The Captain and The Asgardian

Chapter Eleven

Gem tossed and turned in the empty bed. It had been 5 years since the snap and ever since she had struggled to sleep. Not always it was usually when Steve was not with her. This was the second time this week Steve had been called for by one of the code reds. Every time he left the dreams would come no matter what she did. It had been happening for months, but she hadn't told her husband. He was under enough stress as it was. She didn't want to put more on that man's shoulders.

Just like in the others her father stood in front of her. This time they stood at the shore looking out to where the sea kissed the sky. Her father lifted his head to look at the stars. "Look up my little Gem. You see that bright star there?" He asked, pointing it out as he went to stand behind her. "There is a place on Midgard where if you stand exactly in the centre of its cliff you can see that star, yet all the others here are in the wrong place."

"How is that possible?"

"It's not, yet that star shines just as bright there as it does here."

"Where on Midgard father?"

"Tonsberg, Norway." Loki knelt next to her. "It was where your grandfather found me and where you were born. Your mother chose that place. To this day I believe she knew her fate." Her father kissed her cheek. "Tonsberg."

The dream faded and Gem sat bolt upright in bed. The feel of his lips on her cheek still lingered. "Tronsberg." She whispered. It was not a memory. Just a dream but why was her father talking about her mother in her dream. He had promised but never got the chance. Was her heart truly missing him so much that it made things like this up in her dreams?

Life had carried on, but not in the same ways had before. You had to find happiness where you could. Steve and Gem try to keep themselves busy, Steve was still trying to help people cope with it, trying to help them move on. Gem had taken to making sure people ate, she ran a soup kitchen in the same building that Steve worked out of. He came to her as she was washing up, he noticed there was a container on the side, she was planning to visit Nat.

"I'll come with you." Gem smiled at him.

The drive to the compound was always a hard one. It was still home in many ways, but it also had bad memories. Gem went to the kitchen and started to tidy up and put away the new meals she had brought over. Steve had gone to talk to Nat. It wasn't long however before Steve came running into the kitchen looking shocked. Gem took his hand worried at what kind of news Nat could possibly have given him. "What's wrong?"

"Scott is here?" He replied sounding unsure of himself.

Gem stared into his eyes, how was Scott here? He had disappeared during the snap. "Come on let's get to the bottom of this." Gem said, gripping his hand a little tighter and began to walk towards the door. When they arrived back in Nat's makeshift office, she had brought Scott in. He spoke so fast at first, explaining he had been in something called the quantum realm. To Gem it sounded so much like the Bifrost. Heimdall had explained it to her once while she had been sitting waiting with her grandmother for Thor to come home from one of the nine realms Odin ruled over. "It is like a corridor princess. We stand here at the main door and when you go through many other doors open up. The trick is to pick the right one. if you get it wrong not only could you end up in the wrong place and out of sight but also in the wrong time."

Gem had lost concentration during the talk. her thoughts of Heimdall and the way he used to summon the Bifrost had brought back many other memories of her dear friend who was now gone too. When she did refocus on conversation at hand there was talk of Tony visiting. He was the one person who would know if this was possible.

.....

After they arrived back at their apartment, Steve was very quiet. Gem knew that going to see Tony again was going to be hard on him. Their relationship had never been the greatest. Gem cooked their teas, watching him, he was trying to read, but he hadn't turned a page in about 10 minutes. They were heading to Tony's the following morning. Was he worried just over that or was it something else? Steve looked up from the book and saw her watching him, she gave him that half smile, the one that he loved so much. He watched as she worked away in the kitchen, she kept taking small sips from her glass of wine. if they could really jump in and out of time, was there a way to bring her family back for her. They had spoken about it, whether she missed her life, and her family. she always said the same thing, he was her family.