Realisation

A/N so this is next weeks chapter, but I'm posting it now! Anyways, I hope you like it! After this there are two more chapters of this story, and then I start the sequel which I explained in my last authors note. Thanks for reading and please review!

Gaia runs away from where Loki is dragging Lena away. She knows she has to be fast in what she does next. She repeats the message Lena sent her in her head, a bit paranoid that she is going to forget the place and name Lena asked for.

She switches into autopilot mode as she flies the boat away from the castle, as her mind is on other things, like checking behind her just in case Loki has changed his mind about letting her away unscathed. Does Loki suspect she is rushing for help? Gaia doesn't know, and hopes not. Who knows what he would do to her.

Gaia thinks she can hear screaming coming from the castle, but when she looks back the castle is miles away. She doesn't think sound could travel that far, so assumes the screaming is a trick of the mind. Something in your mind is difficult to ignore though, and Gaia tries her best to carry on as if it isn't there. At least it reminds her of what she has to do.

Her stomach unclenches in relief when she sees the golden lights of the city on the horizon. She doubles her speed, and then remembers Odin's warning to Loki. Odin will probably want to take her in for questioning, so she guides the boat round to the back entrance of the city, and pulls her hood up over her face. Not the best disguise ever, but it will have to do. Luckily her face isn't too well known in the city, as she didn't grow up here and has only ever stayed in the palace during her time spent here.

She rushes through the streets, keeping her head down and ignoring all the people who try to talk to her. Apart from one, Lady Sif, who stops her just before she reaches the Bifrost.

"Gaia." Sif calls, after seeing the small woman duck away into the crowds. Sif follows her, and easily catches up with her, and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Gaia." She repeats, quieter this time, as Gaia has made it pretty clear by her cloak and resistance to talk that she doesn't want to be found. Sif tips her head in the direction of an alley on her left, and she sees a muscle tighten in Gaia's jaw, but Gaia follows her nonetheless.

"Yes, my lady?" Gaia says, almost tiredly, looking over her shoulder to see if they were followed.

"Why all the secrecy?" Sif asks, which is currently top of the long list of questions she needs to ask Gaia. Gaia sighs, and pulls down her hood.

"I need to get to Midgard." She explains. "To help Lady Laufeyson." Gaia winces as she says her title. "And I don't think Odin would take kindly to that."

Sif bites her lip.

"No, he wouldn't." She blinks. "Is Lena okay?"

Gaia pales, and shakes her head. Sif feels a rush of sadness, and hits her forehead with her hand.

"Loki didn't take Odin's dismissal well." Gaia says quietly. Sif takes in these words, and hits her forehead again.

"Why did I let her go with him?" Sif asks no one in particular. "I knew what he was like."

Gaia takes her hand.

"My Lady, do not do this to yourself." She says soothingly, her natural caring state taking over again. Sif smiles slightly, thinking how that is easier said than done.

She remembers something else Gaia said.

"Why are you heading to Midgard?" Sif frowns in confusion.

"Shortly before..." Gaia loses the words. Sif doesn't particularly want to know before what. "The lady asked me to find a man called Clint Barton, who resides in New York. She believes he can help." Gaia swallows, and realises the time is slipping away from her.

Sif opens her mouth, then smiles slightly.

"Yes, he can. He's an Avenger, a friend of Thor's."

Gaia curtsies.

"You must excuse me, Lady Sif. I must leave for Midgard immediately." She puts up her hood again, and turns away. Sif catches her shoulder, and raises her eyebrows.

"You really think I'm not coming?" She laughs. "I'm coming. And anyway, how were you planning to get Heimdall to let you leave?" Gaia frowns at Sif's words. She didn't think of that.

Gaia sees no other option than to let Sif come. Anyway, she will be a useful ally.

"Quickly, my Lady." She says, and the two women exit the alleyway, heading for the Bifrost.

Heimdall raises his eyebrows when Sif and Gaia walk in. Not that they can see that of course, due to his helmet.

Sif holds herself tall, like she always does, a fire of molten determination and defiance alight in her eye, as always. Heimdall smiles. He feels even if he denies Lady Sif the access to Midgard, she will find a way to get there anyway. She's never been one to let others boss her around.

Gaia, though, he's suprised to see, as he never imagined her as one to defy her king and take matters into her own hands. By the way she looks around slightly nervously, she's quite suprised she's doing this as well.

Heimdall steps down, and decides to address Gaia first.

"Why would you want to go to Midgard, Gaia?" He asks, titling his head slightly like a curious owl. He sees a flicker of determination cross over Gaia's face.

"To help somebody."

"Against the wishes of your king?" Heimdall challenges. "I thought you served your king."

"I serve whoever is in need." Gaia snaps, trying to ignore the amused look on the face of Heimdall.

"And you Lady Sif?" Heimdall turns his head to face her. "Why do you want to leave?" He inquires, his voice none of his emotions away.

Sif smiles slightly, and then frowns, jutting her chin forward confidently.

"Does it matter?" She asks, folding her arms, and raising her eyebrows.

Heimdall shakes his head, laughing slightly inwardly. Typical Sif behaviour.

"No, not at all." He opens the Bifrost. "Good luck to you." He says quietly, meaning the words with all his heart. He prays Odin will not find out.

The women step towards the rainbow light, each experimenting varying degrees of nerves. Gaia is nervous about what is immediately in front of her. She's never left Asgard before, and the whole idea of going to another realm, honestly, it terrifies her. But as she told Heimdall, she serves whoever is in need.

Unlike Gaia, Sif has left Asgard before, and doesn't fear that. Instead, she's nervous about what hasn't even crossed Gaia's mind yet, the fact that she's meant to somehow persuade a mortal assassin to come to Asgard, then actually get him to Asgard and not get him or herself arrested in the process. She hopes Thor will be there, to verify that she's telling the truth. She bits her lip.

Sif turns to Gaia, who is also biting her lip. Sif smiles, or tries to.

"Let's go." She says, nodding solemnly. She turns to Heimdall and thanks him unsmilingly.

Then the light swallows them, and they fly.

Gaia can feel her stomach dropping, down into the infinite blackness beneath her. She gasps, and tries to grab onto something, but her fingers slip through the rainbow light, and she grabs Sif's arm instead. In her terror, she forgets how distinguished Sif is in Asgard, and that she defiantly shouldn't be grabbing her arm. Gaia lets go, and gives Sif an apologetic look.

Sif turns to look at Gaia, when she takes her arm, and laughs when Gaia lets go, looking guilty. She remembers her first time using the Bifrost; she had never been so terrified. Sif takes again hand, and smiles, then turns her head to face the approaching planet.

"Don't worry. I know it's scary." Sif tells her, and Gaia glares at her. It being scary is a significant understatement. She widens her eyes as the blue and green planet approaches.

Then her feet touch the ground, and the soft grass of Central Park. Gaia's knees give in, and she sits on the floor, her mouth in a perfect 'o'. Sif blows the air out her cheeks, and looks around her. She puts her hands on her hips.

"This doesn't look like New York." Gaia tells her, gesturing to the trees surrounding them. Sif grins.

"Look up above the trees." Gaia does as Sif tells her, and claps her hand over her mouth. Skyscrapers are visible over the trees, tall and majestic.

Sif leads Gaia through the park until they come to the gates, which they walk through. The change is distinguishable immediately.

They have come from the relative calm of the park to the excited and ordered chaos that is New York City. Gaia steps back as a bus whizzes past, as does Sif.

Sif takes a deep breath, and then turns to Gaia.

"You know where this place is, right?" She says, her voice shaking slightly. Gaia could laugh at the totally new situation she's faced with. Lady Sif, scared. Gaia nods. Looks like it's her turn to take charge.

"Okay. Can you see it?" Sif asks.

Gaia turns in a circle, craning her neck to the sky. For the first 270 degrees, she doesn't see anything. Then she does see it, Stark Tower, tall and bright. Just like the image Lena sent her.

"There!" She tells Sif, raising her arm to point. "Over there!" There's an excited layer to her voice, and Sif catches it too, grinning widely when she looks where Gaia is pointing.

"Quick." Sif says, pulling Gaia across the road determinedly. A horn beeps as a truck comes driving towards them, fast, lights on and horns blaring complaining sound. The two women freeze, unsure of what to do.

At the last minute, a man grabs them and pulls them out the road.

"What were you doing?" He asks, looking at them worriedly. They stare at him, shocked. He rolls his eyes. "Anyone would think you've never crossed a road before."

Sif and Gaia fake a laugh, looking at the man warily. He sees their clothing, and frowns. Then Sif speaks up.

"Can you tell us how to get to Stark Tower?" She inquires, and of the man was looking at them strangely before its nothing compared to the look he's giving them now.

He pauses before answering.

"Go down the street there, down that avenue, take a left and you are there." He tells them, smiling slightly. They smile kindly back at him.

"Thank you." Gaia says, and then they walk off, following the man's directions as quickly as they can.

When they reach the Tower, they go through a large set of glass doors, before being faced with a reception desk. They both frown, and look at each other, confused, as the woman at the desk gives them the same look.

"Can I help you?" The woman sitting across from them asks uncertainly. Boy, she's dealt with some strange things in her time, but this is new. She recognises them as Asgardians by the way they dress and the completely bewildered look on their faces, but she's lost as to what they want.

Sif swallows before speaking.

"We'd like to see Clint Barton." She says confidently, sticking her chin forward, as if daring the woman to contradict her. The woman, however, doesn't.

"Of course. Just give me a sec." She says, then picks up the phone on her left.

The woman's answer confuses Gaia. What is a 'sec'? And how does Gaia give it to her?

"Mr Stark." The woman says into the phone.

Gaia and Sif hear a voice answer.

"Yes, Hill?"

"There's two Asgardians here to see the Hawk."

There's a pause on the other end of the line.

"Okay. Send them up."

Hill puts down the phone and smiles, pressing a button that opens the lift across the room.

"Go on up." She says kindly, and Sif and Gaia get into the box uncertainly. Hill has to stifle a laugh as they press buttons, then jump as the doors shut, and the elevator carries them up.

Upstairs, Tony relays to the others what Hill told him.

"Asgardians?" Thor asks. "For the Hawk?" He looks at Clint questioningly. Clint shrugs.

"I don't know any Asgardians." He says, and paces the room with his hands in his pockets. Tony rocks backwards and forwards on the balls of his feet, obviously nervous.

Thor stands closest to the lift, ready to greet the Asgardians.

Silence falls upon the occupants of the room.

The lift doors open, and Sif and Gaia stagger out, making everyone jump. They look as suprised as everyone else at where they have ended up. Sif's tense face relaxes slightly when she sees Thor.

"Thor." She gasps.

"Lady Sif." He nods, "Gaiathryn." Gaia curtsies. "What brings you to Midgard?"

Sif ignores him, and looks around at the others.

"Which one of you is Clint Barton?" She asks, a hint of worry creeping into her voice. Clint raids his hand stepping forward. "Do you know Lena Laufeyson?" Sif asks.

All the colour drains from Clint's face.

He ignores the fact that Sif called her Laufeyson. He will deal with that later.

"Yes. What's happened?" He says quickly, taking fast steps towards the two women. They both look down, biting their lips. They're unsure of how to explain what has happened to a man who clearly cares about her deeply.

"She's in a bit of trouble with Loki." Gaia says quietly; the effect on Clint is immediate. He throws his hands in the air, and walks over to a wall, banging his head on it.

Sif and Gaia look at him worriedly.

Natasha steps forward, addressing Gaia directly. She can tell that Gaia is the one who really knows what is going on. It's in the way she looks the floor, but is itching to step forward.

"What happened?"

"They got married." Gaia says, ignoring Clint's unhappy groans at her words. "And Odin told Loki he wasn't his son anymore. The loss drove him mad, mad enough to hurt her."

"How much? How much did he hurt her?!" Clint yells. Gaia winces.

"Enough."

Oh god. Clint thinks. This is all my fault. He sits down, his head in his hands, and begins to shake, still muttering to himself. Why did he let her go? Why?

Sif watches him sadly, then remembers that this mission is time sensitive.

"Please, Clint." She says, and he looks up. "Time moves faster in Asgard than it does here. She could have been there months, perhaps years, by now."

Clint looks at her, and for a moment he's lost for words.

Then he swears.