much."
Tony pulled her into his arms. "It's okay. We're gonna get through this," he whispered but the fear in his eyes belied his reassurance.
"I am deeply sorry," Thor offered. "I know this isn't gonna change anything and you have every right to hate me. Believe me, I feel beyond guilty, but I was desperate. I thought I could somehow come up with something that might help me get out of this but I can't think of anything and believe me, if I could somehow—"
"You're such an oaf," Loki cut in on his lousy apology. His brother gaped at him, his lips dark blue slightly open, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. "You've lived for one and a half millennia. You should have access to the knowledge and wisdom beyond measure. How can you still have the intellectual capacity of a loaf of bread when you are forced make decisions under pressure?" He smiled weakly. "No offense."
Despite the intractability of the situation, Valkyrie grunted.
"Just think about what kind of bargain this is, brother. Hela would never have exchanged my soul for only two souls in return. Why would she do that if she could have asked you for the souls of a hundred Asgardians or a thousand mortals? Just think, Thor. She definitely tricked you."
"This is getting better and better," Pepper murmured.
"She did not trick me," Thor said softly. "There is a way to get out of this. If I return you to her, she will spare our souls. Which is what she actually wants. She wants you back and I tried to make her believe that I was gladly going to give you back to her after you helped me clean up unfinished business. She wins either way. If I return you, she will have you back and if I don't, she will have my soul that will by then be corrupted by guilt and agony over making the wrong choice." He felt tears clawing at the back of his throat and tried to smile through them.
Loki's lips parted. "And by return you mean—"
"Kill you."
His brother flashed him one of those loathsome crazy smiles when the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place. "And let me guess, she gave you four weeks to make your choice?"
Thor nodded.
Loki nodded weakly. "Why would she want you to kill me?"
"You mean, apart from the fact that she's a sadistic, murderous bitch who thrives off the suffering of others?" Valkyrie provided.
"She's been inside your head, Loki. She knows about …" Thor let his voice trail off and gestured towards himself and then to his brother with his hand. "She figured it would make for a great …" He indicated his head.
Loki laughed a desperate laugh. "I think I understand."
"I don't," Rocket noted but no one paid attention to him.
"I still can't believe you put yourself in that position," Loki whispered into the silence that began to fill up the cabin of the aircraft.
"Neither can I," Tony agreed in a raw, alien voice.
"I can," Nebula said. "What kind of a brother would he be if he hadn't made that choice? I would do the same for Gamora in an instant."
"So Gamora is your sister," Loki concluded.
"She was my sister, yes. Thanos murdered her in cold blood as a sacrifice for the soul stone." Nebula's eyes were empty but her voice was trembling with rage when she spoke. "And just like Thor I would not hesitate to give my life or any of yours for hers."
"That's really reassuring," Bruce pointed out. A melancholic smile scurried over his face. "You know, I remember a time when the Avengers left their status of a chemical mixture ready to explode behind and became a group of friends who had each other's back but it seems we're back to square one where I might end up with a knife in my back any time."
"You've been gone a long time, Bruce," Steve answered grimly.