Everything Works Out, 3/3.
Title: Everything Works Out
Series: #25 in Ready For The Siege
(#1 - Look Over Your Shoulder, #2 - Armed Up To The Teeth, #3 - Misery Inspires, #4 - Broken Underneath, #5 - Change Is Coming Soon, #6 - Lick Your Wounds, #7 - Bitter Sparks, #8 - Father's Will, #9 - To Feel Safe Again, #10 - Hit Your Prime, #11 - Open Your Eyes, #12 - Can't Be Ignored, #13 - Make You Ill, #14 - Aim Straight, #15 - Not The First Time, #16 - Friendly Fire, #17 - Relieved, #18 - Release, #19 - Never Noticed, #20 - How You Live And Breathe, #21 - Love, #22 - Do You Wanna Die?, #23 - Many Ways, #24 - Wounds)
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: R
Pairing: Loki/Natasha, Natasha/Bucky, Clint/Darcy, Pepper/Tony
Disclaimer: Not mine! Some comic backstory is incorporated into characterizations, but this is still primarily movieverse.
Spoilers/Warnings: Post-Avengers, AU to the rest of MCU. References events in prior stories.
Title and series title from "The Royal We" by Silversun Pickups.
Summary: Selene is dead. Time to deal with everything now that it's all over...
Prior chapter:
One - In Which Thoughts Are Considered
Two - In Which Realizations Are Had
Three - In Which Decisions Are Made
As it turned out, Natasha never had to discuss anything with the team surgeon. Hel was in her suite, standing at the window and looking down over Manhattan. She wore long black robes shot with silver and red, the colors shifting even though she stood still. Hel's dark hair was done in elaborate braids and ringlets, so glossy that the black almost shone blue. Her skin was nearly translucent in its paleness, making her look like an animated skeleton. She didn't bother to turn around when Natasha entered the suite, which she wasn't sure should be an insult or not.
"Do you enjoy seeing these other people look so small?" Hel asked, still looking out of the window. When Natasha remained silent, she turned and fixed her haunting, empty eyes on her. "No. I don't think you do. I don't think that's how you see this view."
"How do you think I see it?"
"They're small. Helpless. They need your protection. So you do that. You do what you need to do in order to be the savior you don't believe you can be."
Hel glided forward smoothly as Natasha blinked in surprise. "I told you," she murmured, lips quirking in the corners. "You're mine. I know what makes up the heart of you."
"And you have seers."
"They have possibilities. Chances within the spá, should it all fall in the manner that they had seen it. So rarely are they all in concert."
"And the other versions of me?"
"What of them?" Hel asked, not even tilting her head to the side.
"Do they belong to you, too?"
"No, not all of them. Some belong to only themselves."
"How did I get to belong to you, then?"
Natasha managed not to react when Hel smiled at her. It was a predatory look, her teeth almost looking like razor sharp needles in her mouth, her lips a dark slash of bloody flesh.
"When you could look at me thus and not react with fear."
"I'm always afraid."
"But not of me, dear one. Not of what I can do. You accept I am a force of nature, that I have a will and am made manifest. You hold no fear of death."
"The other versions of me probably don't, either."
"But they do," Hel corrected, smile gentler and almost fond. "They fear me. They fear my power, what my plans might be."
"Why are you here, Hel?"
"You see? You address me as an equal, not as a supplicant should greet its master." Hel laughed, a harsh and grating sound. Was this how she truly appeared, or did she simply change to meet the situation? Or maybe she didn't change at all, and she just played with Natasha's mind the entire time. Maybe she was dreaming or already half dead; the pull of magic would force her to react, no matter what her intentions were.
"You seem to like that," Natasha remarked cautiously.
"Death is a kindness to you," Hel remarked.
Natasha frowned at her. "Can't you tell me anything plainly?"
"There are things my seers have seen. Some have to do with you. Some outcomes you affect and change. The others, you don't. I don't wish to force the hand of fate in this instance. I'm willing to wait and see what your timeline brings me."
"Something is coming then?"
"Something always comes," Hel said in amusement.
Before Natasha could ask her to be less cryptic, Hel swept her up in her arms. She kissed Natasha full on the mouth, tongue touching hers when she gasped in surprise. Hel placed a hand low on Natasha's belly, and there was an intense flash of fiery pain that stopped in an instant but left her feeling weak and boneless.
In an eye blink, Natasha was lying on her bed in a nightgown she didn't remember buying, staring at the ceiling. Hel was sitting at her bedside, face impassive and looking at her. "You've made your choice, so I have taken back the gift I had given. I didn't think it would be so poorly received. But perhaps what makes you mine also means that it is incompatible with giving life. It is of no matter. I have others in play. Sooner or later, I will obtain what I wish."
Natasha struggled to sit up, but felt an impossible weight on her chest. "What-?" she gasped, unable to draw in breath.
Hel's smile was cold, almost cruel. "You are not the only one that came back to life, my dear. I have others in play. Some of them you even know. I give you choices as I can, as always, but my interests must be served. Not even for you would I refrain from that."
"I don't understand," Natasha whispered.
"I play at godhood and the life and death of realms, Natasha. I would not expect you to." Hel stood and her smile softened. "You have the life you wish. I ensured that it will remain so. My other players might not be so hesitant to use my gift."
She tried to reach out and grasp Hel's hand, but only succeeded in grasping at her dress. Power shot up her arm like an electric shock, drowning out the No, don't force them that she wanted to say. Was that her heart stopping? Was that her mind short circuiting?
It had to be. She felt flayed wide open, all the fractured and half remembered bits of memory suddenly jangling in her mind and crying out for full attention. She was screaming, out loud or in her mind, she couldn't tell. All the selves she tried to suppress, all the things she had been and never wanted to be, all the things she had to do and wished she could forget.
And then just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. Her nerves still jangled, memories still slid around in her mind like bits of jagged glass. Natasha could barely breathe, barely even recognize Hel standing above her, looking down in disappointment the way Madame B used to when she was a young child about to be punished.
"You are mortal and full of fear for things that don't matter. I did not force your hand in this, I would not force another. You shouldn't have questioned me."
Hel disappeared, as if fading from existence, but the lethargy and pain in her body didn't subside along with her. If anything, Natasha felt more acutely aware of it now. Had she made a mistake somehow? Had she angered Hel and caused her own destruction?
When she opened her eyes next, Loki and James were in the room with her, speaking in low enough tones that she couldn't understand them. They were worried, she could tell that much from the cadence of their speech and the expressions on their faces. But she couldn't make out individual words, and it was frustrating. She must have made a noise of some kind, because they both broke off and came to her side immediately.
"We got a report from Jarvis," James told her, stroking her face gently. "Hel was here. Energy shorted out his sensors about an hour or so ago."
"Seventy-one minutes precisely," Loki said with clipped tones. "And that was the exact amount of time we were barred from your side. The entire suite had shifted slightly, as if it didn't exist, and then suddenly it did."
"Sounds bad," Natasha croaked.
"I want a scan," James said firmly. "Dr. Calderon is on standby."
"Hel took her gift back."
Both men fell still, and Natasha thought that their expressions were a mixture of fear, relief and disappointment. But then, none of them were really stable enough for children right now, were they? And Clint was right, this didn't mean that they couldn't be parents if they didn't want to be. There was surrogacy, adoption, fostering... No, Hel's stock on biological children was more for her own benefit than Natasha's. And with Natasha not falling into her plans, she had to go to the backup plan.
But who was it?
"Stop," Loki said, voice firm. "Whatever you're thinking, whatever you might be planning, please, just stop."
"I didn't-"
"Your eyes, Natasha," Loki replied. When she looked over to James, he nodded and gave her a shrug. "You were most serious."
"Are you seriously going to take on the Queen of Death?" James asked quietly.
"She's planning something. Someone else... I'm not the only one she brought back."
James nodded slowly. "I get it. But are they your responsibility?"
"Look. I won't give her what she wants. I can't give you what you want-"
"I just want you," James said. "Not anything else, no matter what she might've said."
Natasha frowned and struggled to sit up, leaning more on Loki for assistance than she really wanted to. She was still far too weak for her liking. Would she ever get her strength back enough to fight with the Avengers again?
"If it's because of what I had seen, because of what you had me tell you," Loki began slowly, sounding almost guilty. "It was another world. Another me, another you. We were not the same, and I would not expect such a thing in this lifetime."
"Are you just saying that?" she croaked.
"I would not lose you and risk all we've gained," Loki told her flatly. "Nothing is worth that."
"Loki..."
"No, Natasha," he insisted, eyes fever bright as he stared at her. "It's difficult enough to know that I only have a mortal lifetime with you. I will not have an Asgardian's or Jotnar's lifetime the way I would wish. I will watch you grow old and die, then I will be trapped on this realm without you. Please," he said, voice breaking. "I cannot lose you again before your time. I am broken without you."
Leaning her forehead against his, Natasha let out a slow breath. She had one hand on his shoulder for balance, and reached beside her with her other hand for James. He caught her hand in his flesh and blood one, and she squeezed them both tightly. "Okay."
"But maybe if we look..." James began uncertainly. "So we're prepared. Not so that you stop her, but so that if Hel comes after us for some reason, we're prepared. Because you're too important, Natalia. I know you don't always believe it, but you are."
She squeezed them again and nodded, feeling a little stronger already. Maybe it was just the aftershocks of Hel's magic running through her beginning to wear off.
"We can probably ask Jarvis to run the same kind of algorhythm he used to track the magic users Selene was killing off," Natasha said. She looked at them both, a fierce expression on her face. "I have enough to do here, with keeping you both in hand and making sure the assholes in the city don't go overboard. There are powered people that got loose when magic started failing. Selene's gone, but the damage still needs to be fixed. There's only so much that we should leave Wanda to do with the others. They didn't understand what we're dealing with, and she's still in training."
Loki smiled at her gratefully, some of the tension easing out of him. James leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
There were things to do, Natasha knew. Those rings of power had to be hidden or destroyed somehow, and maybe Wanda or Carol could help her do it. Loki was too fragile to do it. James could hold them without getting warped, and she was sure any others would be willing to help her figure out how best to do it. But for the moment, she didn't have to worry about it.
She turned her head and kissed James on the mouth, hot and open, her hand moving from his to touch his chest. Her other hand at Loki's shoulder slid down his back in a gentle caress. It didn't have to turn into anything more, but could. "I'm not going anywhere," she promised them softly. "I'm right here, and I'm staying here. This is where I belong."
"Yes, it is," Loki murmured before moving to nuzzle her neck and caress her thigh. "And where you are, there I shall be."
James kissed her deeply, then nipped her nose. "Like you even have to wonder about me."
Natasha laughed. "No, I really don't. I know I have you both. I know I have the others. I think by now, I really know it. Deep down, I know I'm not alone, and I don't want to be."
Sliding an arm around her waist, James chuckled. "Well, good, 'cause I don't think you're gonna be alone any time soon."
Tipping her head back, Natasha actually giggled as both Loki and James kissed opposing sides of her neck. This was her present and future. This was her life now, and it was exactly what she wanted it to be.
Hel's plans could wait. As long as she was safe and the ones she cared about were safe, Natasha refused to worry about it. If the time ever came, she would deal with it then.
***
Steve couldn't help but grin as he sketched Sif, Jane and Thor sitting at the kitchen table and going through Asgardian magic items for her sensor. It was a pretty sedate Saturday afternoon, and for once there was no calamity to deal with. Oh, there were Hydra cells to help SHIELD find, traffickers, powered criminals, and the odd wannabe dictator from pockets of Europe threatening to take over other countries. Steve was sure that he and the others would be able to deal with those problems as they came. Rhodey was back with the Air Force and Carol was seriously considering quitting. She had made quite a friend with Wanda, and the two were discussing how best to use her cosmic power. That power had nearly fried Jane's sensor, so it wouldn't be good for looking for other Kree, if they were interested in such things. Sif and Thor had suggested they leave that alone, as they weren't well known for kindness in the galaxy. Their views on blood purity and genetics sounded awfully familiar to Steve, and he agreed with their assessment. They had enough to do on Earth than to borrow trouble across the galaxy.
Sam plopped down into a chair beside Steve, coffee in hand. "That's really good," he commented as he looked over the sketch. "And I know it's one of your quick courtroom style jobs."
"I thought you were supposed to be at the VA," Steve said, frowning a little as he took in Sam's casual dress and relaxed posture.
"I cut back my hours. I'm still doing the groups and some of my one to one patients, but I don't feel like I can do that and still help around here."
"You live here now, so it's easier to suit up."
"I'm also not a superpowered hero," Sam pointed out. "I'm a guy in a flight suit. I'm pretty damn awesome, but even I need sleep and rest. So I'm half time at the VA, half time here. I think we should come up with some kind of call schedule like the docs do it over at the hospitals."
"We have enough people here to do it," Steve replied thoughtfully. "It could work."
"Some of you are full timers, some like me would be part time. And people like Rhodey might be the guest consultants filling in a time or two." Sam took a sip of his coffee and then nodded as Steve contemplated it. "Sounds like a plan, doesn't it?"
"It does," Steve agreed.
"You sound... I dunno. Not exactly thrilled," Sam commented.
"Sif's going back to Asgard. See her brother, report to the Queen, work with the Einherjar."
Sam looked at him carefully. "You want to go with her, don't you?"
"It would be part time," he began, working on his sketching and not looking at Sam. "And we'd be back and forth. Heimdall was pretty sure he could get it so that our timelines aren't so far off kilter from each other. Jane and Bruce think they have the math down."
"Dude! Don't tell me you're staying here because of me and Bucky. Because you know we'd kick your ass so hard if you did."
Steve looked up from his drawing, an anxious look in his eyes. "I can't abandon people, you know. It's not right."
"Captain America is going to be an Ambassador. That's not abandoning us. That's representing us on another planet. That is friggin' awesome, and you are not going to throw away that opportunity. Not to mention getting together with that fine Lady Sif."
His smile was gentle and a little shy. "I might have to make some kind of formal offer, talk it over with her brother and see if he says okay."
"You're a hero. If Heimdall doesn't think so, he's blind."
"I'm pretty sure he sees everything in the galaxy."
Sam waved a hand dismissively. "You know what I mean. Of course he'll appreciate you and want you for a brother. Who wouldn't?"
"There's all the politics involved," Steve sighed, lips pressed together unhappily.
"Which you could get out of if you really wanted to. Apparently being an Ambassador there is like being honorary royalty. They get away with all kinds of shit."
"Doesn't mean I should."
"Steve. Seriously. You are the best possible man that they can pick to be Ambassador. You are honest to a fault, your principles are as rock hard as your abs, and you rock Sif's world. Go for it. You deserve to be happy, and she makes you happy."
He smiled a little. "Bucky said something like that, too."
"And you're still taking superhero call when you get back."
"Or... I was thinking maybe splitting the time with the shield." At Sam's startle of surprise, Steve smiled self deprecatingly. "They don't see me unless I'm wearing the suit. The public, I mean. They don't see Steve Rogers, they see Captain America. It's just a suit and a title. I told Bucky he could take it while I'm in Asgard. But you could, too."
"Bucky Cap and Falcon Cap," Sam mused, leaning back in his chair.
"He was nervous about it."
"I'll bring him around," Sam said confidently. "If he knows I'll fill in, and we've all got his back, I think he'll do it. If we need someone shiny and respectable, he can go all Captain America. If it needs to be a little darker and underhanded, he can go Winter Soldier. Depending on the mission at hand, of course. These things happen."
Steve looked at Sam in surprise. "You're very accepting of this."
"Still wrapping my brain around it," Sam disagreed, shaking his head. "But Captain America needs my help." He grinned at Steve. "No better reason to be going in and doing this. So what's holding you back?"
"I guess... I'll miss all you guys."
"You're still coming back to take superhero call, Steve. You're not going anywhere for long." He looked over at the others when Jane cheered and raised her hands in the air triumphantly. Thor laughed and kissed her, making Sif make eye contact with Steve. "Go with the girl, Steve. Trust me, it's okay. They're getting interdimensional travel to work much easier. You'll be zipping back and forth like it's just a plane ride."
"I am thinking of making an official offer."
Sam gawked at Steve. "Proposing, you mean?"
"Yeah. Might've designed a ring and everything."
Throwing an arm around Steve's shoulders and jostling his pencils, Sam laughed. "You go, Steve. Right now, you do it. Don't even waste time."
"You think?"
"I know, man. Some things you don't have to wait for. She's one of 'em."
"That she is," Steve replied, a goofy grin on his face. Sam chuckled and nudged his arm playfully, making Steve laugh a little. "You and Bucky will be my best men, of course."
"Of course I will! Don't you think you should ask her first, though?"
Steve thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "As soon as we're alone."
"Hey!"
"What I got in mind after doesn't need an audience."
Sam laughed uproariously and nodded. "All right, then. That's how it is. You got this, man. You are going to be fine. Just call on us if it isn't, we'll come right up."
Grinning at him, Steve nodded back and stood. "I'll do that."
***
Though Steve didn't follow the Asgardian tradition of asking Sif's family for her hand in marriage or offering some kind of bride price, Heimdall was more than happy to welcome him to Asgard and offer suggestions for an Asgardian wedding. "There will be elements in common with your own traditions on Midgard," he had said with a smile, clasping Steve's hand. "We will simply say that any deviations from our traditions are in honor to yours, not because I simply do not care for them."
"I knew I liked you," Steve joked, grinning at him. "She's wonderful," he said in a low tone, "and I will do whatever it takes to make this work so we're both happy and able to serve our realms. I know it's going to be a political thing, but that's not why I proposed."
Heimdall nodded. "And I'm sure that's not why she accepted, either." He let go of Steve's hand and gestured for the walkway to the gates of Asgard. "You are welcome, Steven Grant Rogers, as are your comrades. There will be plenty of assistance for planning the event, and I will join you all when possible."
He hadn't been kidding about the words the event. There were elaborate rituals and traditions to follow on Asgard. Given how long lived they were, every major life transition was celebrated with much pomp and circumstance, layers of meaning to give it even more weight and importance. While Sif might have never taken advantage of her status, her rank as a high jarl meant the wedding would be far more elaborate to plan and execute.
Sif was sequestered with distant female relatives and appropriate jarls that Heimdall had suggested would be helpful. She also requested Natasha, Jane, Darcy, Wanda, Carol and Pepper accompany her. In the bath house, all of the women assembled around Sif to confer advice. The jarls were a little nervous at first, not sure what kind of marriage advice they would give to a warrior bride, especially one marrying an outworlder. Natasha led the charge with practicing communication skills, so that seemed to ease the jarls. They talked about owning an estate, managing servants and karl workers, easing Steve into society functions. From there, Darcy snickering at some awkward phrasing shifted the talk to bedroom antics. Heimdall knew the elite very well, and had chosen ladies of rank that wouldn't think less of Sif just because she didn't conform to the Asgardian ideal of purity and chastity before marriage, or at least faking it by blushing and pretending ignorance of the marriage bed.
Afterward, Sif was rinsed of in ritual fashion, the water scented with fragrant oils and a prayer said over her bent head. Without being asked, Wanda twitched her fingers and wove a blessing into Sif's spá that she had learned from Loki. He had been very gracious about her request to learn a helpful spell like that, and had been bleakly honest with her. "I do wish her well, though she would never believe it," Loki told Wanda. "Our time of rivalry is past now, and Steve deserves happiness in his future. They have both been exceedingly fair with me," he said after a moment, voice low and almost hesitant. "If asked, say you developed this spell on your own, or learned it from volumes in mine or my mother's study. They will not trust it if it came from me, but I truly do not wish any harm upon them." Just to be safe, Wanda had double checked the crafting of the spell, and saw it for it was: a spell designed to attract well wishes and positive energy, speeding up her healing time and health in general. It was a gift that Sif could actually use and would want, one that would benefit her as she defended the Nine Realms.
Sif rose with a smile on her face and clasped each woman tightly. "My thanks for being at my side in this time. You are all precious to me, and I cherish your support." Then they all took deliberate care in dressing her in fine tunics and robes, a special marriage crown placed on her head, her hair left unbound. Her eyes were suspiciously bright as she took in her appearance in the mirror, clasping the medallion hanging around her neck. "My mother, they said, was a very beautiful and kind woman. My father said I would have made her very proud, even if I am not a woman that follows the rules of this Realm. I know they're with me this day, and I think they are pleased with my choice."
"Of course they are," Jane said, giving her a hug. She smoothed the wrinkles in her robes and grinned at Sif's anxiety. "You're a fantastic person, great friend, and will be happy with Steve. I know it. You guys are perfect for each other."
"As are you and Thor," Sif responded, the suspicious shine in her eyes fading.
"Yeah. And as soon as his parents finish whatever they're doing with their legal documents to check that there aren't outstanding betrothals, he can make it all official, too," she said. "With as long lived as you all are, there are a lot of contracts for them to go through. So I'm paying close attention to how this goes."
"I will aid you in your preparations, of course," Sif insisted. "As will the Queen herself."
"Getting sex tips from your mother-in-law?" Darcy sputtered. "Awkward."
That sent all the women into gales of laughter, even the jarls, and they left the bath house to complete Sif's preparations for the wedding.
In the meantime, Steve had the male Avengers, Heimdall, Thor and the Warriors Three for his attendants in the wedding preparations. Having no ancestral sword to obtain for the ceremony, Steve had originally thought he and Sif would forego the exchange of swords. Thor instead had arranged for one of his own swords to be gifted to Steve. "I credit you as shield brother, and give you the first training sword I used as a boy." He grinned at Steve when presenting it with a slight bow. "I would be most honored for you to consider me kin, and accept this sword for the marriage ceremony."
Taking the sword, Steve pulled Thor into a tight embrace. "Of course, Thor," he replied, voice choked with emotion. "Of course you're family."
Normally a special bath house was used for wedding preparations, with the groom's party entering once the bridal party was finished. In this case, since Thor was acting as one of Steve's family sponsors, they were all getting prepared in the palace. He had his ritual bath with scented oils and prayers said over his bent head. James recited a blessing from the Catholic church, making Steve smile in recognition.
Rather than Asgardian garb, Steve was dressed in a formal tuxedo with red accents. Sam and James were in similar suits as his best men, though their accents were teal blue. The others were all in regular suits, though Clint had elected not to wear a tie. Though the ladies were all going to be in formal Asgardian gowns and robes, the men were mostly Midgardian and decided to stick with the formal wear they knew. "It also is a nod to Steve's origin," Fandral commented. "I would be honored to wear similar garb to show my support." Not to be outdone, most of the others elected to do the same. As brother of the bride, Heimdall had to excuse himself to make his own preparations.
Sif walked on Heimdall's arm to the open courtyard in the palace that the wedding was taking place in. It normally would be in the bride's home, but she had long since let her childhood home revert to other relatives. She had lived and trained in the palace for such a long time that it was more her home than the one she had grown up in. As Ambassador to Midgard, she could claim more privilege, as could Steve for being Ambassador to Asgard. Natasha held her father's sword carefully and reverently, Jane held the ring she would place on Steve's hand, and Darcy held a length of wide silk ribbon.
They waited expectantly for Steve and the groom's party. When he entered, leading his men, he walked with a steady gait, eyes on Sif the entire time. He ended at her side, just next to the horgr, an altar made of heaped stones with a wide, shallow bowl of silver on it. Odin and Frigga stood behind the horgr, waiting to begin. They were in their most regal finery to befit the occasion, the jarls of the Asgardian peerage standing around the edges of the courtyard to observe the proceedings. Steve wore the sword he was to present to Sif, and James held the ring he would place on her finger. Sam carried the hlaut-teinn, a bundle of fir branches wrapped in white cord. He advanced to present it to Frigga with a bow, who took it in her right hand with a formal nod. In her left hand was a large silver pitcher, and she poured its contents into the bowl as Sam moved back into line beside James.
The liquid was herbed mead, and Frigga dipped the hlaut-teinn into it. She flicked it over the assembled party, moving it from left to right after a gentle dip. It sent a fine spray of the mead onto all of them, not much more than a fine mist. "We bless the union of these houses, and the honor bestowed upon our realms."
After she stepped back, Odin looked over the assemblage with his single eye. "There are similarities between our realms, just as there are differences. Lady Sif, from a long honored and well loved House. Steven Grant Rogers, stout of heart, strong of will, and favored by the royal House. Though normally a joining ceremony would begin with an exchange of dowry before witnesses and the court, both of you have opted not to include this, out of deference to the way it is done on Midgard." He raised both his hands, palm up, toward the sky. "Your lives were separate before, but now will be joined. One House, one lifeline, one blood."
At Odin's direction, Steve and Sif clasped one pair of hands. Natasha stepped up to hand Sif the sword, which she then handed to Steve. He clasped it, lips curling into a smile as his fingers brushed against hers. "I bind my House to yours, to honor and defend the sanctity of your name and the name of our family."
"I accept your House and bind it to mine," Steve said, taking the sword and then passing it behind him to Sam. He drew the sword Thor gave him from his scabbard, aware that Sif, Frigga and Odin recognized it. Twisting his grip, he presented it to Sif with pride. "Sif, I bind my House to yours, to honor and defend the sanctity of your name and the name of our family."
Her eyes glittered a little as she took the sword and passed it behind her for Natasha to take. "I accept your House and bind it to mine," Sif echoed, her lips curling into a soft smile.
Odin nodded at them both. "The binding of Houses has been witnessed by all present and recognized as lawful and just." Many of the jarls present nodded, some of them looking very pleased for both Sif and Steve.
Jane stepped forward and presented Sif's ring to Steve. It was spelled gold, runes of protection on its underside, a single garnet centered in it like a signet. Sif eagerly took it with her free hand, and then looked at him with an expression of perfect love and trust. "Steve. I gift you with a circle stronger than any forged metal." She started to slide the ring onto the third finger of his left hand in Midgardian style. "I declare myself bonded to you in lawful matrimony, and declare that will do my utmost to fulfill and observe the whole of the compact between us. This is declared in the hearing of witnesses without duplicity or cunning, as a real and authorized compact. My body and soul and ability, yours to command."
James stepped forward with Steve's ring for Sif. It was a simple platinum band studded with small diamonds, intended to make it easy for Sif to still wield a sword in her off hand if she had to. "Sif," Steve murmured, a smile ghosting his lips. There had been preparation with the wording of this ceremony, and the two of them had decided that it would be a blending of their cultures. "With this ring, I thee wed. I promise to love, honor and cherish you, forsaking all others, in sickness and in health, till death do us part." He couldn't help but grin at her, his own eyes suspiciously shiny as well. "I love you, Sif," he added, voice thick with emotion. "Now and forever, no matter what. You've made me a happy man, and I promise I will do my best to make you a happy woman."
Sif laughed; neither had rehearsed that part of his vow, and she was overcome with emotion as he slid on her ring. "Steve," she choked, grinning at him.
Clearing his throat, Odin drew their attention back to him. "The binding of body and soul for Steve and Sif has been witnessed by all present, and is recognized as lawful and just."
That was Darcy's cue to start wrapping the ribbon around their clasped hands and wrists. It was tight, ends overlapping, until she came to the end of its length. She knotted it and fluffed the edges into a makeshift bow, smirking at the both of them. "You guys rock," she declared, her voice carrying across the hushed area. "Congratulations."
Both Steve and Sif chuckled, then looked to Odin. "You are of one body, one heart, one blood, one soul," Odin intoned gravely. "You are wed."
The assembled jarls that bore witness to the ceremony began to clap politely. In deference to Steve's origin, Odin smiled at Steve. "And the groom may now kiss the bride."
"The best part," he joked before grasping Sif with his free arm and pulling her close for a deep kiss. Sam and James started cheering, and the ladies soon joined in as well.
The wedding celebration afterward lasted for a week. It began with the bride and groom drinking the special bridal-ale, a spiced mead similar to that used with the hlaut-teinn. Sufficient quantities had been made so that the couple could share it over the next month according to tradition. Steve had laughed at the literal "honeymoon," and planned to take Sif on a trip through various spots on Earth he had always wanted to see. "That's the kind of honeymoon I'm used to," he told Sif after they shared their first goblet of mead, one pair of hands still tied together. "Not that this isn't good. Kinda sweet."
"Meant to bring sweetness, luck and fertility to our union," Sif said, lips curling into a smile.
"Is that what you want?" Steve asked, leaning in for a honeyed kiss.
"I have sweetness and luck aplenty," Sif replied against his mouth. "Should we be blessed with offspring, I would find it joyous indeed."
"And they don't need you back here for a month?" Steve confirmed, smiling and letting his forehead touch hers. She nodded, an answering smile on her face. "Got a lot of time to be practicing for those offspring. Ready for it?"
"I should ask if you're ready for the full strength of my ardor," Sif teased.
"Verily," Steve replied, leaning in to kiss her again. Neither of them could wait.
***
Natasha was startled to see a young woman in her suite staring at the painting on her wall. The woman had long, straight black hair that hung down nearly to her knees. She was wearing a scarlet dress that clung to her frame, sleeves that went to her wrists. On her hands were black gloves with scarlet stitching. She was thin, gaunt, really, and when she turned around, Natasha could see that her eyes were entirely black and her skin was as pale as paper. She looked almost like Selene, but there was some other cast to her features, something that seemed almost familiar, though Natasha had never seen her before. Her stance and demeanor seemed almost like Hel, but not quite, and Natasha squashed down her unease and foreboding.
"Can I help you?" she asked, voice carefully modulated to remain neutral.
The young woman smiled, and that certainly looked like Hel at her most calculating. "I wanted to meet you. You're her favorite, even among all of her other favorites, and I wanted to see why."
Her. As in this young woman was separate from Hel? Natasha didn't even know how to begin to ask what her business was.
"Is there something specific that you're looking for?"
"There are changes that will occur, I'm sure," the woman replied, not answering Natasha's question directly. There was a decided predatory look in the woman's eyes, though Natasha refused to back up or show that she was in any way intimidated.
"What's your name?"
She smiled. "You may call me Helena. She does. But that will change soon enough."
That told Natasha absolutely nothing specific yet, but it was clear Helena was separate from Hel, and was possibly created from the remnants of Selene's heart and soul in Helheim. Hel had wanted a child after all, and someone had provided Hel with the raw materials. She hadn't been interested in forcing the issue on Natasha, not when there was someone else she could have done that with.
Holding out her hand in greeting, Natasha smiled politely. "Pleased to meet you, Helena."
Helena laughed, a light tinkling sound of amusement. "And I you, Natalia Alianovna Romanova, beloved and hated by many," she said, taking Natasha's hand and shaking it. "I am in neither camp at the moment, but there are many whispers in the webs about you."
"The webs?" Natasha asked blankly.
"There are many futures you could take. Many pasts you could have had. As it is, you have been given a clean slate in this realm, a blank future that you can do with what you wish." She smiled at Natasha, possibly meaning to be encouraging, but only making Natasha certain that Helena wasn't particularly fond of her. She didn't seem to actively hate her, but didn't have any stake in Natasha remaining hale and whole.
"What do the seers say about you, then?" Natasha asked, curious.
"They haven't decided yet," Helena replied. "You'll have your hands full," she added before Natasha could think of something else to potentially draw her out and reveal something. "Old enemies under new leadership, battles to wage, personalities to keep in balance." Her smile was amused, and Natasha knew it was at her expense. "You'll send many souls to Helheim, certainly. Some of them may even be useful to us."
"Are there particular ones you're looking for?"
She grinned, truly amused now. "So solicitous. Were you that way with her?"
"When I knew what she wanted. Never a good idea to make the Queen of the Dead angry with you," Natasha replied blandly.
"No, it isn't," Helena agreed, smiling still. The air behind her was a swirling mass of smoke, more like Stephen Strange's portals than Loki's or Hel's. She inclined her head regally. "I'll have my hands full as well. But I think perhaps there was a reason why she wanted it to go this way. Not just because I potentially would have to be created, but because she wanted to see the shape of things fall this way. There would have been so much more chaos if it hadn't."
"Will I see you again?"
"Of course," Helena replied, smile still on her face. "But I plan to take a less direct approach than my predecessor. Your fate has been changed enough as it is."
"So what is it that you want?" Natasha asked Helena.
The young woman had an eerie smile, and Natasha couldn't help but be reminded of Selene. "From you? Nothing. Unlike Hel, I have no designs on the living and no need to use you all as pawns." Her expression hardened fractionally. "You are free of my influence, Natalia Alianovna. Your life is your own."
"Thank you," Natasha told her sincerely. "And you can call me Natasha if we do meet again."
Helena smiled, nodding. "I understand." She paused for a moment, then cocked her head to the side. "There are new antagonists for you and your compatriots, Natasha. A former lover Hel had resurrected, though not as part of her plans."
"Yelena."
Nodding, Helena shrugged slightly. "She doesn't look the same, and neither does her current paramour. Death came for them, used them to her own purposes."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Yelena asked Ophelia not to kill you or your compatriots as a favor."
"Meaning?"
"Oh, you can be hurt or maimed, just not killed." Helena smiled. "There is ample opportunity for your work if you wish it. Not for a ledger, not for the repayment of past sins."
"I'm aware of my ledger," Natasha replied. "But it's in balance now. I don't do this because I have to wipe out the red. I want to keep my life in balance. It doesn't work if I'm alone or if I refuse to kill or do bad things. I know that now. Sometimes it's choosing the lesser of the evils to save the most people. I'm okay with that."
Helena smiled. "And that's why I wanted to meet you. I see why she likes you," Helena said. "Strong of will, good of heart, and determined to do the most good. Despite all the pain and trauma of your past, it only tempered you. It made you kind."
"I'm not kind."
"You are," she disagreed. "Not in a soft way, but in that you help others and you aren't ever deliberately cruel."
"I suppose," Natasha replied in a dubious tone. It only made Helena giggle like a child. "So what now?" she asked.
"Now? You live your life. Without interference, without threat, however you choose. And someday, I hope to meet you when it's your time to die a natural death."
"Will I meet you then?"
"Perhaps." Helena's smile grew edged. "She's cruel, and uses others as tools. There's very little of her mother in her. But I have none of her flesh in my body, so perhaps I won't be so callous with lives. Time will tell."
Natasha held out her hand, and Helena gingerly took it, seeming almost awkward. That made Natasha wonder if she had ever been shown any kindness or consideration. With what she said and implied about Hel, probably not. "Until we meet again," Natasha told her, shaking her hand gently. "Maybe we'll have stories to tell each other."
She smiled, friendly and open, maybe a little relieved. "I would like that very much."
Helena stepped back through the smoky portal, and then it slowly dissipated. Natasha waved before it did, and watched until the air seemed to settle back into normalcy. Afterward, she went to her bedroom to change as she had planned to do. She had dinner with Loki and James to get ready for, and a whole life ahead of her. She couldn't wait to live it.
The End
and this is the end of the Siege series
Bonus Author's Note: ...And that's all, folks.
Thanks for hanging in there with me until the very end! There will no doubt be more adventures for the Avengers, as Hydra and AIM and all of the powered people are still around. I've been working on a spin off series focused on Helheim here and there, and I'll put a link here when I start that one. If I didn't wrap up anything as neatly as I thought I did, let me know. You never know if there are more tales to tell in this 'verse, after all. :)
Series: #25 in Ready For The Siege
(#1 - Look Over Your Shoulder, #2 - Armed Up To The Teeth, #3 - Misery Inspires, #4 - Broken Underneath, #5 - Change Is Coming Soon, #6 - Lick Your Wounds, #7 - Bitter Sparks, #8 - Father's Will, #9 - To Feel Safe Again, #10 - Hit Your Prime, #11 - Open Your Eyes, #12 - Can't Be Ignored, #13 - Make You Ill, #14 - Aim Straight, #15 - Not The First Time, #16 - Friendly Fire, #17 - Relieved, #18 - Release, #19 - Never Noticed, #20 - How You Live And Breathe, #21 - Love, #22 - Do You Wanna Die?, #23 - Many Ways, #24 - Wounds)
Author: Eustacia Vye
Author's e-mail: eustacia_vye28@hotmail.com
Rating: R
Pairing: Loki/Natasha, Natasha/Bucky, Clint/Darcy, Pepper/Tony
Disclaimer: Not mine! Some comic backstory is incorporated into characterizations, but this is still primarily movieverse.
Spoilers/Warnings: Post-Avengers, AU to the rest of MCU. References events in prior stories.
Title and series title from "The Royal We" by Silversun Pickups.
Summary: Selene is dead. Time to deal with everything now that it's all over...
Prior chapter:
One - In Which Thoughts Are Considered
Two - In Which Realizations Are Had
Three - In Which Decisions Are Made
As it turned out, Natasha never had to discuss anything with the team surgeon. Hel was in her suite, standing at the window and looking down over Manhattan. She wore long black robes shot with silver and red, the colors shifting even though she stood still. Hel's dark hair was done in elaborate braids and ringlets, so glossy that the black almost shone blue. Her skin was nearly translucent in its paleness, making her look like an animated skeleton. She didn't bother to turn around when Natasha entered the suite, which she wasn't sure should be an insult or not.
"Do you enjoy seeing these other people look so small?" Hel asked, still looking out of the window. When Natasha remained silent, she turned and fixed her haunting, empty eyes on her. "No. I don't think you do. I don't think that's how you see this view."
"How do you think I see it?"
"They're small. Helpless. They need your protection. So you do that. You do what you need to do in order to be the savior you don't believe you can be."
Hel glided forward smoothly as Natasha blinked in surprise. "I told you," she murmured, lips quirking in the corners. "You're mine. I know what makes up the heart of you."
"And you have seers."
"They have possibilities. Chances within the spá, should it all fall in the manner that they had seen it. So rarely are they all in concert."
"And the other versions of me?"
"What of them?" Hel asked, not even tilting her head to the side.
"Do they belong to you, too?"
"No, not all of them. Some belong to only themselves."
"How did I get to belong to you, then?"
Natasha managed not to react when Hel smiled at her. It was a predatory look, her teeth almost looking like razor sharp needles in her mouth, her lips a dark slash of bloody flesh.
"When you could look at me thus and not react with fear."
"I'm always afraid."
"But not of me, dear one. Not of what I can do. You accept I am a force of nature, that I have a will and am made manifest. You hold no fear of death."
"The other versions of me probably don't, either."
"But they do," Hel corrected, smile gentler and almost fond. "They fear me. They fear my power, what my plans might be."
"Why are you here, Hel?"
"You see? You address me as an equal, not as a supplicant should greet its master." Hel laughed, a harsh and grating sound. Was this how she truly appeared, or did she simply change to meet the situation? Or maybe she didn't change at all, and she just played with Natasha's mind the entire time. Maybe she was dreaming or already half dead; the pull of magic would force her to react, no matter what her intentions were.
"You seem to like that," Natasha remarked cautiously.
"Death is a kindness to you," Hel remarked.
Natasha frowned at her. "Can't you tell me anything plainly?"
"There are things my seers have seen. Some have to do with you. Some outcomes you affect and change. The others, you don't. I don't wish to force the hand of fate in this instance. I'm willing to wait and see what your timeline brings me."
"Something is coming then?"
"Something always comes," Hel said in amusement.
Before Natasha could ask her to be less cryptic, Hel swept her up in her arms. She kissed Natasha full on the mouth, tongue touching hers when she gasped in surprise. Hel placed a hand low on Natasha's belly, and there was an intense flash of fiery pain that stopped in an instant but left her feeling weak and boneless.
In an eye blink, Natasha was lying on her bed in a nightgown she didn't remember buying, staring at the ceiling. Hel was sitting at her bedside, face impassive and looking at her. "You've made your choice, so I have taken back the gift I had given. I didn't think it would be so poorly received. But perhaps what makes you mine also means that it is incompatible with giving life. It is of no matter. I have others in play. Sooner or later, I will obtain what I wish."
Natasha struggled to sit up, but felt an impossible weight on her chest. "What-?" she gasped, unable to draw in breath.
Hel's smile was cold, almost cruel. "You are not the only one that came back to life, my dear. I have others in play. Some of them you even know. I give you choices as I can, as always, but my interests must be served. Not even for you would I refrain from that."
"I don't understand," Natasha whispered.
"I play at godhood and the life and death of realms, Natasha. I would not expect you to." Hel stood and her smile softened. "You have the life you wish. I ensured that it will remain so. My other players might not be so hesitant to use my gift."
She tried to reach out and grasp Hel's hand, but only succeeded in grasping at her dress. Power shot up her arm like an electric shock, drowning out the No, don't force them that she wanted to say. Was that her heart stopping? Was that her mind short circuiting?
It had to be. She felt flayed wide open, all the fractured and half remembered bits of memory suddenly jangling in her mind and crying out for full attention. She was screaming, out loud or in her mind, she couldn't tell. All the selves she tried to suppress, all the things she had been and never wanted to be, all the things she had to do and wished she could forget.
And then just as suddenly as it began, it stopped. Her nerves still jangled, memories still slid around in her mind like bits of jagged glass. Natasha could barely breathe, barely even recognize Hel standing above her, looking down in disappointment the way Madame B used to when she was a young child about to be punished.
"You are mortal and full of fear for things that don't matter. I did not force your hand in this, I would not force another. You shouldn't have questioned me."
Hel disappeared, as if fading from existence, but the lethargy and pain in her body didn't subside along with her. If anything, Natasha felt more acutely aware of it now. Had she made a mistake somehow? Had she angered Hel and caused her own destruction?
When she opened her eyes next, Loki and James were in the room with her, speaking in low enough tones that she couldn't understand them. They were worried, she could tell that much from the cadence of their speech and the expressions on their faces. But she couldn't make out individual words, and it was frustrating. She must have made a noise of some kind, because they both broke off and came to her side immediately.
"We got a report from Jarvis," James told her, stroking her face gently. "Hel was here. Energy shorted out his sensors about an hour or so ago."
"Seventy-one minutes precisely," Loki said with clipped tones. "And that was the exact amount of time we were barred from your side. The entire suite had shifted slightly, as if it didn't exist, and then suddenly it did."
"Sounds bad," Natasha croaked.
"I want a scan," James said firmly. "Dr. Calderon is on standby."
"Hel took her gift back."
Both men fell still, and Natasha thought that their expressions were a mixture of fear, relief and disappointment. But then, none of them were really stable enough for children right now, were they? And Clint was right, this didn't mean that they couldn't be parents if they didn't want to be. There was surrogacy, adoption, fostering... No, Hel's stock on biological children was more for her own benefit than Natasha's. And with Natasha not falling into her plans, she had to go to the backup plan.
But who was it?
"Stop," Loki said, voice firm. "Whatever you're thinking, whatever you might be planning, please, just stop."
"I didn't-"
"Your eyes, Natasha," Loki replied. When she looked over to James, he nodded and gave her a shrug. "You were most serious."
"Are you seriously going to take on the Queen of Death?" James asked quietly.
"She's planning something. Someone else... I'm not the only one she brought back."
James nodded slowly. "I get it. But are they your responsibility?"
"Look. I won't give her what she wants. I can't give you what you want-"
"I just want you," James said. "Not anything else, no matter what she might've said."
Natasha frowned and struggled to sit up, leaning more on Loki for assistance than she really wanted to. She was still far too weak for her liking. Would she ever get her strength back enough to fight with the Avengers again?
"If it's because of what I had seen, because of what you had me tell you," Loki began slowly, sounding almost guilty. "It was another world. Another me, another you. We were not the same, and I would not expect such a thing in this lifetime."
"Are you just saying that?" she croaked.
"I would not lose you and risk all we've gained," Loki told her flatly. "Nothing is worth that."
"Loki..."
"No, Natasha," he insisted, eyes fever bright as he stared at her. "It's difficult enough to know that I only have a mortal lifetime with you. I will not have an Asgardian's or Jotnar's lifetime the way I would wish. I will watch you grow old and die, then I will be trapped on this realm without you. Please," he said, voice breaking. "I cannot lose you again before your time. I am broken without you."
Leaning her forehead against his, Natasha let out a slow breath. She had one hand on his shoulder for balance, and reached beside her with her other hand for James. He caught her hand in his flesh and blood one, and she squeezed them both tightly. "Okay."
"But maybe if we look..." James began uncertainly. "So we're prepared. Not so that you stop her, but so that if Hel comes after us for some reason, we're prepared. Because you're too important, Natalia. I know you don't always believe it, but you are."
She squeezed them again and nodded, feeling a little stronger already. Maybe it was just the aftershocks of Hel's magic running through her beginning to wear off.
"We can probably ask Jarvis to run the same kind of algorhythm he used to track the magic users Selene was killing off," Natasha said. She looked at them both, a fierce expression on her face. "I have enough to do here, with keeping you both in hand and making sure the assholes in the city don't go overboard. There are powered people that got loose when magic started failing. Selene's gone, but the damage still needs to be fixed. There's only so much that we should leave Wanda to do with the others. They didn't understand what we're dealing with, and she's still in training."
Loki smiled at her gratefully, some of the tension easing out of him. James leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
There were things to do, Natasha knew. Those rings of power had to be hidden or destroyed somehow, and maybe Wanda or Carol could help her do it. Loki was too fragile to do it. James could hold them without getting warped, and she was sure any others would be willing to help her figure out how best to do it. But for the moment, she didn't have to worry about it.
She turned her head and kissed James on the mouth, hot and open, her hand moving from his to touch his chest. Her other hand at Loki's shoulder slid down his back in a gentle caress. It didn't have to turn into anything more, but could. "I'm not going anywhere," she promised them softly. "I'm right here, and I'm staying here. This is where I belong."
"Yes, it is," Loki murmured before moving to nuzzle her neck and caress her thigh. "And where you are, there I shall be."
James kissed her deeply, then nipped her nose. "Like you even have to wonder about me."
Natasha laughed. "No, I really don't. I know I have you both. I know I have the others. I think by now, I really know it. Deep down, I know I'm not alone, and I don't want to be."
Sliding an arm around her waist, James chuckled. "Well, good, 'cause I don't think you're gonna be alone any time soon."
Tipping her head back, Natasha actually giggled as both Loki and James kissed opposing sides of her neck. This was her present and future. This was her life now, and it was exactly what she wanted it to be.
Hel's plans could wait. As long as she was safe and the ones she cared about were safe, Natasha refused to worry about it. If the time ever came, she would deal with it then.
***
Steve couldn't help but grin as he sketched Sif, Jane and Thor sitting at the kitchen table and going through Asgardian magic items for her sensor. It was a pretty sedate Saturday afternoon, and for once there was no calamity to deal with. Oh, there were Hydra cells to help SHIELD find, traffickers, powered criminals, and the odd wannabe dictator from pockets of Europe threatening to take over other countries. Steve was sure that he and the others would be able to deal with those problems as they came. Rhodey was back with the Air Force and Carol was seriously considering quitting. She had made quite a friend with Wanda, and the two were discussing how best to use her cosmic power. That power had nearly fried Jane's sensor, so it wouldn't be good for looking for other Kree, if they were interested in such things. Sif and Thor had suggested they leave that alone, as they weren't well known for kindness in the galaxy. Their views on blood purity and genetics sounded awfully familiar to Steve, and he agreed with their assessment. They had enough to do on Earth than to borrow trouble across the galaxy.
Sam plopped down into a chair beside Steve, coffee in hand. "That's really good," he commented as he looked over the sketch. "And I know it's one of your quick courtroom style jobs."
"I thought you were supposed to be at the VA," Steve said, frowning a little as he took in Sam's casual dress and relaxed posture.
"I cut back my hours. I'm still doing the groups and some of my one to one patients, but I don't feel like I can do that and still help around here."
"You live here now, so it's easier to suit up."
"I'm also not a superpowered hero," Sam pointed out. "I'm a guy in a flight suit. I'm pretty damn awesome, but even I need sleep and rest. So I'm half time at the VA, half time here. I think we should come up with some kind of call schedule like the docs do it over at the hospitals."
"We have enough people here to do it," Steve replied thoughtfully. "It could work."
"Some of you are full timers, some like me would be part time. And people like Rhodey might be the guest consultants filling in a time or two." Sam took a sip of his coffee and then nodded as Steve contemplated it. "Sounds like a plan, doesn't it?"
"It does," Steve agreed.
"You sound... I dunno. Not exactly thrilled," Sam commented.
"Sif's going back to Asgard. See her brother, report to the Queen, work with the Einherjar."
Sam looked at him carefully. "You want to go with her, don't you?"
"It would be part time," he began, working on his sketching and not looking at Sam. "And we'd be back and forth. Heimdall was pretty sure he could get it so that our timelines aren't so far off kilter from each other. Jane and Bruce think they have the math down."
"Dude! Don't tell me you're staying here because of me and Bucky. Because you know we'd kick your ass so hard if you did."
Steve looked up from his drawing, an anxious look in his eyes. "I can't abandon people, you know. It's not right."
"Captain America is going to be an Ambassador. That's not abandoning us. That's representing us on another planet. That is friggin' awesome, and you are not going to throw away that opportunity. Not to mention getting together with that fine Lady Sif."
His smile was gentle and a little shy. "I might have to make some kind of formal offer, talk it over with her brother and see if he says okay."
"You're a hero. If Heimdall doesn't think so, he's blind."
"I'm pretty sure he sees everything in the galaxy."
Sam waved a hand dismissively. "You know what I mean. Of course he'll appreciate you and want you for a brother. Who wouldn't?"
"There's all the politics involved," Steve sighed, lips pressed together unhappily.
"Which you could get out of if you really wanted to. Apparently being an Ambassador there is like being honorary royalty. They get away with all kinds of shit."
"Doesn't mean I should."
"Steve. Seriously. You are the best possible man that they can pick to be Ambassador. You are honest to a fault, your principles are as rock hard as your abs, and you rock Sif's world. Go for it. You deserve to be happy, and she makes you happy."
He smiled a little. "Bucky said something like that, too."
"And you're still taking superhero call when you get back."
"Or... I was thinking maybe splitting the time with the shield." At Sam's startle of surprise, Steve smiled self deprecatingly. "They don't see me unless I'm wearing the suit. The public, I mean. They don't see Steve Rogers, they see Captain America. It's just a suit and a title. I told Bucky he could take it while I'm in Asgard. But you could, too."
"Bucky Cap and Falcon Cap," Sam mused, leaning back in his chair.
"He was nervous about it."
"I'll bring him around," Sam said confidently. "If he knows I'll fill in, and we've all got his back, I think he'll do it. If we need someone shiny and respectable, he can go all Captain America. If it needs to be a little darker and underhanded, he can go Winter Soldier. Depending on the mission at hand, of course. These things happen."
Steve looked at Sam in surprise. "You're very accepting of this."
"Still wrapping my brain around it," Sam disagreed, shaking his head. "But Captain America needs my help." He grinned at Steve. "No better reason to be going in and doing this. So what's holding you back?"
"I guess... I'll miss all you guys."
"You're still coming back to take superhero call, Steve. You're not going anywhere for long." He looked over at the others when Jane cheered and raised her hands in the air triumphantly. Thor laughed and kissed her, making Sif make eye contact with Steve. "Go with the girl, Steve. Trust me, it's okay. They're getting interdimensional travel to work much easier. You'll be zipping back and forth like it's just a plane ride."
"I am thinking of making an official offer."
Sam gawked at Steve. "Proposing, you mean?"
"Yeah. Might've designed a ring and everything."
Throwing an arm around Steve's shoulders and jostling his pencils, Sam laughed. "You go, Steve. Right now, you do it. Don't even waste time."
"You think?"
"I know, man. Some things you don't have to wait for. She's one of 'em."
"That she is," Steve replied, a goofy grin on his face. Sam chuckled and nudged his arm playfully, making Steve laugh a little. "You and Bucky will be my best men, of course."
"Of course I will! Don't you think you should ask her first, though?"
Steve thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "As soon as we're alone."
"Hey!"
"What I got in mind after doesn't need an audience."
Sam laughed uproariously and nodded. "All right, then. That's how it is. You got this, man. You are going to be fine. Just call on us if it isn't, we'll come right up."
Grinning at him, Steve nodded back and stood. "I'll do that."
***
Though Steve didn't follow the Asgardian tradition of asking Sif's family for her hand in marriage or offering some kind of bride price, Heimdall was more than happy to welcome him to Asgard and offer suggestions for an Asgardian wedding. "There will be elements in common with your own traditions on Midgard," he had said with a smile, clasping Steve's hand. "We will simply say that any deviations from our traditions are in honor to yours, not because I simply do not care for them."
"I knew I liked you," Steve joked, grinning at him. "She's wonderful," he said in a low tone, "and I will do whatever it takes to make this work so we're both happy and able to serve our realms. I know it's going to be a political thing, but that's not why I proposed."
Heimdall nodded. "And I'm sure that's not why she accepted, either." He let go of Steve's hand and gestured for the walkway to the gates of Asgard. "You are welcome, Steven Grant Rogers, as are your comrades. There will be plenty of assistance for planning the event, and I will join you all when possible."
He hadn't been kidding about the words the event. There were elaborate rituals and traditions to follow on Asgard. Given how long lived they were, every major life transition was celebrated with much pomp and circumstance, layers of meaning to give it even more weight and importance. While Sif might have never taken advantage of her status, her rank as a high jarl meant the wedding would be far more elaborate to plan and execute.
Sif was sequestered with distant female relatives and appropriate jarls that Heimdall had suggested would be helpful. She also requested Natasha, Jane, Darcy, Wanda, Carol and Pepper accompany her. In the bath house, all of the women assembled around Sif to confer advice. The jarls were a little nervous at first, not sure what kind of marriage advice they would give to a warrior bride, especially one marrying an outworlder. Natasha led the charge with practicing communication skills, so that seemed to ease the jarls. They talked about owning an estate, managing servants and karl workers, easing Steve into society functions. From there, Darcy snickering at some awkward phrasing shifted the talk to bedroom antics. Heimdall knew the elite very well, and had chosen ladies of rank that wouldn't think less of Sif just because she didn't conform to the Asgardian ideal of purity and chastity before marriage, or at least faking it by blushing and pretending ignorance of the marriage bed.
Afterward, Sif was rinsed of in ritual fashion, the water scented with fragrant oils and a prayer said over her bent head. Without being asked, Wanda twitched her fingers and wove a blessing into Sif's spá that she had learned from Loki. He had been very gracious about her request to learn a helpful spell like that, and had been bleakly honest with her. "I do wish her well, though she would never believe it," Loki told Wanda. "Our time of rivalry is past now, and Steve deserves happiness in his future. They have both been exceedingly fair with me," he said after a moment, voice low and almost hesitant. "If asked, say you developed this spell on your own, or learned it from volumes in mine or my mother's study. They will not trust it if it came from me, but I truly do not wish any harm upon them." Just to be safe, Wanda had double checked the crafting of the spell, and saw it for it was: a spell designed to attract well wishes and positive energy, speeding up her healing time and health in general. It was a gift that Sif could actually use and would want, one that would benefit her as she defended the Nine Realms.
Sif rose with a smile on her face and clasped each woman tightly. "My thanks for being at my side in this time. You are all precious to me, and I cherish your support." Then they all took deliberate care in dressing her in fine tunics and robes, a special marriage crown placed on her head, her hair left unbound. Her eyes were suspiciously bright as she took in her appearance in the mirror, clasping the medallion hanging around her neck. "My mother, they said, was a very beautiful and kind woman. My father said I would have made her very proud, even if I am not a woman that follows the rules of this Realm. I know they're with me this day, and I think they are pleased with my choice."
"Of course they are," Jane said, giving her a hug. She smoothed the wrinkles in her robes and grinned at Sif's anxiety. "You're a fantastic person, great friend, and will be happy with Steve. I know it. You guys are perfect for each other."
"As are you and Thor," Sif responded, the suspicious shine in her eyes fading.
"Yeah. And as soon as his parents finish whatever they're doing with their legal documents to check that there aren't outstanding betrothals, he can make it all official, too," she said. "With as long lived as you all are, there are a lot of contracts for them to go through. So I'm paying close attention to how this goes."
"I will aid you in your preparations, of course," Sif insisted. "As will the Queen herself."
"Getting sex tips from your mother-in-law?" Darcy sputtered. "Awkward."
That sent all the women into gales of laughter, even the jarls, and they left the bath house to complete Sif's preparations for the wedding.
In the meantime, Steve had the male Avengers, Heimdall, Thor and the Warriors Three for his attendants in the wedding preparations. Having no ancestral sword to obtain for the ceremony, Steve had originally thought he and Sif would forego the exchange of swords. Thor instead had arranged for one of his own swords to be gifted to Steve. "I credit you as shield brother, and give you the first training sword I used as a boy." He grinned at Steve when presenting it with a slight bow. "I would be most honored for you to consider me kin, and accept this sword for the marriage ceremony."
Taking the sword, Steve pulled Thor into a tight embrace. "Of course, Thor," he replied, voice choked with emotion. "Of course you're family."
Normally a special bath house was used for wedding preparations, with the groom's party entering once the bridal party was finished. In this case, since Thor was acting as one of Steve's family sponsors, they were all getting prepared in the palace. He had his ritual bath with scented oils and prayers said over his bent head. James recited a blessing from the Catholic church, making Steve smile in recognition.
Rather than Asgardian garb, Steve was dressed in a formal tuxedo with red accents. Sam and James were in similar suits as his best men, though their accents were teal blue. The others were all in regular suits, though Clint had elected not to wear a tie. Though the ladies were all going to be in formal Asgardian gowns and robes, the men were mostly Midgardian and decided to stick with the formal wear they knew. "It also is a nod to Steve's origin," Fandral commented. "I would be honored to wear similar garb to show my support." Not to be outdone, most of the others elected to do the same. As brother of the bride, Heimdall had to excuse himself to make his own preparations.
Sif walked on Heimdall's arm to the open courtyard in the palace that the wedding was taking place in. It normally would be in the bride's home, but she had long since let her childhood home revert to other relatives. She had lived and trained in the palace for such a long time that it was more her home than the one she had grown up in. As Ambassador to Midgard, she could claim more privilege, as could Steve for being Ambassador to Asgard. Natasha held her father's sword carefully and reverently, Jane held the ring she would place on Steve's hand, and Darcy held a length of wide silk ribbon.
They waited expectantly for Steve and the groom's party. When he entered, leading his men, he walked with a steady gait, eyes on Sif the entire time. He ended at her side, just next to the horgr, an altar made of heaped stones with a wide, shallow bowl of silver on it. Odin and Frigga stood behind the horgr, waiting to begin. They were in their most regal finery to befit the occasion, the jarls of the Asgardian peerage standing around the edges of the courtyard to observe the proceedings. Steve wore the sword he was to present to Sif, and James held the ring he would place on her finger. Sam carried the hlaut-teinn, a bundle of fir branches wrapped in white cord. He advanced to present it to Frigga with a bow, who took it in her right hand with a formal nod. In her left hand was a large silver pitcher, and she poured its contents into the bowl as Sam moved back into line beside James.
The liquid was herbed mead, and Frigga dipped the hlaut-teinn into it. She flicked it over the assembled party, moving it from left to right after a gentle dip. It sent a fine spray of the mead onto all of them, not much more than a fine mist. "We bless the union of these houses, and the honor bestowed upon our realms."
After she stepped back, Odin looked over the assemblage with his single eye. "There are similarities between our realms, just as there are differences. Lady Sif, from a long honored and well loved House. Steven Grant Rogers, stout of heart, strong of will, and favored by the royal House. Though normally a joining ceremony would begin with an exchange of dowry before witnesses and the court, both of you have opted not to include this, out of deference to the way it is done on Midgard." He raised both his hands, palm up, toward the sky. "Your lives were separate before, but now will be joined. One House, one lifeline, one blood."
At Odin's direction, Steve and Sif clasped one pair of hands. Natasha stepped up to hand Sif the sword, which she then handed to Steve. He clasped it, lips curling into a smile as his fingers brushed against hers. "I bind my House to yours, to honor and defend the sanctity of your name and the name of our family."
"I accept your House and bind it to mine," Steve said, taking the sword and then passing it behind him to Sam. He drew the sword Thor gave him from his scabbard, aware that Sif, Frigga and Odin recognized it. Twisting his grip, he presented it to Sif with pride. "Sif, I bind my House to yours, to honor and defend the sanctity of your name and the name of our family."
Her eyes glittered a little as she took the sword and passed it behind her for Natasha to take. "I accept your House and bind it to mine," Sif echoed, her lips curling into a soft smile.
Odin nodded at them both. "The binding of Houses has been witnessed by all present and recognized as lawful and just." Many of the jarls present nodded, some of them looking very pleased for both Sif and Steve.
Jane stepped forward and presented Sif's ring to Steve. It was spelled gold, runes of protection on its underside, a single garnet centered in it like a signet. Sif eagerly took it with her free hand, and then looked at him with an expression of perfect love and trust. "Steve. I gift you with a circle stronger than any forged metal." She started to slide the ring onto the third finger of his left hand in Midgardian style. "I declare myself bonded to you in lawful matrimony, and declare that will do my utmost to fulfill and observe the whole of the compact between us. This is declared in the hearing of witnesses without duplicity or cunning, as a real and authorized compact. My body and soul and ability, yours to command."
James stepped forward with Steve's ring for Sif. It was a simple platinum band studded with small diamonds, intended to make it easy for Sif to still wield a sword in her off hand if she had to. "Sif," Steve murmured, a smile ghosting his lips. There had been preparation with the wording of this ceremony, and the two of them had decided that it would be a blending of their cultures. "With this ring, I thee wed. I promise to love, honor and cherish you, forsaking all others, in sickness and in health, till death do us part." He couldn't help but grin at her, his own eyes suspiciously shiny as well. "I love you, Sif," he added, voice thick with emotion. "Now and forever, no matter what. You've made me a happy man, and I promise I will do my best to make you a happy woman."
Sif laughed; neither had rehearsed that part of his vow, and she was overcome with emotion as he slid on her ring. "Steve," she choked, grinning at him.
Clearing his throat, Odin drew their attention back to him. "The binding of body and soul for Steve and Sif has been witnessed by all present, and is recognized as lawful and just."
That was Darcy's cue to start wrapping the ribbon around their clasped hands and wrists. It was tight, ends overlapping, until she came to the end of its length. She knotted it and fluffed the edges into a makeshift bow, smirking at the both of them. "You guys rock," she declared, her voice carrying across the hushed area. "Congratulations."
Both Steve and Sif chuckled, then looked to Odin. "You are of one body, one heart, one blood, one soul," Odin intoned gravely. "You are wed."
The assembled jarls that bore witness to the ceremony began to clap politely. In deference to Steve's origin, Odin smiled at Steve. "And the groom may now kiss the bride."
"The best part," he joked before grasping Sif with his free arm and pulling her close for a deep kiss. Sam and James started cheering, and the ladies soon joined in as well.
The wedding celebration afterward lasted for a week. It began with the bride and groom drinking the special bridal-ale, a spiced mead similar to that used with the hlaut-teinn. Sufficient quantities had been made so that the couple could share it over the next month according to tradition. Steve had laughed at the literal "honeymoon," and planned to take Sif on a trip through various spots on Earth he had always wanted to see. "That's the kind of honeymoon I'm used to," he told Sif after they shared their first goblet of mead, one pair of hands still tied together. "Not that this isn't good. Kinda sweet."
"Meant to bring sweetness, luck and fertility to our union," Sif said, lips curling into a smile.
"Is that what you want?" Steve asked, leaning in for a honeyed kiss.
"I have sweetness and luck aplenty," Sif replied against his mouth. "Should we be blessed with offspring, I would find it joyous indeed."
"And they don't need you back here for a month?" Steve confirmed, smiling and letting his forehead touch hers. She nodded, an answering smile on her face. "Got a lot of time to be practicing for those offspring. Ready for it?"
"I should ask if you're ready for the full strength of my ardor," Sif teased.
"Verily," Steve replied, leaning in to kiss her again. Neither of them could wait.
***
Natasha was startled to see a young woman in her suite staring at the painting on her wall. The woman had long, straight black hair that hung down nearly to her knees. She was wearing a scarlet dress that clung to her frame, sleeves that went to her wrists. On her hands were black gloves with scarlet stitching. She was thin, gaunt, really, and when she turned around, Natasha could see that her eyes were entirely black and her skin was as pale as paper. She looked almost like Selene, but there was some other cast to her features, something that seemed almost familiar, though Natasha had never seen her before. Her stance and demeanor seemed almost like Hel, but not quite, and Natasha squashed down her unease and foreboding.
"Can I help you?" she asked, voice carefully modulated to remain neutral.
The young woman smiled, and that certainly looked like Hel at her most calculating. "I wanted to meet you. You're her favorite, even among all of her other favorites, and I wanted to see why."
Her. As in this young woman was separate from Hel? Natasha didn't even know how to begin to ask what her business was.
"Is there something specific that you're looking for?"
"There are changes that will occur, I'm sure," the woman replied, not answering Natasha's question directly. There was a decided predatory look in the woman's eyes, though Natasha refused to back up or show that she was in any way intimidated.
"What's your name?"
She smiled. "You may call me Helena. She does. But that will change soon enough."
That told Natasha absolutely nothing specific yet, but it was clear Helena was separate from Hel, and was possibly created from the remnants of Selene's heart and soul in Helheim. Hel had wanted a child after all, and someone had provided Hel with the raw materials. She hadn't been interested in forcing the issue on Natasha, not when there was someone else she could have done that with.
Holding out her hand in greeting, Natasha smiled politely. "Pleased to meet you, Helena."
Helena laughed, a light tinkling sound of amusement. "And I you, Natalia Alianovna Romanova, beloved and hated by many," she said, taking Natasha's hand and shaking it. "I am in neither camp at the moment, but there are many whispers in the webs about you."
"The webs?" Natasha asked blankly.
"There are many futures you could take. Many pasts you could have had. As it is, you have been given a clean slate in this realm, a blank future that you can do with what you wish." She smiled at Natasha, possibly meaning to be encouraging, but only making Natasha certain that Helena wasn't particularly fond of her. She didn't seem to actively hate her, but didn't have any stake in Natasha remaining hale and whole.
"What do the seers say about you, then?" Natasha asked, curious.
"They haven't decided yet," Helena replied. "You'll have your hands full," she added before Natasha could think of something else to potentially draw her out and reveal something. "Old enemies under new leadership, battles to wage, personalities to keep in balance." Her smile was amused, and Natasha knew it was at her expense. "You'll send many souls to Helheim, certainly. Some of them may even be useful to us."
"Are there particular ones you're looking for?"
She grinned, truly amused now. "So solicitous. Were you that way with her?"
"When I knew what she wanted. Never a good idea to make the Queen of the Dead angry with you," Natasha replied blandly.
"No, it isn't," Helena agreed, smiling still. The air behind her was a swirling mass of smoke, more like Stephen Strange's portals than Loki's or Hel's. She inclined her head regally. "I'll have my hands full as well. But I think perhaps there was a reason why she wanted it to go this way. Not just because I potentially would have to be created, but because she wanted to see the shape of things fall this way. There would have been so much more chaos if it hadn't."
"Will I see you again?"
"Of course," Helena replied, smile still on her face. "But I plan to take a less direct approach than my predecessor. Your fate has been changed enough as it is."
"So what is it that you want?" Natasha asked Helena.
The young woman had an eerie smile, and Natasha couldn't help but be reminded of Selene. "From you? Nothing. Unlike Hel, I have no designs on the living and no need to use you all as pawns." Her expression hardened fractionally. "You are free of my influence, Natalia Alianovna. Your life is your own."
"Thank you," Natasha told her sincerely. "And you can call me Natasha if we do meet again."
Helena smiled, nodding. "I understand." She paused for a moment, then cocked her head to the side. "There are new antagonists for you and your compatriots, Natasha. A former lover Hel had resurrected, though not as part of her plans."
"Yelena."
Nodding, Helena shrugged slightly. "She doesn't look the same, and neither does her current paramour. Death came for them, used them to her own purposes."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Yelena asked Ophelia not to kill you or your compatriots as a favor."
"Meaning?"
"Oh, you can be hurt or maimed, just not killed." Helena smiled. "There is ample opportunity for your work if you wish it. Not for a ledger, not for the repayment of past sins."
"I'm aware of my ledger," Natasha replied. "But it's in balance now. I don't do this because I have to wipe out the red. I want to keep my life in balance. It doesn't work if I'm alone or if I refuse to kill or do bad things. I know that now. Sometimes it's choosing the lesser of the evils to save the most people. I'm okay with that."
Helena smiled. "And that's why I wanted to meet you. I see why she likes you," Helena said. "Strong of will, good of heart, and determined to do the most good. Despite all the pain and trauma of your past, it only tempered you. It made you kind."
"I'm not kind."
"You are," she disagreed. "Not in a soft way, but in that you help others and you aren't ever deliberately cruel."
"I suppose," Natasha replied in a dubious tone. It only made Helena giggle like a child. "So what now?" she asked.
"Now? You live your life. Without interference, without threat, however you choose. And someday, I hope to meet you when it's your time to die a natural death."
"Will I meet you then?"
"Perhaps." Helena's smile grew edged. "She's cruel, and uses others as tools. There's very little of her mother in her. But I have none of her flesh in my body, so perhaps I won't be so callous with lives. Time will tell."
Natasha held out her hand, and Helena gingerly took it, seeming almost awkward. That made Natasha wonder if she had ever been shown any kindness or consideration. With what she said and implied about Hel, probably not. "Until we meet again," Natasha told her, shaking her hand gently. "Maybe we'll have stories to tell each other."
She smiled, friendly and open, maybe a little relieved. "I would like that very much."
Helena stepped back through the smoky portal, and then it slowly dissipated. Natasha waved before it did, and watched until the air seemed to settle back into normalcy. Afterward, she went to her bedroom to change as she had planned to do. She had dinner with Loki and James to get ready for, and a whole life ahead of her. She couldn't wait to live it.
The End
and this is the end of the Siege series
Bonus Author's Note: ...And that's all, folks.
Thanks for hanging in there with me until the very end! There will no doubt be more adventures for the Avengers, as Hydra and AIM and all of the powered people are still around. I've been working on a spin off series focused on Helheim here and there, and I'll put a link here when I start that one. If I didn't wrap up anything as neatly as I thought I did, let me know. You never know if there are more tales to tell in this 'verse, after all. :)