We arrived at the tower a few hours later. Frigga had insisted that Loki bring the Casket of Winters to help unlock his Jötunn powers further. Even Odin had begrudgingly agreed with her. We met with everyone in the lounge area to give them a brief rundown of what happened and I replayed part of the conversation with Thanos as well. The room was solemn.

The silence was finally broken when Tony surprised me by coming up and gripping me in a tight hug. "I'm sorry this keeps hurting you, kid," his voice was filled with concern. I returned the hug awkwardly then sat next to Loki on the couch. "So what's the plan, you two?" he asked.

"The time stone needs to be altered. I agree with Strange that it shouldn't be destroyed, but we can alter it to limit its ability to alter time for now," I said, holding Loki's hand tightly. "I'm going to need help with the spell. Wanda, Vision will you help Loki and I?"

"Of course," they both agreed quickly.

Loki stood, pulling me up. "Thanos doesn't know about the reality and space stones yet, so that is an advantage on our part." He turned to address Thor and Jane. "Odin has offered to provide military support if needed. I think you are the best person to coordinate that, brother," his tone was filled with respect and Thor stood, crossing the space to embrace him fiercely.

"Thank you, Loki," Thor choked. "I won't ever doubt you again, little brother. You know, you really would make a great king someday," he said, pulling back and slapping Loki's shoulders.

I smiled remembering our conversation on Asgard. The glimmer in Loki's eyes was priceless when he kissed my hand, "This is the only kingdom I want or need."

"Damn kid, you really have changed this guy," Tony laughed.

"No kidding. Where do I find a man to look at me like that?" Nat smirked, nudging my elbow. Of course, I blushed.

The four of us headed to a place deep under the tower. It made me think of the dungeons on Asgard, or the containment cell Loki had been held in during the first Avengers movie. It was a reinforced magically enhanced glass room, and I could see the grimace on Loki's face when we entered as he made the connection as well.

He took the time stone out of his interdimensional pocket and placed it on a small bench in the center of the room. "I think if we use all our powers at once, we can lock the stone in place for now," I said to them. They each nodded, and slowly began to direct their magic towards the stone. With all of our magic filling the room, it looked like a kaleidoscope of colors - blue, green, red, purple, and golden. I was amazed how in such a short time, Loki had figured out how to merge his Jötunn magic with his Aesir seidr.

For a few moments, I was afraid the stone would rupture as it began to glow an incandescent hue, but finally, it stopped and seemed to stop pulsing as if frozen. I called Strange into the chamber and asked him to test it out. I swear he pouted like a toddler, mumbling about his sacred duties again.

"I can see a limited distance in the future, but nothing in the past," he grumbled.

"Good, then it worked," I beamed.

"You will undo this after Thanos is defeated, won't you?" he had a concerned look in his eyes as he held the stone.

Loki stepped next to me, "We have no intention of leaving the stone damaged, Strange. We just need to make sure Thanos cannot go back in time and gather the stones that have been destroyed."

We all went back upstairs to discuss what the next step was. Stark thought we should get the focus on Vision since he essentially was the mind stone. Rogers wanted to find a way to shut Vision down which made Wanda and Nat furious. Banner seemed to just stay indecisive as usual. The man was so afraid of his other half that he lived in a constant state of indecision. Someday I needed to explain to him that his hesitancy was what made him unstable, but now wasn't the time for that conversation.

As everyone continued arguing about what we needed to do next, what was going to happen and I just panicked. My breathing became rapid and I felt like the room was spinning as I began to claw at Loki's shirt sleeve.

He pulled me close and whispered softly to me, "Breathe, love, it's okay." I closed my eyes and then felt a cold wind blow across my face. "Runa, where are we?" Loki asked.

I opened my eyes to see the Scottish Highlands stretching as far as I could see and a small stone cottage with a few animals roaming around. Oh shit. "Um, well, Scotland, um on Midgard around the sixteenth century," I stammered, hoping he wouldn't freak out too much.

Loki's eyes went wide.

I think I may have broken him again.

"How did you...why?" he babbled, then looked at me. I could see his eyes soften as he started to realize how much I had panicked. "You needed a place away from people, right?"

I nodded and pressed my head to his chest. "I'm sorry, I can take us back whenever you want, I just needed to be alone, really alone with you. I couldn't take all the yelling and arguing anymore."

He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. "So explain how this works, love. Do they know we left?" I shivered against his chest. "Let's go inside and get you warm first." He led me inside the little cottage, found some wood, and built a fire in the hearth. I snapped and changed both our clothing to match the time.

I sat on the bench near the fire as he knelt before me waiting patiently.

"They don't know we've left because we haven't really. I pulled us out of time and brought us to a place I knew once. I lived here for some time in my early years. There's a small village about a half-day walk towards the west, but not many travel this way." Loki rubbed small circles on my hands as he listened. "When you were trying to calm me, I kept thinking of somewhere that I felt at peace, and I guess my powers went on autopilot and brought us here. Are you mad?"

Loki laughed as he sat next to me on the bench, pulling me close, "Why would I be mad, little one? I told you I wanted to share your adventures. I was just taken off-guard." He pressed his lips to mine and I felt my entire body relax as I met his kiss. "So how long are we staying?'

I giggled, "We can stay as long as we want." He looked at me with a confused expression. "I can take us back to the exact moment we left and no one will know." His eyes took on a mischievous glint. Oh, he has plans now. I think I'm in trouble. I think I want to be in trouble.

"Oh, my love, be careful what you say. I may just keep you here forever," he whispered as his lips caressed my neck. With a wiggle of his fingers, the bed was covered in fur blankets and he carried me gently across to it. Loki covered me in kisses and gently made love to me, making me feel safe in his arms.