Hey, sorry for the delay with this chapter. I have had so much shit hit me in real life in the past month or so that I haven't even been able to open my laptop, let alone write. I won't bore you with a big long AN so just let me thank those who faved/followed/reviewed:

IronAngel365
DreamBubbles
kandula
Shhh. .
Elena Maxwell

You guys are awesome and keep my writing so I hope you like this chapter and please keep up the reviews, seriously, please.

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Battles and Banishments

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"Riley! Riley wake up!" She slowly became aware of hands on her shoulders, shaking her hard enough to make her teeth chatter together. She reached out, trying to force away whoever the hands belonged to, only to be met with the familiar cool skin that could only belong to one person.

"Loki? What's going on?" She opened her eyes, taking in the darkened cabin room and the almost panicked god leaning over her.

"You froze the whole cabin." He gestured around the room, the sheen of ice just barely visible in the moonlight. "Was it another nightmare?" He made no effort to hide the concern in his voice.

"Yeah. It's Malekith. He's getting closer." No sooner had the words left her mouth then a pressure wave hit the cabin, shattering the thin layer of ice into razor sharp crystals all around them. Riley screamed as several flew around her, cutting into the unprotected flesh of her arms and chest. Loki was quick to cover her as the actual glass from the windows followed suit, all the panes breaking into tiny shards and falling to the floor.

"We must go. Do you have clothes in your bag?" Loki asked, sensing the rising panic. Riley nodded, unable to speak. He strode quickly about the room grabbing her bag, her purse, her shoes and the small collection of park maps she'd retrieved their first day in the cabin and threw it all into a larger sack he had apparently brought into the room with him. Riley had a moment of clear thought and wondered how he knew to bring it but the almost audible vibration of the walls and floor soon shook her from her thoughts and back into the present. She watched as Loki slung the bag over one shoulder and returned to the bed, lifting her as if she were no more than a child and moving quickly from the room. Just as they had exited the cabin, the whole thing seemed to bow inward and in seconds, it was gone. Behind it stood a great hulking shadow, all but its eyes obscured.

"Loki, we must go now." Thor's voice boomed fro behind them, drawing Riley's attention to the shadowed mass of the god of thunder and the quivering shadow that must have been Jane. "We cannot protect them and fight him at the same time." Riley heard Loki's growl rumble through his chest as he turned, setting her down on the ground.

"Follow my brother. I will handle this." He let the sack slide from his shoulder, his first steps falling before it had even hit the earth. Riley opened her mouth to object, say something that might stop him, but an arm around her middle, hauling her away was all the answer she could give. She struggled for a moment, trying to twist out of his grasp.

"Riley, be calm. I will not leave him to battle that monster alone. I must get you to safety and then I will return here to aid him. My brother is more powerful than he seems, do no fear." Thor set her down in the shadow of the treeline, next to his own shaken love and dropped the bag at her feet, letting the fabric fall open to reveal all the Loki had brought. Inside was not only a spare outfit, but also a small sack, her rune stones as well as the athame that had been on her altar. She looked up, catching his eye and nodding, watching as he turned back up the path they way they had come.

"Okay Jane, I need you to be completely honest with me. Can you find that portal and close it on your own?" She looked over to the terrified scientist, giving her the same hard glare Loki had been known to give her when she was succumbing to panic. It seemed to work well enough as Jane turned to focus on her, her eyes slowly returning to something similar to reason.

"I don't know. I mean, I could try. Why? What are you gonna do?" She fixed Riley with a suspicious look, her stance moving to stop the younger woman should she need to.

"Look. I have something Malekith apparently needs, perhaps it's because of this power thing I've got in my head. I don't know. All I know is that both Loki and Thor are in danger right now because of me. I have to help them and I'm no use to you with this whole portal business. So I'm gonna leave you this," she pulled a large hunting knife from the bag, "and go help them. If all works out well, we'll all be back and both of them will be yelling at me for being stupid and we can all go stop this thing together. If it doesn't go well...well, just get to the portal and make sure Malekith can't get back through. We may not be able to survive this, but we can sure as hell make him hurt before he wins." She nodded, grabbing the bag and disappearing into the tree line.

She stopped for a moment to collect her thoughts, shrugging out of the nightgown she'd been wearing and beginning to redress in the outfit she'd always been sure to keep packed. It was a pair of simply black pants, tight to her legs, a tank top, a black cotton long sleeved shirt and a simple leather jacket. She dressed quickly, pulling on her boots and belt, sticking the athame through and hanging the bag of rune stones off the end of the dagger's hilt. She took a deep breath, readying herself for what would most likely be the end of her life and headed toward the sounds of battle.

Jane watched Riley's form slowly bleed into the surrounding foliage and looked to the knife on the ground. She picked it up, it felt heavy and solid in her hand. She'd never fought anything before in her life, let alone cut or killed someone, but she added it to her own bag none the less. She looked inside the canvas sack she'd dragged from the cabin, running from the slowly encroaching ice that had begun to slowly eat away at her bedroom. Inside was all she would need to close the portal. She took a moment to look through it, making sure that nothing had been damaged by the ice or the subsequent running and dropping the bag had endured. She sighed in relief as she saw everything was still in working order and stood, turning away from the sounds of battle and heading off at a quick walk down the path they'd taken the day before. It was now or never, either her theory would work, or she would get sucked through a portal into space.

The ship moved slowly in the heavy atmosphere of the planet. Malekith could feel the portal, calling out to him, leading him home to his victory. He watched the world crawl away below him, blissfully unaware of his presence, unaware of the fate about to befall all the life upon it. He would bring them all a glorious death and rebirth into the darkness he so loved. But first he would have to cross through into his own world and finally put to rest the ages old rivalry between his people and those pompous fools known as the Knights of Asgard. He would massacre their forces, leaving a very unlucky few alive to watch the end of their pathetic little world, and then, when all resistance had been snuffed out, he would claim his victory. He couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face as he watched the shimmering on the horizon grow wider and wider. Soon, so soon, he would once again rule supreme in the darkness.

Riley crept slowly around the edge of the clearing where the cabin once stood. Inside it now stood three figures, the silhouette of both brother and the hulking mass of their enemy. None had apparently moved since she left. It looked as if they were all waiting for something to happen, perhaps for the other party to make the first move. The air felt tense, like a taut bow string, ready to fire at the slightest provocation. Riley felt hard pressed to hold back, wanting nothing more than to charge into the fray and give the monster a new target to focus on. It was at that moment that she felt a strange cold beginning to creep up her body from her left hip. It was the athame. It had become frosted over. The bag of stones hanging from its hilt was glowing faintly blue, a strange kind of mist wafting around it in lazy currents.

She took hold of the bag, pulling it from the athame and holding it closer to her face. It smelled of winter and ice, the old smell of her incense almost fully eclipsed by the new scent. It gave her a strange sense of comfort, this new scent, like she was home, and she found that as she breathed it in, her nerves calmed and her senses heightened. She was no longer afraid, no longer half blind in the darkness of the night. She was the hunter, the warrior, and she knew exactly what to do.

She reached inside the bag, pulling out one of the now faintly glowing stones. It was like an ice cube in her hand, but she found that the cold was no longer a bother to her. It felt like home now, the frigid piece of stone in her palm, merely an extension of the power that she could feel beginning to surge within her. She breathed slowly, gathering her power into her hand, suffusing the stone with even more icy energy, feeding it all the rage and misery she had been holding back for days. She pushed away the tears and fear, the sense of overwhelming oblivion that had been hanging over her head. She cast it all out into the little piece of ice in her hand, reveling in how quickly it was sucked away and stored.

When she had finished, truly prepared her weapon, she stilled, lining up the shot so as not to miss. She pivoted her body, facing the hulking mass of black armor and chiton and took a breath. She reared her arm back, coiling the muscle and sinew like the spring in a gun and fired the stone directly at the monster. She directed all her fury and pain into the stone, pushing it further and faster than any human could ever possibly throw. She watched in satisfaction as it made contact, the ice sticking and beginning to spread. A pain began to register dully in her shoulder, her body rejecting the new power she had found, but she paid it no mind, moving quickly to a new position as the battle between the three men began.

Loki and Thor both charged forward as soon as the ice bomb hit, hoping to take advantage of the momentary distraction. The monster, for its part, did not seem even remotely shaken. The ice continued to creep over its body, no doubt burning even through the armor it wore, but it simply pushed into motion, meeting the brothers in a head on collision of pinwheeling limbs and fierce blows.

Riley continued to circle, lobbing stone after stone at the creature. The ice stuck, and seemed to spread, but the creature simply powered through it, pushing past the pain she knew it must be feeling. As she moved she noticed an almost immeasurable slowing of its pace. This was the sign she'd been waiting for. She gathered the rest of the stones in one hand, only five were left. The part of her that was still wholly human screamed at her to stop, to save at least one, to hold onto the past and remember the lessons she'd learned there, but she would need every last one if her plan was to work. She took a breath, giving her family a silent apology and thanks before throwing the fistful of stones high over the clearing. They fell silently back to earth, arranging themselves in the air so that they fell in the shape of a star around the monster.

Loki noticed just as the energy field snapped up around the creature, holding it in place. He looked over to the edge of the clearing where Riley had emerged, a grin on her face, her steps measured and slow.

"I told you to stay behind." He tried to keep the impressed tone from his voice, even with his power, she was a remarkable woman.

"No, you said stay with your brother. I am with your brother." She grinned from where she stood, shoulder to elbow with Thor. Loki let out a short laugh, turning to get a better look at the trap she'd set. It wouldn't hold for long, the creature was too powerful for that, but it would give them a moment to breathe and regroup, which was something they sorely needed. Both brothers turned, bowing their heads so as to include her in the impromptu planning session. She grinned good naturedly through Loki's whispered admonition, all the while trying to think of a way to bring down the creature threatening the ones she loved. It was at that moment that she heard a sound that stopped her heart. It was the pounding of footsteps, heavy running footsteps. She looked up just in time to see the monster raise its sword, the point aimed directly at Loki's exposed back.

She had never moved so fast in her entire life. Before either brother could react she was behind them, arms spread wide, spires of ice shooting out from her feet like pikes, spearing through the creature like spears. He managed to push forward a few more steps, the momentum of his strike carrying the blade down into Riley's shoulder with a wet thud before one of the spires reached his eye. His body twitched once and went still, dark blood seeping down over the faintly blue ice, staining it a strange navy color.

Time seemed to speed up again, both brothers turning to see the aftermath of Riley's quick thinking. Loki was the first to move, catching Riley as she began to fall toward the ground. Thor was not far behind, kneeling on her other side, hands hovering over her strangely blue skin, unsure of how to proceed.

"Did...did I...get him?" Her voice sounded weak, even to her, thick and heavy with pain. She tried to breathe through it like she had always been taught, but everything hurt. Her muscles were screaming, protesting the exertion they had been forced to endure. Her heart was racing, beating wildly against the cage of her ribs. Her lungs burned from the cold air around them and every joint she had was aching and swollen. But the stab wound was the worst. It sent searing pain through her whole torso with every labored breath. She would have screamed, if she had been able to gather the breath, but all that would come out was a pitiful whine as she screwed her eyes shut against the onslaught of sensation.

"Yes Riley, he's gone, we're safe." Thor put a hand to her uninjured shoulder, careful not to jar her. Despite his carefulness, another soft cry issued from her still blue lips. "We have to get this out of her. Are you prepared my brother?" Thor moved, gripping the hilt of the sword with a sure hand. Loki nodded, his hand changing smoothly from pale peach to soft blue. Thor wrenched up on the hilt of the sword, pulling it cleanly from the wound which began to bleed profusely almost immediately. Loki placed a hand to it, the area changing to the same blue hue as ice began to form inside the wound. This earned the first true scream from Riley as she arched up off his lap, her body blindly trying to flee what it saw as another attack.

"Riley! I need you to remain still. This is the only treatment we can give you at the moment." Loki held her in place as much as possible, his hand never leaving her shoulder, the ice creeping further and further into her body until it had sealed both sides of the wound. Her body fell limply into his lap as his hand moved away and Thor knelt over her, wrapping the shredded ends of his cloak around the ice bandage, tying it off in a sling like support. "Riley, can you stand? We must hurry to the portal before Malekith reaches it." Loki looked down at her clouded eyes. She was barely conscious, her mind fogged by pain and shock. But something deep down seemed to shimmer and, despite all logic, she nodded slowly, stumbling to her feet.

"I'm alright. We have to find Jane. I sent her on to the portal on her own." She swayed on her feet as she spoke, her body bowing and swaying as if trying to get away from itself. Loki reached out a hand to steady her, only to catch her as she pitched forward. He sighed, trying, and failing, to hide the grin spreading across his face. Even a mortal as impressive as she was could not defy their body for long.

"I will carry her, you go ahead." He hoisted her up into his arms, holding her across his torso like one would a child. He made sure his grip was secure before setting out after his brother. He caught up within moments, both figures barely a blur against the black night around them. They reached the basin just as Jane cleared the tree line. She was panting, clearly having run the whole way, clutching the stitch in her side as she turned.

"Oh god! What happened?" She was at Riley's side in a flash, her hands moving over the unconscious woman's prone form.

"She fought bravely, but pushed herself too far." Thor turned to Loki, inviting him to finish the explanation, but the trickster seemed content to simply stare out over the basin in sullen silence. All he could think is that her present danger was his doing. Though it had been unintentionally, he had taken the damn stones from the altar. He had been the one to create the link between them. True, she had reached out for his power and took it into herself of her own free will, but if he'd had the sense to leave well enough alone, she would not be in this danger now. He looked out over the barren land, sensing more than seeing the portal before them. It was like so many he had traveled before, so like the small gateway he had opened on that coronation day so long ago.

"Loki, we must keep moving. Jane thinks she can close the portal but there is bad news." Thor drew his attention from his turbulent thoughts and brought his focus squarely onto the petite scientist he'd come to have a grudging respect for.

"What is this "bad news"? It can hardly be worse that what we currently face." He tried to sound nonchalant, but his silver tongue seemed to be growing heavier with each word.

"I know I can close the portal with what I have here. But I have to be on this side of it to do that. Which mean I, and whoever stays with me, will be stuck on this side of the portal forever. After I close it, there won't be any opening it again." She tried very hard not to look sad about that fact, clearly sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that Thor would be going back to the other universe.

"You cannot close it from the other side?" Loki tried to keep his tone neutral, suddenly aware of the choice that was before him. Jane just shook her head, her expression apologetic. He nodded slowly, kneeling down and lifting Riley's body to his chest. Jane nodded, moving quickly out over the basin. Loki moved to follow, his steps slow and measured until he became aware of a pulling sensation in his arms. Riley's body was beginning to twist and bend, trying to get out of his arms and toward the steaming spring at the center of the basin. He held her fast against him, unwilling to part with her a moment before he had to. The closer they got to the prismatic water, the stronger the pulling became, and it was then that he became aware of a shift in the air.

"Loki hurry!" Jane shouted, waving him closer. Malekith had arrived.

He could feel it, so close now. The trees swayed below him, a vast sea of green except for in one area, a bald scar on the land with a brilliantly colored center. This was where he would have his final test and pass through to his own world. This is where he would release the Aether. The Convergence was almost complete, the worlds hummed with the energy he would soon harness. He watched as several small figures hurried out of the tree line. He smiled. They would not be able to stop him this time.

The ship shimmered into visibility over the basin, moving slowly toward the portal like a pendulous omen. The clock was ticking faster than they could move. They all knew it, even as Jane worked furiously at her control panel. There simply wasn't enough time.

"We have to go now! We can't close it in time!" She hated saying it, but it was the only hope they had left. It was either jump through now or let Malekith go through first and come home to a blackened ruin of a universe. Thor nodded, taking hold of her and preparing to take flight. Before anyone could move, Riley's body was ripped from Loki's hands by an unseen force and pulled limply through the shimmering distortion. She was gone before either brother could react. Loki leapt forward, his body passing through the distortion as well.

"We have to hurry, we have no clue where that thing comes out at!" Jane shouted, holding tight to Thor's shoulders as he took off, the distortion swallowing them as well.

Malekith smiles coldly as he watched the figures disappear one by one into the portal. So they wanted to continue this battle on more familiar ground then. Well, it made little difference to him where they died. He closed his eyes as the ship entered the portal, feeling the pull of it all around him and knowing that when that feeling receded, he would have his victory.

Well, there you have it. Not as long as some of the others, but I tried to pack it as full as I could. This one was hard to write due to the action sequences so if it seems a little disjointed I apologize. Please review guys, seriously. I can't fix problems and such if you don't tell me what I'm doing wrong and I can't keep going in the right direction if I don't know which path to take so PLEASE REVIEW! It's that white box next to the little check boxes. But enough begging from me. See you guys in Chapter 15