First Impressions

Part 13

You'd be lying if you said you weren't nervous about going back to Asgard. The whole situation was odd. Arriving was even more odd.

Thor and Hela were already there. Luckily, Minerva was not. Thor greeted you warmly, as always, before introducing himself to your aunt and uncle. Him and your uncle seemed to bond immediately, and your aunt was busy with Loki, leaving you with Hela.

Hela was...quiet. Not shy, not by any means, just quiet. Introductions were made, but there were no questions on her part, and you couldn't help but be a little intimidated by the way she was looking at you. It was an obvious appraisal, and you wondered what she'd been told about you.

Luckily for you, the silence between you didn't stretch on much longer thanks to Thor, who clapped a hand on your shoulder and asked after Jane.

You blinked and looked at him, eyebrow lifting involuntarily. "Jane is doing as well as can be expected."

To his credit, he caught your meaning immediately. You watched in mild amusement as he stumbled through a response, clearly flustered.

The afternoon passed slowly. You snuck away to the gardens in the middle of it all for some peace and quiet. Your phone rang when you were about halfway through. It was Jane.

"You need to come home," she said.

"Hello to you too," you replied.

"Sharon ran off with Wickham and we can't find them."

"What?"

"Sharon ran--"

"No, Jane, I heard you, I just--how long have they been gone?"

"It looks like she snuck out in the middle of the night last night. Mom found a note she left this morning."

"God, okay, I'll tell our aunt and uncle and I'll text you when we're on our way."

"Okay."

You hung up and made your way back out of the garden as fast as you could, heart and mind racing. You nearly ran headfirst into Loki at the entrance to the garden. You stammered out an apology and made to rush past him, but he stopped you.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Sharon's run off with Wickham," you blurted.

His face dropped. "What?"

"Jane just called me, she ran off last night with Wickham and they have no idea where they are and they can't find them--"

"Breathe."

You stopped, realizing you were about to hyperventilate, and forced yourself to take a deep breath, and another, and another, as Loki guided you to a nearby bench and sat with you.

"I need to tell my aunt and uncle so we can go back home and help," you said once you recovered enough air.

Loki stood. "Stay here, I'll get them."

You nodded.

The next half hour was blur of action. Your aunt and uncle rushed out to you, and you told them what Jane told you. You glanced back to the doorway and saw Loki talking with Thor and Hela. Thor had a murderous expression on his face, which you hadn't thought was possible until now. Hela seemed unbothered.

As you headed out the front door only minutes later, Hela caught your wrist, and you took note of the deadly look in her eyes. "That bastard won't get far."

She said it so calmly that it scared you a little. You simply nodded. As your aunt and uncle said their goodbyes to Thor and Hela, Loki approached you.

"I should've told them," you said quietly.

"We should've told them," he corrected you.

You looked at him, surprised.

"They won't stay hidden long," he continued. "You'll find them, and Wickham will be taken care of."

You nodded, despite the dread in your stomach.

On the drive back home, you texted Jane, and told your aunt and uncle everything you knew about Wickham. You left out the part about Hela. When you finally got home, you got out of the car before it even came to a full stop. Jane came out almost immediately, shutting the front door behind her.

"Anything?" You asked, hugging her.

"Nothing," she replied. "Dad's gone out looking for them."

"How's Mom?"

Jane winced. "Borderline hysterical."

"Sounds like her."

She took you all inside. She hadn't been kidding. Your mother was in a tizzy, flying through the house, with Wanda trying to keep up with her. Kitty was lingering at the foot of the stairs watching them, and came over when she saw you.

"None of us thought they were that close," Jane said. "We only saw him when we went into town, and even then they barely talked."

"Well, you know Sharon," you grumbled. "A few compliments here, a few sweet words there, and she's hooked." You groaned. "I should've known better."

"There's no way anyone could've known."

"I did," Kitty said.

You all stared at her. Her expression was smug.

"Sharon told me all about it! They love each other so much, and they knew no one would ever approve, so they ran away together to elope!"

"Catherine," you snapped. "Tell us everything you know, right now."

That wiped the smile right off her face.

She didn't know much else. Sharon hadn't contacted her since she left. Jane showed you all the note Sharon had left, and your uncle left to help your father shortly after. Your aunt stayed behind as support.

The next few days were like walking on eggshells. Every day your uncle would text your aunt the same thing: no sign of them. It drove your mother somehow even more mad. The only excitement, if you could even call it that, was a call from Stephen asking after your family, wishing you well, how he knew something like this would happen due to your parents' lack of parenting skills. You'd been the one stuck on the phone with him, so you quickly made up some excuse about how your aunt had just heard from your uncle and you had to go right away, and hung up before he could say anything.

Word came not long after that your father was returning home. There was still no sign of Sharon or Wickham. Your mother, naturally, threw a fit, raging about how he should stay out looking and shouldn't return until her daughter was found.

You tuned her out.