Emma Joan Tallis

chapter eighteen: Gone

"Go where you must go, and hope!"
~ Gandalf, The Two Towers

~*~

"So, how can you speak our language?" Darcy asked Volstagg.

"Your language? Ha! Silly girl, you're speaking ours," Volstagg replied.

"Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!" Thor began to call.

"Wait, you're leaving already?" Darcy asked, confused.

I looked around Earth, I wasn't planning to leave again once I got here. Unfortunately, the Bifrost did not open, and I knew I had to leave Earth to fix whatever mess Loki had made. "He would open it if he could. I fear the worst," Thor said, echoing my thoughts.

"Then we're trapped here forever," Volstagg said dramatically.

"Then I suppose we'd best start settling into our new lives," Fandral said before turning to Darcy. "Are all earth maidens as fair as you?"

"No," she said simply, and I choked back a laugh.

"Heimdall! If you can hear me, we need you now!" Thor shouted again. A moment later, there was a muffled roar, and the Bifrost opened.

"Sorry, my love. These things happen," Fandral said to Darcy and I rolled my eyes.

"Stop flirting," I told him as I smacked him over the head.

"Ow!"

"We'll be back," I told the other people gathered as I pushed the Warriors Three and Sif through the portal. I was about to follow when Thor grabbed my arm, "Thor?"

"You should stay," Thor said.

"You'll need my help with Loki, things have happened while you've been gone," I told Thor.

"Let me deal with my brother, you should remain here," Thor said.

"Not going to happen," I told him as I stepped through the portal, not letting him stop me, and hoping, praying I wasn't making the wrong decision. I accepted that Steve was gone decades ago, remaining on Earth would be agony without him.

A few moments later Thor came through and gave me a pointed look. "Get him to the healing room! Leave my brother to me," Thor said. The others didn't argue as we helped Heimdall. Sif and I carried Heimdall while Hogun and Fandral helped Volstagg.

When we arrived to the healing room, I quickly turned to leave once I knew they were safe. "Where are you going?" Sif asked.

"To try to help," I said as I ran off, when I arrived in Odin's room, Thor and Loki had already gone through. "Where did they go?"

"The Bifrost," Frigga said, and I took off running again. By the time I arrived at the bridge, the Bifrost was on and looked to be aimed at Jotunheim.

"No," I whispered in horror, Loki was trying to destroy an entire planet. I started running towards the Bifrost entrance, hoping to stop it. However, when I got there, Loki and Thor were engaged in a battle that I couldn't get in the middle of. A moment later, Thor seemed to gain the upper hand, and Loki went flying almost off of the bridge.

I ran forward to help him, but then Loki appeared behind me, pinned me to his chest, and covered my mouth. I struggled uselessly as the Loki that looked to be hanging on for dear life cried out for help. "Thor! Help me!" The illusion cried. "Please..."

I struggled against Loki as he tricked Thor, and then his illusions surrounded him. I pulled a knife out of my sleeve and stabbed Loki just as Thor used his hammer to destroy the illusions and send Loki flying off of me.

"That was a dirty trick," Loki said, and I thanked Peggy Carter for teaching me to always have a knife up my sleeve.

"Enough!" Thor stated as he walked up to Loki and put his hammer on his chest.

"Thor," I warned as I pointed at the Bifrost that was left on and looked to be about to rip a planet apart.

"How do we stop it?" Thor asked.

"If we can't remove Heimdall's sword, we can't," I told him honestly.

"Look at you, the Mighty Thor, with all your strength, and what good does it do you now, huh?" Loki demanded.

"Destroy it," I whispered, and Thor looked at me sharply. "You can destroy it."

"Do you hear me, Brother? There's nothing you can do!" Loki shouted.

"Do it, Thor," I said and Thor raised his hand to summon his hammer. It flew into his hand and he slammed it onto the bridge.

"Go," Thor warned, and I took off running.

"What are you doing? If you destroy the bridge, you'll never see her again!" Loki shouted at I ran past him. I felt the impact of Thor's hammer blow again, and ran faster.

"I'm sorry, Steve," I said as Thor yelled and the Bifrost exploded behind me. The force of the impact sent me flying forward, but I just skidded to a hault on what remained of the bridge. I looked over to where the Bifrost used to be, but there was no sign of Loki or Thor.

"Loki!" I shouted as I looked around, spinning in a circle. "Thor!"

"Here!" I heard, and I saw Odin in the distance keeping the two brothers from falling to their death. I ran towards them, but knowing how unstable Loki was, if Odin didn't say the perfect thing, Loki would let go.

"Loki!" I shouted at I ran up, I had no idea what Odin was saying, but it wasn't what Loki wanted to hear. "Don't!" I screamed desperately, "don't do it!" Loki ignored me, and let go of his end of the spear and fell into space.

~*~

I stood watching the celebrations going on in the palace, but I didn't feel like joining in. Thor was also gazing off into the distance, and his father was with him.

"And then, with a mighty bellow, I flew into the giant metal creature and laid him low!" Volstagg proclaimed loudly, and I shook my head with a wry smile.

"Is that another way of saying you fell on your huge ass?" Fandral asked.

"As a matter of fact, falling was a tactic lulling the Destroyer..." Volstagg said.

"Emiliana," a voice said, and I turned to see Sif.

"You miss him," Sif said.

"He was my friend," I told her honestly. "Loki was lost, and now he is gone."

"I always wondered if you two would perhaps..." Sif said, but I shook my head.

"I was far too damaged from what happened on Midgard," I told her honestly. "And now, well it doesn't matter."

"You were a good friend to him," Frigga said as she walked up.

"My Queen, I'm so sorry for your loss," Sif said.

I bowed to Frigga, "he was a good friend to me. He will be missed."

"How is he?" Frigga asked Sif.

"He mourns for his brother. And," Sif said, but she couldn't say it.

"He misses her," I said.

"The mortal," Sif agreed with a nod.

"I know how he feels."

~*~