Across All Time

Chapter 10- Progress (Mobius)

I grab my mug and small slice of key lime pie and make my way to the crowded table. There is an empty seat between Casey and Bea, which is where I put my food down. Everyone's watching and laughing at Sylvie as she leads them in conversation, as always.
The topic today? Vending machines.
"I dunno, but the TVA seems to have the stupidest vending machines, I mean they have a hot coco one but I can't find a good trail mix anywhere," she complains with her mouth partly full of a sandwich.
"What's trail mix?" O.B. asked.
"It's like a mixture of small snack foods, like nuts and fruits,"

"Do you have candy on Asgard?"
"Yeah, grapes and nuts,"
"No wonder you're so bitter,"

The words come back in a flash, and so do the feelings. I feel lost and numb, but also like I've been stabbed. The ache in my chest grows. I swallow and blink, trying to keep any emotion from showing. Everyone is now debating whether hot cocoa or trail mix is better. Bea touches my arm.
"Hey," she whispers, "are you ok?"
I nod and duck my head, taking deep breaths. I try to think of the good times Loki and I had, and how I need to move on, but something else lodges in my mind, as Bea, who can tell I need a moment to myself, turns back to the conversation and joins the laughter. She smiles so much at Sylvie.
I can't help but wonder if that could have been Loki and me. While we never really discussed our connection, it was definitely there. Our long, special hug, twining our feet together under the table, him telling me he would come back.
I have to stop. I have to move on.
While he still lingers in my mind, I am now able to live. Don't need help most days getting up. I eat a bit more than I did before. I sleep a bit. I socialize and take care of myself. I am shaving again. It's taken a while but I've made progress. I am beginning to move on.
So I am able to laugh along with the others when Sylvie calls O.B. a creative insult and O.B. has no clue what it means.

I walk home, hands entwined with Bea's. Never in a million years would I have thought this to be true, but it is. The TVA is what I call my home now, and I have an amazing wife and friends, and I am still able to live and interact on the timeline. I have everything. Almost everything.
Everyone can still feel it. Loki is still missing.
Maybe his absence will be something that lasts forever, but the wound in our group is healing very slowly.
What I mean is, everybody is healing, some are taking longer. Mobius is making progress since his breakdown, but it's been a very slow and bumpy road.
But the group in total is still healing. We as individuals are mostly fine when we are alone, but together Loki's disappearance is more noticeable. Like there's a gap.
It will get better, I tell myself, and then I turn to Bea.
"How's work?" I ask.
"Pretty busy now that we are some form of time police, making sure no one is messing with a timeline that shouldn't be messed with."
"Anything interesting I mean," I say, faking a yawn as she shoves my shoulder a bit.
"Actually, I've started this one case... someone is running around a bunch of timelines. They slightly changed the first one they were in but nothing else. It's just weird because it's an unregistered temp pad. Most temp pads give off a signal that we can track, but this time we have to comb through all the time lines to keep track of them. They don't seem like a threat, so we aren't acting on it yet."
I nod, and look at her. It's adorable how much she cares, you can see the passion in her eyes. But she isn't looking at me, she is looking at the wonderful view of the TVA. She pulls me near the edge and wraps her arms around my waist.
"Look at how beautiful it is," she breathes.
I watch the lights and the vehicles move around and agree, then I turn my focus to her. I turn in her arms and lean in for a kiss. Then I rest in her arms. We stand for a while this way. Everything is alright.
"Sylvie?" She whispers, and I think I know where this is going.
"Yes?" I say with a seductive  little smirk while looking into her eyes.
"We should have a baby,"
Wait what. That was not... what?
"What?" I asked surprised.
"We would be great mothers," she says
"You hate kids!"
"I hate some kids, ours would be different, because they would be like us and think like us and-"
"So I assume we wouldn't adopt?"
"Well there isn't really an adoption center at the TVA and it would be a lot for a kid from the timeline to move off it. Of course no matter what we would probably have to bring it to the timeline everyday, I don't think it would grow up if we just left it here,"
And then it is again, she stopped looking at me, but at the TVA's view. The lights reflected in her eyes along with the passion. I melt to her will, like no one else would ever make me. If the kid was anything like her, then I know I would love it. I take her arm and force us to continue our way to our apartment.
"I think we could take care of a kid," I finally agreed. She smiled at me. Then she looked confused.
"How would we get one though?"
"I assume kidnapping's off the table?" I smirk innocently. Bea rolls her eyes and I shove her a little with my shoulder. "I have magic you know," I whisper as she unlocks the door, "I can snap my fingers and place a seed inside of me,"
"You would do it?" She asks
"Of course, I have a higher pain tolerance then you," I brag. She smiles and pulls me in her arms again.
"So we're actually doing this?" She whispers, and I nod. "So what are we waiting for?" She asks as she glances down at where my womb would be with love in her eyes.
"My dear, you're missing the most important part," I replied.
"And what's that?"
"Making the baby," I purr as I pull her inside our apartment and close the door.