A/N: Time frame wise, this is set 8 years after Burning Curve, for reference. :)

So updates might be a little slow as I deal with some big personal stuff. If you're interested you can read about it at my Tumblr. megaranoelle . tumblr . com

I don't own The Avengers, Loki, Iron Man, or anything of the like. Just the thoughts inside my head. And taking some personal freedoms with mythology and lore.

Tony's scrunched his face a little, head feeling a little fuzzy. He took a breath and opened his eyes, a little confused when he saw sky and leaves above him. "It's not everyday that someone appears sleeping." He blinked and sat up a little and saw two women standing in front of him. "Especially when he stays asleep for a while."

Tony looked around and saw a pedestal with a book floating above it, and a large golden tree, with roots big enough to sit on comfortably. "Oh, oh no." He pushed himself up slowly, looking down to see that once again he had a flat stomach, but there was no stab wound this time. "I'm dead, aren't I? I'm dead and now I have to spend forever as a Fate, don't I?"

"What do you think Anthony Stark?" A woman with black hair walked over to him, putting her hand out to help him up. "You're the teller of Futures, what do you think has happened?"

"Yeah, well, I don't think that's right." Tony took her hand and got up. He looked at the woman with long blonde hair, standing a little closer to the book on the pedestal. "I haven't actually made any predictions, and I haven't really seen anything since I got the powers."

"Because you haven't truly accepted them," Urd told him. "What are you afraid of seeing?"

"Last time I saw something happen, my son got hurt, and I saw my husband getting taken from me," Tony told her. "You'll excuse me if I'm not exactly excited more things that could tear my family apart."

"The future is not always full of horrible things, you've seen that." Urd looked at him then turned and walked back towards Verdandi. "Were you not shown glimpses of your family when Skuld first visited you?"

"I'm supposed to feel okay that I was shown a small moment? Because what followed was just as unimportant." Tony turned to look at the two Norns, a scowl on his face. "I'm supposed to feel okay that my husband is missing, on the verge of actually dying, that my family is still in danger, that I don't know what's happened with my newborn daughter? That all of that is supposed to mean nothing!"

"You could see if that is what the future holds for you and your family," Verdandi said calmly. "You are the Fate of Future, you can see who will and will not be in your future."

"Once I see that future, I can't change it," Tony growled out. "I had to learn that the hard way."

"Then you will not be able to return to your family." Urd walked over to the book, the book that was still. "But, if you don't at least see one thing, you may not have to worry about a family." Tony frowned and walked over to them, and the book. "This book has held the past, present, and future of being in the Nine Realms. It constantly changes, new things are written in it."

Tony peered over at it. "Nothing's happening."

"There is a balance that must be upheld. The wheel of life must still turn, the waters of new birth must still flow, and the balances must be kept." Urd looked down at the book, then up at Tony. "The balance is starting to fall. Yggdrasil," she motioned up to the golden tree, "feels the difference, her leaves start to wilt, the Nine will soon feel the repercussions."

"If that is not enough to spur you on, if you do not give at least one prophecy, you will not be able to leave this place," Verdandi told him with a hard voice. "Your body will waste away on Midgard until eventually it dies, and you Will remain here."

"You ladies make a very convincing argument," Tony said softly. He licked his lips and looked between them. "If I don't like what I see, I'm still stuck with it, aren't I?" They didn't answer him and he gave a little nod. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Finding his core he found the new power sitting there, patiently waiting for him. Tony knew he had to do it, if not for his family, then to keep every other Realm alive.

Urd and Verdandi watched him, then glanced back at the book. Slowly words started to appear again, the pages ruffled as a breeze passed through the area. Tony let out a small gasp as his eyes shot open. "I need to go back, I need to go now."

Sander let out a yawn as he walked back down the hall to the NICU, cup of coffee in hand. He raised an eyebrow when he saw a very familiar figure standing at the windows, watching Alex finish a check up on Key. "When did you get back from Spain?" He took a sip from his cup and offered it to Tomas.

"About five minutes ago," he answered his twin, taking the coffee. He still had his jacket on, prompting Sander to think that he had just teleported home, then to the hospital. "I started getting things in order when I got your text. They told me to take as much time as i needed, I'd still have a job when I was ready to come back."

"You must be doing pretty well if they're already offering you a job." He leaned against the wall, looking at Tomas. Green eyes met brown. "Dad's down the hall. It's uh," he made a little face. "It's a little disconcerting."

Alex walked out of the room and over to the boys, a bundle in his arms. "I can give you two ten minutes to take her to see him." Tomas took his newborn sister carefully from Alex and Sander leaned in to see her. She was small, smaller than any of the other Starks when they were newborn, and she was quiet, but wide awake. She gripped the edge of the blanket in her tiny hand and looked at her brothers with interest.

"She's going to have the Stark curiosity, that's for sure," Sander said,, rubbing her cheek with his finger. He gave Alex a little nod and they made their way down the hall, Sander showing Tomas to the right room. When they walked in Tomas looked up and swallowed suddenly.

Tony was laying in the bed, looking asleep, but he had several tubes and wires connected to him, an oxygen mask over his face, and he looked slightly paler than usual. The bed was tilted up so he was sitting up, and there were three chairs in the room. Eindride was sitting in one of the chairs, legs curled up, head leaned against the window, asleep.

"I managed to get a hold of Kaia and Nathan," Sander said quietly as he pulled the other two chairs up next to each other. "They're on their way up, Kaia was going to tell Emma and Dani."

"Is Uncle Bruce with Melli, then?" Tomas asked and his twin nodded.

"She's still young, we didn't want her seeing Dad like this just yet." Sander grabbed the see through crib that was in the room and rolled it over to them. "She's smart though, she knows something wrong."

Tomas leaned over a little and took Tony's hand gently, lifting it up a little and letting Key grip one of his fingers. "Melli's not the only smart one," Tomas said with a soft smile on his face. "Take this time to know what silence is little one, because once Daddy wakes up, he'll never stop talking."

There was a soft snort from Eindride in the corner as he slowly woke up. "That's an understatement." He stretched his arms first, then stretched his legs out and Tomas gently put Key in the crib. "Any change?"

"Just Alex breaking the littlest Stark out of the slammer." Both Tomas and Sander gave Eindride identical smiles.

"I remember when you two were small and cute." Eindrde frowned looking at them. "What the hell happened?" He laughed and hopped away from the two arms that reached out to hit him. "How long are you here for, Tom?"

"As long as you guys need me," he told his older brother. "Preferably I won't be leaving until the whole family is back together."

"Your hope is a foolish one." All three guys turned, Tomas and Sander standing up, when they heard the strange voice and the door shutting. "Your family is actually quite a pain. The fun I've been having with the sorcerer is running low, and I owe him some pain." Adir glanced over at Tony then at the newborn in the crib, her arms and legs starting to move as even she sensed trouble. "How disappointing, they both still live. This family makes me appear weak, and I just cannot let that information get out."

Tomas was moving back towards Key as Eindride and Sander stepped forward, blocking Adir from Tony and their sister. "We can more than make you look weak," Sander said. There was a thick crackle of power in the room.

"No." Sander kept his eyes on Adir as the raspy voice spoke. Eindride and Tomas had whipped their heads around to look at Tony. "Don't, dare, touch, them." Adir smirked a little, keeping his sight on Sander as well. Tony was slowly pushing himself up, the oxygen mask pulled off.

"Did you see the future, Anthony?" Tony glared at him as he started to pull the wires off and pull out the IV's. "Did you like what you saw? Tell me, is it the same future that I have in mind right now?"

Sander's hands started to glow green and Adir grinned. "Do you threaten me boy?"

"Sander, don't." Tony was attempting to get out of the bed, Eindride there trying to stop him.

"I'm very interested in what the boy thinks he can do," Adir taunted. "Does he think of himself as at his Father's level?"

"Usually when people underestimate us, they end up dead," Sander growled out. The two looked at each other, both with spells at their fingertips. Sander moved first, throwing spikes of energy at Adir, who merely brushed them away like dust in his eyes. He threw some more as they moved closer to each other. Tomas had moved to the opposite end the room, shielding Key with his body as she started to whimper.

Tony had gotten to his feet and Adir was standing in front of Sander, hand gripping his jaw and lifting him up. Both Tony and Adir felt a faint prickling in the air and Adir's grin widened as Sander struggled in his grip. "Oh, this is just too much."

There was a faint pop. "Stop!" Loki growled out from behind Adir, vials in his good hand.

"You impress me sorcerer, finding your way out of the Void." Adir turned to face Loki, putting Sander's back to Loki. "Let me give back to you what you gave to me with your spells." He lowered Sander down until his feet were touching the ground again. He surged his other arm forward, a glowing sword appearing in his hand as he slid it through Sander's chest.

Loki ran forward and caught Sander as Adir threw him over, sliding him off of his sword. He turned to face Tomas and Key and saw Eindride and Tony in his way. "One is enough for today, I'll be back for the rest." He took a step back into a shadow in the corner, disappearing from the room.

Loki was holding onto Sander, eyes wide as he ran his hand over his chest. Sander struggled to pull air into his body before letting out a cough, red spattering his lips. Tony stumbled over to them, angling Sander up. "Hang on kid, just hang on, we can fix this."

"Hit, lungs," Sander's rasped out. "Saved, Key, saw, Dad." He gave him a small smile before pain ripped over his expression. Tomas suddenly dropped down next to him, taking his other hand. "Sorry," he coughed again.

"Don't be sorry, don't be a dick," Tomas said quickly, tears welling in his eyes. "We made a promise, remember? We were gonna get married at the same time, and make our partners go crazy when we insist on having our kids at the same time, and we were gonna fucking die at the same time."

Tony looked at Loki with wild eyes. Loki's hand was still glowing, but nothing was happening. He started to shake his head, mumbling under his breath.

"S'ok." Sander put his hand on top of Loki's, struggling to take a breath. "Key, gunbe, special." He wheezed a couple of times before coughing a little. Key started to cry in Eindride's arms now. Loki leaned his head over his sons, resting it on his forehead, his chest resting still. Tomas let out a small sob, still holding onto Sander's hand, and Tony flopped back, leaning against the wall, his body numb from disbelief. Their son was gone.