Family is for all time, always [1]

Lost

~~~Loki's pov~~~

"Hold on. Have you seen a little girl come through here?" I asked as we started walking away from the giant purple cloud.

"A little girl?" They looked at me like I was crazy.

"Yes, a little girl! A five-year-old girl with chestnut brown hair and bright green eyes. Have you seen her?" I asked anxiously.

"No. We only get alerted when a Loki gets pruned." The, I suppose younger version of me shrugged. "Who is she to you?"

Should I tell them? If I do, and they end up being hostile, I'd be putting her in danger.

"Someone I need to find," I answered vaguely.

"Are you sure she was pruned?" Younger me asked.

"Yes, I'm sure."

I will never forget that moment for as long as I live.

~

We continued to escape whatever that Alioth monstrosity was.

"I highly suggest we take a breather so I can ask several thousand questions," I said, extremely out of breath after walking for so long.

"Gotta keep moving so we don't die." Older me answered.

"Okay, but what's your plan?"

"Don't die."

"Okay, but beyond that." I prompted.

"Don't die."

Seriously?

"Don't die is not a plan! It's a general demand of living! If you're Lokis, you should always have a plan." They're not even listening to me, are they? "Will someone please explain what the hell is going on?!" I shouted, gaining their attention.

"Look, it's been a very, very, very, trying past few days. Months? I don't even know how long it's been since the park! All I know is I got pruned and woke up here. And now I'm surrounded by variants of myself, plus an alligator, which I'm heartbroken to report; I didn't even find all that strange! And now we're running from God knows what, to God knows where, when I need to be trying to find that little girl!"

I have to find Linda. And fast, before something happens to her.

The younger version of me pulled out a dagger and pointed it at me, causing me to stumble back. "Stop wailing, or you'll signal Alioth."

"Point taken," I murmured.

~

We continued walking, and eventually, we made it to a bunker. I would have liked to have been looking for Linda by now, but I needed them on my side first.

"So, why do you want to find this girl so badly anyway?" Older me asked once we had entered the bunker.

I thought about that for a second. How was I supposed to explain that I was trying to track down my daughter from a reality where I died but also survived?

"Is she your glorious purpose?" He asked me sarcastically.

"Yeah, something along those lines." I nodded.

She was so much more than that.

~~~Kid Loki's pov~~~

"Well, come on then. Take a seat. I'll pour us some drinks." Older Loki insisted.

The new Loki shook his head. "I don't have time for drinks. I need to find that little girl."

This was getting old.

"Listen, she's probably dead already. If she's only five, there's no way she could have gotten away from Alioth in time." Older Loki sighed, sitting down.

"No. She's too smart for that." He shook his head in denial.

I wonder who he was looking for. He seemed pretty determined to find her.

"Do you mind telling us your tale? What exactly was your nexus event?" I asked him.

"It's a long story." He sighed, sitting back in an empty chair at the other end of the room.

"Okay, so let's hear it."

~~~Loki's pov~~~

It was a very long story, and I'm not even sure how to explain it.

"Well, in my timeline, I was on Midgard when I saved someone that the TVA said was supposed to die." I left it vague. I didn't want to remember what happened.

"Wait, you were on Midgard? When was this? 2012?" Older me asked, confused.

"No, it was the year 2023." I shook my head.

He stared at me in disbelief. "Thanos didn't kill you on the ship after Ragnarok?"

"I wasn't on the ship after Ragnarok. I was still on Midgard with Catherine." I winced as I realized I let her name slip.

"Who's Catherine?"

"In my timeline, well, she's my wife." I smiled sadly at the thought of her. I need to find a way back to her and Linda.

"That's not possible." Older me looked at me strangely.

"And why is that?"

"Because my friend, a Loki can never be happy. We are the Gods of Outcasts."

That's it. They weren't going to be of any help.

"I'm going," I announced, getting up.

"Going where?" Older me asked, standing up as well.

"To find that little girl. She's not gone. Not yet. I know she isn't."

She couldn't be gone. I only just got her and Catherine back.

That connection I had with her was still there. If something had happened to her, I would've known by now.

I climbed up the ladder to get out of the bunker and was met with an unpleasant surprise.

A group of me.

"Ah, hello. Which one of us are you?" The one that looked identical to me asked.

"This is a never-ending nightmare," I mumbled.

~~~One long fight later~~~

Well, that was a disaster.

A gang of Lokis fighting another gang of Lokis. You can imagine how well that turned out.

And after all of this, I still have no idea where Linda is!

Once we were clear of the bunker, I separated myself from the group.

I was going to find my daughter.

"What are you doing?" Younger me asked as I walked away.

"I'm going to find her."

He rolled his eyes. "Is this about that little girl again? It's suicide! Just accept that she's gone!"

"Never."

She never once accepted that I was gone. She waited for me. For three years.

I'm not giving up on her.