AN: Hey guys, sorry again for the delay. I've been crazy busy with my senior year of highschool and preparing for college. But this chapter has lots of good stuff in it. I hope you like the direction I took for this story and we should be nearing the end of this story soon. I intend to write some oneshots linked to this story, mainly based on Lara and Loki. The name of this chapter is a reference to Friends.

Meanwhile

"Great! This is just great! See? I told you we couldn't trust him! And now he's gone off to join with his 'buddies'." Clint rambled angrily after Loki disappeared.

"Yes, I'm sure that was his intention." Lara snapped. "To go and join the people who want to kill him. As he mentioned before, Loki is hoping to speak to Gamora who may be friendly to our cause."

"Or maybe he went there for a booty call." Tony snorted. "From what he told me, she's pretty easy on the eyes."

"Oh?" Lara crossed her arms and glared at Stark, his regret of speaking clear on his face.

"He meant for me. She's, uh, not his type." Tony desperately tried to change the subject. "What should we do while he's gone?"

"Continue with our plans and hope he gets back in time." Steve replied.

Lara left the tech room, speaking over her shoulder. "I will go prepare our ways of transportation and equipment we'll require. Everyone just make sure you're ready to leave in the morning, agreed?" The Avengers nodded their assent and she continued towards the stairs. "Good."

She froze when she realized she was no longer walking across her living room, but was suddenly in a very dark room where the only light came from a large window. She spun around, but there was no one behind her and no evidence of how she got here. Lara grabbed at her hip and nearly groaned when she felt the empty space where her pistol belonged.

With no immediate danger around, Lara decided to survey the area. The room was huge and had tiled floors like a fancy ballroom, but it was certainly too dreary for dancing. There were two large windows that reached the ceiling and nearly touched the floor; the second one in the back was covered with black drapes. The sky was grey outside and rain sprinkled lightly against the glass. In the middle of the floor was a strange altar and a medium-sized, oval mirror rested on top. Further past the altar rested a large, sinister throne, too big for a normal human. Lara severely began to hope she wasn't where she thought she was.

Thunder roared and lightning struck, illuminating the 'throne' room and three figures were suddenly standing near the throne. Lara could barely make out their features, but she had a good guess who each of them were. Torches flickered to life on each side of the room, barely erasing the darkness.

Hel stood directly in front of the throne and she smiled deviously. She gestured to her empty hands as she spoke. "Don't worry, Lara. We are unarmed as you are."

"Gods are never unarmed." Lara replied defensively.

"True, and you are a god, are you not? At least partially." Hel continued to smile. "I believe you've already met my companions."

Lara was unsure which she was more displeased to see. Hanging back by Hel's left hand, Natla glared and Fenrir acted bored by Hel's right hand. Lara moved closer to the mirror, her eyes never leaving the undead goddess. "What do you want from me?"

"To talk, nothing else. I believe you were curious about your ancestry?" Hel provided with a tilt of her head.

Lara's brown eyes widened and she glanced back and forth between Fenrir and Natla, thinking of ways to remove them from the conversation. "I'd prefer if it was a one-on-one discussion."

Hel considered this and then nodded her head slowly. Natla let out a feral hiss as Fenrir kept his uninterested disposition. They both exited the room without another word and the Tomb Raider was left alone with Goddess of Death. Before they began, Hel waved her hand, using magic to create a small sitting area. A grey simple couch, a black ebony coffee table, and a grey comfy armchair appeared from thin air. Hel reclined on the couch, stretching her long legs over the cushions. She snapped her fingers and a dead servant entered with a pitcher of wine and glasses.

"Sit." Gesturing to the armchair, Hel commanded after the servant had finished preparing the drinks. Lara slowly approached and uneasily perched on the edge of her seat. Hel reached for her elegant wine glass and took a delicate sip of the maroon liquid. She smirked at Lara's hesitancy to drink. "It's not poisoned, Lara."

As the comment did little to calm her nerves, Lara hummed a response, but only swirled the contents of her glass around.

"I'm very interested in you."

"I recall Natla saying something similar once." Lara remarked, setting her glass down.

Hel chuckled. "Yes, you'll have to excuse my daughter."

The statement froze Lara. "Wh-what?"

"Nal, her true name, is my first born. Other than the hair, can't you see the resemblance?"

They did look alike now that Lara thought about it. Both unnaturally tall, similar facial features, and Natla, Nal, seemed very familiar with Norse mythology. "What about her wings?"

"A trait she acquired from her father. I don't recall his name or godly ability other than the wings." Hel explained.

"That's why she has been trying to bring about the Seventh Age or Ragnarok all these years… It was for you."

"Yes." Hel confirmed and then her expression soured. "And how many times has she failed? Thank the Norns I will no longer have to rely on her to get things done!" She stood, her glass still in hand. "Out of all my creations, I must say I'm most disappointed in hers."

"I'm sure Loki feels similarly towards you." Lara spoke with cool confidence even though she was fully aware of the danger the comment could bring.

Hel clenched her fist, but otherwise remained calm. "I was not his creation. And if you were not so important, I would skin you alive like that pathetic doppelganger Nal failed to make and send what was left to you to the God of Mischief!" Her voice raised higher as she spoke closer to the end of her threat. "Do not test my patience."

Lara met Hel's stony gaze with a glare of her own, but then decided against it. She needed to keep Hel talking if she was ever going to learn about her parents. "Why am I so important to you? We are enemies."

"I intend to make you an offer. But first we will speak of your parentage if you truly wish to know the truth still?" Hel took a seat again.

Offer? "Of course I do." Lara answered cautiously.

Hel stared at her silently for several moments before smiling. "Ironic."

"'Ironic'?"

"Ironic how, you strive so desperately to discover the truth in everything and yet you've fallen in love with the God of Lies."

It was at that moment when Lara had finally ventured to take a sip of the dark liquid and then continued by accidentally spewing over herself and the chair. Coughing and choking sporadically as Hel watched on with an amused expression, Lara set down her glass and managed after a few moments to speak again. "You do not strike me as a romantic, but I can assure we are not in… Well, I mean to say…"

Hel chuckled. "Hmm, I will allow you to ponder on that for a while and continue my story. The story of my second child, Aslaug. Unlike Nal, she was only half-god. I chose a Midgardian warrior as her father. He, of course, had no idea who I really was…"

Flashback

Lying in wait on his bed, I take the sultriest position that comes to mind. I'm surprised at myself, but I am also curious. This Midgardian's legends have traveled far and wide and if there's a perfect candidate for a father of a demigod child, it's this warrior. The door opens wide to reveal the exact man on my mind and I shoot him a lustful, fake, smile.

He freezes when noticing my presence and gruffly asks, "Who are you?"

Still smiling, I lean forward, pressing my arms together in front of me to present my breasts in a pleasing way. "A woman with curiosity and needs. I've heard much about you and I just had to see you for myself." I look him up and down slowly. "The tales were not exaggerated."

The warrior regards me silently before grinning childishly. "There's more to see, if you're interested." I give him my answer as I lie back down against the pillows.

After our activities are finished and I can hear his gentle snoring, I sit up quietly, reaching for my dagger. I feel bad for a moment before I kill him. He is young and in his prime. If he were able to become older, everyone may have known his name and his legends would be told around fires for ages to come. I sigh softly as I plunge the knife into his back.

Present

"Aslaug has long since left me after coming to hate me. She escaped from our home and has remain hidden for many years." Hel exhaled as she watched the rain pelt against the windows. "One child who is too insipid to be any help to me and the other wants nothing to do with my powers."

Lara did not comment for a moment and stood to move closer to Hel. "Why are you telling me about Aslaug?"

"Because after she left Helheim, she traveled to Midgard and went into hiding here. She found a life eventually and fell in love with a Midgardian. She also changed her name to something more common of this realm." Hel paused, but Lara already knew with a sense of horror where this was leading. "She changed her name to Amelia."

Before Lara could even utter a cry, she felt a surge of magic behind her and arms wrap around her waist. Hel held a look of astonishment, but did nothing as Lara was pulled through the portal.

Meanwhile

Loki released a sigh of relief as he left the presence of his two 'sisters' and back to Lara's warm home. But that relief was short-lived as he noticed the expressions of the Avengers standing around the living room. They hadn't been aware of Loki's appearance until after he demanded what happened.

Tony began waving his arms nonsensically. "It's Lara! She was here-… and then she was-… and we-…"

Natasha stepped in. "We don't know what happened. Lara was walking across the room and suddenly she was…" She shrugged, confused. "Not."

Loki wanted to rip his hair out at how vague the mortals were being until Ariynn stood from her crouched position. "There is trace amounts of magic where she disappeared. Whoever took her is extremely powerful. Together we may be able to reopen the portal and rescue Lara."

"Hel." Loki hissed at his realization. "We won't have much time. Ariynn and I will use our magic, but we'll need someone to reach through and grab Lara."

Before Loki had even finished speaking, Steve was volunteering. "I'll do it." He stepped forward to the god's distaste, but Loki remained silent and only nodded.

"You'll have to be quick. Ariynn and I will not be able to hold the portal open long. Everyone else back up. We don't want anyone accidentally getting caught in it." Surprisingly, everyone obeyed Loki's command except Steve. Ariynn stepped into position beside Loki and then they began to call upon the magic. "When I say 'now', reach through!"

Steve stood close to them and prepared himself, watching as blue magic swirled around them and began to focus itself in one place, forming a circle. The magic cracked like lightning when it completed forming the portal and Loki yelled his cue. Steve did not hesitate to reach through and immediately felt a woman's waist. He wrapped both arms around her and pulled Lara through with all his strength.

xOxOx

Lara gasped as she landed in the living room of her own home, thankful to be back. Looking up, she was startled to see Steve to be the one hanging over her, his arms enveloped around her. But it was not long before Loki was shoving him away to check on her, Steve huffing in annoyance.

"Are you okay? Did Hel harm you?" Loki's voice was laced with fear and anger, his hands exploring her body for injuries.

Lara opened her mouth to respond when she noticed how badly she was shaking. She had intended to tell Loki she was all right, but she knew her voice would betray her. Lara nodded slowly, trying to reign control of her emotions. Loki observed all this.

"What happened?" He asked urgently.

She threw her arms around him, still not trusting her voice, desperately wishing Hel had been lying to her. "S-she told me."

Loki paused, deciphering her simple statement. He froze when the meaning came to him and he pulled away from her to watch her expression. He was afraid to ask. Loki gently picked her up and carried her to one of the couches and set her down.

Steve finally asked, "What did she tell you?"

"My parents. My mother." Lara specified.

"Uh, wasn't that supposed to be a good thing?" Tony questioned.

Loki kneeled next to the couch to get a better look at Lara. "Who was she, Lara?"

"Her name was Aslaug. She was only a demigod though." Lara didn't meet Loki's eyes.

"Aslaug? A powerful name, but I cannot think of anyone important who belongs to it. Did Hel tell you where the line began?"

"Yes, Loki." Lara bit her lip. "Aslaug's mother… my grandmother… is Hel."

The room was stunned into silence and all anybody could do was stare at Lara. Tony finally broke the silence, "I'm starting to see how this is a bad thing."

"Did she give you any proof? Hel is probably just trying to get under your skin." Steve comforted.

Loki stood and sighed. "No, it actually makes perfect sense." Lara raised an eyebrow at him until he continued. "Jory was surprised that I did not know your parentage and that is how she knew. You and Amelia, Aslaug," Loki glanced up at Lara's parent's portrait. "Do bare a resemblance to Hel."

"But why would she tell Lara? What would Hel have to gain from that if it were true?" Steve crossed his arms.

"She said she intended to make me an offer after she told me the truth. You rescued me before she could tell me." Lara answered. "I could only assume she meant to… recruit me."

"Knowing your parentage is important to you, but surely she didn't really think you would suddenly be willing to switch sides. Especially with someone like her."

"I don't know, Steve. That's all she revealed to me." Lara shrugged her shoulders, wanting nothing but to snuggle under the covers of her bed.

"That wasn't the offer." Pacing, Loki mumbled. He stopped and faced Lara. "If you could have anything, with nothing standing in the way, what would you choose to have?"

She thought silently for a moment. "To go back in time, to stop my mother from touching that sword."

"Exactly, to save your mother. And I'm sure Hel perceived this." Loki rushed through his words. "Hel was going to bring your mother back in exchange for joining her side."

"Would it really have worked though?" Bruce removed his glasses to fiddle with them. "I mean, would she be normal, alive?"

Loki nodded. "She would be the same as she was when she was alive. Only the Queen of the Dead has the ability to bring back life like that." He gazed at Lara who had fallen silent during this revelation. Then she noticed everyone was staring at her.

"It wouldn't have worked." Lara defended in a voice that sounded more uncertain than she intended it to be. "It wouldn't matter much anyway if she plans to kill everyone."

"She won't kill you. Even if you don't share the same views as her, you're part of her lineage, and you're powerful." Loki calculated. "And she doesn't have any other heirs."

"Actually… that's not true." Lara interrupted regretfully. "Natla is her other child. Her firstborn. Natla's real name is Nal."

Amanda's head shot up to meet Lara's eyes, but she made no comment and Lara continued speaking. "Though she seems to hate her. Apparently Nal wasn't impressive enough and she thought more highly of Aslaug. Even though my mother chose a human over Hel's empire."

"What is it with gods falling for mortal women or men?" Tony asked, glancing at Thor and Loki. "I mean, don't get me wrong, we've got some great chicks, but I've seen those Asgardian ladies… I'd say it's only fair if some mortal men get to take some of your women."

Loki and Thor looked at each other and the black-haired god laughed. "We offer Sif. Good luck." The God of Thunder joined Loki's amusement. Tony didn't find it as amusing.

Feeling exhausted and intending to retreat to her room, Lara stood. "Well, if we're done talking, I'd like to get some rest."

Loki wiped any humor from his face and watched her with concern. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"Hey, weird thought. If Hel's your grandmother… does that kind of make Loki your great-grandfather? That's…" Tony scratched his goatee. "Icky."

The god in question rolled his eyes with irritation. "Hel and I are not blood related. I wasn't even present at her conception! Please, do not ever suggest something like that again." Tony chuckled, completely unabashed.

That's all it took for Lara though. "Uh, actually, I think I need to be alone for a little while. I'll speak to you later, Loki." She saw a touch of hurt in his eyes, but he only nodded quietly and offered her a 'sleep well' as she rushed up the stairs towards her bedroom.

xOxOx

Lara leaned her head back against the soft towel, soaking in the fragrant warm water. Scented bubbles floated along the top, completely covering her submerged form. She could already feel some of the stress melting away, but her mind continued to wander back to the day's previous confrontations. Silently wishing she had allowed Loki to join her, Lara let out a deep breath as she heard her bedroom door open and close. She leaned forward, her hands covering her chest. "Loki?"

"Uh, no, actually, it's me." Steve pushed open the partially closed bathroom door, but froze when he saw Lara's current situation. He quickly backed up. "Sorry! I should've knocked-…"

She laid back. "Steve! It's fine." Lara laughed. "Come in here. I'm… covered."

Steve poked his head in. "Are you sure? I mean… I doubt Loki would want me in here while you're… like that."

"No offense, Steve, but he already told me he doesn't feel threatened by you. At all." Lara smiled at his reddening cheeks.

He stepped in. "Oh. Good. I think." He couldn't bring himself to look directly at her and she chuckled. Finally Steve sat on the bathroom floor away from the bathtub. "Tony's an idiot, you know? What he said didn't bother you… did it?"

"No, it didn't." She responded truthfully. "Though it was a weird thought."

"That is Tony for you." Silence lapsed between them and Lara nonchalantly added more bubble bath, noticing many of the bubbles had begun to disappear. "Well, you should probably talk to Loki as soon as you can. I could tell it took a lot of restraint for him to not follow after you. And if there was anyone who could understand what you're going through, it would be him."

Lara hadn't even thought about that. "You're right. It wasn't really him I didn't want to be around anyway. I just need a break from… Norse gods altogether it seems like. But I will talk to him soon, thank you."

"No problem." Steve stood. "I should probably-…"

"Steve," She stopped him. "So, you're not upset with me? Or Loki?"

"No, of course not!" Lara glared at him, doubting his honesty. "Alright, at first, I was. More at Loki than you, because I was like 'Really? That guy?' But trust me, Lara, I am over it." Steve smiled genuinely at her and she relaxed.

"Thank you, Steve. You know, when this is all over, I'll have to set you up with one of my friends. I think I could find the perfect woman for you."

"Maybe. It's kind of hard to date in this line of work."

"Well, you're plenty old enough to retire." She winked. "Do you think maybe you could… say something to Loki?"

"Sure. I'll go find and send him up. Have a nice night, Lara." He turned to leave as she responded.

"Give me a few minutes. Loki will react much differently from you if he sees me in a bubble bath. Good night, Steve." After he closed the door, she reached for a soft towel.

xOxOx

Steve eventually tracked Loki to Lara's bar room where he was presently playing poker with Tony. Though without anything to bet, they were having to play for bragging rights. Tony waved Steve over. "We need to take this guy to the casino. We'd be rich! Well, richer."

"You decided teaching the God of Mischief poker was a good idea?" Steve asked quizzically.

Tony shrugged. "I'm regretting it now. I didn't have any idea he'd be so good-…"

"You realize he's probably using magic, right?" Steve pointed out, looking at Loki's hand. Loki gave him a dirty look.

"Is there a reason you're here, Spandex Boy?" Loki snapped, hoping to change the subject.

"Haha, that's a good one, but stop using the magic." Tony glared across the round table. "But the real reason I taught him, Steve, was because I never want to miss a chance at strip poker."

Steve and Loki tilted their heads simultaneously at Tony and he rolled his eyes. "It's poker, but instead of losing money, the loser loses his, or her, clothing. The way I prefer to play is when the winner gets to pick who removes the clothing and what article of clothing."

Loki looked doubtful. "And women willingly play this game?"

"Does paying them count as willing?"

"You guys are disgusting." Steve's face scrunched up as Loki and Tony stared at him.

"Are we certain they didn't remove his manhood while they were buffing him up?" Loki asked Tony as he snorted into his glass from laughter.

Steve crossed his arms and glowered at the two of them as they shook with snickers. Suddenly a bad idea flitted through Steve's mind and he hesitant to say anything, but Loki and Tony's continued reaction convinced him. "Well, everything seemed pretty okay when I saw Lara taking a bubble bath."

The statement sobered the two men quickly, Tony looking perplexed and Loki looking defensive. Steve suddenly wondered if he'd made a mistake by mentioning the bubble bath, but decided to stand his ground. "Yeah, so maybe you wanna quit the badmouthing. And speaking of Lara, she wants to see you, Loki."

Loki paused, his mind thinking. "Is she still in the…?"

"Last I saw. The bubbles were nearly all gone."

Loki tossed his cards haphazardly onto the table and stood up. "I enjoyed playing, Tony, but duty calls." He left immediately, but Tony had his eyes trained on Steve.

"Dear gods, what have we done? You've been spending way too much time around us… At least you're loosening up."

"I'm not… different. Everything I said was true. Good night, Tony."

xOxOx

"How dare you! Why did you never tell me? You had no right to withhold that from me!" Amanda hissed, forgetting to keep her voice down.

"There was no reason to. Hel has all but disowned me and does not even know you exist." Natla explained calmly.

"So you're just going to let Lara walk all over us? Like her mother did to you?" Amanda spat. "Let me speak to Hel. I want a chance at least."

Natla remained silent and stretched out her wings. "Are you certain? There's no turning back from this path. I had a reason for leaving you with that family, you know, and right now you are going directly against it. Hel will not be kind to you. If anything she might smite you were stand."

"I'll prove we are the stronger of our siblings. It's not like Lara will ever willingly help Hel anyway."

"Hel has a plan for that as well, Amanda. But if this is truly what you want… I will speak to her."

"Do it. I finally know what I'm destined to do." Amanda watched as Natla vanished and she quietly snuck back into the manor.

Thank you for reading and please tell me what you thought of this chapter in a review! :)