Author's Notes:

I want to give an EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS to dashuria-embel for nominating my story in its first fanfic awards competition. There are so many of my favorites in the running that I don't expect to win, but I do feel honor to be nominated amongst some of the best.

I believe voting is over, but just so you know, I was nominated in 4 different categories:

"Blah, Blah, Vampire Emergency Award – Best Action"

"Flying Monkey Award – Best Villain"

"Mr. January Award – Best Lemon" (my proudest, to be honest)

"The Hybrid Award – Best Crossover"

THANK YOU to anyone who voted for me. Win or lose, I write because I love these characters and what we (the fans) do with them.

Back to the action…

I know you all probably thought that it was about to get all hugs and kisses now, but whom would I be if I didn't put a spin on that as well.

I hope you all enjoy and don't try to mutiny me after this one.

*The characters in this chapter belong to their respective authors, CH, & AB.

**I OWN NOTHING**

Chapter 62

SPOV

I know that Eric was supposed to take us to the boys, but where we end up is not my mother's temple.

When I encountered Hela in Niflheim, it was darker and colder than anything I've experienced. And I've been dead and remembered it. The fog and mist that covered the land smelled of decay. The jagged peaks of ice were far as you could see. It was like the whole land made you feel of the desperation.

And as far as where we were now? The ash raining down from the sky and the steam coming from the lava flowing beneath us was a dead given for this being Muspelheim. The sulfuric air made the air extremely thick. I turn back to look at my family.

All of them, with the exception of Eric, were currently on their knees. Whatever was in the atmosphere was choking them. Although vampires don't need air to breathe, they obviously still need something equivalent to the Earth's atmosphere to survive. I'd imagine that a vampire has never seen another realm before I brought them to Faery.

Before Eric and I could even discuss what to do, the baritone of an unseen being is heard.

"It has been ages since I last had a visitor, let alone a group." The ground begins to tremble and we look to the west just in time to see the massive figure walking toward us.

It was in the form of a man, but he was unlike any I've ever seen. His skin was the color of soot. Two horns with razor points at their ends protrude from his temples. Long and straight, his 'black as coal' hair hangs to the middle of his chest. It covers his face. His entire body, which was completely bare, is covered in swirls of lava. However, it is the humongous broadsword made of pure fire that is his most striking feature.

"Is that Aesir I smell? Hmmm. I am going to enjoy feasting on your soul after I consume your body." I turn back to look at Eric because he is the only one of us that would be consider Aesir.

"YOU MUST GO NOW! Take them to my mother." I yell into my husband's mind.

"NOT WITHOUT YOU!" He yells right back.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! YOU ARE HIS TARGET RIGHT NOW! GO! I'm right behind you." I don't give him a chance to argue again as I raise my power and send them all to Folkvangr. I feel his rage and know that we will have it out about that when I get there.

The dark man stops his approach. He looks all around him, sniffing the air as if he doesn't trust his eyes.

"I know I smelt it! You can't hide from me!" The ground shakes like an 8.6 Richter scale earthquake.

"He is gone." I know I probably shouldn't speak to him, as to not provoke his wrath, but I've never said I was the sharpest tool in the shed.

Sniffing again at the sound of my voice, his head turns toward me.

"Vanir. Powerful and female." He says this to himself, before he actually addresses me. "Freya? Is that you?" He is now standing in front of me. I crane my neck to look at the 11 foot being. He bends at the waist and leans down to be eye-level with me. With a quick move of his hand, he swipes his hair to one side of his head, making his face visible. His eyes are pure fire, even though he would be quite handsome with his chiseled chin and strong jawline.

"I am not Freya. She is my mother. Are you Surtr?" He quirks an eyebrow and smirks at me.

"You have heard of me, have you?" He inhales deeply. "You smell delicious, yet it is mixed with humans, light elves, and something else."

"You still have not answered my question."

"You must be a child of hers to have the gall to question a being much larger than her."

"You obviously already underestimate me, so you are the one with the gall not to answer me. You know not what I am capable of." His refusal is irritating me.

"I am he. If you know who I am, then you know that I am destined to end Aesir as well as any others that try to stop me. Especially your…uncle." Although I haven't met the God Freyr yet, I'm aware that he is the main fighter the other side.

"Yes. I am very aware of the prophecy. And you are very aware that after you destroy all the worlds with your fire, I will recreate it with all those that survive. Isn't that right?" His smirk disappears. He roars in my face, trying to scare me no doubt. The heat from his internal fire almost burned my eyebrows off.

"Why are you so angry?!" I yell at him in the midst of his snarling. He stops. He looks confused and then sad.

"I…we…I am not ANGRY!" He straightens and begins pacing.

I would like stay and talk to him to hear his side of this war, but I feel Eric's call and I know the boys are just as anxious to see me as I am them. Just as I turn to tell him that I must go, he grabs my arm and begins pulling me off towards wherever he came from.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" I scream.

"Since you say you are the child of Freya, you will be my prisoner. If they don't give me the Aesir spawn that was just here with you, then I will claim to kill you. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, so I will keep you for as long as I can."

All during his speech, my anger rises. By the time he finishes, I'm glowing and he becomes harder for him to just drag me along like a wagon. When he turns back to look at the reason for his unexpected difficulty, he is beyond surprised to see me now.

My feet aren't even touching the ground anymore. I'm floating in the air so that I can look him directly in the eye.

"You will not handle me like I am weak nor will I be a pawn for you to use as you see fit. I do not want to fight and I am willing to hear your point of view, but YOU WILL SHOW ME RESPECT!" And with my free hand, I shoot him in the face with a blue orb of light.

He somersaults backwards before hitting the ground and skidding across the bare wasteland. He sits upright with his mouth open in shock.

"I will return to you soon and we will talk like civilized beings, but if you threaten what is mine or touch me again, you will be destroyed." Without further ado, I pop to my family, leaving a very confused fire god in my wake.

EPOV

We land at the entrance of the Goddess Freya's temple. Godric, having recovered the quickest from the horrible experience in that unknown realm, kneels to check on the rest of our bloodline. It is not that I do not care about them, but my all-consuming thought at this moment is why Sookie is not with me.

The two Valkyries that guard the entrance rush towards us with their weapons drawn. Not being in even the slightest mood to humor anyone knowing my wife is not at my side, I turn on them fully engulfed.

Knowing they are no match, they back away. Soon, the Goddess joins us.

"What is wrong?" she asks. She takes in the scene in front of her, but her gaze falls on me to answer.

"Someone interfered with us teleporting here. Instead, we ended up in some sort of fire dimension with air so acidic that our family almost died. And Sookie is stayed behind to face whatever was on its way to kill me apparently!" I did not mean to begin screaming, but I cannot help myself.

"You say something was coming for you. You specifically?"

"Yes. It was very big, bigger than a troll. Sookie said that it was coming for me and to leave immediately."

The Goddess is in deep thought as silence lingers between us. Looking around us again, she turns to her guards.

"Escort my guests into the temple and make them comfortable. Have blood brought to them so they can heal." Godric picks up Jessica while the guards help Pam and Tara into the building. Once they are gone, I advance on the Goddess.

"Where is she?" I ask. He does not answer me quick enough.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE!" I roar.

She turns to me and the light in her eyes brightens with her anger at my tone. I do not give a fuck.

"If I am to guess, I would say you all were taken to Muspelheim and their ruler, Surtr smelled Odin's power in you and came to destroy it. As for Sookie, he will not harm her. Even if he could, which I don't believe he can, she is mostly Vanir." Though her words give me a small amount of relief, I am still troubled by her absence.

"Who would have been able to interfere with our travels?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out." She and I stare at each for a few moments before the air between us begins to shimmer. A flash of light blinds us momentarily and my lover is now here.

I snatch her into my arms and squeeze harder than I probably should have. Her lips crash into mine and I am whole once more. I let her go and she goes and embraces her mother.

"Where are our babies?" she asks like any loving mother would.