A/N: Anyone else need therapy after IW? Same. *cries a thousand tears*

Stephanie stared at the computer screen until she couldn't bear to look at it anymore.

One of the first things that came up in her search was an online article about the Norse goddess, which included a famous nineteenth-century painting of the mythological figure. The goddess held up a silver bowl underneath a serpent that was dripping venom from its mouth. Stephanie's eyes fell to the god who laid chained upon the rocks. The goddess was clearly depicted as the god's protector, sparing him from the serpent's venom. She blinked before deciding to read the article, trying to find context to what she was seeing.

"Goddess of... fidelity?" She asked in confusion. Stephanie narrowed her gaze, tensing up when she read the next sentence. "Wife of Loki?!"

Elsewhere in the helicarrier, a god tried not to panic as he was placed in a cage. Loki knew there was no real reason to panic, as everything was going according to plan. The only thing he hadn't counted on was seeing her. He ran every possibility through his head and tried to find something he missed. In truth, he wasn't there to see his wife died. He had been spared that heartache, though still carried guilt because he was not by her side when she passed. It took him many years to realize Sigyn had done that on purpose. She knew the end was fast approaching and allowed him to excuse himself in order to spare him.

And yet, despite knowing this, Loki could never forgive himself for not holding her hand as she wasted away.

He pursed his lips together and wondered why he was experiencing doubt all of the sudden. Loki had never doubted his wife's death before that day. Asgard had held a funeral for Sigyn and he was there to witness her body go up in flames. He watched as she disappeared into stardust, becoming one with the universe. She was gone and he had accepted that a long time ago.

Why was he seeing her now?

Loki started to wonder if it was his own doing. After her death, he had spent years using his magic to keep her alive in his mind. It only hurt him more to do so and eventually his mother had talked him out of doing such a thing. She convinced him that Sigyn would want him to move forward with his life, so he did. He pursued the only other thing in the universe that ever mattered to him, being king. He always thought if he were to be king, Sigyn would be by his side as his queen. But he gave up that dream a long time ago.

She had looked at him in the exact same way. That was what got him. Stephanie had looked at him in nearly the exact same way Sigyn had when the two had first met. He tried to fight off the memory, knowing it wouldn't do any good to remember the way Sigyn was.

There were no words to describe what he felt the moment he first saw her.

He knew this moment was coming and yet, he felt like he had no time at all to prepare. Loki could almost imagine how she felt. She had practically been raised for this. Her position had been secured since the day she was born. Sigyn was the first daughter of the noblest families in all of Asgard to be born in quite some time. She was by far the closest in age to the princes and therefore, her family knew she was set to marry one of them one day. It was no secret, especially to her, who was constantly reminded of it since the day she was born.

Sigyn had time to prepare and yet, she felt like she had no idea this moment had been coming.

All of her family stood behind her as she was presented in front of the king. Sigyn knelt down in front of the man's throne and she tried not to meet his gaze. She was told never to look Odin in the eye but she started to worry that her older brothers were just playing tricks on her. Sigyn hated tricks. She believed them to be dishonest and hurtful. Odin narrowed his gaze as he studied the little girl. She was smaller than he had expected. He tried not to let that influence him since she was still only a child. Though, Odin couldn't help thinking that she somehow resembled a Midgardian mouse more than any other creature found in Asgard or the other nine realms.

He turned to his wife, realizing the girl had yet to look at him once since her arrival. "Am I so frightening that the girl can't be bothered to look at me?" Odin questioned. Frigga frowned, feeling sorry for the little girl, especially when she heard the girl's brothers chuckle to themselves.

"It's my fault, Father." Loki spoke up loudly, surprising nearly everyone in the throne room, including his brother. Thor stared at Loki in confusion, trying to figure out why his brother would be so stupid and speak up. Loki cleared his throat and the boy locked eyes with Sigyn. "I distracted her." He felt himself smirking a little as she looked at him. Sigyn gave him a puzzled look before frowning, hardly impressed by his attempt to save her. That quickly wiped the smile right off his face.

"And how were you distracting her exactly?" Odin questioned his son. "Uh..." Loki trailed off and realized that for once, he hadn't thought his words through. He blinked, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation that would silence his father for good on the matter. Thor rolled his eyes at Loki, seeing that Loki wasn't going to get out of this by himself. "It wasn't just him, it was me too." He revealed dramatically. Loki tried not to say anything but he gave his brother a look, knowing there was no need for Thor to be so dramatic. He had the worst acting skills, however, and typically behaved this way whenever they were trying to get away with a trick.

Odin became more confused as he turned to his other son,"Excuse me?" He asked Thor. The young boy cleared his throat, looking to Sigyn. "I... I was making this face at her." Thor explained before twisting his facial expression into an amusing one. Sigyn immediately let out a laugh as she watched the boy, hiding her giggle as soon as Odin turned towards her. "Is this true? Were my sons making faces at you?" Odin questioned. Sigyn hesitated to answer, knowing it would be a lie.

"It's true!" Loki cut in, recognizing the look on her face. He couldn't allow her to give them away after they embarrassed themselves for her. "I... I made this one." Loki let out a sigh, abandoning his dignity and making a weird face alongside his brother. Sigyn and her brothers laughed at the princes which only made Odin shake his head in disappointment.

"My sons... the princes." He lamented, turning over to look at his wife who saw through the rouse. "What do you say? Will this girl make a fine wife to one of our sons?" Odin asked as he reached out his hand. Frigga took his hand and smiled,"I think they're getting along already." She remarked before looking at the children.

Both Thor and Loki were watching Sigyn with a smile on their face, which caused Frigga's own smile to falter. She realized at that moment, both of her sons had taken a liking to the noble girl. As both of them had an equal chance of marrying her one day, she started to worry a little about how that would turn out. It would be left for either Sigyn or Odin to decide which one would marry her, but Frigga believed it would be the one most likely to be king.

Loki watched as the cell doors sealed behind him, remembering that his childhood days were far behind him. He turned to watch as Fury walked over to the controls of the detention room. He began pressing a few buttons on the keypad,"In case it's unclear... you try to escape– you so much as scratch that glass–" Fury paused, opening up a hatch underneath the cell. Loki peered down, hardly frightened by the mortal's threats. "Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?!" Fury called over the sound of wind before he closed the hatch. "Ant." He gestured over at Loki before returning to the keypad. "Boot." He finished.

He began chuckling as he began to walk around the cell. "It's an impressive cage." Loki confessed as he looked around. "Not built, I think, for me." He remarked, knowing that Fury understood who he was talking about. Fury stared coldly at the god,"Built for something a lot stronger than you." He said simply. "Oh, I've heard–" Loki turned, finding the camera in the room. "The mindless beast; makes play he's still a man. How desperate are you, that you call upon such lost creatures to defend you?" Loki wondered with a smirk on his face.

"How desperate am I?" Fury questioned. "You threatened my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill 'cause it's fun. You have me made me very desperate." He said firmly. "You might not be glad that you did."

Loki was almost impressed by the mortal. "Ooh." He commented, continuing to toy with the man. "It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is." Loki said.

Fury smiled small,"Well, you let me know if 'Real Power' wants a magazine or something." He said sarcastically as he began to walk away. Loki turned with a smirk, watching the camera until it blinked, signaling that its feed to the other members of the team had been dismissed. He turned back to Fury, watching the man reach the exit,"Wait!" Loki called, gaining his attention. Fury turned back to face him, raising his brows.

"How did you manage that trick back there?" Loki questioned, knowing he couldn't hold it back any longer. He had to know what it was that he saw. Fury stared at the god in confusion,"What trick?" He asked. Loki studied Fury before he realized something terrible that might prove to be an advantage to him. "My... you don't even know what you have, do you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Fury began to leave again which only angered Loki. "Wait!" He called again. Loki tried to see through the mortal's intentions but he only ended up more confused. "You do know who she is!" Loki accused. "Don't you? You know what she is... You know, I didn't think your kind was capable of those tricks. Is that why she's here? Is that why you brought her here?" Loki wondered. Fury gave him the same look as he did before. "I don't know what you're talking about." He finished, this time not pausing as Loki called out towards him again. Fury exited the detention section of the ship, making his way towards the bridge.

He turned on his communicator. "Hill– update on Triggs. Is she on the bridge yet?" He asked. "No, Banner said she's still in the lab." Maria replied. "Can you please tell her to get her ass on the bridge?" Fury said before hanging up.

Maria frowned when she realized that Stephanie's communicator had been turned off. She didn't know what the girl was doing but at least she knew that little trouble could come for her in the lab. She knew Fury had given her direct orders to make sure Stephanie reported on the bridge but she saw no harm in letting the girl make her way over by herself. Natasha noticed the look on the woman's face, however, and gave her a look. "Something wrong, Hill?" She asked.

"Kid's running late." Maria explained. Natasha smirked slightly,"Dad's not happy?" She asked and Maria nodded her head in confirmation. Natasha turned her attention back towards the conversation, knowing they were in the midst of planning their strategy against Loki. "He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract." Thor informed.

Steve frowned,"An army? From outer space?" He deadpanned. It wasn't the typical army Steve was used to dealing with. He almost wished he had some of his old friends to fight alongside with to make this mission seem more familiar to him. He could deal with anything if he knew he had Bucky or Jo by his side.

Banner began to think about Thor's information, coming towards some conclusions. "So he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for." Banner pointed out. Thor furrowed his brows,"Selvig?" He asked, not understanding why the familiar name was being mentioned. "He's an astrophysicist." Banner explained. "He's a friend." Thor told him.

"Loki had him under some kind of spell, along with one of ours." Natasha informed, frowning a little when she mentioned Clint. Steve took notice of her expression and decided to change the subject. "I want to know why Loki let us take him. He's not leading an army from here." He pointed out. Banner shook his head,"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him." He said.

Thor frowned, angered slightly by the way people were discussing someone he was raised with. "Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard, and he's my brother." Thor reminded them. Natasha gave the god a look,"He killed eighty people in two days." She mentioned. "He's adopted." Thor quickly pointed out, knowing how that sounded.

"Iridium... what did they need the Iridium for?" Banner asked, realizing no one was mentioning it, just as Tony Stark walked in with Agent Coulson. "It's a stabilizing agent." Tony pointed out before turning to Coulson. He quickly told the agent something before turning back towards the group. "Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D." Tony said as he began to walk around the bridge.

Tony passed Thor, tapping him on the arm. "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing." He complimented before referring back to the matter at hand. "Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants." He said as he turned around, studying the crew of the helicarrier. "Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the top sails." He joked before pointing. "That man is playing GALAGA! Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did." Tony commented as he tried covering one of his eyes.

"How does Fury do this?" He asked as he examined the monitors. Maria glared at the man,"He turns." She answered simply.

He looked over at the agent,"Well, that sounds exhausting." Tony sighed. "The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. Only major component he still needs is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube." He mentioned. Maria narrowed her eyes,"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" She questioned. Tony looked over at her,"Last night." He said honestly.

Tony turned to see none of the others seemed to catch on to what he was talking about. "The packet, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?" Tony asked. Steve sighed, trying to fight an eye roll. He was far too much like Howard, maybe even worse. "Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" He asked. "He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier." Banner informed the captain. "Unless, Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect." Tony suggested.

Banner looked over at the man,"Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet." He said. Tony smiled,"Finally, someone who speaks English." He said as he walked over to introduce himself to the doctor. Steve furrowed his brows,"Is that what just happened?" He asked Natasha, to which she just shrugged her shoulders.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner." Tony shook hands with the man. "Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." He complimented. Banner felt a little uncomfortable at the mention of the Hulk and looked down,"Thanks." He said quietly.

Fury walked in,"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him." He clarified as he walked in, overhearing their conversation. He scanned the bridge for any signs of Stephanie, sending Maria a look when he saw she wasn't there yet. "Let's start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon." Steve suggested. Fury looked over at the captain,"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And I'd like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys." He said.

"Monkeys? I do not understand." Thor remarked.

Steve blinked, realizing that he did. "I do!" The man announced, overly excited. "I understood that reference." Steve said, proud of himself, as Tony rolled his eyes at him. Tony turned back towards Banner. "Shall we play, doctor?" He asked. Banner nodded his head,"Let's play some." He agreed and left with Tony, heading back towards the lab.

It wasn't long after that Stephanie finally returned to the bridge. She caught's Maria's attention almost instantly and the agent rushed over to meet her. "What the hell have you been doing? Your communicator's off." She pointed out. Stephanie hardly looked over at Maria,"I know. I'm the one who turned it off." She replied coldly. Her eyes never left Fury but the man didn't seem to notice. She felt a mixture of angry and confusion grow inside her. Stephanie knew he was keeping something from her but she couldn't figure out what.

"Fury!" Stephanie called, grabbing his attention. She pushed past Maria and barged over to the man. Before she could reach him, however, Natasha got out of her chair and stepped in front of Fury. The woman stared her down,"Cool it, kid. Why don't you tell me what's going on?" She asked gently. "Out of my way, Nat!" Stephanie couldn't stop herself from shouting. "Calm down, Agent Triggs." Fury warned her firmly, entirely displeased with the way she was behaving. He knew she was amongst some of the younger agents but Nick Fury would not tolerate this behavior from any other agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Steve studied the situation before looking at Thor, who simply shrugged his shoulders in response. Both were confused until Thor caught a glimpse of the agent who was causing the scene. He nearly fell over in shock.

"Sigyn?" Thor asked.

Stephanie pointed her finger at the god. "There it is! There it is again! What the hell is going on, Fury?!" She exclaimed before looking back at the man. Maria furrowed her brows, looking over at Thor. "Nick?" She asked as she turned back towards him. Fury stared at the both of them before shaking his head. He was in an impossible position, one that he knew eventually he'd be in.

"You're dismissed, Triggs." Fury said suddenly, unsure if that was the final decision he wanted to make. But once the words left his mouth, he stuck with them. Stephanie frowned at him,"Dismissed? I am not leaving this bridge until you–" She began to argue but stopped as he raised his hand at her. "If you don't leave now, I will dismiss you from your position. Permanently." Fury threatened, pointing at the junior agent.

He turned to Maria,"Take her someplace she can't cause any problems." Fury ordered. Maria hesitated at first, tempted to go against his orders. "Hill!" Fury yelled at her and she quickly nodded her head, grabbing a hold of the junior agent. She gripped Stephanie's forearm, dragging her away from the group.

"Where are you going with her?" Thor questioned, his eyes never leaving Stephanie. "Unhand her, peasant!" He found himself shouting at Maria. Thor paused and realized his behavior was foolish. Whoever that agent was, there was no chance she could be the goddess he knew. He pursed his lips together, wondering if his brother had managed to see her. Thor could almost imagine his reaction. He knew very well what it was like for Loki to lose his wife. Thor knew how much this would hurt him, how many wounds this could reopen.

Thor looked over again and managed to lock eyes with Stephanie. "You!" She shouted, recognizing who he was. She never worked on the Asgardian case but Coulson had told her stories about it. She knew who he was and knew he could have answers for her. "Is it true? Do I look like her– who was she? Who was Sigyn?!" She wasn't strong enough to fight against the senior agent and found herself being dragged away.

Silence filled the bridge as everyone looked away and tried to forget the girl's outburst. Thor stood, frozen, trying to figure out what he just had seen. He remembered the serpent's venom. He remembered how Sigyn never left Loki's side when he bore that punishment. Thor knew that's what Midgardians believed to be her myth, her only myth, but Sigyn knew her to be much closer to him than that.

"Sigyn. Daughter of Sigurd. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Thor approached with a smile. Sigyn stood in the palace gardens, admiring the flowers. She still carried the glow of a newlywed, or maybe that was just his imagination. She appeared to be happy, at least, with her new life. It gave Thor great pleasure to see she was enjoying being married to his brother. It reminded him that he made the right choice.

"I thought you were too busy to meet me." She remarked, giving him a look. Thor chuckled lightly, leaning against one of the garden statues, nearly knocking it over. He cleared his throat,"What made you think that?" Thor asked, pretending to be sheepish. She stared at him which only made him more nervous. Sigyn had become much better at detecting lies ever since she married Loki. "You're not still in love with me, are you?" She asked him.

Thor laughed off her question before falling instantly silent when she gave him another look. "N-no." He answered, clearing his throat once again. Sigyn narrowed her eyes at him before breaking out into laughter. She turned back towards the flowers,"I'm only teasing, Thor." She told him. Thor let out a relieved chuckle,"I knew that." The young man argued, moving next to her. "Why did you write me... Sigyn?" He asked her.

She looked away from the flowers and began to walk around the gardens, Thor following close behind her. "You don't still love me, do you?" He joked. Sigyn paused, looking back at him and rolling her eyes. "I was never in love with you, Thor." The woman sighed as she continued walking. "But I told you once and I meant it then– I mean it now. Nothing has changed for me." She whispered.

He watched her with soft eyes, letting out a sigh before continuing to follow her. He stayed close behind,"Then why did you write to me? It must be something you can't tell your husband... otherwise, you would've told him." Thor pointed out. Sigyn frowned as she looked away from him. She looked down at her hand and studied the ring that Loki had given her on their wedding day. "I am plagued by nightmares." Sigyn finally revealed, turning to face him. "I have terrible dreams. I dream about death and destruction... the fall of Asgard. I don't know why... all I know is– you'll think I'm crazy if I told you." She realized and turned away again.

"What? No. I could never think you crazy, Sigyn." Thor assured her, taking a hold of her arm. Sigyn stopped, looking back to meet his eyes. "I think I'm cursed." She confessed with a scared look on her face. He furrowed his brows,"Cursed?" He questioned. Sigyn nodded her head with tears in her eyes,"Yes... and I think Loki is the one who cursed me." It pained her to say it, he could see that. Thor knew it broke her heart to speak those words against him. He knew how much she loved him.

"I... I don't understand– Loki loves you–" Thor began to reason with her but she only moved away from him. "I knew you wouldn't believe me!" She exclaimed, finding that there was anger within herself. Sigyn didn't know why she was surprised, she was angry. She thought "Something's... something's happening to me, Thor, and I'm frightened." Sigyn told him. He looked at her, realizing she was being truthful. He took a few careful steps towards her,"Why– what does my brother have to do with it?" Thor asked quietly.

Sigyn held out her hand towards him,"Try... try taking off the Andvaranaut." She instructed. Thor furrowed his brows, almost laughing at how ridiculous her request was. "I'm sorry?" He questioned, completely confused. She frowned and sent him a glare. "Do what I say, Thor." Sigyn ordered him. Thor knew better than to argue with her and took her hand in his, grabbing a hold of the ring. He tried pulling the ring off, finding it stuck to her finger. Thor tried again, putting more of his strength into the task. "This doesn't happen to work like the hammer, does it?" He asked, out of breath.

She rolled her eyes, moving her hand away. She attempted to pull the ring off her finger but failed exactly the way he had. Thor blinked before chuckling,"Perhaps we should ask Loki–" "I am not asking my husband to take off my wedding ring, Thor." She said firmly, almost scaring him the process. Thor stared at the ring before shaking his head. "It might be enchanted but I refuse to believe the ring's cursed. Loki said it brought its previous owner great wealth and fortune." He pointed out.

"Yes, and how did he get this ring from its previous owner?" Sigyn asked, wiping the calm expression off of Thor's face.

The woman moved over to his side, placing her hands over his. "Please, Thor, go to Andvari. Find out what you can. If it is something else that is causing my misery, I'd like to be prepared for whatever it is." Sigyn begged him. Thor looked at her before nodding his head. "I suppose I can't tell my brother about any of this." He sighed. She nodded her head, trying to give him an encouraging smile but stopped when she realized it wasn't sincere. "I don't like lying to him either..." She told him with a sad look in her eyes.

"If my brother did... curse you–"

"I'll tell him." Sigyn said, trying to sound firm in her answer but her voice faltered.

He knew it was the kind of news she never wanted to tell him. "I could always..." Thor began to suggest but ended up chuckling at how it sounded. While he was more than glad to do anything for Sigyn, he knew he couldn't do a thing. Loki would probably turn into a snake and stab him again if he tried.

"Thank you– for even suggesting it." She told him sincerely. "Always." He assured her, sending her a nod with a smile.

"Have you gone insane, Triggs?" Maria scolded the girl as she paced the floor of the debriefing room. Stephanie groaned, holding her head in her hands. She couldn't look up, she couldn't bear to face her senior officer after the way she acted. She knew she had freaked out but Stephanie saw no other logical explanation for it. The whole situation seemed already crazy enough, maybe it wasn't that bad that she acted a little crazy herself.

"Take it easy on the kid. She's clearly having a bad day." Natasha attempted to get Maria to ease up but she just sent Natasha a look. Natasha raised her hands up innocently, not trying to step on the other woman's toes. "I should take away your new clearance right now." Maria huffed as she continued to pace. Stephanie blinked and looked up at the woman,"But... you're not going to?" She realized.

Maria paused and shrugged her shoulders. "I– I don't know. There are things that Fury isn't telling you–" She admitted. Stephanie nearly jumped out of her chair,"I knew it." She said, a spark igniting in her eyes. Maria shook her head,"No, no! Sit your ass back in that chair, Triggs, you aren't going anywhere!" She declared. Stephanie frowned at her senior officer, sinking back into the chair.

She crossed her arms over her chest,"This job sucks." Stephanie lamented.

Natasha looked over at Maria, raising a brow. Maria hand up her hand,"Do not give me that look, Nat." She told her firmly, a stern look on her face. Natasha let out a sigh, studying Stephanie. Maria continued to pace the floor but stopped when she noticed the puzzled look on Natasha's face. "What?" She asked quietly, taking a step closer so Stephanie wouldn't hear them. "Why did he call her that? Sigyn?" Natasha questioned. Maria let out a sigh,"Above your clearance." She said simply.

"Above my clearance? What are you and Fury trying to hide?" Natasha smirked a little, looking back over at Stephanie. She darted her eyes back to Maria, seeing the woman's gaze wasn't on them. Natasha took this as her chance, catching Stephanie's eyes. "Read my lips." Natasha mouthed. Stephanie blinked before nodding her head. Natasha paused and watched as Maria continued her pacing, waiting until her back was turned once again. "I have a plan." She mouthed.

Stephanie furrowed her brows, studying Maria's pacing before finding another opportunity. "What?" The girl mouthed back to Natasha. Maria paused suddenly, hearing Fury's voice over her communicator. She turned towards Natasha,"Watch her, will you?" She asked. Natasha nodded her head immediately and Maria pursed her lips, looking at the two of them before exiting the room.

They waited until she was out of earshot to began speaking. "Do you want to speak to a god?" Natasha asked suddenly and leaned in, meeting Stephanie's eyes. "Fury won't let me anywhere near Thor after what I did." Stephanie pointed out. Natasha smirked,"I'm not talking about Thor." She told her.