In Little Ways

Chapter 13

Lia looked at her room as she packed the last box. There were already so many memories in the house. Her heart clenched as she thought back to when Tom- Loki had bought it for them. Their family.

"Lia, sweet-heart? Are you ready?" She looked at the door and smiled sadly, taking in Tony's concerned look.

"Y-yeah. Let's go." She hoisted the box up into her arms once more and walked past him, leaving the door open. She tried to ignore the pain that had settled over her heart as she walked to the car. Part of her didn't want to move out, but at the same time, she knew that she needed to move on.

'He never loved me...it was all a lie.' She told herself, practically throwing the box into the back seat before she moved to the passenger side door and looked back, one last time.

The house sat, just as beautiful as it had been the first time they had moved in. But the beauty almost laughed at her now. It didn't hold any hope for the future, or love. All of that was gone now.

Tony placed down the box he was holding and shook hands with the realtor. He said something, but Lia turned back to the car, sitting down as she tried desperately to hold in the tears that threatened to spill. Her stomach was in knots and she felt like she was going to throw up.

She pushed the door open and stumbled to the curb, throwing up her breakfast into the bushes.

"Shit! Lia, are you okay?" Tony asked, running up and rubbing circles on her back as she groaned, the nausea passing.

"I don't know what's wrong with me..." She whispered and Tony cursed before he led her back to the car. 'It could be-' She cut off the thought, a jolt of fear running through her as she ran the numbers. 'Anything but that...please just be the stomach bug.' But part of her continued to nag at her, telling her what she knew it was.

"Let's get you to the lab, I'll run some tests to see what I can do to help." He said, helping her get seated before running to the other side of the car and sitting down in the front seat.

***

Loki groaned as he remembered that Thor was here. Part of him wondered why it had taken him so long to get to the trash planet, but he decided it didn't matter.

He was supposed to watch the epic fight between his brother and the Grandmaster's champion today, but all Loki wanted to do was find a way back to earth. Back to Cecilia and his daughters and even the bromance he was starting to cultivate with Tony.

"Attention, you have been called by the Grandmaster to watch today's fight." The comm. station by his door said, making Loki sigh.

"Let the games begin." He mumbled before walking out of his room and towards what was going to be, he hoped, the eminent smackdown that would bring some much needed distraction from his aching heart.

***

"Alright, all tests finished. We should get results in about an hour." Tony said, pulling off the latex gloves he had been wearing as she pulled down her sleeves to cover the bandage. She hadn't thrown up at the sight of blood, which she was glad for, but the room was still spinning slightly, making her feel like she was on a Tilt-a-Whirl.

"Thank you, Tony. Do you think I'm okay?" She asked and Tony smiled, patting her on the shoulder.

"I'm know you're fine, sweetheart." He said and she nodded before she heard her phone buzz in her pocket. She checked the name, her eyes widening slightly as she saw that the call was from the girls' school.

"Hello?...They what?" She stood and tangled her hand in her hair, pacing around the lab as she listened to the phone call.

"Alright....Thank you. Yes, I'll be there soon. Bye." As soon as she hung up, she cursed and shoved her phone back into her pocket, grabbing her jacket and aggressively pulling it on.