Interlude 1 - Whatever happened to Maya Hansen & How to save a hero

It was about 5 weeks after I met Jessica at that park in Hell's Kitchen. It was almost time for Christmas. Turns out Jessica didn't live too far away from me in Queens, so she came to get trained by me and eventually even Misty once she was back from her mission in Korea.

I learned she was somewhat of a vigilante, breaking up bar fights and beating up muggers. Misty gave her a crash course in close quarter combat, while I tried to teach her how to better control her powers. It was going to take a while because her ability to fly functioned fundamentally different from mine.

To me, it felt like I was becoming one with the air. To Jessica, every time she tried to fly, she described it as a kind of controlled falling - like holding up an umbrella.

I was in my study on the top floor of my home when Misty interrupted me playing my newest instrument, a banjo. My study was lined with string instruments on every free spot on the wall. Who knew where I will have to put this one. It sounded nice, maybe it would come to live with me in my bedroom.

"Hey, little Eli. Maya is downstairs. She says she had a breakthrough," Misty told me a little loudly over my music.

"Oh? Is that right?" I asked Misty as I stood up and put the banjo next to the couch I was sitting on.

I followed her downstairs and found a woman in her 30s pacing around with a bright smile.

"Ms Ellis, what is the good news?"

"Still not sure how you picked that name. I really liked my old last name," Maya complained.

"Well, Tony Stark, the Iron Man, saw you die a year ago. So, as long as Maya Hansen is dead, Maya Ellis gets to be a free woman."

"Ugh, at least I kept my first name and my two PhDs. W.I.B.E. is truly more than just a foundation for scholarships. How did you pull that off anyway?"

"Most of it was Misty, you'd have to ask her. All I did was give you that earring to slightly change the way you look to others," I explained as we both sat down in the living room.

"Still can't wrap around the fact that magic is real," she shook her head.

"Maybe it's just technology so advanced you don't get how it works."

"Yeah, likely story. Remember, I was there when you made it look like I was shot in the stomach and bled to death," Maya scoffed.

"So, you said something about a breakthrough?" I asked her as I poured her and myself a glass of water.

"Yeah, with the notes you magically got from Tony's success in healing Ms Potts, I finally managed to create a stable form of Extremis," Maya declared proudly.

"Stable how?"

"Well, it's all theoretical because you won't let me test it on humans."

"You should have never moved on human tests in the first place, Maya," I told the woman with a disapproving frown.

"I know, I know. I could say it was Killian who made me, but I honestly wanted to see if it works or not."

"Okay, okay, tell me then, what part of it did you stabilize? Is it still a weapon in the wrong hands?"

"Yes and no, that's the beauty of it. In a controlled environment, you can administer the extremis virus and flush it out once it ran its course. I weakened it with Tony's notes, so the whole process will take a good week to run its course depending on what it has to 'cure'. Theoretically, for lack of a better word, with the antivirus Tony developed, I should be able to fully remove extremis from the body. No weapon," Maya explained as she pulled out a datapad with the W.I.B.E. logo on the back.

"Run it by someone with more brains. If you get two of those smart people to say this makes sense, have Misty find someone for a trial. Preferably someone with a terminal illness with no chance for a cure, promise them money for their loved ones if it fails or a cure if it doesn't," I gave her my opinion since I didn't understand a word of what anything on the tablet is trying to tell me.

"And how do I find people like that?"

"Don't make me say it," I groan out.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Maya was confused.

"Well, my answer is going to have to be, 'go ask Misty'."

"Ah, so you were just shy because the 'big boss' doesn't know how to run his business," she laughed at me. How dare she! But, well, she ain't wrong.

"So once you do that, tell me how the test worked out. It's still only for human DNA, right? Did you run it with Asgardian DNA? I gave you samples from those random Einherjar, Misty and I, right?" I inquired. I had stolen some vials of blood from random guards from my visit in Asgard, specifically for this purpose.

"It's not yet compatible, but I'm working on it. Mapping a new kind of DNA is hard. Even with all the fancy tools W.I.B.E. provided."

"That's perfectly alright. You have about three years to figure it out," I offered the woman who was relieved that I didn't ask something completely impossible of her.

"Three years I can do, now that I have all the tools needed," she nodded with a reassuring smile.

"Great, glad you brought some good news. I have a feeling I will have need of Extremis soon," I said with a smile as we both stood up and moved toward the door.

"Just promise me you won't use my work like Killian did. Enabling one villain was enough for one lifetime full of regrets," she pleaded as we hugged goodbye.

"You didn't tell me yet why you wanted Extremis ready for Asgardians, too little Eli," I heard a voice behind me.

"You've seen what it can do for Midgardians. Wouldn't a free power-up be nice?" I counter as I looked back to Misty.

"Don't dodge the question, Eli."

"I don't think we're strong enough to survive Ragnarok, Misty. Not if we want to move against Hela," I finally responded as I offered her a weak smile.

"Is it also one of the reasons we're training Jessica then, or are you smitten with the girl?" Misty asked me with a teasing smirk.

"Offering the training was indeed for that purpose at first. She's only a little stronger than a regular Einherjar, but she has a lot of potential."

"Indeed she does. She's a quick learner," Misty confirmed with a nod.

"She mentioned her sister urging her to get 'Jewel' as a hero name, right? I was thinking of giving her that ornate dagger from mom's hidden vault. It has that big emerald on the crossguard, I could turn it purple with a spell."

"A little over a month, and you already know her favorite color. Nice one, Eli," Misty taunted with a smirk.

"You won't see me getting embarrassed. Even if I am interested in her, it's about time I get my first girlfriend, no?"

"Well, if you are serious, maybe get a backup gift. Not sure a Midgardian girl would be quite as pleased with a dagger for a first gift as an Asgardian girl would be."

I contemplated that notion and quickly ruled out giving her the breastplate, too. Misty would be right in slapping the back of my head if I suggested that.

Jewelry would be too intimate, we haven't gone on a date yet. Would she go on a date with me? Ugh, questions for later.

Hmm, she said she was good at reading people, right? And that she hated every job she ever had?

"Hey Misty, could we hire her for W.I.B.E.? As an investigator of sorts? Either internal audit or headhunting? Looking for people to invest in and what their intentions are with their works and projects?"

"I could see her doing that. But it's still your mother's legacy. She won't get a free pass. It will take a while before she gets real responsibility," Misty said with a frown.

"Hey, no frowns. The girl is your student, too," I defended Jess.

"You made her my student. There's a difference," Misty scoffed.

All I offered in response was a smile as I moved back up to my study.

Three days later, on Christmas Eve, I was wondering where Jessica was and why she didn't respond to any of my or Misty's messages.

New Years Eve, I finally got a text back, telling me that she was fine but had something... better to do? I got a feeling that something was very wrong. A message like that would come with a call with Jess, not a text. And much sooner, too.

Three days later, I was covertly flying by Jessica's usual hiding spots. It ended with meeting her sister, who also felt that something was wrong.

It was over two weeks later, January 20th, that I finally found her in the middle of the night.

Jessica was standing there like a puppet in a ridiculous fur coat next to a well-dressed man with a stubble. He was urging Jessica to punch a woman, and the woman was just standing there in this diserted alley, ready to take the punch.

"Take care of her," the man ordered with a distinct british accent.

As Jess cocked back her arm, I read her surface thoughts, and for all that is holy, they were dark. She was desperately trying to wrestle free from this man's orders, and she was scared, so very scared. Yet none of it showed on her face.

Invisible to all three people in the alley, I landed in front of Jessica and took the punch meant for the woman. I stumbled back two steps, which prompted the woman behind me to fall on her back. I turned visible again after the punch.

The random woman looked just as confused as the british man and Jessica.

"You're him, that 'Emerald Blur' guy that helped out in the Battle of NY, aren't you?" the british man asked with a raised eyebrow moments later.

"Yeah, though the name is ridiculous," I said and immediately wondered why I had answered him so casually. I remembered a thought in Jessica's mind that repeated over an over: 'I just want him to stop talking' and pieced some of it together.

"I agree, the name is so on the nose. I want you to-" the man started speaking but before he could finish his order, I cast a quick spell that would isolate all sounds in the area. It turned deathly quiet after that.

The man was astonished and tried to make sounds by shouting, but nothing he did worked, not even him clapping made any sounds.

His face was getting more and more mortified, he grabbed Jessica's arm and shouted something at her, but none of us heard anything.

Fearing his mind control would work through thoughts too if I just read them, I knocked him out immediately when he tried to run.

I cast a spell to make the other woman walk away and turned to Jessica and turned us invisible.

I took off my scarf and let Jessica take a good look at me.

"There you are, you have no idea how hard it was to find you," I tried to joke around after I lifted the silencing spell.

Jessica ran at me, crying her eyes out as she hugged me as hard as her arms would allow it.

A good ten minutes later, Jessica began to calm down slowly, but she had cried so hard that even her considerable superhuman endurance ran out.

"Feeling better?" I asked with a voice as soft as I could manage.

"For the moment," she weakly responded.

"Gotta say, that coat looks ridiculous."

"Screw you," she said as she chuckled one single weak chuckle.

"Lets get you home, my home. Somewhere where you will feel safe."

As she nodded weakly, I hugged her close and grabbed the unconscious man roughly by the arm. We arrived on my roof and had Misty put the guy in a cell down in our basement. It came with all kinds of magical protections.

Three hours later, after something to eat and a long hot shower, Jessica had shared her story with Misty and I, or atleast big parts of it. This 'Kilgrave' was going to die, there were no two ways about it.

I could see it in her face, she didn't have to say it. This bastard abused her, probably non-stop for days.

"I could make you forget it if you want," I offered with a distressed look that made Jessica flinch and look away.

"Maybe, not now. This is the first time in weeks that I am myself. I need time to think about it," the young woman sighed as she played with a yellow USB stick in her hands.

"Want me to get Trish here? You know, I'm a guy - Misty over there isn't exactly a regular human woman-" "Hey! What does that mean," Misty interrupted with a shout.

"Yeah, what does that mean?" Jessica added to Misty's outburst.

"Well, we both are not from Earth," I began.

"So you're a little green martian under all that muscle?" Jessica asked with a weak smirk.

"No, we look just like we do. Skin's just the color you see, no green. You know Thor, right? Big muscles, blonde, loudmouth that swings his hammer around every chance he gets?" Misty explained when she came out of the kitchen with some tea.

"Who doesn't?" Jessica asked with a raised eyebrow, wondering where this line of thinking would lead.

"We come from the same place, Asgard," Misty concluded as she put the cups in front of all of us.

"So what, you're both Norse gods then?" Jessica asked with a good dose of skepticism.

"I mean, doesn't little Eli here look a little familiar to you, now that I've laid all the cards on the table? Try imagining him with a beard?" Misty asked as she raised an eyebrow.

Jessica stared at me for a minute, then, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"No shit, you're like, Thor's brother or something and actually a fricking Norse god? How old are you?" Jessica shouted the question as she stood up, nearly knocking over the coffee table.

"Uh no, we're related, father and son actually, but I'm no god. Especially not with a capital G. Asgardians are just very long-lived and naturally possess more access to powers. Especially the so-called royal bloodline. And I'm 16, not 160 or 1600 years old if you were wondering," I explained with a wry smile.

"Shit! So you're a prince then? Wait, how come you're telling me now?"

"Honestly? To distract your mind a little. Don't think I'm losing anything by telling you now. If I wanted I could place a spell on you that makes sure you aren't telling anyone our secret like with the woman in that alley earlier, but I'm very reluctant considering what you have been through this past month."

"And why are you telling me THAT?" Jessica was freaking out. It was a wonder she didn't try to flee yet, and the miracle did not come by one of my spells, thankfully.

"I've shown you strength, I've shown you flight. But today was the first time I've shown you magic. You're smart. Had I not told you, there would have always been some suspicions in the back of your mind, Jess," I consoled the agitated woman with a calm voice and smile.

"What can your magic do? And what are you the 'god' of if you have powers like your daddy?" Jessica asked a minute later after she had calmed down and took a seat again.

"Ugh, never call him daddy again. He doesn't even know I am his son yet. And my 'source' as I call it is related to storms. It's why I can fly like I can when my father needs his hammer to do it. I'll show you some of the magic later. Sadly I don't think I can teach you. Not even Misty has the gift for it," I spoke with a shake of my head. I activated my magic items to show her some of it to quickly move onto different topics. Magic items like the sword, the scarf, and the vambrace. That 'daddy' thing was a mental image I didn't need. So I even split apart Shatterstar to make sure we stayed off-topic, so to speak.

"Oh god, I didn't even notice earlier. You're that guy who blocked the portal two years ago during the battle of NY! Trish did a piece on you after Black Widow released the HYDRA files four months ago, not even S.H.I.E.L.D. or HYDRA knew who or what you are. You just came and went," Jessica said with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Yeah, that was me. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't offer your sister an exclusive interview with me on her show," I offered or did not offer with a chuckle.

"No shit, yeah, your secret stays with me," Jessica assured me with a thoughtful look.

"Any other questions?"

"Okay, you're the God of Storms. What's her deal?" Jessica asked as she pointed to Misty.

"Legendary, two millenia-old Valkyrie who lost her memories 1800 years ago and was saved by my mom," I explained with a smile.

"Did you have to add my age into this? We talked about this, you brat," Misty said as she made a fist and shot me a threatening glare.

"Who is your mom?" Jessica's question really put a stop to the conversation. Misty shot me a sad look and I lost my smile before I regained it again when I thought of my mother.

"My mother was called Amora, the greatest sorceress of the Aesir and... well as she put it... the most beautiful woman in the nine realms," I pulled out a framed picture from beside the wall. It was hidden from guests by magic. Only Misty and I could see it.

In the picture, Jessica could see a 4 year old me smiling next to Misty, who looked exactly as she does now and a blonde, green-eyed woman. A truly beautiful woman who sat there hugging four year old me with the brightest smile she could manage. I had, for the first time, managed to unseal Shatterstar that day, we celebrated by eating falafel and greek salad.

"Well, not gonna lie, Eli. I don't think your mom was lying with the most beautiful in the nine realms thing," Jessica said with a shocked expression. I get that a lot when they see a picture of my mother without any filters, magical or otherwise.

"You know what, you kinda missed Christmas with us, Jess. I still have your gift if you want it. It used to belong to her," I told Jessica when she wouldn't stop staring at the picture of my mother.

Jessica looked up and saw me hold up a box wrapped in purple paper with a golden bow. It was about the size of a shoebox, only a little slimmer.

When she took it from my hands and carefully unwrapped it, there was a wooden box resting on her hands, covered in golden runic markings. A little something to make sure the box wouldn't get stolen by a common criminal.

She opened the box and found it lined with purple and gold cloth. On it rested a golden, ornate straightdagger with a purple jewel in the crossguard.

"I visited Asgard for the first time ever in November. I found this in a hidden vault in my mother's home. Neither I nor Misty need a dagger, and it would just gather dust here. So why not let you have it," I added with a bright smile.

"It's beautiful," she told me as she caressed the carving on the blade.

"Yeah, hope I nailed the purple on that jewel. My mom was big on emerald green, so I had to recolor the thing."

"You changed a treasured artifact of your mother and gifted it to me? Why?"

That question stumped me. Any answer I could give would be too direct here. And I hoped Misty didn't think I did not see her taking that question as a queue to leave us alone.

"Can't a guy gift a priceless family heirloom cast in Uru, Asgard's magical metal, to a girl he likes?" was all I could muster while I scratched the back of my head.

That snapped Jessica right out of her musings.

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she moved to hug me again. This time, a lot softer than earlier out in the alley.

I got a kiss on the cheek as she stayed silent to sob in my arms.

By February, Jessica had started working for W.I.B.E., Kilgrave had been long dead since then.

In march, Jessica started seeing a psychiatrist to process the whole 'Kilgrave experience'.

It was June when Jessica and I went on our first date.

Mid August, I gave her a key to our house for... well my birthday. I was weird like that.

October 2014 was when I almost lost her. She called me that she had been shot when she stopped a robbery in a 7/11. One lung was hit, the bullet was stuck close to her heart in shrapnels. That was the day the first mutate was administered Extremis. It was also the day Jessica moved in with us.