Prologue
Tires screeched noisily on the pavement as the car came to an abrupt halt, and Max couldn't help but yelp. Covered in sweat, her t-shirt and shorts sticking to every inch of skin they could latch onto, she yanked her headphones out of her ears and rounded on the spot to glare at the driver.
"I'm in the middle of the fucking walkway!" she all but shrieked, gesturing to the designated pedestrian crosswalk. The driver, a guy at the most in his late teens, laid on the horn and motioned for her to get out of the way. Her eyes narrowed and she flipped him off before jogging to the sidewalk on the other side of the road. Panting, she paused at the curb to put her headphones back in, her glare intensifying as the car whizzed off in the opposite direction.
He had a stop sign. Pedestrians were always in the right. She rolled her eyes. Given the make of the car and the guy's age, she could only assume he was another trust fund baby whirling through the neighbourhood on his first day of summer break. She'd grown accustomed to the upper-class's disregard for anyone not in Prada or driving a Mercedes Benz, but this was the first time she'd nearly ended up in the hospital because of it. Shaking her head, she gave each leg a brief stretch, the end of her jog in sight, and pushed onward.
Her townhouse was a fifteen minute walk from the college where she was now an associate history professor. Set in Collingwood, an affluent Virginian community, the college had hired her last year to teach. They had only considered a handful of applicants, and once more Max had assumed her notoriety with the Avengers had given her a slight edge over the other contenders. No matter. All she'd cared about at the time was getting out of Manhattan, and this job offered her a chance to do that and be close to Nolie.
Manhattan had smothered her after Loki left. The city was always too constricting, trapping her in its busy streets and never-ending high-rises. It had stifled her on every front, and she used to count down the days until she could go visit her parents in Vermont. Pat may have thrived in the environment, eventually recovering from her trauma with the invasion, but without Loki, Max struggled to adapt again. He'd taken her mind off all the things she disliked about living in such an enormous city, and without him as a buffer, Manhattan hit her full-force, no holds barred, no mercy.
She rounded the corner that led to her street, dodging a few well-dressed clusters of people out on an afternoon walk. Collingwood was a step down from Manhattan, certainly. Most places were closed by six or seven, even on a weekday, and the town was run by several wealthy families from old money. However, it was also nestled far from the hubbub of any real metropolitan area. Aside from the college HR rep, very few people knew Max's story or name, and since moving, she hadn't noticed a single paparazzi stalking her. She'd dropped off the tabloid map at last, and was only occasionally mentioned in relation to Johnny.
It hadn't been easy to leave the people behind in Manhattan. Pat, once their friendship returned to normal, had been her rock after Loki left almost two years ago, holding her up when Max thought she'd rather crumble. Her and Johnny's friendship had blossomed, and in the year she remained in Manhattan, their romantic life had been the subject of much speculation. All the rumors were false, of course: Johnny remained an eligible bachelor after Darcy left the state, and he seemed fine with that life choice—most of the time, anyway.
And then there was Garret and Tiffany, and their daughter—Max's goddaughter—Ellen. Tiffany was pregnant again, which meant she'd missed out on almost six months of helping Garret deal with his wife's mood swings. She hadn't wanted to leave them behind. She hated that she now had to fly to see them, or take a ridiculously long car trip. But, in the end, Collingwood was better for her. The pace of things was slower. The people, while a little snobbish, were friendly enough. Her coworkers welcomed her in, despite her lack of teaching experience, and the school gave her a renter's allowance so that she could afford her trendy downtown townhouse.
Plus the students were… Well, they were okay. Nothing spectacular to speak of during her first year of teaching, but she had high hopes for the year to follow. Her passion wasn't to teach history, but it was a nice break from the chaotic life of a museum curator. There was no talk of making her a full-time professor as of yet, and Max was fine with that. The thought of falling completely into education wasn't appealing to her, but it would do for now.
Collingwood's biggest plus was that it was close to where Elisa had settled with Nolie. The woman had become obsessed with her career after the move, continuously pawning her daughter off on relatives while she traveled the country in search of research grants and new agricultural projects. If Nolie was going to stay with anyone, Max preferred it that she stayed with her. The little girl was almost four, and she spent most of her days in kindergarten classes anyway.
For now, Elisa was back in Pewterton, a rural suburb ten minutes from Collingwood, which meant Max couldn't be sure when she'd next see her niece. The woman hadn't yet forgiven Max for whatever harm she'd done in regards to Nolan's death, and only ever called if she needed a babysitter. So far, no calls this week: Nolie was almost finished with her school year too, but Max knew it'd be straight to a children's summer camp the second there was no longer a teacher to look after her during the day.
As she neared her row of townhouses, she felt a pain starting in her chest. It was usually just before she hit home that it kicked in, and she was ready to collapse onto her couch with a cold drink and some reality TV. She hadn't done much running since her early years at college in Masonville, and since moving down to Collingwood, she'd made a vow to get in better shape. Teaching didn't exactly lend itself to an active lifestyle.
Barely able to hear the music over her heaving breaths, Max pulled her headphones out as she approached her townhouse. In the middle of the row, her utility charges last winter had been practically nothing. Now that summer's heat was kicking in, however, the turbo air conditioning unit out back would be used well.
Her eyes narrowed as her pace slowed, honing in on the steep concrete steps that led up to her front door. There were people sitting on them. Moving at a brisk stroll now, and she rolled her headphone wires around her hand, eyes glued to the people. She hadn't been expecting anyone.
Especially not an Asgardian.
"Thor?" Her eyebrows shot up when she finally saw through the plain clothing and the tied-back hair. His big hulking frame hid most of Jane from Max's view, but she was able to see them both properly once they stood up and sauntered down the steps. "Oh my god…"
She hadn't seen Thor in person since he left with Loki, and while a part of her lit up at the sight of him, a much bigger part would have preferred to see a different demi-god sitting on her front steps. In a way, it deflated her, yanking out the exhausted air in her lungs and leaving her breathless. She stood before them both with her hands on her hips, sweat glistening everywhere, her shirt soaked.
"I'd hug you, but I wouldn't even want to hug me right now," she managed, nodding to her body and smiling, her eyes squinting a little in the sunlight. It had stayed behind the clouds for her entire run, but now that it was finally poking out, her forehead was on fire—apparently she was getting a sunburn.
Thor and Jane. Jane Foster. Max opened and closed her mouth a few times, her eyes darting between the pair of smiles, but she couldn't find the words to express how she felt about seeing them. After all, she'd seen Thor on TV recently: he'd been in England battling some creature that no one knew how to identify, but apparently he'd left London in ruins. The news had been all over the event for weeks now, and it had only recently started to fizzle out in popularity, once more focusing on Tony Stark's questionable decision-making as head of the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization.
"I'm sorry, I don't really know what to say right now," Max told them after a slight pause. "I just… This is really unexpected."
Where's Loki? The question loitered on the tip of her tongue, but she was sure Thor could see it in her eyes. He smiled gently and placed a massive hand on her shoulder.
"You look well, Max," he said, the deep rumble of his voice bringing her back to the last time she heard it—two years ago, with Loki kissing her. A giddiness had started to spread from the pit of her stomach outward, her hands trembling and mouth watering. Adrenaline did that, right?
"Thanks."
"Congratulations on your new job," Jane added, briefly taking Max's attention from the Asgardian in front of her. She wondered if her nosy neighbours, the ones who didn't have—or need—regular jobs, were watching her through the curtains. "I'm sorry I didn't get back to you… I've been a little… distracted."
Max shook it off with a wave of her hand, nodding. "I can imagine."
After they'd parted ways, she and Jane usually spoke once a month, always over email, and not once in person. They both had their own lives to lead, and without Thor and Loki around, Max personally felt like their friendship lacked a bit of its spark. Still, they'd been more than cordial—more than acquaintances—in their emails, so she liked to think she could still count the astrophysicist as a friend. They'd been in touch before Thor's fiasco in England, where Jane now had a secondary lab facility, but then the communication stopped.
"Uhm…" She took a breath, her mind a mess with thoughts as she brazenly gawked at the pair. "I'm sorry, I don't want to be rude, but what are you guys doing here?"
Without Loki. What are you doing here without Loki? She glanced up and down the street, taking a second to look over her shoulder—hoping he'd be hiding behind a street lamp or sitting on the steps of a different townhouse. Nope. She licked her lips, trying not to let the darker thoughts take over. She hadn't seen Loki on the news.
"I have a proposal for you," Thor told her. She arched an eyebrow.
"Oh?" When he didn't immediately launch into said proposal, Max pointed toward her townhouse. "Do you want to come in?"
"It's so hot here," Jane said in response—obviously a yes. "I don't know how you're managing."
Max shrugged, working her key out of her pocket as she climbed the stairs two at a time. "You adjust, I guess."
A frigid blast of air conditioning swept over her as soon as she opened the door, and she held it for her guests. The townhouse itself was more space than she needed: its tiled foyer split off into a sitting room, a small bathroom, a TV room, and a totally grown-up kitchen area. There were two bedrooms upstairs, one of which functioned as an office and a guest room. It had taken her a while to start decorating, and so far only the downstairs hallway was lined with framed family pictures. The rest of her décor, according to her dad, was classified as "clutter" and "pointless junk", but Max liked it.
"Come on in," she said, slipping out of her running shoes and padding down the hall. Thor and Jane followed, their shoes left neatly by the door, and she told them to have a seat in the living room. Wanting nothing more than a cold shower, Max splashed some cool water in her face quickly, then filled a pitcher of iced tea and grabbed three glasses.
"I don't have much else in the fridge at the moment," she said, setting the jug and glasses on the coffee table in front of Thor and Jane, who had taken a seat on the couch. The TV room was the one room that looked well-worn, with some scattered pillows on the pair of couches, a few empty takeout containers on top of the TV, and a stack of her students' final essays on the armchair. "If you want something else, I can go—"
"This is fine, thank you," Thor told her. She felt a frown creeping forward, noting the lightness about Thor had changed. Maybe it was because she hadn't seen him in a couple of years, but he seemed… heavier. There wasn't the ease to him as he moved, and she tried not to stare—or analyze—as he filled Jane's glass and handed it to her.
"This is a nice place." Jane turned on the spot to look out the single enormous window in the room. "You have a fenced-in yard?"
"I don't use it much," she said as she grabbed her glass of iced tea and plopped down on the armchair. Fuck the essays. Most of them were marked anyway, and she'd give them to her TA during the woman's office hours if students wanted them—but Max suspected no one would pick them up, considering the term was over. "I guess it's nice to have though."
The trio fell into an uneasy silence. Jane's brown eyes wandered the room, as if looking for something else to compliment, and Thor was fixated on his drink. Max's legs, despite how sore and tired they were, jiggled with anxious energy.
"So…" She trailed off, hoping that might prompt him to speak. When it didn't, she cleared her throat and set her drink aside. "You said you had a proposal for me?"
"I'm here to extend an invitation to Asgard," Thor told her, and her skin erupted in goosebumps. "We have been through much reunifying the realms, but there is peace at last."
"Why isn't Loki here?" She asked the question before thinking it over, but once it was out in the open, she was glad she'd asked it. Loki should be here. If anyone was inviting her to Asgard, it ought to be him. The dark thoughts clawed at her once more: was Thor inviting her there for Loki's funeral?
"Your presence is… Well, it's going to be a surprise for my brother." Thor cradled the glass of light brown liquid in both hands, his gaze focused entirely on her. "War and… recent events have taken a toll on Loki, and I think it's about time the two of you were reunited."
She drew in an uneven breath, tears springing to her eyes. Excited tears. Relieved tears. Without thinking, her hand went to the silver chain around her neck, upon which hung the ring Loki made for her. When she'd returned to Manhattan, she found her job was too hands-on for a ring. She had always been taking it off when she handled and cleaned new artifacts, worried she'd somehow lose it in the mess. So, in the end, the safest place for it was around her neck.
She hadn't gone a single day without wearing it, in one way or another.
"Would you be interested in—"
"Yes," Max blurted, her smile hurting her cheeks. "Yes, I want to go."
She had the next four months free from any work obligations: she'd applied to teach a summer course, but she was passed over in favour of another associate professor. At the time, she'd been disappointed, but now it seemed her summer was meant for bigger and better things.
"Jane will be accompanying us," Thor told her. His grin had started to grow wider, some of the easiness she'd been accustomed to returning to his features. "Loki is currently unaware that you will be coming to Asgard… I think he will be very pleased."
"He better be." Her voice was shaking now, mimicking the exhilarated trembling in her arms and legs. Sniffling, Max wiped under her eyes, then tried really hard no to throw herself at Thor and wrap her arms around his neck. "Not going to lie… This is the best news I've had in months."
His eyes crinkled, his smile kind. "Good."
"It's the most amazing place you'll ever see in your life," Jane told her. "I was there… for what felt like a second. It's… indescribable."
She nodded. "I bet."
In all honesty, she didn't care as much about seeing Asgard as she did about seeing Loki. He was the reason she'd drop everything and leave her planet. Even after all this time, she was ready to run to him. When they'd first been separated, Max worried that time would make her feelings falter. She'd fretted over not seeing him every day—or every month for that matter—and wondered if they'd eventually just forget about each other.
Absence hadn't made the heart grow fonder. She wasn't more in love with Loki than the day he left, but she knew she didn't love him any less. In actuality, he'd been pushed to the back of her mind. It had hurt too much to think about him all the time, especially when she didn't know when she'd see him again. The ring reminded her that she was in love—when she wore it, it was like her romantic side was shut off to everyone else. But it hurt less not to think about him, not to dwell on distant memories.
"We leave tomorrow." Thor's voice cut through her happy musings, and she looked up at him, somewhat startled. "Time runs differently in Asgard, and I believe you would wish to spend the most time with him that you can."
"I have four months off," she said, her voice distant. Despite her excitement, she wasn't ready to say she'd leave go Asgard for good—but she also suspected that wasn't what Thor was asking for either. "I don't know how long that will be there—"
"It's never long enough," Jane told her. She let out a long sigh, thoughts of Loki and a reunion drifting to all her responsibilities here.
"This is really short notice, guys." Max stood and grabbed her day planner, which was sprawled open on her dining table in the kitchen. She scanned through all the things she needed to do this week—her dad was supposed to drive down in three weeks for a visit. "I… I'll need to make a few calls."
He'd understand. This was an opportunity she'd probably never get again—she could visit her dad anytime.
Arms falling to her side, she shook her head. "What… What do I even pack?"
"Pack for cooler weather than this," Jane insisted as she stood, handing off her glass to Thor. "They were headed for winter the last time I was there."
"I'm not even sure I have a winter coat anymore." Not a real one, anyway. She'd discarded all the Vermont-tested outerwear for something a little more at Collingwood's pace.
Loki can make clothes. She could pack two things and he could make her an entire wardrobe. Her whole body shivered at the thought, though she suspected the chill was caused by her position beneath the vent, her sweat drying and cooling her.
"Let me help you." Jane swept by her, taking her by the wrist and tugging her toward the stairs. "I can help you with other things too, if you need… It's only fair."
"Want to grade some essays?"
The woman laughed, and out of the corner of her eye, Max spied Thor watching them. His stare almost seemed critical, and she felt that frown inching forward again. But Jane didn't leave her any time to think—only do. There were clothes to pack, essays to mark, family to call, and… well, everything to take care of in a single day.
When night had finally crept in, stealing away the heat and the unflinching sun, Thor and Jane left. They were staying in a bed and breakfast retreat on the other side of town, refusing to put her out by using her guest room. When she was finally alone, surrounded by order and neatness thanks to Jane's critical eye, she grabbed her phone and crawled into bed. Next to her was the bag they'd packed, lined with sweaters and jeans and thick socks. Downstairs, the essays were graded, and her TA agreed to swing by her place in the morning to pick them up—but only after Max promised a glowing recommendation letter (one that she planned to write anyway). Garret and Tiffany had been talked to. Elisa knew she no longer had a permanent babysitter for the summer months.
Punching in her home number, one that hadn't changed since she was a kid, she waited for her dad to pick up, nibbling on her lower lip. It was late, but she knew he'd answer—he always did.
"Hello?"
He sounded groggy on the other end, and a pang of guilt shot through her for leaving him to last.
"Dad?"
"Hi, sweetheart." His Scottish inflections made her smile. "Is everything okay?"
"More than okay…" She swept her finger under her eyes, hating that she was crying again. "I'm taking a trip. Tomorrow. I just wanted to let you know."
There was a brief pause from his side, as if considering her words. "Oh."
"I'm going to Asgard," she blurted, unable to hide her excitement. The words didn't seem real—the name felt foreign on her tongue. "I'm going to surprise Loki there… I'm going for the summer."
"That's… good news," he said, and she knew she'd dropped a heavy weight on him. "I'm very happy for you, sweetheart."
She nodded. "Me too."
Asgard. Loki. The nervous energy she'd been fighting all day finally made itself at home, twisting her stomach and making it ache. There was always the chance that he wouldn't want to see her. Max knew Thor wouldn't offer to bring her there if he knew that Loki had grown tired of her, but it was hard to ignore the doubts, the worries.
But she would. If she didn't, she'd never leave her bed—and tomorrow, she was going to Asgard.
"I thought I might find you here."
Here, in the chamber that housed the Tesseract, was precisely where Odin had thought he'd find Loki. The boy had been missing for almost a full day now, and when all the guards were clueless as to his whereabouts, Odin took the search into his own hands.
The boy sat in front of the stone lock, a complex pattern of constantly changing pieces that only Odin knew how to decipher. Deep below the surface of Asgard, the stone lay hidden—protected from those who wished to use it for wrongdoings.
Grasping his book, Loki retracted those spindly long legs and rose, dusting the rubble and dirt from his trousers. He gave the lock one last look, his head cocked to the side, and then rounded on the spot to face Odin. No words—Loki seldom said a thing to him as of late, but he wouldn't blame himself for that.
When their staring contest ended, with Loki blinking before Odin (always before, never after), the boy stalked toward him. For a moment, the old man tensed, his hands balling to fists, but Loki wasn't a fighter. He merely stepped around Odin and continued up to steps to the chamber's doors—doors that were supposed to be sealed magically, if he wasn't mistaken.
"It won't bring you power," he said, gazing at Loki's back. The boy stopped hard in his tracks. "You cannot become king by stealing the Tesseract once more…"
"I wouldn't need it to become king," Loki hissed, the sound creeping through the chamber like a serpent. It wrapped around Odin's limbs, pulling him down, and wriggled in his ear so much that his face twitched. "I have no desire for a throne, Father."
His expression hardened, as did his heart, and he raised his head so that he might look down his nose at the boy.
"Do your lies work on Thor?"
He swore he heard Loki chuckle before he left. Odin exhaled deeply, sparing a final look at the lock he personally had created to house the stone. Shaking his head, he climbed the steps, emerging from the dimly lit room to find the handful of guards he'd brought him. Loki was nowhere to be seen.
"Seal the doors," he instructed as he strode through the cluster of armed men, "by any means necessary."
A shadow swept past him, the shape difficult to read from the corner of his eye, and he thought he heard Loki's chuckles again. He shook his head, eager to climb back to the surface, to lock himself away in Frigga's study for the rest of the day.
That human girl had better be worth whatever trouble she brings—or he would need to take more serious action to see that Loki's foolishness hurt no one but Loki.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO THE THIRD STORY IN THE SERIES. I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE HERE.
For serious. When I finished The Sky is Falling, I already had Ghost Town fairly planned out, and I was in the stages of contemplating this story—and I never thought I'd be starting it. I mean, in theory, I knew I'd get here eventually, but I just couldn't imagine putting my thoughts into words and sharing them. There are four planned stories in the series, so right now we're halfway through Loki and Max's journey.
As you can see from the way I've categorized this story, it focuses primarily on the Thor world that I've created. All our other Marvel pals will be fairly absent here—sorry to disappoint. I wanted to give a few brief details in passing, but the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Fantastic Four aren't really the focus of this story: it's about Loki and Max, and, well, lots of other things that happen along the way.
I don't have too much to say about this opening, but I'm excited to get started. I notice a lot of characters in fanfics fall into the teaching realm for some reason, so I really wanted to have Max not enjoy it all that much. She wasn't meant to teach, but it's a fun distraction.
Speaking of distractions, I can't wait to show you the inside of Loki's head. He definitely needs her. For sure. FO. SHO.
Okay. I'm done. If you're new to all this and wondering wtf is happening, go read the two prequels, because I'm not explaining anything for people who aren't caught up. If you are caught up and have questions, let me knowww! I try to answer ones that I think would help the majority of readers in these notes.
As with Ghost Town over the last month or so, I'm going to stick with updating every other week. I'm nearly finished a ghostwriting job, so that will open my writing time up considerably. I'm aiming to be done that by the end of the month, so December may have more updates than November.
Anywhoodle. LOVE ALL YOU GUYS. I CAN'T WAIT TO TAKE THIS JOURNEY WITH YOU. WELCOME TO THE LONG WINTERRRRR!