It's the attack on New York, but with Loki and Dalla helping the Avengers. Sadly, Loki will still have to go back to Asgard, and Thor and Dalla will go to vouch for him. I wonder if she and Steve will confess their feelings. These characters drive the story and they seem to dance around each other, so Loki may have to work his mischief to set them up. LOL
Differences in this chapter: Wendigo attacks New York, not Loki.
Dalla and Loki sat in her room, sharpening their blades. Dalla could feel how nervous he was, though he didn't show it. Loki could feel Dalla's fear of Wendigo, though she seemed to not care. Thor came to check on his siblings and the tension was too much for him. He cleared his throat, earning a jump and their weapons at the ready. Thor raised his hands in surrounder.
"Neither of you is okay," he said. "You two are close, you know how the other feels, yet your own emotions keep you from speaking."
"Just being near her is enough," said Loki.
Dalla replied, "It is because we can feel the other's emotions that we know we do not have to talk about it."
"Dalla, you have come a long way in the past year," said Thor. "Do not hide from me again." Dalla looked down and Loki looked at her, confused. "You and I are finally friends and siblings, as we should have been, sister. But you need to talk about it."
"That man was your friend, Thor. Not mine. I did not know him. I should be asking if you are okay."
"I was not referring to Phil, but yes, it is hard. You and Loki have this habit of only sharing with each other, but both of you look…"
Loki stood up to leave, but Dalla grabbed his hand. She didn't want to hear it either, but she knew he needed it. It was Thor reaching out while in her cell that helped her begin to move past her anger. Loki looked at his sister and sighed, sitting back down.
"You both are worried and scared," Thor said, sitting on a trunk provided for Dalla to store things. "I understand. Loki for what he suffered and Dalla of Wendigo. There is nothing I wouldn't do to keep you from having to face that again. But I need my brother and sister at my side. We are stronger together, a family."
"We haven't been a family for a long time, brother," said Loki.
"Not that any of us have put the effort into it," Dalla said, looking at the floor. "Loki, I love you and I know Thor does too. We don't care if you are a Jotun. You're still you and we think the world of you. Always have and always will."
"Unlike you and Dalla, I cannot enter your mind to know how to comfort you," Thor said. He looked at Dalla, who nodded. "As a child, I was jealous of that bond. It felt like you were taking Dalla from me, but also like she was taking you from me. I pushed you both away so it wouldn't hurt when you chose the other over me. It wasn't until New Mexico did I realize that I pushed you together by that jealousy, though you both had tried to include me in that bond."
"While I was in my cell and then palace bound, Thor and I talked," Dalla continued, looking at Loki. "You and I were already alienated by the people of Asgard, even while children. I know we both felt that everyone loved Thor more and it hurt. I was his twin, yet as soon as I showed any emotion, people became scared. It hurt, feeling like I couldn't be myself for people to like me, but you, Loki, you never asked me to be any different. It was only natural I formed a strong connection with you, brother."
Loki sighed and said, "I don't know how to process how I feel about things. So I chose mischief. Dalla understood what the feelings behind them meant. I was always in your shadow, brother, with Dalla. Even when I was angry with her and played tricks, she would laugh and make me feel better. I wanted to be seen as your equal."
"I wanted to be able to be free." Dalla squeezed her hand. "Even now, I fall back on trying to keep my emotions in and it only sets things on fire."
"To be fair, when you let your emotions out, everything catches fire anyway," Thor laughed.
"Yes, but it's more controlled and less damaging." She gave a small smile. "Still, I am expected to cage how I feel, just as Loki is expected to hide his mischief until it is useful."
Loki said, "Being treated as less because of who we are…" He squeezed Dalla's hand. "Even Father treats us with disdain."
"And I am sorry for my part in that," said Thor. "Now, tell me what troubles you."
Loki wasn't too sure, so Dalla said, "Wendigo… a single touch in the right spot… he could…" She shuttered. "Seeing him, I feel as if I am looking at my own death."
Thor moved to the bed so that he and Loki could pull her into a hug before Loki said, "He helped torture me, threatening Dalla if I didn't take that damn stick. He broke that deal, but I see him and remember."
"And I see the being that hurt my brother and sister," he said, "and I am filled with a rage I never knew I could feel. I want to make him pay for what he has done to the two of you."
The siblings sat comforting each other for a moment longer. Dalla felt they were finally on their way to mending what was broken long ago. They all looked up, breaking apart in embarrassment when they saw Steve.
"It's time," he said.
They got up and joined the others in protecting civilians. Dalla flew through the air on Eldr, using it to cut down on the enemies climbing buildings while Thor when to the roofs and Loki was on the ground. Despite what he had been forced to do, everyone was happy to have Loki on their side. At one point, all three siblings were on the ground, fighting back to back. They were in perfect sync.
Yet, everyone noticed how the enemy tried to separate Dalla from them. It nearly worked until Steve got to her. Just like back in the forties, they fell into their unique bond. Loki noticed how she passed Eldr to Steve and him, his shield, as if they were dancing rather than battling an enemy. It was mesmerizing just as it was shocking. Dalla never let anyone touch Eldr, not even Loki, so for her to do so with a mortal… one that didn't get burned by the heat of the blade. He knew even he would be burned by Eldr, yet this Steve Rogers held it without so much as a burn. He knew he had to ask his mother what it meant, for Dalla's sake, but Loki felt he knew the answer already.
Dalla didn't like being surrounded, but having the newly formed Avengers beside her made her feel confident. She joined Tony for the aerial assault, not liking that Steve was stuck on the ground. She fought enemies on the chariots but at one point, she found herself thrown to the ground of Stark Tower's balcony. She groaned in pain.
Wendigo chuckled and pulled Dalla up by her arm. Dalla bit back a scream as she stood. He dragged her to where the tesseract was. Dalla saw Erik Selvig, still being mind-controlled.
"Strap her in, doctor," said Wendigo. "Her power will allow more to come and conquer this planet."
She struggled until Wendigo took her by the throat. Her hands were placed in special holds. Wendigo's hand left her throat but Dalla felt it run over her hair. She felt the strength leave her almost immediately, her legs giving out. The combination of Wendigo's ice killing her and the machine taking power from her left her unable to fight back.
Tony said over the comms, "Fire Princess, in trouble! She's been hooked up to the machine!"
Loki said, "We have to turn the machine off to free her! She's going to die if we don't stop this!"
"Why would you have Erik build such a thing?" Thor's voice thundered in her ear.
"I didn't!" Loki denied. "It was never part of my plan!"
"Ladies, settle this later!" Natasha said, sounding like it was coming from underwater. "Focus!"
"Well, Dancing Bull is playing with her hair and arms," said Tony, who faded in and our for Dalla. "She's not looking too good, guys." There was a whooshing sound and a blast of air, causing her to shiver. "Got him! Someone get to her!"
From that point on, Dalla fought to stay conscious. She couldn't make out any words, but she felt hands on her shoulders that didn't belong to Wendigo. He tried to keep her from falling asleep, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.
What felt like hours later, she felt the machine release her hands and she fell back. She shivered as if she would never be warm again. She was carried into the tower, where everyone had gathered around a defeated Wendigo. She had her head on someone's shoulder. She didn't know who it was, but she was happy to be free of the machine. Her strength was returning. Whoever had her passed her to another. Her eyes snapped open and she found herself carried bridal style by Steve.
She blushed up at him, but glared back at Wendigo as he said, "I believe this is where we part, Avengers, but make no mistake, Thanos will have his power source."
In a rush of cold, wintery air, Wendigo disappeared out the window. They were just happy he didn't have the scepter. She grabbed Loki's arm when he went to grab it.
"No, Loki," she said, her voice growing stronger. "I won't lose you again."
He nodded, letting Natasha take the scepter. With that done, she snuggled into Steve. Tony pointed him to a bedroom where he laid her down on the bed. She had passed out after getting Loki to agree to not touch the scepter, and now, she didn't want to let go of him.
This caused Steve to smile and lay next to her. She curled herself into him, wincing from the new patches of frostbite but sighing with contentment. He knew no one was near them, so he kissed the top of her head.
"Don't leave, Steve," she mumbled. "Please."
"I'm not going anywhere, beautiful," he whispered.
Before the others could return, Steve had fallen asleep, his arms holding her close and his leg draped over her thigh protectively.