AN: Thank you everyone for reading/following/and reviewing this story! I cannot tell you how much the encouragement means to me! I wish I could hug you all!

Hopefully there should be another chapter before the start of next week, so please read, review, and enjoy!

To all my American readers-Happy Thanksgiving! If you go out shopping tomorrow, be careful!


Chapter 12: Beginnings

Blue eyes looked up towards the glittering lights in the dark, New Mexico sky above. They fell against the dark canvas, flickering like tiny dancers eons away. Looking down towards the warm mug in his hands, Thor let out a shaky sigh. Somewhere in that beautiful expanse was his home. Somewhere, amongst all the glitter, was a family he was helpless to save—friends who were begging for help.

And yet here he sat, in a quiet safety, waiting for the storm in Asgard to pass. Surely, the danger would subside in time, but then what? What would be return to? Would the grand towers still stand? Would the expansive gardens grow unscathed? Somehow, Thor knew that the place he would return to would be a painful place—one a skeleton of the home he once knew.

Closing his eyes, he tried to quiet his mind. In his chest, however, the choking pain of guilt moved unabashed. It had been crawling, clawing through his being since they found refuge on Midgard. In the waking hours he tried to tame the beast for Jane's sake, but at night -in his solitude-it came slithering back with a vengeance. At night, his failures could not be ignored.

"I knew I would find you out here."

Turning around, the God of Thunder met the warm smile of Jane Foster. Returning her smile, he watched as she sat down in the lawn chair next to him—the chill of the night already casting a rosy hue over her cheeks. Across her face, despite the smile, her hazel eyes reflected worry.

"Why won't you talk to me?" she whispered, taking his hand in hers, "Don't shut me out. You don't have to do this alone."

Blue eyes looked down towards the small hand in his and sighed. He didn't want to look weak in front of her—he was supposed to be the strong one. Still, there was something in her eyes, something about the pressure of her hand on his, that made him want to tell her everything. He had seen the violence and blood of a thousand battles, but he had never felt as vulnerable as he did now.

"I'm scared." He admitted, avoiding her gaze, "I fear for what I will go home to…if anything."

Jane grabbed his hand harder as he went on.

"I know not what it is like to be alone." He whispered, "My family…my brother…"

"Don't talk like that, Thor." She said with a small smile, "You will never be alone."

Looking back towards the sky above, despite the gnawing pain in his chest, he somehow knew she was right. Trying to send a smile towards the women, he held her hand tighter—the glow of the small fire he had made scattering against her features in a beauty unmatched in Asgard.

"Thank you, Jane."


"Are you two running off as well?"

Green eyes closed as the nearly empty train cabin gave another violent jerk. In front of him, sitting on the cold metal which made up their hideaway, sat a young couple dressed in the warmest clothes they owned. To his right, Eir looked towards the dirty cabin floor—trying hard to hide her eyes from their questioning view.

"Pardon?" Loki asked questioningly.

"Running off… eloping?" the man asked again, his dirty blond hair peeking out from under his fur hat, "We are. Going to start a new life in Moscow."

Loki looked over towards the couple again. Their clothes, though warm, looked patched and old. Holes littered their mittens, and their outfits looked as though they had not been washed in ages. Looking towards himself and his companion, he realized that their attire certainly looked suspicious. Though warn and dirty, their clothes were of an elegance not of this world.

"Not quite." Loki admitted, his mind calculating, "I fear we are just good acquaintances."

"Too bad!" The woman said with a hearty laugh, "Moscow is a great place for a new beginning."

Loki looked towards the couple again as they held hands. Dirty fingernails popped through scrappy gloves as they held onto the faded knitted mittens of the woman. Her plump cheeks smiled towards the man, her grey eyes glittering with a happiness he found disgusting. Returning her smile, the man sent her an incomplete grin with a warmth that Loki wanted to obliterate. Casting his emerald eyes towards the woman next to him, he noticed that she was unsuccessfully attempting to warm her discolored fingers against her lace gown, trying to ward off the inevitable frostbite.

Not a second later, golden eyes widened as a pool of blood started to trickle down the grooves in the metallic cargo cabin. Putting a hand to her mouth, her breath caught in her chest as the man's dirty blond hair turned a deadly burgundy, and the once smiling eyes of the women remained fixed in her direction. Looking towards Loki, she gasped as she saw him take off the man's jacket and replace it with his own.

"I suggest you work with haste, Eir." Loki muttered, putting the fur hat atop his own dark hair, "I suspect you wish not to die in this cold. You must do what is necessary."

Eir placed a hand to the woman's wool jacket, while the small glitter of a wedding ring caught her eye.

"They were planning to wed, Loki." Eir whispered, drawing her hand away in disgust, "How coul—"

"I did them a favor." He hissed bitterly, putting on the remainder of the garments, "I saved them from the inevitability of a loveless marriage. I saved them from the pain of adultery. They owe me."

The woman looked down at the bodies again. A sick feeling found its way to her chest as she looked down at their faces that were so recently full of life. Her heart beat faster as she looked down at the fingers, once entwined, laced with blood.

"I will not hesitate to do the same to you." Loki whispered, gripping her shoulder forcefully, "Now, get on with it."

Closing her eyes, Eir took the jacket off the woman and placed it on her own body—it was still warm.

She wanted to throw up.


Frigga's blue eyes looked towards the French doors that led into the room her and Odin shared. From outside, she could hear the sounds of weapons and the screams of her people. Looking down at the elegant dagger in her hands, she knew it was only going to be a matter of time before they came for her…before they tried to find Odin.

She tried to tell herself to not be afraid—that the plan her husband told her about would work—but she could not shake the fear. Instead, she sat in her room trying to relish the last few moments she had, hoping that whomever finally came to her would make sure the torture was quick. Trying to drown out the screams from outside her sphere of silence, she was suddenly very happy that both of her sons were spared of this hell.

Looking towards the doors again, her eyes widened as they shook wildly. Standing up slowly, grabbing the artistic design on her dagger tighter, she took a defiant stance—ready to face whatever had come for her. With a small click, Frigga was brought face to face with the being who had started this assault on Asgard—his purple lips twisting into a smile.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Thanos smiled, "Surely the Queen would be able to provide the answers I seek."

Frigga held onto her weapon tighter as the large being walked over to her vanity. From across the room, his glowing yellow eyes cast an intimidating glance her way. She could almost feel his stare boring into her soul, stripping her of any courage she had left. She could see the corners of his mouth twitch again, noticing the small weapon in her old hands.

"I could kill you now, you know." Thanos whispered, "So before we make this harder than it needs to, why don't you tell me where your son is?"

Blinking a few times, Frigga looked back at the being with a soft confusion etched on her worn features. Sensing this, Thanos let out a small laugh.

"That coward Loki." He elaborated, "The scum of Asgard is nowhere to be found. Curious, really. I am certain you helped."

Frigga could feel her heart drop as she looked into Thanos' eyes. A deep sorrow overcame her as she realized just how entangled and lost her son had been. How could he have involved himself with such monsters? How could she have not noticed the path he was falling down? Looking back at the man, she spoke:

"I know not the location of my sons." She admitted, "Loki has been lost for some time."

The Queen jumped as the man broke her elegant vanity in one smash.

"You're lying!" He screamed, grabbing her arm roughly, "You know exactly where that rat is!"

Thanos could feel the Asgardian tremble under his grip, the beating of her heart echoing loudly through the expansive room. Shaking her roughly, her blue eyes shot back to his in fear—an emotion he most coveted.

"Then tell me where Odin is." Thanos growled, "Surely the old man knows where the stones are."

Instead of answering, Frigga just looked at the man defiantly. She knew that, while she may die here today, the answers to his questions would fade with her. At least with her demise, Asgard had a fighting chance. If this man knew where Odin was…where Thor was…Asgard would be lost forever.

"I had a feeling it would end this way." Thanos spat in her face, "I will get these answers one way."

As she felt his hands tighten against her, she could feel a small prayer involuntarily leaving her lips. She was praying that Odin was right—that Asgard could be saved. She was praying she did enough good in her life to make it to Valhalla. She was praying that Thor and Loki would be safe—that they would both find the peace they needed. She desperately prayed that she wouldn't be judged for all of her failures in life—her failures to those who meant the most to her. There was so much she prayed for… so much she still needed to say.

But then her world went dark.


Loki's hand grabbed the faded mitten that now adorned his companion. Thanking his luck for the shade of the night, he pulled his tired savior through the twisting cracked roads of this large Midgardian city. Even in the dark, he could see intimidating large buildings and the strange colorful architecture that littered the town. He did not recall seeing a city such as this on his last visit, and he prayed that in the waking hours they would go unrecognized.

Scanning the surroundings with his green eyes, he cursed the fact that they were surrounded by a plethora of foreign script. Though not bound by the linguistic shackles Midgardians were, he was still a prisoner to their fondness for strange writings. In the sea of letters, he tried to figure out a place that would offer shelter—for his fatigued body was screaming for sleep.

Finally eyeing a small sign with a picture of a bed, he pulled the women through the broken door. After blinking a few times, trying to adjust his green eyes to the sudden brightness, an old woman finally came into view—the chimes of a bell above the door still singing their song.

Loki could feel the woman's prying eyes examining them as if they were an experiment. She had a critical look to her face, seemingly picking apart every inconsistency with their attire. Looking down at his clothes, he certainly knew they looked out of place. Though warm, the mortals' clothes were ill fitting. He knew that, compared to these Midgardians they stood out. For their sake, he hoped that is wasn't too much.

"My lady, do you offer shelter?" Eir whispered from behind him, "I fear we haven't much money but…"

Before Eir could finish, the women interrupted them with an uncharacteristically warm smile and pushed a rusty key towards them. Pulling out some bills from his pocket, Loki was shocked when the woman stopped his hand before he could place the money on the table.

"For you, no charge."

Sending a curious glance towards Eir, he simply nodded a thank you towards the woman and followed the other Asgardian up the stairs. In her pocket, for a split second, he could have sworn he saw the ghostly hue of the Soul Gem. Casting his eyes back towards the woman at the counter, he noticed she had gone back to her critical self. In front of him, the Goddess of Medicine simply sent him an oblivious smile—her gold eyes glittering in the light.

It had started.


"So explain to me again how we know this is the right place?"

Maria Hill rolled her eyes as she walked through the crowded streets of Kitama, Japan. Next to her, the famous Captain America remained fascinated by all the new sights and people he was meeting on their small excursion. Every so often she would have to pull him away from fans who rattled on about what a great hero he was.

"Like I said before, Rodgers." Maria explained, keeping focused on the task, "Dr. Selvig received information that there was intergalactic space travel near here. There is an observatory not far from here. We have had some eye witnesses reports claiming there is a man here that has some unique features."

Maria watched as Steve put another chocolate dipped biscuit in his mouth and looked around.

"Do we know if he's dangerous?" he asked while unwrapping another pouch, "I mean, when we first met Thor things got a little hairy."

Before Maria could entertain the Captain's question, her attention was diverted to a group of chatty girls laughing their way.

"Sa~, ano hito wa hontou ni kireina me ga atta yo!"

"Contakuto kamoshirenakatta…"

"Uun, hontou no me desho!"

Pulling Rodgers away from another admirer, she dragged him towards a small food stand where a group of girls had congregated. In the middle, was a beautiful man whose dark skin was a striking contrast with his stunning golden eyes. She watched as the man sent a brilliant smile towards the group, talking to them in perfect, albeit old style, Japanese. Around his neck, was a radiant purple stone.

Putting a hand to her communicator, she spoke.

"Director Fury, we have found Heimdall."


Sorry, I couldn't resist the Japanese!

Translation:

"Ah, that person had really pretty eyes!"

"I thought they were contacts."

"Noo, they were real!"

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