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She had fallen asleep the previous night directly after the funeral. She was exhausted both physically and emotionally from the day. However, she had a nightmare that felt all too real.

She was back in her childhood home, and her parents were fighting. Her father had gotten drunk, and had begun screaming at Alex and her mother. Right as he advanced on Alex, raising his hand, she woke up in a cold sweat.

Feeling something on her hair, she brought her hand up to her head. She lifted what felt like grass off, and took it in her hand. That was when she realized that it was connected to the bed.

Alex had killed the vines that surrounded Loki's bed.

She crawled out of the nest that surrounded her, stepping off the bed. She hurriedly dressed herself, wondering what time of day it was. Judging by the sun barely being out, she concluded it was just past dawn.

Looking over at the bed, it was a mess. The vines hung limp, instead of perked up and lively. She was never sure why Loki had vines around his bed, but she knew he would most likely be upset at this.

So, when he walked through her door, she awaited his reaction.

"The vines," He noticed almost immediately. He walked over the bed, taking a strand in his hands. "How did this happen?"

"It was an accident, I swear. I woke up, and I had killed them," Alex spoke with remorse.

"You killed them," He repeated.

"Oh no, are you upset?"

"Alexandra, this plant was given to me by my mother."

"Oh, shit." Alex panicked.

"No, I simply meant that it isn't an ordinary plant. She gave it to me because I used to have recurring nightmares when I slept. It has properties that are calming,"

"I had a nightmare last night, and I guess it didn't work so I killed it." She deadpanned.

"It also had the ability, if consumed, to make one immortal. She never told anyone but me, to prevent the chance of it being stolen. So, I'm perplexed how you managed to kill it. I guess I assumed the plant itself was immortal."

She let the words sink in. Immortality. A foreign concept to her, being a human and all. None of the Avengers were even immortal.

"Why didn't you consume it, then?"

"I never saw a need to be immortal. I'm already a god, meaning my lifespan is quite lengthy. Being immortal, well, who's to say I won't grow bored?"

She rolled her eyes, chuckling. Then, she grew confused. "So, I literally sucked the life out of it?"

"Maybe you fed off its energy, or consumed it. Your power is quite peculiar,"

"It is, isn't it? One day, I think I've got it down. The next, I discover something different about it. I don't know how to handle it."

"You'll learn. I'll be sure of it."

She looked at him. He still held the vines in his hand, visualizing how they looked when they had a faint glow, when they were alive. His eyes followed the vine to the floor, then trailed up to Alex's face.

"I see a lot of my mother in you," Loki admitted.

"You do?"

"She was powerful."

Alex's lips slid into a smile at his words. He thought she was powerful. She felt powerful. Even though she became physically restricted after using her powers, she still felt strong.

A knock sounded at the door, and in walked Jane.

"Am I interrupting?" Her small voice pondered.

"No, not at all."

"I was on my way back to go rest, and Thor told me to tell the two of you to go see him. He said it was important,"

Alex looked at Loki, who rolled his eyes.

"We'll go right away." Alex spoke for the two of them. "And, Jane, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course,"

Alex paused for a moment. "I know you've been here for a bit, but, when Thor came down to get you, how long had it been since the attack on New York?"

"Well," Jane thought for a minute, replaying the time in her head. "About a year."

Alex's breath caught in her throat. "Right, thanks."

Jane smiled, exiting the room.

"A year!?" Alex exclaimed. "I've been here for a whole year?"

"Not exactly. Time in Asgard passes extremely differently than on Midgard, so, don't cry about it."

She thought of Tony, and how he was doing. Surely, he'd be over her absence by now. He was always working, changing, evolving. Maybe, he had found another girl with special abilities to add to the team. A wave of sadness washed over her at the thought of being forgotten by the best man she'd ever worked with. She had to keep her head up, though, and focus on the more urgent matters.

She scowled at him. "Let's go meet Thor."

"Must we?" Loki was annoyed that his brother commanded his presence.

"We must," She mocked, opening the door.

The days of Loki placing a charm on her room were long gone. Not that he trusted her fully, but he knew she wouldn't get far. How was she, a mortal, to travel using the Bifrost all by herself? Not to mention, half of his fear was that she'd find Frigga, and ask for help. However, she had found Frigga without even trying. And Frigga's reaction was not at all what Loki expected.

Loki and Alex walked side by side to a hidden room, where he insisted Thor would be. Inside the room, however, sat more than just Thor. A woman, and two young men sat with him. The mood of the room shifted when Loki walked in behind Alex, the tension so thick you could feel it.

"Remember those friends I spoke of?" Loki said to Alex, looking less than thrilled at all to see the trio.

"We are not friends." Lady Sif responded with a sarcastic smile.

"Clark, meet the Warriors Three. Fandral, Volstagg, and Lady Sif." Thor's voice spoke, interrupting the bicker. "This is the girl I was telling you about."

"How do you do?" Fandral smiled charmingly at Alex, who simply nodded.

"Pleasantries can wait. We must discuss the task at hand. Now," Thor paused to make sure all eyes were on him. "What I'm about to ask of you, is treason of the highest order. Success might bring us exile, but failure will result in our death."

Alex rose her eyebrows, uneasy of what was to come.

"Malekith knew the Aether was here. He could sense its power. If we do nothing, he will come for it again, but this time, lay waste to all of Asgard. We must move Jane off-world."

"The Bifrost has been shut down, and the Tesseract has been locked away in a vault." Lady Sif intervened.

"There are other paths off Asgard. Ways known only to a few." Thor lifted his eyes, and met them with his brother's. "One, actually."

Now, everyone turned to look at Loki, who was smirking. Lady Sif looked uneasy, and Fandral rubbed his forehead.

"No," Volstagg was the first to speak.

"It's the only way,"

"We can't trust him." Lady Sif argued.

"It's good to see you too, Sif." Loki retorted.

"Loki, please, remember what we spoke of."

"I must say, you must be truly desperate to come to me for help." Loki spoke to the group. "Sif is right, what makes you think you can trust me?"

"I don't. Mother did."

Sadness flashed in Loki's eyes.

"You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere." Thor was inches from Loki's face. "That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me, and I will kill you."

Loki's face relaxed, lips slipping into a smirk. Thor's empty threats amused him to no end. However, he did have a ransom to keep, so he would oblige in helping his brother.

"When do we start?"

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𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝙸'𝚖 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎, 𝚞𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚘𝚔𝚒 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚙 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚍. 𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚘

𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚂𝙾 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝟻𝟶𝟶 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜! 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 :)