Chapter 11: Hard Decisions

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Everything that Dr

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Everything that Dr. Erskine said to me was echoing around my mind as I walked home. It had taken him a good three hours to convince me that I could trust him. He explained what he was working on and how the Nazis would do anything to get their hands on it. It turns out that Schmidt killed his family as well when he wouldn't work for him and wanted to stop Schmidt as much as I did. He also promised to get me to Norway one way or another as soon as this war was over so I could try to contact my family who I have never met and help me find a way home. The only problem was I no longer knew where home was.

It was a short walk home, even though there was still a winter chill in the air. But lately the cold had been bothering me less and less. I'm guessing it was because I had been working on controlling my powers more with the help of Steve. I just wished that Dad could have been here to help me learn what I could do.

I got home before Steve who had started working in the ammunition factory but only because it paid better than his last job. I put the potato pie that Marge had prepared for us in the oven so it was ready when Steve got home. As soon I checked that it was cooking properly, I went over to the couch and picked up the copy of Poetic Edda that Steve had got me for Christmas. I was flicking through the pages when it fell open on a drawing of Loki. I looked at my cousin's face, who I have never met and wondered if the artist had got his likeness right. The man in the drawing had long black hair and a serious look on his face but there was a glint of mischief in his eyes.

 The man in the drawing had long black hair and a serious look on his face but there was a glint of mischief in his eyes

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If I agreed to work with Dr. Erskine there was a chance that I would be able to meet Loki and the rest of my family in Asgard but that would mean that I would have to leave Steve. I put down the book and looked at one of the few photos Steve and I we had that was in a frame on the mantle place. It was taken on his birthday and we were both laughing at something stupid that Bucky had done. New York had become my home over the past months, more importantly Steve had become my home. I knew that I should be jumping at the chance to stop the man who had killed my father but I couldn't bear the thought of leaving Steve.

Steve got home around six o'clock, his coat cover with a dusting of snow that had started to fall outside. His face was red from the cold and I could tell his asthma was bothering him from the way he was struggling to breath slightly. I rushed over to him and helped him to take his coat off and helped him to sit down.

"Are you ok Steve? The weather seems to be getting bad out there," I said as I pulled a blanket around his shoulders as he started to shiver from the cold. The last thing I wanted was for him to get the flu again. The last time he got the flu was in November and he got so sick that he couldn't leave his bed for a week. Even though Bucky told me that that was normal for Steve, I couldn't help but worry as he broke out into a cold sweat as he was wrapped up in his blankets. So since that day I tried to keep him out of the cold as much as possible, which was one of the main reasons I wanted to learn to control my powers more.

"I'm ok Kimberly, it was just a little colder than I expected. How was your day at work."

And there it was, the question that I didn't know how to answer. How did I tell him what had happened? I knew I couldn't say Dr. Erskine's name as anyone who knew about him and his work was a potential target for Hydra. But I could tell him that I was offered to work as a Norse expert for the US army in return for helping me find my family. When I didn't respond straight away, Steve knew something was wrong.

"Kimberly, what happened? You can tell me." I took a deep breath and told him what had happened.

"A man has been coming into the dinner for the past few months and today I found out who he works for. He works for a special department of the army and he knows who the man is that killed my father because the man killed his family as well. It turns out that the man was a Nazi and was determined to find the Norse god that was rumored to live on earth and make him work for him. Some how he found one of Odin's treasures that was kept on earth and that helped him get to my Dad, even though he was living years away in the future. But clearly it didn't work out as Dad is dead and I came back in time with him. Guess he didn't know that Dad gave up his powers because of his love for my Mum"

Steve was looking at me in amazement, there was finally an answer as to why my father was attacked and I ended up in the 1940's.

"That's great Kimberly, you finally know what happened. But I can tell there is more that you need to tell me."

"The man asked for me to work with him as an expert in Norse mythology as I am the child of a Norse god, even if it is a god who gave up his powers. He also knows that I was finishing my masters at university that included Norse mythology. He promised that if I went with him, he would help me find my family, either in the future or the ones in Asgard. But I would have to go to the division headquarters in Washington, DC and I'll have to leave on the 15th of February". Which was not only the day after Valentine's Day but the day after my birthday as well.

"You should go Kimberly," Steve said as he moved closer to put his arm around me. "This is your one chance to stop him from hurting anyone else and to find your family so you can get back home." He was right, as he always was but it wasn't that easy for me.

"But there's one problem with that Steve, I don't know where home is any more. Growing up Mama always told me growing up that home is where the heart is and my heart isn't in Tennessee anymore. It's right here. With you."

Steve placed his hand on my cheek and turned my face so he could look me in the eye. He had one of the saddest smiles I've ever seen. I could see the tears in his eyes as he tried to find the words to say. I knew this was going to be hard for both of us, no matter what happened but we both had a decision to make.

"I feel the same way Kimberly, but you will never forgive yourself if you didn't try to stop him. And it's not like you would be leaving straight away. Even then we could still wright to each other, this won't be goodbye. I promise you Kimberly, we will see each other again".

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