The finale is here!
(Cannot call it an epilogue, because there was no prologue, but this really is the end of this story).
When I first decided to follow this pattern for the chapter-titles in Meneliel (each an aspect of our heroine). I always knew this was how the last one would be called. The reasons are explained well enough in the chapter itself.
Please enjoy and do not forget to comment afterwards!
Chapter 6. Skye
They were all saying their goodbyes to Frigga as well as several Eihenjar, handmaidens and servants whom they had befriended during their stay. Somehow Meneliel ended up being the last to say farewell to her grandmother before they took their leave. The woman, in a burnt-red gown with golden thread that day, embraced her tightly. Even if the two women had hardly any time to get to know each other, they were still family, and that was a bond neither would ever deny.
"You've been blessed, child..." The Last Queen of Asgard whispered in the young princess's ear. "The Norns have blessed you..."
"Blessed me...?" The half-elf repeated, confused.
Truth be told, depending on the blessing, she wasn't sure if she would be able to take it as it could mean some wonderful things, but also other not-so-wonderful, like another destiny... considering everything that had happened to her thus far...
"You'll find out when the time is right." Frigga assured her. "You just live a good life..."
"I will." At least of that the brunette was fairly sure. "At least as soon as I finish making out who I am now, what I've become..."
"You haven't become anything you weren't already, my child." The older woman assured her. "You are who you've always been, who you were always meant to be. No matter the names, the titles, deep inside you've never changed... and Norns willing, you never will."
Meneliel still didn't fully understand, but decided to push the matter aside for the moment, there were other, more important, things to focus on.
"Thank you Grandma, for everything." She whispered lovingly, embracing the older woman tightly again. "See you soon."
"Yes you will, my child." Frigga smiled, as if she knew something the girl could have never begun to suspect...
Three months after their return from Asgard the brunette half-elf was pacing before the window in a loft, every so often turning to look at the stars and the lightening sky. Dawn was near...
"Skye?" A voice called suddenly.
"Hey Clark..." She called with a somewhat tired smile.
Smallville, Kansas, that was where she and Phil were in that moment. Visiting her 'cousin' Alec and his family for a little while; and ready to act as backup if the case the Justice League had been working on for the last month or so became too much. It was mostly a vacation as Superman rarely ever needed more help than his own team (and his match's assistance from the shadows).
And the reason why her husband had thought she needed a vacation was that the young woman was tired, it had been at least a couple of weeks (possibly more) since she last slept a full night. There were occasions when she would wake up in the middle of the night and simply be unable to go back to sleep; others she managed to sleep more, only to wake up feeling nauseous, at which point she would feel extremely tired anyway.
"Rough night?" Clark inquired as he began getting everything ready for his morning chores.
"More like rough couple of weeks..." She admitted.
"I've heard you." Clark admitted quietly after a few seconds. "In the nights, it's like you cannot settle, cannot sleep."
"Yes." She admitted. "It's nothing about your home, I promise. This place is fantastic!" She let out a breath. "There's something wrong with me..."
"Have you gone to see a doctor?" He asked thoughtfully.
"Jemma does my yearly checkups." She answered promptly. "Aside from that I haven't really needed medical attention in years. I haven't gotten injured in a mission badly enough to need assistance in a while, and even before that I was never one to need to go to the doctors very often... the last time was when I crashed Mia's car against a light-pole, and even then I had nothing more than minor scratches and a bruise caused by the air-bag hitting me straight-on... and before that when I broke my arm as a child." She shook her head at the memory. "Probably a good thing, all things considered..."
"Probably." The 'Intergalactic Traveler' agreed in understanding, it was one thing the two shared, even if in the last few years Skye's 'situation' had pretty much become public knowledge.
"You still think I should visit one." She finished what he didn't dare say.
"It couldn't hurt." The 'farmboy' shrugged. "If you're worried about safety you could see our doctor. Emil is the one who sees to our health, if he can deal with kryptonians, metas, amazons and a numbers of humans with a penchant for biting off more than they can chew... I'm sure he should be able to do something to help you."
"Alright." She reluctantly agreed after several long seconds. "But only because if I don't do something about it Phil is going to really get worried."
He already was, but she didn't need to know that...
xXx
Several hours later Skye was pacing, again, this time on the common area of the Watchtower in Metropolis, and far more flustered than she'd been that morning.
"You must be wrong." She was half babbling half-snapping. "It must be a mistake... do it again!"
"I already did." Emil Hamilton, JL's doctor, informed her.
He actually looked quite calm considering that the woman pacing and growing more and more upset by the minute had the power to throw him out the window without breaking sweat; which meant either he'd a lot of faith on her, on Clark stopping him, saving him... or working in close contact with so many gifted for a number of years had addled his brain.
"I did the tests twice, then when you first expressed your opinion on the impossibility of these results I did them twice more." Emil explained serenely. "The results are still the same Ms. Avery, you are, indeed..."
"I cannot possibly be pregnant!" She practically snarled before he could say it himself.
"Well, the moods certainly would indicate otherwise..." Alec quipped from the walkway on the second level of the tower.
He thought he was far away enough that she couldn't take her bad mood out on him... he forgot that all she needed to go was wave her hand and there was promptly something behind him (a file in this case) and he was getting smacked in the back of the head.
"Hey!" He called, pouting.
"Everyone, silence!" Chloe snapped abruptly.
Without saying a word she set her son down on the sofa, beside Jimmy, before going to stand before her old friend, taking the brunette's hands in hers.
"Who told you that you couldn't have children?" The blonde asked quietly. "Or is this something related to you being from another planet? Because if it is I ought to remind you of the little boy that's about to walk through that door, all for telling you every detail about his day at school, his teachers and his friends, any moment now."
"It's not about something anyone told me..." She forced herself to swallow through the knot forming in her throat before turning to Clark, standing at the end of the stairs to the second level. "Remember what I told you when your relationship with Alec got serious enough you began planning on getting married? And I mean that beyond the talks of the morning after... or the afternoon before, as it were..."
"I remember." Clark nodded, smiling at the memory she'd made reference to.
It was true, the first time Alec had mentioned marriage they'd done little more than kiss; and if Clark was completely honest, the fact that he'd seen his best friend marry three times, three different women, made it so he hadn't taken the declaration that seriously, not even when it was repeated the morning after. It'd taken almost six months before he'd started believing that Alec truly meant it, and the bald man moving into the Kent farm along with Connor to finally stop thinking it was all a dream that would end any minute and maybe, just maybe, it might be a good idea to get him a ring too...
"You told me Connor was the closest thing you had to a son of your own and I better take good care of both him and Alec or you would show me how much I wasn't invulnerable to you." The 'Intergalactic Traveler' quoted practically verbatim.
"You really threatened him?" Alec asked, really interested, it was the first he heard of it. "For me? And Connor?"
"That's not the point right now." Skye half-hissed.
"No, it isn't." Chloe interrupted. "Ok, so you said that. And maybe back then Connor really was that, but that doesn't explain..."
"I didn't say that just because." Skye cut her off, doing her best to hold back her emotions, least she break down completely. "Connor has my genes in him, but I never carried him, or gave birth to him, nor could I have. Because six years ago a psychotic bastard put two bullets in my stomach and then left me to bleed out on the floor of the cellar, in his villa in Italy..."
"What?!" Everyone was thoroughly shocked by that revelation.
"Phil found me." She forced herself to go on. "The team got there just in time. They flew me to a SHIELD approved hospital in Switzerland, where the doctors did everything they could. They took out pieces of my intestines, my liver, and more, then sewed up everything else. But it wasn't enough, nowhere near... if my parents hadn't found me when they did I wouldn't have survived." She took a deep breath through a choked sob. "The magic Adar used to heal me... he undid the damage inside me in every way that was possible. My organs pretty much repaired themselves; and then a direct transfusion from Nana did the rest. However... you cannot repair what isn't there anymore. I didn't have a womb, the bullets did irreparable damage and the doctors were forced to take it out, take all of it: uterus, ovaries, the whole deal." Her eyes were straight on Emil. "So, as you can see, I cannot possibly be pregnant because I don't have a womb, or eggs, or anything that is needed to make me pregnant!"
"Are you sure?" He asked her.
She almost roared, almost... a part of her consciousness couldn't help but wonder if the man was doing it on purpose, torture her like that... but he wasn't a cruel man, couldn't be, otherwise he wouldn't be working for the League. He had to be a good man. Which meant... which meant there had to be a reason why he was insisting so much.
"I saw the medical reports myself shortly after I returned from my two months in Asgard, to create the identity of Astrid Avery." She answered him as emotionlessly as she could. "No one had told me. My parents hadn't known, no one from the team had before I left and afterwards... I hadn't seen them yet, was waiting until my new identity was fool proof."
She could remember the whole night she'd spent crying, almost hysterically, not knowing what to do, what to say anymore... until she'd realized there was no point. Nothing she said or did, no amount of crying, would change reality, she had to move on... so no matter how much it hurt, how much she sometimes didn't believe she could do it, she forced herself to move on.
"Is it possible that something has made that condition change in the last six years?" Emil asked her softly, as if he knew he was hurting her, and it pained him to do it but thought it necessary anyway. "Anything at all?"
She was going to say no. Really, if anything could have changed she would have known, right? It would have happened before, it would have become evident at some point; it's not like she and Phil worried about protection half the time from the start, and at all since their wedding, except... Except something had changed, very recently...
"You've been blessed child..."
That was what Frigga had said, those exact words, and she hadn't explained what she meant, only said Skye would know, eventually...
"Oh Norns..." She gasped, suddenly on her knees, laughing, and crying, hysterically.
She didn't hear anyone call to her (though they all did), didn't feel anyone try to move her (though most tried), didn't realize when they eventually chose to leave her alone. For the longest time she just knelt there, curled upon herself, laughing and crying quietly at the same time, as her mind fought to process what Emil had just told her. He'd done the tests four times, each time the results had been the same; so something must have changed, and what her grandmother had told her on the day they'd left Asgard...
It took her a while, but eventually she made up her mind and focused her magic before pressing the open palm of her right hand against her middle. It was something she hadn't dared even think of doing before. It would have been the easiest way to shut Emil up (or so she'd thought at the time), except the mere idea of using magic to confirm what she already knew (or believed she knew) only made her hurt all the more. And then she finally did it, and she could feel! She could sense the edge of a life, one still forming, a soul nesting, allowing a body to slowly take form around it. She didn't even know yet if it was going to be a boy or a girl, but one thing she knew for sure already was that it had a beautiful soul... and it was hers...
"Arwenamin..." Phil husky voice, filled with worried yet still holding onto her favorite nickname, finally brought her out of her thoughts.
"Aratoamin..." She called back to him, smiling so bright she was almost sure her face would split in two at any moment.
"Chloe called me." He said for all explanation. "She said... she said something happened..."
She thought of telling him what her grandmother had said on Asgard, of the tests Emil had ran four times, explain to her how somehow Clark and Alec had managed to convince her of going to Metropolis before he even woke up, how she'd been unable to sleep properly for days (though that one she was quite sure he knew already)... instead, when she finally managed to open her mouth to speak, what came out was something completely different, though it still managed to get to the point better than any other explanation...
"We're going to have a child..." She whispered, voice hoarse with tears and laughter.
Phil, good match that he was, did not need any further explanations; he did not ask why or how or when, or anything at all. He just pulled her face to his and kissed her for all he was worth... before the two fell into laughter and tears all over again.
xXx
It took a while for Skye to fully process the fact that she was pregnant. After years forcing herself to accept the fact that it was never going to happen... it was probably normal. And as she grew to accept it, she began remembering all the dreams she'd once had. Like back when she'd been little, playing with dolls (with one family that was rich, gave her a lot, but were never there) and she'd dreamt of being a mommy, of always being there for her child, in a way her parents never were; or the time when she was a young adult and had had that pregnancy scare, she'd taken a moment to consider what she'd do if she was truly pregnant... she'd had no idea, but she knew one thing for sure: she would have dropped everything: be it school, her formal job, her odd jobs as Karen Starr, would have gone as far as creating a whole new identity to be able to take care of her girl and be safe. Then she'd learnt the truth of her past, her parents, all they'd done... and for the brief time before she learnt the full scope of consequences of those two bullets in her stomach she'd imagined having a little girl, asking her Nana to teach her how to be a good mom, and her Adar all the spells to take good care of the baby; and praying for the Higher Powers that she would be as good a parent as them... then she'd returned from Asgard, began working on securing her new identity, found the last files of the 'consultant Skye' and with the words 'emergency hysterectomy' all her dreams turned to ashes.
Only now they were more than that (a lot more). Because the Norns had given her their blessing, and her grandmother had known (and said nothing about it), and she and Phil were having a child! A girl, as they found out afterwards...
The rest of the family had a much easier time accepting Skye's pregnancy. Mostly because no one but her original team, Hela, Azazeal, Casarmi and Thelma had even known that she wasn't supposed to be able to.
"Have you decided what you'll call her?" Hela asked them one day.
They disagreed on the importance of names. Hela owed hers to their father, he'd chosen it for her when her mother was still pregnant. Skye, for her part, had had so many (and most were still in use, depending on where she was and who she was with) that she just did not see what the big deal was... Well no, that wasn't really it. Because if she was honest with herself, there was one name she favored above all others. She was Astrid for SHIELD, Karen for the criminals, Karin for the vampire community, Cielo for the Torettos, Xiao for the rest of the racing community, Meneliel for other realms... and then she was Skye. That name was hers, the one she'd claimed for herself, as her truest.
Then again, what right had she to choose a name for her child, she'd gotten the choice, shouldn't her daughter be able to do the same?
"If it comes to that, when she's the right age we'll talk about it, we'll even help her change her name, if that's what she wants." Phil assured her. "There's nothing wrong with giving her a name too. After all, you've told me that Astrid is the name Loki wanted for you, and even Skye is the translation of the name given to you by your mother..."
She had to admit he was right on that one... and she also had to admit there was one name she couldn't get out of her head...
"What do you want to name her?" She asked him instead.
"I'm not sure." He admitted. "Not a first name anyway. I think you should choose that one. There is one I'd like to be her middle name though."
'One that would make her his...' It was his thought, and his match could almost hear it inside her own head, she agreed.
"Jaye." He explained. "It's a variation, a feminine of James." His own middle name. "Written to look like yours, Skye..."
It was a good name, and she liked the detail he'd just mentioned too.
"What name would you like to give her?" He asked her then.
"Lirimaer..." She breathed out, not even stopping to think about it.
"Lovely one..." He murmured the translation. "I like it."
And then there was the fact that that was the very thing her mother used to call her when she was a newborn, the same word she'd used to keep Skye anchored when she was dying, and which the half-elf had asked her to say after she woke up, to convince herself that it was all real, that her parents really were there...
"It will describe her well." Hela offered. "A lovely child, and a well-loved one too."
There was no doubt about that.
So they gave the baby a name (or two) and that, along with the fact that she'd finally begun showing, made things all the more real for Skye. At six-months she'd finally stopped waking up in the middle of the night, reaching for her stomach as she wondered if she'd dreamt it all up. They'd also begun setting up a nursery, in a room that had once been Phil's second office (a small room connected to their bedroom). Unknown to them their extended family were also making sure all the homes where they spent time throughout the year were prepared as well. It was a pretty big project (and some were quite surprised the prospective-parents hadn't found out yet) but it wasn't like they didn't have the means, and the will to do it.
That day she'd donned her favorite maternity dress, a gift from Darcy: it was a loose, sleeveless, v-necked, plum-colored cotton dress with dark pink hem that reached to her calves; she wore pink flip-flops to match. Winter was nearing its end but the temperatures in North America were pretty cool. Still, since Skye rather liked the cold she usually chose to forego sweaters, wore sleeveless blouses and dresses, and no socks. If anyone tried to use her baby as an excuse to tell her to cover up she would immediately say that her baby approved of her choices; judging by the fact that her belly was always two or so degrees cooler than most of her body it was obvious the baby preferred cooler temperatures. It actually made her wonder if her daughter would be a Jotun like her... her brothers weren't, and Malachi hadn't been... but still.
In a way it helped too. It seemed that the mere suggestion that Lirimaer might be Jotun had spurred Loki into his auto-imposed training to deal with his own heritage, and not only in the sense that he learnt to use the abilities it granted him (that part was actually quite easy once he stopped fighting them). No, the hard part was learning to accept himself when in that skin. His family's acceptance, especially that of his match and his brother, helped a great deal with that. No one who'd been present that day would ever forget Thor's words to his brother, or the reaction they caused on the younger prince:
"I am already declared by prophecy as a 'blood traitor', but that is quite alright, because I did what I did for you. If I end up becoming forsworn as well... I cannot bring myself to mind. You're my brother Loki, and that will always be more important to me than a rash oath taken when I was nothing more than a little, naïve boy... I care little about the color or temperature of your skin, you are my brother, and nothing and no one can change that Loki..."
Yes, that had been one rather emotional day, but the goal was achieved, as Loki stopped seeing himself as a monster, and began accepting that regardless of his looks, he was and always would be Loki, son of Frigga, brother of Thor, match of Tawariel, and father to a bunch of children, all who loved him with their whole hearts.
That day in particular, Skye was in Boston, having lunch with an old-friend and fellow foster-child: Emma Swan. The two women were quite different, as Emma had thick blonde curls to her shoulder-blades and hazel eyes (while Skye's hair was honey-brown waves and her eyes a stormy blue); Emma was almost three years younger. There were also similarities; as both had gone into the foster-system having no idea who their parents were. In some ways Emma's case was even worse, though, she'd been found by some kid in the side of the road, somewhere in Maine. Back when she'd gone hacking everything she could to get information on her parents, Skye'd done the same to try and find out about Emma's, she got nothing. There were no files on so much as a pregnant woman anywhere near where baby Emma had been found.
Eventually the blonde had given up on finding out about her parents, or her past, choosing instead to go her own way and just forget about the past (or so she claimed). Skye'd respected that, didn't mean she was willing to give up on her friend, though. It had taken awhile, after first Skye and then Emma had run away from their last foster parents (the first shortly before turning seventeen, the other right after reaching sixteen). Surprisingly enough in the end they had met on the wrong side of the law. Emma was trying to pawn-off a stolen watch and 'Karen Starr' had been working as middle-woman for the owner of a pawn-shop in order to make some extra money. They'd stayed in contact after that.
They were celebrating. Skye had missed Emma's 27th birthday late the previous October, and the blonde had missed the brunette's own at the beginning of February (it was the end of the month already). The half-elf was considering bringing her old friend into SHIELD and/or the Alliance. While Emma's experience was limited to being bail bondswoman, she was good at it. In the best of case, she could become field agent for SHIELD, in the worst she would be local liaison (like Brian, Ziva, Veronica, Clark and many others).
"Well, congratulations on the baby." Emma offered.
It was quite obvious, and not only because of the maternity dress, there was something about the way Skye seemed to glow... everyone had commented on it, more than once even.
"Thank you." The brunette smiled.
For a while not a word was said. Skye just watched her friend swing the wine in her glass quietly, as if contemplating something with special intensity. The older girl did not need to be a genius to realize what the other was thinking.
"Do you ever regret it?" She asked quietly.
"I do, at least once every other day." The blonde admitted quietly. "But then I remember how little I had when I was eighteen, how little I have even now, and I know I did what was best for him, I gave him his best chance..."
Skye honestly couldn't process ever giving up her child... maybe it was because of how long she'd spent believing she'd never have one, or that her situation was so much better than Emma's had been at the time, but still. She did not know if it was the hormones, or just her, but a part of her really wanted to comfort her friend, somehow, so she extended her hand, taking the younger woman's in hers. The vision hit her abruptly, or more like a quick series of visions:
Emma was in her apartment, wearing a short, sleeveless pink dress, barefoot, looking like she just returned from work. She placed a cupcake on her kitchen counter, with a candle of a blue star, made a wish and blew on it. Almost immediately the doorbell rang. The blonde opened it to find a brunette boy with hazel eyes, who looked at her as if she were his entire world...
"Uh? Can I help you?" Emma asked, confused.
"Are you Emma Swan?" The boy inquired brightly.
"Yeah." She didn't understand. "Who are you?"
"My name's Henry." He explained. "I'm your son."
Emma could only stand there in shock.
.
It was late at night and the two were standing just outside Emma's yellow bug, talking. Emma in a white top, jeans and her favorite red-leather jacket, Henry in a stripped shirt, vest, jeans, dark coat and gray and red scarf.
"Time's frozen here." The boy, Henry, seemed to have been explaining something to Emma.
"Excuse me?" She looked at him with absolute disbelief.
"The Evil Queen did it with her curse." Henry said, eager and full of hope. "She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."
"Okay, the Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairy tale characters here." Emma summarized.
"Yeah, and now they're trapped." Henry nodded, so painfully full of hope.
"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine." Emma shook her head, refusing to believe any of it. "That's what you're going with?"
"It's true!" Even as he said it Henry knew she wouldn't believe him.
.
Henry was sitting morosely in a wooden castle-shaped slide in what looked like an old, half-forgotten playground near the beach, he was dressed in his school uniform, even though he'd played hooky for the day. Emma joined him there. She offered him the leather-bound book she'd been carrying, as it apparently was his, and the two began talking.
"I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here." Henry said, sadly, at one point. "That the final battle would begin."
"I'm not fighting any battles, kid." She told him quietly.
"Yes, you are." Henry insisted, somehow still hoping, still believing. "Because it's your destiny. You're going to bring back the happy endings."
"Can you cut it with the book crap?" She was really growing tired of it.
"You don't have to be hostile." He murmured. "I know you like me, I can tell. You're just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It's okay... I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance..."
"How do you know that?" The use of those specific words surprised Emma.
"Because it's the same reason Snow White gave you away."
"Listen to me, kid. I'm not in any book. I'm a real person. And I'm no savior. You were right about one thing, though. I wanted you to have your best chance... But it's not with me."
Skye was still reeling about that scene, when a last one hit her, one that changed everything...
It looked like the scenario of a fairy-tale. A huge stone castle, high on a cliff, a black-haired, hazel-eyed princess in a fluffy white dress, laying on a bed, moaning, in labor... It's Snow White, and Prince Charming was with her, along with one of the dwarves.
Labor seemed to last forever and no time at all, and finally the baby girl was born. With a tuft of light-hair (like her father's) and her mother's eyes. For a moment happiness was absolute as the adults welcomed the little girl into the world and then... reality crashed upon them.
"The wardrobe… It only takes one." Snow-White gasped in horror.
Something was going on, something huge, and it seemed like their last hope was slowly turning into nothing more than smoke.
"Then our plan has failed." Prince Charming decided, resigned. "At least we're together."
"No." The princess wasn't the kind of woman that gave up. "You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe."
"Are you out of your mind?!" He really thought she was, she had to be.
"No, it's the only way." His wife insisted. "You have to save her."
"No, no, no." He was in absolute denial. "You don't know what you're saying."
"No, I do." She insisted, sad but full of conviction. "We have to believe that she'll come back for us. We have to give her her best chance..."
Slowly, so slowly, as if to savor the moment, Snow White went to kiss the baby's brow, tenderly fingering the off-white baby blanket with her daughter's name in purple thread...
"Goodbye, Emma..." She whispered, slowly letting her baby go.
The Prince, having already kissed the baby's forehead himself, kissed his wife one more time, in a mix of love, hope and despair, before strengthening his hold of his newborn daughter with his left arm, taking a sword with his right and rushing out, in pursuit of their last hope. Snow-White waited until he was gone, then she burst into tears.
Skye's mind was spinning... she could still see the pairs of identical hazel eyes inside her mind even as the conscious part of her brain registered her friend calling her name. Then, as she raised her head, her stormy blue eyes met a pair of deep hazel ones that made everything fit into place almost abruptly.
"Emma..." She breathed out her friend's name.
It was true. She knew that without even having to think about it. She'd just seen her friend's past, and future (or at least the beginning of it)... Emma really was the daughter of a royal couple from a fairy-tale world... well, at least that explained why they weren't in any files... And when exactly did her life get to the point where finding out her old friend from St. Agnes was the daughter of Snow-White and Prince Charming seemed like absolutely normal...?
Except, it's normal for her, but it wouldn't be for Emma. Not right then. Skye realized in that moment that if she tried to explain to her blonde friend what she just saw, she'd never believe it. And while that wouldn't change reality... what if it made Emma bolt? It wasn't impossible. And what if, in the next few months, Emma managed to get far enough Henry couldn't find her when he needed to? Skye couldn't allow that to happen. So she decided not to say a word about what she just saw. She also wouldn't offer Emma that job with SHIELD... her friend needed to stay where she was, for Henry, and for herself... Maybe Skye would try and look her up in a year or two, try and find out how everything turned out...
"Storybrooke, Maine..." She murmured, mostly to herself.
She needed to make sure she wouldn't forget that name, just in case.
"What?" Emma called. "Are you alright Skye? Do you need me to call a doctor?"
"Alright..." Skye repeated, then faked a yawn to cover up her attitude. "I think I'm just tired... the farther along I get in this pregnancy the less I seem to be able to sleep..."
Shadows formed in Emma's eyes, probably in remembrance of the child she'd given up. A part of Skye (maternal instincts going into overdrive) wanted nothing more than to tell her that her son was alright, that he would be looking for her soon, would find her. That she would find her family (or it would find her, depending on how one looked at it)... but Skye knew how life-altering, soul-searing such events could be. Emma needed to make the journey herself, no shortcuts, no help. In the end, it would be worth it... Skye wondered if they'd get the chance to compare notes one day, it would make for one interesting meeting certainly...
(Skye wasn't to know it in that moment, but she and Emma would, in fact, meet again one day. Beyond their meeting to celebrate Lirimaer's birth. It wouldn't be for a while yet, and by then many things would have changed. Emma would have a son, and a match -though there was no way of knowing if she would have accepted that fact by that point-, parents, and many others she would call friends. She would no longer be the half-lost orphan that stood before the half-elf in that moment, but Princess Emma, daughter of Snow-White and Prince Charming, the Savior, the Hope, the White Knight...)
"Do you need help getting... wherever it is you need to go?" Emma offered as she called the waitress for the check.
Skye handed the girl her card before Emma could say a word (and in the end, both knew Skye had more money, and she did not care, so there was no insult meant).
"Well, I suppose, if you could take me to my hotel..." She answered the question. "I finished my business here this morning, so I'll just be staying there, maybe watch a movie, take a nap, order some room-service, until my husband arrives later today. Then we'll be leaving for Manhattan some time tomorrow."
"So, just a quick trip then?" Emma guessed. "I'm surprised you had time for lunch."
"Well, I was in town, and I wanted to see you." Skye explained with a smile. "We're expected at New York in a few days, but until then we're free." She seemed to ponder on things a bit. "Maybe we could hang out a bit more tomorrow..."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Emma said, sadly. "I have a business meeting tomorrow, and most likely will have to hunt down someone right afterwards."
"I see..." And she did, truly, work was work. "Well, hopefully we'll get the chance to meet again sometime soon."
"I'm sure we will." Emma smiled at her friend.
Emma drove Skye in her yellow bug to the hotel. However, right as the blonde had gone around the corner, and before the brunette got the chance to even step inside the hotel, her phone rang. She answered on the second ring.
"Eric?" She wasn't expecting that. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine, princess." The use of the nickname proved it. "It's just... well we just got a call, from a Sister Millerna, from St. Agnes orphanage in Boston... and I really think you need to know about this..."
By the time Eric finished explaining and the call ended Skye was hailing a cab, asking the driver to take her to St. Agnes... she also asked Eric to inform Phil where she would be... she might need him to back her up there.
xXx
A young novice received Skye at the entrance of the orphanage. The place was in a flurry of activity, a couple of nuns supervising young novices and some of the older orphans as they took care of the gardens, while others swept the grounds.
"I'm Astrid Avery, from SHIELD." She explained, showing her badge briefly. "Sister Millerna placed a call to our offices, asked for someone to come... I was the closest."
"Y-yes... of course." The girl mumbled, almost stumbling as she lead the way.
Skye silently wondered which was shocking her most, the fact that she had an Agent there, or that said agent was a pregnant young woman (or maybe the novice believed Skye to be younger than she actually was, it wouldn't be the first time).
The moment the novice let Skye through the door to the small office, the brunette felt as though she'd traveled back in time. She remembered the orphanage, the gardens, the office... Sister Millerna. The woman was petite, with short, straight, light-brown hair and chocolate eyes in the usual gray clothes of the sisters of St. Agnes. Skye remembered her, Sister Ava Millerna, she had to be the kindest woman the half-elf had ever met; one of the few that was never harsh towards Skye, who never said (or implied) that something must be wrong with the girl if every single family kept sending her back (and of course there had been nothing wrong with her, but she hadn't known that back then, and the implication had hurt...)
"Are you Sister Millerna?" She chose to pretend, not up to revealing her history with the place unless it was really necessary.
"Yes, are you the Agent of SHIELD?" Her eyes went straight to Skye's small but obvious bump.
"Yes, Agent Astrid Avery." The half-elf purposefully placed a hand briefly on her belly. "I was in the area, so the head of Communications called me here. If necessary my boss will be joining us soon..." She took the seat offered. "Why am I here exactly? I was told it concerned one of your orphaned girls, but not much more than that... though our techie seemed to believe time was of essence in this case."
"Yes..." The Sister seemed actually nervous, which was odd and worrying. "We received a young girl a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Leah, we have no idea who her parents are or were, or where they might be, we don't even have a last-name. She was found living alone in a condemned building, claimed she'd been living on her own for years... it's as if the girl doesn't exist..."
Or her parents kicked her out a never reported her missing, if she didn't go to school, the doctor or such there wouldn't be any records of her.
"I see..." It was bad, but it still did not explain what Skye was doing there. "How does this concern SHIELD exactly? You think she might be the child of one of ours?"
"No, it's not that at all." Sister Millerna seemed to take a deep breath before making the big revelation: "I believe she's a gifted..."
The Agent stiffened up immediately. A gifted... one that wasn't already part of the Alliance, one that apparently had gone undetected by Professor Xavier, and she was in St. Agnes... the young woman suddenly had a bad feeling.
"I would like to see this girl for myself." She declared.
"Yes, of course Agent Avery." The nun got on her feet right away. "Follow me please."
Skye's tension only grew when, instead of taking her in the direction of the girl's dormitories (which she was quite sure where in the same place they'd been when she was last there), Sister Millerna guided her to the old servants' quarters. A small, wooden building that seemed to be in as much disrepair then as it was fifteen years earlier. Probably even worse... it was also where the girls were taken for punishment when they were 'bad'.
"Sister Millerna...?" The half-elf tried her best to keep her voice even, but it was very hard.
"I'm sorry Agent Avery, it's just..." The older woman swallowed. "Some of the sisters believe that powers such as the one demonstrated by the 'superheroes' around the world are a curse from the devil, something to be eradicated."
Really, was it any wonder that Magneto was the way he was? Considering what had happened to him when he was a child... some might try to say it was a war, and things got to extremes back then... and yet right then they weren't at war, yet similar things were taking place.
"Idiotic." Skye couldn't help but blurt out.
"Ma'am!" The nun sounded honestly scandalized.
"It's the truth." The girl said bluntly. "It's been proved that gifts are completely natural, most of those who have it are born with them; others gain them as a way to survive something in their lives, almost always a catastrophic accident or a great tragedy. The devil is in no way connected to it." She shook her head. "Besides, how do these nuns justify all the good most of the gifted around the world do?"
Sister Millerna had no answer, though Skye didn't really expect her to.
As much as Skye was already expecting what she found, it still broke something inside of her, at the same time it got her maternal instincts into such overdrive she wanted nothing more than to bring the whole place down (though she consciously knew that such actions would defeat the purpose of her visit 'protecting the girl', and therefore wasn't an option).
A small girl, who looked like she was seven or eight but might have been older, with long straight raven-black hair that fell down her back, was dressed in a short plain robe made of linen, feet bare, kneeling in the middle of a 'bed' made of straw (which was probably hurting her knees), her arms were straight at the sides, and she was holding a stone on each hand, and she was praying.
On a corner a woman in a black and white habit stood, with dark eyes and looking at Leah with such evident coldness...
"Sister Reynolds!" Millerna seemed honestly scandalized by the scene. "What are you doing?"
"Making the devil's child repent for the sins that made her what she is." The older nun stated in an almost-fanatic tone.
"It's not her fault!" Millerna called even as she hurried to run beside Leah.
The child didn't dare stop praying, nor move an inch, until the nun took the stones off her hands herself and made her sit back. It wasn't the best position, but still better than the one she'd been in just seconds before.
"What are you doing here, Sister Millerna?" Reynolds asked coldly. "And who is the outsider?"
"Agent Astrid Avery, of SHIELD." The young mother-to-be said stiffly. "Agent Millerna called the office about Leah."
"The devil's child was sent to us, so we may guide her through the path of redemption, so her soul might be saved!" Reynolds called loudly. "She must go back to praying!"
Skye had known Sister Tatiana Reynolds was hard and old-school; the kind that believed that girls should always be proper, and obedient and... meek (Skye and her had never gotten along, obviously). She was also the kind of woman that believed one should always ask God for forgiveness for all their faults. There had been one girl who was made to pray every night for being the product of an adulterous relationship, another for having had a single mother, another because she was the child of criminals; as if it were the girls' faults who their parents turned out to be. And that was without adding their own 'sins': like not getting up hours before dawn to pray and work, or not doing something fast enough, or not praying enough!
"She will do no such a thing." Skye called authoritatively. "That child is a gifted, and as such I'll be taking her with me."
"Who do you think you are?" Reynolds demanded. "I am the authority here!"
"I am Agent Astrid Avery, Deputy Director of SHIELD." The half-elf stated in her strongest tone. "And according to the law, the welfare of all Gifted falls under our purview. So, like I said, I will be taking her with me."
"God chose me to save her soul!" Reynolds almost snarled.
"God would never call on someone to hurt one of his children." Skye hissed. "Which is exactly what you're doing. You're doing no service to God, or to His law. You're just torturing an innocent young girl who did not choose to be what she is, she was born this way. And like our words suggest, it is a gift, not a curse, and the devil has nothing to do with it!"
"You..." The woman began.
"Shut it!" Skye interrupted her. "I care not for your words, or whatever authority you think you have in this place. My boss in on his way already and when he arrives we shall be taking Leah with us. There's nothing you can do to stop it!"
It appeared the half-crazy nun believed otherwise as she threw a stone in Leah's direction. Skye kicked the stone out of the way (with some effort, due to her stomach), before placing herself before the girl protectively.
"I suggest you think very carefully about what you are doing Miss Reynolds." Skye said in an almost dangerous tone, enough to make anyone shiver. "I can and will bring all the force of the law upon you if I have to."
The woman seemed actually shocked enough that Astrid dared to interfere, she didn't say anything. The agent took advantage of that to kneel in front of the tired girl (one had to wonder how long she'd been there, kneeling and praying).
"Leah?" She called softly, tenderly. "Are you Leah?"
"Yes..." The girl murmured in a tiny voice, as if afraid.
"Well Leah, my name is Astrid... but if you want you can call me Skye, okay?" The brunette offered, trying to put the girl at ease.
From the corner of her eye the Agent noticed Sister Millerna stiffen, she'd heard the name; it made her wonder of the Sister remembered her...
"Skye...?" She called quietly, shocked. "Is that really you, Skye Bennett?"
Well... that answered that question.
"That hasn't been my name in over a decade," She qualified. "But yes, it is me Sister Millerna."
"I knew there was something familiar about you, but I could have never imagined..." The nun seemed to have no more words.
"You never would have imagined I would actually do something of my life?" Skye couldn't help the hint of bitterness in her voice.
"Oh no!" The woman shook her head right away. "That's not it at all! I always knew you would make something of your life, a lot in fact. You are special, I knew that since you were young... when the other Sisters spoke about you not being wanted I couldn't help but think that they just didn't understand you. You were so special... you needed someone equally special to truly see through you, understand you, help you be the best you could be..."
"I will save her soul for Him!" Sister Reynolds cried out abruptly.
What she threw then at Leah wasn't a small river-stone like before, it was bigger, much bigger, looked like a piece of a brick. Skye's reaction was automatic as she pulled the girl into her arms, curling around her protectively. Sister Millerna cried out in a mix of shock and horror at the whole thing... The stone never hit.
Silence for one second, two, three... then:
"Another child of the devil!" Reynolds cried out. "We're being invaded!"
Skye just rolled her eyes as she waved her hand and called 'sleep' in old-norse. Sister Reynolds dropped unconscious where she stood.
Millerna let out a wordless cry, looking at Skye; but there was no fear in her eyes, just a mix of surprise and curiosity.
"She's alright." Skye told her honestly. "I just put her to sleep. For her own good as well as our own. If she kept going as she was I might have done something she would regret." The half-elf herself wouldn't regret it. "I knew she was borderline fanatic, but this..."
"It's gotten worse in the last few years, with all those people with special abilities appearing everywhere..." Millerna admitted.
And if they'd ever dealt with people like her before, it certainly put Erik's and Charles's fears of mutants' existence being revealed into perspective.
"It wasn't really that sudden." The half-elf said quietly. "Most have been around for a long time, decades, possibly longer. It's just that the world did not know. Until Iron-Man and Spider-Man and the alien invasion in New York, no one knew about them. But they've always been there. Some are born being different, some live for years believing they're perfectly normal and then one day wake up and are suddenly able to do things, like me..." She turned her attention to the little girl in her arms. "What is it you can you, little one?"
Leah cringed in her arms.
"Leah?" Skye called, worried.
"I'm not supposed to do it where others can see..." The girl whispered, terrified. "God doesn't like it. Because it's bad..."
"It's not bad." The agent assured her. "It's perfectly normal, I promise you." She ran a hand softly through the girl's hair. "You're special Leah, a special little girl... just like me..."
She waved her hand again then, making the small rocks Leah had been holding, as well as some pieces of straw raise in the air and twirl around them slowly.
"You can do things too?!" The girl called, eyes wide.
"Yes, I can." Skye nodded, smiling. "I was born able to do things, but I did not know it until I was older. Now show me what you can do, please?"
Slowly, hesitantly, Leah raised a hand; she rubbed two fingers together, as if she were going to snap her, but instead of that, a spark appeared in between them. The half-elf happened to he close enough that the spark actually jumped to her arm, shocking her just slightly.
"I'm sorry!" The girl cried out, suddenly terrified all over again.
"It's alright, it's alright..." Skye assured her repeatedly. "You did not hurt me."
"No...?" The child obviously wasn't expecting that.
"No, I was just surprised." The Agent nodded. "How long have you been able to do that?"
"A few weeks." Leah admitted quietly. "I was experimenting with it when I set the curtains on fire... that's why they found me."
Skye nodded.
"It's like I thought..." She murmured, mostly to herself.
"What is it?" Sister Millerna couldn't help but ask.
"She's just manifested." Skye answered honestly. "Which would explain why none of us knew about her before. It also means this is just the start of her gift..."
"You mean she'll be able to do more?" Millerna asked, marveled.
"Most likely." The half-eld nodded. "It's rare for a gift to manifest full-force from the start. Most begin being able to do small things, and later on it grows."
"Was it that way with you?" The nun couldn't help but ask.
"I was a bit different." Skye tried to explain. "In that I was born gifted, but my mother hid what made me like that, to protect me. Then it all showed-up abruptly when I was twenty-three. Still, my abilities themselves came up slowly, I wouldn't have been able to handle it if I'd had them full-power from the beginning."
It was true, she had so much power... it might have destroyed her, or pushed her into destroying something or someone if it had all come to her at once.
"Are you really going to take me with you?" Leah asked suddenly, quietly, afraid.
"Yes." Skye answered, un-hesitant, confident, turning to the nun she added. "About that, am I going to need a lawyer?" She shook her head, mostly to herself, as she pulled out her phone. "I probably should get one, keep all bases covered."
"You said you had the right to take her..." Millerna commented.
"I do." Skye nodded, half-absently as she searched through her contacts. "But if I take her under SHIELD authority that will call a lot of attention I would prefer she didn't have to deal with for the time being, not unless she wants to."
"But then, your only other option would be..." The nun broke off as she understood.
"I'm adopting her." Skye announced, without a hint of a doubt in her voice, she turned to the girl. "What do you say little one? Would you like to come with me? Become part of my family?"
"Really?" Leah asked, eyes shining with tears.
"Really." The pregnant woman said with a caring smile.
"Yes!" The green-eyed girl cried out excitedly, throwing herself into Skye's arms.
It was a good thing the young mother-to-be was so strong, otherwise they'd have both ended sprawled on the ground; still, she turned just enough to allow the girl to avoid her belly; not like it would have hurt the baby, her daughter, even unborn, was quite tough already, but still, Skye's protective-mother instincts were impossible to ignore.
"Shouldn't you talk about this with your husband first?" The Sister suggested. "I mean, by the looks of it, you're pregnant and..."
"We've talked about it." Skye interrupted. "It'll be fine."
They had talked about it, before they knew she was pregnant. Their plan had been to adopt a child, probably a gifted one, to try and give them the best life they could. They'd even gone and done everything they needed to become certified as foster parents (though their plan was to adopt rather than just foster a child... Skye was never allowing any child to be taken from her once she'd taken them in). After learning of her pregnancy they hadn't mentioned it again... but Skye knew her match, and she was absolutely sure that the moment he laid eyes on Leah he would be all for taking the girl with them.
"Hello?" She'd finally found the right number. "Alec? It's Skye... Remember the family lawyer you hired when you and Clark adopted that little girl last year? Could you give me her number, please? I'm in need of her services... Because I'm adopting a girl, that's why... I need to have this settled as soon as possible... Because I need to be in New York in three days and I'm not leaving Boston without her..." She smiled wider. "Thank you, I knew I could count on you... Her name is Leah and you'll get the chance to meet her when we get to New York."
She snapped the phone shut and turned to the girl.
"The lawyer will be getting here in a couple of hours." Skye announced to the two. "Then we can get all paperwork done."
"How can you know it'll happen that fast?" Leah asked, curious.
"Because Alec, who's like another of my brothers, is sending Mr. Ross in his private jet." She smiled at the wide-eyed looks of the other two. "He insisted. Now Phil, that's my husband, should be here at any moment. We can use this time to get to know each other and get everything ready so we can just begin signing the moment the lawyer gets here."
It was insane, absolutely insane, adoptions just weren't supposed to happen that way! But Sister Millerna had seen Leah just minutes earlier, looking so sad, so hopeless, kneeling and praying, in an attempt to fulfill impossible expectations, to pay for imagined sins... and she was so happy in that moment, at the prospect of Skye wanting her for a daughter... a woman who had protected her from the one hurting her, someone who was special as well; someone who, instinctively, the nun knew would do anything to protect her family... So maybe it wasn't normal, but it was still right, at least for them.
Sister Millerna remembered Skye from her time in St. Agnes, remembered the way the girl never fully fit in; remembered the whispers from the other nuns and even other children, about no one wanting the brunette for being a trouble-maker. Millerna never understood why such a sweet little girl always returned, why no family ever tried to adopt her, or at least keep her longer than three months at most. Still, she'd always prayed that one day Skye would find a family that would love her, would one day live to her full potential. And apparently she had... Married, with one child on the way and about to adopt another, with brothers (she'd implied she'd more than one), and being second in command of one of the most powerful and respected organizations in the world... (and with connections to the kind of people who had private jets at their disposal and were quite willing to lend them to others whenever...).
Because her curiosity could not be appeased so easily, in the following days Sister Ava Millerna would search old papers, TV shows and even the internet for mention of 'Astrid Avery'. She would learn about the well-loved, respected, beautiful and strong second in command of SHIELD, the woman who was considered as directly responsible for the biggest alliance of superheroes all around the world. A woman publicly known as a 'gifted' herself (and rumored to be from another world, just like Thor and Kal-El, the one some had begun to call Superman). She would learn that the young, misunderstood girl whom she'd once worried so much about had grown to be kind, wise, beautiful and one of the most powerful women on the planet. Also, as dozens of video-clips and pictures showed, beyond the power, beyond the job, the titles and everything else... she was a family-woman. There were so many people she referred to as siblings that there was little doubt at least half of them couldn't be connected to her by blood... still, as far as she was concerned, they were family, and they all felt as strongly as she did. People like Alexander Solomon, of 'Solomon Pharmaceuticals' (and when Millerna realized he was the 'Alec' Skye had referred to with such familiarity, she was shocked); James 'Bucky' Barnes, the fabled 'Winter Soldier'; racing champion: Dominic 'Dom' Toretto, and the member of the X-Men known as 'Scarlet Witch'... Yes, Skye had certainly become one remarkable woman...
The moment Phil's eyes laid on Leah, took in her attire, her expression, and the way she wouldn't let go of his wife... there was no need for any words, the two were a match, they understood each other in a level where words became simply irrelevant at times. It still shocked Sister Millerna, though, as she'd never seen anything like it. The moment the man in the suit stood before her, introduced himself as: Philip James Coulson, Director of SHIELD and Skye's husband... before dropping on one knee in front of the little girl, asking her name and then inquiring if she wanted to join their little family... Skye hadn't even said a word about it yet!
In the end the adoption went by much faster than anyone had had any right to expect, even Skye. Regardless of what she'd said to Alec, she hadn't imagined that Mike (Mike Ross, the lawyer) would be able to finalize everything in three days... yet he did exactly that. In the end it was made easier by several facts: 1) Skye and Phil were already approved as foster/adoptive parents, 2) Leah was considered a special case, being a 'gifted' (though they all did their best to keep that on the down-low), everyone knew her best option for parents would have been either someone from SHIELD, or one of the X-Men, and the fact that important members of both groups backed the Avery-Coulson pair in their claim helped a lot, 3) It would have been next to impossible for anyone to fight against references from important businessmen, heroes, government officials around the world, even the president of the United States! 4) Finally, Sister Millerna's claim that the girl was safer with the prospective parents than in St. Agnes simply couldn't be ignored.
And so, three days later the little family got on Alec's private plane and flew to New York, where everyone was already waiting for them. Mike had even arranged the papers for Leah's new name before he went; she was officially Leah Sarah (in honor of Phil's mother) Avery-Coulson. She had a family!
xXx
Six months later it was almost the end of the Summer, and a new Stark benefit gala. That night it was for orphaned gifted. Because after hearing Leah's story, and learning the chances that there were others like her out there, Tony just couldn't stop himself; he also couldn't just donate or even just create a charity and maybe announce it in some small press conference. He was the kind who made as much noise as he could, who made demands of the world and then expected them to fall in line. And since (this time at least) everyone agreed with him, all of SHIELD and most of the Alliance had put their all behind the gala.
Leah was the guest of honor that night. Though Skye wasn't sure it was a good idea at first, her oldest daughter had assured her it was alright. She was proud of being the adopted daughter of Phillip James and Astrid Skye Avery-Coulson, as well as the older sister of stormy-blue eyed, dark-brown haired Lirimaer Jaye Avery-Coulson; who'd been born at the end of May (looking mostly human though with Jotun markings on her skin, and a temperature a degree or two lower than what would be considered normal). Also, the idea that the event might help other children like her, become as fortunate as she felt she was, was more than enough reason for Leah to be willing to stand up to the cameras (though she was quite shy) and smile to everyone.
The family were some of the first to arrive: Skye (who'd recovered her figure almost immediately after giving birth, partly thanks to her special biology) was wearing a pure-white round-necked, sleeveless, knee-length dress with a sheer, violet scarf and heels of the same color; her hair down and her golden skin showing off the tattoos on her wrists and only her favorite jewelry. Phil was in his favorite midnight-blue suit with a crisp white shirt, dark tie and black shoes. Their three month old was in a cute turquoise baby gown, the beginning of chocolate-brown ringlets on her head and bright blue-green-gray eyes (exactly like those of her mother, aunt and grandfather) looking all around her full of curiosity. While Leah stood in a high-necked, sleeveless long green gown that seemed to be made of a gauzy material, with black slippers on her feet, her long shiny hair half up with an emerald clip and half down; she looked as much a princess as her mother and baby sister did.
Hela was in a ¾ sleeved, knee-length off-white dress with silvery appliques and lace as well as silver open-toed heels; Azazeal in his usual black suit, white shirt, dark boots, no tie. Malachi in a child-version of his father's attire, only gray instead of black (he looked quite cute too). Casarmi was in a simple pale blue strapless dress with black heels; though what caught the attention of most was the black-magic rose (a rose of the darkest red, and the closest anyone on Earth had come to a true black rose) pinned just above her heart... a rose that had an aura of magic that belonged to a certain warlock they'd only recently met... called Reid Garwin (the third of the four young men known as the Sons of Ipswich...).
Others from the 'Avery' family arrived too, like Loki (in his favored midgardian attire of grey suit and dark-green scarf) and Tawariel (in a beautiful dark red long dress), Fenrir (in black slacks, shirt and a red tie) with Sif (in a long dress of the darkest pink with a slit to her upper thigh and no back), even the others made brief appearances to show their support to the cause and love to the most recent additions to the family. There were talks among some of them about looking to adopt gifted children themselves.
While the event was very much public they'd managed to keep the press out of most of it by promising exclusive interviews at a certain time and packets of pictures to specific reporters. The one who got to interview the Avery-Coulson quartet was none other than Christine Everheart. The woman usually worked on the West Coast, but Tony'd called her because, apparently, she was one of the few people in the media that he trusted to ask good question and be fair and honest when writing her articles.
They had a specific number of questions for each little family, and short time, so each reporter sought to make the best of it. If any of them was rude, offensive, or asked forbidden questions (like questions about SHIELD's missions, Tony's time in captivity, James's time as the Winter Soldier, or family members who were in no way part of the Alliance) they were sent away and permanently placed in the 'black list'. Such had been the case of one reporter who'd questioned Casarmi's place in the family (more specifically, she was asked if she was their mistress, or pet, or something... Azazeal had almost killed the man, and Hela at least slapped him hard). Christine knew better than that:
"My first question is for Miss Leah, if I may?" The reporter asked, unsure if she would be allowed to question the ten-year-old (who'd only recently begun to look her age).
"As long as you remain respectful, Miss Everheart, you may ask." Phil informed her calmly.
"Of course." The blonde nodded immediately before turning to the girl. "Miss Leah, your recent adoption has caused, shall we say, quite a stir around the world. Some of us would like to know, why did you agree to be adopted by Astrid Avery and Phil Coulson?"
"Because they wanted to adopt me?" It sounded almost more like a question than an answer.
"Don't you think it's... well, dangerous to be their child?" Christine tried to insist.
Finally Leah seemed to understand the question, she snorted.
"Miss, when I was on the orphanage I met a girl who was there because her dad was a fireman and he died doing his job, there were a few who had had one or both parents who worked with the police, or somewhere else in security, and they'd died too." Leah tried to explain. "Many others lose their parents for many other reasons, some that have nothing to do with their jobs. This is no different."
"Maybe for them." Christine just wasn't willing to give the line of questioning up just yet. "But what about the danger being their daughter puts you in?"
"What danger?" The girl asked in turn, looking honestly confused. "Mama and Papa will never let anything happen to me or to Liri!"
"What if they cannot stop it?" Christine pressed.
"My Mama is the most powerful in the whole world!" Leah cried out righteously. "And Papa is a valiant warrior! They will never let anything happen to me or to my sister!"
After just six months as part of the family, the girl already had such faith in them... and it wasn't even the six months, she'd had that faith from the very beginning, from the moment Skye'd first asked her if she wanted to join the family.
"Let me see if I can clarify something." Skye intervened. "Does this have anything to do with Maggie Stark's attempted kidnapping a couple of years ago? And if it does, why aren't you questioning Tony about it rather than harassing my daughter?"
"It was not my intent to harass." Christine backtracked right away, realizing her whole position was at stake. "And I wasn't granted an interview with the Starks... apparently Ms. Potts-Stark doesn't like me..." Which wasn't surprising. "Some of us are worried about the danger whatever kids not only yourself but anyone in your Alliance might adopt would be in, simply for being part of your families. Back during the one interview you gave after your pregnancy was made public you said you had no plans of retiring to take care of your family..."
"And I don't." Skye said strongly but kindly. "You need to understand one thing, Miss Everheart, no child will ever be in any danger just for being with us. I mean that in the sense that all of us have mastered our abilities; and regarding the danger you originally alluded to, let me tell you something you probably do not know about Margaret Stark's attempted kidnapping: Tony Stark knew what was going on from the moment the would-be kidnappers first set foot inside Stark Tower. In fact, he knew the attempt was coming long before that day even. They were watched closely at every moment. The only reason they got as far as they did was because Tony knew that no matter how much he tried to warn people off his family some day someone would be stupid enough to try... he knew that he would need to be hard then, to use that individual as an example, so no one else would try again. That's exactly what happened when Raza and the remains of the Ten Rings stormed the Tower with the intention to kidnap little Maggie. And even if Tony's first plan to stop them and make a show of it had failed, he had over half a dozen contingencies in place, the first and last of which was JARVIS himself, in charge of the tower, he would have never let anything happen to that little girl."
"But not everyone has an AI like JARVIS." Christine pointed out.
"No." Skye admitted. "But we each have our ways."
A second later there were half a dozen blades in the air, all pointed at different parts of Christine's body, two of them particularly close... the reporter froze.
"Arwenamin..." Phil whispered under his breath.
Skye knew she was taking things to the extreme, but she intended to prove a point herself.
"We each have our ways to protect our own." Skye said, sending the blades away. "Don't believe me ignorant of the things that are said about me, just because I choose not to comment on it." She smiled to put Christine at ease again. "I know the stories that circulate, about the scope of my powers, my past, my origins, the family I've surrounded myself with."
"Indeed, you're quite a mystery Ms. Avery." Christine agreed, suddenly eager again. "Will you finally confess to the truth about yourself."
"Of course not!" Skye laughed mischievously at that. "Whyever would I do that? Why would I take away the mystery? People like not knowing everything, Miss Everheart, life would be quite boring without questions left to answer, to try and come up with theories, with different versions of things. It keeps life... interesting. So no, I won't tell you. But I will tell you this, whatever my power, know that I will always use it to protect those I love, no distance will ever be too far for me to go, no task too hard. I was taught one thing when I was young, by my adoptive Papa, and it is that there is nothing in this world more important than family. It's not even about the blood, it's the family you choose that truly matters, doing everything for them; to keep them safe, to make them happy." She took a deep breath before adding. "People have been questioning my decision not to step down from my position as Deputy Director of SHIELD now that I have my two daughters. But what no one seems to understand thus far is... why would I stop doing what I do, when I do it for them?"
"I don't understand..." The reporter admitted.
"The whole reason I joined SHIELD was to make a difference, to do the right thing, and most importantly, to help protect those who could not protect themselves." Skye explained calmly. "I... we fought a war, against Hydra, to achieve that. We've fought battles against Doom, and Amora, and many others, and will keep doing so. And as proud as I might be for what we've managed to do for the world... truth is I did not do it for the world as a whole, I did it for my family..."
"You know, that's not what one would expect heroes to say." The blonde blurted out, shocked by Skye's frankness.
"It's the truth." Phil stated. "Rather than a party-line out of a comic-book. Maybe you expect us to say we fight for the world... but the truth is that no person who's being absolutely honest will ever say that to you, Miss Everheart. Because no person, human or not, could ever possibly take upon their shoulders the responsibility of saving the whole world, and hope to stay sane. We promise to fight for the world, true... but when the moment comes to fight, we always have a focus. Because there's no other way to do what we do. We choose a small number of people, and we focus on saving them. And if in the end we manage to save the whole world, that's good, but it's not what we went in for, and we know it, deep down."
Christine nodded quietly. She still didn't fully understand, then again, she wasn't the kind to be a Warrior, to fight to protect others... so probably trying to understand the way they thought was beyond her. Still, she couldn't help but respect what they did, and all the people they'd protected in the years since they'd been doing it.
She could also respect them choosing not to give up their positions, and choosing to have a family even as they kept fighting. And really, if the little show the brunette had given her was even half of what she could do (and even with her limited knowledge Christine somehow knew it was much less than that) there was no doubt that she could, in fact, protect her loved ones.
"Time's running out." Phil reminded her with a look at his wrist-watch.
"Yes, of course." She nodded. "Just one more question then, for Ms. Avery." She took a deep breath before speaking again. "Among the things said about you, there are those who claim to know you under a myriad of different names: Skye Bennett, Skylar Wright, Karen Starr, Karin Kostan, Xiao Wang, Astrid Avery, Meneliel... which is your real name? Is any of them?"
The question took the half-elf honestly off-guard and she needed to take a moment to think before answering. She'd said she wouldn't be revealing the truth of her full-power, of her past... but there were some things she could say; some things a part of her had been wanting to put into words for a while already:
"I've had many names, that's true." She began quietly, but more confidently as the words came to her. "Due to... certain things I won't go into. I've always been adaptable, one needs to be, to survive. In my case I took it to the extreme, going as far as changing names, changing myself as needed. There was a time when I convinced myself it did not matter, that names weren't really important... I know now that's not completely true. And there is, indeed, one name I consider most important, that I feel like truly mine, above all others, one that is me..." She smiled brightly. "My name... is Skye..."
First things first: The cast:
Leah - Christina Ricci when she was young (around the time she was in the Adams Family).
Sister Millerna - Carrie Fisher (Imagine an older princess Leah, with short hair).
Sister Reynolds - I actually don't have anyone in mind for her. I dislike her too much to saddle any actress with the part. So she'll be left to your imagination.
Second order of business. A reviewer presented me with a theory of their own concerning the Jotun population, and I loved it. It fits wonderfully with this universe. Regretfully, I cannot really include it in the story itself. So, I'm giving it to you here (I liked it that much).
I said that Jotun had more males than females, many more. I never said why (never planned a specific reason, to be honest). The theory presented to me by JPElles states that, being a warring race, they would want (and need) more males, therefore some magic in their own biology, gave them more males than females. In the present, with no more war, that would see the numbers of their females rise. Also, having met Loki and his family, they know that it is possible, at least for some of their race, to mate with others, which would allow for more hybrids in the upcoming generations. It all fits well with my plan of peace and harmony throughout the realms.
I didn't plan on Leah at first, she just came to my mind one day and I couldn't not include her. She's also a good representation of the future, I think. Lirimaer on the other hand... that girl has been in the cards almost as long as Menel has been a series. To be honest, I planned her first, then introduced the whole thing of Skye being unable to have children (and even that I did not do until I have a more-or-less decent plan on how to reverse that when the time came... the Norns weren't actually in the cards at the time, but the blessing was). The name was important, as it's a connection back to the beginning, of Skye's life as well as of the series.
Christine Everheart was included for two reasons: to present the whole 'protect your family' thing, and because I couldn't think of another reporter. On that note, if anyone can guess where Mike Ross is from (I didn't create him), you get virtual cookies! (I have nothing else to offer). Emma Swan is a character from "Once Upon a Time", she was a last second addition, if you don't know her or the series, don't worry.
Like I've been saying time and again, this is the end. I know at least some would have liked to see me go into the conflict with Thanos and the Infinity War (especially with the alternate version already mentioned). However, I cannot think of how it would go, other than Skye would make sure never to become the Infinity Lady (meaning she would never lay claim to any stone). Also, take in consideration the kind of Alliance we have here, without Ragnarok lessening their numbers, they have a much better chance at it... I just don't have it in me to write it (if anyone else wants to take the chance, you're free to, just let me know so I may read what you write).
I have other responsibilities: two series of fics that require my attention, as well as other works. Then there's my first original novel which was just published last August (if anyone's interested, you can find it in Amazon, under the same name I use here... it's in Spanish, as that's my first language).
Regarding the other series: To those whom it may concern... I'm about to dive straight back into Nightingale, more specifically: Nexus, the sequel, which will include my take on Thor 2, and a few other things.
Finally, I would love it if more people commented, at least this last chapter. As a way to celebrate the finale. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't, I'm open to suggestions, constructive criticism, and if you're readers of any of the other two series, I will welcome requests for them as well (not for Menel, this one is truly finished, I'm afraid). Please! I really, really hope we might be able to surpass the numbers we achieved when this all began (the original Menel One-Shot) which were 24 right here and 14 on Ao3.
Thank you all for following me on this awesome journey, even when it got more than a little insane. Hope to see you around! Namarië!