"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."

–Aldous Huxley

The car ride out of the Triskelion was anything but silent. Nick Fury sat silently behind the wheel, listening as Jane, Freyja, and Thor spoke animatedly about everything that happened to pop into the physicist's mind.

"So your people have no concept of gender?"

Freyja shook her head with a smile, "Not at all. We are shape-shifters, as you called us, and may exist as we choose. Gender was an entirely unknown term before we came to Asgard. We appeared as we chose to, and pronouns were something we only seriously considered after the treaty with Asgard. I was shocked when I first came to Midgard and learned how important it is to your society, but that was thousands of years ago. Things seemed to have changed."

"Thousands of years?" Jane repeated. "How old are you?"

The laugh Freyja gave was only partially out of amusement, "That is a very difficult question, and its answer depends very much on whose time you are counting by. Time passes differently on each Realm. Asgardians count age by the number of times apples have been given during their lifetime. Idunn gives them every eiga, which is somewhere around fifty human years. Does that sound right, Thor?"

The thunder god nodded, "More or less."

"Given that, Thor is thirty-three and he would consider me to be roughly thirty," she estimated. "Although, if you were to ask my age in Midgardian years, I would be just under three thousand years old. My people would consider me to be twenty-seven, however. And if I were to explain to you how we count, we would be here for a good ten years of your time."

"You must have seen a lot in nearly three thousand years of traveling," Jane said wistfully. "Have you been to all of the Realms?"

"It is impossible to journey to certain Realms. Helheim, for example, is a wasteland nigh on impossible to reach. I have been to seven of them, as the Fire Demons of Muspelheim do not take kindly to visitors."

"But how have you traveled if the Bifrost is broken?"

The words pulled from her content reminiscing, causing her to look at Thor in horror and disbelief.

"Broken?" she snapped. "How in Ratatoskr's name is the Bifrost broken?"

Thor looked sheepish for a minute, his fingers fumbling with Mjolnir's handle, which was tied to his belt. His eyes shifted from Freyja to the floor and back.

"I shattered it with Mjolnir."

"You shattered-" Freyja's words trailed off into a string of strange words in an almost musical language.

Jane couldn't tell what the goddess was saying, but she was certain that it wasn't anything pleasant. If it didn't have an equivalent in English, and given the tone she was speaking in, Jane was willing to bet it was a good deal of colorful swearing. Thor's dismayed expression only cemented her hypothesis.

"Allow me to explain," Thor exclaimed.

"Oh, by all means, do. I am simply dying to know what justifies the destruction of an eons-old masterpiece of magic created by millions of Vanir as a sign of goodwill towards your people."

Thor gave her an unamused expression before explaining with a sigh, "When Vanaheim was destroyed, we all thought you had died in the energy explosion. The few Vanir that remained on Asgard spent centuries mourning the loss. Only recently have they begun to act as though nothing has changed. He, however, took your loss more deeply and visibly. No one could so much as coax him out of his room for months after your presumed death. Then, one day, he finally started his normal routine again, but he was never the same. He did his best to hide the fact, but he was never quite as happy after you had gone.

"A few years ago, on the day of my coronation, a few Frost Giants tried to regain the Casket of Ancient Winters. The event was postponed, and I was furious. Out of spite, I traveled to Jötunheim with Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three to confront Laufey. Because of my pride, I destroyed the delicate truce Asgard and Jötunheim had established. We would have all died in those frozen lands had my father not saved us.

"He had me stripped of my powers and banished to Earth. An enchantment was placed on Mjolnir so no one unworthy may wield it. I landed in a kingdom called New Mexico and was cared for by Erik Selvig, Darcy Lewis, and Jane Foster. When I finally found Mjolnir, I could no longer lift it. I was captured by a man named Phil Coulson in my attempt to reclaim it and Selvig convinced him to let me leave. It was only then that I began to try to adjust to exile.

"Sif and the Three traveled here to bring me back, but Loki sent the Destroyer to stop them. He had been given the throne by Mother, it would seem, and he had plans to prove himself to Father which were…not the most savory. I fought the Destroyer and my attempted sacrifice proved my worth. My powers returned, allowing me to defeat the Destroyer."

"Good riddance," Freyja muttered under her breath, earning an odd look from Jane.

Thor, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice as he continued, "We returned to Asgard to stop Loki, as his intention was to destroy Jötunheim and end the threat of war. I destroyed the Bifrost when I fought Loki, and our father saved us from falling, but Loki let himself fall through the abyss when he was refused approval for his actions. I would have saved him had I the chance, but there was little choice in the matter."

Freyja sighed, rubbing circles into her temples, "I swear to Sophossentia, you two can't behave for a single millennium, can you? Attempted genocide of the Jötunns and the destruction of the Bifrost…by the Norns, I leave for a thousand years and you can't keep from falling to pieces!"

"You should ask what happened just last year," Jane remarked, almost sounding bitter as thought of the New York incident.

"What happened last year?"

Thor looked ashamed as he spoke again, "Loki came to Earth to gain control of the entire planet."

She blinked in shock, "That makes very little sense. Loki never wanted the throne of Asgard, why would he want control of Midgard?"

"I still cannot say," Thor replied. "He has not given a reason. In fact, he refuses to speak to me entirely now."

"Where is he now?"

"Safe in the palace."

Freyja nodded thoughtfully, "But Jane poses an excellent question. Asgardian ships are not built to fly past the Realm Eternal. How did you travel here?

"A few of the Vanir that had remained in Asgard created a temporary gateway to transport me to Earth. All I needed to do was think of where I wanted to go and I was taken there."

"And after?"

"I met Tony Stark and Captain Steve Rogers. Upon meeting them, I learned that Midgard had assembled a band of warrior they called 'the Avengers'. It is made up of myself, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Steve Rogers."

"Yes, so I can see," she replied, waving a hand dismissively. "But what of Loki? What is it that Dr. Foster-"

"Jane," the astrophysicist corrected.

"-Jane believes to be so important?"

"Loki stole a powerful energy source when he arrived here and was attempting to use it to bring an army of creatures called the Chitauri. It took us a few days to put aside our differences and confront Loki properly. We fought the Chitauri and Tony Stark risked his life to destroy the army from the other side of the portal with a device called a nuclear missile.

"Once Loki and his army were defeated, I took both him and the Cosmic Cube back to Asgard where we have yet to determine the fate of either."

Freyja eyes snapped open, "Cosmic Cube"

"Yes, it was the power source Loki stole from S.H.I.E.L.D."

"No, I understood that. My question lies in why you would call it such."

Thor shrugged, "The remaining Vanir attempted to glean its contents, but told us they could not say what was within. All we can determine is that it has enough power to destroy the cosmos."

Her blue eyes widened, an incredulous fear in their depths, "Describe it to me. How does it look?"

"It is a luminous blue cube that has the power to transport people between Realms and will consume all who touch it. That is all we know of it. Its appearance reminded me a bit of the charm you used to wear before you were given Brisingamen."

The doubt was gone from her expression, replaced entirely by horror, and she pulled a silver-rimmed plate of diamond the size of a cell phone out of the pocket of the jeans Fury had lent her. She ran her thumb over the surface and the plate lit up. After typing in some strange characters, a blue cube appeared on the screen. She tapped it twice and the image floated off the surface and was projected into the air.

"Did it resemble this?"

Fury glanced in the rearview mirror to see, "Where did you get that picture?"

"Did the Cosmic Cube resemble this?" she asked again.

"That's it," Fury admitted.

"How can you have possibly possessed the Tesseract?"

It was then that Fury, Thor, and Jane all looked to the goddess in surprise. The Director's grip tightened on the steering wheel, a hard edge entering his voice when he spoke.

"How do you know its name? Thor called it the 'Cosmic Cube' and you should have no further knowledge of it."

"I know its name because it was my people who named it, my people who first found it."

"Why would the Vanir, a supposedly peaceful race, create the Tesseract?" Fury asked suddenly.

She bit her lip, "I cannot tell you. It is one of our most closely guarded secrets and I am bound by my word to not speak of it unless absolutely necessary."

"I don't think you understand. I monitor potential threats to Earth, and the Tesseract became one of them when it was used to bring an army here. Now you come waltzing into my planet, a millennia-old alien who claims to know the origins of the Tesseract, and you expect me to simply take no for an answer. Hell, no. I have superiors who still want answers and it will be easier for you if you tell me now. For what reason was the Tesseract made and why was it hidden on Earth?"

Anger flared in her blue eyes as she turned to meet Fury's gaze in the mirror, and her voice was as cold as steel and sharp as glass when she said, "I do not think you understand. A vow in this Realm means little. They are easily given and just as easily broken. But my people cannot lie. When we give our word to not speak of something, we are physically incapable of doing so. Beings with more time than you have tried to force me to give them answers and have failed. You will not find your answers with me."

She and Fury glared at each other, leaving Thor and Jane feeling as if they were perilously stuck in the eye of a hurricane. Freyja's stare was hard as stone and silently daring Fury to say something while his face portrayed endless determination and a pure lack of empathy. It was a full minute before Thor cleared his throat.

"You will get nowhere with her, Fury," he finally announced. "The Vanir have the patience of the universe, often making plans that span throughout centuries. Even if she does talk, she will tell you half-truths that will leave you more confused than when you began. The Vanir are known for their nature of never lying and yet never telling the full truth either."

Freyja turned to him, expression lightening, "I'm impressed that you remembered so much. But our speech is only confusing to those who don't listen. Your brother had no problem understanding our tongue."

Thor laughed, "That is because, as you forget, Loki made a game of understanding the art of omission. And excelled at it."

She nodded, "His riddling was almost as perfect as that of a Vanir."

Fury gave one last glare at Freyja, "We've arrived."

Freyja stared at the building as she got out of the car, barely listening to Jane as she started talking about all of the equipment Tony Stark supposedly had. A look of caution crossed the goddesses face as her eyes traveled up the expanse of the building.

"More glass," she sighed.

"Don't you use glass on Vanaheim?" Jane asked curiously.

Freyja shook her head, "No. It is not conducive for use in our cities."

"And by that, you mean…?"

"It shatters at their touch," Thor answered. "Something to do with vibrations and molecules."

"The molecules of the glass vibrate at the same frequency as those of our molecular makeup, an anomaly which creates our ability to change forms, causing it to break upon impact," Freyja explained. "Our homes were made of quartz, marble, precious jewels, titanium, platinum and silver. It was beautiful during the sunrise…"

There was something sad and wistful about the tone in her voice that reminded Thor and Jane of the loss of Vanaheim. They wondered what it must have been like to lose her home, her loved ones, and practically everything that mattered to her. The thunder god shook his head as Loki's face appeared in his mind. He had more important things to worry about than his brother, no matter how much he loathed the loss.

"Sir, Director Nicholas Fury, Thor, Dr. Jane Foster, and a mystery woman are demanding to see you."

Tony Stark looked up from the screens on his desks, "Demanding or requesting, Jarvis?"

"Demanding, sir."

"How rude," he muttered. "And what mystery woman are you talking about?"

The image of a tall, thin woman with red hair and pale skin wearing dark blue jeans and a white blouse appeared on one of the screens. Thor and Jane were standing next to her while both walked after Nick Fury.

"There's not a match in the files."

"Perhaps she's a new agent," he said to himself.

"Director Fury's on the intercom."

Tony pulled up the intercom screen, "This is Tony Stark's automated answering system. I'm busy at the moment and can't allow you to enter at this time. Please leave a message and come back later."

"Open up, Stark. I'm calling in a favor."

"I don't believe I owe you favor."

"Mexico City."

Tony paused, gaping at Fury's impassive face through the intercom, "I can't possibly still owe you for that!"

"That's for me to decide. Open up."

Tony pressed a button on the screen and the elevator doors opened.

"Who's the ginger?"

"I beg your pardon?" the goddess said, sounding bemused by his words.

"Her name's Freyja," Fury answered.

"Strange name, where's she from?"

"Asgard."

"Vanaheim," Thor, Freyja, and Jane corrected.

Tony sat back down in his chair, "What can I help you with?"

"Freyja needs somewhere to stay-"

"Oh, no," he stood back up. "This isn't a hotel. I never allowed just any strange women to stay for more than a night and now I don't bring any here at all."

She raised her eyebrows, "Concubines are still appreciated here, I see."

Tony laughed, "I didn't mean 'concubines'. We're a lot more open here."

"Either way, I promise I will be no trouble to you," she continued.

"No."

"You won't owe me for Mexico City anymore if you do this," Fury reminded.

"I still don't approve of this," Thor mumbled.

"We could always stay here to keep an eye on things," Jane suggested, turning to Tony. "Is Thor's floor still there?"

"Always," Tony snorted. "I guess she can stay for a few days, so long as you make sure she and Cinderella behave. If she's anything like an Asgardian, I don't want any more broken toasters."

Jane nodded in understanding.

Fury looked smug, nodding at Stark, "I'll be leaving then. Thank you for your cooperation."

Thor bent slightly to whisper in Freyja's ear, "Always watch Stark. He's cunning and prone to lewd comments."

"I can handle myself," she answered, stifling a laugh as she thought of how Thor might react if he knew the truth about her kind.

Thor and Jane stepped into the elevator behind Fury, no doubt going to settle into their rooms. With the three gone, Tony watched the red-haired goddess in curiosity, taking a few steps closer.

"So," he sighed, "You have a boyfriend?"

"Excuse me?"

"A boyfriend, a husband, a lover, a consort?" he elaborated. "Or a girlfriend. I'm not sure how open Asgard is to those sorts of things."

She hesitated, "I currently have no lover, though I would in other circumstances, but neither I am not open to welcoming one."

A playful smile crossed his face, reminding her of him, "Interesting answer."

He looked her up and down as if examining a particularly interesting specimen in a petri dish. She stood watching him as he walked around her, taking in every detail. She noted how his gait was more along the lines of a confident strut, the way he absently ran his fingers through his hair, the analyzing look in his eyes. He almost reminded her of the scientists her home had once sported.

"You said you were from where?"

"Vanaheim," she answered, gesturing towards the desks. "May I?"

"Be my guest," he answered. "Where would Vanaheim be, exactly?"

"On the westernmost branch of the crown of the Yggdrasil."

He watched as she examined the screens, "The crown of the what?"

"Yggdrasil, the world tree. I forget most of you Midgardians know not of our stories anymore."

He sat down in his chair, "I don't know anything about Norse mythology so you're going to have to tell me."

She straightened up, "I will tell you the least so as to not overwhelm you. There are nine worlds, all of which are positioned on a birch tree known as the Yggdrasil. Asgard, Vanaheim and Alfheim are all on branches that make up the crown. Midgard or, as you call it, Earth is in the center of the trunk. The rest are along the roots."

He nodded, "And how do you know Paul Bunyan?"

"How do I know whom?"

"Thor."

She suddenly became very interested in his computers again, "I've spent many years in Asgard. I am ashamed to say I do not know Thor as well as I should, though."

In the silence that followed, as Tony was trying to work out exactly what she was insinuating, Freyja occupied herself with other things.

She looked out the window at the metal walkway, "How do you access that terrace?"

"Through the door," he said, the statement almost sounding like a question as he suddenly wondered if they had doors on Asgard.

She walked over towards the glass and stared at it as if it was a difficult puzzle.

"Is something wrong?"

She laughed nervously, "I cannot touch glass."

"You can't touch glass?" he looked as he was going to laugh. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Well, I can touch it. The glass will simply shatter if I so much as brush against it. It is to do with our genetics."

He raised his eyebrows, "You don't have the same DNA as humans."

This time she laughed genuinely, "Of course not. You are a man of science, are you not?"

"You could say that."

"Perhaps I will give you a blood sample so you may study the differences," she then raised a hand, silver mist curling from her fingers to the door. "Afterwards."

The door swung open and she walked out. Tony sat up straight to see what she was doing, the desk chair he sat in rolling forward slightly at the sudden motion. She walked out onto the walkway until she was standing on the launch pad, directly in the center of the circular area. She then sat down cross-legged, placed her hands on her knees, and closed her eyes.

"Jarvis."

"Yes, sir?"

"What do you know about a place called Vanaheim?"

Screenshots of different websites and images appeared. Various pictures, mostly paintings of woodlands and mountainous regions, popped up as well.

"There's not much on Vanaheim, which is one of the Nine Realms of Norse cosmology. It was home to the Vanir, a branch of the Norse gods, and is supposedly more beautiful than Asgard."

"Anything on the Vanir?"

New websites popped up, along with drawings of various people, "The Vanir are one of the two groups of gods in Asgard. They are associated with fertility, magic, wisdom and the ability to see the future. After the Æsir-Vanir war, they extracted emotions such as anger, jealousy, vengefulness, and battle-lust from themselves and continued their lives as nomads."

"What do you mean 'extracted'?"

"They removed the emotions from their souls and locked them away, according to legend."

"What about 'Freyja'?"

"Freyja, goddess of love, beauty and magic. She is the twin sister of Freyr and daughter of Njord. Two items are told to always be with her: a cloak of falcon feathers and a necklace, Brisingamen, both of which have unique qualities. She is known for her compassion, patience, and magical abilities. Also, she was the first to teach magic to anyone other than the Vanir."

Tony looked over the projections at the woman who was still sitting on the walkway. The fact that this woman could see the future and use magic wasn't something he believed easily. But, then again, he had seen stranger. For example, he had just recently retiled the floor where there had been a person-sized dent from where a giant green rage-monster had smashed a far too arrogant god into it. If he really thought about it, a woman who could teach magic and see the future wasn't that much of a stretch.

"Sir, Dr. Bruce Banner is here to see you."

Tony glanced at the clock, "He's early. Send him in."

Bruce entered the room not two minutes later, pushing the strap of his brown laptop bag further up his shoulder as he said, "You know, if you wanted me to come here so desperately, you could've just called. The soundproof limousine wasn't necessary."

Tony shrugged, "I thought it would be best in case of an emergency."

He glanced at the projections, "What's all this? I thought we were going to experiment on the molecular strength of vibranium."

"I had a slight distraction earlier," Tony said, motioning to the woman outside.

Bruce narrowed his eyes to try to get a better look, "Who is that?"

"Freyja. Apparently she's a goddess from Asgard and she needs to stay here for an indefinite amount of time."

"Asgard? As in the same place Thor and Loki came from?"

"Yep."

"And all she brought was a briefcase?"

Tony looked up, startled, "What briefcase?"

Bruce motioned towards the large briefcase leaning against the bar. Tony walked over to the briefcase, picking it up and placing it on the counter. He had not seen her holding it when she had arrived, nor any of the others, and yet there it was.

"What do you think is in here?"

"I don't know."

He began to turn the dials on lock, trying to find the right code to open it.

"What are you doing?" Bruce exclaimed. "You're going to go through her stuff?"

"If she's going to stay here for a while, I deserve to know what she's hiding."

Bruce leaned in as Tony continued to try different combinations. The two stared at the briefcase, silently willing it to open. It was a large invasion of privacy, Bruce knew, but he was also a little curious as to the woman outside.

"If you want to know what is in the briefcase, all you need do is ask."

The two jumped as Freyja walked in, silver mist trailing from her fingers. Bruce turned red and looked at the floor as Tony stood up to face her.

"I'm afraid we haven't met," she stated, looking at Bruce.

"Bruce Banner."

She smiled, "It is a delight to meet you, Dr. Banner. My name is Freyja."

He took her hand, shaking it gingerly.

"How did you know he was a scientist?"

"It's written in his aura. Would you like me to open the briefcase?"

"Aura?"

"The field of spiritual and mental energy that surrounds a being," she answered as she turned the dials to the correct combination.

The briefcase clicked open and she pulled out various objects, "Everyone's aura is comprised of multiple levels of colored energy that is based on that person's characteristics. Together, the various colors create a single hue. It works as a spiritual biography which my people can read easily in less evolved species."

"Less evolved species?" Bruce asked, looking a bit offended.

Freyja's cheeks turned red, "Oh, not in that sense. Only in creatures who are incapable of performing magic."

"There's no such thing as magic," Tony scoffed.

Freyja turned to face him, "I was told that Loki journeyed here to dominate the human race. If that is true, then I know full well that he used magic at some point. He always found joy in sorcery."

"You knew Loki?"

She sighed, "My camaraderie with Loki was…complicated. But I was the one who taught Loki how to use sorcery."

She finished laying out the objects and stepped back. On the bar was a cloak of feathers, a faded green tunic, dark brown leather trousers, what looked like a large slab of crystal rimmed with silver, a strange black fabric that almost looked like water, and a strange chain made of a surreal black material.

"You see, nothing out of the ordinary."

Both Tony and Bruce raised their eyebrows at the ridiculous comment.

"Your definition of ordinary is very different from ours."

"What would you say to making a deal? You answer a question of mine, and I will answer one of yours."

"Fair enough. What's with the feather blanket?"

A look of utter offense crossed her face, "It is not a blanket, it is a shroud. I received it as a gift from my father. It has the ability to transport one to any destination and to make anyone who looks upon it fall in love with its wearer."

Tony nodded, "Your turn."

"How did Loki travel here and what, specifically, were his actions?"

"That's two questions," Bruce pointed out.

She scowled, "They have a single subject."

"Doesn't matter," Tony said.

"What if I allow you to ask me two questions after?"

"That would work," he answered. "Loki came here through the Tesseract. During his brief time here, he killed roughly a few hundred people and hurt thousands."

She winced, her mind going to the souls who had suffered at Loki's wrath. The overreaction of the Æsir was something she knew too well from her time in Asgard. Her throat seemed to constrict at the thought, as she felt guilt for what she had been unable to stop, and pressed her fingertips to her temples.

"Is there a quiet room where I can rest? I have the most awful headache."

"Down that hall, first door on the left," he answered.

She walked down the hall quickly, leaving her belongings on the bar.

"But we're not," –the door shut behind her- "finished."

"What was that about?" Bruce asked.

"No clue," he said as he ran his fingers across the feathers of the cape.

He gasped as he felt the sensation of flying away. When he looked around, he was on a grassy plain in the rain. The night was dark, only illuminated by the crescent moon, but he could see well enough. A girl stood in the center, staring at the sky as lightning flashed.

"Excuse me," he called. "Hello!"

He ran up to the girl, only to recognize her as a much younger Freyja. Tears ran down her face as she looked at the moon with a mixture of pain and defiance painted across her face. She seemed to ignore him, even as he waved his hands before her face, and he realized he was not actually there.

"Freyja!" a voice called from behind.

A tall, dark figure came running from behind Freyja. Tony couldn't make out his features in the dim light of the moon, much to his chagrin, so he contented himself with listening. The man placed a hand on Freyja's shoulder, a gesture that came across as intimate.

"You shouldn't have followed me," she whispered. "The night is cold, and the rain relentless."

"It is not as cold as you say. Besides, you should not be out in this weather," he breathed.

"I wished to be alone."

"What ails you? What has hurt you so?" said the voice, its tone full of worry.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, "My father wishes me to marry Odr. But I have no love for him. My heart belongs to another man."

The man's teeth clenched, "And your father does not approve of this man?"

"No," she cried, her pitch grew higher as the words left her lips faster. "I do not wish to marry a man I feel no love towards. I do not want to be forced into a marriage. But I do not want to disappoint Father, either. To have to marry a man simply because he is wealthy enough is foolish! I won't! No one can make me!"

"Freyja," the man turned her around, holding her face between his hands. "No one will make you marry a man you do not love. I won't permit it."

She shook her head, "I owe it to my people, but I do not want to do this."

"You owe them nothing if it makes you unhappy. And you know I would support you in any matter."

She nodded.

"Then cease your weeping. It does naught to cry in isolation," he whispered, wiping away her tears. "Now, why does your father not approve of this man?"

Something flashed in her eyes, maybe fear, or regret, "For a reason so folly, it tears me apart."

"Who is this man? Do I know him?"

She hesitated, "Yes."

He inhaled sharply, "How well do I know this man?"

"You have known him your whole life."

"Tell me his name," he hissed. "Please."

She leaned in, kissing him softly on his lips. A gasp escaped his lips before he pulled her closer. She wrapped her fingers in his hair, winding tightly into the locks as if she was afraid he would disappear if she didn't hold onto him. She slowly pulled back, hesitating, afraid of his rejection.

"I never knew," he breathed.

"Forgive me for my rash actions," she pleaded. "I should not have done so. I hope our friendship can persist, if you do not return my feelings."

He smirked, "I, too, have a woman who holds my heart."

She looked away, ashamed, "Oh. I'm sorry."

He leaned in, kissing her on the lips. He barely brushed her skin before he backed away again.

"I was afraid you would spurn my love if you knew," he explained.

She smiled, her expression bitter-sweet, "My father does not approve."

"Why should he not? Am I not worthy?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer, "You are worthy in my eyes. That is all that matters."

"No one must know," he sighed.

"Then no one will know, especially not my father. I will not have him tear us apart."

"I will not let them force you to be something that you are not. I will not lose you to their whims."

She looked up at him hopefully, "Thank you."

He held her close to him, "I will not let you lose yourself. I promise."

And then, all of it was gone. Tony was back in his penthouse, staring at his surroundings in disbelief. Bruce was standing across for him, calling out his name, but he didn't hear until the third time.

"Tony!"

He shook his head, "What? Did you see that?"

"What are you talking about?"

Tony stared in surprise, "Nothing. Never mind."

He glanced at the door that Freyja had walked through earlier. He couldn't help wondering what was going on, and who the man in the vision was. It was then that Tony decided, regardless of how long it took, he would find out what Freyja was hiding.