By the Grace of Her Humanity

I apologize for any obvious errors, of which I hope someone will kindly and civilly point out. Please review. It brightens my day after I have slaved over each chapter.

Ch.3: The Hiding Place

Hiding places there are innumerable, escape is only one, but possibilities of escape, again, are as many as hiding places.

-Franz Kafka

"When will we reach this place of yours?" Loki asked Lucy.

"Is that the royal way of saying 'Are we there yet'?" she replied.

"In so many words," he agreed. She was walking through the woods behind her house, looking over her shoulder and around her.

"Afraid of being followed?"

"It's not just a secret. It's made so that I'm the only way to it. I have to show someone, not tell them, and they can't take anyone else to it, I have to if I want them there, too. It's where I can go if I need to be safe."

"Interesting...I've heard of such before, though I've no idea what to call it."

"It's called a Shiloh. It means 'The one to whom it belongs', but also 'peace, abundance.'"

"How aptly named."

"Mm."

Just then, another girl came out of nowhere and ran smack into them, knocking Lucy down and landing partially on top of her.

"Loki where are you?" She called out in alarm, fearing either she or the other girl had crushed him.

"Here," he said churlishly, standing up and brushing himself off having been thrown about a foot, prepared to be rather nasty to their inconvenience.

"I'm so sorry, please don't hurt me!" The girl cried. Her face was tearstained, her clothes worse for wear. "They're after me," she said, "the mean people."

She was younger than Lucy, now that the young witch and her companion could more properly see her, and of dark-haired and dark-eyed descent. She gazed fearfully at them, imploring them.

"Where are they?" Lucy asked after a beat. The girl pointed. Lucy let her line of sight follow in that general direction.

"Come with me."

"What?" The girl said confusedly the same time Loki interjected angrily from the ground by Lucy's feet with a hiss of "She is not of our concern!"

The girl's eyes widened and she stumbled away from them, tripping herself backwards flat onto her back. Lucy glanced downward, met his gaze, and with a countenance and tone of no-nonsense, said quite firmly, "She needs help and we can give it to her. I say we help her."

"And where, pray, shall you take her? Shall you shove her into your pocket as you do me? She is not so easily concealed. Whoever pursues her will surely come after yo-us."

"I'll take her to the hiding place," Lucy retorted calmly without hesitating, then tilted her head contemplatively before shaking it and turning again to the girl, hand extended.

"Come with me," she offered again, then added, "and tell me what I should call you."

The girl stared at her hand, her eyes darting to a very cross, shrunken prince. Those fearful eyes refocused on Lucy.

"Kateri," she whispered, grasping hopefully onto the proffered hand. Lucy knelt to retrieve Loki, and once she had righted herself, she led them to her hiding place, not knowing what she got herself into.

...xxx...

They had not gotten far when the sounds of purist could be heard clearly behind them.

"Not a word," Lucy snapped. Two different sets of nails dug into her skin, one that of Kateri's hand in hers, gouging at her palm, and the other Loki's as he clung to her neck.

"I am so dead if dad finds out," Lucy mused oddly, picking up her pace. She seemed to begin to concentrate harder, and suddenly all three of them were going by blurry outlines of things much faster than normal, hitting some kind of oobleck-like barrier before arriving at the base of an enormous tree, much larger than others around it, with thick, upraised roots. Kateri pulled back.

"What was that?" She whispered. "Why didn't you tell me you were one too?"

"Yes, what was that, Lucy?" Loki echoed. Lucy licked her lips, not wanting to answer either one of them.

"One of what?" Lucy practically chirped instead, then switched to urging them onward. "It's not much further now. Come on."

Kateri stared at her hesitantly, and then she nodded once, looking back over her shoulder and gaining another spur of terror.

To the surprise of Kateri and Loki, the tree began thrashing violently.

"It's a Whomping Willow," Lucy answered their unspoken question.

"You have to immobilize it first. It's handy if intruders follow you."

"I'm guessing they don't know how to immobilize it?" Came a curious inquiry from by her ear.

"There's a place...hold on." She turned to Kateri. "Stay. Don't move, or else you'll get lost."

She darted forward, between the writhing limbs with the younger girl just out of their reach. A moment later, the tree stood straight and tall. She rushed back to Kateri, who stood pretty much petrified in every aspect barring the magical. Her eyes were round saucers.

Lucy grabbed her hand, crawled over a large root, pulled Kateri with her, and then knelt down by the sheltered side. There appeared to be a tunnel downward.

"Is it safe?" Kateri swallowed.

"It's mine," Lucy replied, and without another word, she entered.

She had visited the similar spot on Hogwarts grounds, loved it so much she wanted a Shiloh just like it. And there it stood, except the safe-house at the end was nothing like the Shrieking Shack. She released the hand she held, flopping down carefully on a comfortable chair inside. A tunnel lead off of the room from the far side, leading upward, and another, more level one, branched off from the right. It was cozy inside, with rugs covering the floor. She watched idly as Kateri inspected the place. The girl jumped, yelped, and startled when Loki, who had slid down and now perched on the chair arm, asked abruptly, "So tell us-from whom or what do you run and why?"

Kateri sat down on a beanbag chair, drawing her knees up close to her chest. "You're not a mutant, are you?" She said quietly.

"No," Lucy shook her head. "Neither of us is...But we aren't Mundane, either."

Lucy's gaze softened, kinder and even more concerned than before.

"What do you do?" She asked after a moment. Kateri opened her eyes, having closed them momentarily.

"Change shape. Be anything."

Lucy nodded. "Are you sure the people after you meant to hurt you?"

Kateri shivered. "They were all dressed funny. They looked like government people. Some of them had lab coats, and there was a van. They tried to give me that shot, but I turned into a porcupine. I got scared. I didn't know where I was. I wanted to turn into an animal, but I bought something else might eat me or fight me. I didn't want to be a tree because someone could cut me down...and you know how people treat trees..."

"You could have flown away," Loki replied pointedly. Kateri glowered at him. "They could get me down, stupid. I'm six and a half and I know that! It'd be like...like duck season or something, except there's no flock...only me."

She looked down. "My daddy used to go hunting."

"Well...you're safe with us," Lucy supplied before Loki could spit out something biting and hurtful. She was half apt to laugh. She knew no one had spoken to him like that. "I know people that can get you somewhere you belong, with people like you. Somewhere you'll be protected. A school. A family."

Kateri met her gaze. "But I want *my family." Her lip quivered. Lucy dropped into her seat beside of her, putting an arm around her and drawing her close to her.

"I know. But this is how it has to be now, unless they're like you."

The girl in her arms shook her head, and Lucy could feel sobs shuddering in Kateri's chest, vibrating against hers. It made her heart wrench and her stomach turn.

Loki watched her thoughtfully. She was so odd. So caring and kind. Again, she reminded him so painfully and achingly of Frigga that he felt physical agony with his anguish.

"Is there another way out?" He asked after watching them a moment, silent tears sliding down Kateri's face. Lucy lifted her head, meeting his eyes. "The tunnel across the room. It's by our other house. Can't you just-"

"What, snap my fingers to save the spare?" He snapped. "If she endangers yo-my safety, I promise you I will-"

"Let me contact mom. She doesn't mind."

Lucy sounded cold, clipped, and formal as she extricated a strange mirror from a case in her bag.

"This is not the time for-" his snarl died in his throat as he heard a voice. Coming from the mirror. Lucy spoke to it in rather calm Nation-Speak, and then replaced it in her bag. She didn't meet his stare again.

"She'll be waiting with Uncle Fabio, Aunt Cecilia, and Aunt Evie at our other house in twenty minutes at the most. Are either of you hungry? There's a pantry with snacks over there."

Kateri and Loki both nibbled on some sort of magical-world sweet, until a glowing, silvery Ocelot appeared in the room. Its mouth opened, and the voice of Lucy's mother, Katia Ortega, poured out in Nation-Speak. Lucy helped Kateri to her feet, scooping up Loki and tucking him into her cloak pocket, one she had taken off of a peg on the wall. Wordlessly, she took her charge's hand again, and led her from the room through the opposite tunnel, hoping it led toward a better life for her.

"Don't mention my friend, ok?" She whispered as an afterthought. She registered a squeeze to her hand. Assured, she carried onward.

...xxx...

"She is humble and forgiving," Frigga noted, watching with Heimdall.

"Very altruistic," he agreed. "And she has a certain strength about her. She reminds me of you, in a way."

Frigga gave a dry chuckled. "You flatter me."

They were silent for a moment. "She gave him quite a smack, didn't she?" He rumbled. Frigga laughed rather lightheartedly. "I daresay he deserved as much. He never has known how to deal with children, even as a child himself."

"I venture to say that his trial will be much longer than that of the one before him."

"I couldn't agree more. Well...patience is a virtue, after all."

...xxx...

When they emerged, issuing forth through a trap door sheltered by the arbor, Lucy strode quickly through the garden, the hot sun beating down mercilessly on them as they advanced towards the main house. There came a flurry of soft and nearly imperceptible sounds that heralded the arrival of her relatives. Kateri, given a fright, had released her hold on Lucy's hand, accidentally morphing into a mouse and then back into her own form, and stepped away a bit.

"Lucy, Luce baby are you all right?" Katia knelt and took Lucy by the shoulders, inspecting her before holding her close to her chest and kissing her hair.

"I'm fine, mom."

"This is the girl?" Evie cut in, all business. Katia and Lucy pulled away from each other, turning their gazes onto Kateri, and Cecilia and Fabio took the opportunity to embrace their niece. She locked onto Evie and began recounting what she knew of things.

"Ha manĝir kaz Kateri. Mimi vibüe..." From there, Lucy spun them the entire length of the encounter-minus her minuscule companion-, while Kateri stood uncomprehending. Fabio smiled kindly at her.

Through all of this, Loki, who knew his existence was a secret and that Lucy's family would most likely not be as understanding as Lucy herself, stayed nestled quietly, motionlessly, and contemplatively, hoping the dazed Kateri wouldn't mention him.

"Right," Cecelia said as soon as Lucy finished speaking. "We need to move quickly. She needs to get to the Professor's as soon as possible. Do you know..?"

"He's always at home. Come on." Katia urged.

"Wait...isn't someone taking Lucy home first?" Evie interjected protectively. "After all, we don't know if those people are still out there looking for this other girl."

"Of course," Katia almost snapped. "Are you accusing me of being a bad mother?"

"Of course not," Cecilia intervened, shooting Evie a warning glare. "Why would she?"

"Two children murdered and one rejected the first few attempts to have her take them in?" Evie arched a brow, "What a wonderful track record. You deserve an award, Kat, really."

"Sometimes you're a real-you know what, we are not having this conversation. I don't know why you brought this up-"

Evie broke in with a flare of heated words. "They aren't our *kind, and yet you are more willing to help them than your own! How many times before you took Enrique in, not a Mutant or a Mundane, but a Child of Magic, of your best friend!"

"Excuse me, but I didn't know you were quite so racist." Katia's tone was flat, controlled, and deadly. "And we both know I'm in a much better and healthier mental state now than then, especially since I'm not suffering from PTSD, depression, and heartbreaking grief...oh, and I haven't blacked out and killed anyone in a rage. I can't believe you haven't let this go. How long have you been waiting to say this to my face?"

"Oh, it only needed to be said after you started meddling in Mutant and Mundane affairs," Evie snapped. "I don't have a problem with them, but they don't help us, sometimes our own don't help each other, and you stretch out your hand *so eagerly."

"You know it isn't right and that you aren't being fair to her," Fabio cut in quietly, almost whispering. "She's done a lot, for everyone. Without her and her husband..."

"Save it. I never liked that demon spawn anyway."

Katia's eyes widened, snapping to Lucy, who had paled considerably, and stood trembling slightly. Her lips parted, and her tongue darted out nervously. Cecelia and Fabio scowled disapprovingly at Evie, who seemed to realize the girl was still there, and then they all, too, looked at Lucy. Loki had frozen, intensely interested.

"Oh...Lucy...err" Fabio awkwardly started. Katia appeared to be at a loss for words, and Cecelia glared disdainfully at Evita.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucy asked shrilly. "Dad's not like granddad..."

"Didn't she ever tell you? Your father and all of your blood siblings...your awful excuse for a grandfather...they have demon blood."

Lucy stared at her, horrified. "Mom?" She choked.

"We meant to explain a few things to you," Katia acknowledged quietly, shooting a scathing expression at her older sister. She stretched a hand out to her, but Lucy backed away.

Evita continued.

"I'm just glad she doesn't have yours," Katia snapped, and quite out of nowhere, her wand appeared, pointed rather accurately at Evita.

"We used to be so close. What happened?"

"You put your nose and your heart in those other affairs, and you put them before us, people that should matter more." Evita spat.

"Too bad you're the only one that feels that way. And why attack her and not us? We work alongside her," Cecelia responded hotly.

"The mercy you show to others is reflected in mercy shown to you. You don't help anyone but yourself, Evita,...and you're also the one who's alone," Katia rejoined the schism. She cast an apologetic glance at her daughter, who seemed too confused for interjections.

"I can find my own way home, since you guys are so busy," she whispered, and then she was gone, dodging around the garden and sitting on a bench underneath an angel statue. She could still hear them, though, and see glimpses of them through the foliage.

"Dammit!" Katia swore. "Just go home, Evita. I don't know why you came."

"Frankly, I don't either." She stormed off, disappearing with a crack.

"I'll take Kateri," Fabio interrupted brusquely, and he led the nonplussed child away. Cecelia hugged Katia tightly, and then she followed after Fabio. Katia stood by herself a moment, and then she went to find her daughter.

...xxx...

Lucy had gotten up when the fight had broken off abruptly and sat hunched in one of the passages in the extensive network that riddled the walls of the Manor House and the below-grounds.

"I'm suffocating against your chest," came an irritated voice. Sighing, Lucy pulled out the minuscule Loki and set him on her knee.

"Sorry. I'm trying to deal with being literal demon spawn."

Something akin to sympathy flashed in his eyes, or so she thought, and his scowl fell.

"I, too, know the feeling," he said quietly.

"It's something you can't rip out or scrub clean," Lucy muttered. There came a mutual understanding between them then, and that, perhaps, cemented their companionship more than her kindness or his entertainment. They had each found a kindred spirits of sorts, but were still very, very different.

"I don't want to go home right now."

"Don't say that. Be thankful you have the luxury." While her wistful respiration had been born of a gentler hurt, his statement overflowed with bitterness. Both of them had a melancholia that, surprisingly, let itself be soothed by the other's presence. After all, no one liked feeling alone.

"Go home, Lucy. Talk...talk to your mother. You never know when you will last feel that tended embrace or see that gentle gaze...if you have a real mother, a mother that truly mothered you, in every sense of the word that matters, then you will find that no one will treat you just the same."

"I know," Lucy whispered in a breath-sigh of resignation. A smile lit her features. "Thank you. You're a good friend."

That made him laugh outright, causing her confusion.

"I'm afraid you're the only one who believes so."

"Well, I'll just have to believe enough for everyone," she said firmly, resolute in a way only children can be. He didn't know quite how to react or respond to that, and what she did next sent him hurtling into the territory of oh-shit-what-is-this-little-human-doing: She hugged him. Carefully, since he was so small, picking him up gently like one might an infant and holding him to her heart. He tensed, more shell-shocked than righteously indignant or repulsed, and not at all fearful.

No one hugged him-no one. But then again, no one befriended him, either.

Little Lucy seemed to be one to break all of the rules. He could get to like that. He, too, did the same.