Chapter Twenty-three: the End of the Road

When they arrived at Jane's flat they found Darcy, Ian, and Dr. Eric Selvig. Eric was not wearing any pants which was a sight Emma hoped to never see again. Darcy had been relieved to see the both of them, hugging them tightly.

Apparently, the Convergence was becoming more apparent on Earth as more portals began opening up.

It wasn't long before Dr. Selvig and Jane discovered where Malekith would be firing the weapon, a spot where all the nine worlds would be connecting. If Malekith succeeded then he would use the nine worlds to amplify the Aether, the effect would be felt across the universe. They couldn't let that happen and they were prepared to do whatever it took to stop him from accomplishing his goals.

They arrived in Greenwich as quickly as possible. It wasn't long after that Malekith showed up as well. Thor went to meet the dark elf but not before Emma decided to go with him.

"No, little one, this is my fight," Thor said softly, looking at her with great affection.

"A fight you don't have to face alone. Let me help," Emma said. "Do we really have time to stand here and talk about this?"

"No, I suppose we don't," Thor replied and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Come, little one."

So, Emma went and faced Malekith with Thor, her heart pudding in her chest. You couldn't tell that she was nervous, her stride was confident and full of determination. Inside, however, her heart was raging against her ribcage as though it were a drum at a rock concert. Malekith stunk of misguided arrogance and when he made a remark about Thor's family, it was clearly directed at her. He knew where Emma came from. Thor decided to attack him at that moment, Emma along with him.

They both worked together to use the power of Thor's hammer to hit Malekith and his minions. He was stronger than both of them. It wasn't long before Emma lost both Thor and Malekith in the scuffle. Already tired and bleeding, Emma cursed as she continued to fight the minions without Thor. They were too late, though, and the Aether was taking control as it spread to the sky. Thor went to face off with Malekith, this time alone and with the device Eric brought with them.

Emma watched with the rest as Malekith's plan was brought to an end by Thor. For a moment they thought that Thor was dead and he very nearly was as Malekith's ship almost fell on top of him. Emma was exhausted. Her face felt like it had been bruised to a pulp and she was sure that one of her ribs were broken. She still limped over to greet Thor, ignoring Darcy making out with her intern.

"I'm proud of you, little one, you carry Mother's heart within you and for that, I love you. I am glad that you're my great granddaughter," Thor said proudly.

Thor pulled Emma into a gentle hug and placed a kiss to the crown of her head. Emma tried to stop the few tears from escaping but they did so anyways. She pulled away from Thor and wiped away the tears. The phone in her pocket kept buzzing and she knew she had to answer it. It was either Steve or Natasha, they have been trying to reach but she hadn't had the time to explain to them what was going on. She answered the phone. It was Steve.

"Hey, Pops, I know you're worried but you don't have to be. I am alright. There's so much that I have to tell you. I am coming home very soon. Can't wait to see you. Yeah, I love you too."

They wrapped up Emma's ribs in a London hospital but she made sure they did not get a single drop of blood from her. Steve and Natasha arrived at the hospital to bring her back to Avengers Tower to heal. Emma could have sworn she saw Natasha on the verge of tears at the sight of her bruised up face but she blinked and they were gone. Steve definitely looked liked he was going to cry and hugged her and hugged her as carefully as possible. They walked on either side of her as they escorted her to the quintet. Emma never felt more like their child. She grinned.

Once she was back in the Tower Tony made sure his top doctors looked her over but her healing was taking over and there was not much that they could do except to let her rest. Emma was currently doing just that in her bedroom and trying to ignore the fact that Steve and Natasha were camping out in Natasha's room next door. They meant well, they really did, but she really wished they would stop treating her like she was going to break. They've been like that since Bruce broke up with her. Alright, so she didn't get out of bed for a couple of days without eating. That happened with breakups, right? Without another thought, her eyes drifted closed and she drifted off to sleep.

"You carry Mother's heart within you."

Frigga lay dead on the floor, Thor crying over her body. Everything was tinged with red, like the Aether.

"Sharp and small like a dagger, my favorite weapon of choice."

Loki lay dead on the ground, being held in his brother's arms. The image exploded into the Earth being taken over by the Aether, by Malekith. A laughter in the darkness.

"I can sense you and the power you hold, little one. I will find you."

Emma woke up screaming as a hand reached for her in the darkness.