When Wanda sees Loki coming, she knows something is wrong. Loki's eyes are cast down and her phone is in her hand instead of in her clutch. Wanda steps away from Pietro and Fitz, concerned.
"What is wrong? Did Tony say something to upset you?"
"No. But Alexi did." She shows her the phone.
Wanda sighs, "Oh, Loki. I'm so sorry. Are you OK?"
"No. I think I would like to go home, or, at the least, retire somewhere quiet."
Magda makes her way across the room, "What has happened?"
"Loki would like to go home. Alexi is not planning on attending and she does not feel up to staying."
Magda embraces Loki, "Oh, my darling, I am so sorry to hear this."
Loki buries her face in Magda's shoulder for a moment, "Thank you. I think I need time to think. And for quiet."
"I can drive her home. I will return for midnight."
Magda shakes her head, "Do not worry yourself over such things. You take care of our dear Loki. And when she sleeps, call so we might figure out how to finish off our night. But we will not leave her until she is at peace."
"Thank you, my Sisters, but you do not need to let me ruin your night."
Wanda places both hands on Loki's shoulders, "No. We will take care of you first. And if that means you wish to go home, I will take you home."
Her head droops and she sighs, "Yes, I would appreciate that very greatly. Please take me home."
Pietro retrieves their coats and cloaks, "Drive safely. The roads are bound to be interesting."
"I will."
He hugs Wanda, "You are a wonderful sister, do you know this? Even to our newest family member."
"I feel badly leaving you. We do not get enough time together."
"That is true. But I will be happy knowing you are taking care of one of our own. Now go. Take care of her well."
"Thank you. I will do my best."
They ride the elevator in silence. Loki says nothing until they are on the road, staring at her phone as Wanda creeps down busy streets away from the city centre.
"What did I do wrong, Wanda?"
"Nothing, Loki. You did nothing wrong. Alexi likely does not feel comfortable in a room full of people who are celebrities to most of the world. Superheroes. To you, we are just people. But to him...perhaps we are still too intimidating."
"But he knows you, and he was not uncomfortable at Thanksgiving when there were other Avengers present. Or Thor, who is over a millenium old and comes from a land of real magic and advanced science. Why now?"
"I cannot tell you, Loki. But perhaps you should call him in the morning."
"I am afraid to hear what he might say."
"I do not know what to tell you. But you will need to speak to him at some point."
Loki does not answer and says nothing at all until she is in her own home, "I am going to go change out of the dress. Please, can you stay a few moments?"
"Yes. As long as you need me."
"Thank you." She goes upstairs, sheds her dress and carefully hangs it back in the closet, and washes off her makeup. She stands naked in front of the mirror for a moment, defeated, her shoulders slumped, "What went wrong?" She puts on her soft knits and returns to the living room. Wanda is sitting on the couch. Loki points to the corner beside it where there are now pillows and a beanbag. She wedges herself in the corner and Wanda nestles beside her- Loki rests her head on her shoulder and Wanda wraps her arms around her.
"Calm your thoughts, Loki. I know they are spinning and they will lead you to dark places."
"It is too late, they already have."
"Oh, Loki, darling... I wish I could still them and bring you a little peace."
"I will have none if I lose Alexi."
"That is one of your deepest fears."
"Yes. I am so lucky to have found him. I cannot destroy this."
"I do not think you have. You must not think the worst. It is likely that Alexi does not know how much this night meant to you."
"I told him I would be wearing the black gown."
"Does he realise just how much that dress means to you? No one but Thor and I saw you hold it so lovingly when he brought you the trunk. And while Magda and Erie have since come to know how much these garments mean to you...there was something about your face when I saw you holding the dress against your body. Something I think cannot be conveyed in words." Light, warm tears drop against her skin and she realizes Loki is crying. She strokes her hair and kisses the side of her head, "Your brilliance lies in your quick wit and your vivid imagination. But it also is why you feel everything so deeply and imagine the worst."
"Some days, I hate it. I could have figured out how to deal with the consequences of my actions during Thor's coronation and our later ride into Jotunheim had I not discovered I was one of them. When that happened...when Odin told me...it was over. Everything was over."
"I am so sorry. You have been through so much these past few years."
"But it was all my own fault. And tonight I wore a coat that was a gift from my birth mother to my mother so she could bring me to see her one last time. A gift out of deep love and loss. I feel as though I have thrown that all away now that I am neither of Asgard or Jotunheim."
"On the contrary, my dear. You have the blessed opportunity to honour them both by no longer having to choose between them. You simply are what you are. And you can bloom, no longer torn by who you should be. I think they would both be proud of what you have discovered about yourself over the time you have had with Magda and I."
"Thank you, Wanda. I had not considered that."
"That is because it has still been such a short time that you have been here. You are still finding your feet."
"Until tonight, I thought I had them found."
"To be entirely honest, none of us ever truly finds them. We are stumbling through life from the day we are born until the day we shuffle off this world for whatever comes next, if anything. I think the most enlightened people are those who discover this and are comfortable with always seeking themselves, continually in wonder of what they find."
Loki sits up and wipes her eyes with her sleeve. Wanda stops her and brushes her tears with a handkerchief. Loki smiles and catches her hand as she lowers it.
"You are so deeply wise, my dearest Wanda. I am so incredibly lucky I was allowed to stay in Mr Stark's tower when Thor found me in the desert."
"You should know that Magda and I also consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have you in our lives."
"Did I ever thank you for sitting beside me that first night? For stopping me and keeping me from bleeding to death? For staying beside me as much as you did? And for opening your heart so easily to all I was going through? For your patience? Your kindness?"
"No, I do not think you have. But you do not need to. I do not feel like a hero for that- it is just what I needed to do."
"No. It was far more than that." She hugs Wanda tightly, "With every inch of my being, I am grateful. I owe you this life I have. For the chances I have had to reinvent myself and the time to grieve and move forward. I am loved. And this time, I know enough to recognise it."
Wanda rests her palm against her cheek, "Will you be alright tonight? I will not come here in the morning to find that you have hurt or killed yourself?"
"I promise you, I will do no such thing. And in the morning, I will call Alexi. But I am weary. I think I ought to get some sleep."
They stand and embrace once again, "Goodnight, Loki. Would you like me to tuck you in?"
Loki smiles, a little embarrassed by how dearly she wants this childish thing, but so relieved that it has been offered, "Please, yes."
She kisses her cheek, "Come, let us get you up to bed, then."
Loki slips beneath the covers and Wanda tucks the blankets around her, kisses her forehead, and whispers, "Goodnight, my Loki. Rest. And if you wake and need me, do not hesitate to call."
"Thank you, dear Sister. I will. Goodnight."
Standing at the door, Wanda turns back before switching out the light. Loki is already asleep. She clicks the light off and locks the house. She calls Magda to let her know she is on the way back to the tower once she is on the road.