Fate and Destiny

by Lalaith Quetzalli

-Sequel to Nexus and Necklace of Songs.- What's the true difference between fate and destiny? Or are they the same thing? Is the future written in stone, to stand through time or in sand, to be washed away by the change of the tide. How much can the actions of a handful of individuals change the world... the universe even? (Touches most of the MCU and other fandoms) (Minor Slash)

14. Endless Love

So... here we are. After six months (minus two days) this journey has come to an end... well no, not quite an end. This week, this chapter, marks the end to this specific fic, but we've still got three more chapters to go in Bouquet of Roses, as well as two shorter pieces, companions and side-stories to these two fics. The first one is called "Sentinels" and goes into my version of AoS (after what was already seen in Nexus) using Darcy and Skye as focal points. The second is "Ethereal Gift" and it's pretty much Helena's story, it's also where I will go into Doctor Strange, and how he and the Mystical Order fit into the Nightingale Universe.

Anyway, this chapter is meant to be a closure for this story, a bridge into the other pieces, and a hint of what's to come in the fourth and final 'act' of this series (the stories there are in their planning stages right now, though I've decided on the titles: "Infinite Starlight" for the main one, and an epilogue called "A Thousand Years).

I'm warning you that there are a few things that you might not fully understand how they fit, especially with Phil and his team (as they make an appearance in this chapter), I will more into them in Bouquet of Roses, and of course Sentinels. Still, I ask you bare with me, and if you find something too confusing ask and I'll answer as many of your questions as I can (or, if I cannot, I will tell you where and when you'll be seeing the answers).

This chapter has two songs. The first is "A Hero Comes Home" by Idina Menzel, it's a longer version than the one that appeared in the second chapter of this story, the one from the end-credits of the Beowulf movie. It's supposed to be a sort of full-circle thing. You'll understand better when you get to that part. The second song is "Endless Love" and while I truly believe the original version is lovely and I thoroughly recommend it, for this one I suggest the Glee version, the one sung by Matthew Morrison and Leah Michelle.

For now that's that. These notes have gone, I think, long enough. Enjoy the chapter!

---

Endless Love

Some things do last forever: like Hope, and Faith and... Love...

We never planned to get involved in the abrupt war that had broken out all over the planet. We watched from the distance as Mycroft lead his most trusted people against those who were found to be Hydra inside the British government (as well as MI5, MI6 and Interpol); Sherlock, John and Lestrade dealt with those in NSY. The closest we got to things was when my Maverick secretly stopped an assassination attempt on Mycroft (even he didn't know).

Of course, when we made those plans we never expected to suddenly hear our daughter's voice in our heads, screaming for us...

We didn't even need to think about it, in a second we were holding hands and dropping into the nearest shadow, allowing our magic and our bonds pull us in the direction of our youngest daughter. We found Rose in the States, somewhere in New Mexico.

The moment we stepped out all my senses were on finding Rose, while my love focused on our surroundings. We were in what looked like some kind of factory. There were a number of men who felt 'wrong' around us, signs that a battle had been fought, and a bunch of people we both recognized: Phil and his team, as well as Darcy and a man we hadn't met before.

"Nightingale... Loki..." Phil named us, and I got the sense like he was understanding something, though I'd no idea what, exactly.

"Hello Phil," I acknowledged him with a nod before going to where I sensed the pain.

There was a man, probably in his early thirties, with short, tousled, dark hair and light-brown eyes, he was wearing tactical gear, which meant that he was a field-agent, a Specialist. He also had a gunshot wound in his stomach, which I immediately got working on. With a little magic I extracted the bullet, then focused on healing him. It was a really bad wound, but I didn't let that discourage me, I needed to focus and work fast in order to save his life.

I also vaguely noticed that aside from Rose, there was another young woman kneeling beside him; with average height (for a human), long honey brown hair and dark eyes, she too was wearing a tactical suit, and looked (and felt) incredibly distressed. Rose was doing her best to console the girl, making assurances about my talents, while my love kept watch over us. He said something to the girl at one point, but I wasn't paying attention, all my focus on the man's wound. It took several minutes, several very long minutes, but eventually he was alright. I heard him and the girl beside him talk about what had happened, I also heard when she told him how the danger (someone called Garrett) was gone, that Rose had killed him... I felt for my daughter, not because I thought she'd done wrong, or anything; I understood that sometimes you needed to resort to such things to protect those you care for, and that some people simply don't want to be saved... (especially since the situation with Mary). Still, I felt bad that my daughter, my youngest, needed to do something like that at all. And I knew it wasn't the first time.

"Rose, my little goddess." My match called with a knowing smirk. "Still causing chaos wherever you go, are you?"

"Of course." Rose's smile was bright as she spoke. "It's in my nature after all."

Yes, yes it was, our dear Goddess of Chaos...

"Thank you for saving my life." The agent (Grant Ward) said, sitting up slowly.

"It's our pleasure." I assured him kindly. "Rose called, and we answered..."

Never would we fail to answer when one of our children called.

"We had no healing stones and we needed help fast." Rose explained quietly, looking straight at us. "I knew you would hear me if I called."

"They're your parents..." The girl beside her, Skye, said suddenly, as if just realizing it. "Why didn't you say so before? It's... it's even more awesome!"

"It's not that I was trying to hide it." Our daughter clarified before anyone could think that. "It's just... back when I first joined the X-Men in the early 70s I changed my name, both Willow and I did, in order to protect the rest of our family, keep them safe from any possible enemies of ours. After that it just became natural... I haven't used that name, or introduced myself as their daughter for decades, more than half my life, in fact."

Maverick and I just smiled; we of course understood her reasoning. If we'd been anonymous people it wouldn't have been a problem. But back then I'd still been Howard's little sister... and it's not like a change of name meant she loved us any less.

"Mama, Papa, I'm sure you must know almost everyone here right now." Our girl said. "But there's someone I'd like you to meet again... This is Skye, my daughter."

I smiled. From the first time I'd seen Skye, that day when she said the words that eventually lead me to dealing with the fact that I was the reincarnation of an elven princess, I'd known she was a special girl. Seeing Rose, I could tell how much she loved the young woman. As much as Loki and I'd ever loved Willow, and her, and the rest of our family. The prospect of a granddaughter was odd to me (mostly because I did not age, as such my children would at times look older than me, and so would Skye), but no less welcome.

I opened my mouth to welcome the girl into our family when I noticed something: a chain around her neck, she was playing with it. It was a double necklace with two oval pendants and a small round one... I knew that necklace!

"Daisy?!" I blurted out, not quite able to believe what I was seeing. "It is you! Daisy! Oh Spirits! How are you here? Where are your mom and dad? And you're with SHIELD..."

"Wait, wait a second." Rose interrupted me abruptly. "You know her?"

"Daisy?!" Several others asked at the same time.

"Daisy Johnson." My husband clarified with a short nod. "It is her."

"Are you sure?" Phil inquired, intently.

"Absolutely." My Maverick waved a hand, using his magic to make Skye's necklace move, calling attention to it. "We gave her this."

"What?!" Again, the shock.

"Does that mean you know my parents?" Skye/Daisy asked very, very quietly.

"If we know..." I froze, as I realized what was really going on. "What?! But that... that means... You call yourself Skye, you've no idea who Daisy is, do you?"

"No." The young woman shook her head. "The nuns at St. Agnes called me Mary Sue Poots, I dropped that name as soon as I knew how to do it, and chose the one of Skye."

"St. Agnes...?" I repeated, shocked. "But then... what happened to your parents? What happened to Cal and Jiaying?"

"Cal and Jiaying?" Skye asked, sounding like she was testing the names, the sounds, all of it.

"Calvin and Jiaying Johnson." I elaborated. "Cal was from Wisconsin, I knew him in the mid-80s while I was working on re-earning my credentials as a nurse. In '88 he joined Doctors Without Borders and left for what was supposed to be a summer in China. He called me months later to tell me was going to stay, establish a clinic in a little town in the Hunan Province that had no doctors. He asked me, asked us to join him. It was risky for us to stay in the States, surrounded by people who might come to recognize us in the future, something that would only have confused them, and our younger selves. So we left. Jiaying was Chinese, she assisted Cal until I got there, even after that she helped us, as we didn't know the language; even did her best to teach us. The two of them married before the end of the year. It was obvious how much they loved each other."

"How long did you stay?" Rose asked softly.

"Until the day after you were born." I told Skye kindly. "We'd made plans to leave earlier, but Jiaying didn't want to go to another town to give birth in a hospital, and Cal didn't want to be alone when his wife gave birth. So we stayed longer, I was there when you were born, helped y... Cal bring you into the world."

I was careful not to use words like 'mother' or 'father', that was something for Skye/Daisy to decide, same with her own name.

"We're technically your god-parents." My husband added from behind me. "Jiaying didn't believe in that particular tradition, but Calvin did. He insisted we were his best-friends..."

"We told him it was a bad idea." I admitted, feeling guilty. "We told him we were leaving, but he insisted. Loki created that necklace, the two smaller pendants carry symbols that represent Jiaying and Calvin, their names in an ancient form of Chinese only Jiaying among us all really knew. The other one was supposed to serve as a blessing of sorts."

"We also spelled it." Maverick offered. "Not much, because we didn't have enough of a tie to you, and you aren't a spell-weaver, to be able to support elaborate arrays... but just enough to help you survive, to maybe give you a push in the right direction when necessary. We knew it'd never be a substitute of actual godparents, but we simply couldn't stay..."

Only Phil and Darcy really knew about our time-travel; and there was really no need for the rest of them to know. Still, it didn't keep me from feeling guilty. I had told Cal we'd be no good as Daisy's godparents! We left so soon, we hadn't even known anything had happened! The worst part? We'd been back for years and aside from a brief excursion during the short time we'd spent with Rose in Tibet right after our return, we hadn't really looked for them. Even then, we hadn't found them (hadn't found anything but what some might have called a ghost-town), and we never again tried to track them down, choosing to believe that they'd simply moved out at some point. It was easier for us to believe that than to even consider any possible alternatives. Spirits! What kind of godparents did that make us?!

We talked for a while longer, Loki and I ready to tell her anything she might want to know about her parents and the time we'd known them. When, in turn, we found out what she'd been through since our leaving our horror only grew. I'd never felt such guilt in my life! Mentally I knew my match and I couldn't have stayed, it was simply too risky, we'd taken enough of a risk staying those extra six months... and yet, learning what she'd been forced to go through, because there had been no one there to claim her, to protect her, like all children should be protected, no one to be her parent and love her as such... Perhaps the only comfort was the connection she had with Rose; we could see the bond, in the ways they referred to each other, and their touches. It was obvious they considered each other family. And then Dai... no, not Daisy, Skye said something I never expected her to say, much less feel (though I could sense the sincerity in her every word):

"I don't regret it." She said calmly. "I might have, in the past, when I was young and insecure, and so afraid that no one wanted me, that no one ever would... But if I hadn't gone through all that, I wouldn't be here today; wouldn't be part of this amazing team, this family... I could never regret that. And if going through all that was the price to be here, right now... then I will never regret everything I've lived. It's made me who I am after all..."

Rose embraced the girl then, kissing her forehead and I realized that she was right. We were all what and who our memories, our experiences made us. Not everything in our pasts might be nice, or happy, but all experiences were important; the sadness and the anger just as important as the joy and the peace.

In the end, we were still family, we always would be, and that was all that really mattered.

xXx

It was something of a surprise, when we got that call from Asgard, Odin and Frigg wanted to see us. My husband and I had gone back to the apartment in Chicago after the thing with Rose, Phil and his team in New Mexico. We made no promises to our goddaughter, we knew we couldn't. Other than recharge the necklace and hope for the best, there was little we could do. Then again, she didn't need us, she had her team-family and she had Rose... We went to Chicago to find that the Starks were gone. I wasn't sure if one could actually consider things to be safer, or more dangerous than ever, with the fights between Hydra and a number of other groups breaking out across he globe, but in the end, it was their choice. We'd given up our right to get involved in Tony's choices when we left him when he was three; much like we'd done with many others. Some might say we'd given up on a lot of things... the other side of the coin was that we'd met a lot of people, got to care for them, help them when we could, when they needed us. And if they didn't anymore? That meant they were strong, and the possibility that we might have had a hand in that made me, made us both, very happy.

We stepped out of the Shadow Paths just outside the golden palace of Asgard. After the war with the dark-elves a new layer of protection had been added: no longer could one enter or exit the Shadow Plane while in the palace; there were a few exceptions, like our private garden, but that was actually farther than the front gates. Ylva and a couple of guards were soon there to receive us, they lead us to one of the sitting rooms in the royal wing, Frigg's favorite one. She and Odin weren't the only ones there, so were Thor, Jane, Helena and Sigyn (Frigg's head handmaiden).

"Nana!" Helena smiled brightly as she hurried to greet me.

It took but a few seconds to greet everyone else. Then it was Thor who mentioned something:

"Sif didn't come with you?" He asked.

"No, I'm afraid she's been a bit busy." I told him apologetically.

I could almost hear my love crowing in the back of my head. He couldn't wait to see Thor's face when our brother learned what (or more like who) was keeping Sif busy, exactly. For so long he'd seen her as a warrior, as one of his own, that he'd failed to see her as a lady (which was probably why he'd failed to see she fancied him...); I still thought it was a good thing. Thor and Sif had both gotten their loves. It was perfect!

"You've all taken a long, hard journey, have been through a lot, but it was worth it, now all is as it should be." Frigg announced with a serene smile in her face.

Loki cocked his head sideways, as if trying to unravel what his mother meant by that. I wasn't sure why, but the meaning of her words hit me then.

"You know...?!" I blurted out.

My Maverick caught up with my train of thought but a fraction of second later and his eyes went wide as he looked at the Queen.

"Oh don't look so surprised, an old woman can still know a few things, can't she?" She smiled almost playfully as she said that.

"You're not old mother, not at all." My love assured her, kissing her hands. "But Nightingale is right. You know about our time-travel."

"Time-travel?!" Thor and Jane exclaimed in unison.

Odin would never do something like that, but I could tell he was just as surprised.

"There is a trace of the energy that allowed you to travel, still in you." She explained. "It feels very much like one of the Stones..."

"The Time Stone..." I finished for her, before letting out a wordless cry of triumph. "I knew it!"

Everyone turned to my love, obviously wanting clarification.

"We did time-travel." He explained to our family. "Seventy-five years to be exact. But we don't know how. We have theories, of course, but no actual proof. None of us really remember what happened on the day of our travel, aside from the belief that we were somewhere around the Western Chinese border and that, whatever had brought us there, was of vital importance. After the fact we also heard rumors of people with abilities who supposedly inhabit the area but haven't been able to find any of them."

"What were you doing before going there?" Jane asked, going all scientist-mode on us.

"That's just it." I admitted. "We'd been doing a few missions for SHIELD... or more precisely for Fury directly. Helping him and sometimes Darcy with a few things..."

"Is Darcy alright?!" Jane cut us off, her mind doing a sharp turn abruptly.

"Perfectly alright." My husband assured her. "We saw her just yesterday. Some things are going on that you might or might not know, but we'll go into that. Still, you need not worry, Darcy is doing well."

"She hasn't been well since Phil died..." Jane murmured. "Always looking so absent, getting more and more lost in her computers..."

It pained me, seeing my future sister like that. But it wasn't our place to tell her the truth about Phil. He'd be the one doing that (and it better be soon). Helena's eyes met ours; she knew the truth, of course, you couldn't lie about death to the Queen of the Dead, but she too kept quiet.

"Like I was saying." I went on. "We'd been going on a few missions. Sif helped us too, every now and then. And yet, we'd have never taken our son on a mission, I know we wouldn't have. We might be a tad reckless, but we're not that irresponsible!"

"No, you're not." I wasn't expecting it when Helena spoke.

"Cala amin (my light)?" I called questioningly.

"You don't remember this, but I called you that day." My eldest daughter explained quietly. "I'm the one who gave you the idea of going to that place, and of taking Hakon with you. It wasn't a mission for SHIELD. You were looking into the sorcerers said to live in the area. I told you it was safe, that you could see it as a short holiday. You made me promise to join you there if I could..."

"But you didn't." I finished for her, half-absently, trying to wrap my mind around everything she was saying.

"You knew." It was my match who reached the obvious conclusion first that time. "You knew what would happen if we went there..."

"Not exactly, I..." Helena hesitated, before trying to explain herself. "There's someone... someone I know and trust... I was asked to get you all there. I knew it wasn't dangerous, and the place is beautiful, which is why I told you it was safe to take Hakon. I didn't know that was when you would be sent into the past."

Loki looked like he was about to descend into a funk, but I couldn't miss the specific choice of words of my daughter (I knew word-games very well).

"You said 'when'." I pointed out, eyes narrowed. "You said 'when', not 'if'. You were surprised we were sent back in that moment, but not about our time-travel. You knew it would happen!"

"I knew, I've known for longer than Silbhé Salani has existed in this world." Helena nodded.

Again, her choice of words was telling, but I didn't mention it, just waited for my daughter to explain herself, I knew it was important.

"I was there." She said, after what seemed like forever. "I was there when your soldier friend was experimented on and he almost died. I was there to give him a choice, to surrender to peace or fight a war for his loved ones. I was there when a five year old dove into the flames and tore another little girl from the hands of death; unknowingly rewriting her fate, and that of many others as well. I was also there when a woman breathed her last, to guide her to the one who'd been patiently waiting for her..."

I couldn't stop myself, I sniffed, I knew exactly who she was talking about.

Helena wasn't done yet.

"I was there when a young man got a second chance at life on a riverside, and later on, when his to-be-godson got the first at his own. When a good woman died, a good man lost himself and their child was left to fight for her own survival. When another man, another soldier, almost bled to death in the sand, only to be saved, and find his way to the one who's been waiting for him for lifetimes. When a young girl was shot and it took her more strength than most would believe humanly possible to survive, and when her match almost died to protect her..."

I wasn't quite sure about all of those, though I could make a decent guess at a few. Still, to realize that she'd been there, through it all... It was like gaining the memories of my past life, finding out the truth... only to then learn she had known it all along.

I wasn't sure what to say, or do, wasn't sure anything could; the past was exactly that, the past (though, as we'd proven, time-travel was possible... though it wasn't as simple as they made it seem in the movies). In any case, I could think of only one thing: I threw my arms around her and embraced her tightly.

"I love you so much..." I whispered into her ear.

It was enough. In the end, love, family, would always be enough.

xXx 3rd Person POV xXx

Nick Fury, the former Director of SHIELD (or was it the Director of the former SHIELD?) got to the military cemetery in Washington DC, early on July 15th, exactly two weeks since the so-called Winter Soldier (or one of them, at least) had tried to kill him and started the insane mess that somehow ended with the fall of not just his enemy, but also his own agency. He wasn't very happy about that. No, it went beyond that, he wasn't willing to just accept it. He had plans. Plans he'd concocted a long time ago, before he even began suspecting about Hydra in fact. He had known who his successor would be for a long time... and he was still planning on that. The good Captain might think things would be better if SHIELD too was gone, but he'd been on ice too long to be objective (or so Fury kept telling himself), also, what Rogers didn't know, wouldn't hurt him. He would appoint his successor and then... who knew? He'd considered going on his own for a while. Perhaps hunting down some of the remains of Hydra. Except there was the whole crazy Alliance that had been formed sometime and he'd no idea about. Alliance with gifted? It never ended well, either one of the gifted went crazy and took the path of mutant-supremacy and human annihilation, like Magneto; or... well, what happened in the nineties could actually be tracked back to Stryker, if he stopped and thought it over; he'd had his suspicions back then but hadn't been able to do anything about it (on hindsight, Hydra probably had something to do with that...). Still, he didn't trust gifted, which complicated the whole 'solo' idea; also, he had no idea how much of Hydra had actually been taken out over the course of the past two weeks. That one too stung, he wasn't used to not being the one to know things, to call the shots.

So, bottom line: he had a lot of time on his hands, was ready to go out and fight, yet had no idea where or against who exactly; he'd all the plans about the right person to become the next head of SHIELD, but hadn't the slightest idea of where to find him! That was the other thing bothering him. He'd left Coulson the clues he'd need, and yet when he'd gone to Providence, Eric Koenig had told him that no one had been there. In fact, the last thing they knew of Coulson and his team was that they'd been en-route to the Triskellion the night before it all went to hell (before Cap's attack and everything that followed), then they'd vanished from every radar. And since Romanoff had deleted everything from all of SHIELD's servers he'd no way of tracking them down by their identification code.

All that contributed to Nick Fury not being exactly the happiest person on the planet as he arrived to the cemetery, where he'd planned on meeting with Captain Rogers and quite possibly some of his friends (he still wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about most of them, especially the ones with no allegiance to any formal organization...). Rogers and Wilson were already there, seemingly waiting for him. Fury couldn't help but think that at least one thing was going according to plan... he'd no idea how utterly wrong he was.

"So, you've experienced this sort of thing before?" Fury commented, signaling to his own grave.

It would be impossible to know if he was trying to make a joke (and it wasn't that great) or if he simply didn't know what else to say.

"You get used to it." Steve shrugged.

"Nah!" Another voice called, it was James Barnes. "No getting used to it. I still say I'm taking a sledge-hammer to mine the moment I get one. It gives me the creeps! Seeing my name in a god-damned grave! I'm alive!"

"Indeed." Sif nodded simply.

"Listen, I need to talk to your friend, Grayson." Fury finally said.

"And why is that?" Steve arched a brow, curious.

"I know you're putting a lot of trust in your little alliance, but I don't." The ex-Director said rather bluntly. "Even if Hydra as a whole is gone, I'm willing to bet not all rats will be going down with their ship. We need to route them out, and eliminate them."

"Even if you're right, that's not your job anymore, is it?" Sif asked, somewhat coldly. "SHIELD is gone Fury, you're no longer the one calling the shots. If you want to fight, you can very well help those doing it, but it's just not your show anymore."

"You may not trust the alliances that were made, but I do Nick." Steve added, more calmly than her. "Still, I do agree with you that it's unlikely all the pieces of Hydra went down last week, plans will need to be made..."

"Then you agree?" Nick nodded. "I can get to Europe tonight, you'll send me the intel..."

"Ah, ah." Steve shook his head. "That's not how this works."

Nick was about to try and be more 'persuasive', when someone else intervened.

"What? The old war-hawk doesn't like playing with other kids?" A young-looking man in a dark-blue henley, jeans and sneakers asked as he approached. "Or is it that he doesn't like other kids playing in what he still wants to believe is his sandbox?"

"Aren't you laying it on a bit thick on the metaphors Hakon?" Sif asked, rolling her eyes.

"Hakon?" Fury cut in, eyes narrowed.

"Right." The boy in blue smiled almost predatory at him as he spoke. "The public knows me as Macbeth Grayson nowadays... but you may call me Hakon if you want, Nicholas Fury... Hakon Fitz Salani-Hvedrungr."

"Salani Hvedrungr..." Fury repeated, not quite processing.

"He means, of course, that he's our son." Another voice called.

Everyone turned to watch as Loki and Nightingale approached. She was wearing a coral-pink, floor-length, short-sleeved dress with a black collar; it looked a bit out-of-fashion but still good on her; Loki was wearing a suit, lighter than the shades he'd favored before, but went well with the lighter tone of hair he was sporting. They weren't alone. Helena, Thor and Jane were with them, the first two in their usual Asgardian attires, and Jane in a blue and golden gown in the style that had become almost normal for her since first getting to the Realm Eternal, the year before (she'd since been acknowledged as Thor's betrothed and was using her knowledge of science and understanding of the Bifrost to earn her place as future Queen Consort of Asgard).

"But your son is a child!" Fury blurted out.

"Our son was a child, many years ago, before we were sent seventy-five years back in time while on a little trip." Nightingale deadpanned.

Quite a number of people had to do a double-take at that.

"Time-travel is not possible." Fury stated stoically.

"Oh Nicholas, you still believe that if you cannot do something it cannot be done." Another female voice stepped in.

Everyone turned to the most recent addition. She was a woman in her mid-fifties, with blue-green eyes, short brown, somewhat wavy hair; she was wearing an off-white two-piece knee-length pencil dress, with a ¾ sleeved cardigan with a print of yellow blossoms over an ivory background and five-inch ivory heels.

"Katharine..." Nicholas breathed out, obviously not having expected it, her.

"For those of you who don't know me." She called. "I am Kathryn Salani Adler, retired SHIELD Agent and Silbhé's aunt. Nowadays I work as a nurse, and have offered my services as a consultant, both to the King of Wakanda and to the British government."

"You're a part of this." Nicholas murmured in realization.

"My niece is a part of this. In what universe would I not be a part of anything she's involved with?" She asked rhetorically.

"You believed her to be dead." Fury said what he thought should have been obvious.

"And now I know she's not." Kathryn pointed out the obvious. "Your point being?"

Clint's laughter gave away his presence, and Natasha was with him.

It was probably in that moment that Nick Fury realize that things weren't exactly going to plan. He had no idea how bad they would be getting yet... though the Starks and Banners joining their 'little party' should have given him an idea. Especially since Maria Hill, Peter Parker and his own little group weren't far behind.

"What exactly are all of you doing here?" Fury demanded right then.

"Did someone organize an Avengers meeting?" Sam asked, eyes wide, as he began realizing what many of those present had in common.

"I called them." Yet another female voice announced.

It was Darcy Lewis, and she was wearing dark jeans, a white fitted top and short dark jacket, black leather boots finished the ensemble; her chestnut brown hair was down, somewhat messy. There was also a gun (electric) on her hip (and other weapons inside her boots, though those were less obvious).

"Agent Shadow..." Fury began, he had a really bad feeling of what was coming.

"Not Agent, just Shadow." Darcy interrupted him with a smile. "Or Darcy. That never stopped being my name, not even when SHIELD existed." Her smile widened as she added. "Though at least now I can legally change it to my married name:" She waited a second, as if to make sure everyone was paying attention, then dropped the bomb: "Darcy Marie Lewis-Coulson."

On cue, the man she'd taken the last name from stepped out from behind a tree. For several seconds not a word was said, it was as if they were all too shocked to react, and then...

"Agent you're alive!" Tony cried out dramatically.

He spoke like he was saying a bad joke, or like he was drunk... and yet those who really knew him could see the well of emotion behind his brown eyes, the mix of shock, confusion, disbelief and honest joy and relief that filled him as he watched the man standing there.

Phil Coulson just stood there, bracing himself for what he thought was coming... only it never did. Instead Natasha Romanoff's attention turned to Darcy.

"You knew?" The Russian asked the younger woman in a somewhat clipped tone.

"Always." Darcy nodded sharply, raising her left hand to show the wedding-band, finally where it belonged. "Loki and Nightingale spelled these, made sure I'd always be able to find him, know he was alright. That others couldn't lie to me for the 'greater good' or some other bullshit."

Natasha seemed to consider those words before nodding once. Her approval of it all. Which made everyone turned their attention to her.

"What?" She shrugged. "Cannot say I'm exactly surprised. At least he wasn't alone and she didn't have to needlessly grieve his death."

"She's right." Clint agreed. "I might hate it, but we... well, most of us knew what we were getting into when we joined SHIELD. The two of them actually having each other was better than I'd have expected, all things considered."

It certainly wasn't what Fury would have preferred, but then again, the choice hadn't been his.

"Why weren't we told before?" Bruce asked quietly. "Why now? Why let us believe for more than a year that he was dead?"

"Because the kind of enemy I... we were going after was too dangerous." Phil explained calmly. "I actually did almost die that day, following a lead. One of Nightingale's friends saved my life." He didn't actually know who, had never cared to ask for names. "She eventually got there, healed me. By the time I got back I'd already been declared as MIA and most likely dead. Nick simply took advantage of the opportunity we were being presented with."

"So you went back to chasing that enemy, alone?" Jane was horrified at the prospect.

"Not alone." Phil shook his head, before waving behind him.

Somehow, they'd all missed the arrival of the people behind him, his new team.

"You have a new team?!" Tony called loudly. "You've replaced us! I'll cry!"

Everyone laughed at that.

"At least they follow my orders without me having to taser them Stark!" Phil barked, unable to fully erase the smile on his face.

"You tasered Iron Man?" Skye asked before punching the air in jubilation. "Yay! Way to go AC!"

Quick introductions of the newcomers were made, and soon small conversations were taking place. Tony and Bruce were both very interested in the Centipede serum and the abilities it gave Mike; that also called Steve's and James's attention; while Mike himself felt almost bashful at having so much attention, especially of the super-soldiers he'd been trying to emulate while training in SHIELD.

"Are we done with the surprising arrivals?" Fury asked, almost petulantly.

A few people really wanted to laugh right then... the man had no idea.

"Not just yet, Nick..." It surprised everyone when they realized it was Steve, Captain-freaking-America, practically taunting the former Director.

Before anyone could ask what exactly he meant by that another person stepped into the clearing.

Everyone recognized the woman as she joined the group, though she was wearing clothes that were very different from what she had while working in SHIELD. In a short-sleeved, knee-length, loose, v-necked navy-blue dress with turquoise and pink abstract prints and pink lace on the neckline; pale-pink low-heels on her feet.

"Agent 13." Fury acknowledged her.

"Sharon is just fine." She stated, her face taking on an expression that immediately remind everyone of Darcy just minutes before, and with good reason. "Sharon Margaret Carter-Rogers. Pleased to meet you all."

Again there were a few seconds of silence, more than with anyone else, which was probably understandable, since none of the earlier surprises had been quite so shocking as that one.

"You married Cap!" Clint finally cried out.

"Why weren't we invited to the wedding?" Darcy asked, quite surprised herself.

"It would have been quite impossible to invite you all." Steve said with a sheepish smile. "Seeing how I actually got married back in 1945..."

That certainly broke several minds.

"You what?!"

Sharon/Peggy laughed uproariously, she hadn't had so much fun since the old days!

"Oh come on people, use your brains!" Sif snapped.

And it was then that people began noticing. While Sharon's hair still looked mostly blonde, close to her roots it looked darker, either a very dark red, or perhaps light brown. The answer was obvious, really, though perhaps too obvious.

"No way!" Skye cried out.

All eyes turned on her.

"Don't you see it?" She asked. "It's her! She's Peggy Carter!"

"That's impossible Skye." Simmons shook his head. "Agent Carter... well, actually former-Agent Sholto nowadays, is over ninety years old and living in an institution in England..."

"Actually, she's quite right." Sharon nodded. "I am that Peggy Carter. The woman you know as Marge Sholto is a decoy. She took my place when a few things happened and it became obvious that I wouldn't be able to stay around."

"But... but you haven't aged at all, since the forties!" Fitz blurted out, trying and failing to wrap his scientific mind around what was being revealed.

"Neither has Steve." Sif pointed out calmly.

"Or I." James added his own two cents.

"Well yes, but you were on ice." May said, somewhat bluntly.

"And I was asleep." Sharon replied, just as bluntly. "It's why the decoy was necessary." She took a deep breath before explaining. "After... after James fell." She directed an apologetic look at the man. "Steve and I'd been dating secretly for a while. We wanted to marry, but knew we couldn't do it legally, not without someone pulling me out of the front with the excuse of inappropriate fraternization, or some other ridiculous excuse. And so we went to our friends, and they married us, in a magical ceremony." She knew better than to mention the deamarkonian.

"Friends?" Hill raised a brow.

"She means us." Nightingale clarified.

"How is that possible?" Hill couldn't believe it.

"Didn't we say it already?" Loki rolled his eyes. "Time travel. We were there. Only back then we used the names of Luke and Arianna Stark-Serrure."

No one reacted at that name; though some already knew, and the rest had probably exceeded their quota of shocks by that point.

"Anyway." Sharon took over the story. "We wanted no regrets. So we did it. We knew I would undergo some changes, due to the serum filtering to me through our bond... we still never expected it when Steve getting lost in the Arctic made me fall asleep, to wake up years later."

"So what?" Phil asked, awed. "You didn't wake up until we found the Captain, in 2011?"

"Not quite." Agent 13 said, honestly. "I woke up once, in the eighties. Joined SHIELD until there was an attempt on my life and while I survived it, I fell asleep again."

"Shannon..." The name came from Kathryn's and Nick's mouths at the same time.

"Hey guys..." Peggy greeted them with a nostalgic smile. "Long time no see..."

"You were reported dead." Kathryn murmured, looking at her once-best-friend like she'd never seen her before.

"And I'd have been, if it weren't for the serum, and for Hakon." Sharon nodded.

All eyes turned to the black-haired, blue-eyed young man, who just shrugged and ignored the attention. Sharon, Shannon, Peggy, whatever her name; she was his friend, so of course he'd helped her, he'd always help her.

Fury could only look around him, at all the people gathered, all the secrets being revealed (all the secrets he'd have hoarded jealously had he been given the option). He had no idea that it wasn't over just yet.

"Now this is some party." Yet another individual announced herself.

All eyes immediately turned to her. A woman in a knee-length off-white wrap dress with a print of dark-red flowers, red leather boots on her feet. Wavy, dark-auburn tresses fell down her back, with two locks pulled back to keep it mostly in place, a red rose adorning her hair.

"Who are you?" Fury demanded, who had about had it with the surprising arrivals.

"I am the woman you want to talk to, Nicholas Fury." She told him, her voice taking a strange cadence. "I am the one behind the creation of the Worldwide Alliance, the very same alliance that fought and mostly defeated Hydra over the last week." She arched a brow silently, as if waiting while hearing something no one else did and added: "Rosalie Kane, Rosalie Nova, Alfdis Eisenhardt, Rose Serrure..." Again, a pause. "Yes, those are all my names, and they are all real, one way or another." Again. "No, I'm not reading your mind. I know every single question you will think of asking, knew it before I even stepped into this cemetery. You see, I have two main gifts, one is fire." She made a little flame dance between her fingers. "And the other, the other is Sight." She smiled serenely at him. "Oh yes, I know also what you're wondering, what you refuse to really consider, even though it's the obvious answer. So I'll make it easy on you and say it: I am the Rose of Chaos."

"The Rose of Chaos is a legend, a symbol." Fury stated instantly.

"As much as I'm sure some would rather believe that, we know it's not true." Rose told him rather calmly. "After all, I'm quite sure your Deputy informed you I was one of those standing between your minions and my second father not too long ago, when you tried to have him unlawfully imprisoned, again."

"You mean the terrorist Magneto." Fury hissed.

"I mean Max Eisenhardt, Erik Lehnsherr, the man the United States government imprisoned for the assassination of President Kennedy, when he'd actually been trying to save the man's life, the man whom that same government turned over to a sick bastard called Bolivar Trask to become an experiment." She waved a hand before Fury could interrupt her. "They knew exactly what they were doing, and didn't care. They didn't care because to them he wasn't human, he was mutant. Very well, I'm not human, nor a mutant, I'm something else entirely."

Fury was probably about to ask what exactly she was supposed to be then, when Loki gave him (and everyone else) the answer:

"She's the Goddess of Chaos and Faith." He announced.

"Rose Alfdis Salani-Hvedrungr." Nightingale added for good measure.

"Or just Rose Alfdis Lokidottir, as the case might be." Rose finished with a bright smile.

Silence was the answer. All those present might have had more than a few shocks since first arriving to that place; but that probably surpassed all the previous ones.

Skye just smiled widely, yeah, she'd always known her mom was awesome.

xXx Nightingale's POV xXx

Nick Fury looked more than a little miffed when he finally left, and the looks that Rose directed his way told me she knew exactly why he was so angry, but she probably wouldn't say. My little rose was good like that, a trustworthy secret keeper.

"Oh Nicholas..." I heard Aunt Kathryn say from beside me suddenly.

I was surprised by the degree of grief I sensed from her. I'd known she had worked with him, with him and Peggy both. And I'd seen the way both women embraced each other, delighted to be able to meet again. Nick, in contrast, had been rather aloof. And then, in that very moment, I noticed something else, something I'd somehow managed to miss even in all the years I'd known my beloved aunt, even when I considered her the closest thing I ever had to a mother (Aislinn Kinross-Salani would always be my mother, no doubt about it, but it was Kathryn who raised me, even more so than my father). I remembered the sphinx sculpture which turned out to be a secret jewelry box, and the two things inside it: a heart-shaped piece of white sea glass, wire-wrapped with a silver key charm, resting on a titanium chain that was probably long enough that, when worn, the pendant would rest between a woman's breasts; and with it was a very small piece of paper, yellowed with age: For my Sphinx, my Princess of the Nile...

It was so obvious in that moment, I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it before. SHIELD called Aunt Kathryn the Sphinx, and I knew exactly who'd given her that code-name...

"You're soulmates..." I blurted out in shock. "But then... why aren't you together?"

"Oh sweetheart..." She breathed out, looking at me with eyes that hid more emotions that I knew the names of.

And for the first time in many, many years, I honestly felt the age I looked. I, who had memories of two lifetimes, who'd lived for almost a century in my latest one, felt like little more than a child while standing before Kathryn Salani Adler...

"You are so incredibly fortunate Silbhé." She might know I went by other names, but to her I'd always be Silbhé, her brother's daughter. "You have no idea how much. You've found your other half, and not only that but you share a life with him. Share interests and dreams, and that's allowed you to live a wonderful life." She shook her head. "Truth is, sometimes love just isn't enough. It doesn't mean that it's weak, that it's any less than your own, it just isn't enough. I know Nicholas loves me, as much as I love him, and we probably always will; but in the end each of us made our choices, we found something that was more important than the love we share. For me it was my family: both Sebastian and you; and while I'll admit it was hard at first, I do not regret it. The choice I've made has brought me great rewards, not the least which has been watching you grow, making a family of your own, reach heights I didn't believe possible." She let out a breath. "For him, his choice was duty, to the government, to SHIELD; I think that's why it's so hard for him to accept that it's gone." The possibility that it might not have been worth it...

I did not need Aunt Kathryn to finish the sentence. She was honest that she didn't regret her choice. She was happy with her life. Nick Fury on the other hand... And yet, it's not like they were dead yet, or like the world had ended. Life might not be eternal, but for as long as it lasted, new decisions could be made, dreams could still be fulfilled.

"You made your choices once." I told my aunt quietly. "But who says you have to live with them for the rest of your lives? Who says you cannot change them now?" I smiled gently at her. "It's not too late yet Auntie... Go..."

I wasn't sure if she had been thinking the same thing and just needed someone to tell her the same thing, or if maybe it hadn't actually occurred to her before. Still, her smile right then was dazzling, it actually made her look younger, like she had in those pictures I'd seen from her first op as a SHIELD Agent, in Cairo in the mid-eighties... And then I noticed something else, a titanium chain around her neck...

"Whatever else might come, you will always be my niece, my Silbhé." She assured me, hugging me briefly and kissing my hair. "Never forget that sweetheart."

"Never auntie." I assured her.

And then she was gone.

I happened to turn in Rose's direction, she too was focused on the direction Aunt Kathryn had just gone. And then she turned to look at me, and she smiled. Even without her saying anything I knew things would be alright.

"I saw what you did just there..." I heard as a pair of lean, strong arms snaked around my waist.

"She deserves to be happy." I said simply, resting against my husband's strong chest. "Like we all are. Isn't that the purpose of living? Being happy?"

"Don't know." He shrugged. "I suppose it's as good a purpose as any, better than some even."

"What would you say is your purpose then?" I asked with a brow arched. "Doing mischief?"

"No." He shook his head, looking me straight in the eye. "My purpose in life is loving you, nothing more than that."

I actually blushed, he hadn't managed to make me blush in a while. Still, even that didn't stop me from kissing him, pouring all the love I felt into that kiss, until we were both breathless.

"Hey! Not here!" Tony called loudly. "There are children present."

"Yes Tony, and you're the biggest of them all." I retorted playfully.

"Of course I am, auntie." He replied, tongue-in-cheek.

I couldn't help it, I laughed at that. Really, so long feeling that he might not understand, might not forgive me my extended absence; things had gone much better than I dare ever hope.

"So, now what?" Clint asked then. "I mean, SHIELD is gone. Does that mean the Avengers are gone as well?"

"Of course not!" Steve shook his head.

"He's right." Natasha agreed. "The Avengers might have worked with SHIELD, but weren't actually a part of it. We're still a part of it... if you want to be that is."

"And Avengers Tower is still Avengers Tower." Tony stated for his part. "I'd be delighted to offer our newest super-soldiers membership into our little band, and of course, their own floor."

"I say yes to the Avengers, though I don't need a floor, I'm staying with my husband." Peggy announced, and everyone could hear her giddiness at the prospect.

"We'll be staying together as well." James spoke up for him and his own lover.

"Sif?" Thor called to his old-friend.

"Oh Thor..." Sif smiled at him softly, so different from how she used to be, from the woman Thor had known for so long. "I'm still your friend, I will always be your friend. But my life is here now, with James and our friends."

I looked at Thor and I could tell he felt like one of his oldest friends was abandoning him; and he was so wrong. So I said the first thing that came to mind:

"I'm glad the two of you found each other again." I told Sif with a smile. "Every match deserves a chance to be together."

Thor turned wide eyes towards me as I said that. Then he turned towards Jane, who was smiling at him in turn. I could sense the moment he understood. He turned back to Sif then, embracing her tightly but briefly.

"I'm so happy for you, my friend!" He exclaimed, before turning to James. "I hope you realize what a lucky man you are."

"I know, of course I know." James assured him wholeheartedly.

"So then, are we all going back to New York now?" Tony asked eagerly. "I have a plane and we will probably all fit."

"Much as I'd love to, I'm afraid that will not be possible for some of us, Tony." Rose was finally the one to say what I was sure at least a few of us were thinking.

"We cannot stay." Phil offered, first of all. "According to some things Darcy and Skye have gotten, not all of Hydra is gone. We'll be handling that."

"Would you like some help?" Steve offered.

"Not right now, though possibly in the future." Phil nodded. "We're coordinating with another superhero team, might do some joint missions in the future..."

"No Agent!" Tony called, again very dramatically. "You're replacing us!"

"As much of a relief as that would be, no, I'm not doing that Stark." Phil deadpanned.

"What team are you working with?" Peggy asked, curious.

"Right now, the Justice League." Phil explained, then turned to look briefly at his wife before adding. "We also have a meeting with the mutant leaders for early next week, might be able to coordinate something with the X-Men as well."

"There's one thing I don't understand, though." Sam offered. "I mean, SHIELD is gone... because it is gone, right? I didn't misinterpret that?"

"No, no mistake, you're quite correct about that Mr. Wilson." Phil nodded.

"Then how are you doing this?" Sam finally asked. "I mean, you're not SHIELD anymore... I'm not actually sure if the question should be how you're doing it, or why?"

"The second is easier to answer." Darcy told him with a small smile. "Because someone has to. And to be fair. We were part of SHIELD, which means that in some way, no matter how big or small, we were part of the problem. Who better to fix it than us?"

"We're not SHIELD anymore, but our goal remains the same one that pushed us all to join." Phil added solemnly. "To protect. We will protect this world. From Hydra, and whatever else might come our way."

I wasn't sure if I was the only one who noticed that the whole 'how' issue was never addressed. In any case, I didn't ask. If they needed help they would ask for it, I hoped... I also knew that Darcy was quite the proficient hacker, so if someone could handle things, it'd be her; and without a doubt the rest of their team would be talented in their own ways.

"We aren't staying either." Loki announced right then.

"What?!" The exclamation was general. "Why not?"

"That's a tad more complicated..." He muttered.

"We've told you we time-traveled." I began the actual explanation. "While Fury was wrong about it being impossible, truth is that it's not so easily done either. There might be a few among the gifted capable of sending either themselves or someone else back in time a few days, weeks, months... perhaps even as much as a year. But traveling seventy-five years... that's practically unheard of. It's something that no one individual, however powerful, would be able to achieve. The drain of the power alone would kill him long before they managed it."

"Then how?" Banner demanded.

"The Time Stone..." Sif was the first outside our little group to connect the dots.

"Excuse you," Tony called. "Time-what?"

"Time Stone." Sif repeated. "It's one of the Six Infinity Stones."

"Which are..." Peter began, waiting for someone to finish that statement.

"Time, Space, Reality, Power, Mind and Soul." Helena enlisted evenly.

"In simple terms." I took over, because I knew my husband was quite capable of complicating things just to make fun of the so-called geniuses present, like Tony. "The universe was created... however many thousands and more years ago, by a higher being, or beings. When creation was finished and the universe came to be, or at least an ancient version of the universe we know now, the remnants of the power that was used took shape into six singularities, the aforementioned stones. Those stones hold so much power it's impossible to measure, to even fully comprehend. They literally have the power to shape the universe, to change it..."

"Or destroy it." My love finished for me.

"Or destroy it." I agreed grimly.

"O-kay..." Even Tony had to blink at that one. "What does that have to do with anything? Particularly with you leaving?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Darcy called right then. "I mean, think about it. If only the Time Stone could have sent them back... well, that one is obvious enough, but considering that at least three other Stones have popped up right in this planet in the last five years..."

"Three?" Steve blinked.

"The Tesseract is obviously the Space Stone." Darcy began enlisted. "Seeing how it opens doors between worlds and all that. The Aether too is obvious enough... though I'm not exactly sure if that one is supposed to be the Power Stone, because of the sheer destruction it can cause, or the Reality one, seeing how Malekith intended to use it to change reality itself..." She shook her head. "Anyway, then we have the nifty little staff-thingy our friend Loki was carrying during the Invasion, the one that gave some people those creepy glowing blue eyes."

A Staff no one quite knew where it was, exactly. It had vanished in the aftermath of the invasion. Back when no one had known that the Mind Gem was actually one of the Stones. And once the trouble with Loki and Odin was finished... no one had any idea where it'd ended. Finding out that Hydra had been within SHIELD didn't exactly make things better; it just made the prospects of where the object might be, and what it might be used for, worse.

"Is that normal?" Peggy asked suddenly. "So many of those stones, more than half if you're right, being found in the same planet, in less than five years?"

"Not at all." My Maverick shook his head. "Truth be told no two Stones had been seen together even once since the Celestials last held them..."

"Celestials?" May repeated, questioningly.

"The only beings known to be able to wield them without being torn apart by the power inside them." Rose qualified. "They're believed to have become extinct in the last millennia or so." she made a pause before adding. "Some believe that there might be a few descendants left across the galaxies, mixed-bloods... Though, of course, no one has actually been able to prove that theory successfully."

I was abruptly reminded of my own theory, so long ago, of my love's origins, of him possibly being half-Titan, and how that might give him a bigger chance against Thanos. Back then we hadn't given it much importance, the focus being on the actual battle that was coming our way. One we thought to have won... and while we hadn't exactly lost, I wasn't sure anymore that we had truly destroyed our enemy. Wasn't even sure why, there was just a feeling I had and couldn't get rid of. It could also be because of how the Stones seemed to be popping up.

"In any case." Loki took over. "That's why we cannot stay. Rumors have reach Asgard about another of the Stones surfacing, this time in another galaxy. We need to investigate those rumors. Then there's the Collector, Taneleer Tivan, if anyone in the known galaxies knows more than us about the Infinity Stones, it might be him. He's always shown a remarkable... interest in them. If we knows something we don't, we need to find out."

"We also plan on dropping by Alfheim at some point." I added.

"Alfheim?" Pepper asked, cocking her head sideways. "Isn't that the world you said your past life came from? Princess Tinúviel?"

"Indeed." I nodded with a small smile. "My people, the Ljósálfar, or Light-Elves are known for a number of things, among which is their Sight. Many powerful psychics have been born among them. My mother... or rather Tinúviel's was one of them. Lady Thenidiel is the current leader of the elven coven of spellweavers, as well as a particularly talented psychic. She's also a friend. I think she might be able to help us. Also, even is she's unable, another thing Alfheim is known for, is for their records. Elves keep the most extensive and comprehensive record of history, going back farther than most of the other Realms. There might be something in those records about the Stones, something that the rest of the universe might have forgotten."

"Even though we're leaving our children will be staying, and they're each perfectly capable of helping in an emergency." My match reminded our friends.

Truth be told, in the most recent situation two of our children had done a lot more than we had. One might say they'd simply been in a better position to do it, but a voice inside my head insisted that if we'd wanted we could have done more... we'd grown too used to letting things happen as they may and only interfering when we considered it absolutely necessary (usually when one of our loved ones was in danger). Perhaps we'd grown too used to letting people sort out their own problems. That would have to change especially if the sudden appearances of so many of the Infinity Stones was truly a warning of some great confrontation coming.

Of course Thor and Jane wouldn't be staying either, that one didn't even need to be said, they both had too many duties in Asgard; though they did promise to visit more often.

Things seemed to be winding down, finally, when James and Sif approached us unexpectedly.

"Hey..." James called, he sounded almost... shy? "My man Steve told me you two were the ones who married him to his lady love."

"That is correct." Loki nodded. "They decided a usual marriage wasn't possible for them at the time, not when it would cause their superiors to split them, quite possibly take Peggy away. I suppose they might marry legally now."

"Yeah well, I don't actually have a legal identity right now, neither does Sia for that matter." He muttered, twisting his body, uncomfortable. "The point is..." He took a deep breath and blurted out: "I would like you to marry us."

We all stared at him in shock, all of us, even Sif!

"James..." Sif murmured, seemingly at a loss for words.

"Twice I've let you go, doll..." He murmured quietly to her.

"It wasn't your fault James!" She defended.

"Perhaps not." He shrugged. "I'm still not making that mistake a third time." He cocked his head and said: "Though, of course, if you don't want to be married to his old soldier..."

"Ha!" Sif snorted. "You have no idea. I'm already married to you, dumbass!"

Again, surprise; even Sif blinked, like she hadn't planned on saying that at all.

"When?!" He demanded, instantly.

"December 21st 1995." She said, precisely. "Almost three months after I finally found you in Russia. You had an episode that day, the first one since I'd been cleared by the leaders of the Red Room to be in close proximity to you. You remembered pieces of your past; not enough, nowhere near enough, but you were responsive, more than usual. It was the first time we made love since the train..." She shook her head almost violently, pushing that memory aside. "You fell asleep first that night, and then I whispered the words I knew would bind me to you for the rest of this life, and every other life that might follow."

"Why would you something like that?!" James couldn't believe it.

"Because I'd already lost you once." Sif told him in a near hiss. "It took nearly twenty years for me to even have an inkling that you were alive! And then 32 more before I actually found you! If something happened again, I wanted a guarantee that I'd find my way back to you, in this life or the next."

"In every life doll." James stated, low and heartfelt. "Every single one."

Sif could only nod, tears beginning to shine in the corners of her eyes.

"Now doll, tell me the words." James ordered in his strongest voice.

"I... what for?" Sif actually hesitated at that.

"So I might say them back to you! That's why." James said in a near 'duh' tone of voice. "Now tell me the words."

I knew we could have done it, both my match and I knew them by heart, but it was more significant, more romantic, if Sif did it. So we stayed quiet.

And so it went. Sif said one line, waiting until James repeated it, before continuing with the next, on and on until the whole of the vows had been pronounced by both. Loki and I could see the moment the half-bond they already had (which I'd noticed but not really paid attention to before) flared brightly, a second before it doubled as James's part was added and then the two pieces twisted together, strengthening the bond further. The sharp inhale that came from both of them told me (told us) that even though they weren't spellweavers, both Sif and James had been able to feel the moment the bond snapped into place.

Nothing more was said, and the two lovers seemed to get lost in their own world for a while, until Sharon/Peggy called our attention unexpectedly.

"You know what I've really missed the last... god-knows-how-many years?" She asked suddenly.

"What?" Steve asked promptly.

"Seamed stockings!" Clint called loudly.

Laughter broke out automatically. We could all remember that interview, the way a reporter had managed to catch the Captain so completely by surprise... and yet none of them had ever seen the way his eyes (and those of many other men) would go wide at the sight of women wearing dark stockings; or how difficult they were to get during the war; a luxury few could afford. I imagined his answer that day had come from a memory, the memory of Peggy and their relationship... something no one had known back then, because for the longest time everyone had believed Peggy to have never been more than the Captain's crush, a woman who grew up, and grew old... most of the world still believed that, and probably would continue believing it for many years yet. Who knew? Time would tell.

"No!" Peggy shook her head, though she too was giggling.

I thought she might have whispered something to her husband, so quietly no one but he would hear, but I couldn't be sure.

"Sing for us, please." Peggy finally requested.

I smiled, remembering the times I'd sung in her presence before, especially the day she'd first fallen asleep, when she'd been so afraid of what the future might bring. And yet, the memory that stuck the most into my mind, was that of the song I'd sung during Bucky's memorial, months earlier. It came to me right then, only it wasn't exactly the same. As if the song, like each and every one of us had changed, grown, almost evolved in the years that had passed.

I began, as I sometimes did, with humming, several seconds, as I tested the rhythm, and then:

"Out of the mist of history
He'll come again
Sailing on ships across the sea
To a wounded Nation"

"Signs of a savior
Like fire on the water
It's what we prayed for
One of our own"

"Just wait
Though wide he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He goes where no one has gone
But always
A hero comes home"

It took no time at all for everyone's attention to be on me and my singing. It didn't even surprise me anymore. Even those who'd never heard about my past lives, about those who believed that I had the most beautiful voice in all the realms, they still stopped to listen to me and I... I liked singing, and I especially liked knowing other people enjoyed my singing, it made things all the more especial, to have such a gift and be able to share it with those I held close to my heart.

"Deep in the heart of darkness sparks
A dream of light
Surrounded by hopelessness
He finds the will to fight"

"There's no surrender
Always remember
It doesn't end here
We're not alone"

"Just wait
Though wide he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He goes where no one has gone
But always
A hero comes home"

By the time I finished the first choir I knew that the new song bore little resemblance to the one I'd sung that particular night, so many years prior; though the message remained the same. The hero comes home... the heroes had come home, all of them. After so many years, so many trials, tribulations, and dangers that few could have been expected to survive. They... We, had not only survived them, some might even say we thrived on them, on the challenges. They allowed us to push past our limits, to grow, become better. In the end, it was those difficulties, the bumps in our lives that had made us who we were. As men and women, as warriors... perhaps even as heroes.

"And he will come back on the crimson tide
Dead or alive
And even though we know the bridge has burned
He will return
He will return"

"Just wait
Though wide he may roam
Always
A hero comes home
He knows of places unknown
But always
A hero comes home"

I knew it wasn't over just yet, not by a great deal, and yet that was alright. We were together, we each had loved ones (whether they be family, friends, the love of our lives...). In the end all that really mattered was that we weren't alone, and as long as we had even just one person by our side, to support us, to have our backs, nothing would ever be enough to take us down. I truly believed that, as much as I believed in every members of my family (by blood and choice), and as much as I believed in the love that bound me to the love of my existence; a bond that had been there for two lifetimes; possibly (probably?) even longer (much longer) than that. I believed...

"Someday they'll carve in stone
'The hero comes home'"

"He goes and comes back alone
But always
A hero comes home"

"Just wait
Though wide he may roam
Always
A hero comes home"

There was so much to be done yet, but that was alright, we could do it, I knew we could. We'd been able to handle things thus far, after all. The last seventy five years had been no picnic, but we had survived, and not only that, we'd achieved good things, some that were even great. And the things our children had done during that same time... they were perhaps even more amazing. I couldn't begin to imagine what might yet come.

Still, perhaps we should focus on the present, on enjoying the peace while it lasted, because it wouldn't do so forever, but that was alright. The light wouldn't be so beautiful if it didn't shine through the dark, and the sun wouldn't shine so bright if we didn't have the night to compare it to. All the same, it was knowing war, having gone through it, that made the moments of peace all the more special to us all.

So there we were. The war was over, the world had been saved (again), it was time to relax, and to rebuild...

xXx

The Shadow Plane only allowed us to travel in between the Nine Realms, the ones connected by Yggdrasil. The Collector was in another world, one we'd need to travel to through space; which meant a space-ship. It also meant it'd take longer. In any case, a ship was being readied for our use in Asgard, and meanwhile we decided to stop procrastinating and visit Alfheim. It was a complete coincidence that we ended arriving on Midsummer's eve...

Of course the moment the news reached the Council that we'd arrived they wanted Loki and I to make an appearance at the festival. I still wouldn't accept until Queen Faelwen agreed (she was the ruler, after all; and I didn't want her to feel like we were trying to steal her show or something, that kind of thing would have been an insult). So, after those plans were made, my match and I took off in search of the people we were actually there to see: Erynion and Thenidiel.

As expected, they were waiting for us. Thenidiel knew exactly why we were there; which was why, after some basic greetings and reassurances that we were all alright (no mentions were made of time-traveling, but I was quite sure they knew that part too), we got down to business:

"You want to ask me about the Infinity Stones." Thenidiel said, it wasn't a question.

"Thus far one or both of us have been in direct or indirect contact with three, possibly four of the Stones." I explained quietly. "They were all either found in or ended in Midgard at some point."

"And lets not forget the fact that Thanos had one of them, and interest in another." My Maverick added. "We cannot risk another one like him getting the same interest."

"That's not your only worry though." Thenidiel pointed out calmly. "You worry the Titan might be alive still..."

"Yes." My husband didn't bother trying to deny it. "The day we fought that battle in Midgard... the tragedy of losing my Nightingale may have affected me more than I was willing to accept back then. I know I left the Mad Titan seemingly defeated, allowing my brother to take the killing shot, as I was more interested in trying to save my love. While Thor can confirm he did deliver the blow, well..."

"There's no way to know if his memories can be trusted." Erynion finished for him. "Or that the Titan did not switch with another, letting one of his subordinates to die in his stead."

"Exactly." My love needed.

"Why the interest now?" Erynion arched a brow. "Why not when this battle took place?"

"Because until recently we hadn't had a reason to doubt our victory that day." I explained softly. "The surfacing of at least half the Stones in less than five years, and the way things just seem to keep happening on Midgard..." We hadn't talked for long with Rose, but certainly long enough to know what she'd been getting into during our time away; and when put together with what the rest of us had been through, either together or apart... "It seems like too much of a coincidence."

"A coincidence it is not." Thenidiel agreed with me. "The gathering of the Stones is a risk, with or without the Mad Titan. Though I'm sure you already know that. Not two Stones have been in close proximity since times immemorial; much less all of them. It's impossible to tell what effect the mere proximity of them to one another would have to the realm, the universe as a whole."

"Have you seen nothing of the future?" I couldn't help but ask.

"I know what it is that you really wish to ask, and I'm afraid I can give you no answer to that." The Seer informed me quietly. "Great as my Sight might be, there are limits still. I can see Fate, that which must happen; and sometimes Destiny, that which may happen, when I happen to have some kind of connection to the hands writing it, or to the ones it affects most. However, there is always a degree of chance, free-will is a tricky thing; if too many people change their minds, my visions may turn out to be wrong, and when it comes to people who are more impulsive, it makes it near-impossible to predict their future."

"So you cannot tell us what's to come unless it's something that must happen, no matter what, or someone is really focused on causing it." Loki tried to summarize.

"It's a way of putting it." She nodded. "Though even then, like I said before, it's never absolute. Contrary to what some might choose to believe, the future isn't written in stone, and even Fate is subject to change. The Norns themselves do not know it all, much less those of us they've blessed with but a fraction of their sight. The more the chance for havoc, the less clear my sight becomes. And whatever is coming... it's as close to a blank space in my Sight as I've ever found."

I blinked. A blank space? I'd never heard of something like that... hasn't sure what it meant, though I had a feeling it couldn't be good.

We talked a little more, made plans to meet each other later in the evening, during the festival. We were about to leave when Thenidiel called me back unexpectedly.

"A thought just occurred to me." She told me quietly. "Your daughter..."

"Meril?" I switched to the elven version of her name automatically.

Even I wasn't sure why my thoughts had gone immediately to Rose, rather than to Helena; especially considering that while Thenidiel might have met my eldest daughter, and even my son, she'd never personally met my youngest one. Still, I instinctively knew I was right.

"Yes." Thenidiel nodded softly. "She's a blank space in my sight too."

I really, really had no idea what that was supposed to mean. I could only hope it wasn't anything especially dangerous; we had enough trouble already...

xXx

Unsurprisingly, an outfit had been laid out for me when Loki and I arrived to the ambassadorial quarters that had been arranged for us (though we weren't planning on staying more than a few days, a week at most, and I had plans on spending most of that time in Jewel Forest, rather than in the capital). The gown looked very much like the ones I would wear when I was crown princess (which meant big, heavy, stuffy and completely uncomfortable), I was horrified; my husband broke into laughter at my expression.

Of course I didn't wear that gown. Though at the same time I chose not to wear any of the Asgardian dresses I'd favored in either life. Instead I got Loki to help me and we managed to conjure a near-exact replica of my favorite dress from my past life. My husband, for his part, chose a more casual version of his usual attire.

No one said a word when the two of us arrived like that. Though I could sense that some of the Elders didn't quite like it. Too bad, it was my choice.

There was a feast, a song from the princesses and the queen, celebrating their bond to the realm, to Alfheim and all of the Ljósálfar... then, then they turned to us. They managed to surprise me, though I should have seen it coming. Apparently our love was something of a legend, in more ways than even we'd known. Songs had always been the way the elves communicated best; and the fact that Loki, even without being one, had chosen to follow those traditions and express himself, his love for me through song... The elves valued that. All in all, they wanted to hear him sing again; they wanted to hear us both sing, together.

Duets were so rare, even in bonded pairs. It was said that only a match who'd been together for more than a thousand years could achieve the kind of harmony for a true duet, one that showed their bond, the merging of their souls...

I actually wasn't sure how much of that last part was actually true, and how much was just legend but it didn't worry me either. I knew we could sing together, we'd done it before, after all. The fact that we hadn't prepared any song mattered not one jot. We'd always been rather good at improvising after all. And singing about our love? Nothing could be more natural than that.

So, much as we'd done in the past, we wove our magic into the instruments to follow us, our voices, our hearts. The piano began, several soft notes in the air, and then Loki was singing:

"My love,
There's only you in my life
The only thing that's right"

The moment I heard those lines from him, I knew what was to come, and so I sang next:

"My first love,
You're every breath that I take
You're every step I make"

And just like that, the song began truly flowing, and we began to sing together, a true duet:

"And I (I-I-I-I-I) I want to share
All my love with you
No one else will do

And your eyes (your eyes, your eyes)

They tell me how much you care
Ooh yeah, you will always be
My endless love"

I don't think either of us noticed, in that moment, when the magic began to flow; beyond the spell on the instruments. It was something that had happened to me before, when I would instinctively infuse my voice with power, allowing others to pick up on the feelings fueling my song; we were doing that right then, projecting our love to everyone listening to us, to the earth, and the stars...

"Two hearts,
Two hearts that beat as one
Our lives have just begun"

"Forever (oh)
I'll hold you close in my arms
I can't resist your charms"

"And love (oh, love)
I'll be a fool
For you, I'm sure
You know I don't mind
Oh, you know I don't mind

'Cause you,
You mean the world to me
Oh
I know (I know)
I've found (I've found) in you
My endless love"

I realized something right then, as we stood there, swaying softly to the music and holding onto each other (I had no idea when that had happened exactly... and it wasn't like I was about to let go of him either). I realized that the exact number of years we might have been together did not matter; whether they were ninety-nine, nine hundred, a thousand, or as long as the universe itself had existed. In the end, the important part wasn't the time spent together. It was the love. A love so perfect that could turn a single second into an eternity and the other way around, that could (and had) defy life and death, and everything in between... a love that would never, ever, end.

"Boom, boom
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom"

"Ooh, and love (oh, love)
I'll be that fool
For you, I'm sure
You know I don't mind
Oh you know
I don't mind

And, yes you'll be the only one
'Cause no ('cause no) one can deny
This love I have inside
And I'll give it all to you
My love
My love, my love
My endless love"

xXx

We ended staying in Alfheim for a week and, as planned, we spent most of that time in Jewel Forest. As it turned out, my old home was still empty. I wasn't sure if it was because others were too respectful of Tinúviel's memory to occupy it, or something else entirely, but no one had any trouble with me claiming it. It felt nice, getting a chance to connect with some of my oldest memories, the few I had with my mother and my sister, before the attack, before the Bloody Night, before everything had changed irrevocably.

I also got a chance to chat a bit with Queen Faelwen. It took some effort to get her to stop seeing me as some kind of symbol or superior being, to convince her that I was just like her (some might say that she was my superior even, since I was never really Queen). I gave her a few tips, for when the Council got too overbearing, and told her it was important that she took some time to herself every so often, even showed her how to get to my old spot. Assuring her of its safety, and that in case of an emergency Erynion would know how to find her.

My 'brother' just rolled his eyes at me, said something about me 'corrupting' their royalty; though I got the feeling that he actually approved of my actions. The Council certainly wouldn't, but I was beyond their sphere of influence.

In the last days of June we went around in Midgard, saying our goodbyes to our family and friends. I made sure to hand copies of the keys to all our properties to our children, in case they were to ever need a safe place to stay. We knew that Rose had the ranch Howard had given her, as well as a house and an apartment in different cities in Kansas, the apartment in New Hampshire, as well as access to other properties of contacts and friends around the world; Hakon had a small townhouse in Virginia, and a loft in San Francisco; and probably enough contacts he could crash with he didn't worry much about it; Helena only had a little cabin near Salem, Massachusetts, but didn't seem to care about that (probably since she still spent most of her time elsewhere).

Rose was the last one we met to say goodbye. She was still with Phil, Darcy and their team; though probably for her the important one was her daughter. I was glad, to see that she'd found a family, the lack of blood connection didn't matter. They were family and that was that. Also, there was something Rose had said one day, before we'd intervened to help Sherlock and John; I hadn't paid it enough attention then, but hadn't forgotten it either. She'd said that those two were like us; not like her Papa and I, but like all three of us... She had a soulmate, she had found him or her... and the fact that Rose was alone told me that something terrible must have happened. Something she wouldn't share with me. It hurt, but I understood that she was a grown woman, with the right to her privacy. I also knew that whatever might have happened, it was unlikely I could help her, and could only hope that she'd had someone there for her, when she needed them; even if that person wasn't me.

"So, you're leaving now?" She said, though it wasn't really a question.

"We have to." Loki nodded at her. "Before something else happens."

"Did your friend give you any clues of what might happen in the future?" Rose wanted to know.

"She doesn't know." I admitted with a sigh. "Apparently a lack of order makes it harder for her, and for most Seers, to see the future."

"Lack of order?" She repeated, cocking her head to a side in contemplation. "You mean chaos?"

I blinked as I processed her words. And then I remembered what Thenidiel had said, about Rose too being a blank in her visions. She couldn't see the future where it related to the Stones because it was filled with chaos... and she couldn't see Rose's future because she herself was chaos... But then what did that mean for Rose's own visions?

We didn't plan it, but suddenly all three of us extended our hands. Our fingers barely brushed, but that was enough. Rose was pulled into a vision and, somehow, our bonds made it so Loki and I managed to pick up at least part of it. Not all of it, and I believe that even if we'd seen it all, we wouldn't have been able to understand it, foresight wasn't our gift; still we saw enough:

Five colorful pieces of something, they were solid but looked unlike any other material we'd ever seen, and they shone like miniature stars, they were surrounded by a reddish-black cloud of something, dust? The Aether?! They were the Infinity Stones... Six huge beings with power and looks that were beyond comprehension (though I almost thought... did they have two heads?! And multiple arms? I wasn't sure, it was like my mind couldn't quite grasp what I was seeing)... A world, a perfect world... or were they many? There were several races? All the ones I knew, and at least one I didn't remember ever seeing before... The realms as we knew them, Yggdrasil... A growing shadow, a being that seemed to be darkness personified. It wasn't chaos, it went beyond that... it was... I didn't know, but it was as if his mere shadow could freeze my soul. I knew, instinctively, even before anyone said anything, what it was I was looking at:

"Thanos..." Loki was the one to breathe out aloud.

It was awful, because that wasn't the monster that had attacked us three years prior. He looked the same and yet his presence... it was much, much worse. A true monster...

"The Mad Titan is alive..." Rose murmured in realization.

That confirmed our worst fears. What was coming was bad, it was really bad...

"He wants the Infinity Stones..." Rose added quietly. "And will stop at nothing to get them, and if he does..." She shook her head almost violently.

"It won't be just Midgard in danger, but the whole universe." I finished grimly.

Which meant we needed to hurry. Thanos was on his way, time was running out.

"Xandar." Rose blurted out suddenly.

"What...?" We weren't expecting that.

"It's another place where you need to go." She elaborated. "Yes, you need to find the Collector, he has information that you need, some which even I cannot see. But afterwards, you need to go Xandar, find the Nova Corps."

"Why?" I inquired, confused.

"Because they have the fifth Stone." She answered quietly.

The fifth Stone?! There were five Stones in the out already?! Just how long had we left?! We had no way of knowing, though one thing was for sure. It wasn't long. We needed to get moving. War was coming, a Titan was coming our way, and it'd probably take a miracle to survive, and even more than that to win.

"It's alright Mama..." Rose murmured suddenly, quietly as she hugged me. "Everything is gonna be alright..."

It was... it was like a light suddenly shining bright. I couldn't quite understand it. It wasn't magic, Rose wasn't a sorceress; and yet, and yet her words calmed me in a way nothing else could have. It was her faith, her faith that things would really go alright, somehow, made me believe it too. She had such strength of belief... how could I do any less?

"Yes, it will." I agreed, finally.

"You need to go." She reminded me. "I promise we will protect Earth, and the rest of the Realms until you get back." Her lips formed a half-smile as she added: "If the Mad Titan comes calling he'll soon learn Earth isn't the primitive planet he probably expects it to be, nor is it unprotected... not by a long shot."

No, Earth wasn't unprotected. The Rose of Chaos was its guardian, and she wasn't alone, she had a worldwide alliance at her back, gifted and baseline ready to fight for their planet. Which meant we had to do our part. We had to find out what we were missing; which would hopefully include a way to defeat Thanos once and for all... A way of defeating a Titan... if that wasn't a tall order I had no idea what was!

"Take care of yourself sweetheart..." I whispered, kissing her brow.

"My nymph..." Loki added, as he did the same.

"I will, Mama, Papa..." She assured us.

My match held me then, and together we sunk into the shadows, straight to Asgard, and to the ship waiting for us. My husband already composing a message to leave to Thor once we were gone. He, all of Asgard really, needed to know the kind of danger that was coming our way, and we really didn't have the time to stop and argue with the Council, and possibly even Atar about the probabilities of Thanos still being alive and after the Infinity Stones. We had a mission, and time was running short. But that was alright, we could do it; like Rose had said, things would be alright. I believed in her, and her friends... our family. I had faith...

---

So? You liked it? Disliked it? I'd love it if you could tell me which parts go where in that list. Also, what do you think about what's coming? I think I gave enough hints. To be honest I'm still debating on whether to leave Guardians of the Galaxy as it is, or have Loki and Nightingale get there in time to be involved in the whole mess. And just to make things a bit better (or worse, depending on your opinion) can you imagine how Gamorra will take seeing Loki again (consider that she's Thanos's adopted daughter, which means she was probably there when Thanos had Loki, tortured him... you get the picture)? So, ansty yet?

The thing with Nick Fury and Kathryn Salani-Adler... I didn't plan that! Honestly. From the beginning they were supposed to be an example of a relationship where love simply isn't enough. Like Cherik in canon (not this canon but the real one); two people that love each other but in the end something else is stronger than that love (for Nick, duty; for Kathryn, family). And yet, when I got to that point, that moment where Nightingale has her own family and there's no more SHIELD for Nick to devote himself to... it just fit. As long as there's life there's hope, right?

On the end of SHIELD... It's something that bugged me, from cannon. Captain America ordered SHIELD gone, and Nick went behind his back to make it stay... also, I don't much like how Phil's changed since he became Director. (yeah, I know he's not anymore, but the point remains). His team was absolutely awesome, and beyond the mess with Ward in canon, something in that team was lost when he became Director. So, that's never happening here. Like I said before, I'll go more into the team's story in Sentinels, but at least of those things you can be sure right now.

NEXT WEEK we're back on BOUQUET OF ROSES, though the last three chapters there will be spaced with the two parts of SENTINELS, to be honest. Then, once we're done with those, it will be time for ETHEREAL GIFT. So, that's pretty much the plan for the next couple of months.

To those of you who might have chosen not to read Bouquet of Roses until Fate and Destiny was over... well, you can head over there now.

Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Happy Yule... or whatever you might celebrate, to you and all your families. My best wishes and blessings to you all. See ya around!