Emerald Storm [Loki]

The hex

Billy and Tommy sat at Katerina and Loki's kitchen table. They were sipping juice and picking at the orange slices Loki had plated up for them. Billy was tired from all the noise in his head and Tommy from using his super-speed to get them from Westview, New Jersey, all the way to New Asgard, but nevertheless, they explained as much as they could.

"and then Agnes took us to her house to give Mom a break, but when we got there she was acting weird. She tried to trap us in her basement but I grabbed Billy and zoomed us both outta there!" Tommy explained the situation, how they knew they needed help.

Kat reached across the circular table, put her hand flat on the cool wood. "Boys, I have so many questions, and I'm sure you do too. But if you're worried about this Agnes person, we should really go back to your town and find your Mom. Okay?"

"What if..." Tommy started but couldn't finish, so his brother did.

"What if Agnes has hurt Mom?"

Kat's heart sank at the true fear in their little voices. "Oh..oh boys." Her voice was solemn, soft. She couldn't help but get up and wrap a comforting arm around each of them. "Your mother is so strong and unbelievably powerful. You shouldn't worry."

Loki stepped away from the table he had to look away. As much as he loved seeing Kat's soft side, especially with children, he couldn't let himself become soft. He had to keep an eye on things, just in case they aren't what they seem.

"But how are we going to get back?" Billy asked as he stood beside his brother outside of the cottage. Katerina sent a bolt of green energy at the door and it made a clicking sound, indicating that it was now locked.

"I'm too tired to zoom us all back. It was bad enough just me and this little shit." Tommy elbowed his brother.

"I'm taller than you!"

Loki held up a hand to silence them and they looked at him like naughty school kids that had been sent to the principal's office. "We will have no bickering on our journey." He slipped past them and they followed him, and Katerina behind the twins. Loki stopped abruptly at the end of the driveway, turning back to them and adding, "Oh, and no more cursing. A gentleman does not curse." Loki clicked his finger's and a car appeared on the drive, a posh black SUV with tinted windows and a shiny glare almost blinding them.

"Woooah...." Billy and Tommy said in unison before they took off running, pulling open the door and jumping in.

Loki turned to Kat and raised his arms in question before dropping them in defeat, both having no answers. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his soft lips, pulling back and resting her forehead against his. "You're so magic."

"So are you my darling." He smiled. He leaned in for another kiss when he felt his pocket become lighter. He just caught her cheek with his lips when she walked away, the keys to the car trailing behind her on a string of green mist. "You know with your thievery and those kids jumping into unknown vehicles I'm starting to question the Maximoff parenting skills!" He yelled after them.

The car began backing off the drive and Loki's smile fell. He took off running, just about reaching the door handle and throwing himself into the passenger seat as the car disappeared down the hill. "Does everyone have their seatbelt's on?"

---

They got to the otherwise of New Asgard in time to see the sun setting. They had only been in the car ten minutes but it had been a long day. Kat was letting her magic steer as she admired the scenery from the road. The road out of New Asgard was wrapped around a huge mountain and the sight was unlike anything she had ever seen or conjured before.

There was a huge drop beside the road, that exposed a valley between the mountains. A waterfall connecting the two like a bridge, supplying the town with clean water. Running underneath a sky full of stars. The water reflected the moonbeams and the glistening glow of candlelight from the various Asgardians charging their crystals and praying to the gods. It was truly a hidden gem.

"Why are we stopping?"Billy asked from the backseat, he and his brother leaning into the gap between Loki and Kat to get a better view.

Kat looked up in time to see the portal she had created when she first came to the town. It takes a lot of her energy to keep creating them so she took a day off, conjuring and calling upon all the witches before her, and using all of her might to create a permanent portal, but that's a story for another time.

"Car's cant travel through. But we can." Kat told them and they caught her drift. They slipped out of the car and began towards the portal. An emerald green sphere stood before them growing until it was the size of a door. "Im trying to open it to Westview but...."

"It's blank." Said Billy and Kat nodded.

"Does that mean our home is gone?" Tommy asked in a panicked tone.

"No." Loki shook his head, and Kat looked at him in concern. She thought it had disappeared that the Agnes person the boys were afraid of had destroyed the town.

"No?" She asked.

"Think about it, Wanda blocked you out earlier. You can't get to her. But you can try to get close."

Just when she was about to give up, Loki brought her back. He really kept her grounded, stopped her from crumbling. Just like Vision to Wanda.

kat beamed, looking at him with so much love and adoration in her eyes he actually shivered, visibly. He felt a spark travel up his spine and his skin was covered in goose pimples. She didn't have to say those three words, because, at that moment, he felt them.

Kat shut her eyes and tried to connect to Wanda as she had earlier, except this time she was relying on their connection over the newfound magic she was working on with the natural world.

Just like before, Wanda shut her out. A stronger wall of scarlet red powers held her back, pushing her, trying to force her out. So she yielded, let it push her. She flowed back from the wall and she saw it. A SWORD basecamp. Wanda was showing her where to go.

Kat opened her eyes in time to see the green portal display the picture she saw in her head, the view from the basecamp to the red wall around Westview.

"Let's go." She announced.

"Wait!" Billy yelled, stopping Kat in her tracks. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he slipped his tiny hand into hers, and nodded towards the portal, silently telling her that he just needed the comfort.

The two walked toward the port and stepped in, walking through like it was an ordinary door. Loki looked down at the littlest Maximoff. Tommy was tapping his hand against his thigh, nervously putting off going back to Westview.

Loki held his hand out to him, remembering what it was like to be a scared little boy, except this little bou didnt have a father yelling at him to be a man and grow a pair. "It's okay to be afraid, Tommy. But you don't have to be. We are going to help your Mom, and i promise that myself and your aunt won't let anything happen to you boys."

"Thanks, Uncle Loki." Tommy took Loki's hand looked forward towards Westview, where Kat and Billy were waiting on the grass.

Loki didn't know what to say, so he nodded and the two took off for Westview stepping through the portal. It closed directly after them and that's when the world seemed to press play again.

The portal was blocking the SWORD team from seeing Kat and Billy like it was a messed up double-sided mirror and all the Agents could see was Westview, until it went down and they lifted their guns at the four people who just appeared from nowhere.