Many years pass and Asgard thrives under Thor's guidance. Jane and Darcy are old women, old even for Midgardians, the technology of the Aesir keeping them healthy and happy even as Jane's hair greys and Darcy's turns bright white. They can no longer keep up with the children, but that hasn't stopped them from delighting in games and stories, even though the bounce room is more difficult for either of them to navigate now that they are both just over a century old.
Loki takes the children to the palace to spend time with Frigga and Brunnhilde while their mothers are attending their day's duties and returns to the cottage alone. She had started the day off in one form, but has decided partially through that it just doesn't quite suit, and so now he changes clothes and shifts his features to between, dressing in his soft tunic and trousers.
"A bit of both, it seems," he says, smiling in the mirror as he loosely braids back his hair. "That's better."
It is a warm day, and sunny, so Loki opens the windows to air the house after a week of damp and chilly weather. He gathers the flapping drawings hanging from the drying rack and files them with the manuscripts before sweeping the hearth and tidying in the kitchen. After, it is time for rest, and the garden calls.
Loki is nearly asleep, stretched out on the creeping thyme, when he hears a familiar whoosh and sits bolt upright, "No. That's not…." Someone knocks on the front door and he freezes, unsure if he should answer. "That can't be a time door. Sylvie promised…." He takes a deep breath as the knocks come a second time. He can hear muffled voices talking quietly on the other side. He stands slowly and walks through the house silently, avoiding the creaking floorboard and making as little sound possible. He stands behind the door, listening to two people talk.
"Maybe this isn't even the right place. You can't be sure. Or the right 'when'."
"Give me some credit, please, I do know which 'when' I'm looking for, thank you."
"That doesn't change the fact that nobody's answering. And we're going to get funny looks if we stick around too long. Let's just go."
"I'm not wrong, and I'm not going back."
Loki pauses, hand hovering over the doorknob as he reaches into reality and conjures his daggers. He knows these voices. He's absolutely sure of it. The knocks come one more time. He puts the daggers away and opens the door.
He stares, stunned, as he sees who is on the other side, "Sylvie?"
She nods, drops the bag she has slung over one shoulder, and leaps into his arms. He folds her in, holding her close, "We made it. It took us so long, Loki, but we made it."
He can't stop the tears of joy that run down his cheeks as he starts laughing, "I never thought I'd see you again and yet here you are!" He looks past her to her companion, "And Loki! You left the Void!"
"I did," the young man says, "And I brought this one with me," he gestures to the alligator at his feet.
"Would you like a hug, too?"
"No thanks, I'm fine."
Sylvie steps back, wiping her eyes with her wrist as she picks up her bag, "Sorry...should have made that a bit more dignified."
"Absolutely not, I'd have had none of it," Loki says, still beaming, "Come on in! Have a seat at the table – let me get you something to eat. What would you like?"
"I'll eat anything other than that damned Void bird. I never want to eat another bite of that thing again," the younger Loki says.
"Well given you're no longer in the Void, I can assure you, I won't be preparing you one." He turns to Sylvie as he walks to the kitchen, "How are you here and not at the Citadel?"
"There are always Kangs coming up through history. I found one who was good-hearted and watched him long before I stepped in to tell him what was coming and what had to be stopped. He readily agreed to come learn from me and when I told him what I'd given up to carry on the work, he insisted on finding a way to bring me some peace. The more we talked, the more convinced I became that he was genuine. He won't prune this timeline. There're protections in place around it and, well…" she pulls the little black and gold disc TemPad from a pocket, "I have ways of knowing if the Citadel needs tending. And he knows if he ever crosses me, I'll be back and he won't get a second chance."
"You trust him?"
Sylvie nods, "Yes. Turns out, I actually can trust. And do. Just...sparingly, and guardedly."
The younger Loki lifts the alligator onto his lap after he sits, "I'm just glad Sylvie came to find me when she did. It's been a long time since I had anyone to talk to, other than this one. I'd started wondering what I was surviving for if it was just running all the time. I don't want to just live in a lawless unending wasteland forever. So when Sylvie offered me something new…."
"He told me he'd go anywhere, even if it meant he'd fight the TVA to the death, just so he could do something interesting before Alioth ate him," Sylvie adds.
Loki returns with a cutting board, cheese, fruit, and tea, with plates and cups balanced alongside. He pours the tea and sets out plates before he settles in and starts slicing strawberries, piling them in a heap and offering them to his guests as he begins to cut cheese slices.
"I'm so so happy to see you again, my friends. I thought I never would. Are you intending to stay?"
Sylvie hesitates, "See, that's the thing...we don't know if we're wanted here. You...I knew Frigga would embrace you. I can't see anything about us. So while I'd like to…."
Loki shakes his head, "Sylvie, stop. I can absolutely assure you Frigga will welcome you. When Mobius and I told her our story, she insisted that were we to ever cross paths with either of you again, I was, without question, to make sure both of you, and our reptilian friend, knew you had a place in her family. She was adamant about it, and she's mentioned it a few times since." He pauses, then laughs quietly, "I never...I wonder if she knew. If she could foresee you coming, but couldn't reveal it…."
From beside Sylvie, Loki pats his alligator companion and shrugs, "I guess that would make sense, wouldn't it? If she'd said something a few times when it didn't seem likely we'd ever come."
"Exactly. And even if she didn't, I think she's going to be thrilled to meet you both."
"And what of Thor?" Loki asks. "Will he be as thrilled? Does he know I killed my Thor?"
"He does know. And still, yes, he will be happy to have you here. He found the entire idea of the Void to be entirely heartless and cruel. It distressed him to think about how I was so confused upon being picked up by the TVA and then to consider how one could go from daily life to a trial to being blinked into the horror of Alioth's realm in so little time…. This is why Thor makes a decent king. He has a good heart for others, even if he doesn't always understand their nature."
Sylvie nods, "I hope you're right, Loki. I don't want to go back to the Citadel. I don't want either of us to have to go back there. But if this isn't the place for us…."
Loki puts aside his cutlery and reaches across the table to offer each of them a hand; both accept, "My friends...my family...you do have a place here. I will assure it. I promise you this."
"Don't make promises you don't know if you can keep," Sylvie says, her voice pained.
"I don't," he replies, "I know I can keep this one." He returns to preparing their food and encourages them to try the tea, a blend Mobius had created for warm summer days, one both sweet and soothing, and light with hints of citrus. He sips his own and tells them this, about the herbs grown just beyond their door, about the gardens they tend, particularly how he had been hoping for some time that he would have the opportunity to introduce them to the peace of his little green sanctuary behind the house. After they've eaten, he takes them back to the garden and stretches out on the thyme, welcoming them to join him, to explore, or to find a spot to sit and simply listen.
The younger Loki is tense the entire time he is walking, peeking behind bushes as though something might jump out at him. He startles when he finds the shelter behind the curtain of ivy as though he is afraid of being attacked from something unknown. The alligator stays close on his heels.
After poking around for a little while, Sylvie sits beside her friend on the thyme, "It really is beautiful here."
"Thank you. Mobius and I have been so careful to cultivate this space as our own. It was lovely and wild when we made this our home and we've never wanted to tame it, only to find ways to allow it to thrive."
"That sounds a lot like what he did for you, too," she says.
Loki smiles and closes his eyes, "Yes, yes it does."
"I've missed you."
"And I, you."
Sylvie smiles, "And it's good to see you. It's good to know you're still you and that you still want to know me, even after what I put you through."
He nods, eyes still closed, "Of course I do, Sylvie. You and Mobius were my first two friends who never saw me as anything less than myself and never thought less of me for myself."
"You're getting poetic," she says, nudging his shoulder.
Loki laughs, "I do tend to drift that direction on occasion."
She looks down at him and just watches him for a moment; he is more relaxed than she has ever seen him, he seems comfortable, and, most importantly, he looks at home, "Loki?"
"Hmm?"
"How could this work? Four Lokis in one timeline?"
He shrugs, "It just will. We want it to, and we're all different people...we'll find a way, Sylvie." He opens his eyes and offers her his hand, "Don't worry how. I made you a promise and I intend on keeping it."
"And what...what are we?" she asks, taking it.
"I'd like to say we're friends," he answers, "if you're alright with that."
"I am. And I think we're going to be very good friends. I just...don't know what else we might have been."
"Well...does that matter now? We both are different people, in some ways, than we were when we met. And I'm happy to build our lives from where we are, not where we were."
She thinks for a moment before answering, "I like that. There's a lot that's happened since." She gestures along his body, "You've changed a bit since then, too."
"Oh, this? This is just a little change," Loki says, breaking into a grin, "Want to see the rest of it?" She raises her eyebrows in question. Loki winks and shifts fully, his clothes draping too large over his slender frame, "I won't move much, lest my garments fall off, but...here she is."
"You're a lovely woman, Loki."
"So I've heard, though I'm told the face I wore before is more conventionally beautiful." He shifts into the appearance of the woman in the green dress, "This is how they knew me before I fell. Well, only some knew who this woman really was. She...well, I, was a mystery, alluring and flirtatious."
"I think I like you better when you look more like yourself...well, the yourself I knew first."
Loki shifts back to his in-between form, "So do I. I don't have a reason to hide behind the other face anymore and I like that. I like being who I am. It's been so freeing to learn to be unafraid of everything I am."
"Including your Frost Giant self?"
He nods, "Yes. Even that."
"Did you show the others?"
"Yes. Mobius took it entirely in stride and simply shrugged and told me he wished he could kiss me while I appeared in that form as well. My mother called me her beloved child, regardless of my form. Thor took a moment to take it all in and then declared that he was still my brother, whether I am a man, a woman, otherwise, of Asgard or of Jotunheim. Others in the family have been told, yes, but I don't want to share my form with everyone yet. Some things...need to be held more closely."
The other Lokis join them on the thyme, "This is a nice little garden. I like that it has its own walls. It feels safer like that," the younger Loki says. The alligator grunts, "He likes it, too. He says the ground is soft and warm, unlike the Void."
"So I have a question," Sylvie says.
"Yes?"
"Where should we sleep tonight?"
Loki props himself up on his elbows, "Where would you be most comfortable? Somehow I doubt the palace is going to feel like someplace either of you can simply slip into as though it were second nature."
"Did you?" Loki asks.
"Yes...and no. It wasn't nearly as long a time between my leaving and my returning as it has been for you. But there was also a large piece of my heart that struggled with being there, given all that I had experienced in those halls. I have rooms there, yes, but this is my home."
Sylvie picks at a twig, "I...I don't know how well I'll sleep anywhere, to be honest. At least not somewhere I don't know is safe."
The alligator creaks and the younger Loki nods, "He agrees. And so do I. And the palace doesn't feel safe yet."
"There'll come a day I want to find the spot where they took me," Sylvie says, "And I don't know how that's going to work into all this." Loki and the alligator nod in agreement.
Loki sits up, "Well...if we need to make up beds for you here, we can. It's a small cottage, and I know that can't be the permanent arrangement, but for now...we can make it work. If I need time with only Mobius, he and I can go to the palace."
Sylvie shakes her head, "I don't want to make this awkward for you. If you and Mobius...want time alone, just kick us out."
Loki looks briefly confused before what she's hinting at dawns on him, "Oh! No, not for that!" He blushes, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like…." Embarrassment gives way to amusement and he laughs at himself, "Goodness, that is most certainly not what I meant."
"Well, if you do," Sylvie says, "Offer still stands."
"No, I meant that there are times when he and I talk through difficult things. I like those moments to have no risk of accidental interruption so that I allow myself to speak freely. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"I've lived in a timeless wasteland with cannibal pirates and some very unstable Variants of us who just kinda...roamed about making chaos for fun. So I don't think the idea of you and Mobius having a go at it after you kick us out really even registered as anything uncomfortable," Loki says as he pats the alligator's back. "We've seen some very disturbing things, what with living alongside a matter-consuming cloud monster."
"You make a fair point." Loki says. "But still. I intend on doing all I can to make sure you ease into life here at your own pace. It was overwhelming for me, and I wasn't nearly as removed from this sort of life as either of you are. Adapting will take time and I want to make sure I don't do more harm than good."
"Well I think you're off to a very good start," Sylvie says, smiling, "But I also think I want some more of Mobius' absolutely fantastic tea. So shall we?" she stands and offers him a hand. He accepts and they all return to the cottage together. Loki serves his friends tea and offers to tell them about the people in his family they will some day meet. When he is met with enthusiasm, he begins, introducing them in the order in which he met them upon his return. He begins with Brunnhilde.
A few hours later, Mobius returns to the cottage, his thoughts elsewhere as he walks through the gardens. There have been some diplomatic snarls to work out in a treaty with Jotunheim and a few curious members of their royal family have heard that Loki is alive and want to meet him. This is a conversation Mobius and Loki have had in the past and the answer has been, and likely will be for a long time, "not yet." While this has frustrated some of the Frost Giants, Frigga's skill with words has assisted them in delicately guiding the conversation around the details. But Mobius is still worried the situation will come to a head before Loki is ready.
This is where his thoughts are as he approaches the cottage and why it takes him a while to realize that it isn't just Loki in the dining room. He is the one animatedly telling some story, but there are other voices laughing, asking questions, and adding their own quips. Puzzled, he hastens his pace. He recognizes one of the voices, then the other.
His heart skips a beat and he starts laughing, calling out their names as he opens the door, "Sylvie! Loki! You're here!" He walks to the table, arms open, and Sylvie steps into a hug, "How? And for how long?"
"I found a suitable replacement to stay at the Citadel and put a few safety measures in place so he won't cross me and he'll do the job as he needs to. As to how long...I guess that depends on you."
"Wait, what does that mean?" he asks.
"What she means is that we're here to stay as long as we're welcome and wanted," Loki says as the alligator grunts a greeting from his lap, "And if that runs out, we'll go back to the Citadel."
"But I told them it's not going to be something that just runs out," Loki adds, "We all have a place together. Mother was quite insistent. As was Thor."
Mobius sits with them at the table, "Wow...this is really amazing! I never thought you two would get out of there and I have to say, that was one of the saddest realizations I've ever had. Neither of you deserved to be stuck in the places you were shoved by the TVA."
"I've offered them a place to stay with us until we can find other arrangements that make them feel safe," Loki says. "We can figure out our sleeping arrangements with what we have tonight and find something more suitable tomorrow."
"Floor's good enough for me and him," Loki says, setting the alligator on the ground; the reptile finds a place in front of the warm oven to lounge, "We haven't exactly been sleeping in anything resembling a bed for a while now."
Sylvie shrugs, "Same here, actually. I couldn't sleep in a dead man's bed, even once I'd pulled everything off it."
"I don't feel so bad now offering one of you the big pillow nest and the other one of you the couch," Mobius says.
"That sounds absolutely fantastic," Sylvie says. "And it's warm and dry in here, so even better. The Citadel's always just a little too cold."
Mobius pauses, laughs, and bites his lip, shaking his head, "Son of a...I bet she knew." He makes eye contact with his partner, "Your mom told me earlier today she'd be stopping by this evening with some blankets in case somebody got a little chilly tonight. I told her that was ridiculous, it's warm out and the nights aren't that bad, even with your habit of leaving all the windows open...but she insisted. I bet she foresaw these two coming and wanted to make sure everybody was comfortable tonight."
As if on cue, there is a knock on the door and Mobius gets up to answer, "Good evening Mobius," Frigga says, "Was I right?"
He steps out to talk to her, closing the door behind him, "Yes, and you timed your arrival absolutely perfectly...almost like you knew I'd be talking about you," he teases.
"You know my art's not that precise," she says, "But I do happen to have surprisingly good luck when it comes to well-timed arrivals." She hands him a pile of blankets, "I'm not going to ask to be introduced yet. That will come later. But for now...I can take care of them in this little way."
"I'll let you know when they're ready. And thank you."
"Just make sure they know there's no need to rush any of this. They have a place here, however makes them most at home," she says, patting his arm, "Now...I'll leave you all to your evening."
Mobius nods, "Thanks, Frigga."
"Oh, and let them know, when the time comes," she whispers, "that there's a lovely little space near the lavender where we could build a cozy little cottage…."
"Let me guess, you can't say how, but you just have an inkling they might like this idea."
She winks and leaves.
Mobius walks back into the cottage and sets the pile of blankets on the couch, "Well...I was right. She knew."
"What else did she say?" the younger Loki asks.
"She said there's no need to hurry and you've got a home here, however makes you most comfortable."
"She didn't come in," Sylvie states.
"Nope, she said she figured you have to be ready for that. Has to come from you, not her," Mobius says.
"That's how she was with me, too," Loki says, "When we first arrived here, she didn't want to push us into telling our story and sharing where we'd been before we were ready."
"And Thor?" the younger Loki asks.
"Followed her lead," Mobius answers, "He had to reign himself in a bit, but he figured it out. He's had to come to terms with a lot through all this and he's done an absolutely spectacular job being there for Loki." He sees the uncertainty on his young friend's face, "I think he'll be alright with you all. I think the hardest thing he's going to have to figure out is how to handle both of you having the same name."
"Not the whole, 'I killed Thor' bit?"
Mobius shrugs, "I mean, it might be a little weird at first, but I think he's going to try to understand the why more than anything. He might push a little, we might have to tell him he needs to let up, but...well, he's handled the whole TVA thing alright so far, so I think he'll be OK."
"My friends, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves," Loki says, "You've only just arrived and you're likely hungry for something a little more substantial than what we've had so far. So...allow me to cook supper? Mobius can find some playing cards and you're all welcome to help when you'd like, though you don't have to."
"No working to earn our supper?" Sylvie quips.
"Not at all – you deserve rest and I like to cook, so this works out quite well."
Loki finds his apron and begins supper while Mobius talks to the others about what they're going to need for the night. The biggest concern they have is feeling safe, and so Mobius has Loki walk through the various charms and spells that protect the cottage. No one can sneak up on them in their sleep.
After supper, they make up beds. Loki offers them the use of the bathtub and the younger Loki stares at it for a solid minute before deciding that yes, he will have a real bath, the first he's had in many centuries. He stays in until the water starts to cool just a little to much and after he is out, the alligator splashes in.
Loki lends the young man a tunic to use as a sleep shirt and finds a simple nightgown for Sylvie into which she changes after her turn in the bath. They say goodnight and tuck in, the gentle sounds of the gardens at night both strange and soothing.
When they wake in the morning, Mobius makes breakfast and they eat together around the dining table. After they are ready for the day, Mobius suggests they take a walk around the gardens. They take their time, Loki telling stories about the plants and their lore while Mobius interjects with stories from their lives, such as when they lost Frida for nearly half an hour when she hid in a sage hedge.
At one point, Sylvie slips her hand into Loki's, "May I?"
"Of course. Are you alright?"
"Just...a little exposed. It's bright and sunny and...well, I lived in the end of worlds for how long? And then I became it. I don't know how to live here."
He stops and turns to face her, taking her other hand, "Sylvie...we take care of our own. You'll be alright. Neither Mobius nor I are going to let anyone hurt you. And when you're ready...there is a family here ready to embrace you as you are." He leans in and gently kisses her forehead, "You're safe."
"And what does that mean?"
"It means I consider you my friend. My family."
"And you're with Mobius."
Loki nods, "It's a different feeling. Not lesser, just...different. It makes me happy. And you?"
"Yes. I just don't know how friends really work," she answers.
They start walking again, still hand-in-hand, "You'll find your way. And there are plenty of us here to help you."
They catch up to the others near the lavender, "Is that a labyrinth?" Sylvie asks.
"Yes. It's been here for millennia. It's the gardener's pride. As it should be. It's beautiful, especially when it's in bloom and all the little insects come out to sing to the blossoms."
"Can I walk it?" Loki nods. She lets go of his hand and finds the entrance.
He joins Mobius, Loki, and the alligator, "Everything alright?" Mobius asks.
"Yes. This is just going to take her some time to get used to."
"Same with me," Loki says. The alligator seems to nod as he groans, "Him, too."
Mobius nods, "Yeah, I figured."
"You mind if we head back to the cottage? I think I need a rest. My mind's not entirely convinced I don't need to be always looking over my shoulder."
"Go ahead! It's your home right now, too," Mobius says. They leave. Mobius turns to Loki, "So...you and Sylvie?"
Loki takes Mobius' hands and leans close, whispering, their foreheads touching, "Are going to be close, but not the same way you and I are. It's alright, Mobius. Nothing is going to come between us." He leans in to kiss him.
Mobius speaks, their lips brushing, "Didn't think so." He presses his lips to Loki's.
Sylvie glances over to them while she walks the Labyrinth. She can't help but feel a pang of jealousy, even while it makes her happy to see Loki so clearly in love with Mobius. There is a part of her that wonders if she missed her only chance when she chose the mission over him. But she also knows she can't let herself be mired in regrets. This is the place she has chosen to call home. There will be no going back to the Citadel, so long as things continue to run smoothly along the timelines. She looks back over at Mobius and Loki – they have moved to a nearby bench and Loki rests his head against Mobius'. They look comfortable. She lets herself daydream. There's enough space there for a small cottage like theirs, though it wouldn't have a secret garden. But where the men sit is clear along the wall and she wonders if they could tease the ivy out on trellises to create a little courtyard of her own framed in greenery. There would need to be charms around it, too, of course, so she and Loki and the alligator could feel safe at night. It hits her – she is thinking of Asgard as home. Even with all her years away, there is something about this place that still calls to her, still resonates with her. She glances back toward her friends and smiles. Perhaps there's even someone here she can find that sort of companionship with.
And so, a few months later, Sylvie and Loki and their alligator friend meet with Frigga for the first time, asking her to take tea with them beside the lavender. Mobius and Loki are invited as well and stay quiet while the others talk, refilling tea and offering refreshments. When the question of where they will stay comes up, Sylvie makes the request – could they have their own cottage beside the labyrinth she walks every morning? Frigga happily agrees. The gardener has already been working with her to draw up a few different blueprints as their starting point.
At the end of the day, Frigga offers hugs to all her Lokis and to Mobius before she heads back to the palace. There plans to put into motion, things for which she has already laid the groundwork because she already knew what was to come, even if she could not say it.
In the cottage, after supper, they all cuddle together in the nest of pillows and daydream about the future.
"I finally feel like there's someplace I belong. I'm actually looking forward to meeting Thor. How did I go from 'I killed a Variant Thor and I'm terrified' to 'I have a big brother who wants to meet me and this is amazing' in only a few months?" the younger Loki asks.
Sylvie shrugs, "I've no idea, but somehow here I am, asking the All-Mother to take me to a very specific room in the palace where I plan on telling her my story. It must be something about this place. Something about it being home."
Loki looks around the cottage, at the life he and Mobius have built together, "It's familiar and comforting and, at the same time, ours to create anew. It's remarkable, if you think about it."
She smiles, "It really is. And it wouldn't have happened without the two of you. So thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I would be dead somewhere on the Sacred Timeline if you two hadn't have come into my life."
"Well, given my job, you might have been dead because of me, too – let's not forget the whole 'hunting you like a dog' thing," Mobius adds.
She nods, "This is true. But...either way. There's a lot that changed. And I'm starting to realize I'm still able to be happy. I didn't think I could do that anymore."
"Same here," the younger Loki replies, "But we're both feeling content, even if we're not quite to 'happy' yet."
"Content is fantastic," Mobius says, "And I'm so glad you've found it."
Loki smiles, "Mobius, my love...our family is incredible. We're together thanks to some absolutely amazing twists in our stories. Some things that just don't seem likely. And yet...here we are. I love you, my friends, and I'm so glad we've found one another again." He reaches for his tea and raises the glass, "To our family, however we find it, however we build it."
Sylvie gently clinks hers with his, "Exactly. However we build it or find it, it will be good."
Everyone taps their mugs together and then takes a drink, "To family," Mobius echoes.
"For once," Sylvie says, "I think I actually like being alive. I actually want to be alive."
Mobius turns to her, "I'm so glad. Because there's a whole lot of world left out there to explore, but even just Asgard itself is going to be a great adventure."
Loki raises his glass, "I'll certainly drink to that. To our next great adventure together."
And with another round of glasses clinking together, they set off on the next part of their journey as a family.
The End.