Just in case anyone is confused with the timeline (I'm kind of jumping around a bit, so I am sorry). Here's where everyone is at the moment - Tessa just got sent to Natenheim by Loki, Steve and Tony are in the back parking lot of Stark Tower, Loki and Thor are on Asgard in Heimdall's dome, Heimdall and Phelan have been in Phelan's house the past three weeks, and Clio and Unknown are... well it'll explain itself.
Enjoy :)
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Present Time
Steve's POV
"I GUESS HE HEARD HER," TONY muttered as he started to walk back to the doors. "You coming?"
I was still staring where the bridge disappeared but looked away after a few moments. I followed Tony into the tower and into the kitchen. I took a seat at the table and he went straight to the refrigerator, looking for food.
Neither of us spoke for a few minutes until Tony slammed the refrigerator door shut. I looked up at him in annoyance but he looked furious.
"I can't believe we just let her leave like that. For all we know she just went to Naten-wherever with a death wish, and we just stood there and waved goodbye like goddamn idiots-"
I sighed. "Tony, she's gonna be all right-"
"I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing. You heard how many people she said are after her. We didn't save her when Loki came after her, we barely saved her when Fury got ahold of her! We're seriously outnumbered! Even if Nat and Barton and Banner were to help - we're nothing compared to these people!"
"I'm sure we can come up with something, Tony-"
"I think the only thing left for us all to do is hide. We've killed Director Fury anyway, someone is bound to take over S.H.I.E.L.D. sooner or later and come looking for us. They might even get the police force on their side. Maybe I could buy a piece of land somewhere in Canada and we can all hide there, or Mexico..." He rambled.
I clapped a hand on his shoulder and shook him twice. "You need to calm down. I completely agree with getting out of New York, that's a great idea, but Tessa said she'll be back in a week so we have plenty of time to prepare for whatever we need to do after that, okay?"
He said nothing but nodded in defeat. "Okay."
To change the subject, I said, "Did you still plan on looking for that missing page out of the book they found?"
Tony shook his head. "What's the point? Her mother will probably tell her everything we need to know."
"That's true," I sighed.
Tony stood up to put his plate and utensils in the sink.
"If you really are serious about moving out of New York," I started, "what kind of living arrangements did you have in mind?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Well I figured Tessa would like the idea of designing her own mansion. We could even have Banner turn green to help build it, that way we won't draw any attention by having to hire some construction workers. Then once it's finished I'll let Tessa name it and pick which room she wants and everyone else will draw numbers out of a hat."
I stared at him. "Don't you think it would be kind of foolish for all of us to be together, in the same place? The mansion would become an immediate target, and it'd be pretty easy to blow it up with all of us in it."
"We could build an underground cellar, done." Tony argued.
"Okay, then what's the point of building the mansion?" I shot back.
"What's your angle in all this, Rogers?"
"I just think it would make us more vulnerable if we were all in one place," I reasoned but Tony tsked.
"Absolutely not. It would be exactly like the way Stark Tower is now. If we are ever attacked, it would be all hands on deck immediately-"
"I don't think so, Stark," I crossed my arms. "Being all together will most definitely increase the chances. Think about it: we need the element of surprise. If they were to attack, they wouldn't know who would be coming from where, and when. We would be one step ahead of them!" I tried to persuade him.
"No."
"They expect us to group together, Tony. We can't play their game. We need to always have the upper hand-"
"I think I know what this is about!" He burst out, pointing his finger at me. "I think that you are so over the moon about Loki being out of the picture so now gonna talk your way into living and being with Tessa. Admit it, Rogers."
I threw my head back and laughed. "Okay, Tony, whatever makes you feel better. But what would you care even if that's what I was getting at?"
"Because," he said, "she's my niece, and I care about her. And I can tell that Loki's death really shook her up, so she doesn't need you coming to her rescue not even a month later! She needs some time to process or she'll shut down. That's exactly what happened when... Layle died. I hovered too much and she got her own apartment to get away and be by herself."
I didn't say anything. "Look, I understand. I do. I want nothing more than for her to be happy, I promise. I really like her, Tony. She deserves the best and I'm willing to try. No matter how long it takes."
He scrunched his nose up in disgust. "Rogers, you're like ninety years old. Tessa is twenty-three. That makes me uncomfortable."
I rolled my eyes. "Stark, I wasn't conscious! If it helps, consider me dead all that time. Loki is thousands of years old and you didn't care about him!"
Tony scratched his chin. "Okay, moving on. Truth be told, even if I don't like the idea of you two together there's nothing I can do about it. Tessa's grown up so she can make her own decisions. I just think that you should give her some time."
I nodded. "I just want her to be safe, Tony. It would make me feel a lot better if I was the one who was taking care of and protecting her. Besides, I doubt she'd want to live with you or Bruce full time."
Tony scowled.
There was an awkward silence and I rocked on my heels. Tony rolled his eyes but sauntered over towards the liquor cart and poured himself a glass of something. I didn't bother looking at what.
"So, if you and Tessa were to... move away, where do you think she'll want to go?" Tony asked before gulping down his entire glass.
"I don't know, did Layla or you ever take Tessa on any vacations?" I asked.
Tony shook his head. "No, everywhere I went was strictly for business and Layla was always too busy, or so she said."
"Hmm," I thought, glancing out the window.
No matter how long it will take for Tessa to mourn Loki's death, I will wait. No matter how long it takes for her to heal from it, I will wait. I will be there for her and give her what Loki wasn't able to.
Granted, I do have to say that I still don't understand what she saw in him. From what I heard he was only interested in Tessa's power, not her. I don't know what they went through or the battles they fought in Natenheim and Asgard together but he couldn't have possibly had the best intentions towards her, even in the end.
Thor told us all about Loki and his ex-wife, Sigyn, I think, and how he faked his death to get away from her. After he left her, he started working for Thanos and that's when he came to Earth a year ago looking for the Tesseract.
Tessa told me three weeks ago when she came back home about Sigyn and how she threatened her in Natenheim and told her to stay away from Loki. Tessa also told us that Sigyn and her brother, I can't remember his name, are after both her and Loki and that she suspects they're working for Thanos. Our only problem is that even though we know who all is after Tessa, she claims to have no idea what they're after.
But I figured it out a long time ago. It's only obvious Thanos and her father after the same thing Loki came after her for: her powers. Now, Tessa's dead mother coming back is a little strange... She's supposedly been dead for three years but mysteriously showed up demanding for Tessa back? Layla's making it seem almost as if she was kidnapped or something like that. I honestly have no idea because Tessa hasn't said anything else to me except that her mother appeared behind her in the bathroom mirror.
I used to love listening to Tessa talk back when we worked together at S.H.I.E.L.D. I used to steal her away from her's and Banner's projects sometimes just because I couldn't get enough of her. She is so intelligent and confident in everything she says and does. She always knows the answer to everything, or at least pretends to. She must get that from Tony.
But now that she's back, Tessa won't speak unless spoken to. She doesn't willingly share what she's thinking anymore. It breaks my heart knowing that I can't know what she's thinking about anymore. The only thing I can do for her is be there for her and protect her. Not that she needs my help physically, but actions have meaning. I just hope she notices.
"Well, I suppose I should go call up everyone and see what they have to say," Tony sighed.
I nodded. "Get some location ideas from them too."
Tony didn't say anything, instead he took one last shot and walked up the stairs while pulling his phone from his back pocket.
As he disappeared up the spiral staircase, my eyes wandered back to the sky, thinking about how I can possibly persuade Tessa to move in with me.
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Clio's POV
It felt like I had been spinning for days. I almost thought it would never end, until I was miraculously thrown face first onto the familiar stone floor. I allowed myself to relax for a moment because of the cool, soothing feeling the floor had against my cheek and spinning head. It took a couple minutes for me to gather myself, until as soon as I tried to stand up, another person was spit from, I suppose, the portal in the wall where I came from.
The individual groaned as I broke their fall, and I felt a couple tears slip from the sides of my eyes from the pain. He used my body as leverage to push themselves up, but as soon as I saw his face I tried to scramble away from him.
"You are absolutely worthless!" He yelled as he kicked my face. I spit a mouthful of blood onto the floor and kept my head down. I didn't have anything to say. He was right.
I ruined the plan. I messed up really, really bad this time. I have no idea what came over me. I wasn't possessed, I know that for a fact. I've had many protection spells cast over me just in case Azeli or anyone else suspected anything. But I had to go and ruin everything.
"Do you hear me?!" He screamed, grabbing a fistful of my hair and pulling my head up to his.
"Yes!" I squeaked, my eyes impulsively closing, waiting for impact.
"Well?" He asked.
"I-I-I don't know what happened to me, sir, I don't know what possibly came over me! She deserves to know what's coming to her!! I couldn't stand looking at her clueless face for one more second-!" I received a blow to the jaw which cut me off and I felt myself bite down on the side of my tongue. More blood started to drip out of my mouth onto my dress.
"As much as I can't wait to kill her myself, that is my daughter you're talking about," he smirked. "And if you can't follow the plan I've taken thousands of years to perfect, I have no problem killing you right now."
I gulped, accidentally swallowing some blood. The metallic taste made my blood run cold, or it was the way he was looking at me.
He broke eye contact for a sheer second to glance down at his prized watch, but what he saw only infuriated him more. "WE WERE STUCK IN A TIME LOOP FOR 3 WEEKS?!" He screamed. When he yelled, his body shuddered and I watched as dark blue flames projected from his body and began to swim around the room. He caught me off guard and punched me square in my jaw.
"Sir, please tell me what I can do to make it right," I whispered quickly as hot tears started to run down my face.
He ran over to a pedestal that held a golden bowl and dipped his fingers in the water, swirling in a pattern. Once he was finished, the water shimmered but I was unable to see what it revealed from my spot on the floor.
I didn't dare get up.
After a few moments, he glanced over at me. He waved his hand over the water and the image swirled away. He walked towards me again and leaned against a table, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers before sighing deeply. I grabbed onto the hem of his dark blue cloak but couldn't bring myself to look at him, so I waited silently for his response, shivering.
Please forgive me, please forgive me, please forgive me...
"You just cost us a couple more years, Clio, you understand that right? We've completely lost the element of surprise now!" He started to raise his voice. "Thanks to you, the original plan is ruined. She knows who we are and that we're after her now." He pulled himself and his cloak out of my grasp and started to pace with his hand on his chin.
"She wouldn't even know I'm her father if it wasn't for you," he looked at me disgustedly and I whimpered under his gaze.
"I asked you to convince her to bring you with her, not tell her the entire goddamned plan!" He yanked himself out of my grip and started to pace, "And if you ever-," he pointed his finger at me and gave me a deadly look, "-ever insult me again, I will not hesitate to make sure you have the most painful death, and are conscious for every second of it."
My eyes widened and filled with tears once more as I tried to recall what I must have said until I realized.
"Sir! Surely I promise I was not talking about you!! I wasn't! I was comparing her and the Queen-!"
"DON'T!!" He bellowed and sent a ball of black magic towards me. It paralyzed me mid air and pinned me against the back steel wall on the other end of the room. He slowly stalked towards me with his hands behind his back as he watched me struggle.
I could tell he wasn't happy.
"Don't talk about her in front of me. You should know better than that, Clio, after all our time together."
I nodded, unable to speak. My voice was gone but even if I had it, I wouldn't have anything to say. I messed up. Thanks to me and my inability to keep my mouth shut, now we will have to wait until the time is right again. When Azeli will least be expecting us.
Oh well, I thought, the longer she suffers the happier I will be.
I watched as he ran both hands through his hair and groaned. He slammed his fist against the wall and I flinched.
"What can I do to help fix this, sir?" I pleaded.
He hummed in response, clearly deep in thought. I would do next to anything to gain back his trust and salvage what was left of the plan. It was perfect. Azeli was following every step flawlessly.
"Well, according to my original plan, you and Lezli-"
"Azeli," I corrected him in a whisper but he must have not heard me.
"- were supposed to travel to Midgard and YOU-" he looked furious, "were supposed to make her trust you. The only reason you are here, in my presence, helping me with my plan, was because you were the only person that could possibly get close enough to her, physically and emotionally. You did a wonderful job in Asgard, I will admit, when Frigga died and you bonded with her. She was weak and you took advantage, I am almost proud," he ranted.
I softly smiled to myself at the last sentence. At least I wasn't good for nothing.
"But that means next to nothing now. I told you to beg if you had to to get her to take you to Midgard with her-"
"But, sir, I did, I-"
"-but instead, you decide to take matters into your own hands and play your own game. Tell me, Clio, how did you expect that situation to play out?" He crossed his arms and sauntered towards me.
"But we had her," I whispered. "We didn't need to wait for years for him to finally make his move. You could kill him, my King, and his workers, at any moment in time! You know the plans that he has for her! You know who all is after her! I figured since she was weak I could..." I trailed off.
"You could do what?" He demanded.
"I wanted to make you proud," my eyes drooped heavily to the floor, embarrassed to even look at him. "I thought that I was powerful enough to take her on myself and hand her to you on a silver platter. But she's too powerful, my King, I wasn't even able to-"
"Yes, yes," he muttered. "You are weak, then, Clio, because Lezli-"
"Azeli," I corrected him again breathlessly.
This time he heard my muttering, and the magic holding me against the wall started to constrict around my throat.
"-was not even using her powers against you. I can only imagine that you were trying to extract her powers from her? That's why you started bleeding?"
I nodded, unable to speak.
He chuckled, "My daughter's powers were not given to her. She's had that power running through her veins from the moment she was born. I thought I told you this once before, Clio, that you can not withdraw her powers with magic. It has to be done scientifically. I've also told you that that is exactly why we will wait for him to make his move against her, regardless of how long it takes."
I nodded at his words. "I still don't understand how that man with the eyepatch wasn't able to kill her on Midgard. He was following your directions so wonderfully with the device and the cages... I am just perplexed as to how Azeli escaped-"
"We underestimated someone, and I'm willing to bet it was Laufey's or Odin's son. Everyone else who was there was a mortal. We need to be more prepared next time..." He trailed off until after a few moments when he snapped his fingers, his brown eyes glittering maliciously.
"I know what you can do."
I nodded again, waiting.
"You can go to Jotunheim and explain to the Frost Giants why we still have not delivered Laufey's son to them. You can tell them how you messed up the plan, and why they will have to wait a couple more years before they can attack Laufey's son or my daughter again."
I gulped.
"Of course, my King," and with a flick of his hand I was sent spiraling to the icy planet.
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QOTC: what's your favorite animal?
I've had a die-hard obsession with giraffes since third grade. I have no idea why.
I hope you guys enjoyed. I know exactly where I'm going with this story I just need to set up a little background first with these boring, filler chapters.
See you all soon!
UNEDITED
WRITTEN: 12-12-2021, 12-13-2021, 12-14-2021
-gray x