The next month was pure and total chaos. You spent every moment bouncing between class, healings, and near constant patrols. You weren't usually called on a lot of patrols, they preferred to use your abilities for healing, since you were the strongest healer in the city. You not only had your own healing powers, but also healing powers that you had acquired from Loki through the soulbond. Unfortunately, the city's villains had all decided to start attacking at the same time, including some new moron who set fires everywhere. Which is why you got called on more patrols than ever. One of your powers was pyrokinesis, plus you could heal burns. It made you indispensable.

You were also taking an insane amount of classes. You'd signed up for so many since most of the time you weren't out on patrol and could keep up. You were drowning in homework during that month too, since it was getting too close to the end of the term.

The only sleep you got one week was an hour long nap after two days straight of healings after a particularly nasty battle between the Avengers and Firezone and Organa who had teamed up against you. You passed out on a couch in the infirmary after the healings. You had only meant to sit down for a minute, but that minute turned into an hour. There were deep bags under your eyes and you were running off of stubbornness and caffeine.

No one seemed to notice your state deteriorating over that month. Everyone was so stressed and they were so desperate for your healing abilities. They had gotten too reliant on your abilities, and you were too bad at saying no when you were still physically capable of helping. Fury did catch you one day and told you to get some sleep, but it was half-hearted at best. You were too needed. Tony only hadn't yelled yet because you'd barely seen him. He was on near round the clock patrols as well and running off of caffeine too.

You cursed one morning when you realized that your favorite jeans were too big. You fixed them with magic and tried to remember the last time you'd eaten more than a granola bar for a meal. You couldn't think of when it was. You cursed again and swore that you were eating your weight in pancakes the second this crisis was over.

On the day that would have been your and Loki's second anniversary, you told Fury and all of the supers firmly that you were taking that day off and refused to be on-call. Fury complained, but you had worked yourself to death over the last month, he could only complain for so long. You still had classes that day, but after that, you had firm plans to mourn Loki's absence. You had been strong all year. You could mourn on your anniversary. It was only fair.

So you curled yourself on your couch with a pint of ice cream. You were crying while watching stupid sappy romance movies when your work phone went off. You glared at it and only answered because it was Tony. "Uncle Tony, it's my night off. I'm not even on call tonight," you greeted him, not even attempting to hide the fact that you had been crying from your voice.

"I know, Kat. This is the first normal thing you've done since he left. If it were up to me, I'd let you have your night of crying into your ice cream and wallowing. It's what you should've done ages ago. But this is an emergency," Tony told you. You heard in his tone that he hated calling you and asking you this.

You sighed. If it had been anyone besides Tony you would have just hung up on them by now. "It's an actual emergency, not a 'this is faster if we have Kat do it' emergency?" you demanded grumpily. You wanted to get back to your wallowing and misery.

"It's a real emergency, imp. I swear I wouldn't have called you otherwise," Tony replied.

You sighed and got to your feet. "The infirmary?" you asked. That was usually where you were called to for emergencies.

"No. We need you in Metropolis park. Street clothes, not your uniform. I'll meet you at the entrance,"

"Fine. Only for you Uncle Tony," you replied and hung up. You used magic to change your clothes to your normal jeans, a t-shirt and your converse. You didn't bother cleaning your face or doing anything with your hair besides tying it up. You wanted this to be over as quickly as possible.

You made sure your phone was in your pocket and your enchanted dagger sheath was securely in place before teleporting to the entrance to Metropolis park. Tony was waiting for you right where he said he'd be. "What's the emergency?" you asked him without preamble. You really just wanted to go back to your apartment and get back to your ice cream and sad movies.

"It's in the middle of the park. Follow the main path. I'm keeping guard out here," he told you easily. He trusted you to take care of yourself.

However, you glared at him. That wasn't what you asked. "You owe me," you grumbled at him. He knew damn well that you only came tonight because he was the one who called.

"I know. Now hurry up. They need your help," he replied and gestured into the park. You nodded and took the path through the park, wondering what on Earth this emergency could be. You didn't see or hear anything as you walked, no sounds of fighting. You were going to kill Tony if this wasn't an actual emergency.

You stopped dead in your tracks when you got to the middle of the park. You couldn't believe your eyes. There was a solitary figure waiting for you in the open area in the middle of the park. A slim figure with raven hair, dressed in a perfectly tailored all black suit. "Loki?" you asked, not quite daring to believe it.

But it was.

It was him.

He was really there.

He opened his arms to you and you ran the rest of the way to him. "Loki! You're back!" you threw yourself into his arms, wrapping your arms around his neck too tightly as he laughed and swung you around.

"I'm home, my darling," he told you softly, gently, holding you tightly against him while you held him with the desperation of believe that if your grip loosened, he would disappear from your life and world again.