I will not write the short conversation we had after that. It will be between us for all time. After that we walked, hand in hand, to another part of the roof to shut down the portal. We found an older mortal man and a woman I learned later was called the black widow. Together they were trying to disable the portal.
"We've come to help," I said.
"I don't believe you," she replied.
"The Lady Lorainne has helped me to see that I cannot rule the earth." He smiled at me. "She has shown me that there is still a home for me in Asgard."
"Why do you want to help close the portal?"
"Though Lorainne doesn't come from this time, this is her realm and she does not wish to see it destroyed." Loki squeezed my hand.
"Ok, we need your sceptre." The older man held out his hand. "I programmed in a way to shut it down but it requires your stick to start the shutting down. Hand it over."
"Show me where to put it," Loki retorted, still not willing to let go of his sceptre. I think he liked the way it made him look more powerful. Or maybe it reminded him of Odin's staff of power.
"This notch here," the man said. Loki slid the tip in and the man began pushing buttons. As we watched, a man in a suit of armour flew up into the portal carrying something. It was a bomb that could explode the entire realm. Loki kept his eyes trained in him. The man soon said, "the portal will close in a minute."
"What about Stark?" the Black Widow asked.
"I don't know if he will make it in time." The old man looked like a weary foot soldier who knew the battle was lost before it began. We watched the sky for signs of the man. But the portal had begun to close. Slowly at first, then collapsing faster.
"Come on, Tony," muttered the Black Widow.
"Who is he?" I asked her. She turned.
"He's an idiot, that's what he is." I didn't understand. "He has decided to sacrifice himself to blow up the place on the other side of that portal. And he knows there's no hope of him making it back. And as much as he drives me up the wall, he's my friend. And I know he has Pepper too."
"The girl downstairs with the red hair?"
"So you met her." I nodded. "Yes, she has almost lost him many times already. She was the one who convinced Tony to fight with us. She deserves to get him back alive." I walked back to where Loki was standing.
"Can you hold it open a little longer?"
"Why? I thought you said we needed to close it."
"The man that flew up into it, he has a girl, Pepper, she's really sweet, and she deserves to have him come home to her."
"I know who you're talking about." He gestured around. "This is his monument to himself. He doesn't care about anyone else. He wants everyone to know him and respect him." I gave him a significant glance. "I know, that's why I chose this place. If he wanted to be my enemy, I would show him how much he is like me."
"But have you met Pepper? I have. She knows what he is like but cares for him despite that. She knows he barely sees her and thinks of her as little more than a friend, but she still thinks the world of him. Why? I can't say for sure but I think it is because she can see past his self-obsession and into his heart of hearts. Because she can see more of him than everyone else sees. It's because of her that you should try to save Tony. Can you?" He stared at me.
"That's the second speech you have given me today." I looked pointedly upward. "I'll try." He strode back to the portal generator and touched his sceptre against the core of the machine. He closed his eyes briefly and his sceptre glowed brightly. The glow transferred and the light shooting up to the portal turned green. The portal stopped closing and we looked upwards. No sign of him. We waited. "It's no use. He won't make it back. I can't hold it any longer." The portal slowly began closing again.
"Loki," I grabbed his arm. "Tell me, do you see him. I know you can see beyond the portal. Do you see him?"
"Yes," he whispered. "I can see him slowly falling down. It is a slow descent." He looked at me. "I can't hold it that long."
"But we can." I grabbed the sceptre and put my hand on top of his. "Our love and our magic together can save him, can keep them together." I reached down inside me and tapped my magic reserves. I poured my very being into that stream of power. Together we fought the closing of the portal. The light stream was now tinged with my turquoise magic as well. I could feel my energy draining but I thought of Loki and the love Pepper had for Tony. I thought of my grandma and my family. With these thoughts in my mind, I poured even more power into keeping it open.