Hewo!!! :D
Hope you like the chapter...
Chapter Sixty-Two
~Nobody's POV~
Loki is still glaring at Thea as the three of them run away from the collapsed cave, which Thea gleefully ignores.
By the time Steve and Tony move the stone door back to the entrance of the Mantra's former dominion, nearly everyone is panting. Most everybody is either scraped, cut, or bruised somewhere, so the party halts to get a grip on themselves.
"Is that it?" asks Jack, who is sidling up to Thea. He has an ice pack held to his forehead, where a large welt is forming. His breathing is slightly wheezy, but otherwise, his eyes are bright and he looks just as normal as ever. "I mean, besides all of that epic fighting, that was pretty easy."
Thea raises her eyebrows at him. "Seriously."
"Okay maybe not easy. But I thought there would be more of them."
"Evidently not."
"Will there ever come a day when you are not sarcastic?"
"Evidently not."
"Would you shut up?" Jack is grinning.
"Evidently no-" Thea is interrupted, because Jack hugs her in such a tight squeeze, she has her breath stolen from her. When they separate, she whispers, "For the record, I don't even know how old you are."
He looks like he is trying to come up with a witty response, but Jack's ears ringing and he fails. Finally, he gives up. "I'm fourteen."
"Ew you're ancient." Thea teases.
"Not as ancient as Kyle." he points out.
"Hey!" calls Kyle. "Who's calling me ancient?"
They both ignore him. Thea leans against him, thankful that this is over. It's funny to think about, this month or so that has gone crazy. But it's all over now. The Mantra is gone, the Imeldi are vanquished- although there are probably still a few of them left. Thea's world has been turned upside down, mostly for the worst, but there has been some good things thrown in there as well.
She's learned to trust, somewhat. She has opened her heart to others, and she's learned that being mean to people isn't the way to get what she wants.
Bruce, who has miraculously managed to keep his calm during the last fight, pulls Thea away from the lanky Jack to tend to her wounds, which are few but painful.
"Um, thanks for everything Bruce." she says.
He looks up at her from where he is re-wrapping her arrow-shot arm, surprised. He doesn't comment, but lets her continue.
Thea, who isn't accustomed to making these sort of pronouncements, says, "Watching you...it really helped me."
Bruce frowns, not understanding. "Watching me...?"
"You know," says Thea hastily, her face turning red. "I watched you. You helped me learn to control it."
"Ah." he nods. Patting her leg, he stands, "You did most of it on your own. But you're welcome."
Someone grabs her in a bear-hug from behind and Thea turns to see Kyle who looks no worse for wear, although he's still drenched in sweat. "Thanks for abandoning me." he says with faux-anger, playfully smacking the back of her head. "Now what would you done if I had died?"
"Hey!" Thea exclaims defensively. "I couldn't help it! That...that thing backed me up and-"
Kyle's laughter rings through the room. "I was kidding, you idiot."
Of course, through all of this, only three individuals know about Thea's "escape". Finally, Thor (Loki is trailing behind in the shadows) walks up to her. "Thea, I must ask you. How did you do it? Although slightly more so, you are still a mortal. No mortal can learn magic."
She shrugs. "I don't really know. Just as the Imeldi came through the cave, I was scared. My fingers tingled, and I closed my eyes, concentrating on something that I had no idea what I was concentrating on. When I opened my eyes, there was a ghost of me staring right at me. I was so startled that my hand moved back, and it vanished. I knew that somehow I could make doubles of myself.
"I didn't have time to test it. When the Mantra began to fall and Thor was readying Mjolnir, I knew that the Imeldi would be desperate. I have some Mantra inside of me, maybe even the last bit of it in the world. If they saw and attacked me, you guys might have gotten away. I was exhausted, but managed to make a double of me-who was much clumsier and fragile than me- and run out. I was near the front of us- which explains why nobody else wondered where I was-when I heard Loki yelling." She smirks. "I realized the idiot must have seen my double and valiantly tried to save me."
Loki glares at her.
"But I don't know how it happened," Thea adds, shrugging. "Honest to goodness, I don't."
"That, I believe I can explain," says Loki coolly, holding up his scepter. "When this staff controls another, my conscience tries to take that individual's brain and own it. You, Thea, are the first who has managed to at least slow down or question my influence- which should be no surprise to anyone- most likely because of the Mantra inside you. I suspect that when you broke the spell, a bit of my own powers lodged inside of you."
Thor nods, smiling warmly at Thea. "It seems as if I have two tricksters in my midst now."
Thea holds her hands up and looks at them as if she's never realized they existed. "Can I do anything else?"
"Think of something you want, something small." says Loki, who is still looking stormy. "Imagine its complete figure in your hand and see what happens."
Thea stares at her hand. Thinking hard of The Fault in Our Stars, she concentrates, squeezing her eyes shut. "Is anything happening?"
"Of course it's not." says Loki, and Thea opens one eye. "I knew it wasn't going to."
Her other eye pops open. "Then why'd you ask me to try?"
"Because it was amusing."
Thea follows Loki as he turns and walks towards the supply of weapons that everyone has dumped in a corner."You're just put off because I made you cry."
He whirls around, his green eyes flashing. "I most certainly did not cry, so you can wipe that idea from your little brain this instant."
They stare at each other and as Loki looks away first, Thea's smile grows more and more gleeful. "Yes I did!" she says in a sing-song voice, dancing around him like a sprite. "I made Loki cry, you, the god of lies!"
"You're about to cry if one more word comes out of your mouth." Loki mutters, re-claiming his sword and daggers.
"What was that?" Thea asks sweetly.
Loki turns around, holding the sword in his hand and looks down at Thea through narrowed eyes. "If you don't remove yourself from my presence, you're going to find the blade of this sword through your heart."
Thea gives him a pouty look belied by her still-euphoric eyes and walks away. Loki looks after her and if Thea had turned around, she would have seen him shaking his head, with a small smile threatening to emerge.
*
By the time they re-cross the acid pond, by the time Tony flies them all over the crocodile lake, and by the time they reach the seven separate tunnels, Thea is beginning to tire once again. She is relieved when Steve announces that they're all going to stop and rest for an hour or so, in the entrance to the largest tunnel, on the far left. Natasha and Clint guard the exit, in case they have any unwanted reptilian company.
Sitting down next to Peter, Thea takes out her last granola bars. Between bites, she says, "Why did you even agree to help us? I mean, I'm glad you did, but you're not exactly typical Avenger material."
Peter shrugs, grinning. "I don't know. Tony just called me up-actually, Pepper did- and said that he wanted to talk to me. That's about it, really."
"Oh. Well." Thea says. "Thanks for everything."
Peter looks at Thea with a smile. "You know, you're pretty tough for a fourteen-year old girl."
"Hey, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean-"
He laughs and nudges her shoulder. "Lighten up, Thea."
She rolls her eyes. "Thanks a lot, Pete."
He stops smiling. "Don't call me that."
"Lighten up, Peter."
He shakes his head at her.
They decide to separate like last time, keep the same groups, and continue on the separate tunnels, in case any stray Imeldi try to either escape from the cave or enter it in hopes of claiming the Imeldi.
"That means I'm stuck with you again," Thea whines as she and Loki enter their tunnel again. "Why?!"
"Because that's how life works." he says. "And I would greatly appreciate it if you held the sword for me."
"Absolutely not."
"Thea, hold the sword." Loki is fiddling with the belt that is connected to the sword. "Immediately."
"No."
Loki looks like he wants to chop of her head. Muttering curses underneath his breath, he sheaths the sword once again and stalks after her.
It had taken about four hours to to maneuver through the tunnels, and Thea is beginning to tire at the top of the second hour. "Can we rest?" she asks, her breathing loud.
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Fine. There aren't any Imeldi anymore, so I'm perfectly safe on my own. Go on without me, the company would be better at least."
So Loki is forced to wait while Thea catches her breath in one of the rooms.
While he waits, Loki listens to some of the radio reports from the others. A few of the parties, like he and Thea, are also taking short breaks. Most of them are tired, as there was very little sleep that was gained the night before. Since there is a lot of stop-and-go, Loki and Thea had only run into one other group in one of the inter-linking rooms (Steve and Thor).
In about half an hour, they set off again. As Loki and Thea navigate through the musty, damp-smelling corridors, she says very casually, "Can I go live in Asgard with you guys?"
Loki frowns, turning back to look at Thea. "What?"
She looks more hesitant than he has ever seen her. "Can I...live in Asgard, maybe? I mean," she begins to talk quicker. "I mean, my parents...the apartment...I don't have anywhere else to go. And..." she's talking so quickly now, it's a miracle Loki can understand her, "Nobody-ever-really-liked-me-much-at-school-and-I'm-going-to-be-such-a-freak-now-you-don't-understand-because-I-I-can't-control-my-powers-and-they're-all-"
Holding his hand up, he says, "Thea, slow down." Loki is laughing, quietly, but laughing nonetheless. "The truth of the matter is that it's not my decision."
"But..." Thea's voice is too high to be casual. "But you wouldn't care, would you? I mean, you're the prince, you could probably banish me to the ends of the earth."
He snorts, but his eyes are sharp as he looks down at her. "And believe me, that is precisely what I would do."
"But..." She is dragging her foot sheepishly. "You wouldn't care, would you? Like, you wouldn't try to kill me, would you?"
Loki looks down at her, and his voice is gentle. "Where is this all coming from?"
"Nothing, nothing, nothing," she squeaks. "Just curious." She begins to walk forward, but Loki stops her.
"Stop."
"What?" she asks, turning around.
"You need to relax. Even if you find that your new home is not in Asgard, you will be safe." He pulls Thea's ponytail affectionately. "That, I can promise you."
*
It's an hour later when Thea and Loki find the cub.
"Don't look." says Loki as they move walk into the room where the tigress had been killed. Her mangled body is still visible in the corner.
Of course, this is means that Thea does look. And she spots something moving, something small, next to the body of the tigress.
"What are you doing?"
She ignores Loki's reprimand and hesitantly walks over to the gruesome sight of the carcass. She winces, but then gasps.
There's a tiny, toddling tiger cub whimpering softly against its dead mother. It's so little, its eyes are still a milky-blue, and the fur is still fluffy. "Oh..." Thea whispers. "Oh, oh, oh, oh."
"Thea?"
She ignores him again and bends down. The cub turns to look at Thea, its eyes still dazed. "Loki?"
Loki sees the cub and shakes his head at it. "Thea..."
"Oh..." her voice is still hushed. Ignoring Loki's protests, she bends down and traces the cub's soft fur with the tip of her finger. It cocks his head at her, but doesn't move, still mewing in grief over its mother."
But Loki is still shaking his head, closing his eyes. Thea doesn't see the raised dagger in his hand until it's nearly too late. "NO!" she exclaims.
"Thea, it won't be able to survive without it's mother." He grabs Thea, who is beginning to shriek, and pulls her behind him. This is the best thing for it."
"No, please no, please, please, please," Thea sobs. Loki reaches for the cub, who yowls, its ears plastered back in fright. "Please, Loki!"
He sits back on his heels, looking at her, holding the cub in one hand and the poised knife in the other. "Thea, you can't do anything for it."
"LOKI!" she screams as he raises the dagger. "PLEASE! NO!"
"Damn it, Thea!" exclaims Loki, pausing as Thea grabs his wrist and bends it backwards, nearly cutting Loki in the process. When he tries to push her away, she seizes his arm, yanking it back, and leans her head against his shoulder to hinder his movements as she sobs. "Let go!"
"No!" she wails.
"Th-"
"She's alone and...and her siblings are probably dead...and..." Thea talks faster as Loki pushes her off him and grabs the cub by the scruff of her neck. "...And her mom's dead and...she just needs a home, and...and she's a little fighter, it's not her fault, none of this is her fault, she just wants out, she's an orphan, she's just a kitten."
Loki pauses.
He looks back at Thea, who has scrambled back to her feet, the dagger is poised in his hands.
"Please..." she whispers, and Loki grimaces, looking into her eyes, which are shining, tear drops sparkling on her eyelashes. "Please, Loki."
He takes a deep breath, looks at the cub, and then looks at Thea, the cub, and then back at Thea. Standing up, the cub still tucked under his arm, he sheaths his knife. "You will be carrying her, and if she gets too heavy for you..."
"Nonononono," breathes Thea, running forward. "I promise. I swear. I swear on all things Asgardian-holy." She holds her arms out, her smile trembling.
"And if she tries to bite you..." he says warningly.
"She won't! She won't!"
Loki stares at her. "Fine." he says shortly, carefully handing the cub to Thea, who carefully cradles it in her arms. "Let's go."
Before he turns away, Thea manages to hug him one-handed. "Thank you." she whispers.
He doesn't seem to process this act, until Thea feels a small squeeze on her shoulder.
"I'm going to name her Miracle." Thea announces as they begin to walk forward again. The cub immediately begins to drowse in Thea's arms. "Because all of this is a miracle."
Loki rolls his eyes, but can't help but smirk a little. "You can name her whatever you want, kitten."
Aww... don't you love parallels!? ;)
Anyway, I think there will be one more chapter, plus an epilogue... and then onto Three Tasks!!!!
Please VOTE and COMMENT!!!!!!
Love, Sierra