Blood Moon || Loki [2]

[51] Silent Night

25 DECEMBER, 2013

ASTRID

911.

Astrid was in the middle of spooning mashed potatoes onto Jeremiah and Kate's dinner plates when her cell phone buzzed on the Andrews' counter nearby. Angus and Luca were in the middle of a passionate debate over who won their sparring match earlier in the day while Luca's daughter Isabella sat in Lily Ware's lap. Fred had his feet kicked up onto the empty chair next to his own, while Michelle Laurens limped around the table on her sprained ankle to gather the empty dishes.

"Laurens," said Astrid in her most authoritative voice. "As your boss, I order you to sit down and let someone else help."

"I'm old, not an invalid," mumbled Laurens, smacking Fred's ankle to make him move his feet off her chair. Fred stood up, cracked his back, and went to clear the cutlery away.

"Hey, Dad!" protested Kate, snatching the plate of turkey away from Fred. "I'm not done eating."

Fred kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, baby."

"You smell like peas," said Kate, laughing as she shoved her father away.

Astrid wiped her hands on a napkin, grabbed her phone, and swore at the message from Seville. 911. "We have an emergency," she said miserably.

"What?" Jeremiah slumped onto the table with his face in his arms. "Man, we can't have one Christmas without shit going to shit."

Lily Ware covered Isabella's ears with her hands. Fred tossed his car keys to Angus, Luca kissed his daughter on the forehead, and Astrid squeezed Kate's hand. Laurens offered to drive, but before anyone could protest that she shouldn't go at all, she had snatched the keys out of Angus's hand.

Astrid hugged Kate close. "When we get back," she said, "you better have dessert ready."

"Without a doubt," said Jeremiah.

"Be safe," said Kate and Lily.

Astrid just shrugged on her jacket and followed her people out the door. So much for Christmas dinner.

~

There was nobody inside her office, but her computer was on.

"What the hell?" she muttered, sitting at her desk and closing the door with a wave of her hand. Of her thousand emails, she only noticed one from Nick Fury.

Morticians found a thumb drive in your aunt. She swallowed it before she died-means she knew it was coming. You'll be interested to see what was on it.

"Guys," she said into her earpiece. "I'm gonna need a minute."

Astrid didn't want to think of morticians fishing a thumb drive out of her aunt's stomach, but she opened the video and pressed Play.

Mara Harris's face was tightened with lines of age, but otherwise it was so like Astrid's that she didn't have any doubts the woman had passed for her in prison. "Hi, dear niece," said Harris, staring right into the camera. "I saw your big fight on TV. Very well done, saving the world from aliens. You have come a long way. They're saying you've disappeared, but given how much of a pest you are, I hope you're just plain dead.

"Then again, I'm making this video in the hopes that you'll see it some day, so maybe I should want you alive. I've got people who are after me, and I'm sure by the time you see this that you'll know who I'm talking about. They're growing, dear girl, and you won't be able to stop them. So here's what I offer you: a clean slate."