A/N: Sorry there has been no update recently. I'd been avoiding the internet because of possible Endgame spoilers. Now I've seen Endgame, but don't worry, I won't make any changes in this story. It will be completely non-Endgame compliant as planned, so, no spoilers!

Sigyn now could see why Fury had seen potential in Ana. In this new vision, while she was with Tony, she wasn't very different from that little girl who had wiped her father's tears away by Mr. Jarvis' grave. But while talking to the Avengers, to Coulson and his team, she was an entirely different person. Daisy Johnson was supposed to be her best friend once, but even if it was true for Daisy, Ana clearly saw her more of a soldier, or a tool, like Thanos had said. She was manipulating her, very skillfully, in that vision. That had to be the "Ice Princess" Tony had been talking about. It kind of reminded Sigyn of how Howard would manipulate the people around him when he needed something from them, something he believed to be for the greater good. Ana was trying to create a weapon that would destroy Thanos, not Midgard. And Daisy might be an Inhuman, and she might have wronged Ana somehow, but she seemed like a decent person. Still, Sigyn needed to prevent that mistake from being made. She wished she hadn't kicked Ana and Shuri out of her house. It was going to be difficult to earn their trust back…

Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone signaled a new text message from an unfamiliar number. But whoever they were, they knew who Sigyn was, because the message said Peggy had been taken to hospital. Sigyn immediately left for Washington DC.

…

She spotted Peggy's children in the ER waiting room, though didn't dare go anywhere near them. It seemed like Peggy was alright for the time being, anyway. She looked around to see who might have texted her, but no one was paying her any attention, so she went out to the hospital yard and sat down on a bench.

She knew Peggy didn't have much time left. It could be any day now. But she still wasn't ready to lose her. She would never be. Peggy was her only connection to her golden days in Midgard. Howard, Maria, Ana, Mr. Jarvis… They were all gone. She didn't think she would be so scared of Thanos if they were still around. Not that any of them were powerful enough to stop Thanos, but there would be something reassuring about their mere presence. Like, they could do anything as long as they stuck together. We were like the Avengers, she thought, but then changed her mind. The Avengers had started out as Fury's idea, and he had played his usual mind games to bring them together. No one had forced Sigyn and her friends to become a team. They weren't anyone's project. It was just fate that they had found each other.

"Aunt Peggy scared us today. But she's fine now."

Sigyn looked up, only to see Sharon Carter leaning against the bench.

"May I?" she asked.

"Sure."

Sharon sat down next to her.

"You were the one who texted me," Sigyn realized, wondering who had told Sharon about her. If it was Fury, she was definitely going to kill him this time. But deep down, she knew it wasn't Fury. If there was anyone who didn't want Sigyn's identity to be compromised more than Sigyn herself, it was him.

Sharon nodded. "Aunt Peggy rambles a lot sometimes. When I went to see her shortly after the Battle of New York, she started talking about someone named Sigyn. The name didn't ring any bell, so I Googled it, and found out she was the wife of a certain Norse god who unleashed an army of aliens upon New York."

Yes, Sharon definitely lived up to the Carter name. "For the record, I don't support what my husband did in New York."

Sharon chuckled. "For the record, I don't blame you for it. It took me only a few questions to get Aunt Peggy to tell me all about you. About what you did for SHIELD. And for her. Thank you."

Sigyn chuckled softly. Now that the cat was out of the bag, she might as well make the best of the situation. "It's nothing, compared to what they did for me."

"So, the Tesseract has been taken to Asgard. You must be kind of… unemployed."

"I'm still a Consultant to SHIELD. Other than that, I guess I'll just stay with Peggy for a while." She had been so scared today that she didn't think she could leave Peggy again, no matter how painful her company might be.

"I'd be grateful for that. I wish I could spend more time with her, but I'm on an undercover mission these days."

"I know. How is Captain Rogers?"

Sharon raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"It's alright, my Clearance Level is higher than yours."

"He's an excellent neighbor."

"Does Peggy know?"

"No. Captain Rogers visits her occasionally, so…"

"You don't want to take any risks. That's wise."

They exchanged a meaningful look of trust and appreciation that could only be exchanged between two people who shared an important secret. Sigyn had always tried to keep her distance from the families of her old friends, but somehow, she was still involved in their lives. She just hoped Sharon was at least not involved in the Thanos business. The secret of her undercover mission as Steve Rogers' neighbor was a much simpler one.

"Are you planning to introduce yourself to Captain Rogers?" she asked, snapping Sigyn out of these thoughts.

"Oh, no. I've heard so much about him that it would probably be very awkward to meet him in person at this point." It was a lie, of course. The truth was, if Captain Rogers met Sigyn, he would have a lot of questions regarding his old friends, and she didn't think she wanted to answer all of them.

"Trust me, I know how that feels."

"I'm sure you do. But I'm glad Fury chose you for the job. Captain America is in good hands."

Sharon rose to her feet. "Well, I better get back inside and see how Aunt Peggy is doing."

Sigyn stood up as well. "Alright. It was nice to meet you, Sharon."

"So, what should I call you? Sharon, or Sigyn? Auntie Sigyn?"

They both laughed at the last one. "Sigyn is fine, as long as we're in private."

They shook hands, and then Sharon returned to the ER, leaving Sigyn alone in the hospital yard.

…

The Convergence might be the first thing that made Sigyn regret her exile. The alignment of the Nine Realms was an event that occurred in every five thousand years, and Sigyn wasn't sure if she could see another one. In Midgard, the Convergence manifested itself only as random gravitational anomalies, but if she were in Asgard, she could witness it in its full glory at Heimdall's Observatory.

Still, the Convergence was as perilous as it was magnificent. She saw Thor battle the Dark Elves in London, who were supposed to be extinct, but then, when had Odin ever been honest with his people, or even his family? Shortly after this battle, Thor paid her a visit in the nursing home one day.

Sigyn and Peggy were reminiscing about the early days of SHIELD when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Peggy said, and Sigyn's jaw dropped open when she saw her brother-in-law standing in the doorway, dressed like a mortal man, with a sheepish look on his face. If Mjolnir weren't in his hand, she would find it hard to believe that this was really him.

"Thor?"

"Hello, Sigyn."

She went to hug him. "It's good to see you here. How did you find me?"

"Heimdall told me where you were. I thought I could pay you a visit."

"I'm glad you did. I… I wasn't sure if you'd wanted to see me."

"You can't get rid of us so easily, Lady Sigyn."

So, Thor didn't judge her as harshly as his father did. It was good to know what she still had his support. She smiled to show her gratitude.

He turned to Peggy this time. He was being polite, but Sigyn could see something in his eyes, something she had never seen before. Fear. Funny, Thor had battled some of the most dangerous, vicious, ruthless creatures in the universe, and yet, none of them had scared him like this frail, old mortal woman did now. But Sigyn understood. Thor had recently made several mortal friends himself. When he looked at Peggy and Sigyn, he saw his own future.

"You must be Agent Peggy Carter," he said bowing to her. "I'm Thor, son of Odin."

"Loki's brother, I know," Peggy recalled.

"You and your friends are legends in the Asgardian court by now."

Peggy laughed, then a look of worry crossed her face. "Is everything alright in Asgard?"

"Yes, yes. We used the Tesseract to rebuild the Bifrost, the Dark Elves have been defeated, and the Nine Realms are at peace once again."

Peggy gave them a puzzled look. "Sigyn, I thought you still had the Tesseract?"

Thor turned to Sigyn this time. "Doesn't she know?" he whispered.

"Is this your first time in DC?" she asked cheerfully.

Thor seemed confused, too, but he nodded nevertheless.

"Come on, then. Let me show you around. Peggy, I'll be back in a few hours."

She grabbed her purse and jacket, then gestured Thor to follow her outside.

"Peggy knew," she started to explain as they walked down the hallway to the elevator. "About the Tesseract, the Battle of New York, that fight with the Dark Elves in London… But she forgot."

"Forgot? All of it?"

"It's called Alzheimer's disease."

"But she knew who I was."

"Only because I told her about you people in her youth. She remembers your name from those days, not from New York. It's the recent events she struggles to remember. She'll probably forget meeting you by the time I return here."

If Thor had been scared before, now he was terrified. "Oh… Does that happen to all mortals?"

"No, but it's not too uncommon either."

"How do you do this, Sigyn?"

She only shrugged in response. To be truthful, she didn't have an answer. She just did what she had to do.

She took him to her car, and as soon as they were inside, she gave him a baseball cap. She didn't want the paparazzi to spot Thor and start rumors about how he had been seen with a mysterious woman in DC.

He studied himself in the mirror as she ignited the engine. "Jane took me shopping before I came here. By the way, Jane is—"

"Thor, the whole world knows Jane Foster is your girlfriend. You're a celebrity."

He made no comment as he stared at her curiously. "What?" Sigyn asked at last.

"You seem different, Sigyn. You talk like mortals, act like mortals… I mean, in a good way."

"You seem different, too. You're… humbler. In a good way."

"Thank you. It's hard to believe, but just a few days here taught me more than centuries in Asgard."

"What can I say? It's a great place for self-discovery."

He laughed, then became serious again. "Sigyn, I did something."

"Did what?"

"I renounced my claim to the throne. To be able to live here."

There was a time Sigyn would think Thor had gone mad for saying that. But right now, she just understood. In fact, she wasn't even surprised. "And now, you want to know if you will regret it."

"Yes. But I'm not talking about the throne."

"I know. And yes, it will hurt. You will suffer. But when you look back, you will have no regrets. Trust me on this one. I buried a mother and four friends. I thought I lost a husband. And I actually lost him, in a different way. I'm kind of an expert on loss."

"You are," he agreed solemnly. They didn't speak again until Sigyn pulled in front of a diner. They went inside and sat at a table. A waiter took their orders, and soon returned with their beers and hamburgers.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to smash my cup," he said as he opened his beer.

"You did that, didn't you? When you first came here?"

"Unfortunately."

"Yeah, try doing it in 1950s Brooklyn… As a woman."

"You did it, too?"

"After drinking my first glass of wine. You should've seen Howard's face…"

"I heard he made you stronger, just before… his death."

"He did. You know, in the past, I thought being stronger would fix all my problems. I couldn't have been more wrong."

She expected him to laugh again, but he didn't. "I made a similar mistake, too. I thought, being a great warrior, I could protect the people I loved. When the Dark Elves invaded Asgard, they killed my mother."

Her chest tightened. Queen Frigga was dead. She had had no idea… And she had certainly not expected to find out like this. So, that was why Thor had come here. To tell her in person.

And only a few minutes ago, she had thought she was an expert on loss…

"I'm sorry," he went on when Sigyn didn't say anything. "I know how much you loved her. There wasn't an easy way to say this, so I just said it."

"How is Loki?" She had been so busy with Peggy that she hadn't been able to visit him in his cell.

"Loki is dead, too. He died while avenging Mother."

"Tell me. Tell me everything."

And so Thor did. How Jane Foster had found the Aether, how Thor had taken her to Asgard, and how the Dark Elves had come for it and killed Queen Frigga. After the funeral, Thor had decided to take the Aether to Malekith and asked for Loki's help. Loki had died on Svartalfheim, then Thor and Jane had followed the Dark Elves to Midgard.

Well, Loki had been "dead" before, so Sigyn didn't truly believe that he was gone. And there was the fact that she still hadn't been able to change the future. Loki wasn't meant to die at the hand of the Kurse. Maybe he had faked his death so he wouldn't have to return to the dungeons. Or, to escape Thanos… She didn't share her thoughts with Thor, though. Loki was right about him. If he found out about Thanos, Thor would decide to take the fight to him, only to get himself killed.

But Queen Frigga… Her death was real. Very, very real.

"Father says the Aether is an Infinity Stone," Thor said, and once again, a shiver ran through Sigyn's spine. Another Infinity Stone had appeared…

"Sigyn? What is it?"

"Nothing… Where is the Aether now?"

"Sif and Volstagg took it to the Collector. My father doesn't want to keep two Infinity Stones in his vault."

"That's wise."

"I agree."

"You're very brave, Sigyn," he suddenly said.

"Why?"

"In Asgard, we always looked down on mortals. I see now that it wasn't only arrogance, but also cowardice. Most of us are afraid to care about mortals. But you are not. You're brave, just like your father."

"Thanks, Thor."

"I met Howard's son, you know."

"What was he like?" she asked curiously, as if she didn't know anything about Tony.

"We, uhm, had a rough start."

"Oh, don't worry too much about it. When we first met, I threw Howard into a pool. Then Peggy shot me in the leg."

Thor smiled. "He is a good man, though. He was almost going to die saving an entire city."

"So I've heard. What do you think will happen to the Avengers now?"

"I'm not sure." He leaned closer, and whispered, "Heimdall says HYDRA is preparing to make their move. When that happens, the world will need us again. To be honest, I want them to reveal themselves. It's hard to work with SHIELD, knowing what SHIELD really is. I'm not a spy, I'm a warrior."

"I know. But you know what happened to Howard and Maria. You can't tell anyone."

"Of course. We took an oath of silence, don't worry. Why don't you join us? I know Fury wanted you on the team. I'm sure Stark and Captain Rogers would be happy to meet you, too."

"Thor, I can't. If I meet Captain Rogers, I'm going to have to tell him it was his blood that came in between his friends. And Tony… I don't think I can look him in the eye."

"You gave him his daughter. I'm sure they'll be grateful to you for that alone."

"And I got Howard and Maria killed."

"They died defending Midgard. It was an honorable death."

"Thor, mortals don't see it that way."

"You have a score to settle with HYDRA," he reminded this time.

"I do. And when the time comes, I'll settle it. By myself."

He let out a troubled sigh. "Heimdall doesn't tell me what HYDRA has been planning."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Yes, but until then, I wish to be with Jane."

"I hope you two will be very happy," she said, but she was now worried about Sif. It couldn't be easy for her, to be chosen over a mortal. Her heart must have been broken. But then, Sigyn wasn't really hopeful for Jane Foster and Thor. Even if they found a way to make their relationship work, it would only last several decades.

After they finished eating, they went out to the parking lot, which was empty. He gave Sigyn the baseball cap back. He was going back to London, to Jane Foster.

"It was good to see you, Sigyn. You made my brother very happy. For that, you'll have my eternal gratitude."

"I'm not so sure if I deserve it."

"He never doubted your love for him. And you shouldn't doubt his."

An uneasy knot formed in her stomach. "Thanks."

"Farewell, Lady Sigyn," he said, and prepared to take off.

"Thor?"

He paused. "Yes?"

"You're not planning to cut your hair any time soon, are you?" she asked, remembering her first vision. It was a silly question, but she had to ask.

Thor ran a hand through his long, golden locks in almost a protective manner. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm not planning to cut my hair."

"Good. Long hair suits you best."

He laughed, started hurling Mjolnir again, and bolted into the sky as Sigyn watched him leave in thoughtful silence.