Loki's dreamer: yeah Seraphina caught the vibe she just didn't know it was because Kat was evil. Lol.
Sidney loves fiction: this twist was actually planned shortly after I made Kat. I was still trying to figure out who the evil villain would be and then by chapter 4 I knew it would be her. I enjoyed her saying that line as well. In the end he had actually trained her to kill his own wife. Thanks for the praise.
Kat Snowstorm: Wow. Maybe she's your other self from another reality. :p
Sorceress of the trees: I was trying not to make her obvious. Glad it worked for the most part. I never said Loki feel but he wasn't being held up either. So yeah he eventually ended up on the floor. Didn't really think to write it in. :(. Enjoy you visit to a friend. Enjoy your trip and if you are unable to read this there then enjoy catching up. Looking forward to seeing what you have to say when you get back!
Chapter 94: A Jump through Realities
No one said anything for a moment. Cephera recognized everyone. Natasha Romanov had jumped to her feet the moment they had appeared and drew on them a gun. "I mean no harm." Cephera said softly allowing them to see her daughter in hopes the small child would calm them. The red heads eyes darted to her little girl but she remained vigilant with her gun.
Cephera looked about the table and felt a small amount of relief to see Thor. "Thor." She said before she could contain herself.
"Excuse me! Just what's going on here?" Director Fury demanded. He was looking to Thor for answers.
"I am sorry. I do not know you." Thor said looking confused.
"Maybe she's with our resident thief." The calm cool voice of Tony Stark sounded from her other side.
"I am with no one. I can explain just please put down your weapons." She raised one hand slowly in surrender while still holding her fidgeting toddler. "My name is Cephera. I am not of your world. I am actually from another reality much like your world but different. It's a magic called jumping." Cephera could only hope Thor knew what it was she spoke of.
"You mean like time travel. Where's you telephone booth?" Tony replied looking around amused at himself.
"Stark!" Fury glared his voice stern.
"It's not time travel really. Every point in time has many alternate outcomes. Those outcomes are called realities." She was trying to explain as fast as she could. "In my reality I am a citizen of Asgard. This is my daughter Seria." Her daughter waved, smiling brightly. "She can manipulate magic to make what we call jumps to other realities. I'm afraid she is unable to control it and that's how I am here before you now." Cephera swallowed. "I mean no harm I only wish to go home."
"If you meet yourself will that fool up this timeline?" Tony always loved hearing his own voice.
"It could. I may not even exist here. I don't exactly play with this." She suppressed her glare.
"We don't have time for this." Fury growled. "We have bigger problems going on downstairs. Thor can you attest to this story, this jumping" He looked to the prince of Asgard.
"I have heard of such things but they are rare." Thor replied but Fury looked content
"If you are Asgardian then perhaps you can be of help." He finally said as she slowly climbed off the table.
Natasha put her gun down. Fury quickly introduced her to the rest of the people in the room. She didn't want to complicate things more and kept her mouth shut to already knowing them. "So you can do magic?" Steve Rogers asked. She nodded.
"I will help in return for immunity. I wish no harm to this world. I only wish to return to my own."
"I will take responsibility for her." Thor said smiling down at Seria who was beaming back at him. "When we retrieve the tesseract I will bring her with me back to Asgard." Cephera felt her head swim a moment. He did not just say tesseract.
"If you have time can you briefly explain what's been going on here." She said feeling Seria's hands play with the skirt of her dress. Very briefly they summarized what had been happening. She sucked in a deep breath. She had heard of Loki's dark days but she had met him years later. Not only that people were able to display different personalities through realities. The Loki she knew would not be the same as this one. The last one she met almost killed her.
"Daddy?" Seria said. "Momma, can we go see daddy?" She looked down into her daughter green eyes and sighed. This would be so confusing.
She bent down to look at her daughter and took her tiny hands in hers. "Remember what we discussed. The man here who looks like your daddy is not your daddy. He's a different man." She said trying to contain her nerves. Her daughter's three and 1/2 year old mind grasped the concept vaguely. Her daughter nodded but Cephera knew it was no use telling her such things. She would forget the moment she saw Loki. "I need somewhere where my daughter will be safe. In good care." No one had questioned her need for her father. She was afraid to tell them it was Loki. She wondered if she should tell them at all.
"I'll have agent Coulson watch her for now." Fury said. Coulson stepped forward. Already Cephera knew this reality was going to change. To her knowledge loki killed Coulson. If he was now her daughters babysitter that was unlikely to happen. He bent down and stretch his arms out toward her. Her forever trusting little girl ran to him giggling. When they left together she took a deep breath.
"I think you all need to know that Loki is Seria's father." Cephera had decided lying to SHIELD was not a good idea. All the chatter that had been taking place in that small timeframe ceased. "I've no want to see Loki succeed in his endeavours to take over this realm. I won't kill him but I will help bring about his defeat." She watched their expressions change from suspicion to worry, to thinking.
"Agent Romanov I want you to take her with you." She heard his underlying tone. 'Watch her'. The red head nodded and turned her carefully measured eyes back to Cephera.
"Ready to meet our Loki?" She asked looking amused. Cephera nodded.
"Just say you kissed this Loki, would that be cheating?" Tony asked as they walked out. Cephera didn't answer him but she was now wondering the same thing. She hadn't planned on engaging Loki in anything but battle but what if she was here for much longer then she wanted. What if he fell in love with her all over again. She couldn't let that happen.
They both entered the cell block and then into the room they held Loki. She saw him in the round glass cell. He was back on to them. She heard him let out an impressed breath. "There's not many people who can sneak up on me." He said turning and smiling. He looked slightly taken off guard to see her but she saw no recognition in his eyes. Good, he hadn't met any version of her before.
He was a lot like her Loki in looks only slightly more dangerous, a little more wild. She found her stomach turning to think of him. The only thing bringing her comfort was that right now her reality was frozen in time.
She shook all those thoughts from her mind and realized she had missed part of their conversation. Natasha was now sitting and telling him about her red ledger. Loki was also sitting his eyes steady, looking only at Natasha.
"Can you." He finally said after Natasha paused a moment. "Can you wipe out all that red? Drakoff's daughter? Sao Paulo? The hospital file? Barton told me everything. Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything?" Loki was on his feet moving toward Natasha. "This is the basest sentimentality. This is a child at prayer. Pathetic! You lie and kill in the service of liars and killers. You pretend to be separate, to have your own code, something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you, and they will never go away."
Loki slammed his hand into the glass making even Cephera jump. "I won't touch Barton! Not until I make him kill you. Slowly, intimately, in every way he knows you fear. And then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams I'll split his skull!" Cephera felt her stomach lurch. He was a lot more assertive then her Loki. Was her Loki like that once?
Natasha turned away from Loki her head down. "This is my bargain, you mewling quim!" Natasha made a whimpering sound.
"You're a monster." She said in a shaky whisper.
"Oh, no. You brought the monster." Loki licked his lips and stood straight once more. He seemed very pleased with himself.
"So, Banner? That's your play?" She had turned back around and was not as upset as she had seemed.
"What?" Loki's demeanour made Cephera study his face all the more. He was feigning surprise.
"Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab, I'm on my way. Send Thor as well." She moved quickly back toward where Cephera stood. Natasha stopped to turned toward Loki once more. "Thank you, for your cooperation."
Natasha rushed from the room and Cephera wondered if she could get away with staying behind. "You've nothing to add?" His voice asked behind her. "I am unfamiliar with you." She turned to look over her shoulder. He was staring intently at her. She didn't answer him. She knew how good with words he could be. Instead she followed the agent before she got herself into trouble.