Book 3: Shifted Souls

Chapter 9: Loki

Violence

Thor showed the guests of Asgard to their rooms. Tony stayed with Lizzie for the first shift. They had decided to break down the time periods so that someone was always with her. Even Thor took turns telling loud tales and bawdy jokes. Steve felt like he wasn't really needed, but when the others needed a break, he would tell Lizzie stories about himself, Anthony, and Bucky growing up together. How her mother had been when she was a small child. Anything that he thought might interest her.

He was sitting with her telling her about how Anthony and Bucky had convinced him to go to coney island to ride the Cyclone and how it hadn't ended well for the contents of the Pre-Captain America's stomach. He was smiling at the memory when he noticed what looked like sketchbooks. He had been told that Lizzie was an artist. He smiled remembering all the times he used to be given grief about his doodles growing up.

He reached out and took one of the sketchbooks in his hands. He smiled intrigued by what she might have chosen as her subject. As far as he was concerned this young woman was his family. All that was left of the Brooklyn Three. He opened the book and saw Tony's suit on the first page. He still wasn't excited that Stark was interested in Anthony and Becca's daughter, but they were all each other had after losing their parents, so he understood.

He flipped through the pages of the book. She was good. He came to the images he actually recognized. Bucky in his uniform, Anthony in his, the three of them together before he became Captain America. One of him and Peggy Carter together after he became Captain America. Then he saw an image of Bucky falling from the train, he shut the book so quickly he almost knocked it off his lap. That image was forever carved into his brain. How could she know the exact image? He had never described it to anyone. He shook his head.

He picked up the other sketchbook. Images of a man with amber eyes were on several pages. It looked to be a pen and ink with watercolors added. Then there were images of children, several children, and images as they grew to adulthood the farther, he went into the book. He realized this must be the family that the second soul was grieving for. None of this made sense to him, but after Hydra he could believe that he didn't understand all that happens in this world.

He then talked to Lizzie from his heart, how he still loved Peggy. How he understood her grief. How he wished he had been given the chance to have children and then grow old together with her. What helped him get up every morning and try to make a new life for himself. He didn't know if it would help, but maybe an understanding perspective would help her try to fight to come back.

They days continued to be spent with sifts of visitors to Lizzie's room. Tony spent the most time with her and had to be reminded to eat and rest. He didn't want to leave her side. He didn't care how long it took or what world they had to go to, he wanted her back and he told her as much. He told them both that. More than once, someone would come to the room to care for Lizzie or to trade out shifts and they would find Tony with is head down holding as tightly as he could to Lizzie, even in his sleep.

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Lizzie felt like her heart was broken. She heard voices. It sounded like Natty and Feathers, she missed them. She heard Thor and Frigga. There was another voice that seemed to tell stories from a time when her father and uncle were young. She knew Kaitlynn was still with her because she also seemed to be reliving all of her memories. Each sweet memory seemed to just be another dagger in Kait's heart. She didn't know how to help her, hell she didn't know how to help herself. When she would hear Tony's voice, Kait's memories would go straight to an image of him in a suit with glowing stones on his glove saying I am Ironman. It never ended well.