Long wait I know, but work and stuff keeps me busy. I spend most of my free time sleeping or tired.

You won't have to wait much for the next chapter. It's already written, technically part of this chapter but it was too long combined so I split it.

Of course the Doctor was insisting it should have worked, no one admitted they knew their idea wasn't going to work unless it was going to end up in the death of someone and you wanted to keep them hopeful.

"My calculations were perfect. I don't understand." The Doctor was looking on the verge of a breakdown, he was not used to something like that not working. Max figured she should actually help rather than sit on the step of Bifrost in front of the Tardis door and wait for an Asgardian to notice they were back. Then at least they would have more of an idea of when they were.

"You're assuming the Bifrost agrees with your logic. Maybe it works differently to how you thought it would and so it didn't react in the way you predicted, thus your calculations would be a little skewed because you're using the wrong one for the situation." There was a silent pause and Max looked up, grinning slightly when she saw the look on the Doctor's face.

"How did you figure that?" The look of shock people had when she said something intelligent, or at least plausible, would never not be funny.

"Magic."

"You should stop using that as your answer to everything when you can actually do magic and know that it's not how you did it," the Doctor mused as he practically bounced over to the console to attempt to reconfigure his Bifrost escape program.

It took a few minutes for Heimdall to knock on the side of the box. Max stood up to face the god, looking to see if there were any others around. It wasn't easy to guess the passage of time from a race of people who aged at a different rate to what she was used to. Heimdall didn't look like he had ages a second.

"Odin requests your audience in the Great Hall."

"Did he say please?" Max smirked a bit when she heard the Doctor facepalm behind her, followed by the sound of his head banging against the console.

"He did not, but I can assure you someone else is waiting, even if he doesn't know it yet." Max tilted her head in confusion at the vagueness. Loki came to mind, but why would he remember her. He had been a baby and if he remembered that then he would remember the Frost Giant stuff.

"You go ahead I want to figure this out." The Doctor made shooing motions with his hands, impatient to get back to work.

"Want me to go to the movies after, give you longer alone time?" Max asked sarcastically, there was no bite behind her words. "Just remember if you leave me here then time is screwed," and he was left with a slammed door.

Outside Max noticed horses waiting. They had not been there when she first looked out, nor when Heimdall got her.

Max could ride a horse, it had been part of training second time around, she'd been shown a few ways. All of them had been on a horse that she could see over the top of.

This horse she could walk under without her hair even brushing its stomach. Max knew she was a bit short for her age, she made up for it by not staying still long enough for someone to notice. But now she was faced with a horse that she would need help to mount.

She was a Sannin. She did not ask for help, she didn't even like accepting offered help.

After eying the horse for a long time Max turned to Heimdall who looked like he was about to offer a hand.

"I'll walk." There was no discussing it as she began to walk towards the city. The horse followed her, nosing at her hair on occasion if she let it get close enough. Max eventually noticed it was on one side of her with Heimdall leading the other horse on the other side. She was being escorted by horses and a god.

At least they didn't follow her all the way to the great hall. Waiting for her inside, Odin sat in his throne looking down, Frigga stood on his left, a child sized Thor on his right, Loki standing just behind his not-brother.

"Thor, Loki, this is the Silfr Freki. She is an honoured friend and warrior. She participated in the Great Frost giant war." Thor immediately lit up and took a step forward towards her, a gesture from Odin stopping him.

"You killed Frost Giants?" the child asked excitedly. "When I am king I will slay them all." Max repressed all of her natural instincts to sigh and shake her head.

"I'm sure you will achieve many things as king," she declared diplomatically. She saw Loki's face fall minutely. "Just as I'm sure your brother will achieve great things," she added on. She saw a flicker of confusion on his face before a small smile tugged at his mouth, he'd seen into her wording.

"You're arrival is unexpected but comes and an ideal time. Myself and Frigga are embarking on a diplomatic envoy to Niflheim. It has been too long since we have extended our hand to the other realms. I fear the mischief my sons would get up to without a watchful eye."

Babysitting in fancy words.

"It would be an honour." Lies, well, half a lie. She did want to look after Loki. Thor seemed to possess the worst traits from Naruto and Sasuke when they were kids.

She ended up sitting with the two boys listening intently to her (partially fictional) adventures. She kept mostly to the truth, omitting details, she was curious as to Loki's ability to pick out lies.

"You defeated a dragon?" Thor was easily amused, and oblivious to the fact Loki was smirking. Max noticed and figured he had picked apart her story and found the fiction. She gave him a slight nod as an acknowledgement that she had been caught. Loki practically beamed with pride, before shifting back to his stoic self.

A bit later Thor looked to be getting restless sitting still for so long so Max suggested she show them some of the battles. The gasps of awe of from them when she created a clone made her smile, the clone changed appearance to Mu, making it easy for the boys to follow. She made most of the fight up as she moved, showing off and keeping the boys entranced by the movements between her and her clone. She finished it off with an overly theatrical kill just as it seemed she was losing and the two boys clapped gushing with praise. Max couldn't help but notice Loki was trying not to get caught examining her clone. She left it in existence for him while she sniggered at Thor trying to mimic the fight.

She felt a tugging on her arm and little Loki pointed at the clone, his eyes shining with the need for knowledge.

"How did you do that?"

"Magic."

"Magic is for sissies and cowards." Thor piped up in what seemed like an automatic response.

"Yet I use it and am called a legend. Think about your words before you speak them. Go find Heimdall and stand by him until I fetch you. Use that time to contemplate your actions." Thor stomped out of the room.

"You want to learn how to change your appearance like I did with that, maybe after I'll show you how to make one?" Max asked with a triumphant grin, gesturing to her clone. Loki's face lit up and he nodded almost violently. Max figured she should build him up to the clone, she wasn't even sure if it would work with his type of magic.

The visit didn't last much longer than Odin's diplomatic trip, the Doctor had declared the problem fixed and ignored Max's grumbling of "that's what you said last time". So they were heading back to the Tardis, Max was wondering how easy it would be to get two pintsized gods to let go of her. It was probably an amusing sight, two small kids holding onto her arms and trying to stop her from leaving.

There was a small feeling in her gut that she would be back again. They said their farewells, and managed to pry the two boys away long enough to get into the Tardis. She managed that, but didn't quite manage to get the door shut in time. Loki managed to slip past and dive in Max shook her head trying to hide the grin as the child tried to drag her out. She crouched down to his level.

"I will be back. Keep practicing and you can show me how well you can transform when I visit again." She pulled him in for a hug.

"You promise?" Max's smile faltered a bit, she knew she couldn't guarantee she would be back. She hoped that feeling in her gut was right.

"I promise," she whispered, she kissed his forehead and directed him to the door before he noticed where he was. If he saw the inside of the Tardis he would want to know everything about it and leaving would take longer.

"I really have a problem," Max grumbled rolling her eyes as she leant against the now closed door. "Every time I got sent on a mission I got told to stop making friends with kids and bringing them home."

"You say that like it's a bad thing, you help people." The Doctor said, bouncing around the console, fiddling with every button, switch and dial he came across

"I haven't always, I think I've destroyed more than I've saved." Before the Doctor could reply the Tardis lurched sending them both into the rail that surrounded the central console. For some strange reason G-forces were keeping them pressed up against the metal bars as the Tardis tried to escape the Bifrost.

There was a snapping sound and the console sparked. The G-forces suddenly lifted. Max and the Doctor pried themselves from the bars. They were taken by complete surprise when everything shifted and they were catapulted to the other side of the control room. The Tardis had tried to get out but the power had glitched allowing the Bifrost to pull them back in, like a rubber band that had been stretched then released.

Or at least that was Max's theory when she saw Asgard when she opened the doors again.

"I wouldn't mind your space ship shaking me around like a squirrel on pop rocks if we actually got somewhere else." Max grumbled stepping outside and leaning on the Tardis while she reoriented herself.

"Just go occupy yourself while I fix this." Max shrugged and sauntered off down the Bifrost. She idly wondered if the Doctor could at least park closer to the city next time. She felt a mild vibration through her feet and looked up to the city. Nothing strange. A thought struck her and she pivoted and saw the Bifrost activated.

The vibration wasn't coming from that direction, she turned again, this time looking at the bridge and saw Heimdall riding full pelt down towards her. Moving out of the way to avoid him and allow him a clear path turned out to be useless as she felt herself lifted off her feet as he passed and pulled onto the back of the horse, still galloping down the rainbow bridge. Not Max's favourite way to travel.

Inside the departure room a spear looked hastily jammed into the slot that activated the Bifrost. It was probably the reason for such hast, Max had a feeling she knew what was wrong.

"Go. I cannot leave Asgard unprotected." Max had the strangest feeling she wasn't being given a choice in this. She'd been having a lot of feelings like that.

The room started spinning and Max had to close her eyes to stop herself from trying to focus on it. She felt a gentle tugging sensation, gradually building up until she was pulled backwards and thrown across space on the Bifrost.

The next chapter will also be Thor based but after that it will more on to the main plotline. Possibly.

Unless I get distracted.

Review my lovely readers. I like knowing what people think of my creations.

(The next chapter may make you cry)