Chapter 29

New York City

May, 2012

The dark haired, blue eyed man in the latter half of his twenties sat at the booth in the coffee shop, staring at the screen of his laptop resting on the table before him. Taking a drink of his coffee, he closed the computer, unable to focus on his work. He had felt 'off' since he'd awakened a little over an hour earlier. Reaching under his shirt, he pulled out the flat clear quartz pendant, rubbing it between his fingers as he often did, as he had since childhood when anxious, the act soothing to him. Closing his left hand into a fist, he stared at it in deep concentration as he continued to caress the pendant with the fingers of his right for a few moments before slowly opening it to reveal his empty palm.

"Will? What are you doing?" a female voice said from across the table where the young woman with almond toned skin and straight, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail had only just sat down, a canvas tote beside her.

"Zoe…sorry…off in my own world…" the now adult Vanar said, startled out of his trance-like state, "Just thinking about a dream I had as a kid…after the fire. I was in a coma…"

"You told me about that…the fire and that you were in a coma, not the dream."

"I was with my father in this other place, my grandparents were there too…it wasn't heaven, it was like another planet. I don't remember most of it," Vanar/Will explained, Zoe looking at him with concern from across the table as he continued to rub the pendant between his fingers.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine," Vanar/Will replied, moving the necklace back under his shirt.

"You're sure? I can't believe she dumped you in an email…actually I can," Zoe began.

"We were only together a couple months. I'm not sure that even qualifies as a relationship."

"I don't want to say I told you so, but I did try to warn you."

"Yeah, you did," Will said before taking a sip of his coffee.

"She's always run hot and cold as long as I've known her."

"You warned me about Mark, too. Maybe someday I'll learn to listen to you," Will said with a weak grin.

"At least he had the decency to tell you face to face."

"I don't blame them. Auditions, rehearsals, up all night writing or doing research...I'm always busy. My life's crazy," said Vanar/Will.

"No crazier than mine or a lot of people's here," Zoe countered, "Speaking of research, I brought the book," she said, pulling a book from her bag and sliding it across the table.

"Thanks," Vanar/Will said, placing it into his own bag beside him in the booth, "I'll get it back to you in a week or two."

"Keep it," Zoe told him, taking hold of her bag and sliding from the booth, "I've gotta go. I've gotta couple errands to run. I was walking by and saw you through the window, thought I'd give you the book now instead of toting it around until this afternoon. See you at rehearsal," she said, rising before pausing for a moment, "Would you like to grab something to eat later? My treat…"

"Yeah…sure. I've run into a bit of writer's block. Maybe it would help to take a break for an evening. Where would you like to go?" Vanar/Will asked.

"I'm treating you. You decide."

"There's that shawarma place. It's pretty good."

"Shawarma it is then. See you later," Zoe said, stepping over to Vanar/Will's side of the booth, hesitating a moment before bending down, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before turning away and rushing off, Vanar/Will following her with his eyes with a surprised expression as she exited.

Vanar/Will returned his attention to the laptop in front of him, opening it and staring at the screen for a moment before typing something, rereading it before deleting it, appearing frustrated as he reached for his coffee.

A tall, lean man with auburn hair and a goatee, sporting a smart black suit with an emerald green tie and carrying a walking stick topped with a large blue jewel entered the coffee shop through the door. He scanned the room before making his way to the booth in which Vanar/Will sat.

Vanar/Will, his attention on the blinking cursor that he almost believed was taunting him, failed to notice the man approaching. The man slid into the opposite side of the booth Zoe had just recently vacated, Vanar/Will looking up from his laptop.

"William Henrikson?" the man asked.

"Yes…do I know you?" Vanar/Will replied, confused as he didn't recognize the man who had seated himself across from him.

"We've met before, some time ago," the man replied.

"I'm afraid I don't-" Vanar/Will began.

"Perhaps this might jog your memory," the man said, his image morphing into that of Loki for a quick moment before reverting back to that of the man who had entered the coffee shop.

"How did…but you…you're not…" Vanar/Will stammered, stunned, as Loki in the guise of Arvid touched the jeweled end of the walking stick to the middle of Vanar/Will's chest, rendering him silent.

Laying the walking stick on the table, Loki removed an envelope from an inside pocket of his suit jacket, sliding it to Vanar/Will.

"There's a taxi waiting outside. Your mother will be pleased to see you," Loki said, Vanar/Will picking up the envelope and opening it, removing cash and an airline ticket, looking it over before replacing it, "Go, now."

Without a word, Vanar/Will closed his laptop, placing it into his bag with the envelope, leaving his coffee on the table and standing from the booth, walking past Loki to the door of the coffee shop.

The disguised Loki, having exited a few moments after Vanar/Will, stood outside the door as the taxi pulled away, soon disappearing from his view amid the traffic.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Boda, or Rhiannon as she had been known for the past twenty two years, a glass of wine in her hand, entered the front room of her home in Southern California, far larger than the one she had inhabited when Loki had last visited her. She had noticeably aged yet looked to be a few years younger than she should appear after two decades. On the ring finger of her left hand she wore an engagement and wedding band, the ring with the heart shaped stone now transferred to her right hand.

She was enjoying the few days she had taken off from her work after an especially difficult few weeks. The stories related to her by her young patients seemed to be even more horrendous than usual as of late.

Walking to the coffee table where a package ready to be mailed sat, she picked up the remote to the stereo system, powering it on and turning up the volume. Returning the remote to the table, she walked to the double doors that led to the balcony overlooking the ocean, stepping out into the southern California sunlight as she listened to the smooth vocals of Florence Welch.

"Regrets collect like old friends, here to relive your darkest moments. I can see no way, see no way and all of the ghouls come out to play and every demon wants his pound of flesh. I like to keep some things to myself. I like to keep my issues drawn. It's always darkest before the dawn…"

Sipping wine from her glass, Boda looked out over the beach and the water, smiling in contentment, sensing the warm sun on her face as the beat of percussion instruments began to accompany the vocalist.

"I've been a fool and I've been blind. I can never leave the past behind. I can see no way, I can see no way, I'm always dragging that horse around, all of his questions, such a mournful sound, tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground, cause I like to keep my issues drawn, it's always darkest before the dawn …shake it off, shake it off…" Welch went on singing the chorus.

Boda startled as a hand placed itself on her shoulder. Turning quickly, she relaxed at the sight of the tall man with blue eyes and hair the golden color of sun kissed wheat, a bit of gray noticeable at his temples, who she had married twelve years earlier, a briefcase in his hand.

"Adam…I didn't hear you–"

"I'm not surprised. I'm headed out. Where's Ingrid?" Adam asked.

"School got out early today, professional development day for teachers or something like that. She went home with her friend, Emmie. She's having dinner there, I'm picking her up at seven," Boda informed him, "Oh…I baked some cookies for Will. He sounded down when I talked to him yesterday. If you have time could you take them to the post office?"

"No problem. I'll be back tomorrow, probably before dinner. I'll call if I'm running late."

"See you then," Boda said, Adam setting his briefcase down, the two embracing, sharing a kiss.

"I know you've been having a hard time lately. I understand why you can't tell me the details. If I'm able to seal this deal, you could take a permanent vacation…wasn't that Aerosmith's eighth album?"

"Ninth," Boda corrected him with a smile.

"I thought you'd know," Adam replied with a grin of his own.

"You know I don't do it for the money," Boda told him.

"Where's the package for Will?"

"On the coffee table. Good luck...be careful."

"Always," Adam said, picking up his briefcase.

"I love you."

"Love you, too," Adam responded, turning and exiting the balcony.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Boda had turned off the stereo after leaving the balcony fifteen minutes or so after Adam had left and now stood at the sink in the kitchen rinsing her wine glass, opening the dishwasher and placing it in the top rack as she heard the front door open and close. She left the kitchen, passing through the dining room into the front room.

"Did you forget some–" Boda began, expecting to see Adam, instead her eyes falling upon Vanar standing immobile in front of the door, his bag containing his laptop and the book Zoe had given him sitting on the floor beside him, "Will?"

Vanar failed to respond as the two stared at each other for a moment, Boda crossing the room to him.

"Will…what are you doing here?" Boda asked.

"Mom…" Vanar finally said as if he were a surgery patient coming out from under anesthesia.

"What's going on? Are you all right?"

"I…I don't know…there was a man…he changed his face...he looked...he looked like my father...he hypnotized me, I think...I don't know..."

"You're not....on anything…you haven't taken something?" Boda asked, worried due to his demeanor that perhaps he was under the influence of some substance.

"I don't do that stuff…I promised you…" Vanar replied defensively.

"I know. I know you don't, sweetie."

"There wasn't a fire...It wasn't a dream, was it?" Vanar asked, still appearing spacey.

Boda stood before Vanar, dead silent for a moment, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place in her mind.

"No…" she finally answered him.

"It's on the TV...the radio...him...he's in New York…"

Boda quickly crossed the room to the television, turning it on to see the mayhem taking place in the city accompanied by the commentary of the befuddled and frightened newscasters.

"Sit down! Stay here!" Boda told Vanar, steering him to the couch before racing from the room as Vanar seated himself, staring at the TV.

Boda entered her and Adam's bedroom, running to the closet and throwing it open, reaching up and retrieving a lockbox from the shelf. Tossing it on the bed, she rushed to a dresser, opening a jewelry box on top of it and removing a small key, returning to the bed and sitting on the edge of it, putting the key into the lock box and opening it, taking the bracelet from it and slipping it onto her wrist.

"Loki…" Boda said the name within her mind that she had not uttered aloud in over two decades.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Loki stood at the end of Tony Stark's landing pad near the top of Stark Tower, the scepter containing the Mind Stone gripped in his hand, as chaos reigned over the city. His scheme had gone off without a hitch, for the most part anyway. He hadn't expected his brother to make an appearance, but he'd dealt with that fly in the ointment.

Midgard would soon be his to rule. His father's mistake would be rectified. The mess mortals had made of their world would be cleaned up. No longer would mortals war with each other, murder each other, persecute each other, go hungry, live in squalor…once they realized how much better their lives were under his reign, they would celebrate this day each year as a sacred holiday, the day of their deliverance. They would all kneel before him or monuments to him erected in his honor…there would not be one found among them that would not love their king with their whole heart.

The voice calling his name cut through his thoughts, Loki turning to see no one, the voice repeating his moniker, Loki realizing from where it originated and to whom it belonged.

"Boda?"

"Loki…what are you doing?!"

"What I must. I assume Vanar has arrived," Loki replied.

"What did you do to him?"

"A minor enchantment, planting of a suggestion really, in order to return him to you to ensure he wouldn't be harmed. The effects are temporary. He'll be fine," Loki assured her.

"How did you know where he was? How did you know where I am?"

"As my father removed my spell over you, Heimdall was kind enough to update me on your whereabouts whenever I inquired. I charged him to inform me if you were in any danger. The spell I placed on the necklace I gifted Vanar allowed me to pinpoint his location when I arrived here."

"I should have known," Boda replied.

"I suspect that you did," Loki responded, Boda knowing he was right.

"Why are you doing this? Stop this!"

"You should be pleased. Once I'm king of this realm, Will's fate will never befall another. You have nothing to fear. You and your family will be under my protection."

"If you stop this…I'll return to you, to Asgard."

"I'm afraid that's no longer an option. Even if it was, you would appear of an age to be my mother."

"Someone will stop you…your father, your brother…you could be killed! At the very least, you'll end up in the dungeon for the rest of your days!" Boda exclaimed before falling silent, "It was a mistake. If I'd remained you wouldn't be--" Boda began before Loki interrupted her.

"Are you happy? Have you been?" Loki asked.

"Yes," Boda answered.

"Then it seems you made the right choice. As you once told me, it's not about you...I'm afraid I must end our little chat. There are matters I must attend to. I have a world to conquer," Loki said, closing the link with Boda, turning and making his way along the walkway, entering Stark's penthouse.

"Loki!" Boda called out within her mind, receiving no further response.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How are you feeling?" Boda asked Vanar after returning to him in the front room, Vanar remaining seated on the couch watching the television in silence.

"I have a bit of a headache," Vanar replied.

"Just a moment," Boda said, leaving the room, returning a few moments later with a glass of water and two pills in her hand, sitting next to Vanar, taking the pills and placing them in his palm, putting the glass of water into his other hand. Vanar popped the pills in his mouth, taking a drink of the water and washing them down, "There's something I have to do. When I return, I'll tell you everything…but you have to swear you'll never tell another, not your stepfather, not your sister, none of your friends, no one…ever. Promise me."

"I promise."

"I won't be long," Boda assured him, kissing her son on the cheek before rising from the couch.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Boda stood on the beach, the breeze from the ocean lifting her honey gold locks off her shoulders as she looked out over the water, replaying the events of her life, particularly those from the day Loki had arrived at her door in Asgard to notify her of her father's death to the present.

"I'll always love you," Boda said in her mind, though she doubted Loki would hear her...or wished to.

Removing the bracelet from her wrist, Boda gathered all her strength, tossing it as far as she could manage with only a mortal's strength into the ocean, turning and making her way back to the house and the waiting Vanar.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Loki stood peering out of the glass that made up the exterior wall of Tony Stark's penthouse, his eyes reflecting the sadness and sense of loss speaking to Boda had dredged up within him.

"And I you," Loki said within his mind, though he knew Boda could no longer and suspected she would never again hear him, before turning as the man whose arrival he had been awaiting touched down on the landing area outside, making his way along it, mechanisms installed within it removing the components of his armor. Clearing away any hint of melancholy from his face, replacing it with an expression of superiority and confidence, Loki prepared himself for the confrontation with Tony Stark that was to come.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pennsylvania

December 1958

The dull orange glowing shape of a doorway appeared below a tree in a dark, snowy park, a woman in black body armor and a helmet, D-18 stenciled on it, stepping through the portal, a newborn baby wrapped in blankets held in her arms. Another woman with dark caramel colored skin in the same armor sporting a helmet marked with the designation A-23 followed her.

"Are you sure about this?" the woman carrying the infant asked her companion.

"The orders come directly from the Timekeepers. It's not our place to question their wisdom," A-23 replied.

"It's so cold. He won't survive," D-18 said with concern, looking down at the sleeping infant.

"He's a Loki…a human variant, but he'll be fine. Leave him. We have to go."

D-18 brushed snow aside, revealing the frozen ground beneath, placing the infant onto it, checking the swaddling of the blankets before stepping back, turning to face A-23 and the portal as A-23 activated her time stick, thrusting it forward to make contact with D-18′s abdomen, the woman's form vaporizing as a bright, sparking light traced her body.

Glancing once more at the infant who had awakened and was now fussing, A-23 turned, stepping through the doorway, the portal closing behind her as the baby began to wail.