Part Of My World

by AuthorA97

Terra tried. She really, really tried, but she couldn't do this again. People needed to be safe, and she couldn't do it next to the Doctor.

3. Something's Starting Right Now

AN: So…there is a Big Finish audio for this. I don't care for it. I'm ignoring it. In my universe, it's not canon.

I like this story more.

==POMW==

He thrashed again. Pain. Pain. Everything radiated pain. He growled, trying again to curl away from the pain.

A voice spoke to him. He flinched from this figure. People did this to him. People locked him away. Another person would only hurt him more. The ground crumbled beneath his jerking feet.

Pain again. He whined, long ago having lost air to scream. The air was burning. His lungs were burning. His skin burned.

The voice spoke again, and the pain stopped. Miraculously, it stopped. He gasped. His eyes widened. This finally let him see the person that approached.

Two arms were held aloft. A bowl clenched inside her pale white hands, her white sleeves stained with green acid.

"It's okay." She assured him. She'd been saying that the whole time, he realized. "It's okay. We'll get out- it's okay. We'll be okay. Yes, yes then we'll be okay. I have a plan. We'll be okay."

==POMW==

It's a wonderful day, and I am an amazing person.

I tossed the birthday card away. It's fucking ass-kissing bullshit.

Darcy Anderson snorted beside me. She grabbed the card mid air to read it. "Who's fucking 'Donald'?"

"I think it's Kelly from accounting." I replied. Darcy snickered. "Oh. Donald is from the trackers lab. Basically the census takers of our people."

Darcy blew air. She tossed the card into the fire. "Not even a gift card. Do Donald and Kelly even know us?"

"They know me. You've been dead the whole time." I reminded her.

Darcy waved the comment away. "I came back."

"An hour ago."

She waved that away too.

It's been a very hectic month. Year? Five years? Things have been weird for a very long time. These particular things were extra weird. Where can I start? Maybe in the 80's.

A very special person was having their 19th birthday. Her name was Delilah Patterson, but she preferred to be called Elle. Elle decided to do something fun and exciting for this particular birthday. She was in England for it too. To her surprise, a TV show was talking up a big storm of it's newest season (they called it series, how confusing) with the newest character- the Seventh Doctor.

She figured out where she'd go. It took her maybe a month to get everything approved and squared away. Elle came from a very special race of people. Human in shape, yes, but inside was very different. The soul inside existed beyond the confines of that human shape. She grew up knowing what she was, and her parents stressed the importance of that legacy to her. Elle treated it with that same level of importance.

Elle Patterson visited Doctor Who, and met the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith. It took very little time for her to be swept away by the adventure of the stars. She saved planets, met historic figures, and made two good friends. Eventually, those adventures ended. She decided to stay for Sarah Jane, and wait for their friend to come back.

It took decades. Her patience paid off. One day, Sarah Jane and Elle Patterson met the Doctor again. This time they met his new companions, but one took Elle's attention.

Terra Johnson.

It's a boring story after that everyone knows. Bat teachers, dinner lady oil, Kenny killed the teachers, and K9 got an upgrade. It's all very beautiful. But something about that girl stuck with Elle. Eventually, Sarah Jane passed and Elle knew it was time to go.

She went home. Ten years, she spent at home. Those ten years were filled with thoughts. A person. Terra Johnson.

Another being like Elle Patteron. A Reality Traveler, fully believing she was alone in that world. Elle's heart broke. This girl wasn't alone, and she hadn't broken into Elle's world.

Then one day, Elle Patterson died. An old friend came. A Judas. A traitor. A vile, vile man that loathed her. That same day, Morgan Spencer was born to human parents.

Regeneration of a different kind.

Morgan Spencer had no parents to pass down the wonder of her powers. No journals or stories to give her wisdom or hope. She had River Song, but that barely lasted a year. She had Darcy, who mostly counted. It's not the same. She met Garfield Logan, and forgot all those times. Then one day, she met Elle Patterson and became very afraid.

Years later, Morgan met Elle Patterson's killer. She was no longer afraid. With a daughter of her own, Morgan was actually very extremely pissed. The bastard went on to kill Darcy, basically asking very nicely for Morgan to kill him.

And Morgan has always helped people when asked.

So the man died, and that was a problem. Somehow. Morgan actually thought it was an improvement. Except Elle Patterson was Traveler royalty. Her killer took her throne. Nobody else wanted it after that bastard tainted it. So by right of conquest, one person got it.

Morgan fucking hated that too.

Five years went by. She continued hating it. Her daughter was a princess now, so that's a positive.

Then a friend- a childhood friend that returned from nowhere, almost being too helpful- reminded her that if voodoo magic brought Darcy back once...and in her original universe it can do that a lot...what's stopping her from doing it again?

Thus, Darcy. Returned from the grave just in time for our 16th birthday. Well I was turning 200 and Darcy was 46 but who cares? Me, obviously, but who else?

The birthday party was being prepared. Except I wanted time with just my sister. So I picked a random world where we could party without dealing with murders or other weird shit.

Okay I might have chosen at random. And Doctor Who happened to be the one I picked, very randomly. Darcy and I sorted through early birthday cards as we waited for our drinks.

During her adventures here, my sister found a lot of bars that catered to different alien races. We proved our true age, and were given drinks to match. Darcy always managed to get a fake human ID that worked. I just proved I was a Time Lord and was given whatever I wanted.

This was probably another reason I chose this place.

Space drinks are so much better than Earth drinks. After the week I had, I deserve to get drunk like an alien.

Darcy grabbed another card. She opened it, and this time a gift card fell. "Oooh!" She held it up. A credit card gift card. This one was pricey. I widened my eyes. "Now we can get drunk."

I snorted. "Who will buy it?"

Darcy wiggled her eyebrows. "Your new man. He's the 'jump how high' type. Consider the drinks a wedding present."

I ignored her. Actually, no, I blushed. Darcy giggled at my expense. I tossed a pillow at her. She laughed.

Our new guest didn't. "I'll do it for half."

Darcy and I sat up. The bar gave us a private suite to enjoy. Using a fake credit card helped get us VIP status. Nobody should be in here that we don't allow. It's probably why River Song stood inside.

Darcy sat up. "Hey, it's her! The Doctor's time travel bitch."

"Do I call you Carl, or Terra's murder slut?" River sauntered over to my couch. She relaxed on it, pulling a drink out from an ice bucket. The cork was already gone. "I can never tell."

Darcy relaxed on her couch. "This is our birthday. Go away."

"How did you even find us?" I snatched the bottle away from her. I sniffed it, then sipped at it.

River took it back. "When a Time Lord opens a rather substantial bar tab, people take note of it."

Darcy and I exchanged a look. We toasted each other.

"Why are you here?" I poured myself another glass. More drinks were coming, so we could finish this bottle off. "You definitely didn't come to drink."

"I'm always here for a drink." She wore her usual professional attire. A white jacket top, ruffled along the edges. Professional style jeans and boots. She came to work. "But yes, I did need help."

I hummed. Darcy snorted, humming happy birthday.

"A perfect birthday present for her- doing some stupid shit." Darcy giggled to herself. Alien cocktails worked so well on her. "Is something in danger?"

"Possibly."

"Gonna save people?"

"Also possibly."

"Wait, do you not know?" I asked her. "Because you sound like you don't know. How do you not know if people are dying? That should be your whole thing."

River eyed the bottle. She had another glass. "People are definitely dying. It just matters what side has the most deaths. It's very unclear, and I need your help figuring it out."

I squinted my eyes. Darcy sat up, fell back down, and sat up again. "Pay?" She reminded. "A whore's only as good as her pay."

"You're a policeman half the time. Must you take bribes?" River countered

I grinned. "I'm not a cop right now. Gimme bribes or gimme back the bottle."

River agreed. She started to drink. "I can't provide a bribe, but can promise an apocalypse. I believe you are the only one that can stop it." She drank.

That made me suspicious. "Not him?"

"Oh dear no." River giggled, hard. "Even in the best case scenario, he's the cause. That's the last thing anyone needs."

That's very true. The Doctor is a very singular type of person. He either saves a planet, or destroys it. A healer, or a warrior. It's never both. River believes an apocalypse needs to be stopped, and further believes I am the only person that can actually stop it.

"How long do I have?" I asked. "When we get there, how long do I have?"

"Four hours." River stated.

I looked at Darcy. We agreed on five hours in this world. We'd been here for thirty minutes already. Leaving for four hours? That meant no more drinking time here. It's a disappointment, yes but one we can recover from. We got a gift card to buy more drinks back home, and somebody just offered to buy.

I put the drink down. Darcy whined.

"Make it a big tab." I told Darcy. "We gotta get her attention somehow."

"I will buy their finest whores, and kill their pimps if they're creeps." Darcy winked. I winked right back. "It's good to be back."

That's my sister. That's my fucking sister, back from the dead, and needing to leave my side for sex. It's just proof she's here. Proof that we can go back to what we were before. Hearing it just makes me so fucking proud of her.

"River, let's go." I walked out.

River guided me through the loud club. The people ignored us. River wasn't dressed to be noticed, and I was wearing a hologram device to make myself look normal. As we walked from Darcy, I flipped the switch.

My black hair became orange. My black suit became a pink, blue, and white dress. My boots became pink. It's our birthday. We're allowed to be twins on our birthday.

River smiled. "Still afraid of the jokes?"

"She will be relentless." I confirmed. "Are we using the manipulator, or something else?"

"For your birthday? Only the best." River brought me down another hallway. One meant for bathrooms. She brought me to the storage closet.

I gawked.

The TARDIS. Big and blue and special, and definitely borrowed. She's so fucking beautiful. I don't miss traveling with the Doctor. What I do miss is this fucking box.

I pulled out my necklace. Darcy's charm fell to my grip, and the TARDIS key beside it. She unlocked, and I opened the door out the way.

She loudly cheered and thrummed. Feelings and colors flooded my brain. She had me enraptured. Pure whole love came from the TARDIS. The kind of love I felt when Darcy came back from the dead, the love when I first called Lilac mine, the love I felt from-

Well. It's very intense.

She missed me too.

I managed to step inside. River followed behind me. The two of us made it to the console.

River hummed. "I love this style. It's so- retro."

All the good feelings vanished. She sounded like the Doctor. I grabbed the console computer, pushing it to her.

"So four hours?" I asked. Obviously the Doctor was off doing something else. It'll either take four hours for him to finish that, or four hours to notice the TARDIS is gone.

"That's all you should need." River typed on the computer, inputting the coordinates. She hit enter. "Think you can manage it?"

I scoffed, offended by the doubt. "Of the two of us, who learned to fly from becoming Donna Noble?" I flipped the controls. The TARDIS flew off without a single tilt. "That's right. Me."

"I was a child of the TARDIS."

"Your parents had sex in the first room they could find." I pointed with my thumb to the back of the TARDIS. "I was a threeway biological Metacrisis. We're not the same."

==POMW==

4 hours

The planet wasn't burning, so that's a good sign. Nobody was screaming or shrieking in pain and misery. It honestly looked like a place that wasn't crumbling beneath my feet. It's dark out, their suns long since set. A single moon hung in the sky. A presumably safe distance from the surface.

She parked us on a hillside. We were surrounded by a forest, deep dark trees and such.

A quick flick of my tongue told me a lot. It's a distant Earth past, 1014 BC. The weather was good too. It's bizarre. No major weather events up and coming. If anything, the planet was too clean.

I turned to her. "Okay. Where are we headed?"

River stepped out. The TARDIS door closed behind her. "Oh he'll tell us shortly."

That made me stop. Stop and raise an eyebrow at her audacity. "He?"

River only smiled.

I hate her guts. She's the worst. I hate her. "You said he wasn't here."

"I don't recall saying that." River replied. "I said he would cause it, and you would stop it."

I whacked her. She dodged. "I hate you. Rory is getting condoms!"

"And this world will end if we leave the Doctor alone." River countered. It worked, she knew it did, and that made her smug. "Which reminds me. We should let him out."

That confused me. Mainly because she wasn't walking towards the TARDIS. River walked deeper into the woods, making her way to the bottom of the hill. Since there was an apocalypse on the table, I followed her.

The bottom of the hill had as many trees as the top. The view just made the trees taller. A small log cabin waited by the base of the hill. A brook babbled nearby. Nowhere did I see a farm for livestock or any such things you'd see on a primitive planet at this time. There's only the smell of trees, mud, and warm embers. The cabin windows have glass- even more confusing. Orange fire light came down on a path.

River went to the cabin. She opened the door for me. Fire crackled inside and the sound was perfectly crisp. Again, a beautiful natural planet with more advancements than I liked. Was that why the world was ending?

"What planet are we on? You never said." I stepped into the log cabin. "It wasn't important before but now I- hahahahaha!"

It's too funny. Sad, but also funny. I see why he needed to be let out. I wrongly assumed he was arrested. Somewhere between his arrival and River's departure, she locked him up. The Doctor was handcuffed to a table, stuck to the top with his hands cuffed below. It's a heavy table or else he'd probably have hefted it up awhile ago. He did look upset, but otherwise okay. His face was pressed into a bowl of fruit, so when he sat up a grape fell from his face.

It cheered me up. That's the important bit here.

The Doctor perked up at my laugh. His previous upset vanished. I still laughed, 'cause he was still handcuffed to a table. "Terra?" He wore his normal brown suit, and made no steps to change it. A good sign. If he wore the black tux, not even I could save this planet.

I laughed. "This- you- hahaha-!"

River walked over to his seat. She pulled the key from her back pocket. The Doctor turned to her. "You found her?"

"I gave her a call. She came, as always." She winked at me.

I pointed at her. "You're a bitch, but you're so Author-damn funny." This is one of her better birthday presents. Birthday! I brought out my phone, taking a picture of him in this state. Darcy was gonna love this. "That's gonna be a wallpaper. Or a poster. I needed a new one of those."

The Doctor plopped his head back into the bowl of fruit. It made everything funnier. "You're not mad at me any more, I guess."

"No, I'm still furious, that's why I'm loving this." I laughed. River held up the handcuffs. Darcy replied with crying laughing emojis. "That's so good. You often disappoint, but today you excelled."

"Happy to please." River tucked the handcuffs away. The Doctor got off the table, rubbing his wrists. I pouted. "Which reminds me. Sweetie-"

"You handcuffed me to a table." The Doctor complained.

"You were trying to follow me." River countered. "She wouldn't have come if you were there."

"How did you get her here?" The Doctor asked.

River winked. The fucking audacity- I love it.

"And where have I been invited?" I asked. "You didn't exactly let me see the space time coordinates in your manipulator."

She smiled. She appreciated the small lie. "You can't tell?" River asked. I, begrudgingly, shook my head. "Thought you'd know this place like the back of your hand."

"It's not Earth." I said. "1014, I know that much, but this isn't Earth."

The Doctor stood up. He walked over to me. "You followed River without knowing where you were going?"

I nodded. Best to keep her TARDIS hopping a secret. The last thing the Tenth Doctor needs is more reason to be wary of River Song. "She promised a party."

The Doctor nodded. "Right, right. A party. A party is definitely what's happening tonight." He glanced at River. Now I got the feeling something was being deliberately kept from me. I avoided calling it an apocalypse to keep him from being suspicious, but that told me he already suspected things would go wrong. "You handcuffed me to a table."

"To make sure you didn't wander off." River countered. "Sorry, Doctor, but you have a history." She started walking down a hallway. "You're going to love this party. Shame you don't have a date, but we'll manage. Doctor, exchange diaries with her while I get changed."

"You aren't-" The Doctor lost the argument when River got too far away. He turned to me.

I plopped down on the table chair. If this party requires dressing up, I need to check my Bag for a better wardrobe. Rarity made me plenty of dresses over the years. I think I asked for one special for my birthday party that I can borrow. I may have changed the pockets a bit, but she won't mind.

"How long has it been for you?" I asked him.

The Doctor walked around the cabin. He idly grabbed a jar, then put it down. "Not long. A few weeks. You?"

"I'm 200." I revealed. The dress is probably in a dry cleaning bag, to help preserve it.

The Doctor widened his eyes. "200?"

"Yes." I leaned up. The Bag was making it difficult, so let's give it a second to breathe. "You still 905?"

"Yeah, I am. Wow. 200." The Doctor grinned so wide. "That's a big deal. A Time Lord turning 200. That's- that's wow."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well usually by that age, they graduate from the academy. They're old enough to work in one of the cities, to choose their names. You already have your name so-"

"Why are you here?" I asked him. Bored of the speech, I went back to searching inside my Bag. "The party?"

"-you don't have, wait. That's right. You don't know yet."

The dress was hidden deep in my Bag.

"Terra Johnson-"

"Stardust-"

"-welcome to...what?"

"It's Stardust, not Johnson." I dug deeper. The dress was stuck behind something. "I changed it. I'm 200, I can do that."

"Oh. Oh right, yes. You can do that." The Doctor shifted in his stance.

I hadn't really told anybody about it yet but I preferred that last name. It fits. Given my recent changes with Thorax, I'm allowed to change it. He's changing his. It's only fair that we share a name on some planets. My Earth wasn't nearly ready for that change. This world was perfect for the name Stardust.

It sounded so pretty. Terra Stardust. Thorax Stardust. TS, every time. It could make a girl swoon.

I found the dress.

"Right. Yes. Why that name?" The Doctor asked.

I stood up. The dress pulled out of my Bag. "It's pretty." Thorax is prettier.

"Good reason, good reason." He adjusted himself. "Terra Stardust, welcome to Asgard."

I froze.

"Tonight is- well it's a party, yes, but a special party." The Doctor kept talking. "The king is connected to the planet. Every hundred years he takes a rest, lets his mind settle from it. That's not what the party is. That would be a terrible party. The party is for the man taking his place. See, someone needs to be incharge, and so a new person is promoted for a year. The new king was chosen this morning. River and I watched the event. The party tonight is to celebrate his coronation."

Holy fucking author. Did River really-? Did she pull this off?

Fuck the Doctor, fuck Thorax, I'll marry River Song right now.

She said a world was ending. The Doctor said Asgard. There's only one thing.

Ragnarok

River brought me to Ragnarok, and asked me to help stop it

Best birthday present ever. Even better than the Doctor handcuffed to something. Darcy is gonna lose her shit when she hears.

"Asgard." I repeated, cause that's all I could manage.

The Doctor nodded. "It's a couple light years from Earth. See, it's believed the myths were carried by an Asgardian refugee-"

"I'm on Asgard." I repeated.

The Doctor blinked. "...Yes?"

"Right now. I'm on Asgard." I pointed to the walls. "This is an Asgardian cabin. I walked in an Asgardian forest. You were handcuffed to an Asgardian table. You and River were having a picnic at Asgard."

"Yes? Well yes to everything except the picnic. Not yet." The Doctor watched as I walked to those walls, dragging my hand on the wood. "Take it you're a fan?"

I was gonna wear Rarity's dress to Ragnarok? No. No way. It's great but it's not battlegear. That cannot be done. Rarity will kill me. I have another dress for this, I know I kept it.

"Am I missing something?" The Doctor asked.

"Usually." River teased. She came back dressed in a familiar dress. Layers of purple and dark pink, draped almost like a toga wrapped around her body. Her Asgardian dress. "Happy?"

"You brought me to Asgard." Was what I said, but all I felt was ahhhhhh.

River smiled, knowingly. "I did."

Again.

She did it again.

I rushed to her side, hugging her. River laughed. She patted my head. I jerked away, stuffing the Rarity dress back in my bag. "I need to change. Now. Right now!"

River smiled. I rushed away from her.

Ragnarok is tonight, and I need to text Darcy about it.

==POMW==

3.5 hours

The three of us arrived at a grand palace. Everything was gold. Colored lights reflected off the palace as fireworks went off in the sky. More forestry decorated the pathway.

The Doctor looked dapper, yes, but not elegant like myself and River. Her outfit was still worthy of a goddess. Mine was no less amazing. A deep blue to match my usual skirt, with a long skirt to cover my pink boots. The dress started with a short scoop on my chest, showing off my silver necklace. The sleeves were short and perfect for fighting movement- I tested it. My bowtie became a corsage, decorating my right arm with long dark blue ribbons.

River praised the look. The Doctor called me a goddess. An old joke between us. Tonight, I'll let it slide.

I skipped down the pathway. People were finally around. Dignitaries of this planet, and even surrounding ones. The Doctor explained more history as we walked. There's not nine realms here, it's one planet with nine nations. That's a welcome change. The idea of nine whole planets right now is too much. I took over with my more extensive knowledge of Norse mythology. He stayed silent so I could gob.

When I was done, he looked proud. Like genuinely proud. The smile he had for especially clever companions. He used it so often for me near the end. Sometimes with prompting from Donna, sometimes just because. He did it once when I told him to treat Jenny like a daughter.

Freddie. Remember Freddie. It doesn't matter that my brother was still alive. The Doctor didn't know Freddie could survive, and still kept it a secret from me. That matters.

Darcy kept texting me. I gave her a picture of my dress, and the name of the planet. She texted back feelings of jealousy. Plus a suggestion to text Thorax the dress. I did, and then blushed about sending them the image.

Yes I may be married right now. Married with two kids, isn't that the dream? We live in- well we just got married today so Thorax doesn't really have a place to live yet. He's moving with me to my Earth. I made the shed bigger on the inside, so he'll fit. He'll love it. The kids do. Darcy does. We'll be happy in that shed together.

Thorax was still getting used to my alienness so I won't rush. I can take him on adventures to Doctor Who eventually. He'll love GARTH. The HAVEN will be perfect for him too. Donna! Oh Donna is gonna love him. Tease and mock him relentlessly, but she'll love him.

But this is my birthday, and my wedding night, and I'm spending it stopping Ragnarok on Asgard without my husband or my twin sister. It's an odd feeling. I'm used to spending these big occasions alone.

I don't have to anymore.

Yet still, on my first chance, I did.

Later, when I get Home, I'll fix that. For now, the world was ending and I needed to do something.

A guard asked for tickets. The Doctor pulled out the psychic paper. Three guests.

"Announcing Lord Doctor, Lady Terra Stardust, and Professor River Song." The herald decreed as we walked into the entrance hall.

It's like a fairytale. No, it's the Anastasia palace from the cartoon. Everything is extravagant and deadly. Weapons were proudly placed on the deep maroon walls. Windows of paned glass stood tall, letting us see the still going fireworks outside. The floor wasn't marble, but it was the closest this planet had to it.

I stood atop the staircase, overlooking the crowd below. Many gods stood out immediately to me. Their descriptions in mythology were so clear and concise that I knew them by that alone. It's not my first time meeting people after only having written descriptions, you get really good at it after a while.

Okay actually I can only spot half of them. The other half I get to figure out. I hope Baulder is still around. That'll be a good laugh. Do I have mistletoe? I need mistletoe.

"Terra." River prompted.

I startled back to reality. With all the grace of my title, I descended the stairs.

Let the party begin.

==POMW==

She descended the stairs like she owned them. Dressed in the finest wear he has ever seen with a blue that came like water. Her jewelry reflected from the fires. Her fiery orange hair stood out even more against the reds and browns of the room. The blues on her reminded him of home.

He couldn't look away.

Another guest laughed. The guest smacked his back so hard it startled him, tearing his gaze away.

"Look at that!" He chuckled again, chugging down his own tankard of beer. "That's a tiny strip of a woman- I'd break her without even trying!"

The man glowered at his drunk friend.

"Then again, with hair like that, I'll stay away." He punched the man's shoulder. "She looks uglier than you."

The others nearby heard of it. They all laughed too.

"I think she's perfect." He argued.

"Yeah you would." He chugged more of his drink. "You ugly cheat."

"I did not cheat. I won fairly. Your sister confirmed that." He boasted. He walked off. She had split off from her group as well. He needed to reach out to her.

The other man glowered at him now. "Oh just you wait, trickster, I'll get my crown back."

==POMW==

River dragged the Doctor to the dance floor. He wasn't really given a chance to decline. I went off to explore. They had a grand table full of food so I ended up rushing over to it.

They had cookies!

There's a bunch of desserts and things too. Most of the food were meats and fish, which made sense. Still the desserts caught more of my eye. It was very exciting. I snacked on cookies and chocolate looking things. They made my mouth all staticy. That's fucking cool.

"Hello." A deep voice spoke. I turned to my side. A man stood just far enough away that I wasn't startled, but he was clearly talking to me. Bright orange hair curled down his head in the way the ancients did. His robes were deep and dark brown, almost like a suit but not quite. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Terra Stardust."

"Yes." I quickly swallowed the candy in my mouth. The tingly feeling made words feel weird.

The man held his hand out. I wiped my hands on the table, taking his hand. He raised my hand to his lips.

Awww, what a cute gesture. People are so polite! This gesture means something very different on my planet, so it's probably something different here.

He stared at me with deep blue eyes. Scanning, appeasing, deciding. I scanned him back. The clothes were tailored. He decided on this outfit, specifically with his skills in mind. There's at least two knives in reach at this moment, maybe three with how he's holding out his arm. He's prepared to fight should anything happen.

"Pleasure to make yours!" I cheered. My mouth still buzzed. I'm not drunk, not even from the alcohol an hour ago. I'm on Asgard, their world will end, and I have a chance to stop it. "This party is great, right? Did you know they had snacks like eight different kinds of chocolate? I didn't know there were so many besides milk, dark, and white. But they don't even have those three, these are like eight new flavors and I think I want all of them all the time and have a lifelong regret for not trying them before. Oh and the cookies taste like the way sparkles feel. Trust me, I'm a sparkle expert."

The Asgardian was smiling at me in amusement. He had a thoughtful look on his face, reflected in his eyes as he thought about something that I could only guess. "Tell me then, Sparkle Expert, where are you from that you have not had these treats before?"

"Far away." I replied easily. "Do you know how I can make this chocolate?"

"Chocolate?"

"A sweet treat, from home." I supplied. It might be called something else here, and I am 'speaking Welsh' to this man. This strange, strange man. "Cocoa beans mixed in with sugar. It's a dessert. Or a snack. It really depends on- on how much you eat in a sitting, I suppose."

"I do not. What a thought- that I cannot make chocolate." The Asgardian noted. He rubbed his thumb along his lips. He's attractive, obviously, but when has that ever worked on me? "Even stranger, I cannot place you. What has brought you to Asgard?"

"Parties are fun!" I answered. "Even Asgardian ones. Today is my 200th birthday and, well, what other place would I go? It's kind of a big deal."

The Asgardian smiled wide. "Did you? Well then, I hope I am not the first to wish you a happy birthday."

"Thank you." I gave a polite nod of my head. "Also. Who are you?" The Asgardian blinked, surprised. "I just realized I have no idea. Well actually I noticed a few minutes ago but waited for you to introduce yourself but that never happened so I had to say it. Who are you again?"

The Asgardian continued to stare. I thought I messed up. Most of the Asgardians were obvious in their counterparts of mythology. I spotted a Thor look alike across the hall. One looked exactly like Tyr but they were a woman. It's a coin toss. This Asgardian could be anyone. Granted, the red hair narrowed things down but still. I can't be too sure. It's entirely possible Loki isn't here at all. The party would be a lot louder if that were the case.

Ooooh I wonder if I'm talking to Fenrir, and that's why he doesn't know what chocolate is. It's even better that I'm talking to him then.

"Terra!" The Doctor cheered. He rushed over to us. I put on a tight smile. River was supposed to distract him.

Neither of us saw the look the Asgardian was giving the Doctor. River, watching the exchange, did. The cheer on his face dropped into a distasteful sneer. By the time the hug ended, the Asgardian had a polite smile again. Though that could be because Terra's smile to him was wide and bright.

"This is the Doctor. He's my friend, he brought me here. He went off with another friend to have a 'picnic'." I explained in delight. "Doctor this is- I still don't know your name. You were rude and interrupted."

The Time Lord seemed fully aware who the Asgardian was. He glanced between the man and me, surprised. "You don't know." The Doctor repeated.

"Is there a reason I should?" I asked, hesitantly. Did I fuck up so bad?

"You truly have no idea." The Asgardian laughed in realization.

"I should by now, huh?" I gave him a high eyebrow.

The Asgardian only smiled in delight.

The Doctor patted me on the back. "Terra, this is Loki Laufeyjarson, winner of this century's contest, which makes him the king of Asgard."

I gawked.

The new king preened under the attention. Fuck, now I wanna pay more attention to his face. It's objectively good looking. I won't deny it, but now I know more about the person behind the face. His personality was written all over it, and it's become something beautiful. "Terra Stardust, well met."

"Loki. The real Loki? Honest to goodness gracious great balls of his element of fire, Loki?" I replied.

"Yes. My, what a humbling." Loki noted. "Pity I can't make any chocolate to cope."

I half laughed, to myself more to the men. I put my hand over my mouth, running it up into my hair. "The Loki of legend was said to have red hair..." I paused my hand, lowering it so I could stare. "Loki touched this hand."

"Not a fan, I take it." Loki mused.

"Complete 180!" I corrected. "I'm a huge fan! I've read your lore more than anyone else's! Well as much as one can when Percy Jackson is an option. Not an avid worshiper either. Just...love your storyline, which is like, big, for me. Then again, some of your choices are up to question. Namely just the results and the cost-gain benefits that came from each action-"

"Terra?" The Doctor prompted, trying to get me to calm down.

"Shutting up."

This is humiliating and exciting. River brings me to the best apocalypses, and gives me the most awkward encounters.

"Doctor." Loki replied. There was a curious look in his eyes that hadn't been there before. He was focusing that curiosity intently on me. The scanning was back. I saw him differently. The knives were even cooler. "It would be best if you went back to your picnic. Lady Terra, would you accompany me in a dance?"

I wanna explode in glee. Let me regenerate now, happy.

The Doctor tried to intervene. "I don't think we need to bother the King. Let's go find River."

"If you blow off your chance with River by bringing over me, she will kill us both." I reminded him. The Doctor opened his mouth. I shoved him back, towards River Song. "No. You go, have some fun. It's not my party but it's my birthday, and I say you should have fun too." He hesitated. "Go!"

He obeyed. A new determination in his steps. He's definitely going to find River, complain, and ruin everything. That gives me a new timeline to get shit done. Since I found Loki, that made my to-do list a lot shorter.

"What an interesting friend." Loki noted.

"Yeah, sorry." I turned to the King of Asgard. "He's overprotective. I can take care of myself if anything goes wrong."

"Yes, I believe you could." Loki held up his arm. The one with fewer knives. It's not an insult, but something different. He knew I knew which arm was which. I took his arm. "Though I believe if you were truly in danger, you are a force to be reckoned with."

That made me blush. Because anybody would blush when hearing their multiverse crush compliment them. "Thank you, King Loki- am I permitted to call you that?"

"I think not." Loki led me towards the dance floor. "The birthday girl can have the pleasure of calling me Loki."

Shit. Shit. Shiiiiiiiiiit.

Yeah I am definitely stopping Ragnarok for this guy.

==POMW==

3 hours

Loki and I danced. Proper sorts of dances, along with the music. Then the music became something more rough and loud, more like a stereotypical Viking sound of dance. The people of Berk used to play songs like this. It's irritating without their charm.

There must've been a frown on my face, or something else obvious with my disgust. Loki paused our dance. "Shall we carry this on outside?"

I nodded.

Loki brought me to one of the many balconies. The noise of the party was muted by the thick wooden doors and windows. It's also cold out here. I relaxed, suddenly aware of my tense shoulders.

"Thank you." I walked to a large wooden pillar, leaning against it. The new King stared out at the night sky. "Tell me, cause I missed it, how were you chosen to be king?"

Loki hummed. "The whole planet saw it this morning."

"It's my birthday. I slept in." I excused. Loki snickered. "What, you thought today was just about you? I want the details I missed."

"Of course." He walked closer to me, still glancing over to the stars. "Myself and a handful of others were gathered in the courtyard before the palace. King Odin entered his rest. His last act to fire an arrow into the woods. Whoever found the arrow became the new king. I changed my shape into a bird, and flew the arrow's path until I found the arrow lodged in a tree. I brought the arrow to Queen Frigg. She announced me the winner, and then I was crowned."

Interesting, very interesting. I'm curious. "Changed. You're a shapeshifter?"

Loki nodded. "Yes."

"What can you turn into?"

"Many things." Loki leaned closer.

I allowed it, for now. The end of the world was in three hours. Right now, Loki is my only lead. I need certain answers to see if it can even be stopped. "Like?"

"Whatever is asked of me." Loki replied.

Hmmm. Okay. That could mean literally anything. In myths, yes he could become a bird and also a fish. It's the reason fishnets exist, and thus fishnet stockings. Darcy got a kick out of pointing out that one. "You said 'others'. Who competed with you?"

"Must we speak of such unpleasant people?" He asked. "I prefer speaking with you."

"I'll talk as long as you like, after you tell me what I want." I offered. It's a fair trade. It's unlikely he'll ask me anything too exposing, and if he does I can just leave the conversation.

Loki smirked. It's actually almost hot. I will not be swayed by good looks, nope, not tonight. This is strictly business. Or my sister and me's way of conducting business. "I competed against numbskulls. Odin has three children, and all were of age to compete this century. The fools merely chased the arrow into the woods without thought. I'm surprised they didn't collide into the trees."

I snorted. The idea of Thor Odinson running into a tree is always a great mental image. Granted I am thinking about MCU Thor, but it still counts. "Thor."

Loki chuckled. "So you understand."

I nodded.

"The others in that party aren't so." Loki mused. He looked out at the party again, at the walls. The look slowly shifted into a glare. "They believe those three are perfect and can do no wrong. Especially Balder."

"Balder the Beautiful?" Now we're getting somewhere. Ragnarok usually started with the death of Balder via a sprig of mistletoe. Frigg asked everything in creation to spare her son, and everything answered except a tiny sprig of mistletoe. Then myths change depending on your reading source. For the most part, Loki later used that sprig to kill him. Either with his own hand or by tricking another god.

Loki grimaced, visibly disgusted. "Trust me, Lady Terra, that man has no true beauty. It's only skin deep. Below it is a man as callous and shallow as they come."

I opened my mouth to ask a question. Something to get headway on this apocalypse. Loki said an arrow was used to make him king. Him using that same arrow against Balder isn't a hard leap. Instead a loud sound came from inside my dress.

Loki was startled by that. "What was that?"

"Me, sorry, that was me." I pulled the Bag out of my pockets.

Loki widened his eyes when he saw that. The phone came next. "What's that?"

"Well that's my luggage. This is my communication device." I opened the message.

The message was from Thorax. The ID says Lilac, but Thorax doesn't have a phone yet. It's sweet to see him text. Lilac definitely taught him how. Especially because the text included a picture. The picture showed Lilac painting, her tiny hand holding a large paintbrush to an even larger canvas. Cookie was lying on her feet, reclined like a cat. Our youngest held a toy mouse in her hands, chewing on it.

'You look very pretty' Then an emoji of a bee.

I giggled. He's so stupid, and I love it. He's such a dork. I sent a quick text back.

'The girls are happy, and you are gonna love a closer look at this dress later. Bye honey.' I added an emoji of two hearts. I tucked the phone away. Loki was staring at it. "So. We were talking about Balder the Beautiful?"

Loki was still staring at my Bag.

I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows. My mouth started tingling again. That's strange. The effect of the chocolate stopped a while ago, even though I ate a lot of it. Why did it come back? Is it another effect of the treats? I'll ask later. "Cause I'm curious. There's a rumor that he's indestructible. Is that really true? Or just a rumor spread by Balder to seem tough?"

His blue eyes were still on my Bag. "What- what was that song?" Not like he's interested in a new item or confused by it. Well he is confused but it's something deeper than that. Interesting, okay.

"Song? Oh, the ringtone? It's just a little song from back on my planet. But back to Balder-"

"You said you could communicate with it?" Loki moved, leaning against the pillar to look down at my Bag. "Was it the Doctor again?"

Dammit okay. Fine, I suppose it's time for this to be a conversation and not an interrogation. "No, this was- well it was the phone of my-" Hmm. How the fuck do I explain this to him? He's clearly trying to flirt with me, and I'm using that to get the information I want. People get weird when they find out I'm a mom, and they'll get even weirder when they find out I have a husband.

Darcy makes this look so easy.

"It's a friend." I replied. "She was wishing me a happy birthday."

Loki blinked, and the action looked like it pained him. "You are lying."

I'm offended in defense of my abilities. "Are you the supreme authority on that?"

"Yes." Lok grimaced. He forced his features clear of it. "I was born with the innate ability to spot a lie. You have been truthful all night until just now."

That's interesting. Like I think I can get it, but I'm not in love with the idea. "Born with it?"

"Yes. Every royal child of these nine realms born within this generation was blessed with a gift of the stars." Loki stated. "They have never failed me."

Indeed they haven't. Shit. Fuck. "It was my kid's phone."

The answer appeased him for a whole second. Then it clicked in his head what that meant. "A child? You have a child?"

I put my hands on my hips. "Is that a problem?"

"No. No!" Loki shook his head. "It's only- you did not smile like a mother. You smiled like you saw your lover." Even saying the sentence made him wilt, before he squared his shoulders back to some kind of strength.

I blushed again. Fuck, that's a problem. I can be that open and exposed around Darcy or River. Those two know me enough that hiding things is a challenge. If I can't hide that expression around strangers? How will I hide it around friends in other worlds?

"If I tell you, will you tell me about Balder?"

"Why the interest in him?" Loki stepped closer to me again. A new kind of closeness, but something I'm more familiar with. Loki was getting annoyed. The tingling in my mouth vanished. "Does the lady come with a preference for dullards?"

"No. Not particularly. My preference lies with the unique. The different." I met his eyes, keeping eye contact. My lips spread, and I am suddenly grateful for borrowing Darcy's lipstick. "The clever."

That appeased him. Not enough to make him forget his annoyance of Balder, but it's a start. "Oh?"

"Yes. And I'm trying to learn how clever you are." I said. Whatever my budding feelings are, they don't matter. This man was mythologically blamed for the end of the world. I need to know if it was down with malice, or because he didn't have a choice. Was he blamed on purpose, or by accident? Men liked having their egos stroked. "So did you best an invincible son of Odin, or is Balder truly only good for his looks?"

The phrasing worked. Loki grinned smugly. "The rumors are true. As I was born to see through lies, Balder was born invincible. Thor could command the skies, and yet he could not stop my bird form. Tyr can judge a person just or a cheat, and by her word I won fairly. I bested all three."

I smiled. "And what did you do to the arrow- your prize?"

Loki leaned against the pillar. His few inches over me made him a looming presence. "Somewhere secret and safe. Everyone is jealous of it. They have spent the night glaring at me, and one other."

"Who?" I teased.

"You." Loki replied. I tilted my head, not hiding my confusion. "Because all of them wished to compare to your beauty."

Fuck I wanted to laugh.

His smile widened, becoming sharper. "Your lover must be lacking if you haven't heard such words before."

Mad.

I'm mad now.

"Thorax is lacking in nothing." I snapped. "He texted me that I looked pretty in this dress, and it's the very message he's ever sent because he didn't know this existed until today. His first text is telling me that I'm pretty. So I don't appreciate you insulting him by saying he can't compliment me properly, because that's all this idiot knows how to do. I swear. He can barely walk down the street without comparing my beauty to the flowers or some art we see. I get that you're a king, but that doesn't give you any right to call him lacking! He doesn't need to be a king or a lord or whatever title you think is worth knowing! I like him with or without a title! So I'd appreciate an apology!"

So things changed. No longer was Loki looming over me. I advanced on him. It made Loki back away. He continued backing up until he was pressing his back against the other pillar. His blue eyes were wide and his mouth had fallen open. He held up his hands in defense but I still stood so close. My eyes stayed locked with him in my rage fueled rant.

People don't get to insult Thorax, not in front of me. Any version of me. I spent most of my birthday week protecting Thorax from his mother, and his entire colony of changelings. All of them wanted him dead for being a traitor- his crime? Falling in love with me. That's the only thing he did wrong. It's just his luck that I ended up dating him, and it's my luck that I fell in love back.

He loved me. A me that few others ever saw. He loved me after I threatened to kill his mother, kicked the ass of five of his comrades, and then kicked out Thorax's tooth. All because they threatened my own kid. That love and loyalty inspired him. Loving me inspired him to leave the horrors of that colony, and to have any part in my life. He didn't want to change any part of me, or drain me of anything. He thanked me for everything I gave.

And Loki called him lacking?

Loki's not even from the MCU. What does he know? Why does this Loki matter? Because he's going to end the world. I have less than three hours to stop him. Now I'm gonna be vindictive about it.

"I'm not gonna wait!" I snapped. "Apologize, King Loki."

He blinked.

"What do you plan on doing with that arrow? Huh? What are your plans for this planet? Cause I can promise you, if you don't apologize right now I will make your entire reign hell. You yourself won't know a day of peace. Say it."

He mumbled something. It had an 'r' in it.

I stepped closer. His body was warm, unlike the cold night air.

"Properly."

"Star." He said, clearly.

I frowned deeper. "What?" I looked at the stars. Was that the apocalypse? Not the one written, but of meteors falling to the earth? Well wasn't the first sign an unnatural freeze? It's cold tonight. Oh no oh no oh no. But I have two and half hours left!

"It- Star." He tried again. He squinted, shaking his head. He brought his hand up to his head, pressing on it. "Star? What are- What are we doing here?"

I gawked at him. My mouth started tingling again. New, and as if for the first time. It tingled so hard it hurt.

No. Not tingling.

Buzzing.

Loki squinted at me. A firework went off above our heads. His eyes reflected blue, until the red of the fireworks made them purple. He met my eyes, before suddenly looking down. "Wow. Uhh. You said- you said your dress would be pretty. It's really pretty. You never said how pretty. It's really pretty. You're really pretty. Am I saying pretty too much-"

"Thorax?" I guessed, and hoped to the Author I was wrong. "Is that you?"

King Loki of Asgard smiled, a familiar awkward smile. Like it wasn't used to smiling with a human face. "Yes?"

Yep. Okay. Stopping the apocalypse again for this guy. It's no longer a joke.

==POMW==

2.5 hours

"She's fine." River insisted, again.

"No. They've been out there for ages." The Doctor tried again to walk there.

River dragged him back by the shoulders. "And I'm telling you, she's fine. If he tried anything, Terra would throw him off that balcony. We both know she can."

"Of course she can! But then she'll have attacked the king of Asgard, and we'll need to escape." The Doctor explained.

"She will meet us at the TARDIS." River reasoned. "This is really an awful picnic."

The Doctor tensed. He hadn't meant anything rude. Terra had been gone a week when the idea came to him. River Song. She and Terra were very close during the incident at the Library. He wondered if perhaps he could find Terra by finding River. River could put in a good word for him. They would get along again. If they were in the Haven together, then it's a lot harder. They might be out exploring the universe.

It reminded him of the diary. River's diary. The adventures she shared with them before River realized the truth. He hadn't found anything interesting on the Byzantium. He had dinner with their Chief Architect though. Two heads, blimey.

The Doctor tried the next item on the list. A picnic on Asgard. He arrived in time to see Professor River Song at the crowning ceremony. The new king showed off the mistletoe arrow, and Tyr confirmed the victory. Except it wasn't Balder like the Doctor expected. It was Loki, king of the country of Jotunheim. They crowned him and announced a party. River spotted him, and he offered a picnic. River brought him to the cabin. She asked about Terra, and he admitted she was gone.

She handcuffed him under the table, then left. It was honestly infuriating that she kept doing that to him. She returned with Terra, and suddenly he couldn't be too upset anymore.

The girl was already turning 200. She was 184 a short while ago, and now she's 200. Time Tots really grow up so fast.

But yes. He can't exactly tell River he invited her on a picnic to get Terra back. She did exactly that, but he can't tell her.

"Attention!" The Doctor turned to the front of the dance hall. A woman with one hand stood. She raised her stub arm, waving it to gain notice. The party stopped for her. "I have discovered deceit in the house of Odin! Loki Laufeyjarson claimed to win the challenge to return the mistletoe arrow. I originally gave testimony to affirm that victory, but by the help of my brother, Balder, we have found the truth!" She reached out with her normal hand.

A very beautiful man stepped up beside her. He stood much taller. Also, clearly, more drunk than most of the other party goers.

"It's me, Balder the Bold and Beautiful!" He shouted. The Doctor winced at the loud voice. "And today, I competed for the crown! My father's crown. It was given instead to Loki, the lowly prince of those disgusting frost giant insects!"

The crowd laughed, cheering in agreement. The Doctor stood closer to River. She reached into a pocket of her dress. A familiar move he saw from Terra too many times. River brought a gun to a party?

"But I tell you, Asgard, he lied!" Balder reached in his own robe pocket. "Cause I- erk- huff- ugh- cause I- almost- got it-" He raised an arrow from his pocket. It lost its glow when Loki retrieved it. "See this!"

Balder twirled the arrow. His sister kicked him. Balder ignored it. He tossed the arrow, then caught it. Again, it glowed. Brightly. A successful retrieval. Just as it did this morning for Loki.

"He enchanted it to glow for whoever caught it! First or not!" Balder yelled.

The crowd's cheers became yells. Joy shifted to rage. Oh no.

"He tricked you, and I say we trick him back!" Balder yelled. "Let's teach him and his planet what happens when you make fools of Asgard!"

They all cheered again. For war and bloodshed.

Every damn party, stuff like this happens. At least he's not wearing that suit. Terra would have a fit.

The Doctor turned to River. "Terra."

River nodded. She dragged the Doctor towards the balcony.

==POMW==

It's him. It's Thorax. It's Bumblebee. Fucking what. Fucking how.

"H-h-how?!" I asked. "How did you- when did you-"

"Wait what's wrong?" Loki- Thorax asked, but with the face of a man I spent the last five minutes yelling at. "You said- You said it'd be confusing but for a second. And I'm still confused." He looked down at his body. "Wait, am I a human? I don't feel human."

"Why are you in that body!?" It's not okay. It's not okay. This is bad. I hate it here. It's not fair. He's gonna cause the apocalypse by accident. He's even hotter by being Thorax. He could end up with Loki's supposed fate. I could too. Why does he look so pretty when he's confused?! I hate it here. "You shouldn't be."

Lok- Thorax put his hand on his chest, adjusting the robes. "Why do I look so nice? You always look nice but-"

"I left you home."

"You brought me here?" L- Thorax asked. "Two minutes ago. Sorry, did something go wrong? Am I late?"

The idiot. I pulled out my phone, texting the chat. Lilac needed to answer me. 'What is Mr Thorax doing?'

"Hey, it's the text." Thorax cheered.

I looked up at him, confused. "What?"

"Well it's a cute text." Thorax giggled to himself, some anxiety leaving so he could laugh. "Cause Lilac took the phone and said that I was being a lovesick dork, cause I was trying not to think about you in that dress."

My phone pinged. I checked it.

'He's being a total dork. He says you wore a pretty dress, but that's not even the outfit Miss Rarity made for you. Are you gonna make his head explode?'

"You did." Thorax recalled, beaming. "Remember? Your sister told us to stop being so romantic. I couldn't help it. All I wore was a bowtie but you had that whole thing. I'd never seen human clothes before and your's looked so good-"

I clapped my hand over his mouth. He obediently shut up. I'm putting my hands on the King of Asgard, and he's not doing anything about it. "Was the top pink with black lace?"

He nodded.

"And I wore tight jeans?"

The man melted against the pillar. His blue eyes stared down at me, and I could practically see the heart shaped pupils.

"Fuck." That's my outfit. That's the outfit for my 200th birthday party, the one I left to come here with Darcy. The outfit Thorax hadn't seen yet. "You're from my future."

He tilted his head. I moved his hand.

"Shit's bad, hun. It's really bad." This is the worst, and we don't have the time to fix it.

Thorax laughed. He held my hand against his face. "How bad can it be?"

The doors beside us busted open. The Doctor and River rushed out. River pushed them shut again. The Doctor sonicked the lock.

"Well it just got worse." I turned to them. Loki- Thorax- didn't let go of my hand. "River?"

"Balder has just proclaimed Loki a cheater." River answered. "They want his head."

"Didn't Tyr judge it a fair victory?" I asked.

"Well Balder just changed her mind." The Doctor went to Thorax. "You didn't cheat, Loki, I saw that. Balder somehow tricked her. What are you doing with her hand?"

Thorax blinked. "Holding it?" I pulled my hand back. He pouted. "Hey."

"Loki. You need to hide." River warned. "We're running out of time."

"O...kay." Thorax glanced at me. "But why are you calling me-" I glared. He froze. He never liked when I glared at him. He looked down at his outfit, then me, and then his eyes widened. "Oh no. This is bad. I'm in danger."

"Yes you are." I turned to River. "Do they know we're out here?"

A nearby window was destroyed. A chair fell to the ground below, shattering with the glass.

"LOKI!"

"They're about to." River warned.

Options. Options. Bag? Cannot trust them in that space. Summon TARDIS? Drains power, not gonna risk it. Jumping down? We become scraps.

"Alright." The Doctor reached for the edge of the balcony. "Guess we'll have to-"

"Okay." I turned to Thorax. "Turn us into acorns, turn yourself into a bird, and get us to the cabin. It's that way. Or to a blue box."

"Cabin?" Thorax asked.

"Acorns?" The Doctor asked.

"Us?"

"Now!" I ordered.

"I don't know h-" Thorax snapped to attention. His hands glowed blue and bright, his eyes flashing with green.

My body shifted and changed. My mind blanked out.

==POMW==

Almost 2 hours

It came back. I gasped, tasting the air. Two hours. We still have two hours. I rolled over, kneeling on the tile floor. Tile? Hold on. That's not right.

The room was big. Wooden brown walls, long curtains of dark green covering the windows, minus the one we entered. The tile floor was almost black. It's all a very Slytherin common room-esque. I like it.

Except for the blushing red haired man, holding up his hands. He was already smiling apologetically.

"Cabin. I said 'take us to the cabin'." I pushed myself to my feet.

He closed the window. It started to rain outside. "I know, I know." He reached out to me. When I tumbled, he caught me. "I'm sorry, but I really needed to get here first."

Fuck, I can't stay mad at him. He's too upset by it.

"Why?" The Doctor stood up.

River did as well. She shook out her curly hair. "Never do that again. That was disgusting."

"Why come here?" The Doctor asked. Thorax held tighter to me. He moved me to stand at his side instead of in front. "What's so important here to risk everything?"

Something barked behind us. I whirled around. Two tiny beagle puppies rushed over to Thorax, to Loki. They barked and yipped, dancing by his ankles. I understood what they were saying.

The dogs called him dad.

Oh my Author. I married the perfect man.

"Your dogs?" River asked. "We're risking our lives for dogs? You do realize this room will be the first place they search for you!"

Thorax turned to me. My hearts broke. It's a big deal. I can no longer be mad. These dogs loved Thorax. I knelt down. One puppy paused with Thorax, stumbling to me. He spoke in quick, giddy greetings.

'Hi-do you know my dad- how do you know dad- you smell nice- hug? Hug? Hug!-'

The puppy licked my fingers. I'm glad I cleaned the chocolate off my hands.

Thorax pulled a stick from his robes. A long, wooden arrow with a steel tip and black feathers. He tossed it up. The bigger puppy caught it as it fell. The twig glowed golden and bright.

"These dogs are the kings of Asgard." Thorax revealed.

I turned to him, startled.

"You are joking!" River exclaimed.

Oh my Author. Oh my Author. Oh no- oh no.

The puppy tossed the arrow again. Thorax caught it, tucking it back into his robe. He ruffled the puppy on the head. "They found the arrow. Not L- not me. I found them playing with it. They gave it to me when I asked.. But I couldn't just leave them out there, so I turned them into acorns and brought them. Having them with me was enough to trick the magic that the king held the arrow."

"Two beagles are the kings of Asgard?" The Doctor asked. He chuckled. "I'd have guessed corgis."

I held the closest puppy. The baby started licking my face.

"That means Balder has a fake. A very convincing fake. Is that possible?"

"There was only one arrow." River added. "He could have made a second."

"It would have that same glow."

'-smell nice- you smell nice-'

'She smells like dad!'

'Dad! Dad! Dad! Mom?!'

My hearts thumped. The second puppy left Thorax to join their brother. 'Mom? Mom? We have mom? Mom!'

Oh. My. Author. Ragnarok is gonna be caused by me destroying everything for these two.

"You what?" The Doctor asked, glancing at me. I smiled, innocent of any crime ever committed. "Just how close did you get on that balcony?"

"I'm holding a dog, can this wait?" I dismissed him.

"Wonderful!" She threw her arms in the air, stomping around the room. "Tell me you named them."

"I actually did! It- well. I named them for puns." Thorax blushed.

"Low and Key?" The Doctor joked.

"Narfi." I pointed at the smaller, thinner puppy. "Váli." The bigger, healthier puppy.

The three turned to me. The Doctor lost his smile, instead a confused frown. Thorax had a matching frown. River widened her eyes in dismay.

"…Yeah." My heart sank. Narfi and Váli were licking my hands, and calling me mom. I hate this planet and timeline. "How did you know?"

"An arrow is narrow, and mistletoe is healthy-" I tried.

"No. No, how did you know?" Thorax asked sternly. The love for me was lost behind the love for his kids. I understand completely. I did the same with our girls. "You didn't say it like a fun fact. You said it like a sad fact. Why is it a sad fact?"

I can't tell him. I can't, not yet.

Narfi climbed into my lap. The puppy tried climbing my body, licking up at my face.

My mind reached out. It couldn't help it. The words were suddenly all too much. This beautiful, precious thing in my arms could have the worst fate in all the worlds if I don't get the answers.

'Doctor. Doctor!'

The Doctor came to my side. He knelt down. "It's alright, it's alright. I'm here. You can tell me. Okay? I can take it."

"What are you doing to her?" Thorax growled. Our dog sons asked a similar question, but ironically with less growling.

"We're telepathic." The Doctor explained. "The touch makes it easier for her to reach out. She gets overwhelmed sometimes. She needs grounding."

Thorax met my eyes. I almost started crying. I want him, I want his brain in mine. Can he feel me? Does his empathy power work here? Or is he cut apart from it? Is my only connection the Doctor? I want Thorax here but I can settle for whatever makes me heard.

I looked away from Thorax, instead down to the dogs in my lap. They were still confused, but eager for the hugs.

'Did River bring you here? Or did you come alone?'

He paused. "I came alone."

'Why here? Why now? Why today?'

"Loki was never listed as a king of Asgard." The Doctor admitted. He looked up apologetically at Thorax. "It was always Balder, until the planet dies. This was the last ceremony to replace the king. The planet doesn't make it to the end of the year. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Thorax gawked at him. River turned away. "The plan- my planet? You mean my planet, that I'm standing on right now? It's going to end?"

I wanted to reach my arms out to hug him. There's more work to do before I do that. Besides, I have puppies to hug.

'River. Ask River why. Need her to say why.'

"River." The Doctor turned to her. He kept his hand on my back. "You came for-"

"I came because in two centuries, my team and I were excavating the dig site and found evidence you were here." River admitted. "So I found my way back here to get the information for myself on what you'd done."

"What? You never said that." The Doctor turned to her. His hand was still on my back, but his body was tilted towards her.

River shook her head. "It's fairly obvious."

'Me. Me. Me'

"So why did you lock me up and get Terra?" The Doctor asked.

That upset Thorax. "Locked up? Like in jail?"

'No. Handcuffs. We're not so stupid to lock him up in jail.'

"Because I knew-" River glanced at me. I nodded. "-I knew it was Ragnarok, and she wasn't with you then. You're always so difficult without her around. I found her, and asked her to stop Ragnarok."

'4.'

"You gave her four hours to stop the end of the world?" The Doctor exclaimed.

River shrugged. Hell, even I shrugged.

'I've done it with less.'

"That doesn't count!" The Doctor argued. "It's that you did it at all! Why?"

"That's when the new king takes his throne. The apocalypse was still set to happen, whether Loki won or not." River replied. "She's an expert of Norse mythology. If anyone could stop Ragnarok, it's her. She's better at it than you."

Váli tried to chew on the blue ribbon up my arm. I scratched his ear. The dog squealed in delight. He licked my arm. Narfi, jealous, chewed on my other hand. I scratched his ear too.

Therapy dogs. Man, my kids are the best.

I took a deep breath. Thorax knelt beside me. He squeezed my shoulder. I met his eyes again. For a second, just a small fraction of a second, his eyes were purple again. Breathing was so much easier now.

My husband was here. Half of our kids were in my lap. Balder could do whatever he wanted to the planet. This tiny space in this moment belongs to us.

"You said-" I gulped. The Doctor stayed in my mind, ready in case I stopped speaking again. "You said the royal children have special abilities."

Thorax squeezed my shoulder tighter. His eyes had become so overwhelmed.

"Hey." Painfully, I removed my hand from Váli. It held Thorax's face again. He leaned into it. Now we're in a strange sort of hug. Both of us protecting each other, and the puppies in our laps. "Can you talk to me? Tell me what I need to know?"

He sighed, and it sounded like a plea. "You came here because this world was ending." I nodded. "You know their names."

Yeah it looks bad. Actually it is bad, but not as bad as he thinks. Okay, it is way worse than he thinks, but I'm gonna change that.

"I can't." Thorax shook his head, eyes filling with tears. "I can't lose them."

"I'll do my best." I said. He held my hand, squeezing it again. "But-"

"You were talking to me." Thorax realized. "Me when I was- you talked to me. You said-" Poor thing, Loki's memories of the night and feelings for his planet were overwhelming him. I brushed my thumb along his face, just around his eye. "They love you already."

"I love them too." I admitted. Thorax crumbled again. He shivered, curling on himself. I pulled him in my arms. He rested his head on my shoulder.

'Terra.'

'It's okay, Doctor. I've got him.'

'You hate hugs.'

'It's hi- He just found out his planet is going to die, that his dogs might too, and that I knew the whole time.'

'Then why seek your comfort? If you hid this from him, why?'

"River." He's clearly going to keep arguing. It's hard to smell my husband's hair when the Doctor is yelling in my mind. "Tell him I'm busy with my bribe."

River paused. "Your bribe? But that's- oh I hate the both of you. That's why he was glaring at the Doctor all night."

I glared at her. That's decided, I'm no longer marrying her. I'm gonna stay with the changeling in my arms. He is a much better spouse.

"Trust me, sweetie. It's no use separating them." River said. "He's quite clingy. He gets very aggressive when someone stands between him and Terra."

"He deserved it." Thorax argued. He glared up at the Doctor, again. "He was distracting her from-" He shut himself up. The memories from Loki came in fast.

"From?"

Thorax blushed. "From me."

"Oh you sap."

"Stop!" He flopped down on my shoulder again. "You're always so mean to me."

I giggled.

"Do they know each other?" The Doctor asked. "Terra didn't recognize him."

I snorted. "He can shapeshift, Doctor. He had a different face."

Which is true. It's very, very true. The first few months of our relationship Thorax looked completely different from his changeling form. He did it all so I wouldn't kill him. He was just himself around me. His dorky, goofy self. Because he finally got the chance to be that, and he knew he could be around me.

Of course I fell in love with the idiot.

Thorax sniffled. "I said sorry for that."

"You did." I brushed my hand in his now bright orange hair. He settled against me. The color actually reminds me of his antlers back Home. It's a very fun look for him. "I forgave you, if you recall." It took a few hours but I managed it. I'd just gotten my sister back so very little could keep me upset. "Hey."

He sat up. He'd been crying. The dress would survive. I wiped the tears from his cheeks, leaving my hands there to warm him up. He held those hands. The puppies were sad to lose their best scratchers.

"Tell me about your abilities. Now." I instructed. Thorax worked better with clear direction. "I need to know what I'm working with. Where did they come from?"

Thorax nodded. He sat up, cheek still in my hand. "Twenty years ago, Odin knew the weight of the planet was overwhelming him. He didn't have long. The planet kept getting weaker. His choices in the past were weak kings that never gave him true rest. He decided to have kids and decree that the other kingdoms had a shot. Odin had three kids, most others had one. Then one day, there was a huge earthquake. It shook the whole planet."

I nodded. Made sense so far. If a volcano exploding made people of Pompeii psychic, Ragnarok itself can make Asgardians into gods.

"It made this massive mistletoe tree in the forest. They used the sap to baptize the new royals, and that's when it happened. We all got powers" Thorax recited.

"The sap must be a psychic amplifier. Any dormant abilities were made active by it. It's incredible. Is there any left?" The Doctor asked.

Thorax shook his head. "The tree withered and died before others could take advantage. Only a sprig of that tree stayed."

"The arrow." The Doctor reasoned. Thorax nodded. "So it's unlikely Balder found a second arrow. But he's impervious to damage. How does that help him make a fake bow?"

"We all have two abilities. An inward, and an outward ability. Odin had triplets, and my parents just had me. I can detect lies, and shapeshift myself or others. Thor can- he can manipulate the weather, and channel electricity into muscles or buildings. Which is- that's-"

"Tyr can judge contests, determine the true winner. Inward. Outward?" I said.

"She's got enhanced reflexes." I raised an eyebrow, pointing to my right arm. Thorax winced. The memories came strong and fast, then. "It's a whole thing with her."

"Balder is indestructible." I recalled. Loki confirmed that much before Thorax arrived. "So what's his inward ability?"

"Light?" Thorax guessed. I narrowed my eyes on him. "Maybe! He glows really bright sometimes."

"He can manipulate light?" I asked. "And he convinced people that Loki lost a contest, by doing- what? What's the claim?"

"He made the arrow glow." The Doctor admitted. "The glow of victory, and that's why even Tyr believed it. It's hard to deny something in front of your eyes, and everyone assumed his light only took one shape! Oh! None of them considered the possibilities. Balder must have figured it out ages ago. It's almost clever."

"He wants to be king." Thorax added. His gaze hardened. "That's what he always wanted. He's mad I got it instead." He glanced at me, then looked down at the beagles.

"Doctor. If the wrong person connects to the planet, what happens?" I asked. "Somebody who isn't the king. What happens to the planet?"

"It rejects him." The Doctor reasoned. "The energies of the planet can't synchronize. It's a whole cascade of failures."

"What kind of failures?" River asked.

"Earthquakes." I stated. "Unnatural winter. The sky darkens. The oceans will boil. Their world ends."

Silence again.

"Why do you know their names?" Thorax asked again.

Narfi jumped up again. I hugged him, helping him higher up. He licked my cheeks and face.

"The god Loki has twin sons. After the death of Balder the Bold, Loki is arrested. His two sons are taken. One is changed to a wolf and kills their twin. The entrails are used to lock Loki in captivity until the end of days."

Narfi stopped licking my face. He sat in my lap, panting like any puppy. He proudly barked.

'Now she smells like me! She's family.' Was his proud decree.

Váli wiggled. Thorax dropped him. The puppy came up to me. I scooped him up. 'Me next! Me next! Mom smells like me now too!'

Then chaos. People are outside and coming closer. It's not the happy life of the party. This is a riot. It's headed straight for us.

"You said the death of Balder." The Doctor said.

"Yes."

"Well that's it. That's how we stop it." He decided. "If we stop that, the planet will avoid a meltdown. They have no reason to kill the dogs if Balder is alive, and Loki has no reason to kill him."

"It doesn't matter." Thorax replied. "He had it out for L- for me. He hates me. He started this whole damn riot to get at me. He's not gonna stop because I want it to stop."

"So we need to prove he tricked everyone, and stop him from connecting to the planet." River said. "And we have only-?"

"One hour, forty-five minutes." I reported.

"One hour and forty-five minutes to do it." River sighed. "It'll be close."

"You love countdowns." I countered. River snorted, scoffing. I tried detaching from Thorax. He squeezed me tight. "You're like an octopus."

"Wanna stay here."

"We gotta get the kids out." I reminded him. "They're excited for you to carry them."

That got him moving. He got up to his feet, scooping Váli in his arms. "Yep! Wait, you understand them?"

"They said I smelled like you so they called me mom." I admitted. He blushed.

Someone slammed on the door. The four of us turned to it. I held Narfi, squeezing the puppy tight. He whined. I pulled a dog treat out of my bag.

'Treat!' He cooed. He nibbled on it. I passed another to Thorax. He fed Váli.

"Is there another door?" The Doctor asked as the crowd pushed harder on the door.

Thorax glanced around. "There! That's a door to some stairs."

"Where do the stairs take us?" I asked.

"The forest." Thorax recalled. "You said you had a cabin?"

'We could escape in the TARDIS.'

'Still leaves the planet open to collapse.'

'They have refugees. Not everybody dies.'

'Terra, we still need to try.'

'They're going to kill my dogs. I don't need to try anything.'

"You get attached so fast." He started running to the stairs.

River and I chased him. "It's a beagle!"

"Two beagles!" Thorax added as he joined us.

The door was destroyed. Shards of wood flew everywhere. I didn't turn back. We kept running.

==POMW==

1.5 hours

The cabin was surrounded by a downpour. It was raining out. Thor could control the weather. He made the rain a storm.

The Doctor slammed the door shut. He sagged against it. I stumbled to the table, leaning on it. Thorax fell in the chair. River fell in the other chair.

The puppies leapt out of our arms. They shook off the rain, rolling around with each other to play.

I turned to Thorax. He was panting, hard. My fingers combed his hair. "You okie dokie?" He nodded. "Yay." He chuckled. I smiled, just hearing him laugh.

The Doctor shot up from the door. He came to the table. I stood up, treating it like a battle map. "Anything else that can help?"

"Does he have three more children with the giant, Angrboda?" I asked.

We turned to Thorax. He paused, before shaking his head. Really hope he wasn't checking to see if Lilac and Cookie counted.

"Well that ruins that." I huffed. "Wait then how did Tyr lose her arm?"

"What?"

"In the myths Tyr lost it to Fenrir, son of Loki." I said. "So if Fenrir doesn't exist, how is her arm still missing?"

"Balder." Thorax answered. I gawked at him. "An arm wrestling contest when we were small. He bent her arm until she admitted he won. He bent it too far back and it broke. They had to remove it to save her."

I blinked. Fuck. That'll make his eventual murder that much cooler.

"At midnight, Balder will plug himself into the Asgardian throne." River said. She brushed back her wet curls. "Odin can't help because he fell asleep immediately after throwing the arrow. Frigga is tending his side. Balder has convinced every other god that Loki cheated. The true king is actually a pair of beagle puppies, who are currently rolling over my new rug."

"Good recap."

"It's a good rug."

"Balder isn't full of blind rage. This took planning." The Doctor said. "He will want Loki to witness it. We can lay a trap, keep Balder away from the throne."

"We can't plug them into a planet." I gestured to my two new sons. They started exploring their new space, sniffing along the furniture. "They're too young. It'll kill them."

"I'm not saying we do." The Doctor said.

"If Asgard doesn't have a king, it'll fall apart." River argued. "So someone needs to be the King."

The Doctor and I exchanged a look. It was so fast that both of us instantly got angry at the other.

"Oh no you-"

"You can't honestly-"

"-you are something else-"

"-if you think I'll let you do this to me again-"

"-when have I EVER-?!"

"-not a chance-"

"-don't tell me what-"

"HEY!" Thorax snapped. Both of us shut up. "Neither of you are doing it." He pushed himself to his feet. His sopping wet hair dangled in front of him. "I'll do it."

"The fuck you are." I snapped.

"But you said-" The Doctor tried.

"The dogs gave me the arrow." Thorax replied. "That's how it's decided. The king throws it, and somebody picks it up. New king. Narfi tossed it to me after I asked. That means it's mine. It has to be enough."

"You'll never make it to the throne room. Disguised or not, Balder will make that the most defensible spot in the kingdom." The Doctor warned. "He'll kill you."

"I'll do it myself if you try." I went to his side, squeezing his arm. Thorax didn't meet my eyes. "I'm not losing you to that blond asshole."

"I'm not letting Balder near you." Thorax argued. "Or the boys. I can see what he did to Tyr's arm- and if you heard what he's said about you-"

"I don't care. If you go, I'll go with you. That's the deal. You know that."

"You don't know what you're risking!"

"I know plenty!"

"Wait-"

"He will kill you to hurt me!"

"Then I'll come back and kick his ass!" I yelled. Thorax paled. Narfi barked. His brother just licked his paw again.

"Yes!"

"For Author's sake!" River groaned. Thorax perked up.

"Wait, are you-"

"We need to go. Now." River stood up. Thunder boomed outside.

"No, not until he-" Another loud peel of thunder. It made me realize the look in her eyes.

There hadn't been any lightning.

That's not thunder.

That's the god of thunder.

==POMW==

1 hour, 15 minutes

The Doctor moved first. He grabbed the fruit bowl from the table. He rushed to the front door. He reached the door, popping it open enough for his body to fit in the frame. He kept the rest of it closed.

"Hello! Prince Balder and Thor! And Princess Tyr, what an honor! All three of you on my doorstep. What brings you here?" The Doctor asked. "Fancy an apple?"

"We know he's in there, Lord Doctor!" Balder shouted. "This is the only place left he can escape! Bring us the trickster!"

"Trickster?" The Doctor asked. "What trickster?"

"The false king!" Balder snapped. "Loki Laufeyjarson!"

"Oh that trickster." The Doctor leaned on the door frame, blocking our sight. "He's not here. Is that a no on the apple? Because these are very good. Best avoid the grapes- bit of an accident."

I turned to River, signing quickly at her. River sent a few signs back. This place did have a backdoor but it's no guarantee of an escape. I asked about the TARDIS. River confirmed the direction.

Thorax looked at us both. "What are we doing?" He whispered.

"Es-ca-pay." I whispered back.

"Right." Thorax looked at our dogs. "Right."

"I tracked him here!" Thor yelled.

"You are a guest of this place." Tyr added. "You need not involve yourself in our matters. Give up the deceiver. We will go. Just give Loki to us."

Narfi barked. Loudly. Váli joined in, eager to help his brother.

Everyone tensed.

"Are those...dogs?" Balder asked.

"Yep. Mine." The Doctor replied. "I have...dogs. So. Kindly leave my property."

I reached in my Bag. River reached for her pocket as well. Thorax inched towards the backdoor. The dogs continued to bark.

"Asgard is mine. Every part is my property." Balder decreed. "So I say, begone with you!"

The Doctor tossed the contents of the fruit bowl out. He slammed the door shut, then dove for the floor. A long sword broke through the heavy door, sliced clear through the wood. A wet apple was stuck between the sword and the wood as well.

"He's not happy." The Doctor groaned, getting back up to his feet. "Retreat?"

"Nope." I stormed past him. Raising my gun, I aimed at Balder. The head of the trio outside. I'd only seen him at the party. He glared at us the whole time. Loki even seemed to get a kick showing off our dance moves. So I spotted him fast.

He's got tough skin? This could still hurt. I shot two times at his diaphragm.

The supposed king stumbled back, clutching his chest.

The Doctor grabbed my hips, pulling me to the side.

River stepped in. She fired another shot from her weapon. It blasted Thor in his side. The god of thunder growled, but not as much as my dogs.

Narfi and Váli rushed out from the cabin making a beeline at Tyr. The puppies launched themselves at her. Váli slipped on the wet grass and fell on his face. Narvi, though, actually managed to bite Tyr's leg.

Tyr kicked the dog off her leg. The puppy tumbled to the ground beside their twin.

Thor raised his hammer to the sky, and threw it at me. The hammer hit my stomach.

It threw me into the Doctor and both of us hit the ground. I landed on him. We groaned in pain. The hammer was recalled back to Thor. Ah, so it can do that here too. I hate it.

"No!" Thorax ran from the cabin. He charged at Balder just as he got his bearings. Thorax punched Balder in the face. "Never touch her again!"

Balder only laughed. "I always knew you were a coward!" His sword was lodged in a door. Not very smart on his part. He punched Thorax back. My husband sprawled out on the wet grass.

Even less smart on his part. I got up, charging at him. "It is not nice to hit people!" I shot his side. Rain and rage blocked my view, making it sloppy. The shot grazed his shoulders, tearing the armor but not his body.

Balder laughed.

The Doctor stood up. "River! Where did you get a gun?!"

"Graduation present!" River replied. She fired again at Thor. It hit his throwing arm. He yelled in pain.

Narfi and Váli went for another attack on Tyr. They leapt at her legs again. Except this time both of them missed her legs.

Tyr barely managed to keep balance. She used her shield to swat them. It knocked the puppies down.

Thor used his returned hammer on River. He swung it at her. She tried to block it, but the hammer just hit her arm. She cried out in pain.

I growled. Thorax turned over. He reached for his pocket, holding something inside it.

Balder tried to grab me. I ducked down. He used his knee to hit my face. I fumbled back, barely catching myself. His foot was still raised so he moved to stomp down on me. I rolled aside. He growled.

"Trickster's whore!" Balder yelled.

Why can't anyone ever get this right? "Whores-" I flipped around. "-are PAID!"

I fired another shot at his face. Or hit right in his chin. His head bounced back but stayed attached. That had to hurt. I smirked.

"I'd do him for free."

Balder fell down, landing on top of me. He should look furious. Instead the man grinned.

The Doctor hopped to Thor's side. "Thor Odinson, might I just say this was a great party!" He raised up the fruit bowl from his pocket. He whalloped Thor on the head.

The god fell to the ground.

"Thor!" Tyr yelled.

River fired. Tyr raised her shield but River expected that. Tyr got hit in her ankle. She fell, the shield the only thing keeping her standing.

"Balder! We need to leave!" Tyr yelled.

Narfi frankly had enough. He bit the other ankle. Tyr gasped. Váli ran to Loki.

"Be quiet or I'll take your other arm!" Balder warned. He suddenly flipped us both around. I sat atop him. I tried prying at him, but he grabbed my wrists. He moved my arms above his head, as if I was pinning him down. "You bitch. Everything was set to be mine! He stole from me! I think it's time I steal something from him!"

"NO!"

"TERRA!"

Thorax used the item in his pocket. A long arrow he'd tucked away. Of course he wouldn't have found a knife, I can spot three right now with how close he is to me.

Like he's really close.

Way too close.

And he's never looked that angry before.

I looked down. The arrow was stuck into my side. Thorax gripped it tight.

"I said- don't- touch- her." He growled, glaring directly at me.

Oh fuck. He thought I was Balder.

Thorax was ready to kill someone- anyone- for me. Oh my Author. He actually relaxed, before looking down.

Balder chuckled. Slow, and slowly getting darker.

"Look at you. Pathetic." Balder sneered.

The illusion fell fast. There was no flash of light or burst of sparkles. One moment everyone was glaring at me, then next they were terrified.

I tried to talk. The arrow dug in my side.

Thorax screamed.

Balder continued to laugh. He grabbed my hips, whirling me away. Thorax and I broke eye contact. It felt physical. Balder held me up, holding me by the throat.

"What did I tell you?" Balder joked. He squeezed. I choked. Thorax, the Doctor, and River flinched forward. Tyr held Thor with her whole arm, and her shield blocking them both from attack. "Broke her without even trying. Thank you for your help, 'King' Loki. One would think the king of the nine realms could see past a simple twisting of light."

"You bastard." Thorax snarled. His eyes were purple again.

Balder moved his other hand. It twisted the arrow in my side. A gasp wanted to leave my throat. I forced it down. He thinks he's the first to torture me? As fucking if.

"Let her go. Do what you want with me, let her go." Thorax begged. "Promise."

I glared at him. "No."

"Promise?" Balder asked. "How can we take your word?" He grabbed the arrow. I grabbed the hand. He tried to pull it out, so I pushed his hand down to keep it back in. "You lied to us before."

Thorax shook his head. He stared at the arrow, then his own hands. He looked up at me. I was looking at him but my mind was somewhere else. Somewhere a lot faster.

"All that for a woman you met tonight?"

"I met her a long time ago." Thorax snapped. "In another life. When I saw her tonight, I knew. I knew I found someone that I lost. Nobody's taking her from me again."

This fucking guy. This fuck. No wonder Darcy tells him to stop being romantic.

I smiled at him. "Sap."

Thorax smiled, then laughed. Sad.

I gripped tighter to the arrow.

"Balder. We're running out of time." Tyr warned him. "Hurry!"

"Silence." Balder snapped. "Come with us, trickster, and I shall set her free."

Free from your arms, or free from this arrow? Those are two different things.

"Deal." Thorax replied.

Balder pushed me. The arrow slipped out of me, slashing my palm. I hissed in pain. I fell to the ground.

"No!" Thorax ran to my side. Balder stepped back, twirling the arrow in his hand. Thorax moved me, seeing the wound. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry-"

I shook my head. "It's okay." Total beginners move from a dick, an easy call. Thorax didn't know better. I'll get better.

The Doctor rushed to my side too. "Are you alright?"

"I don't need new clothes." I offered. "Well maybe a new dress-"

"Doctor." Thorax began. I frowned. What's he going to do? "Do you love her?"

"Yes." He answered without hesitating.

Oh that fucking cheater. Thorax can use his empathy here. He felt the Doctor's love for me, probably had been all night. If he's asking the Doctor and not River, then it's giving me a very bad feeling.

"Doctor!" I hissed.

"Then get her out of here, and never bring her back." Thorax stated.

My eyes narrowed. He can't do this. He doesn't understand what will happen. The fate of Loki can happen with or without the murder. Balder could torture him because he wants to. I trained to withstand torture. Thorax only knows emotional manipulation. He can't handle that fate. "No! You don't decide that for me!"

"If it keeps you safe, then yes I decide!" Thorax argued. "That's always what I decide! Because you never do! So! Doctor! Keep her alive, even if she hates us for it. Boys, stay with your mother!"

The Doctor nodded, understanding. He scooped me in his arms. The puppies still cried out for Thorax. They still went to the Doctor, yipping at his feet. They asked me where their dad was going.

"No! No! I can make it work- we can make it work!" I struggled, damn my wound. It made twisting much harder.

Balder grabbed Thorax. My husband went along with it. Chains were pulled from Balder's side. He wrapped them around Thorax's arms.

"So it didn't work this time, whatever!" He smiled to cheer me up. That brightness made my heart sink even further. He shouldn't face this alone. "Maybe next time, in the next place, you and I can be together. But not here. Because if you stay here, you die. So go out there. Find the next me. I'll wait for you. And I'll know it's you. I'll always know."

"You don't know that!"

Balder dragged him off. "Tyr, get that lazy lump moving!"

"Yes, your majesty."

"I love you! That's all that matters! In this life, and every life!" He promised.

"No!" I screamed. The Doctor started running. "Put me down! PUT ME DOWN!"

==POMW==

One hour

The TARDIS was already sad by the time we arrived. The Doctor opened the doors with a click of his fingers. River pushed it open. They ran me inside.

I could only stare off in the direction of the castle.

The Doctor brought me to the medical room. River cut the dress around the wound. I didn't care about the wound. This thing could be patched up with some dental floss and whiskey. The Winchesters have a lot of flaws but their ability to stitch up a wound is top notch.

Plus they have more experience in battle wounds. I don't trust the Doctor to stitch together a book, much less my insides.

They argued about it for a bit. But whether to cut the dress or take it off. One of them argued that I don't want to keep it, and the other argued that it was ruined.

My husband is going to be tortured until the collapse of the planet, which will just leave him dead. He did that so a man would stop stabbing me with an arrow. It's a useless sacrifice that he didn't need to make. He did it on my birthday. He did it on our wedding night.

They think I care about clothes?

But the words were impossible to get out. My brain tried to make me focus on this moment, on my wound and my pain. My training told me different things. Other places to focus. A strategy fell together in my mind. Perfect, wonderful, vicious.

River flicked my nose.

"I'm paying attention." I lied.

"Good, then tell the Doctor he's being an idiot."

I glanced at the Doctor. "You're being an idiot." Then I saw what the actual fuck he was doing. "A fucking idiot!"

His hand was glowing gold. So was the wound in my side. He had hoped I wouldn't find out. He pulled his hand back. It was way too late. The wound in my side did heal, clearing up. The blood was still there on the dress. Golden energy sealed it shut.

I gawked at him. "What the FUCK did you do?!"

"Gave up years off his life!" River argued. "Years! That's years from him!"

"You don't know that." The Doctor dismissed.

"She definitely does!" I snapped. "If not years, then months."

"It's not many months." The Doctor reasoned. "You needed help."

"You mother fucker! I'd've been fine!"

"I am not going to apologize for healing you." The Doctor replied. "It's time worth giving up."

"River." I warned, in my sweetest voice. "Take my dogs on a walk."

She understood the message. She scooped up Narfi and Váli. The puppies kept barking as she walked off. "Come on. I know she has a dog park here somewhere."

The med bay door slid shut behind her.

Just us now. That's much easier.

"It's a nice dress." The Doctor remarked. "You could patch it up?"

If I show this to Rarity, she will cry. Then again she's the only one I trust to fix this. "I know a guy."

"Oh? Good." The Doctor held out the bandage.

I reached for my bag.

The Doctor stepped between us. "Hold on, I got it."

Yeah, we got the Bag. We don't have my husband. My husband, who left me because of fucking Balder the Bold. More like a bold-ass-motherfucker. He's so bold he's stupid. Only someone stupid would do what he's doing now.

"Cool." Do I call Darcy? No this is personal. I wanna do it myself. Having Darcy help will just be a hindrance. "Can I have the Bag now? On my side, not my stomach."

The Doctor leaned back. He held the Bag, but didn't hand it over.

"Doctor. I'd like my things please."

I want all my things back. River can bring the dogs to us at a later date. My husband is going home tonight to a future version of me, who will appreciate the gift.

"I can't."

That's the answer I expected. "It's fine. I'm not gonna do anything stupid." Every move is calculated down to the last twitch of muscle. Every word I can already hear in my head. Balder's screams? Those are unclear. "It's okay."

"He's only locked away." The Doctor said. My fingers twitched. The bandaid on my hand crinkled. It didn't hurt as much as it should. "We can get him back. He's not locked up for murder. We could manage."

"There's more than one kind of death." I countered. "Balder's character was destroyed because he tricked Loki into stabbing me. Then, he held me hostage and aggravated the wound until Loki gave in. Tricking someone into killing their lover? It's a coward's move. Everyone will hear about it. Balder will be pissed. He'll figure Loki was the source, not the more obvious suspect of Tyr. Loki will be tortured for that, and for taking the crown in the first place. He doesn't even need Narfi's guts as chains. He had those himself."

"Torture?"

I laughed. "You didn't think they'd just lock him up did you?" He did. He definitely did. "I wouldn't have tried so hard to avoid it if that's all it was. I can break anybody out of jail. It's not even hard. In myth, they summoned a snake. They tore it open so the venom constantly leaked out." The Doctor froze. "For eternity. A continuous stream of venom drips on his body. It's constant. They said it's the cause of Earthquakes in Midgard- Loki shaking in pain from the snake venom."

"I'm sorry."

I scoffed.

"I'm so, so sorry." The Doctor tried.

"He didn't know. He didn't know what he was signing up for. He just wanted Balder to stop hurting me."

Balder could have told him in full. Every vile, twisted thing he would do to Thorax. Thorax would still have said yes. Anything to save me. He said all night how scared he was of Balder fighting me.

"He won't change his mind when he sees." I added. "It's just who he is." My body tingled again. I held my other fist tight. The other hurt a lot less. "We need to save him."

"We will." The Doctor promised. "We will, but not if you get hurt. Loki wouldn't want you being hurt, and neither will I. I won't let my best friend sacrifice herself again."

His best friend. He called me his best friend. His best friend wasn't allowed to be a sacrifice. He doesn't get it. If I didn't step up and take the blow, innocent people got hurt. Thorax hadn't done anything wrong, much less the stuff Loki did earlier today.

"Best friend? Best friend?" I repeated, incredulous. "You think you're my best friend? No. My best friend doesn't hide things from me."

He frowned, very sad and heartbroken. But the sorrow turned to rage before anything could settle. "What, like, you've never hidden anything from me?"

That hurt. That shit gutted me down. Yes I hide things from him. So many of my words have been lies to him. The things I have hidden- the people I let die- I know I never deserve forgiveness for it. The companions that suffered because of me? When I die one day, way off in season 7 as forewarned to me, it'll be my penance. My dues. It's what I will deserve for the wrongs I have done in this world.

But not today. Later. Much later. Today I have a chance to save someone that earned it. Someone good that shouldn't pay for the crimes of someone evil.

"I always told you when someone died." I countered. "Because I know how much that means to you. You knew I loved Freddie. You knew that. You still decided for me."

"For your protection." The Doctor argued.

I laughed. "Oh, because no Time Lord ever making decisions for me was wrong." It's a low blow. The Master made choices that affected me. The Time Lords themselves made some- ones that made my life easier and somehow more difficult. "I'm saving him tonight. Do whatever you want. Just stay away from me when you do it."

It's not fair.

"And if I wanted to help you break the god of chaos out of jail?" The Doctor asked. "With your help?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"You've been telling me all day nobody knows this place better than you." The Doctor said. "So let's go do it. Let's stop Ragnarok together."

I grinned.

The Doctor opened the door. The two beagles ran at me. I knelt down, brushing their heads. I saw the bowtie on my arm, quickly sliding it off.

"River."

"If you wanted, Terra could find his location." River offered. "She's quite the pilot."

I tied the bowtie around my throat. The dress would be a lot harder. "Oh I'll definitely find him first. I just need two things: a new dress, and a bowl."

==POMW==

He thrashed again. Pain. Pain. Everything radiated pain. He growled, trying again to curl away from the pain.

A voice spoke to him. He flinched from this figure. People did this to him. People locked him away. Another person would only hurt him more. The ground crumbled beneath his jerking feet.

Pain again. He whined, long ago having lost air to scream. The air was burning. His lungs were burning. His skin burned.

The voice spoke again, and the pain stopped. Miraculously, it stopped. He gasped. His eyes widened. This finally let him see the person that approached.

Two arms were held aloft. A bowl clenched inside her pale white hands, her white sleeves stained with green acid.

"It's okay." She assured him. She'd been saying that the whole time, he realized. "It's okay. We'll get out- it's okay. We'll be okay. Yes, yes then we'll be okay. I have a plan. We'll be okay."

That's her. It can only be her. She's always this brave, perfect, and so fucking stupid.

"N-n-n-"

"Loki had a wife." She said. His heart ached. "Mother of Narfi and Váli. She watched her sons murdered and her husband held down in those awful chains. You wanna know what she does in Ragnarok? She holds a bowl over her love's head. It does wonders for your arms."

Thorax grit his teeth. He sucked in a breath. "That's you." Always. Only. She's his only wife. Loki had nobody on this planet. His parents died so long ago, and his siblings too. Loki knew Terra would matter. He's so right. Thorax loved Morgan for all time.

His wife smiled at him. "See, I love you too. In this life and any life. When you agreed to love me, you agreed it's forever. I decide when forever ends, not you. So I'm not waiting for whichever version of you that you think will 'work best' for me. I'm bringing this you home."

Something held up his arms. He had actually relaxed thanks to that bowl. Now his pained limbs were moved.

The acid got dumped on the chains. He squinted away from it.

"Now." She lifted him up. The chains fell to the ground, useless. "I'm starting Ragnarok."

==POMW==

The cave had been easy to find. It's the only one that can be seen from the palace. Balder would have wanted to look out at it every chance he could, and wouldn't want to make a big trip.

My husband stayed in my arms as we rushed in the TARDIS. The Doctor flipped the handbrake, sending us off.

==POMW==

We landed in the main hall. The Doctor and I stepped out.

Balder was standing at the front by the throne. Tyr was beside him, a crown in her hand. The party guests were around the TARDIS, gawking at the magic blue box.

It worked.

Balder gawked at me. "You? What are you doing here?"

I tilted my head. "Getting my stuff back."

The Doctor threw out the remains of the chains. They scattered on the floor, acid splattering on the carpet.

I grinned, slipping my hands in my pockets. My weapon slipped comfortably in my hand. "For damages to my property that did not qualify as normal wear and tear, you owe me damages."

Balder was confused, except he forced himself to laugh. "You break my prisoner from his cage, and bring yourselves back to the king's doorstep? You must be fools."

"Oh we are, but I wager you're a bigger fool." The Doctor said.

"Doctor. River. Notice he said 'king' and not 'rightful king'." I pointed out.

"Not the rightful king?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes. I am."

"Then why didn't you say it?" The Doctor asked. He leaned towards me. "It's a bit odd, isn't it?"

"It was."

"Tell us, Lady Tyr, who won the fight." The Doctor asked.

The lady was tellingly silent.

Balder scoffed. "My sister has already confirmed I won."

"We didn't say which fight." I asked. "Lady Tyr, who won the fight at the cabin?"

Tyr tensed. Her hands clenching.

"We apprehended the trickster. He tried to deceive us again by spreading lies." Balder lied. He spoke to the crowd. "He stabbed his own lover, and tried convincing my sister that I had tricked him. She proved his words false! Even now his lover stands here unharmed. A coward's retreat!"

The crowd jeered at Thorax. Our dogs growled from his feet, snarling at the other guests.

"Then let her do it again." The Doctor asked. "Go on. Just a bit of that, and we'll go on our way."

I made no such promise.

"This is nonsense!" Balder dismissed the concerns. "You assaulted our brother. You did not win!"

Tyr exhaled. "They did."

The crowd gasped.

Balder glared at his sister. "What."

She raised her broken arm. She aimed it at us. It glowed a beautiful, bright green. "They won." She aimed it at her brother. It became a dark, bloody red. "You lost."

Balder marched down to her. He raised his arm. Tyr shifted her stance, prepared to raise her shield and grab her sword. "No I didn't."

The lights changed. Before my eyes, red became green.

"The trickster deceived us again!" Balder announced. He glared at his sister, as if forcing her to confirm it. "Will we be fooled, Asgard?!"

"No!" The crowd yelled.

"I have the true arrow!" Balder held up an arrow. "And I will use it to kill the traitors once and for all! Every land that has had a hand in this trick! Svartalfheim! Niflheim! Muspelheim! And last of all the insects of Jotunheim! Everyone will know the might of ASGARD!"

The crowd jeered. Yells and calls for his murder. The people wanted not just Loki dead, but all his people. They wanted Jotunheim to pay, they wanted every one of those people dead.

My Thorax was one of them.

I held up my arrow. My blood still coated the tip. When I held it up, the stick glowed bright. Perhaps brighter than anything seen today. Brighter than the Doctor's regeneration healing, from Thorax giving our dogs this stick, all of it.

The crowd silenced.

"This arrow?"

"The arrow that's the last remains of your holy mistletoe tree." The Doctor explained. "Your brother was given the skies, and your sister was given wisdom. What did you get?"

"Strength!" Balder snapped. "Strength that we need to conquer our threats!"

"Yes, but you also received light." The Doctor stepped forward. I smiled in my spot, giddy. "You used it to glow but that's not all you can do, is it?"

Balder grit his teeth. "You slander my honor, Lord Doctor."

"Oh you did that long before I arrived." The Doctor countered. "Here's what I think happened. Your sister proved you couldn't win every fight. You hated it. You hated it so much. Here you were, eldest son of the king, and someone else proved they were better than you. You needed a way to win. So you lashed out your power and something new happened, didn't it?"

"You side with liars and devils!" Balder snapped.

I giggled.

"Your light came as something new. You can't just create light, you control it." The Doctor explained. "Make it look like anything you please. And you'd done it. You found the perfect way to win every contest. You've been doing it for years. But then your father decided to retire. You thought he'd let you win."

"He is my father." Balder growled. "That victory was mine!"

"But your father was clever. See, he made it the one fight you couldn't manipulate." The Doctor said. "He knew you were the wrong choice. He wanted anyone else but you."

"My father raised me for this throne! It is my birthright!" Balder shouted.

"You tricked your people into thinking you were the true king. By manipulating the light of your sister's gift, and by disguising my friend as yourself." The Doctor revealed. "You are putting your planet in danger!"

"I did nothing to your friend! She stands whole!" Balder yelled. "Asgard is safe! Safer than it has ever been! I shall prove you and my father wrong. All of you will see the true king!"

"No!" The Doctor screamed.

I grinned, giddy.

Balder sat in the chair.

The countdown ended.

==POMW==

Ragnarok

The first thing that happened to Asgard was stillness. For a solid human heartbeat, there was an unnatural stillness. It lasted long enough for people to notice. Then the palace hall shook.

Then the cold came. A harsh, chilling wind came in by blowing open the windows.

The sky lost its light. Balder became a withered husk on the throne.

I'm sure if we could see it the oceans would be boiling. It's a very fun look.

The planet ended. It's the very least it deserved. My husband had only been here three hours, and Asgard only ever tortured him.

I dragged Thorax and our dogs onto the TARDIS. River saved the Doctor. We shut the doors. We did all that we could. Asgard had her last king, and it was Balder the Bold.

==POMW==

Váli licked my face. I giggled, wiggling my nose against his. Narfi stayed with Thorax. He licked the man's arms. The man winced, the acid burns still aching. That's our first stop. He needs healing.

"It takes a year." The Doctor assured him.. Thorax flopped down on the pilot chair. Narfi licked his face. "Until total planetary collapse. It started long before today. Odin knew it. Your people knew it. The planet was dying. But Loki, refugees make it to Earth. To so many planets. People from all the countries- including from Jotunheim. They escaped. The people don't die. They live on, and their stories go with them. Your people live on. I'm sorry your planet didn't."

He didn't speak. Narfi was licking his face. The Doctor came to his side, staring at my husband. Even River paused to watch. That got me concerned. I looked up from Váli.

My eyes widened.

Narfi kept licking his face. Every swipe of his tiny tongue cleaned his face. My husband was originally covered in acid burns but they were disappearing.

Váli yipped. He licked my face. He said his brother had the best healing kisses.

"The arrow held a tiny bit of sap." The Doctor realized. "Just enough for one last miracle."

It gave Narfi a healing touch. He sat down in his father's lap, tail wagging expectantly. 'Treat?'

I gave him one. Narfi gladly took it. I tossed an extra back at Váli. Our sons happily munched away. Thorax looked up at me.

"Miracle?" Thorax asked.

"Your burns." I said. "Narfi kissed them all better."

Thorax checked. His arms were indeed clear. Narfi jumped down. Váli joined him in a fun game of chase around the console.

"Star." He breathed out. His eyes glinted as he watched the bright green of the console unit. "Wanna know what I forgot to do tonight?"

I tilted my head. "Uhhh. A new suit?"

He jumped out of the chair. He wrapped his arms around me, pulled me close, and kissed me.

The Doctor and River were saying things. I stopped caring. Thorax was alive and free. He was kissing me. Today was a great birthday.

Birthday.

Shit it's my birthday.

I pulled back.

"No, no, no. Stay here." He whined.

I wanted to kiss that frown away. Still I opened my phone, typing a text to Darcy. "That's- it's- my time is up. I need to go get- I need to go."

"You just got me." He complained, pressing his lips on mine again.

"I'm 200 remember?"

"Yeah. 200-"

"I'm 200 today." I reminded him.

Thorax blinked. Slowly. "…oh my god, your birthday. It's your birthday. And that's- that was-" He blushed. Hard. Heavy.

Pink is the best color for him. It's my favorite, anyway. "Yeah."

"You are from the past." He reached his hand up to hold my face. He brushed his thumb on my head, moving back the ginger curls.

"Yep again." He's in the future. My future. I cannot wait to see him there. I can't wait to go home and see mine.

The TARDIS landed. The floor shook. Thorax stumbled back, but because he was holding me, I fell too. The both of us landed on the pilot seat.

"We're here!" The Doctor announced. "Back in- 2008? You picked 2008?"

"He can find his way-" I began.

Thorax pulled me down, to his face. He kissed me again. "Tell him I did that, and he's gonna love when it's his turn."

This romantic piece of shit. I'm kicking his ass.

He leaned in closer, whispering quietly. So quietly even I needed to strain my ears. "I'm taking the new dogs home." Thorax promised. "They have siblings to meet."

I swooned. "Deal."

Thorax smirked. He walked to the door. He whistled. "Narfi, Váli, come on."

The puppies whined. They turned to me, tilting their heads. They wanted mom to join them.

I scratched Váli by the ears. Narfi licked my palm. The cut stung as it patched back up. My good baby boy.

Thorax smiled as the puppies rushed up to meet him. They happily barked at his feet. "And Star? Be careful at that party."

"You remember the guest list." I can't say my sister's name here, or that she's back. Last the Doctor heard, she was dead. It's safer for her and Freddie. "We get crazy."

Thorax shook his head. "I mean it." His eyes sharpened. It surprised me. That's the same look he gave me when he thought I was Balder. "It gets bad. I trust you to fix it. Okay?"

I nodded. So often lately he obeyed my orders without question. It's only fair I return the favor. "Okay."

Thorax gave me one more longing stare before actually leaving the blue box. The door closed behind him.

The TARDIS went back into flight. She shook, and I lost my footing. I grabbed the handrail.

River snickered.

"Shut up slut." I exhaled, smiling at the closed TARDIS door. "Or I will release embarrassing photos of you from the Christmas party."

River laughed. "She's fine. They're always like this." River turned to him. "Mind taking us to these coordinates? I believe a party is in order."

Party? I was gonna have a party.

Shit I was gonna be late for that party.

I ran to the computer. The Doctor passed it to me. The coordinates were easy to put back in. He should clear this history more often. It took a minute for us to land.

"River. Mind getting the alcohol?" I asked.

River smiled. "The best that credits can buy." She sauntered towards the exit. "And sweetie? Excellent picnic." She closed the door behind her.

I hate them. They're disgusting flirts. Thorax is never allowed to say shit like that in front of my friends.

"By the way, thanks."

"For the computer?"

"For healing me." I said. The Doctor paused. "I don't know how much time you gave. Still, thank you."

He sucked his lips in. "No big deal."

"Yes it was."

"Will I ever see you again?" The Doctor asked.

I put on a smile. "I won't let you hide things about me from me. It's my life. I deserve to know all of it."

He nodded. "Deal."

"Is there anything else I should know?" I asked.

The Doctor paused. "Yes."

I stepped closer. "Will you tell me?"

He hesitated. Not an immediate no, but still an upsetting pause. "I want to tell you."

"So why don't you?"

"Because if I tell you, I lose you." He admitted. "You'll be in more danger than you have ever been. I will not drag you into a danger where you can't get yourself out."

"You think I can't get myself out?" I asked.

"I know you didn't." The Doctor replied.

Chills. Unnatural chills. Because I have no idea what he could mean. I wracked my brain for it. There's nothing he could be referencing here.

==POMW==

The noises of the club hit me first. The TARDIS began to warble away. I flipped the disguise back on, waiting until it was properly settled before walking out of the closet.

River was already speaking with Darcy. My sister leaned against the wall. She spun a switchblade in her hand, occasionally pulling out a wipe to clean it.

"She murder anybody?" I asked River.

"The records mentioned a few people vanished tonight." River recalled. "No one worth looking into further."

"All three of them were the worst, and I enjoyed every second." Darcy closed the switchblade. She smirked up at us. "You have fun?"

"Yes." I replied.

"She failed to stop the apocalypse."

"That's not like you." Darcy mused. "What happened?"

"You know the love of my life?"

"Yeah."

"And you know my husband?"

"I know they're not the same person." Darcy snorted. "He's in for a real awakening. It's bullshit that you met another one here and the MCU one and the Supernatural one. It's too much."

River smirked. She's already very excited for me to reveal this. Darcy just stayed unaware.

"And like- also- sometimes we go places and replace people?"

"...you fucking whore." Darcy groaned. She slumped her head on the wall. "That's why you failed."

River blinked. "What?"

"Thorax was Loki. If this ragnarok was like the others, they tortured him." Darcy pointed the knife at me. "She killed the planet for it."

River turned to me. Her eyebrow went up.

I blinked.

River turned back to Darcy. "That makes a lot more sense."

"She killed, like, ten people when I died." Darcy pointed out. "And how many when Lilac was kidnapped?"

"Yesterday, or when you died?"

"Either."

"Pass."

Darcy snorted. "Great fucking birthday, huh, bitch?" She held out her hand.

"Best one yet, witch." I took her hand. Turning to River, I nodded my head. "Take care of yourself, Melody."

"Later time travel bitch."

"My own insult from Darcy Anderson. I feel like part of the family." She smiled, chuckling to herself. "Take care, girls."

We vanished from the world. I cannot stand to be around her insinuations any longer. The entire idea of Demons Run made my stomach sink.

==POMW==

Our Earth- later that night

The party was great. Afterwards, some shit did go down. Some very bad people were at this party.

An old friend came home.

A Judas.

A traitor.

A vile, vile man that took what he wanted and cared very much about who he hurt along the way.

Future Thorax trusted me to fix it. I will earn that trust.

I killed the last threat. Garfield Logan is next on my fucking list.

==POMW==

AN: I spent five hours on this chapter every day for two weeks.