Hey all, here's my first chapter (and bit of writing for that matter) post-surgery! Sorry to keep everyone waiting. I hope you enjoy it!

"So here's the plan," says Sigyn as she confidently strides towards the train station. "We commandeer the train and we stuff as many of the civilians as we can onto the train."

"No," replies both of the Loki Variants at the same time.

"We'll be wasting precious time if we try and evacuate the whole planet. Were you not listening to the part where I said no one ever makes it off of here? That will include us unless we hurry."

It's not an answer Sigyn likes. She looks ahead to the line of people waiting for the train as the wealthy are ushered on by guards. It isn't right. "Well, they never had us."

"Besides, we can't fight our way onto the train. They'll just leave without us," reasons Loki.

Sylvie nods. "I'm going to enchant a guard, have him lead us through the crowd, and if anyone gives us any trouble..."

"Make him start shooting? And then what, kill every guard and hijack the train?"

"I like that plan," says Sigyn, raising her hand. Her companions shoot her a glance of confusion. "Minus the killing part, of course."

Loki sighs, putting his hands on Sigyn's shoulders. "We're doing this my way." He transforms his clothes into a guard uniform, causing both Sigyn and Sylvie to roll their eyes. "How do I look."

"Slightly more punchable," says Sigyn.

Loki's face deflates at her comment. "Come on. Even you have to admit that it's a good plan."

"That is yet to be seen," says Sylvie.

Loki leads them up to the front of the line, holding Sigyn in one hand and Sylvie in the other. He tries to sneak them past the guard taking the tickets, Private Hudson, and into the train, but they are stopped. "Whoa, hey!"

"Taking these two to Shuroo," says Loki confidently. Sigyn is impressed with his ability to have been able to figure out a name that would get them all through the door.

Her being impressed with Loki comes to a stop when Private Hudson looks her and Sylvie up and down, inspecting them. Shuroo doesn't sound like the type of person she would want to meet. Or the type of person that would want to meet her. "Okay. And the tickets?"

"Orders come from the top to get them on this train."

Sigyn can feel the waves of distrust coming off of the Private. He doesn't believe them. Private Hudson goes to alert another guard, but Sylvie reaches out to touch his arm, effectively enchanting him.

The guard in charge turns to them. "Everything okay?"

The Private shakes his head. "Yeah, everything's fine. Yeah, I just remembered that headquarters radioed in their request for them this morning."

The boss looks over all of them one last time before sighing and allowing them on the train. But Sigyn can tell that he's going to be keeping an eye on them.

Much to Sigyn's personal dismay, the train cart that they walk onto is nearly empty. There's a large operational bar in the centre and lots and lots of space. There would have been room for everyone outside if those inside didn't mind giving up luxury for a few hours. The whole thing makes her blood boil. All of the people on the train, walking around in their ridiculous clothes, not caring that they're about to leave people to die. They're going to burn with them, Sigyn can't help but remind herself.

She takes her attention away from her frustration and onto, well, a different frustration. Sylvie and Loki seem to be arguing about who has to ride backwards, leaving her to roll her eyes at them. Not wanting to be difficult, Sigyn pulls up a chair to sit as Sylvie lets out a small yawn.

"Oh, you a bit tired? Feel free to, you know, get some rest," Loki tells her.

"I can't sleep in a place like this."

Loki's eyebrow quirks up in confusion. "You can't sleep on a train?"

"No. I can't sleep around untrustworthy people." Sylvie turns to Sigyn and gives a small shrug. "No offence." She turns back to Loki, "But you feel free to take a nap."

Loki scoffs. "Nice try."

"I'm not gonna waste my time rooting around for the TemPad when someone taught you fairly decent magic."

"My mother."

It doesn't take a genius or powers for Sigyn to realize Loki may have struck a chord with Sylvie. She saw how Loki and Thor's mother died after being attacked by the elves.

Instead of biting back as Sigyn expects, Sylvie pauses considerably, "What was she like?"

"She was, um... A Queen of Asgard. She was good. Purely decent." The way Loki talks about his mother rugs at Sigyn's heartstrings. It's the most sincere he's ever sounded.

But Sylvie scoffs. "Are you sure she was your mother?"

"Oh, no, she's not actually. I was adopted. Is that a bit of a spoiler for you? Sorry about that."

"No, I knew I was adopted."

"What? They told you?"

"Yeah. Did they not tell you?"

Sigyn raises her eyebrows at the conversation. She also wasn't told by her parents that she was adopted until all hell broke loose. "That makes one of us."

Loki barely pays any mind to Sigyn's quip and continues to press Sylvie about her mother, or rather, their mother. "No. I mean, I mean, they, they did eventually. Hang on a second. So, tell... Tell me about your mother."

"I barely remember her. Just blips of a dream at this point," says Sylvie casually. A pang of guilt, regret, and longing bounces off of Sylvie and towards Sigyn. She clearly is missing her mother, or perhaps, missing the memory of having a mother.

It makes Sigyn start to miss her own mother. She thinks back to the year Sylvie said it was. Her mother was surely gone by now, even if she had been returned after being turned to dust—something Sigyn still isn't sure about because she destroyed the machine.

Sensing both of the women's moods starting to take a turn for the negative, Loki speaks up. "You know, when I was young, she'd do these little bits of magic for me. Like turn a flower into a frog or cast fireworks over the water. It all seemed impossible. But she told me that I'd be able to do it too because... Because I could do anything. You wanna see?"

Sigyn gives a small nod and watches in awe as Loki sets off miniature fireworks from his hand, blooming and blossoming into a beautiful array of colours.

However, Sylvie is not as impressed. "Not bad."

"She was the kinda person you'd want to believe in you," says Loki. Once again, Sigyn is floored by the sincerity of how he speaks of his mother. In New York, she saw a cold, hard-hearted man. But now? She's not so sure.

"Sounds like she does," says Sylvie

}Well, she did." Sigyn feels a sting as he refers to his mother in the past tense. "So, where'd you learn to do the... You know, the... Whatever it is?"

"I taught myself."

Loki seems surprised by this, "You taught yourself that magic?"

"Yeah, I did."

"What, do you just... You just go into their minds and project some sort of illusion?"

"Really, it'd be easier if I just..." Sylvie reaches across the table, but Loki and Sigyn pull their hands away, not wanting their minds to be tampered with.

"Enchanted me and take the TemPad and leap out the train? No, thank you."

"Or I could just enchant her to smack you around a little bit," says Sylvie, nodding towards Sigyn.

"Wouldn't have to enchant me to do that..." mutters Sigyn.

Clearly feeling ganged up on, Loki's only response is a small, "Okay."

He's saved by a waitress coming up to the group and offering them champagne.

Gladly, Loki takes a flute off of the tray. "Ah, yes. Thank you very much." Sigyn also takes a flute, but Sylvie refuses hers. "Oh, I'll take hers. Thank you. Cheers," he says, holding up his two glasses to clink against Sigyn's, "To the end of the world."

He takes a drink, but Sigyn rolls her eyes. "I'm not toasting to that."

"To each their own," says Loki as he takes a drink. "A pity the old woman chose to die, don't you think?"

"She was in love," responds Sylvie, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

But it's not to Loki. "She hated him."

"Maybe love is hate."

"Should probably remember that," Loki raises his hands to conjure a paper and quill. "What was that?" He looks down at his paper, writing it down as he speaks. "Love is... Love is hate."

Even though Sigyn is getting a kick out of the display, Sylvie isn't having any of this extended joke, "Oh, piss off!"

Not wanting to anger the other version of himself--too much at least--he makes the paper and quill disappear. "So, on the subject of love, is there a lucky beau waiting for you at the end of this crusade?"

"Yeah, there is, actually."

"Oh," is all Loki manages to reply. He wasn't expecting that.

"Managed to maintain quite a serious long-distance relationship with a postman whilst running across time from one apocalypse to another." It's clear now that Sylvie is joking, but Sigyn can feel a bit of pain buried into the jokes.

"And with charm like us, who could resist?"

"Well, people are quite willing in the face of certain doom," retorts Sylvie. She nods towards Sigyn. "Especially when they look like her."

Sigyn grows uncomfortable in her seat as Sylvie winks at her.

Looking between the two women and not sure what is going on there, Loki replies, "I'm sure they are."

"It was only ever just to keep me going," says Sylvie, but Sigyn isn't quite sure about that. "How about you? You're a prince. Must've been would-be princesses or perhaps, another prince."

"A bit of both. I suspect the same as you." Sylvie gives a small smirk at that. "But, nothing ever..."

"Real," finishes Sylvie. "What about you then, Sigyn. Have you ever been in love?"

Sigyn takes a sip of her champagne before answering, "Well, my dad didn't let me date anyone because he was scared I'd accidentally blow their heads up or something, so no, I haven't really been able to fall in love. Once I got to Stark Industries, I dated around to make up for lost time, but nothing even remotely serious."

Both her companions are clearly not expecting an answer with such... candour and blink a few times before recovering. Sylvie is the first to do so, with a small smirk spreading across her face. "Oh, come on. You must have dreamed of it though. You always seemed like such a romantic."

Although slightly annoyed, Sigyn is slightly distracted by the alcohol and answers truthfully again. "I dunno. I used to dream that some prince would come and rescue me from my drab life in my small little town. Like, a knight in shining armour to sweep me off my feet."

"You're a hopeless romantic," teases Loki.

"Ah, ah, ah, I was a hopeless romantic, " corrects Sigyn.

"And what changed?" he asks.

"I realized that the prince only comes to save the princess. Not the monster." She immediately tenses after realizing what she's revealed, looking up to see both of the Loki Variants looking at her.

Great, she thinks to herself. I've just told two supervillains I think I'm a monster. That certainly won't come to bite me in the ass.

She can feel their uncomfortable gazes boring into her, not wanting to meet either of their gazes.

Though if she did, she would see that their looks are ones of pity, not malice or ill-intent.

Not wanting to be there anymore, Sigyn crawls out of the booth. "I, um, I've got to go to the bathroom." Loki reaches for her arm, trying to stop her, but Sylvie gives him a glance telling him to let her go and give her space.

The two watch Sigyn go off in search of the bathroom, but Loki's gaze lingers for longer. When he turns back to Sylvie, he sees that she's watching him intently with a grin on her face. "Love is mischief, then. Love is her."

The statement immediately makes Loki uncomfortable. He can't love her. He knows that it's what he's 'meant' to do in the sacred timeline, but what good did that get him? What good does it get her? One of them winds up dead and the other...actually, he's not sure what happens to her afterward. He's never asked. "No. Love is... uh, something I might have to have another drink to think about." Loki downs the rest of his second drink, trying to push the thoughts away.

"You do realize we're about to try and hijack the power source to a civilization's only hope?"

"I do."

"And you realize your superhero girlfriend isn't going to be happy about that."

Loki sighs. "She's not my girlfriend, but yes, I do."

"It's not gonna be easy. We should rest," says Sylvie.

"All right. You relax your way, and I'll relax mine."

~~~~~

When Sigyn finds her way back to the booth, she spots Loki waiting for her, holding something in his hands behind his back and approaching her with a devilish grin. "I have something for you."

Sigyn's eyes go wide, remembering all the stories Thor had told her about his brother. "Is this the part where you stab me?"

"No. Better," says Loki, causing Sigyn's head to turn at the off-colour comment, but all is forgotten when he pulls the object from behind his back. Lo and behold, in all of its sesame seeded goodness, Loki holds out a bagel.

Sigyn gasps with delight as she reaches for the food. "Where did you get this?"

"I asked the chef if they had any 'Earth' delicacies. Told you I would get you one."

Not stopping to talk anymore, Sigyn takes a bite so large, anyone watching would think that she's never seen food before. She happily chomps down the food but pauses when she sees Loki staring at her. "What?" she asks with her mouth half-full. "Did you poison it or something?"

Loki shakes his head. "No, you just...I'm glad you like it."

Sigyn eyes him suspiciously for a moment. "Do you...want to try it?"

"No, I couldn't possibly--"

"Oh, come on," says Sigyn, tearing off and passing him a piece of the bagel.

Loki holds out his hands in refusal. "I don't want it. I'm a God. I don't want Midgard food."

"Just a piece," says Sigyn as she tries to bring it up to his face.

"I don't--" Sigyn tries to shove the piece into Loki's mouth as he speaks, but he seals his lips definitely.

"Oh, don't be like that. It's good. I promise." She gives him a pointed look. "I can do this all day."

Reluctantly, Loki opens his mouth and Sigyn unceremoniously shoves it into his mouth. As he chews, his face goes from one of displeasure to enjoyment. "See, I told you it was good."

Ever the gentlemen, Loki finishes chewing before speaking, "Actually, it is quite delightful. Very creamy, but the seeds give it a satisfying crunch."

Sigyn gives a big toothy grin to Loki, nearly forgetting all about the impending doom of Lamentis-1 and the TVA. After a few moments, both go to sit down at another booth so as not to interrupt Sylvie's slumber.

Loki is the first to break the silence after they're seated. "I never realized we were so...similar."

"Well, you were trying to kill me so, that makes it a bit harder to get to know someone," retorts Sigyn.

Loki can't help but recognize how much she sounds like Stark in her quips. "But think about it. Our backstories, how similar they are. That must be what drew the two of us together in the other timeline."

Sigyn shrugs, not really wanting to think about it. "I suppose. I'm sure there was more to it than that though."

"Well, if there's not, we both better watch out," says Loki, only half-jesting.

Sigyn gives him an unimpressed glare. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we hate each other."

"Well, it didn't exactly look like love at first sight to me."

Sigyn sighs deeply. "And look how that turned out for both of us."

"What does happen to you? Afterwards, I mean."

"I--She's sent to Earth by Heimdal. But Thanos defeats them. He snaps half the universe away. She goes into mourning. So does Thor. For five whole years, they just...sit there. But they start a time heist, go back and collect all the stones, bring everyone back," Sigyn's eyes flick up guiltily at the mention of bringing everyone back. Because it's not quite everyone.

"But not me," says Loki solemnly.

Sigyn clears her throat. "No. Not you." A tense moment passes before Sigyn speaks up again. "I stopped watching after that."

The two stare across at one another for a moment, deep into one another's eyes, trying to discern the other's emotions. Sigyn has a hard time reading both of the Loki Variant's emotions, but especially this Loki's are always muddled. "It seems us being together isn't meant to end well."

"It would seem so," says Sigyn tightly, though without breaking the gaze. "To save ourselves in the future, why don't we make another pact. For both our sakes. We're not allowed to..."

Once Loki catches onto what she's saying, he rolls his eyes. "Oh please, you don't need to worry about that on my end." His face turns into a sly smile, "But what about yours?" Sigyn tilts her head, disapproving of his comment and extends her hand for him to shake. "You want to make an 'anti-love' pact?" Sigyn nods. "I really don't think this is necessary..." continues Loki.

"Then you shouldn't have any problem shaking on it," says Sigyn pointedly.

Even though he takes the time to consider it, he tries not to hesitate because he realizes he's been backed into a corner by Sigyn. If he doesn't shake her hand, it would be an admission. A false admission, of course, he thinks to himself, but seen as one nonetheless.

"Well, this has all been utterly depressing," muses Loki. He grabs two champagne flutes off of the tray of a passing waitress and holds them up to Sigyn, a sarcastic smile on his face, "Drinks?"

That's all, folks!

This one is a bit shorter, but this episode will likely stretch out through three chapters, and episode 4 will likely only be one chapter.

Will Sigyn's heroic tendencies continue to thwart the Vartiants' escape? Find out next chapter!

Onto (and let's be honest) the only reason you're still here, the chapterly memes: