Author's note: If this is the first of my stories you are reading, you will find the first stories in this series posted that tell the tale up to this point. The first story is "Alliance". There are also two one-shots related to this series "Rage" and "Wedding Day". Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Triad

• •Frigga••

"Thor's hammer," Katirya's voice rang out in the silent library. Following the traumatic events of the previous day, everyone had eventually dispersed with plans to meet up after breakfast. The realization that nothing could be done until the perpetrator was identified had resulted in a series of senseless discussions that deteriorated into multiple arguments. Loki had finally commanded everyone to leave, allowing Katirya some time to process everything.

Breakfast had been a quiet affair, with no one speaking, a somber mood settling over the entire city. The kidnapping of Kai and the murder of Jane Foster had been horrendous.

Now everyone was gathered in the library to discuss the situation. Frigga looked at the group. Jane's friends were huddled in one corner, uncertain what they could contribute, shocked by the suddenness of her death. The Warriors Three were standing together close to the fireplace, although the Lady Sif was suspiciously absent. Katirya and Thor were seated near the fireplace, while Loki stood behind Katirya, his arms crossed in front of him.

Frigga sat back in her chair to view the three of her 'children'. She considered them all her children even though she had not given birth to any of them. They each had their own personal strengths and weaknesses. Her eyes landed on Katirya first, the newest of her children. Kiri, a daughter of an Elder of the Universe, had powers that even she did not understand. The woman was untested and uncertain of her abilities. Frigga had seen her grow over the past year, but knew Kiri still was afraid she was not up to the task of taking down Thanos. And now she had another foe to fight – the kidnapper. Actually two problems, Frigga corrected herself, for she knew Kiri was carrying a burden of guilt about the kidnapping. She knew Kiri was blaming herself for leaving Kai with Hlif yesterday.

Katirya had surprised almost everyone in the room that morning when she arrived. Frigga knew most had expected her to be a weeping mess, but instead she had appeared composed, although one look at her face ensured that Katirya would show no mercy to the person who had taken her son.

She moved her gaze to Loki, her youngest son. His marriage to Katirya had been tumultuous, but he was finally maturing into the man she knew he could be. Loki had lived under the shadow of his father and brother for so long, she had often wondered if he would ever realize his true potential. The past year had tested him, and he had struggled. He was not perfect, but then no one was. Everyone had faults; it was the ability to accept them and work with them that made one great. She had a feeling Loki had the potential to be great.

While she had not agreed with Katirya in delaying their return to Asgard, it was obvious the two had settled their differences. They would always fight as no marriage was without disagreement. Frigga felt certain the two had developed a bond that would not be broken. And through that bond, there was an unusual sharing of power. Loki's powers had increased imperceptibly over the past few days since Kiri had returned. It appeared that the two could combine their powers through the Stones.

Frigga's gaze turned finally to her eldest, Thor. Thor saw things much differently than his brother. Frigga had always felt he would make a great leader, but knew he would always struggle with the finer points of ruling. Thor only saw things as right or wrong, black or white. Loki, on the other hand, understood the varying shades of any issue. She found it interesting that even though the two had been raised in the same environment, they had turned out so differently.

Then there was the issue of Jane Foster. When Odin banished Thor to Earth, no one had expected him to develop a relationship with a human, although Frigga knew they ought to have expected it. Sent to Earth, thinking he had no powers, of course he was going to rely on the people who saved him. Frigga wished she could explain to her son that he did not need the hammer, but he had it in his mind that he needed the hammer.

Frigga had a sudden vision of the three working together. Once Thor regained his powers, if he worked with the unusual blend of Katirya and Loki's powers, the three would be an almost invincible triad.

Katirya repeated her statement, breaking Frigga's reverie. "Thor's hammer." Her eyes met Frigga's across the room. She nodded imperceptibly, letting Frigga know that she was aware of Thor's powers, even if Thor was not.

The hammer was indeed the key. Once he had it again, he would believe in his powers once more. One day, perhaps, he might realize the hammer really was not necessary. Frigga let out a soft sigh.

"My hammer?" Thor asked. "Why is that important? I would think you would be more concerned about finding the kidnapper."

"Once we have the hammer, your powers combined with ours, shall make us a formidable opponent once we discover who has taken Kai," Katirya voiced Frigga's recent thoughts.

"We must also deal with the remains of Jane Foster," Frigga added quietly, looking towards Jane's friends.

Thor nodded, stepping over to the small huddle. "What do you believe Jane would wish? We can return her to Earth, or offer a burial here on Asgard."

Darcy looked up, tears streaking her face. "I don't know… she loved it here, but Earth is… I mean, was, her home."

Ian pulled Darcy closer to him. "Honey, I think it best to take her home, to Earth."

Erik nodded. "Her work was there. I think Earth."

"I shall make arrangements then," Thor spoke. "We can take her back later today." He then turned towards the Warriors Three. "Has anyone seen Sif? I am worried about her."

"She has requested a guard on her quarters, refusing to leave," Hogun answered. "Since you denied her request to be put in prison for her actions…"

"Sif did NOT do it!" Thor shouted adamantly, slamming his fist into a nearby table. Everyone in the room jumped at the sound.

Frigga looked curiously at Thor, seeing the conviction on his face that Sif was innocent.

"We did not say that she did," Hogun finally spoke up. "I agree with you, she is not one to murder in cold blood. But someone did."

"And whoever did it took Kai," Katirya finished. "Heimdall has said there was no sign of any intruders within Asgard, even though we know there was one."

"Can Thanos be responsible?" Fandral asked.

"Possibly, but what would he want with Kai? And why kill two of his key people?" Loki asked.

"Kyrath was not a 'key' person," Katirya said sarcastically. "She was simply a pawn, a person who would do exactly as Thanos bid. She was disposable. Hadriath… I am not certain how important he was to Thanos."

"Well, we need to develop a plan, that much is obvious," Loki said. "You believe Thor's hammer is important?" He directed this question to his wife, who nodded in response. "And we need to make the proper arrangements for Jane Foster, so I suggest we start there. Heimdall will continue to search for any signs of Kai…"

He was interrupted as a messenger burst into the room. "My King!"

Loki stiffened as he realized this messenger was from Eir, just like last night's. "What is the problem?"

"Eir has asked that you come at once. There is something you must see," the messenger replied.

"What must I see? Can you not tell me? Why must I come down there?" Loki demanded.

Frigga rose, stepping over to her son. "Eir would not send for you if it were not important. We can see to Jane's arrangements whilst we are there."

Loki nodded, the offered his hand to assist Katirya in rising. Placing his arm around her waist, he guided his wife towards the door.

• The Kidnapper •

She entered the room, depositing the infant in a small bed in the corner. She has always wanted a child, specifically a child by Loki. This wasn't exactly what she had planned, as she had wanted the child to be a child of hers and Loki's, but for now, this would have to do.

She frowned as she thought about Loki, not understanding why he did not seem to want her.

'What ever did he see in that little dark-haired witch?' she though.

She conjured up an image of Katirya, along with one of herself, allowing her to compare the two. She snorted in derision as she looked at the two figures.

'Seriously', she thought. There was no comparison. SHE was tall, tall enough to look Loki directly in the eyes. How he must suffer to have to bend to look down at the tiny Katirya! And she was skinny! She ran her hands down her voluptuous figure as she gazed at the image of herself she had created. How could Loki even look at that scrawny thing when she was around?

Closing her eyes, she imagined wrapping herself around the dark-haired god, knowing the little witch could not manage to do half of what she could!

A knock on the door disrupted her thoughts.

"What?" she snarled, disliking the interruption. She snapped her fingers and both images disappeared.

A servant entered hesitantly. "My lady, a messenger came while you were gone."

"And?" she prompted.

"It was one of his slaves," the servant began.

She knew who he was – Thanos. "So what was the message?"

The servant gulped as he noticed the other being that she had brought with. "You were gone a long time, and he is concerned you have not fulfilled his wish."

"Well, he is wrong. I brought it back," she jabbed a finger at the figure lying on a small pallet in the corner.

"I shall send a message…" the doors burst open and a slave of Thanos entered the room.

"My master is concerned, my lady. You have been gone overly long for what should have been a simple mission," the slave spoke with derision.

"Who are you to talk to ME like that?" she spat at the slave.

"I am the servant of Thanos. You will answer to him for your insolence!"

"Hey, I did what he wanted. It's over there. Go ahead and haul it back to him," she growled.

"You were expected to deliver it to him directly. He will not be happy with this, nor with the fact that you killed two of his people," the slave replied insolently.

"Ha! If those two were his top workers, he needs my help more than he knows!" she replied with a laugh.

The slave moved closer to her, towering over her. She had not realized how tall he was. She smiled seductively at him. "Do not try your wiles on me," he warned her.

"Why not? You are rather, ah… interesting…" she purred back.

The slave pushed her away. "And he has heard of the other things you did," his gaze wandered over to where the infant lay sleeping.

"Him? Ha! Loki owed me that!"

"And the nurse?" the slave prodded.

"It will take them a long time to find her body, but she was quite useful," she sniggered.

The slave sighed. "I just hope Thanos will be satisfied with your deeds, as much as you seem to be. BUT… you must bring it to him. That was what you agreed to." His gaze shifted once more to the body in the corner.

"Whatever!" She put her hands on her hips. "I will bring it, okay? Satisfied? Just tell him not today. I've got to take care of my baby."

"It is not truly your child, but I shall advise him of your delay. Do not wait overlong," he warned her as he left.

She let out a huff of breath, angry at the demands. Kai started to fuss, waking up from his nap. She recognized the sounds, knowing he was hungry. She had posed as Hlif after she had killed the nurse, so she knew what he wanted. Unfortunately, she had left his mother back on Asgard, so there was no one here to nurse the infant.

As she realized that she had not thought this through thoroughly, her anger intensified. She grabbed the bed Kai was in, shaking it. This only caused the baby to cry more.

"Oh shut up!" she said in frustration. "Why did I bother bringing you? I should have taken your mother, locked her up and pretended to be her. Then I would have had a baby that was Loki's and mine! Not that witch's offspring!"

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed the start to this story, the fifth in my series. I always enjoy comments and reviews. I often get great ideas as a result of something a reader has seen.