cut
Haruven stood to the side, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg and Sif fight against Steve, Clark, Hulk and Thor. It's been almost a week and they already showed great progress.
They were more aware; they moved faster and showed no hesitation.
"You look like a proud parent," Tony commented from behind him and Haruven spared him a glance with a smirk on his lips.
"They are strong and capable. I don't know what was holding them back before, but by what I see now I won't have to worry much about them. They will do well on the battlefield."
Tony nodded and they looked back at the sparring group.
"Ven, I need you in the Computer room." Natasha's voice came over the com-link and Haruven hummed.
"Coming." He nodded at Tony and walked out of the training room. He entered the elevator, leaned against the wall and sighed. He covered his face with his hand and took a few deep breaths. The elevator stopped and he pushed away from the wall. He walked into the Computer room and frowned when he saw Natasha, Wayne, Dean, Sam, Castiel and Clint in front of the screens with worried frowns on their faces.
"What is it?" he walked over.
"Fury sent some footage from the satellites." Clint said and Bruce enlarged everything. Haruven frowned as he looked at it.
"Is that…"
"As far as they can tell we have a week," Wayne said and Haruven swallowed difficultly. The others looked at him with slight worry on their faces, noticing how pale his skin was and how shadowed his eyes seemed to be.
"Are you alright?" Castiel asked while Sam pushed a chair over to Haruven.
"Yes. I'm fine." He muttered. Ven gifted Sam with a small smile before it faded and he looked back at the screen. "Can he say anything more?"
"Fury sent us everything he had. According to the data we've received from O'Neil and his team the Goa'uld have 6 ships," Wayne opened the data they received from Jack. "Each one is captained by one of the Goa'uld: Ra, Apophis, Hathor, Sokar, Anubis and Ba'al." They frowned at that.
"Gods?" Sam muttered.
"Apparently, they took those names when they first came to Earth." Natasha explained. "It was a way for them to gain control over humanity."
"That explains it." Dean muttered. "Can they be killed?"
"Everything can be killed, Dean." Haruven murmured as he looked at the data. "In the end we are all flesh and bone; and both can be broken by a hard enough tool."
"The Chitauri are easily killed if you know the weakness in their armors. What we need to worry about are Leviathans," Natasha said, and Dean, Sam, Castiel and Wayne looked at her in confusion. "They are huge snake like things the Chitauri ride. It took Hulk and Thor working together to bring them down. Then there are the gliders the Chitauri use to fly. The six mother ships are the biggest problem though."
"Jack said they used advanced technology," Wayne said and everyone nodded. "All advanced technology is based on computers and electric energy, right?"
"What are you thinking, Wayne?" Clint asked, looking at the vigilante with a narrow-eyed stare.
"Maybe we could make them self destruct somehow." Wayne voiced his thoughts and everyone raised an eyebrow at him.
"That's not a bad idea." Haruven murmured. "But how? You need to know the exact frequency, and they need to be close enough so our technology could catch them, but far enough as not to crash on Earth."
"We should contact Daniel and Samantha. They might help us with this." Natasha suggested.
"Do so," Haruven said and stood up. His head twitched to the side and his eyebrows disappeared under his bangs. "I can't believe this." He muttered and all but ran out of the room.
The other 6 exchanged confused glances and ran after him. They entered the second elevator and went to the first floor, coming out in time to see Ven run out of the building and onto the streets of New York. They ran out after him and found him standing on the first step his gaze pointed at the sky. They caught up with him and looked up trying to see what he was looking at.
"What the hell?" Dean asked when they saw a blue and red blur swinging towards them.
"Is that…"
"Spiderman?" Wayne interrupted Natasha. With an excited 'ya-hoo' Spiderman landed in front of Ven and scooped the wizard up in his arms, spinning Ven around and laughing brightly.
"Finally! I thought I'd never find you!" Spiderman put Ven down and ripped his mask off, revealing the smiling face of a young man in his late teens.
"Peter?" Haruven's eyes widened and Peter grinned at him. "Peter Parker? I can't believe this!" Haruven said with a big smile and pulled the younger man into an enthusiastic hug.
Peter snickered as they parted and looked at the others. "Hey-ya!" he waved at them.
"Peter, what are you doing here?" Haruven asked.
"Gwen and I felt your call. She's doing her best to mobilize the police force back home and I came here in case you need help." Peter hopped in his place in excitement as he explained what happened, and Haruven shook his head with a smile full of fondness tilting his lips.
"You're welcome, Peter. Come. We need to tell you everything." Haruven led Peter in, followed by the others.
"Just how many of you costumed heroes are there," Dean muttered as they entered the Avengers Tower.
"It appears there are many." Castiel muttered.
"That was a rhetorical question, Cas."
"Oh."
cut
"When do you think Ven, Teddy and Neville will be back?" Sam asked Thor, standing with the God of Thunder beside the entrance to the Training room where everyone but the three wizards trained for the upcoming war.
"New York is a big city. It will take time to place their protections around it." Thor said. "They might have to continue tomorrow."
"If the two are even remotely similar to Ven they'll try to do it all today." Pepper said and the other two snorted.
Dean winced when Peter managed to wrap Hulk into his spider-web, only for Hulk to tear it apart and charge at the smaller man. "The kid's good." Dean commented.
"He is much like Haruven when it comes to using his speed and agility against his opponent." Castiel commented wiping his face with a towel before he accepted a bottle of water from Dean and took a sip.
"Watching this actually makes me believe that we might even stand a chance." Dick muttered and Barbara snorted the two taking a seat on the ground beside Sam and resting back against the wall.
"Of course we have a chance," Barbara grunted, taking deep breaths to calm her quick heartbeat. "When they come we'll be ready."
"I talked with Daniel and Samantha." Natasha spoke as she came over to take a breather. She smiled at Sam when he offered her a bottle of water and a towel before she turned to look at everyone. "We've narrowed down the possible points of conflict to Bruxelles, Moscow, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Cairo, Johannesburg, Sydney and Melbourne. We'll hold a video conference at 11:00 tomorrow, our time, to decide how we'll station ourselves and what we'll do concerning the National Armies, since heads of states are refusing cooperation."
"Haruven will need to forward that information to Wizards and those demons." Thor commented and Natasha nodded. They winced when Clint managed to fight off Clark, Steve and Hulk with his arrows, only to end up hanging upside down when Peter caught him unprepared.
"He's really good," Natasha muttered. "Not everyone can sneak up on Hawkeye." The others nodded and she looked at Castiel. "Any news from your brothers and sisters?"
"Nothing as of yet. We shouldn't hope too much." Castiel answered, bowing his head with a shamed gleam in his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"There is nothing to feel sorry about, my friend," Thor assured Castiel who looked at the God of Thunder who appeared to want to say more, but in that moment Thor's eyes dulled and he fell quiet, making everyone tense up.
"Is something wrong?" Sam asked, and as though on cue, Thor's eyes cleared and he turned to look at Natasha.
"They are coming back," he said, and even those who didn't know Thor for long could see the worry in the blue eyed gaze.
"You can talk to Ven?" Barbara asked, eyes widening in interest and amazement.
"No," Thor answered and shook his head, "but I can feel that Ven is tired. He knows better than to continue now."
"I suppose all three of them will go straight to bed then," Natasha said and Thor nodded.
"I will make sure they do." Silence settled over them and they watched the others train.
They had to be ready.
In less than a week the Goa'uld, Loki and the Chitauri will arrive.
They had to be ready.
Or they risked losing more than just their lives.
Much, much more.
cut
"Are they asleep?" Bruce asked when the elevator opened and Thor walked into the living room of the Avengers Tower.
"Teddy and Neville collapsed the moment they got to their rooms, and Haruven fell asleep before I left." Thor reported as he took a seat in an armchair before he sighed and rubbed his face with his hands.
Most of them were in their rooms resting. Bruce, Wayne, Tony, Pepper, Steve and Clark were in the living room, and Natasha and Clint were in the Computer room, looking out for possible threats or incoming data.
"Are you certain he's alright?" Pepper asked and Thor frowned, shaking his head with a narrow-eyed stare focused on the table between them.
"I do not believe him when he says he is fine," he spoke in a strained voice. "He hasn't been feeling well for the past days, he often wakes up and he seems to be having nightmares; memories from past battles."
"This is all weighing on him too much," Bruce murmured, the others exchanging glances of understanding and worry.
"It will all be over soon." Steve spoke quietly, placing a hand on Bruce's shoulder.
"We'll win this and everything will be alright." Clark agreed and Steve nodded.
"Did they tell you how far they came with the wards they are putting around New York?" Tony asked, draping an arm over Pepper's back as she rested against him.
"They covered North, North-East, East and South-East." Thor said and the others almost gaped.
"That's a good deal they've covered." Bruce commented and Thor nodded.
"Ven said they would do the rest tomorrow once they recover their strength. Apparently the wards they are placing are very strong. It took all three of them to place them, and Neville and Teddy looked worse for wear."
"What about Haruven?" Pepper asked and Thor sighed.
"Tired and drained." Thor said. "He barely kept his eyes open."
"Maybe he'll be able to sleep through the night then." Tony said.
"I hope he will," Thor said and looked out the window at the setting Sun. "I certainly hope he will."
cut
Haruven took a deep breath and moved away from the toilet, resting back against the bathtub. He swallowed difficultly as his stomach calmed down.
'Thank heavens Thor is not here,' he thought as he moved slowly and opened the cold water in the bathtub. He got on his knees, leaned over the edge of the tub and washed his face and mouth. He turned the water off, dried his hands and face and slowly stood up.
'This isn't normal.' He made his way back into the bedroom and towards the bed. He collapsed on the chilly covers and pillow and turned on his side, moaning lowly as he tugged a duvet over his chilled body, curling under the covers to try and warm up.
'This is the fifth time this happened.' He squinted towards the digital watch on the bedside cabinet. He'd have to get up in a few hours. 'Maybe I should ask Neville to run a diagnostic spell on me,' he thought as he rolled on his stomach, pushed his hands under the pillow and closed his eyes.
He swallowed with slight difficulties since he still felt sick. Sleep was calling to him again and a small sigh left his mouth.
'If I won't feel better tomorrow I'll talk with Neville. No need to bother Thor if it's nothing but a stomach sickness.'
He fell asleep slowly his last thought being that there was no need to worry.
No need to worry at all.
cut
"Good day everyone." Professor Xavier spoke as his face appeared on one of the three holo-screens. On the screen to his right was Nick Fury. To Xavier's left was General Hammond. The Avengers and Pepper, the Winchester brothers and Castiel, Clark, Peter, the Warriors Three and Sif, and Wayne, Barbara and Dick were in the conference room. Haruven, Neville and Teddy already left to finish the warding.
"Good day, Professor Xavier, Fury, General Hammond." Bruce greeted them as the representative of the New York group.
"We are ready and waiting for your orders," Hammond said. "I've managed to gather three teams. They are momentarily stationed in Los Angeles."
"We're waiting for information," Fury said. "The Chitauri are getting closer as we speak. We need to know where and when to move."
"I spoke to all the mutants in the world." Charles reported, gifting everyone with a small smile. "They are ready to fight on command."
"Thank you, all of you," Bruce said and looked around. "We have it on good authority that the Chitauri are approaching Earth. They should be here in less than a week. We found out that the wizards and witches of the world are placing wards and shields around towns. Haruven Sigurdsson, his son Teddy and friend Neville are working on wards around New York right now."
"We've caught wind of strange people on the outskirts of Los Angeles," Hammond said. "I suppose they are Mr. Sigurdsson's men."
"Correct." Bruce said and looked at Natasha. She nodded at him and stood up. "Natasha will take over for me."
Charles, Hammond and Fury nodded at them and Natasha looked at the screens. "Good day," she said and pressed a button on the table in front of her. A 3D, holo-image of Earth appeared in front of her and she took a small laser in her hand. "Yoko Kurama, Haruven's friend, confirmed our suspicions. He said that the Goa'uld will probably follow standard battle tactics. They will try to destroy the largest cities in the world. We've narrowed the possible attack points to these." She started pointing at the towns as she named them. "Bruxelles and Moscow in Europe, New York and Los Angeles in USA, Tokyo in Japan, Hong Kong, Cairo, Johannesburg, Sydney and Melbourne." She looked at the screens and placed the laser on the table. "We need to station our forces in these cities."
"Can you be sure they will attack these cities?" Hammond asked. "There are many big cities in the world. They could attack anywhere."
"There's a saying that's been heard often these days," Wayne spoke up. "Cut off the snakes head and the body will die." Everyone nodded at that.
"These are some of the biggest cities in the world," Peter said. "The Goa'uld are an alien race. They will aim to take down the cities that hold the greatest sway. Realistically speaking if these cities fall the others will follow."
"The head still has the power to bite," Thor muttered and everyone looked at him. He raised his head. "Haruven said it like that. Cut off the snakes head and the body dies, but the head still has the power to bite."
"I still have no idea what he meant by that," Dick grumbled and almost everyone rolled their eyes at him, while Barbara smacked the back of his head.
"It means, child, that even if we lose a battle we can still win the war," Charles said and Dick frowned at that.
"If we can't protect the Earth we'll damn well avenge it." Tony smirked and everyone nodded in agreement, the atmosphere growing heavier.
"What is your plan concerning the 6 ships?" Fury asked and Wayne stood up while Natasha took a seat allowing the vigilante to take over.
"We have an idea concerning that, but we need help with figuring out a plan and actually performing it. We thought that since everything runs on electricity, the Goa'uld ships need to have main computers. There's even a chance they are all connected to one another. If we manage to put a virus in their system we could make them self-destruct."
"That is actually a pretty good idea," Hammond said. "We know for a fact that they do have main computers, but they are written in the code of the Ancients. You'll need someone who knows the language of the Ancients to translate the Virus-code."
"I can write the code," Tony said. "Do you have anyone who can translate it?"
"Dr. Jackson will be able to do that. Write the Virus and send it to us."
"We can't take that risk," Sam said.
"What risk?" Clint asked.
"For all we know, the Goa'uld might be trying to intercept out communication lines. They are trying to invade and destroy Earth. They are an advanced race. We need to take all the precautions we can," Sam explained his reasoning, receiving almost stunned glances from his brother and several others.
"What do we do then?" Peter asked.
"I can't leave New York," Tony muttered bowing his head with a thoughtful frown.
"I can write a Virus as well." Peter said and looked at the screens. "Would it work if I came to wherever you are?"
"It would be the safest way." Clark commented.
"There is enough of us here," Hogun spoke up, looking at Peter, "and you would be there to help if the need arose."
Peter nodded. "Then it's settled."
"We'll send a chopper for you as soon as we are over with this meeting," Hammond said, and Peter saluted him lightly, lips tilted into a small smirk.
"Now all we have to do is organize our defenses," Thor spoke up as he straightened in his seat.
"I hope you're not forgetting about us." Another holo-screen popped up to show Yusuke's grinning face.
"Forgive us, Mr. Urameshi. Haruven isn't with us and we didn't know how to contact you," Bruce said and Yusuke grinned at him, his eye-teeth making everyone, especially Dean, Sam and Castiel, flinch a bit.
"Nah! It's okay! Like I said, hope you're not forgetting about us!" Yusuke waved them off, cinnamon brown eyes glancing at each one of them separately.
"Did you manage to gather your men?" Thor asked and Yusuke nodded.
"Mukuro and Yomi said they would fight. They will take their strongest men with them. Trust me they'll be enough. Kurama, Hiei and I called in a few favors. We have a pretty bunch on our side as well. I've also got some news from Botan. She's a good friend and our contact with the World of the Dead. She said the Shinigami will fight as well."
"The Shinigami?" Fandral asked.
"Grim Reapers!" Yusuke clarified, looking at them with eyes wide in confusion. "I thought Ven-chan would call on them."
"Why would Mr. Sigurdsson call on the Grim Reapers?" Charles asked, eyes narrowed in a confused frown.
"Well he is Master Of Death, right?" Yusuke asked with confusion. He turned his head to the side obviously listening to something they couldn't hear. "Oh, right." He muttered with a thoughtful look. "Might be why he's avoiding them."
"Would you mind sharing with the class?" Dick drawled and Yusuke grinned at him.
"The 13 Protection Squads of the Shinigami are led by a few people who consider Ven-chan a God. Hiei just reminded me that Ven-chan avoids them like the plague."
"Figures." Tony muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Does that mean the Shinigami will fight?" Thor asked.
"Yup!" the grin returned full force as Yusuke raised his head. "They're dispatching the Captains and Lieutenants of the 13 Protection Squads as we speak. Just tell us where to station and we'll be there."
"My men are all in Los Angeles," Hammond said. "I do believe that we should remain here."
"We can fly towards Bruxelles and station there," Fury said.
"There are many mutants in both Los Angeles and Bruxelles," Charles said. "I can station the X-men in Moscow. The others can remain in the cities they live in, just in case."
"We are all staying here in New York," Tony said and looked around. "Parker's leaving for Los Angeles. Kent?"
"I'll go where I'm needed most." Clark answered and Tony nodded at him.
"That leaves Tokyo, Hong Kong, Cairo, Johannesburg, Sydney and Melbourne." Sif counted, taking a look around.
"I can tell Yomi to split his men between Sydney and Melbourne. Mukuro can take Cairo and Johannesburg." Yusuke said. "The Shinigami will split around everywhere. With the mutants joining in it shouldn't be a problem."
"And what about you?" Fandral asked.
"We're taking Tokyo." Yusuke said, right hand raising in a V sign.
"What about Hong Kong?" Barbara asked and Yusuke's grin grew positively evil.
"Trust me; I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. The Hidden Villages will protect those lands with everything they have."
"Hidden Villages?" Steve asked, leaning forward and folding his arms on the table.
"Yeah!" Yusuke said. "Ya never heard of them?"
"I think the fact that we asked about them makes that pretty clear," Tony drawled and Yusuke snickered.
"Hidden Ninja Villages. Kurama's taken the liberty of informing an old foxy friend of his about the invasion. They are getting ready as we speak. Trust me, between the Shinigami and the Ninjas the Chitauri stand no chance."
"That's all good and dandy." Fury spoke up. "We still need a more detailed strategy."
"We can't plan any better than this," Steve said.
"All we can do is station the fighters in the cities and wait." Wayne agreed.
"Then that would be all," Charles said.
"Mr. Parker; a chopper will arrive for you as soon as possible." Hammond spoke up. "Over and out." His screen turned off.
"I will talk to my X-men right away. Godspeed," Charles said and disappeared.
"Let's hope this works," Fury said and his screen turned off.
"That old geezer needs to find his funny bone." Yusuke grumbled and everyone in the conference room choked up.
"Yes, well, we're prone to believe he's misplaced it in someone else's body." Tony said and Yusuke snickered.
"Greet Ven-chan for me, will ya? Tell him he'll get as much help in this as possible," he said and disappeared.
"That would be it then," Hogun commented and turned in his seat to look at Thor who sighed and rubbed his face with his hands.
"Now we wait."
cut
"Good heavens, Ven, you look horrible!" Pepper exclaimed frightfully as Haruven walked into the kitchen. Thankfully they were alone and the wizard smiled weakly at her as he made his way over to the table. His skin was pale, there was a thin layer of sweat on his brow, dark circles under his eyes and his shoulders were hunched forward, his hair tied in a messy bun.
"I didn't know anyone was awake." He spoke in a hoarse voice when Pepper rushed over to him, wrapped her hands around his left elbow and led him over to the kitchen table.
"Take a seat. Can I bring you something? Coffee? Tea? Something to eat?" she rambled as she spun in her place nervously, trying to find something to do in her state of distress and Haruven laughed weakly.
"A cup of tea would be nice," he said. "And some toast." Pepper hurried while Ven crossed his arms on the table and hid his face in his forearms.
Pepper turned to look at him while she waited for the water to boil and tsked. She walked over to the table, took a seat beside him and placed her left hand on his back, rubbing small circles between his shoulder blades. "Ven? You look horrible. What is going on?"
He sighed and straightened. "I'm just tired, Pepper." He smiled at her. "Teddy, Neville and I have done a lot of magic the past two days. The wards we worked on usually take at least two months to raise. It took a lot of magic to make them work on such a short notice."
Pepper nodded with a small, understanding smile and lovingly brushed a strand of hair away from Haruven's face. "You should be resting then."
"I know. I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. I didn't want to wake Thor up so I came here. I thought I would make myself some tea and eat something before I went back to bed." In that moment the water boiled and both jumped up.
"Allow me," Pepper said and Haruven took a seat with a sigh. He smiled at her thankfully when she placed the tea and toast in front of him, and took a seat with her own cup of tea in her hand. "I miss the drink you used to make me," she said and Haruven smiled at her.
"Once this is over I will make it for you again, I promise."
Pepper smiled at him widely and nodded. "Do you plan to open Starborn Café again?"
Haruven hummed and shrugged, rotating the cup he held loosely within his gentle hold. "I don't know. It all depends on Thor, I suppose. Maybe we'll stay here and maybe we will have to travel between Asgard and Earth." Haruven spoke and took the toast off of the plate.
Pepper frowned when she saw that he was nibbling on the toast more than actually eating it. "Haruven, are you feeling sick?" she asked and Haruven looked at her with a frown.
"Why do you ask that?"
"Because of the way you're eating. You're nibbling on that as though you're trying to eat as slowly as possible to see if your stomach would settle. And before you ask, I know because I live through that every month."
Haruven's eyes widened for a second before he swallowed, placed the toast down and looked at Pepper imploringly. "Please, don't tell anyone. I'm just nervous and worried, and I haven't been feeling well for a few days. I don't want Thor to worry."
Pepper frowned. "He will worry more if this continues and he finds out you've been hiding this from him."
Haruven sighed and rubbed his forehead with his right hand. "I know, but I don't think it will continue. I'm just tired and worried. Once all of this is over, everything will return back to normal." Pepper's frown deepened. "Just please don't tell anyone. I'm resting as much as I can, alright?"
"I don't know." She muttered, looking at him warily.
"Please?" Haruven asked and looked in her eyes. "I promise I'm not sick. The only time I do feel sick is in the early morning. I haven't been eating right for a few days. It could be because of that."
Pepper raised an eyebrow at him. "Morning sickness?" she piped out and Haruven tilted his head to the side in slight confusion.
"I hadn't thought of it like that." He muttered and Pepper giggled.
"If I were talking with a girl I'd ask her if she could be pregnant." She said only to startle when Haruven's eyes widened and his mouth snapped closed. "What?" she looked at him in confusion. He looked at the table and raised his hand slightly doing something Pepper never thought she would see him do. He bit into his thumb, his eyebrows narrowing thoughtfully. "Ven? I was just kidding." he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Ven?" her voice wavered.
Ven chuckled and shook his head, his eyes glimmering. "Don't worry. It's not that," he said and Pepper sagged in her seat. She smacked his shoulder as she got up and he snickered.
"You've had me scared there for a second," she said as she walked over to the sink with her empty cup.
"I'm sorry." Haruven finished his tea. "It won't happen again, I promise," he said as he went back to his toast.
Pepper turned around and looked at him strictly. "Let's make a deal. I won't tell anyone anything, if you promise to see a doctor if this continues for more than three days."
Haruven sighed but nodded. "I promise."
Pepper hummed, walked over to Ven and kissed his cheek. "Get some rest. The others scheduled nothing but training for tomorrow so you can sleep in."
Haruven smiled at her and rose up a bit to kiss her cheek. "Alright. Good night."
"Good night," Pepper said and left Haruven alone in the kitchen. The moment she was gone the smile vanished from Haruven's face. He swallowed difficultly and looked at his hands.
'It can't be,' he thought as his throat closed up, his heart skipped a beat and his breath hitched in his throat. 'It can't.' he squeezed his eyes tightly shut, fisting his hands on his stomach and hunching forward. 'It can't be. Not now.' A single tear slipped down his cheek. 'Not now.'
cut
"Haruven?" he looked up at the low voice of his beloved and looked over his shoulder at him.
Thor stood in the doorway of their room. It was nighttime, and it was quite chilly outside, and Thor carried a warm cloak in his arms.
Haruven smiled at him and walked over when Thor spread his arms. The God of Thunder threw the cloak over Haruven's shoulders before he pulled him close for a kiss. Haruven chuckled against Thor's lips and cupped his face in his gentle hands.
Thor wrapped his arms around Haruven's waist and pulled him close deepening the kiss. In that moment a baby's cry broke the silence of the night and the two parted.
"Your son is hungry, my lord," Haruven whispered, smirking at Thor teasingly and the God of Thunder smiled lovingly at his beautiful wizard.
"We better see to him then," Thor said and let go of Haruven. The wizard smiled at him and entered their room. He walked over to a golden crib by the bed while Thor walked slowly behind him.
"Hush, my little one," Haruven whispered as he took the crying baby boy in his arms. He flicked his wrist and a bottle flew into his hand. "Hush, my little Starborn." The moment Haruven gave the boy the bottle he started to drink strongly, making Haruven smile and Thor chuckle.
"He already knows what he wants," Thor commented, his voice full of content and pride.
Haruven laughed quietly as he walked over to the bed and took a seat beside Thor. He leaned against Thor's side and the God of Thunder wrapped an arm around his shoulders before he kissed the top of Ven's head. "He is already strong," Haruven said and looked at Thor. "Just like his father."
"And already beautiful." Thor kissed Ven's forehead. "Just like you." Haruven leaned his head on Thor's shoulder again.
"Our little miracle," Haruven whispered. "Our Gilead." The baby's eyes opened and Haruven's heart warmed when he looked into the perfect replica of his own eyes. "Our son."
cut
"Mr. Longbottom; Mr. Sigurdsson would like to see you in his room." Neville looked up in confusion when Jarvis' voice came over the speakers. Everyone looked at Neville and the wizard looked at Teddy in confusion.
"Did he say why?" Neville asked
"He didn't say." Jarvis answered dully.
"Go," Thor said and smiled at Neville. "He has been researching something ever since he woke up this morning. He might need your help with it."
Neville nodded and left the living room. It took him little to reach Ven and Thor's room and once he was inside he frowned and halted in his step.
Haruven was pacing the length of the room in a quick stride.
"Ven, what is it?" Neville asked.
"Neville, I need you to run a full diagnostic charm on me." Haruven spoke hurriedly as he stopped pacing. He was wringing his hands in front of his stomach, he was pale and his eyes were glowing with something Neville couldn't define.
"Is something wrong?" Neville asked and Haruven swallowed difficultly.
"I – I hadn't been feeling well for a few days now. Like you've seen, I tire easily, I've had problems with headaches and – and morning sickness." Neville frowned and closed the door before he approached Haruven.
"And you hadn't said anything until now because…"
"Because I didn't want anyone to worry." Haruven took a seat on the bed and Neville approached him. He kneeled in front of Ven and covered his hands in a reassuring grip.
"Haruven…"
"Please, Neville," Ven whispered, eyes filled with shadows of worry and panic. "I think I know what it is, but I – I need to be sure." Haruven begged and Neville nodded. His wand slipped from his sleeve and muttered something under his breath, and Haruven's eyes slipped closed as Neville's warm, comforting magic washed over him. His heart skipped a beat and he felt as though the weight of the world settled on his shoulders when Neville gasped.
"I can't – I can't believe this." He whispered. "I mean, it's not uncommon among wizards but…"
"So it's true." Haruven whispered, opened his eyes and looked at Neville. The other wizard nodded his head, lips still parted in surprise.
"It's still too early to say anything for sure, but… you are pregnant." Haruven swallowed difficultly, stood up and started to pace again. "Ven, you need to tell Thor." Neville spoke up as he stood to his feet.
"No."
"Ven-…" Neville spoke warily, eyes narrowing in beginnings of anger, but he couldn't voice his thoughts because Haruven cut him off.
"We are about to face the greatest battle of our time, Neville!" Haruven rounded on his friend. "If I tell them their focus will shift on me; protecting me and – and our son."
Neville frowned. "How do you know – never mind." Neville shook his head. "Ven, you need to tell Thor. Your magic is focusing on that child you carry. It's focusing on protecting it which means you'll grow weaker as time goes by. You can't fight!"
"I don't have a choice here, Neville!" Haruven cried out imploringly. "We'll be overpowered as it is, I can't afford to be left behind. They can't know. Thor can't know." He stressed out and Neville shook his head.
"No," he pressed out and took a small step away from Haruven.
"Neville, please…"
"I won't let you put yourself and your unborn child in danger." Neville said, shaking his head as he backed away towards the door. "I can't let that happen." He turned and grabbed the knob, jumping away from the door when he heard the lock turn, and turned on his heel to look at Haruven.
"I'm sorry, Neville," Haruven spoke with tears in his eyes, "but I can't let you tell them. I can't," he said and raised his wand.
"Harry…"
"Obliviate!"
cut
"Is everything alright?" Thor asked as Haruven and Neville entered the living room.
"I was just looking for a plant and Neville is an expert in Herbology, so I asked him to help me," Haruven said with a small smile as they took their seats.
"I still say it'll be difficult to find it, Ven," Neville said and Haruven chuckled.
"But you said yourself; the tea made from chamomile and agrimony would serve as a very calming tea." Haruven leaned against Thor.
"You're thinking of new recipes, dad?" Teddy asked and Haruven nodded his head.
"I need to take my mind off of the war either way." Haruven shrugged and Thor hugged him to his side. "I tried to find a tea that would both calm the mind and the body, without making you sleepy, and with this I might actually be on the right track."
"You could add Caraway as well." Neville suggested. "It strengthens mental capabilities on its own, so in combination with chamomile and agrimony it would calm you but leave your mind sharp as always." Haruven nodded and smiled when Thor kissed his forehead.
"Is everything ready?" Haruven asked.
"We've covered everything. Now we can only wait," Bruce said and Haruven nodded. He looked around at everyone, before his eyes settled on Thor. He smiled and rested his head on Thor's shoulder with his eyes closed.
Yes.
They could do nothing but wait.
cut