"I am... I am free..." I breathe, looking at my normal hands in shock. "You broke the curse..."

"Not all of it," he said regretfully. "The only part of the curse I broke is the part that turns you to stone. You are no longer a Stone Siren. You are only a siren now."

"I-I thought there was no charm that could lift the curse," I said, confused. "I looked one last time before we returned to Midgard," Loki smirked. "In the very last book. That was where the scriptures on the charm were located."

I nod. "Loki... thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me." "I am simply repaying my debts," he shrugs, but I can tell he is happy about this. The wolf pup starts yapping happily. My companion is happy! My companion is happy!

I chuckle and scoop her up, hugging her gently. "That is right, lycanus minscale," I tell her, petting her. "What does that mean?" Loki asked. "Little wolf," I smile. "At the moment, it suits her well."

"Lexis, Reindeer Games!" Tony calls, coming into the room. "Get your butts changed, the Bartons will be here any minute now and you can't hang around in your PJs!"

"I will see you later, I suppose," I smile slightly to Loki. "That you shall," he replies walking off. I set the pup down and let her walk beside me. She's very curious about everything and is enjoying her chance to explore the tower a little. "We shall have to use my new phone to look for Norse names for you," I tell her. Okay! She agrees. She's surprisingly good at projecting her thoughts.

"I hope you do not mind children," I tell her. "There are at least two coming and they may wish to pet you." That sounds fun! She assured me. "Good. I am sure they will behave themselves."

She's happy enough to play in the bedroom while I change in the bathroom. I chose a simple red dress with a white faux fur trim. After stepping into a pair of black boots, I exit the bathroom, brush my hair and then look for the pup. "Alright, time to come out now," I call out. The bed sheets rustle, then a little head pops out. I laugh and sit beside her, then pick up my new phone.

Once I figure out how to use it and also how to make a little voice say the words aloud, I start looking for Asgardian names, which come up as Norse, but apparently mean roughly the same thing.

"Let me see..." I muse as I finish compiling a list of the names that I think suit the pup best. "Okay, there is Astrid, Sylvi, Embla, Erica, Kari, Rune, Runa, Saga, Sassa or Tove. Which would you like to be your name, lycanus minscale?"

She thought for a moment. I like Kari and Rune, she said eventually. Hm... Rune. Yeah. I like Rune.

"Then you shall be called Rune," I tell her. "It suits you well; sweet yet wise." She holds her head high with pride at the compliment. Just then Jarvis announces that the Bartons are here and Clint wants everyone to come to the penthouse to meet them.

"Are you ready, Rune?" I ask. She nods, tail wagging. I chuckle and lead the way back up to the penthouse, but not before picking a few things up. Once we arrive, Rune is quickly spotted by a little boy and girl. "Look at the dog!" The girl gasps. Rune grunts. I'm not a dog. I'm a wolf. There are many differences.

"Rune is an Asgardian wolf cub, to be exact," I say to the girl. "She does not like to be called a dog."  The girl nods and walks over to Rune, looking at her. "Can I pet her?" She asks me. Would you like her to? I ask Rune, who replies with excited confirmation. "She says she would love to be petted," I tell the girl, who grins and kneels down to pet a happy Rune. A boy a few years older than her joins her, looking at Rune in surprise. He's fascinated by a friendly alien wolf. I can't help but chuckle.

"I see you've stolen my kids," Clint said, coming over. "Children love animals, it is not my fault that Rune is a wolf," I shrug. "You called the wolf Rune?" He asked, looking at her. Her tail was about to fly off from so much wagging. "She liked the name and it was Asgardian," I shrug again.

"Oh, who's this?" A woman with a baby in her arms came over, looking at me. She then noticed what the kids were playing with. "Oh my gosh... kids! Be careful with that dog! Did you ask before petting it?"

"She's an Asgardian wolf!" The little girl says. "She doesn't like being called a dog! The lady said so!" "Rune will not harm them," I tell the woman. "I assume you are Laura?"

She's surprised by my more formal speech. "Yes, I am," she nodded. "What about you? Are you a new Avenger?" I'm about to answer when Steve comes over and speaks up for me. "Yeah, Lexis is the newest member. It's good to see you again, Laura. How have the kids been?"

I am not an Avenger! I snap at Steve telepathically. Why did you say that?!

Because you should be an Avenger, is his reply. That way we can keep you safe and you can help if Bruce turns green and you could be an incredible asset to the team and we love having you around!

Quit your pointless rambling, Rodgers! I sigh aloud. Laura looks to me. "Is something wrong?" Steve gives me a look that dares me to defy him. "No, not at all," I answer. But one more word from you and there will be, I threaten Steve.

He looks appropriately nervous. Good. He should know by now not to get on my bad side.