The Last Shifter (a Loki romance)

Epilogue

I just want to thank all of you who have stuck with me on this long journey!  Hope you enjoy the end.

Arista's POV

Loki was quick to fill me in on what had transpired while I'd been regenerating. And while a part of me was disappointed that I wasn't the one to actually kill Thanos, I had defeated him in all other ways possible. The only real cost had come at Peggy's form; the form I'd been wearing when I died. It had been scary at first, waking up in Shuri's miracle of a regeneration pod and not being able to shift into the form that I had worn for so long. But I made do.

I created a new form, one that could truly take the name Arista. Slightly taller than Peggy, but just as curvy, this new form had hair that fell in straight, dark waves. I dyed the ends purple as a tribute to Gamora. My eyes, though, I deliberately left them natural. It was a hard decision, but for once, I didn't need to hide them anymore. Hide who I was. The team had worked incredibly hard to get me a full pardon for any imagined slights, with official Asgardian citizenship to boot. It seemed that saving the world came with certain benefits.

I recovered in Wakanda for a few days, but then we had gone back to the States for Tony's wedding. He'd moved out of the Compound–which was in the process of being converted into more of a homey facility rather than one geared for training–and into a cabin a few hours north. That's where the wedding took place.

I wasn't sure what I'd been expecting from a Stark wedding, but outside beside a lake wasn't it. I'd also expected him to invite a whole bunch of people, and while there were a couple trusted reporters present, for the most part it was just family, and other close affiliates of the Avengers.

During the reception that followed, I debriefed with Fury privately, and the same with Strange and Nebula. The other Guardians had left some time ago, and were trying to find a way to bring Gamora back. Now that I was awake, Nebula would join them. There wasn't much hope for Gamora, but if anyone could help them, it was Kaylinth. I was leaving the decision on whether or not to seek him out with the Guardians.

Just as the dancing was getting started, Loki pulled me outside the tent that had been set up and out onto the dock. When we got there, I noticed that he was picking relentlessly at the skin on his palms.

"What's wrong?"

"Arista, will you marry me?" He blurted.

"I–what? We've been married for nearly a decade now."

"That's not what I mean, I–" He turned away and ran his hands through his hair, "There was no ceremony like this. No celebration with your friends. Just a cold contract, and after all this time, I've never apologized for the way I acted that day. But seeing this," He gestured back towards the tent, "Makes me want to do it again, and to get it right this time." He knelt down.

"Please. Losing you, albeit temporarily, made me realize just how much you've changed me, and how much you mean to me. So I ask a second time: Will you marry me?"

"Of course, Loki. Of course I will." I knelt down as well, sealing my lips over his.

Our ceremony took place a month after Tony and Pepper's. We had it at the Compound, just for simplicity's sake. Pretty much the same people were there, with the significant addition of Jane. It hadn't been easy at first, reaching out to her, but I was so grateful that I did. Somehow, we'd managed to rekindle our friendship. It probably helped that there were no longer any lies or secrets between us. Later in the evening, Steve had pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.

"I'm so happy for you, Arista."

"Not Peggy?" He shook his head.

"No. You said her form is gone, so...I know you're still the same person and everything, but I'm done clinging to the past." His eyes drifted across the room and landed on Bucky. A smile grew on my face.