I don't own anything except any original/own characters and any original plot.

💫

Chapter 35 - Hope

💫

Five Years Later

"Iona, Kari, Morgan, lunch time!"

Within seconds, the three girls broke through the treeline and practically fell over each other to see who could get to (Y/n) first. Morgan was naturally at a disadvantage because she wasn't Asgardian, but she was doing quite well all things considered.

"Root!" Iona quickly pulled Morgan to the side, only momentarily pausing their race as her protective instincts kicked in. What a good Goddess of Safety she was.

Soon enough, the three girls converged on the porch. All of them were panting, though giggly all the same. (Y/n) smiled at them, ushering them into the house where Pepper's famous vegetable ziti was waiting for them.

"Wash your hands, please," Pepper called from where she was setting the table.

While the girls went into the kitchen to wash their hands, the four adults converged in the dining room and took their seats. (Y/n) and Loki left two seats in between them for the twins, and Pepper and Tony left one for Morgan.

"You were talking about New Asgard's new trade deal?" Tony asked Loki, who nodded.

"Queen Romanda of Wakanda has sought out our magic capabilities. The tribes of Wakanda see the potential in charmed objects, so we're discussing possible trade options with them. My brother is absolutely helpless when it comes to negotiations and foreign affairs, even if our allies have everyone's best interests at heart."

The girls came back in and clambered into their seats. The adults helped them scoop out servings and the meal began.

"That's why Thor put us in charge of foreign affairs, the gods know Valkyrie is already busy handling our main imports," (Y/n) chimed in.

"That's only because Thor assumed she'd be happy dealing with all that alcohol."

The adults chuckled, while the girls seemed confused at the joke they couldn't understand. Tony piped up, "If I could have a job like that then I'd gladly take it."

"You are a master at mixing drinks," Loki agreed.

The past five years felt like an eternity in the best and worst ways. The settlement of New Asgard took up a solid two, the addition of two babies adding to the stress of it all. But it was all worth it to see the Asgardians settled in a new home, and to know that the twins would have a place where they were safe and loved.

For a while, it was up to (Y/n) and Loki to handle the royal duties - with the help of their trusted friends. Thor fell into a depression that (Y/n) easily recognized. She was the same way when she thought she'd lost Loki more than once. He needed space at first, and then they intervened before he could spiral.

(Y/n) got him into therapy. It wasn't a traditional form of Asgardian medicine, but the healers quickly picked it up when they heard of the Midgardian form of mental healing. It was helpful, and slowly but surely, the other Revengers joined in as well. It truly cemented the healing process, and after three years, all of them felt stable again. (Just in time for the terrible threes too.)

When Pepper and Tony announced they were pregnant a few months after the snap, it seemed like the perfect chance to reconcile friendships that either drifted apart with time or create friendships from former rivalries. The twins and Morgan were raised so closely that they were more like three sisters than close friends. The weekly playdates brought the two families closer together as well, and they all put past conflicts behind them in favor of something much brighter.

For the first time in a long time, life was calm. Not perfect - never perfect when (Y/n) thought of the missing Maximoff, or the tree that could talk, or her fellow Infinity Stone holder - but it was calm.

"And then Kari almost went down the whole driveway without falling over!" Iona finished her dramatic retelling of Kari trying out Morgan's new bike.

"You didn't get hurt, did you?" Loki asked in concern.

"No, Iona stopped me before I could hit the ground," Kari shrugged, completely casual, "I was going fast but she used her glowy hands."

The adults' forks hit their plates with abrupt clanks. (Y/n) cleared her throat, and looked to her daughters, "How did she stop you?"

"It just happened!" Morgan cut in excitedly, "Like how last time I got all muddy because of the rain but Iona cleaned off my shoes!"

Sharing a look, (Y/n) and Loki knew they'd have to start the girls' magic lessons sooner than they thought. Usually, it was an acquired skill that was taught to those who had the resources, but it wasn't surprising that the girls were born with it considering who their parents were. On top of magic lessons, they'd be starting school that year as well - well ahead of their peers, thanks to Loki's love for literature.

After lunch, the family exchanged goodbyes and (Y/n) warped all of them back to their home New Asgard. Despite being nestled near the ocean in what could have been a fishing village, (Y/n)'s new stability with her powers allowed her to turn shacks into homes reminiscent of Asgardian architecture. She was determined to carry over anything she could from their old realm.

"Hello, man-child who does not live here," Loki greeted Pietro in a tired tone.

"Uncle Pietro!" The girls squealed, rushing to their honorary uncle and jumping on him - causing him to grunt and sit up abruptly, laughing as the twins greeted him with hugs.

"What brings you to New Asgard?"

"I was out for a morning run. I'm supposed to meet Korg and Miek for a gaming tournament later today, so I figured I'd hang around until then."

"And you couldn't hang around in their home?"

"Nah, too messy even for me. I figured Thor was doing some king stuff, so I just hung around here. Hey, how come you didn't make him a palace? Then I'd be really eager to hang there instead," Pietro smiled as he threw the girls into the air.

"Because New Asgard is built on the trust and equality of all the citizens. There's no more, ahem, royal secrets hidden under loads of gold," (Y/n) chided, plucking Kari out of the air before Pietro could catch her, "Do you girls want to go meet with your auntie?"

"Aww, but we haven't seen Uncle Pietro in forever!" Kari pouted.

"I'll be here for dinner," Pietro promised, kneeling down to be level with the girls, "And after, I can take you two for a piggyback ride around the island, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Your aunt is in the fields right now," (Y/n) told the girls.

"If you ask her nicely, she might let you use some daggers," Loki grinned, then quickly corrected his statement when (Y/n) shot him a glare, "Fake daggers, carefully."

Sharing mischievous smirks that were entirely their father's, the twins sprinted out of the house. The three adults watched them go down the pathway and enter the village. Asgardian citizens made way for the children who held their hearts, yelling greetings to them as they passed by.

"They get bigger every time I visit," Pietro commented when (Y/n) finally shut the front door, "I always assumed it'd take them hundreds of years to grow to the age they are now."

Loki shook his head, "Asgardian children age as Midgardian children would. When they reach full maturity, their aging slows down drastically."

"Explains why (Y/n) is so beautiful and wise," Pietro grinned flirtatiously, ignoring Loki's warning glare and (Y/n)'s eye roll.

"How's everyone else?" (Y/n) asked, taking a seat in the living room and creating some drinks for everyone to have, "I'm assuming you've been keeping in touch?"

Due to (Y/n)'s warping abilities, she found it easy to visit the others and made an effort to, but her duties to both New Asgard and her children kept her busy most of the time and it was difficult. It'd been well over half a year since she'd last seen everyone.

"As much as I can," Pietro shrugged, picking up a cup, "I rarely see Stark, but neither of us are hurt over that. The Captain is leading group therapy, always looking towards the future which is ironic. Doctor Banner is big and green all the time which is very strange. My honorary father is still off the grid, you've seen him?"

"I'm always aware of his location, yes. He's not the type to respond well to traditional therapy. And Nat?"

"Doing her best. But sad. She's taken on a large burden."

"No one asked her to single-handedly reform and run what was left of the Avengers," Loki mumbled, taking a sip of his strong tea and focusing on his cup rather than the glare he could feel from his wife.

"She's still repenting," (Y/n) sighed, "I'll have to visit her soon. Maybe she should take a vacation? We could travel to space or Alfheim?"

Glancing up, it was hard to miss the confliction on Pietro's face. He was leaving something out. (Y/n) and Loki raised their brows in a way that only couples that were perfectly in sync could do, waiting for him to break under their scrutiny.

"Something has come up," Pietro started slowly, avoiding the pair's gazes, "Scott Lang appeared at the compound this morning. He was the Ant-Man who fought with us?"

"Yes, right. During the whole Accords issue."

"Right. He's always been assumed to have dusted, but he returned claiming he was stuck in a realm where time worked differently. Something called the Quantum Realm? He spoke of time travel."

(Y/n)'s stomach dropped. In the early days, she thought of time travel herself. That or creating a new reality where the snap never happened, but both were extremely dangerous and were roads she didn't dare travel down. Time travel would create branches of doom, and a new reality could crack under the smallest mistake on (Y/n)'s part. She didn't want any Watchers breathing down her neck either.

"The Captain was visiting at the time, and he and Natasha are determined to figure it out to bring the stones back. They were going to visit Stark first- tomorrow. After that..."

"They'll come for us, too," Loki concluded with a sigh, "Thank you for informing us. We'll discuss what to do when the problem arises."

Light conversation carried on after that, but (Y/n)'s mind kept going back to Scott Lang and the new possibilities he presented. She was aware that as soon as Pietro left that night, her and Loki would have to talk through their options, but she didn't want to make the decision. Either option was almost too much for her to bear.

~*~

Two days after Pietro's initial report, a truck slowly meandered upon the road leading to New Asgard. (Y/n) sensed the beings on it as soon as they entered the wards around the village, and she was quick to inform her husband.

The couple was helping Valkyrie unload a fresh shipment of supplies at the dock. The girls were spending the day with their Uncle while he spoke with the field workers about the upcoming winter.

"What a strange pair you two make," (Y/n) shouted out a greeting to Bruce and Rocket, who stopped as if they were caught with a hand in the cookie jar, "Welcome to New Asgard. What do you think of it now that it's not on fire, Bruce?"

Bruce managed a smile at the reference to when he saw Asgard for the first - and last - time, "You've done good with the place."

"I liked you better either of the other ways," Valkyrie informed Bruce as she passed by with two crates in her arms.

"This is Rocket." It was easy to tell that Bruce was excited to see Valkyrie again, despite the monthly Skype calls that Valkyrie denied.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"You're here to see my brother, I assume?" Loki spoke up.

"Well, we're here to talk to Thor and (Y/n) actually, you too if you're over your varying urge to kill everyone."

With a shrug, Loki looked to his wife. (Y/n) nodded. With a quick wave of her hand, the remaining boxes moved from the ship to the docks.

"(Y/n), I was doing strength training by moving those!" Valkyrie complained.

"We have to go. Moving them into storage is your new job. Have fun."

The group of four took a short walk down the main road of the village to the "palace", which was really just a house slightly larger than the others towards the center of the town. The only reason it was larger than the others was because of Thor's personal "problem solving room", where he liked to meet with the villagers personally if they had any requests or issues to speak to him about.

"Oh, Lady (Y/n)," the head farmer, Gefjun, gave the woman a bright smile, "my Prince, how lovely to see you. Your girls are just lovely."

"Thank you, Gefjun. If you'll excuse us, we have important matters to discuss with the King," Loki motioned to the company behind him and his wife. Gefjun's eyes widened at the sight of the Hulk. Afterall, the last time he was seen was during Ragnarok.

"Of course!" The woman was quick to walk down the pathway and continue on her way.

"I thought you'd all be more... disorganized with this whole thing," Rocket commented as the group stepped into the house.

(Y/n) chuckled, "We were for a while. Thor was really torn up about what happened with Thanos after the snap, so he was out of commission for a while and it was up to us to rule. The Asgardians still held some mistrust towards Loki, and I had twins to look after. But without the Aether, it was easy to make something out of nothing and make a home for all of us. Things are better now."

"Thor, we've got company!"

The King of Asgard beamed upon seeing whom he considered to be his closest friends. He stood from his "throne" (a fancy wingback chair) and pulled the pair into a tight group hug.

"Friends! How good to see you!"

"Uncle Bruce!" The twins sprinted in from the other room and jumped into Bruce's arms.

"Are you Rocket?" Iona asked.

"Yeah, kid," Rocket seemed uncomfortable.

"But you aren't a rabbit," Kari frowned.

"I'm aware."

"Here, this room is for royal business. Always boring. Come with me," Thor led the group into the living room, where Korg and Miek were playing a game on the Playstation 4.

"Hulk, you know my boys, Korg and Miek, right?"

"Beer's in the bucket. Feel free to log on to the WiFi," Korg greeted casually.

"Hey, guys. Long time no-"

"Thor! This kid on the TV just called me a dickhead again!"

"Noobmaster again?"

"NoobMaster69 called me a dickhead."

Thor snatched Korg's headset and hissed into the mic, "Noobmaster, this is Thor, again. God of Thunder. This is your last warning. Log off this game or I will come to your basement, rip off your arms and shove them up your butt."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, (Y/n) held back a sight of disappointment. How the man in front of her could be such a good king and a child at the same time was a true feat.

"What are you doing here, Uncle Bruce?" Iona asked the question everyone was wondering.

"We need your help. There's a chance we can fix everything."

The room fell silent. Even Korg and Miek stopped gaming. Thor's smile fell, and Loki and (Y/n) were tempted to just make clones of themselves and leave the situation, even though they knew it was coming.

Clearing his throat, Thor said, "Well, I guess that's formal business. Iona, Kari, why don't you play with Miek and Korg?"

"Okay," the girls were smart enough to realize that the adults needed to talk alone.

After returning to the council room, the tension only rose as everyone waited for someone to speak.

"How?" Thor finally asked.

"Time travel, we figured it out. We can go back, get the stones, and create a new gauntlet. We have another chance."

"We can bring them all back," Rocket added, albeit more quietly.

Silence fell again, although this time it was a lot more contemplative.

"You understand that we aren't willing to get our hopes up only to have them be crushed again, correct?" Loki asked.

"We've spent the past five years healing," (Y/n) added, "We all miss everyone that was lost dearly, but to feel like we have them in our grasp only to have them ripped away again... before any decision is made, we want to know what we're working with."

"Thanks to Scott we have the general idea of time travel down. Right now we're just trying to finalize everything. We were also hoping that you and Loki would be able to help."

"Us?"

"All of us are science based, but time travel is more than that. Both of you can use magic, and (Y/n) you are a stone, so it'd be a big help to have you on board."

"We know you probably feel like you have all you need here, but-"

"I'll help," Thor cut Rocket off with his final decision, "I... I trust you."

(Y/n) wanted to say no. The night before, her and Loki agreed that they would support from a distance. Observe but not participate. But sitting there, all (Y/n) could think about was all the time she spent with Wanda after the Accords, and how excited she was to no longer be the only Infinity Stone holder, or the Guardians of the Galaxy-

"We'll help you."

"We will?" Loki questioned, then nodded slowly when (Y/n) gave him a telling look, "Yes, we will assist you. Of course we'll need to find a sitter for the girls... I don't trust Valkyrie to do it."

"Neither do I, she's a bad influence. Eir might be open."

(Y/n) pushed down the gentle feeling swelling in her chest. She wouldn't allow it to bloom, not yet. Not until she saw the progress of the time travel machine at the same time and made her own decisions about the probability of their success.

Yet, the hope wouldn't go away.