Assemble | Avengers | Second Part

Chapter (28) Twenty-Eight ~ ...the girl at her breaking point

~Olivia~

When we got back to Earth, Thor ended up taking me straight to Norway, where his people were staying for the time being. I didn't ask why, nor did the god tell me. Once our feet hit the ground, he took my hand once more, leading me away from the ship, and summoned the Bifrost to take us to Norway.

The two of us didn't speak as we walked through the small village, and it was clear that the Asgardians could sense our dark moods, not bothering us as we walked. I stayed behind Thor as he softly knocked on the door of one of the larger homes, the two of us waiting for the owner to open up.

My breath caught in my throat a bit upon seeing a surprised Loki answer, his daughter cradled tight in his arms.

"Thor? What are you doing here? I thought you would continue to stay with the Avengers." The raven-haired man asked, though stepped aside to let us pass.

"We... I thought it best we not be there for the time being."

"We?" Loki questioned as Thor moved to the side, revealing my shaking self. "Lady Stark? What's going on? What's happened?" He looked between the two of us.

"We should sit down. There is much to explain." Thor told his brother.

The three of us made our way to the living area, and Thor and I took the couch while Loki moved about the room, setting Frig in a beautifully carved wooden crib under the window closest to us before sitting in the cushioned chair across from us. Thor was quick to tell his brother all that happened, from when Carol Danvers came back with Tony and Nebula, to us finding Thanos. His words started to fail, however, once he got to the end of the story.

"So what happened then? What happened with the stones?" The man asked, though you could tell he already had a sense of the answer.

Thor hesitated, the answer to his brothers' question getting caught in his throat.

"Olivia, what happened?" Loki then turned to me, and my eyes widened a bit upon hearing him call me by my first name.

"I... Loki I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, they were already gone. Thanos destroyed them before we even left Earth, there's... there's no way of getting them back."

All the air seemed to have left Loki's lungs, his face paling upon hearing my words.

"They're not coming back?" Loki mumbled, but it was more rhetorical than anything, before letting out a humorless chuckle. "The Norns love to torcher me, do they not, brother?"

"Loki-"

"No. No, it's not the first time I've lost her. It's not the first time Lady Stark has lost her Soldier. We... we shall see them once more, just like every other time we have lost them. I'm sure of it." Loki stood, pacing the room.

"Brother, they're gone. Alex and Barnes are both gone. There's no way to get them back."

A dark expression came across the younger god's face, muttering something under his breath in a language I didn't recognize before storming out of the room, Thor hot on his tail.

My hands went to my head in exhaustion, my growing headache only worsening when Frig started to cry.

"Oh, please, little one, not now." I groaned, standing and walking over to the crib. I tried to calm the child, slowly rocking the crib back and forth, but that only seemed to make the crying worse.

"Okay, okay. Come here. Just please, stop crying." I hushed, gently picking the child up and trying to mimic how Loki was holding her earlier.

I did a slow rocking-bouncing combination, hushing the little girl in hopes of getting her to fall back asleep. I sighed once the crying stopped, though the child stayed wide awake, holding her arms up toward my face.

"What is it?" I questioned, re-positioning her so she now was more eye-level with me, her body vertical with my own. The position change seemed to delight Frig, who now gave out a toothless smile, her hands landing on my chin and cheek.

"Oh, come on, doll, you know we can't do that."

My eyes widened upon hearing a familiar voice, my heart squeezing in my chest. I glanced around, and I swear I almost dropped the baby upon seeing James Buchanan Barnes standing there in the middle of the living room.

"Come on, Jamie! I know you miss it too. And we can't stay in Wakanda forever." My own voice rang out, causing even more confusion.

"Lady Oliv? What was..." Thor's words dyed out upon seeing what was happening in the living room, him and Loki standing still in the doorway.

"Oliv, we still don't know if... if he's still in there. And what if people recognize me?"

"So what if they recognize you? If it makes you feel better, I'll never leave your side." My hand then reached out, gripping Bucky's one hand. "I'd never do anything to put you or anyone else in danger."

"Doll, you and your nephew built a murder robot not that long ago," James smirked, the look still making my stomach flip.

"Oh, come on, don't even get me started with that." Past me groaned. "But really, what do you think?"

I watched as the image of Bucky sighed, before a gleam caught his eyes.

"Alright. Let's go home. Let's go back to Brooklyn."

Bucky's image slowly faded as past me squealed in delight, throwing my arms around his neck. My mouth gaped as I stared at the spot my Jamie just appeared to be in, and my one hand seemed like it couldn't decide whether to cover my mouth in shock or keep a tight hold of the child still in my arms.

Thor and Loki both rushed over in time for the blond to take Frig from my arms, Loki grabbing me as my knees buckled, sending the two of us to the ground. Sobs gradually racked my body, which violently shook with every cry that escaped. I tried so hard to hold it all back. These two, especially Loki, didn't need to deal with a broken Earth-woman when they had their own problems, their own hardships to deal with.

But I was exhausted, and my walls came tumbling down upon seeing my Jamie again, even if only by memory.

Voices sounded around me, but it was like a wave had washed over me, muffling each and every sound, with the only thing keeping me somewhat grounded being Loki's tight hold on me. My unfocused eyes darted around the room, landing on the raven-haired god as he placed a cold hand on my forehead, and with one final deep inhale, my body relaxed, my brain slowly starting to fog, and my cries ceasing.

Not long after, I fell asleep.