A/N: I'm back! You guys rock. Keep the reviews coming, they really help me think of different ways this story could go.
Enjoy!
Jormagundar twitched in his sleep.
Dark, murky water surrounded him. He couldn't breathe…why wasn't he shifting back to the serpent form? He couldn't swim up to get a breath, something was holding him down on the lakebed. He didn't dare open his mouth to cry out, else he would drown. But he couldn't stay down here either. He struggled against the invisible bonds, desperate to escape…Something cold brushed past him, something with sharp teeth…
Fenrir woke up to a solid punch in the gut. Jormagudar slept fitfully beside him. He sat up, and tried shaking him awake, but it didn't work. He slipped out from under the covers and went over to Darcy's bed, and lightly tapped her shoulder.
"Darcy wake up…There's something wrong with Gunner…" he whispered. Normally Darcy would've slept through something like this. But damnit, why did Loki's kids have to be so adorable? She sat down on the edge of the bed, and picked Jormagundar up, rocking him gently.
"Gunner, it's okay. You're safe…" She whispered. The boy woke up with a strangled cry. He glanced around frantically before realizing that nothing was after him. He rested his head on Darcy's arm, the occasional sniffle being the only sign that he was awake. "Do you want to tell me about it?" she asked quietly. Jormagundar shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut.
"I want Papa." He squeaked. Darcy continued to rock him, not knowing how to respond.
"He had to leave."
"I miss him…" Darcy shifted the little boy in her arms.
"Maybe in the morning, your uncle can help us get you and Fenrir back to Asgard. Then you can see him. Okay?" Gunner sniffed, and wiped his nose on his sleeve.
"Okay." He glanced up at Darcy again. "Can I sleep with you? I'm scared." Darcy really wanted to actually get some sleep, but then, Gunner looked so pitiful, she couldn't just tell him no…
"Yes."
Loki watched as Frigga finished one part of the spell. Hela was still asleep. He couldn't tell whether that was a good or bad thing. But she didn't seem to be in pain at the moment.
"Is this doing any good?" he asked after a moment. Frigga watched the sleeping girl.
"I'm doing all that I can, Loki. We will save her, I promise." Loki stared at the spear in his hand. He had a feeling that it was doing more harm than good. Odin had probably used it to cast this spell. With an angry heave, Loki threw it across the room, where it stuck quivering in the golden wall.
"Loki!" Frigga exclaimed, startled. Then something strange started to happen. A thin ray of golden light shot up from the staff, and fanned out across the room. Loki felt its energy. He looked down at his hands, horrified as the familiar bluish tinge traveled up from his fingertips, and up under his sleeves. He closed his eyes, the room suddenly feeling warm and stuffy. When he opened them, he glanced over at Frigga, who was trying to hide her shock at this transformation.
"Loki, what are you doing?" she asked. Loki paused. What was he doing?
He remembered his time with Angrboda. More specifically, he remembered coming back from a battle in the woods with a bilgesnipe that had been threatening a peasant's farm. He had been gored through the shoulder by one of the creature's antlers. He had gone three days without treatment, and was in bad shape by the time he returned. Not that he had told the others about it. Angrboda, however, had seen through the glamour and immediately set to healing him. Hers was different form of magic, and worked unlike anything Eir could come up with. Rather than allow Loki to be seen as weak by Odin or Thor and his friends, she took care of him.
A different form of magic.
One accessible only to Jotuns.
Their magic was a part of them, not a skill learned, as with the Aesir.
That's why he was always seen as different, why he was always ahead of his peers in the magical arts. Now he could use it to save his daughter.
He went back over to Hela's side, and grabbed her hand, whispering another spell. Hela's breathing became more even, and the progress of the decay was less evident. Frigga watched in amazement. After the spell was complete, Loki slowly changed back to his Aesir form, taking a deep breath. The room didn't seem quite so warm now. Frigga took him in her arms as the blue faded.
"Well done, my son." She said. Loki hugged her tightly.
"Do not praise me yet, mother. We shall see what the morrow brings for my daughter." Frigga nodded, when suddenly her attention was caught by the sound of shouts echoing through the halls.
"What is that?" she asked, more to herself than to Loki. The trickster looked alarmed.
"Stay here. Bar the doors, and do not leave until I come for you." He pulled Frigga into his arms for a quick embrace before he pulled Gungnir free of the wall and strode from the healing chambers.
Darcy woke up with something warm cuddled up against her, and it took her a moment to realize that it was Gunner. She opened her eyes, wishing that the morning sun didn't have to be so bright. The little boy sat up and smiled when he saw that Darcy was awake.
"Good morning!" he said brightly. Fenrir heard them awake and took a flying leap from the sofa bed onto Darcy's. He landed on Jormagundar, who retaliated by tickling. Both boys were laughing, so, Darcy didn't feel she needed to intervene.
"What is going on?" Jane asked, coming back from taking a shower. Darcy shrugged.
"I don't know what happened. I swear I didn't give them any coffee…" Jane smiled when Fenrir finally got the upper hand and pinned Gunner.
"Yield!" he demanded, grinning. Gunner shook his head, trying not to laugh.
"Never! I will not give in…" Fenrir poked him in the ribs. "Agh! Fine! I surrender, brother!" Gunner looked up at Darcy, pleadingly. That was her cue. She grabbed Fenrir around the waist, tickling him back.
"Stop!" he giggled helplessly. Darcy kissed his cheek.
"Can we take a break from tickling for now?" she asked.
"Yes, Darcy." He hugged her tightly before hopping down from the bed, and changing out of his pajamas. Gunner hugged Darcy. At first Darcy held back.
Don't let yourself get too attached. They're going home soon, and you'll be staying here.
She felt her throat constrict a little at the thought, and she ignored her own advice. She held him tight, closing her eyes. This felt right. She'd never thought of herself to be the motherly type, so this surprised her.
A knock on the door interrupted their little moment.
"Jane, Darcy, may we come in?" Thor's voice called from the other side. Jane got up hurriedly and unlocked the door.
"Sure. We're ready to go." She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek before straightening out the covers on the bed. Thor noticed Darcy and Gunner, his interest piqued.
"Jormagundar?" he asked. The boy nodded, and got down from Darcy's lap. He stared up at the thunderer for a moment before wrapping his arms around Thor's legs.
"Thank you for helping Papa save Fenrir and me." He whispered. Thor nodded, picking him up. He remembered Odin's explanation for banishing the children.
How could the Norns say that this sweet innocent child would be his death? Was it possible to overrule their predictions?
"Anything for family, little one." Thor said. He set him down and ruffled his hair. The boy ran back over to Darcy.
"I wanna go home!" he said, bouncing on tiptoes. Darcy nodded.
"You'll be home soon, I promise." She said. She looked up at Thor.
"Are we coming too?"
"If you wish to come along, you may. In fact, I highly suggest it. Loki will be happy to see you again, I think." Darcy nodded, deciding not to say anything.
"Cool." She said simply. "Where's Tony?" she asked. Thor smiled a little.
"He's already on his way back to New York. He said he'd seen enough crazy things to last him for a while. Though he did add that you and Jane were welcome to visit StarkTower whenever you wanted…" Jane nodded.
"We'll have to take him up on that sometime." She said, putting her arms around him. Thor smiled, and kissed her gently.
"Indeed we shall. But for now, we are returning to Asgard." He turned and looked up at the ceiling. "Heimdall, take us back."