The Rise of Hel {Loki Laufeyson} Book Two

Chapter Five

I shake my leg nervously, careful not to spill the hot chocolate.

Different varieties of Christmas lights glitter, illuminating the large room in a soft, warm glow that calms me only slightly. A large tree sits in the corner, the ornaments glittering in the collection of colours. Gifts sit under it - most likely randomly shaped boxes covered in fancy wrapping paper to look realistic, but they don't. No one can wrap that perfectly and it's irritating me. Maybe it's just because of my nerves and my temper, both of which are at a high, but everything is irritating me... even the closed door of the OR.

Peter is behind those doors, getting surgery in order to remove the bullet. At times, I swear that I can hear screams and I lunge toward the door but stop myself because I know I'm hallucinating. It's been happening a lot lately - Loki, the wolf and that scarred lady, now Peter's screams... I'm losing my mind.

"You look like shit." I glance up at Tony, who stands there holding out a plate of shortbread cookies with one side dipped in chocolate. He lowers it, offering it to me. I pluck one from the plate, devouring it.

"Thanks." I say, watching him sit down next to me.

He shrugs. "Well, it's not like you haven't had Steve's cooking before. Remember those pancakes?" He asks and then his eyes flash. "Oh... right..."

"I keep telling you people that I am not the girl you're looking for! I am not Rebecca Talbot, I am Addison Connors! Connors!" I exclaim, splashing some of my drink onto my dinner dress. I cry out - hot chocolate is really hot! Tony panics, patting my dress with his shirt.

"I'm sorry. It's just - you look so much like her. Honestly, you could be H.P's twin."

"I thought her initials were R.T."

"They are. But I almost stepped on her once. H.P. is not what you think it is. She isn't a wizard. She's a human pancake." He explains, blotting my dress.

I press my lips into a thin line, hesitating. "If you don't mind my asking," I begin. "What happened to her?"

He stops, biting a cookie and staring at the floor. "She was in love with the wrong person. But I have a feeling that she's found the right one." He muses, gazing at the door in which Peter lays behind, operated on by doctors who have no idea how the hell an eighteen year old kid managed to get himself shot and not die instantly.

The perks of being Spider-Man.

"What was she like?" I ask, imagining her to be strong, muscley, determined... The same as me expect cooler.

He smiles fondly. "Obdurate." He says at first, shaking his head. "Beautiful, kind, loving. She'd do anything for her family even if that meant risking her own life. And that's exactly what she did, which, in the end, resulted in her saving the world."

"It sounds like you miss her." I can only imagine his pain, especially from the way he talks about this girl. It's like she's one of his own. She must've been something if Tony Stark actually cares for her well-being.

His eyes start to gloss as he nods. "I loved the kid. She reminded me of myself - so much so that she could've been my own flesh and blood." He twiddles his thumbs, averting my eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

He exhales, draping his arm around my shoulders. "Don't be. Wherever she is now, I hope she's finally happy."

Finally happy. The words echo in my head. Deep down, I feel something snap, like a string being cut in half. Those words mean something - but what?

"Where'd you get that ring?" Tony observes, poitning at it. I glance at my ring, which glows faintly.

"I don't know. I just woke up one morning and there it was. I've had it ever since."