"Mrrt?" tussle, tussle, the sound of fabric moving on the bed next to you stirred you. "Mrow?" more fighting with fabric. You looked over and saw a small shape squirming under the blanket you had draped over Loki in the middle of the night. "Mrow!" came the indignant cat when you laughed at his adorable attempts to get out from under the now way too big blanket.

"Sorry! Sorry!" you told him as you sat up and rescued him from the blanket. "You looked cold last night," you explained when he grumped at you. "I don't know how you got all the way under the blanket, I surely didn't put you there," your added though he'd stopped grumbling since it was obvious he was under the blanket because you had cared about him. "I think Cap is making your other favorite for breakfast," you told him with a smirk, knowing that would cheer him up the rest of the way. His ears perked up and he nyoomed from the room. You were laughing as you followed him at a much more sedate pace.

"Lady Y/N, is this not the dance hall we were at on Friday?" Thor asked, gesturing to the news that was playing on a display in the dining room when you had made it downstairs. You took a plate of french toast from Cap and turned your attention to the display that someone had made to take up a large chunk of one of the dining room walls.

"So far there have been six confirmed cases of this mysterious illness. All six men were at Mirage Nightclub on Friday night. The CDC is recommending that anyone who came into contact with these men or were at Mirage on Friday night be tested for possible contamination. If you were at Mirage on Friday and notice any sudden onset or nausea, fever, confusion, diarrhea or coughing seek medical help immediately. This illness comes on sudden and severely, don't take any chances-" the news anchor was saying. You stared at the pictures they displayed on the screen. You grabbed the images off of the Jarvis display and threw them up on another wall.

"Y/N?" Cap asked while you stared.

"Are you contaminated?" Tony asked, looking like he was going to throw you in quarantine.

"What do you know?" Clint asked, more curious than anything else.

"Those are the men Thor rescued me from on Friday," you told them all. You pointed to one. "That's Neil, the guy who Pepper set me up with,"

"Shit! You're contaminated?!" Tony asked. You glanced at Loki who was too innocently eating his french toast.

"I... don't think that will be a problem. It's hard for me to get sick," you added quickly before they could ask why you wouldn't be contaminated. Cap and Tony didn't look convinced and Thor looked at the too-innocent Loki, who had magic and who you knew had been at the club checking up on you. You had a strong suspicion he had been involved in this mysterious 'illness', which was sounding more and more like poisoning the longer the news person spoke.

"Oh, Thor, I forgot to show you this," you changed the subject as Tony removed the displays from the wall. You dug in your pocket and pulled out your phone as you got up and went to where Thor was. With your back to Loki, you held a finger to your lips, then showed Thor the picture you had taken in the middle of the night of the mostly human Loki. It was a really adorable picture. You were tempted to print it out and frame it yourself, once Loki actually turned back human. Thor's eyes lit up.

"That is excellent news indeed!" he exclaimed, unable to help himself.

"Mrow?" Loki asked, coming over to see what you were up to. You closed the picture quickly and pulled up one on Facebook of one of your friends and her new boyfriend.

You showed the picture to Loki. "Sabrina finally found a nice wizard to date," you told him. He looked disappointed, expecting juicier gossip. "Maybe you can meet her sometime," you told him and scratched behind his ears.

*

A few days later when you were happily curled on your couch with Loki purring in your lap while you read, the alarm started blaring through the tower. You set Loki on his pillow and jumped to your feet, summoning your battle costume at the same time. It looked like a typical Halloween witch's costume, black hat, black and green knee length dress, black leggings, black arm warmers with green lacing up the sides and at the elbow. The costume only looked like a Halloween costume. It was actually made of some fancy kevlar-like material that SHIELD had come up with, so it was perfectly suitable armor. Coulson had also designed the costume.

"Jarvis, where's the emergency?" you asked. He responded with a location that was nearby and shut off the alarm. Flying it was.

"Mrow?" Loki was concerned. You kissed the top of his head.

"Stay here. Something's going on downtown. The whole team is being called in,"

"Mrow!" he complained, scrambling up to jump into your arms.

"Not this time, Lokitty. I'm not risking your safety. Stay here, where you'll be safe." You told him firmly and before he could try again to jump into your arms, you teleported up to the flight deck to get your broom. It was poor form to teleport into battle unless it was too far to fly effectively. The team got jumpy at suddenly appearing people during battle and tended to attack first and ask questions later. Plus the broom was helpful during battle, so you grabbed your broom and leapt off of the tower, mounting as you fell in a practice movement and speeding toward the nearby battle ground.

"Kid! We're fighting enhanced. Some Hydra agents are mutants. One has super speed. We can't get a lock on him!" Tony shouted over the comms as he saw you fly in.

"Got it," you told him and drew your wand, hovering just above the battle. "The floor is lava," you announced to the team as you saw the blur running across the battle field. Cap jumped up onto a parked car, Clint was already on top of a building shooting arrows, Nat jumped and Tony caught her. Hulk was safe because he was the Hulk and Thor was already flying. You waved your wand, murmuring the spell and the entire parking lot turned into quicksand. "Catch him quick, I can't hold this long," you told them firmly, holding your wand in both hands to focus on keeping the parking lot quicksand as you had to keep moving to dodge attacks now that the bad guys had figured out you were here. Cap threw his shield at the stalled speedster and knocked him out quickly. You dropped the quicksand spell and began shooting back at your attackers.

You jumped up on your broom, riding it like a skateboard and flew faster around the battle shooting off spells, dodging attacks. At one point you noticed a green bolt of magic take out someone who had tried to sneak up behind you. It wasn't your magic, but you didn't have time to worry about it in the middle of battle.

"Y/N, could use an assist!" Clint called. A group of clones had appeared on his rooftop. You flew up to him.

"Get down!" you called. He dropped and you threw a magic bomb into the air between the clones. It blew and threw all of the clones, who vanished, and the original who you caught and dropped back on the roof with Clint for him to deal with. He tied them up quickly.

"Can I get a lift back down?" he asked. You sat back down on the broom and slid forward so he could mount behind you.

"Hold on, this is going to be a bumpy drop!" you told him as you grabbed the bound mutant to haul them with you. You weren't leaving them up here alone to vanish or create more clones.

"I hate this part!" he yelled as you dove back for the ground. It was a rough ride, with two passengers, but you managed and even pulled out of the dive with room to spare. You dropped the mutant, paused long enough for Clint to curse as he dismounted and hopped back up to skateboard position.

"One's on my tail!" Tony called. Thor blasted the mutant with lightning while you shot a bolt of magic at him.

Then came the guys with guns. "Y/N, can you do that quicksand spell again?" Cap asked.

"Yes, but I can't hold it long,"

"Just need a minute, Thor!" Cap held up his shield, but the targets were all moving. Ergo... You dropped from the broom to the top of a parked car.

"Someone cover me!" you called. Clint and Nat were there in a moment, covering you with guns and arrows while you waved your wand to repeat the quicksand spell. It took more concentration than you wanted to admit, but you held the spell while Thor slammed his hammer on Cap's shield, throwing lightning and a resounding shockwave across the battle. The gunmen were down in and instant.

SHIELD agents came to collect the Hydra people and mutants. You and the team stumbled tiredly into the nearest restaurant, which happened to be a shawarma place. You all smirked at the type of restaurant. The owners didn't seem surprised to see you and fed you all way too much food. You made sure to pack a to-go order for Loki.

Loki mrowed and twined around your legs and overall worried over you all when you finally made it back. "We're fine, Lokitty," you told him. "A little dirty and gross, but we're fine. All of us," you promised him when he continued worrying over you. "I even brought you something to eat," you told him and held up the container of food. He still wasn't placated until he had eaten, you had showered, and you were curled back on the couch with him where he resumed his purring position in your lap.

You laid on your back on the couch, shifting Loki to your stomach on top of one of the throw blankets. "Hush, you," you told him when he protested being moved. "That was draining and I want to close my eyes for a little bit," The rest of the team was slowly passing out on the couches and chairs in the living room too.

You thought you were dreaming the cool strong arms lifting you from the couch, being cradled to an equally cool chest, the soft voice murmuring for you to relax, that you were safe, how much it meant that you wanted to keep him safe, how stupid you were to go without him, and to go back to sleep, being tucked in bed, soft cold lips pressing against your forehead.

It was all a dream.

Except that you woke the next morning in your bed and not on the couch and you couldn't remember walking here on your own.

*

"You could have woken us when you went to bed," Tony grumbled at breakfast, rubbing a crick in his neck from where he'd slept all night in an uncomfortable position in one of the chairs.

You grabbed a bowl cereal, all you felt up to on a Monday morning. The rest of the team was looking about as pathetic as Tony, except Loki who was happily eating the last slice of french toast. "Sorry, must've sleep-walked upstairs. I seriously don't remember going to bed," you told him. "Else I would've, I swear," you told them all. They grumbled and returned to their coffee, but seemed to have forgiven you.

"Lokitty, I could use your help teaching today. Are you up to it?" you asked him. He looked up at you, obviously surprised that you would want or need his help, but nodded. "Thanks! I just need you to think of a story to tell," you added.

*

"One last warning about full animal transformations before we move on to the next part of this topic. How long is the longest that you should risk staying in animal form?"

"As short of a time as possible," one of the students suggested.

"You're not wrong, and each witch or wizard has a different reaction to particular lengths. Why should you limit your time in animal form?"

"The longer you stay in a particular form, the harder it is to turn all the way human again,"

"Very good. Now that you've gotten full animal transformations down, we can work on partial transformations, which are harder. The advantage of a partial transformation is that you get the skills of the animal, say better eyesight and hearing, while keeping useful things like opposable thumbs," you explained and the class giggled. "It also gives you the ability to communicate with the type of animal you are partially turning into and retain the ability to speak English. So today, we're going to practice turning partially into cats," you told them and demonstrated the spell. The students copied and within a couple of minutes the entire class had cat-ears. Which was adorable and you wanted to take a thousand pictures. Instead, you remained professional. It took all of your willpower. "Lokitty, would you tell us a story to make sure they got it right?" you asked him.

He nodded regally from the pillow on top of your desk, preening when all eyes turned to him. "A long long time ago, before Midgard was new, there was nothing but the chasm, Ginnungagap, bounded on either side by fire from the world of Muspelheim and ice from the world of Niflheim. In the place where fire and ice met, a giant was formed by the name of Ymir. Odin the Allfather killed the giant Ymir and from Ymir's body grew Yggdrasil, the tree of life,"

"Norse mythology?" one of the students asked while they all stared enraptured at the talking cat telling them stories of Norse mythology.

You were enraptured too, but not for the tale itself, but for the voice that you heard under the meows of cat. You could hear the human voice beneath the cat's and realized you'd heard it before. It took a minute to place it, but you finally realized it was from the man your brain had conjured the other night, the one who had promised you were safe and those men from the club would never bother you again, the one from your dream last night, telling you were you were safe and to go back to sleep.

Your brain hadn't conjured an imaginary man after all.

It had been Loki that night soothing away your nightmares.

It had been Loki who carried you to bed last night.

*

"Mrow?" Lokitty asked when he saw that you came to breakfast a morning a couple weeks later wearing a floor length dress. The material was soft and simple enough for an every day dress when you had worn it years and years ago. You smiled at him.

"Yes, I'm going out, yes, you can come with me," you told him automatically and kissed the perfect spot between his ears.

"That gown is lovely, Lady Y/N," Thor greeted you that morning, rising and kissing your hand.

"Thanks, Thor. I'm visiting my mom this morning, and she appreciates when I dress nicely...for once," you replied, kissing his cheek. You had actually let your hair hang down your back in curls today too, putting some effort...and magic...into making sure it stayed that way.

"Mrow?" Loki sounded sad, his ears drooping.

"I said you can come. Mom likes cats," you reminded him. "Don't pout," you scolded. He still looked concerned. "I wouldn't have said you could come if you'd be unwelcome," you reminded him. He finally relaxed again.

You ate a quick breakfast, then asked "Ready?" to Loki. He hopped lightly into your arms in reply. "I have my phone and comm if anyone needs me," you told Thor, who nodded and wished you well, looking a bit sad. Loki cocked his head at Thor's sad expression, but you didn't clarify. Instead you took the elevator upstairs to the flight deck. "We have to fly to get there. You don't have to come if you don't want," you reminded him. You didn't think flying was his favorite activity. You offered to set him down, but he mrrt-ed in protest. "Fine, fine." You picked up your broom and glared at it. "I hate riding sidesaddle," you grumbled at it as you proceeded to do so. "I must love you, mom," you added under your breath and Loki snorted in cat laughter. "Hush, you," you grumbled at him.

You settled him safely in your lap and kept him cradled firmly to you as you flew. It was a much slower flight than usual, in consideration for the fact that you were riding sidesaddle and had a Lokitty to keep safe. "We have to make a stop on the way," you told him and flew to the florist who had your order. Loki sat patiently on your shoulder while you reviewed the flowers.

"New familiar?" the old witch behind the counter asked.

You shook your head. "No, a new familiar hasn't chosen me yet, this handsome fellow is a wizard who has been keeping me company. He's shy, though," you added explaining why he was a cat effectively.

"About time you found a nice boy to settle down with," she said fondly.

You laughed. "It's nothing like that. He's just a friend, Helene," you told her.

She glared at Loki. "Make your move soon, young man. Our Y/N is a catch and deserves to be happy. You wouldn't want to see some other wizard sweep her up while you're waiting for the perfect moment, now would you?" she asked firmly. He glared right back for a moment, then looked away. "Of course you wouldn't, so don't make her wait forever for you to pluck up your courage,"

"Grandmother..." you warned. She wasn't really your grandmother, but it was a respectful term for witches as old as she was. "Be nice. I told you, he's just a friend who's been keeping me company." You told her firmly as you paid for the bouquet.

"I have to meddle, it's my job, dear. Tell your mother I said hello," she bid you.

"Of course," you kissed her cheek and left her shop. "Ignore Helene, she means well, but she's been pushy as long as I can remember," you told Loki as you remounted your broom and settled him back in your lap.

You flew for awhile longer and finally landed on a grassy hill. You set your broom against the tree and took the few steps to the grave beneath it's branches, Loki balanced on your shoulders and the bouquet in your hands. You knelt in front of the grave in the grass and waved the leaves and debris away with magic. "Hi mom," you said to the tombstone, laying the bouquet down in front of it. Loki jumped down from your shoulder to stand next to where you were kneeling. "Helene said to tell you hello from her. And this is Loki. I told him you wouldn't mind if he came to visit too. I know how much you like cats, and I don't have a new familiar for you to meet yet. He's a wizard. No, don't you get any ideas about trying to set him up with me, too. Helene already harassed the poor boy. Don't worry mom, the Avengers are good company, I'm happy living with them," you told her, as if she were alive and well to talk to you, as if you had just come home to visit.

You looked at Loki when you realized he was saying something. A quick bit of concentration and rushing through the spell through years of experience let you hear "I bid you take your place in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave shall live forever. Nor shall we mourn, but rejoice, for those who have died the glorious death," you smiled and let your spell fade, touched that he would think to say a prayer for your mom. You ran your hand down Loki's head and he curled himself in your lap when he had finished.

"Fifty years and it still hurts like the day she left," you told him softly. "A witch hunter found her, thinking she was a Blood Witch, a witch who uses other's blood to power their spells, when nothing could be further from the truth. He was executed for his mistake, but no magic can bring the dead back to us. Mom was a healer and an herbalist and she wasn't even that powerful. She always said my power was a throwback to my grandmother, and that I was the brightest witch of our age. She thought the world of me. I still hope that I'm worthy of it..." Loki licked your cheek. You smiled and kissed the top of his head. "You're right, she wouldn't want me to be sad,"

"Y/N, I know you're busy this morning, but we could really use your help," Cap's voice came over the comm in your ear. You got their location from Jarvis.

"I'm pretty far out. I'll have to teleport in," you told him.

"We'll watch for you. I'll make sure Tony doesn't blast you out of the air," Cap replied.

"Got it. I'll be there in a minute," you told him as you summoned your battle costume. You set Loki carefully to the side and leaned down to kiss the tombstone. "Sorry, mom, I've got to go, the team needs my help. I promise I'll visit again soon," you placed your hand against the stone before you stood. "Lokitty, go home. If they're calling me in when they know I'm here, then this is bad. Please, go home where it's safe," you told him firmly. You didn't want to have to worry about his safety. In answer, he jumped up on your shoulder. You sighed, but didn't have time to argue with him. "If you get hurt, I am going to be quite cross with you," you told him firmly. You grabbed your broom and teleported to the battle.

The battle was a nightmare. There were civilians everywhere and robots and mutants attacking everything in sight, especially the civilians. You surveyed the scene, not knowing even where to begin until you saw the children in the middle of the chaos. "Hold on," you told Loki as you mounted your broom and sped over to the kids. You got there just in time to throw a blast of magic at a robot that was intent on attacking them. "Loki, I know you have no capacity to follow orders, but please listen to me for once. Get these children out of here." You ordered him with enough force in your tone that he would know you meant it. You covered him and the children while they made their escape, while he somehow actually did what you said and got them away from the battle.

It was a grueling, draining, awful fight. The robots were resistant to magic and seemed to want to focus their attention on you and the mutants seemed better organized than usual. You spent all of your time and magic trying to get the civilians to safety and keep yourself and your teammates alive, including bringing Clint back from the brink of death after he'd been impaled. Healing wasn't your strong point, but you could do it in a pinch. Saving Clint's life was a pinch.

You covered the team when you could, firing off blasts of magic, and other complex complicated draining spells. You teamed up with Thor for awhile, guarding his back while he used Mjolnir against the robots. You got separated when you both had to fly off to help different teammates. Your magic was dwindling at an alarming rate and you were going to be useless to the team soon.

Toward the end of the battle you were alone until Lokitty came running up to help you. The last robot spotted you and raised it's arm, shooting some kind of missiles and grenades. There may have been a rocket launcher involved. You were a bit busy trying to not die to pay much attention as all of your teammates yelled over the comms, too far away to help. You ran and scooped up Loki as you did. You knew you were doomed when you saw that you were completely surrounded by things that were going to explode. There was no way to run through them to safety. You teleported, but only made it a few paces, too drained from the battle for such big magic again so soon. Your broom was too far away, it would never get to you in time.

Shit.

That left one option.

One desperate, stupid option.

"Forgive me, Loki," you told him softly. The only reason you could still manage this spell was over 400 years of perfecting it, and it was so small, so very small and took so little energy to enact with how many times you had done it. Hell, you always kept the spell primed so all you had to do was mutter the last syllable at any given time. It was so very much easier than teleporting you and Loki away from danger, which was impossible right now. "I'm sorry, but this is all I can do to save even one of us. Don't hate me for saving you," you whispered as you summoned the timeout ball around him less than a second before the first explosion went off.