"Ar'iaal, we need to talk." The other Eternal let out a soft grunt to indicate that he was listening to Miriam, though he didn't seem to be able to tear his eyes away from the video game he was playing. She frowned, and sat down on the couch next to him. "That was a pretty shitty excuse for an apology that you gave Loki, and neither of us appreciated it. I don't think that it's a good idea for you to try to talk to Loki at any point unless you plan on giving him a real apology. However, because I am such a generous and giving person, I am not going to kick you out of the compound."

Ar'iaal's head sharply jerked up so that he was actually giving Miriam his full attention. "Was that even something you were taking into consideration?"

Miriam shrugged. "I want all of my friends to get along, Ar'iaal. But you do make me so mad sometimes. Why were you so mean to Loki, even after finding out that I'm alive and everything? Are you jealous of him? Are you jealous that he's been my friend while you've been off conquering worlds?"

Ar'iaal threw down the game controller with enough force to shatter it into pieces, along with chipping the floor. "Of course I am! Did you really think that I wouldn't be bothered by the fact that you replaced me? I spent thousands of years searching for you! I've made so many sacrifices and I-"

"Oh don't act like you're some kind of saint! None of the sacrifices you made were your own! You slaughtered complete strangers to chase a pipe dream! If I really was dead, killing billions of people wouldn't have changed that! And since I wasn't, it was all truly worthless! You did nothing but waste your time!"
Ar'iaal scowled. "It wasn't a waste! I was trying to get back to you, how do you not understand that?" He stood up abruptly. "And just so you know, you're not the only one who tried to find a replacement for family. I basically have a kid, you know."

That was complete news to Miriam. She didn't even think that it was possible for an Eternal to procreate with another species, and it's not like there were other Eternals around for him to be making babies with. She didn't doubt his word for a second, though. If he said he had a kid, then he was telling the truth about it. She blinked a few times, feeling a little shocked. "You have a kid?" Then she leaned over to smack him in the shoulder. "Then what the hell are you doing here with me instead of out there with your kid? Are you trying to make yourself into someone as despicable as my parents were?"

Ar'iaal clenched his jaw, and looked away from Miriam. "She's an adult by her species' standards. She doesn't need me anymore." Ah, so the kid wasn't an Eternal. Miriam felt grateful on the kid's behalf that they didn't have to be.

Miriam narrowed her eyes. "We're so old that we can't even honestly give exact numbers, but I still-" her voice cracked, and Miriam took a deep breath in and slowly let it out before continuing. "I was raised for political reasons, and your parents never loved me. And then I thought that I'd finally found a place where I belonged, and everything was good for a little while, and then my biological family, and everyone else, just left me behind because they didn't want me anymore. I wouldn't want them back even if I could have them. Is that what you want for your kid? Trust issues and daddy issues and abandonment issues, and all the other issues that we've got? You're such an ass, Ar'iaal."

"Everything I did was for you," he whispered.

Miriam shook her head. "You adopted a kid for me? Sorry, but I don't buy it."

Ar'iaal sighed. "It happened as a result of me trying to get you back. I thought that I could make an equal exchange for you if enough people died, and she's strong. Obviously not on our level, but she's so strong. But it would be best for her if I stayed away. I raised her to be a soldier, not to be a person. She's better off without me."

Miriam crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't even sure where to begin sorting through all the emotions swirling through her at the moment. She was an aunt, and she'd never even met the kid before. "If she's better off without you, then so am I."

That clearly wasn't what Ar'iaal had been expecting to hear, and he stared at her with wide eyes. "What-?"

"If you really think you're so bad for her that she is better off without you around, then why would you think that I should be around someone who's apparently so awful? You tried to force Loki away out of jealousy, but you pushed your kid away out of some weird guilt. I don't understand your way of thinking." She sighed, and then shook her head once. "I'm still not going to kick you out of the compound, Ar'iaal. But I don't think that this is where you're supposed to be." Then she got up and teleported back to her own room. She walked over to the door to open it and then slam it shut because the action sometimes worked to make her feel better.

It was a little while later that she heard the soft knocking at her door, and Miriam slowly walked over to swing it open. When she saw that it was Ar'iaal, she closed it most of the way so that he wouldn't be able to see into the room past her. Somehow it felt like a private space that she didn't want Ar'iaal to enter. She arched one eyebrow at him in a silent indication that he should get talking or just leave her alone.

Ar'iaal's shoulders slumped down. "You're right," he said quietly. "I am completely responsible for what I did to Loki, and I should have gave him a more sincere apology. Sometimes being as strong as we are can make it difficult to understand just how damaging my actions can be against others when they do survive. I know that that isn't any kind of excuse for my actions, but it's the truth. And…" he trailed off for a moment, then reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small square, and held it out. Miriam took it, and saw a picture of Ar'iaal sitting on a large throne, one that was probably fitting for his illusion, but just looked ridiculous to Miriam who could only see him as he was. There was a little green girl on his lap, and she had her hands clapped together in excitement. "That's Gamora. It's an old picture, of course. She's twenty-seven now. And I know for a fact that she hates me because she betrayed me. She's the one who left me." By the time he got to the last sentence, his voice was so soft that it almost couldn't be heard at all.

"Did you even try to talk to her and apologize?"

Ar'iaal shook his head, looking miserable. "There's no point. She'd never forgive me."

Miriam rolled her eyes. "If she's never going to forgive you either way, then what could it hurt to at least say the words? I can't help but think how entirely possible it is that she has no idea that you're even sorry for everything. You can't just assume that everyone knows what you're thinking."

There was a pause, and then Ar'iaal nodded. "You're right. You know, I think you've gotten a lot smarter than before we parted ways."

Miriam shrugged. "Probably. I spent a long time being nothing but someone who causes pain and destruction to others, mostly in an attempt to stay entertained so that I'd never be left along with my own thoughts, and to make it so that everyone would be just as miserable as me. But then I spent ten thousand years locked in my own head, and I woke up so weak and fragile and powerless. I had to learn to adapt pretty quick just to stay alive. And somehow all these stupid Midgardians actually got me to like them, so I had to adapt even more." She tilted her head, and relaxed her grip on the door. Of course Ar'iaal could just teleport into the room if he really wanted to, but it was still a sign of burgeoning trust. "So what are you going to do?"

Ar'iaal gulped. "I think I have to go find Gamora. Just to talk with her, if she's willing to listen to me. And I'll listen to anything that she feels she needs to say to me. I'm not sure where she is exactly, though. I tried to keep tabs on her when she first left, but I had a lot on her mind, and I trained her very well. It's going to take me some time to find her."

Miriam reached out to take one of Ar'iaal's hands and give it a gentle squeeze. "This place will still be here when you get back, no matter when that is. I'll still be here. And I'll be excited to meet my niece." She let go of Ar'iaal's hand and hesitated for a moment before surging forward and pulling him into a hug. "I know that a lot's happened, and we're both much different than we were as kids. But you're still my brother, and I will always love you."

Ar'iaal eagerly returned the hug. "And I will always love you, my sister." They stayed like that for several long seconds before Ar'iaal finally pulled away. "Thank you for everything. And I'm sorry for all that I've done."

Miriam nodded once in acceptance of his words, though she still wasn't ready to say that she forgave him, because that would be a lie. But she did care about him. "I wish you the best, Ar'iaal. And I will miss you."

Then he disappeared a moment later, and Miriam knew that she wouldn't be able to find him anywhere in the compound, or anywhere on Midgard at all. He might not know where his daughter was, but he had to at least have some idea of where to begin his search. He'd spent so long looking for Miriam, so he could take the time to look for Gamora now.

,,,

The next morning, Miriam was flitting around the kitchen, singing along to the garbage song playing on the radio, and whipping up breakfast. She didn't need to eat, but she'd gotten into the habit of it, and she'd come to greatly appreciate the taste of certain Midgardian cuisine.

She was interrupted from her intense concentration on the contents of the pan on the stove by the sound of Thor chuckling from where he was standing in the doorway. She turned to look at him. "Can I help you with something?"

The Asgardian shook his head as he stepped into the kitchen. "No, no, don't mind me. If you are cooking, then I would love to have some of whatever you're making. It certainly smells good."

Miriam turned back to the stove to keep stirring. "I figured that there's no point in eating cheap stuff when I don't need it, so I'm only going to eat if it's something very tasty. And I have faith in my cooking skills, even if I've never really done this before." She turned off the flame, and tilted half of the pan's contents onto one plate. Then she grabbed another plate from the dish cabinet to pour out the rest. She grabbed an extra fork, stuck it into the mess, and then slid it over so that it was closer to where Thor was.

He sat down, and grabbed the fork. "This certainly does appear to be a unique concoction. What was your inspiration?"

Miriam shrugged. "Didn't bother to find a cookbook anywhere, so I just threw in whatever was on hand that's tasted good in the past." She quirked up one side of her mouth in a devious little grin.

Thor was a brave man, though, and he was apparently not going to back down from consuming whatever it was that Miriam had cooked. They both took their first bites at the same time. Thor's nostrils flared for a moment, and he slowly got up to walk over to the fridge and pull out a carton of milk, and then he chugged the entire thing. Once it was empty, he tossed it in the garbage, and then sat back down to eat another forkful. "This is indeed flavorful, my friend."

Strangely enough, now that Miriam was back at her full amount of power, her senses were noticeably muted compared to when she'd been closer to a Midgardian than anything. She'd never noticed it before because she'd had no point of comparison, but being powerless had somehow made everything taste better, look more beautiful, sound sweeter, feel more intense. In order to make up for it, she needed her food to be very strongly flavored. Apparently Asgardians didn't have that problem.

Steve wandered into the kitchen a few minutes later, hair damp from having just showered. "Something smells good." Miriam silently offered up a bite of her breakfast. Steve ate it, and his face flushed bright red before he rushed out of the room, clutching at his middle. She shrugged, and went back to eating. Apparently even being a super soldier wasn't able to fortify a Midgardian's stomach enough to survive the stuff Miriam wanted to eat. Good to know. Miriam made a mental note to apologize to Steve later.

After a while, she wandered down to the gym, and saw Wanda making various pieces of exercise equipment fly around the room. Wanda didn't see Miriam approaching, and accidentally smashed Miriam's head with a bench press pole that had three hundred pounds of weights on it. Miriam easily knocked the weight to the floor after it smacked her, and it didn't even smart in the slightest. It was also weird to get used to the idea of not feeling pain after having to feel so much of it for a little while.

Wanda's eyes were wide with panic when she realized what had happened, and Miriam had to offer a comforting smile. "Don't worry about me, I'm perfectly fine. Incapable of getting hurt, remember?"

Wanda nodded. "The idea of any person being entirely impervious to physical harm still seems to be so odd. I've seen people who heal quickly, but you are in an entire category of your own. Well, not entirely your own, I suppose, since you have your Ar'iaal." She tilted her head curiously. "Speaking of, where is he? I don't think I've seen him since yesterday morning."

Miriam shrugged. "He took off. Had some amends to make. Felt bad about the way things ended with someone. I guess his entire existence doesn't revolve around me after all. Should I feel jealous or relieved?"
Wanda snorted. "Definitely relieved. No offense, but your Ar'iaal gives me the creeps." Then she held both of her hands out. "Would you like to spar?"
Miriam agreed, and the two of them faced off. It was interesting to see Wanda fight at such a disadvantage. She couldn't use her usual mind tricks on Miriam, and none of her physical attacks accomplished much at all. Of course Miriam had to very consciously hold back her punches, and in the end, they called it a draw. Both of them collapsed down on the mats, Wanda heaving for air, and Miriam out of solidarity.

That's when Natasha, Steve, and Thor all showed up. Steve didn't even have a hint of green in his face, and Miriam was glad that she hadn't made him permanently sick. He'd brushed aside her apology earlier, saying that it was his fault for not thinking about the potential differences in food between an Asgardian and an Eternal.

The whole team sparred together for a little bit, mostly practicing fighting off things that Miriam and Wanda threw at the rest of them. They followed Steve's directions, and nobody got knocked down during the training. Before everyone left the gym, Miriam cleared her throat loudly. "Ahem, I have a small announcement to make. I just wanted to let you know that Ar'iaal has gone to take care of some unfinished business, of which there is absolutely no insidious nature. I am not sure when he will return, but you don't have to worry about him, I promise. That's all I wanted to say. You can go now."

Everyone scattered, talking softly amongst themselves, and Miriam decided to stick around in the gym after they'd all gone. She wasn't even sure of how much time had passed before there was a soft thud, and she turned her head to see that Thor had plopped down next to her.

Thor held out a small box of cheez-its. "The first Midgardian food you ever ate," he reminded her with a soft chuckle.

Miriam smiled as she accepted the snack. She sat up, and then held the box on her lap, though she didn't actually move to open it yet. "Back then I thought you were just a dumb, blonde bag of muscles. But you're actually pretty great."

Thor grinned. "At first, I thought of you as small and helpless, but you are certainly not either of those things." He tilted his head. "Well, you are not small in a spiritual sense, at least."

Miriam snorted. "Gee, thanks."

"You are pretty great as well, Miriam," Thor told her in a fond tone as he nudged her in the side with his elbow. "It's nice to have friends who are more… durable."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Miriam spoke again, still looking down at the orange box in her hand. "I don't think I've ever really thanked you for dragging me here. I know that I wasn't all that great when we first met, and I didn't deserve a second chance, but you gave that to me anyways. You bringing me here to the Avengers, and getting me into contact with your brother, is what gave me a family. You've done so much for me, and I don't know how I could possibly ever repay you for something so incredible." She bowed her head down so that her hair would drape around her face, hiding the fact that her eyes were red and watery. "There was a really long time where I was certain that I would never get to have a family again. I think I'd give up all of my power again in an instant if it meant getting to have everything that I do. How can I really thank you for everything?"

Thor leaned over to throw an arm around Miriam's shoulder, and pull her into a sideways hug. "There's only one proper reward that I can think of. Are you happy?"

Miriam was slightly confused by the sudden question, but she nodded once. "Yeah. I think this is the happiest I've ever been before."

Thor nodded once. "Then you've already thanked me more than enough."

She took a moment to repeat his words over and over in her mind a million times, and then she smiled. "So, uh, we saved the world by stopping Ar'iaal, right? This world, and Asgard, and wherever else he might've gotten it into his head to attack."

Thor raised one eyebrow. "Indeed. What of it?"
Miriam shrugged. "So that's pretty major stuff. How is our next adventure possibly going to top that?"

Thor let out a barking laugh. "I'm sure you'll find a way to complicate any mission we might go on. But don't worry about the future and all the battles we will face. Right now, just think about how nice it is outside today."

Between one blink and the next, Miriam had them both sitting outside in the courtyard, resting on top of bright green grass. "You're right, it is very nice out." She leaned back, resting her head on her hands. "I saw in a movie once that Midgardians like to find shapes in the clouds. What an absolutely useless pastime."

"It is foolish of them," Thor agreed. Then he pointed straight up. "That one looks like you."

Miriam laughed, and she pointed to a different cloud. "That one looks like you if you were a lion. Or if you didn't get a chance to brush your hair in the morning!"

Thor chuckled and pointed to a different cloud. After a little while, Thor apologized for having other things he needed to do, and then he took off. Miriam remained outside, resting in the grass, looking up at the bright blue sky. Ten thousand years ago, she wouldn't have considered for even a second that one of her closest friends someday could be an Asgardian. And thousands of years before that, she would have never guessed that there would ever be a time where she would feel so at peace.

And yet, here she was. Friends and family all around her, a beautiful sky to look up at, and a feeling of peace and contentment that could not be rivalled. Maybe this wasn't what she'd hoped for herself as a child, but now that it was what she had, she wouldn't trade anything in the world for any of it.

A/N- AH it's been such a long journey to get to this point, but we are finally at the end! Thank you so much to everyone who has continued to read and support this story, and who always encouraged me to keep writing!