The Twins and Lila Growing Adventures

Well, he did warn her. She cannot use his temper against him. She knows what he is like when exhausted. "I know the laws far better than most. I was the Prince of Asgard and the Nine Realms. This entailed me to study the laws of many of the realms. I am also a wordsmith, a silver tongue, and once the God of Lies. None can compare to me." Celia might have some experience but he has multiple lifetimes of applied practice. "Besides, I do not trust Jolon or his team. Who's to say he is not attempting to imprison her?" Neither does she. "I am aware. I am simply trying to protect my family. And I plan to make it up to Lila."

"You know the laws of five hundred years ago," at best, everyone knows that Asgard had little interest in Midgardian laws, "Also, we both might not trust Jolon, but we know that he's not going to do that," if he does, he would lose everything, "Oh, yes, make it up to Lila, it would be just one more thing to add to the list, right?" she sighed, "You are pushing her away Loki, you lost a daughter once, do you want to lose her too?" because he was pushing their daughter quite too much.

"How adorable, you know it takes at least a century for Midgard to change a law and you know I love to keep up to date. I doubt Celia has even kept up to date on current laws!" He wasn't like most Asgardians, he actively read up on Midgardian laws all the time. It's how he gets away with so much. "Well, excuse me for being there for Vera who rarely sees her mother and hadn't seen her father in over a year. I'm trying to offer the little I can to her. She has no one else who she trusts."

"You are missing the point," she said under her breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "I'm not saying that you shouldn't be there for Vera, but what I am saying is that you must balance things out, you didn't have to go there today, like many times over the last few months,"  not to say year, "She needs you too, she was papa's little girl and next moment she barely sees him and talks to him," not to mention all the passive aggressive comments that sometimes he doesn't realize he's making to her.

Leaning against the counter, he pinched the bridge of his nose only to begin to laugh. Like this was all some silly joke. "I'm so naive," followed with his laughter slowing, "nothing's good enough for you, no matter how hard I'm trying to keep my family together. I'm still failing them. Yes, let me break the last semblance of trust Vera has in this family that way when Jolon does ruin her life she has no one to run to! Not like that hasn't ruined this family once- oh wait it has! And don't go on about how she didn't need help. She doesn't know how to ask for any when it comes to her family due to her trust issues with us."

"I am not saying that? How could you even think that I-" she stopped, she was about to speak a bit too loudly, and how could he think that she believed what he did was not enough, "Do you actually believe that I would let that happen too?" Again? "I'm just asking, no, I'm begging you to balance things out, I don't want to lose her too," no, her eyes didn't start watering, not at all, "I don't-" her voice broke, she was finally letting all out, well, not all entirely, but what she was feeling right now was very complicated, she cared for Vera, she loved that child, and she also felt that what was asking of him was selfish. Still, she also knew that Vera had someone who had to be responsible for her. That person was Celia, who got distant from her children, she wanted to support her to getting her life together. Still, it was conflicting because that was hard for Erik. Also, she cared about Bucky, and on top of that was her child, the way she used her fake smile instead of the real one more frequently nowadays, the one that was capable of sacrificing her dreams just to feel that she made her father proud, to think that no matter what Nat does, that won't be enough, not for her family and certainly not for Lila.

Why? Because she criticized him first thing in the morning after he asked her to save it for a more appropriate time. They could've discussed this prior to them retiring to bed this evening. Not snapping at each other due to their exhaustion first thing in the morning. He stood from the counter and went to his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and ran his fingers through her hair. Trying to comfort her. "I'm trying, Natalia." He hasn't gotten a full six hours of sleep in months. He was trying so hard to be there for everyone who needed him. "I don't want to either ... It just ..." Vera was so much like her mother and he saw how it hurt Celia, he's trying so hard to protect her from all the pain Celia has gone through. He couldn't watch Vera go down the same rabbit hole as Celia has. "Maybe it'll be best if I quit teaching? ... If I do I'll have more time available to focus more on our family." He was trying, he was trying so hard.

There was not another time, deep down he had to know that it was now or never. She held him like he was the only thing that could keep her standing, and maybe he was, she couldn't sleep either, her work was hard, and sometimes she also had to do some of his work because he was too busy, she worried about everything that was going on, and she felt that all the pressure was on her shoulders, and she couldn't do anything for help them. After a moment she got to calm herself down, "I don't want to ask you that, you can't lose your life," he gained the right to do so, not that he had to gain anything, but if he had to, he did it already, "I'm trying to help you, I swear I am, but... it's not enough, I'm sorry, but it is not enough, not for Lila, not for the rest of our family".

"Yet it's not enough," those were her own words, "besides it'll only be temporary, I do not plan on retiring, only to take a short leave of absence." His cup was already filled, leaking even, he couldn't add more to it so he must pour some out. The first one to go should be his job; thankfully they didn't have to freight over their finances for him too. "And I shall call and speak to my brother, perhaps he could offer our family some assistance. Next I'll pay Celia a visit and speak with her." It was not that he wasn't enough, it's that he's been doing too much. He's been too busy filling his cup till it was full and recognize it until it began to spill out and create a mess. He needs to clean the mess he made and to that he must empty some of his cup. "We'll figure this out Natalia, I promise. I'm sorry I'm snapped at you, it's just..." He was so tired. He fought in wars; been tortured, enslaved, yet he never felt so drained. "I'm getting old." Oh norms he finally accepted it; he truly does need to fix this mess they were in.

She looked up at him, she was flabbergasted, "Am I married to an old man now?" she teased and pecked his lips, "We'll figure it out," they did far more complicated things, they saved the fucking universe more than once!

He wrinkled his nose at hearing such a statement leave her lips. He narrowed his eyes at her and frowned. "You're supposed to disagree with me and tell me how dashing I still am, not question it. You're such a very cruel lover." It was almost as if she agreed with him. "Well I'm going to bed now, I'll wake in a century... Or two." Maybe three? He kiss Natalia forehead before making his way to the bedroom. He fell on the bed with a smile; finally sleep at long last.

The next couple of days there was some improvement, he spent more time with Lila, which made the girl feel utterly happy, but then... well, he had to go with Vera once more, for days. Nat just gave up, she would do her best to be there for their daughter and her family, she even tried to talk to Celia about her children, but it was like talking to a wall, there was no real or useful response.

(Time skip to the accident?)

(Yep!)
Today was the big day for the first time in a whole year. Erik's whole family would finally be together. Sure there'll be snide remarks and insults to be thrown, but it'll be worth it. He had left with his grandfather, family, and father early this morning to Vanaheim, where the competition was being held. Erik has always adored Vanaheim, it was a quiet realm, a realm that only sought knowledge to learn. It's why he plans to study here in this realm once he is of age. Today was by far one of the realms louder more chaotic days in the one city this realm had. He normally despises cities and fairs or anything far too crowded and loud, but today he didn't mind. He actually enjoyed all the fun that could be bad around the stadium as they waited till a bit after noon for the races to begin. The first one to arrive was his mother with his uncle Strange. His mother gave him a massive hug before rubbing his head, he was still quiet a few inches smaller than her, "how has my little man been?" For today he'll ignore all his frustrations at his messy family. "Good," nothing to really write home about, "but I miss you."

Lila was walking holding her dad's hand, "I've missed being here, do you think we would have time to go to the library?" she asked him with a smile, he used to bring her when she was little, her favorite spot there was where he asked her mom to marry, she liked that story when she was a little girl, at least his version, it had more drama.

Smiling down at Lila he hummed in agreement, "as do I." He missed visiting this realm. "Let's ask Erik first, if we do not have anytime today I promise we pay a visit to the library tomorrow." Little did he know he could've never kept such a promise and due to no fault of his own. A vibrant glow of electric crimson magenta hair pass by them only to pounce onto Erik who caught the bundle of energy that was his sister. "I missed you too!" It was nice to see his grandson smiling, he usually so quiet and to himself. "ERIK!" There was a loud roar from above only for the source to arrive right beside him. It was his friend and rival, "you're going to eat dirt today! I shall be the one who will take home the diamond trophy!" Erik smiled at his friend with his sister shouting at the teenager that he was going to cry at the end of the race.

Everyone took a seat to witness Erik's race, even Bucky, yes, he was on the other side of the campus, but he got a great seat to see his son, he couldn't be more proud of him, seeing his son happy made him feel that at least he was doing something good.

As his sister and best friend engaged in some playful banter, he hugged each member of his family warmly and thanked them for coming. Shortly after, he proceeded down to the field, placed his large white hat on, and muttered a spell under his breath so the hat would not fall off as he rose and flew high on his staff. The sun was bright and high in the sky, and cheers came from the crowd. The air tasted electrifying, and tension rolled over the field where he and the rest of the competitors were waiting. Three more seconds until lift-off for the race of a lifetime. No one would ever forget today. With a bang, they were off.

At first, everyone was neck and neck as they sped past all the obstacles and through the wormhole portals between the realms. This was his favorite part of the race. He was in the lead, and everyone believed he had vanished, but he always reappeared. Now, he was back in Vanaheim, plummeting fast to the earth below. The wind tore at his clothes and hair, whipping them wildly around him. A faint, confident smirk curled his lips, growing into a wild, exultant smile. Laughter erupted from deep within him, unrestrained and joyous. Never had he felt so free. At that moment, he had not a single worry in the world, no fears. The critical voice in his head that constantly pointed out his every flaw and mistake was silent. All he could hear was the howling wind, drowning out the roars of the crowd below. In the clouds high above, he was untethered, unbound. The sky was his playground. But like all good things, this too must end. Opening his eyes his piercing gaze point pin-pointed and fixated on the finish line ahead, Erik grips his staff with all his strength. With a surge of effort, he used the momentum of his fall to slingshot himself forward, far ahead of anyone else. Victory was within his grasp; no one was near him. 

Down below, Vera watched her brother with awe, only for her expression to change to utter terror. Erik was like a shooting star, blazing through the sky, and she knew what happens to shooting stars. They fall and shatter into millions of pieces. She hopped over the railings, her heart pounding. "Erik! Slow down!" She screamed, racing onto the field. She noticed far too late that his staff was fracturing.

Suddenly, a deafening crack rang through the air. Everything began to spin. The sky, the most beautiful shade of blue, which his sister adored for its boundless freedom, was now only a messy blur. The sun shone so brightly it was blinding him. Erik’s wild, joyful smile shifted into utter confusion, then into fear as he finally saw what was below him. The crowd was a distant blur, faces upturned in horror, with the roar of cheers turning into cries of utter panic. Something was wrong. What was happening? Everything was going too fast. He reached for his staff to steady himself, but his fingers only closed around a splintered piece of wood falling beside him. His staff had shattered. His heartbeat pounded in his ears as adrenaline surged through him, and the broken fragments slipped through his fingers.

In the distance, his best friend was racing toward him, calling out his name desperately. Below, Vera ran towards her falling brother, her face contorted with both fear and determination. Her forehead was creased with worry, and her mouth was slightly agape, ready to call out in desperation. Despite the surrounding chaos, her focus remained unwavering on reaching him in time.

It all happened in seconds. The realization hit Erik like a ton of bricks—he was going to die from this fall. He had never been the God of the Winds; he was just a naive boy brought back down to earth by his own hubris. Desperation overtook him. He could not die here, not with his family watching. Instinctively, he covered his head, bracing for impact, for there was nothing else he could do. He met the ground in a moment. His lower back and hips struck first, the impact jarring every bone in his body. He cried out in agony, and his limbs crumpled around him, causing the world to dissolve into pure chaos and pain.

Only a few yards separated Vera from Erik. She was so close. Later, she would learn she was only 15 yards away. If only she had been faster or noticed sooner, she might have caught him, slowed his fall, done something to prevent the nightmare she saw. Her brother's body became limp like a rag doll. Erik was always weaker than them, even Lila. That's why she had to protect him. Why she should've done a better job. Why she should've listened to her dad more. Choking down a sob, she finally reached her brother, completely out of breath. She saw her brother's twisted body, her knees buckling under her. He was like a bloody pretzel made by some five-year-old who didn't know how to properly twist a pretzel. Reaching out, she called his name, her voice trembling. "Erik!" She gently moved one of his arms off his face, desperate to hear him. "ERIK, SAY SOMETHING, PLEASE!" He always knew what to say to calm her. She needed that right now. She shook her head—no, she needed to see if he was still alive. Pressing two of her fingers against his throat, she searched frantically for a pulse.

Erik opened his eyes, squinting against the blinding sun. He caught a fleeting glimpse of his sister above him. Vera had always been like the sun—bright, warm, a guiding hand, and now, like the sun, she was so far out of reach. He couldn't even wipe her tears away. Every part of his body was screaming in pain, and an overwhelming exhaustion washed over him. The surrounding chaos was too much; there was screaming, shouting. He closed his eyes, wanting to escape the unbearable reality...

The second person to reach the field was his mother, Celia. She had followed her daughter when she noticed her rushing to the field. Her lungs tightened in her chest when she saw the horrifying scene before her. Vera, her brave and strong daughter, was crying out, pleading for Erik to say something, to do something. Vera held Erik’s head in her lap, covered in her brother's blood and the mud from the soil.

The third to reach Erik was his best friend. He had fallen from his own staff in his haste and now knelt beside Erik, frantically assessing the situation. "Don't move him anymore!" he shouted, knowing the risk of paralysis. But they had no choice; Erik was bleeding out. Desperation etched on his face, he whipped his head around, searching for the EMTs. They were still too far away! Erik's life was slipping away. They didn't have time to wait. "I'm so, so sorry!" he said, acting quickly. He rolled Erik onto his back as his sister held his head steady. His stomach churned at the sight—bone protruding through torn flesh, likely a piece of his shattered pelvis. Kneeling beside him, he pressed his hands against the open wound, trying to staunch the flow of blood.

After what felt like an eternity, the EMTs finally arrived, forcing everyone to step back. They worked swiftly, placing Erik onto a stretcher. Erik's father arrived just in time to see his son’s mangled body on the stretcher, blood pooling around him as the EMTs worked to stabilize him. James climbed into the ambulance, and Celia finally snapped back into reality when her son was being taken away. She followed close behind, refusing to leave his side.

The door closed with a decisive thud, and the ambulance sped off, sirens blaring. Vera and Erik's best friend sat there in stunned silence, both covered in his blood. The ground where Erik had fallen was stained a deep crimson red. Vera stared down at her bloody hands, where her brother had lain, while Erik’s best friend watched the ambulance disappear in the distance.

"What happened?" a voice asked—it was his own, but it felt distant, muffled, as if he were underwater. They were soon surrounded by the rest of Erik's family. There was a ringing in his ears, and though he knew they were saying something, it was as if he were in a silent movie, watching everything play out in front of him. It seemed Vera was in a similar state, deaf to the world, dissociating.

Just a few hours earlier, they had been trading playful insults; her face had been lit up with the brightest smile, like a ray of sunshine bringing him joy. She had been so proud of her brother, boastful even. Now, she looked lost and helpless, holding a few shattered pieces of Erik's staff, as if trying to puzzle them back together somehow.

“I have a twin sister. You probably heard of her; I've yet to meet someone who hasn't, she runs Nova Enterprises." Wait, Vera Barnes runs Nova enterprise, "your sister is Vera?!" Well, now that he mentioned it he could see the resemblance, they share the same nose and similar bone structure. Erik was only a tad smaller and looked more like his mother while Vera looked more like their father. "She's an airhead," Erik continued, he had to admit that's one way to describe her, he has heard her described like she was some clown who was too clumsy for her own good and was only good at causing trouble. "But so smart, she's the smartest person I know. And you know my family.” Yeah he had met his family a few times; they were all mad geniuses, each leaving their mark on history throughout the wide universe. He knew Erik was just as clever too, it says a lot about her. It made sense though she wouldn't be making headlines every week for the past year if she wasn't just as crazy and smart. “Back when I was young, she used to protect me from bullies.” He could understand why they targeted Erik—he was smaller, shy, quiet, with piercing silver eyes that only made him stand out more. He also was blunt and to the point. He likely terrified people. "Then we were kidnapped and... everything changed. I had to protect myself, and she... she changed. I know it's selfish, but I miss how she was when we were little. She used to be so brave and strong, always saying she’d protect me no matter what.” He admire his sister. He could tell, Erik turned away from him and curled up into himself, staring at the moon. “Now she's so scared, and no one sees it...” Erik frowned, he didn't know what to say so he did what any good friend should do he just rested an arm around Erik shoulder to try and offer him some comfort.

Back then, he only saw Vera as the crazy girl she projected herself to be, but now he saw the same girl Erik did: a terrified one. Standing to her feet, he eyed Vera as she held the pieces to her chest and began to... laugh? For a brief moment, a flame burned in his chest, yet it sizzled out just as fast as it ignited when he saw her face. She was a tearful mess, sobbing between her fits of laughter. "It's all my fault. I killed him."

Nat teleported that exact same moment to the field, she was bringing some snacks for the family and she didn't see what happened, if she wasn't distracted, she could have prevented this... "Vera, sweetheart, we have to take him to Eir," she was the best healer in the galaxy, "You have to calm down sweetheart, he needs us right now, go and find grandpa and your mom, I'll be right back," and waiting for the girl to nod, she took her grandson back to New Asgard and to the healer, she was the fastest way to do so. After making sure Eir had him, she went back for her family, their emotional state was more than understandable, but she had to keep her head cool, they needed it. Even Bucky and Celia had to be together, for the first time since they separated, not that they could focus on that now, but at least Celia wasn't trying to kill him.

For the first time in years, Vera saw her grand uncle Thor. He knelt down before her, cupped her face in his hands, and forced her to look at him. The poor girl was having a panic attack, a pretty bad one.

"Vera, you need to breathe—"

"Erik—"

"Erik is going to be okay—"

"His heart stopped, he had no pulse—"

"Vera, Erik is going to be okay, I promise. He likely just used a spell that stopped his heart momentarily to prevent him from bleeding out."

Thor didn't know if such a spell was even existed, but he needed to calm Vera, so for now, it did.

"Oh," Vera said. Thankfully, she didn't question him and believed him. After a few more minutes, Thor managed to calm Vera down. Everyone had already been taken to the waiting room by Natalia. Now it was only the three of them who were remaining on the field waiting for Vera to be ready to join everyone. Vera stood up and picked up her brother's cap before she nodded her head, and they left for the waiting room.

The atmosphere was grim. For the first time in over a year, Celia and James were by each other's side, holding hands. Vera stepped towards her parents. She hadn't seen or spoken to them in over a year; would they even want to see her now? She was about to turn away, but before she could, her dad met her eyes, stopping her in place. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she waited for whatever her father had to say. Instead, he pulled her into a hug. She felt like she was five years old again, when her brother had just broken his arm. She couldn't even remember how he broke it now, but she had blamed herself back then too. Her mom had taken Erik to the same place where they were now. Her dad and herself waited here, it was only then did she began to ball her eyes out, it was rather embarrassing to think about now, but her dad just scooped her up and held her close as she cried. She didn't stop crying until the two were home and tuck in bed together. The tears spilled out of her, she wrapped her arms around her dad and knotted her hands in his shirt clinging to him as she sobbed against his chest. She felt another pair of arms engulf her and felt one of them run their hand through her hair. It was her mom attempting to comfort her in someway.

He stroked her little girl's hair, he was crying too, it wasn't the right time to do it, but at least now she knew that he would be there to protect her, just like he always had been, "It'll be ok princess," he whispered as tears also fell from his eyes.
Nat and Loki were holding hands, as Lila was waiting pacing around the waiting room. A few moments later, that felt like hours, Eir came out, "Alright, we have good news, we got to stabilize him, his vital signs are well, the brain activity too, but he will be sleeping until his body finishes its healing, which we don't know how much time it would take," could it be days, weeks or years.

Vera released her father's shirt, her mother gently letting go to comfort her with a soothing rub on the back. Together, they turned towards Eir, Vera's voice tremulous as she asked, after wiping tears away, "Can we see him?" Eir's response was firm, a stern nod. "No more than three at a time." Holding her father's hand tightly, Vera followed after Eir to her brother's room. Upon entering, they found Erik lying there, his body bruised purple, an air bubble over his mouth, an I.V. in his arm, and healing stones carefully arranged around his injuries. Most were hidden under his blanket that covered his lower body, Vera noticed.

Her mother was the first to approach Erik's side, taking her brother's hand in hers and kissing it as tears streamed down her face. "I'm so sorry, I should have protected you..." She broke the promise she made to them. Vera had to swallow her tears down, "he isn't going to be able to walk again, is he?" Eir eyed the girl, she always could tell when something was wrong, Eir exhale. "I've never seen a hip fracture like his before. It was like shatter glass... I saved what I could. His lower back was in a similar state. He will likely be paralyzed from the waist down. We will not know for certain until he wakes up, but I've seen injuries less severe than Erik cripple the mightiest of warriors." She was 95 percentage confident Erik would never walk again. "I am sorry, I shall go and inform the others now and leave you all be."

"It happened so fast, none of us could do something," Bucky reassured Celia, and it was true, no one noticed that Erik fell until he hit the ground, "We can only be here for him and help him anyway we can when he wakes up," he placed his hand over his daughter's shoulder, looking at his son's face, his heart broke even more, he knew the healing will be a tough process, but for Erik to assimilate the possibility of not walking again will be the worst part.

Eir explained the rest of the family Erik's condition, then she went back to her office, there were things she needed to check, "I can't believe he fell," Lila broke the silence, "He would have stopped, he's the best," something happened, she knows it. Nat nodded, "I'll come back, see if there is something odd or suspicious," maybe someone planned this, who? why? those were pretty good questions.

Back when she and Erik were around four or five, Erik had cried every day for a month over not being able to shape shift like Lila. All Erik wanted to do was fly. When Grands learned about such they gave him a whole book on wind spells. It wasn't going to be difficult for Erik to adjust, it'll be a nightmare. "That isn't true ..." She saw what happened. Her brother was paralyzed because of her. "I ... I need to go." She needs answers. Staying here will help nothing. She rushed out of the room and placed her brother cap on. She needs to return to the field. "Grandma can you take me back to the field? I... I need to find answers."

She was about to tell Vera that she would go alone, that she should stay and be safe, but she knew her granddaughter and she knew that no one could stop her, so she stood and nodded, "Let's go," then before walking through the door she told her family that she would be back in a few hours.

With a quick farewell, they vanished and reappeared on the field. The area was taped off, and investigators were swarming the scene. Vera ignored everyone, slipping past the tape to take in the crash site. The shattered shards of her brother's staff were scattered all around the crater. 

"Someone somehow shattered my staff," Erik muttered.

Suddenly, she noticed a blue flame-like version of her brother beside her, a ghost like version of himself. He placed a finger to his lips, signaling her to keep quiet about his presence. Scanning the area, Vera noted her grandmother nearby, who showed no reaction. It seemed no one else could see him — she must be the only one.

"It's the staff," he explained. "I infused my soul into it. Only those holding a piece and channeling magic through it can see me."

Their mother always said Vera was like a leaky faucet with her seidr, never able to fully control it, with magic constantly dripping out no matter how hard she tried to tighten her grip on it. "Gather as many shards of my staff as you can," he instructed. "Tell Natalia you're taking them to your lab for examination. We'll talk there." Vera swallow a lump in her throat and began to do exactly that. Piece by piece she picked up the remnants of her brother's fall. "I'm going to my lab to examine these. Maybe I can find some answers examining them. If you're able to can you send my brother's gloves and boots as well; I'd like to examine them too."