Have you ever experienced those moments in life where you learn about something so mind-shattering, that you need more than a couple moments to allow yourself to process it? Or those moments where even though the world has shattered in revelation before your very eyes, deep down under all your well-deserved shock, you possess this tingly sensation of acceptance as if you knew this ground-breaking news all along?

          Yeah, those moments are a bitch.

          Even though it hasn't been officially confirmed, as soon as Adelaide utters the words that have unknowingly been bouncing around in my head since I met her, the previous hostility, defensiveness and paralysing surprise that had overcome my body washes away like the tide on a beach. Now, it's replaced with an unreadable expression and semi-wide eyes.

          Cautiously licking my lips, as if doing so would trigger a bomb, a small sigh breaths past them. "I....I think.... I know."

         Now it's Adelaide's turn to be overcome with shock.

          "What?" She nearly whispers, yet for me it's loud enough to drum in my ears. "What do you mean you think you know?"

         I swallow hard, my hands fiddling at my sides as I begin to pace a few feet in front of her and Sam. "I mean that... well... there's been signs alright? I just never gave any of it much thought because it hasn't exactly been the best time to consider probable sisters."

          She laughs dryly, but not cruelly. "Well that's a bit of an understatement."

          "Yeah um hi," Sam awkwardly butts in, his face as pale as a sheet as he uncomfortably points to himself "Samuel Hemmings-Von Doom here. I was just wondering.... does anybody care to explain to the clueless individual that is moi what the hell is happening here?!"

          "We're sisters," Adelaide and I both drone out in sync whilst facing the 'clueless individual'. As an afterthought, I decide to add on "Probably."

          His perplexed expression doesn't melt away, if anything, it only intensifies. "Thank you for clearing that up Lillian," he sarcastically but not harshly drawls "the world makes sense once again!"

          "Oh hush," Adelaide lightly scolds, yet the confusion is still evident in her own tone "it's not like we can give you a lengthy explanation about it, we're just guessing at the moment ourselves."

          "Guessing?" He echoes, eyes flickering between the two of us in an almost humorous exasperation "You do realize the only slight piece of evidence you have to go off on at the moment is your poem right? And for all we know, that could be just some random Norse poem that both your fathers sung to you at a young age! With the difference of a Nightingale and a Swallow of course."

          "No, there's more," Adelaide cuts in just as I'm about to open my mouth. More? What more could there possibly be? And how the hell does she know 'more' in the first place?

          "Right then," Sam skeptically concedes "explain away milady."

          Adelaide's eyes dance in a vague mix of irritation and amusement before returning to their appropriate seriousness. "Well for starters we share the same mother and father – that tends to lead to siblings being of the same blood."

          Did she just say...?

          "We what?" I splutter, eyes on the verge of twitching. I thought she may have been my half sister – through Loki – but she can't possibly possess the same mother as me. My mum died giving birth to me, and Adelaide is younger than me. Now, I'm may not be an Einstein at maths (in spite of what my IQ may say), but my mum dying when I was born plus a younger sibling does not add up.

          I know what all of you are thinking; 'this is the Marvel universe Lillian, everyone comes back to life!' And you're right, the Marvel universe could make an Olympic sport out of death and resurrection. I have considered this though, and since I was able to go on assignments and missions by myself/with Ally we've been keeping tabs on anything that even remotely seems like my mother whenever it's popped up on our radar. My mother was a well hid woman – the government hardly knew anything about her. Even Fury doesn't know a great deal about her, nothing that he's deemed important to inform me of anyway.

          So for once, I am one hundred percent positive that someone within this Marvel-verse is dead. D-E-A-D. Dead.

          And I'm certain my disbelief is written all over my face.

          "We may share a father, but there's no way we share a mother—ˮ

          "Chelsea Nightshade," she deadpans, face blank but eyes storming like tornado of emotions "Spanish nationality with Russian, Australian and Italian lineage. Shoulder length brown hair, dark olive skin, amber brown eyes, 5'9 ft. Worked for SHIELD. Was a mutant. Fell in love with Loki—ˮ

          "Mum was not a mutant," I sharply cut in. She couldn't be a mutant; I did a background check on her at least two hundred times—

          Wait.

          Picking apart my scattered, fragmented memories, one seems to vaguely stand and play out like snippets of an old, barely visible movie.

F  L  A  S  H    B  A  C  K

          Panting, I stabilize myself by placing my hands on my knees steadily, sweat clinging to me like a second skin. Peering up through my lashes, I send the man across from me a 'really?' look while barely managing to straighten my posture upright again.

          "Remind me not to piss you off," I jest, the back of my wrist meeting my sticky forehead to wipe away the sheen of sweat.

          Charles Xavier chuckles at me humbly, whilst the sound of the wheels in his wheelchair rolling towards me bounces off the walls of the vast training room in under his institute. "Not many people choose to 'piss me off' voluntarily in the first place, but I'll remind you nonetheless."

          Tilting my head up and closing my eyes for a few brief seconds, I allow the corners of my mouth to lift into a tired smile as my heavy breathing evens out. "I'm kind of starting to regret asking you to train me."

          His grin doesn't waver, it only brightens. "No you're not, because what you told me when you decided to ask for my help is true—the ability to withstand and defend yourself against mutant attacks is something that would greatly become useful in your espionage profession. Or does everyone still think you to be an assassin and mercenary?"

          Opening my eyes leisurely and staring at the telepathic mutant sincerely, I quietly reply "The world needs people like me; people who will get their hands dirty so the clean people don't have to. I've told you that already."

          He hums in thought. "Yes, but why do you have to be one of those people?"

          His words strike a chord in me, obliviously tugging at my heart strings. I answer firmly; properly staring at him in the eyes now. "Someone has to."

          Charles' too familiar all-knowing enters his eyes. "True, but you didn't answer my question. Why you?"

          Despite the sweat clinging to my body like perfume, a small chill strikes my spine like a lightning bolt, coursing through my entire being. Should I tell him why? I mean, I haven't even opened up this greatly to Nick. The closest person I have is Ally, and even then she doesn't truly know everything, only what decent amount I've told her and the fake back-story we created for ourselves.

          He could read my mind though, so either way, Charles will find a way to get his answer.

          "I wouldn't pry that deep into your thoughts," he assures ironically, correcting a portion of his previous statement by adding on as an afterthought "even though it's what I'm renowned for. People deserve their privacy, you included."

          Still contemplating on how to word my next sentence, my decision eventually takes a definite form in my mind. "All I do.... is lie. I lie to strangers, I lie to enemies, I lie to family and I lie to friends. Nick doesn't know the truth about what goes on in my head or dreams, Ally doesn't know the truth about a few things I've done, and the rest of the world doesn't know the truth about who I am and what I do. There is not a single person on this planet that doesn't know a lie about me, and it's too late to fix any of that. So I do the best with what I've got, and what I've got is a chance to do the best. If that means being targeted and subjected to false accusations then so be it. As long as there are people who are clean enough to look up to – like superheroes – I will be there, making sure they stay clean for the sake of everyone else."

         Charles' smile is no longer one of entertainment or humour. No, now he smiles as if my answer has fulfilled the standards of what he had hoped it would. "You are quite the enigma Miss Nightshade," he admits, his features softening "a Rubik cube that fights back. Just when someone thinks they've solved you, you turn it around on the person and make them start again. Your enemies at times will think they have the upper hand, yet I know that you happen to always be at least three steps ahead of them. Even with your reputation, people underestimate you."

          He leans further back into his wheelchair, and what little tension he had in his body eases as he does so. "Your mother would be proud."

          "You talk about her like you knew her." I critically eye him, accusation hinting in my tone.

          His whole composure simply screams 'wise-old-man-' right now. "She's the reason I agreed to train you in defending yourself against mutants. She was at first anyway. She's done a great deal for this school, and a great deal for me. She looked out for my children, so the least I can do is look out for hers."

          The more he talks, the more confused I get. "He's talking in more riddles than Edward Nygma," I mumble to myself, talking a tad louder when I properly reply "Okay, so you knew her. Why would either of you get tied up in each others' business though? Let alone help one another. From the little I know of her, I know that she doesn't meddle in anything that isn't her business. So how did helping young mutants become her business?"

          I hold out hope for a short while during my questioning that Charles would not only answer my question, but would answer it without being cryptic. I know though, as soon as the knowing glint enters his pupils and his eyes glaze over, that there was no use in interrogating him any further.

          "That my dear girl, is a question for another day."

F  L  A  S  H    B  A  C  K    O  V  E  R

         "Mum was a mutant...." I trail dumbfounded, contradicting my earlier argument. I can feel my face frozen in one expression, and the muscles in my body clenching and releasing as the thoughts within alter my emotions every couple seconds.

          Sam's exasperation only seems to increase. He steps back like the realisation is so strong that it's powerful enough to force him backwards. His hands both slide up to meet the hair on his head and weave through it, yanking it to its full length in his current state of stress.

          "This is too much," he utters to himself. Upon receiving slightly confused looks from Adelaide and I, he removes the hands from his head and runs one over the stubble on his jaw. "There's too much going on; finding out you're sisters, trying to plan an escape from Asgard, this stupid 'infinity transition' thing – we can't possibly focus and sort out all this at once."

          "He's right," Adelaide agrees, addressing me "we can't do all this at once. We need to focus on getting the hell out of here, and then we'll sort out this screwed up family tree we have going on."

          I know she's right; they're both right. For so long we've all been broken. For so long we've all been having emotional, heart-felt moments. For so freaking long we've all played by the rules as our enemies played us. And what do I, Lillian Veronica Nightshade, have to say about that?

          I say, it's time we raised some hell.

          I offer one stern nod. "Right. Okay, focus on getting out of here, then talk about fucked up family tree later," I repeat, primarily to myself.

          A shimmer of hope brightens on Sam and Adelaide's faces. Looking between the two of us, Adelaide inquires "So, any bright ideas that preferably won't get us killed?"

          "Or worse," Sam mumbles, and I have half a mind to say 'expelled'.

          I shrewdly stare at my companions through my long lashes. "Ever since I saw the infinity stones in Loki's hands, I knew there was no way we could stay here any longer. So, I quite unintentionally thought up a few ideas on how to escape. Never paid them much thought though."

          "Well it's about high time you did," Sam inputs, arms crossing over his broad chest. Adelaide mimics him, a small smile gracing her lips. "What do you have in mind Lilly?"

          A shadow briefly overcasts my impish expression. "Ever watched 'The Great Escape'?"

******

          Five months of being on this hell-hole of a planet, and we've all had enough. In order for the plan to work, Adelaide, Sam and I had to wait another month for out next free day where we're able to roam around Asgard the entire day without worrying about training or guards tailing us wherever we went. Normally, plans like this I would've waited until nightfall for, but that's what every villain ever expects; a retaliation or escape attempt during the night.

          So it's about time someone struck back in the bright light of day.

          "This could seriously backfire on us," Sam continues to be the voice of doubt, quietly treading with us down to the criminal lock-up/dungeon of Asgard.

          The air is cold and uninviting the closer we get to the dungeon, the staircase barely illuminated by dim torches. I tug the hooded black cloak tighter around me, my other hand fiddling with the tight, black peplum styled Asgardian top. Adelaide and I agreed that we didn't want to wear our uniforms ever again, they resurfaced too many bad memories of this place. So we opted for the best fitted clothing we could find in out wardrobes that we're too extravagant and didn't scream 'Asgardian nutbag'. Fortunately, we found clothes that were tight and flexible enough to allow us to manoeuvre freely and didn't have too many strange Asgardian embroideries and armour. I'm not the biggest fan of armour.

          Adelaide huffs at Sam's pessimistic perspective. "Always the optimistic one Samuel."

          Now gripping the handles of the only weapons I brought along, I partially unsheathe my katanas as we near the entrance to the dungeon. I turn back stoically, nodding at Adelaide to initiate the plan.

          She cracks her neck in preparation, a saucy smirk glued to her face. "It's show time."

          She bursts into the room, her cloak an uproar of white fabric with the light glow of the yellowy-orange lit cell walls dancing across her face. The guards leap into action, but hesitate upon recognising her and seeing her plead "Y-You have to help! I-I can't...."

          She begins to blubber, drawing all the guards towards her or at least within a five meter radius of her. Deciding they're all close enough, Sam and I abruptly charge in with fierce attacks; Sam shooting his hand out and using the energy from the cell walls to send an electrical blast against at least five guards, while I fully unsheathe my katanas and soar forwards to meet the necks of two guards with them.

          Adelaide springs into action at the same time, expertly seizing her half a meter long batons concealed under her cloak and spinning as she twirls and knocks them over the heads of a few guards.

          Four guards run at me, spears raised in an act of ferocity. They're so determined and concentrated on their attack that their shields have moved to the side, leaving their torsos wide open. I wait until the four of them strike me at once, moving my katana to block all four spearheads less that a meter from my forehead. In one swift movement, I use all the power from my back leg to partially lunge forward whilst continuing to hold the force of the spears above me, kicking and breaking the knees of all four men in front of me. While they cry in agony, I use the katana blocking their spears to sweep the weapons to the side, bringing my other katana up to slice open all four of their throats in one swipe.

          As they crumble to their knees in front of me, gargling on their crimson blood, I spare a glance at my surroundings to notice the other guards have already been taken care of. Striding up to Adelaide and meeting Sam there, I survey the expanse room and attempt to neglect the burning gazes of all the Asgardian criminals locked up in their cells.

          "Okay, there's gotta be a button or something around here that opens up all the cells," I say, eyes sharply scouring for said button.

         "Big red buttons tend to be the kind of thing we're looking for—....what the hell?"

          Sam and I glimpse at Adelaide, her face draining colour as fast as a sponge absorbs water. Following her gaze, I feel my face do much the same when it settles on a particular prisoner curiously staring at us with his mouth agape, a spark of admiration igniting in his eyes.

          "That doesn't make sense...." Sam exhales, unblinkingly staring at the man. "It's... not possible...."

         "After all the crap we've seen and gone through," I breathily chuckle, a sad humour underlining my tone "I can think of at least several reasons how this is possible."

          My father blinks at us disbelievingly, flickering his gaze between Sam, Adelaide and I. "Well this is a turn of events," he muses, a sliver of amusement weaving into his voice "a plot twist if I ever did see one."

          "What are you doing here Loki?" Adelaide asks, her sceptical expression betraying her suspicious thoughts.

          He watches Adelaide and in particular, interest growing by the second. "Someone has been posing as me for the past four months and a half using the soul stone to shape shift into me. To be honest, I'm rather offended you haven't been able to tell the difference," he offhandedly rushes out, as if wanting to get the explanation out of the way so he could more leisurely inquire "Now... how did you two come to know each other and how much do you know?"

          "We know we're full blooded sisters," Adelaide answers, releasing some of the tension in her muscles as I do the same. "And we know of the infinity transition. We're not exactly focusing on any of that at the moment though."

          "Our main priority at the current time is escaping," I elaborate upon receiving a puzzled expression from our father, absent-mindedly twirling the katana in my left hand. "Which was all going according to what we planned until you threw a ratchet in our system by being here and revealing that someone else has been toying with us all along."

          "Care to tell us who?" Sam asks, teetering on the balls of his feet in between Adelaide and I.

           Loki hesitates for but a moment, his back ramrod straight and his hands firmly clasped behind in back in a display of superiority despite being the one behind figurative bars. "He goes by the name of Thanos," he casually answers, still glimpsing between Adelaide and I with a curious glint in his eyes. "He lent me the sceptre in order to retrieve the tesseract from earth which resulted in your 'New York Invasion'. His intention is to hold all power and authority over the entire universe. A bit idealistic if you ask me, but I wasn't going to speak up against the one with all six infinity stones at his disposal."

         "You said beforehand that you've been here for four months and a half," I repeat, my ire towards him not entirely diminished by the news he's told. "That means for the first two weeks here, it was you who was forcing Adelaide and I to undergo all that harsh training. It was you who initiated this stupid infinity transition thing." I can almost feel the steam coming out of my ears, but for the sake of my flammable clothing, I keep my temperature under strict control.

          He tiredly sighs, like he was waiting for one of us to put two and two together. "Like I previously said; I wasn't going to speak up against the one with all six infinity stones at his disposal. The three of us may not have the best family bond, but I wouldn't willingly torture my own two daughters for the sake of power. I unfortunately grew a conscience too strong and refused to play by Thanos' rules after two weeks, hence why I am currently in here while he's playing king and father up there."

          I sourly raise an eyebrow, bitterly commenting "Oh, so you do have a conscience. Could have fooled me."

          "We can discuss this later," Adelaide presses, her hand lightly holding my shoulder as an act of reassurance and to hold me back in case I decide to do something stupid; and knowing me I probably would've if she didn't. "Right now, we're on a time limit."

          Loki appears surprised at Adelaide's words. "Time limit? So you didn't come down here and kill a few guards as a way to pass some time?"

          "No, we're getting out here," she clarifies, observing Sam as he strides across the hall towards an obscured touch pad of some kind.

          "And what does that got to do with coming down here and killing a few guards?" Loki interrogates further, eyes fixed on Sam's movements as well.

          I devilishly leer, staring at my father out of the corner of my eyes. "We needed a distraction while we stole the infinity stones and got away. What's a better distraction than a bunch of criminals running rampant in halls of Asgard's mighty palace?"

          By the end of my sentence, Sam had solidly slammed his fist against the Asgardian touch pad imbedded in the wall, a handful of sparks flying before all the transparent cell walls glitched off. Loki examines the frame of his cell critically, cautiously stepping towards us and out of the cell as if it's going to turn back on any moment now and zap him.

          "Well then," he says, his attitude suddenly border lining chirpy "you're going to require my assistance, because I highly doubt any of you even know where the infinity stones are being kept."

          I glower at him, feeling the hesitant looks of Addie and Sam weighing on my shoulder. "Fine," I grind out, lifting my right katana to probe him firmly in the chest without drawing blood. "You can come along and help, but that does not mean I trust you. Nor do I like you. And the moment that you exhibit even the slightest sign of betrayal, I won't hesitate to relieve your head from your shoulders. Got it?"

          His smirk is mischievous, and a dark expression shadows his face. "Of course, dear daughter of mine. Now, shall we?"

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorryI'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorryI'm sorry I'm sorry! I have no excuse for being away so long besides the excuse everyone despises: school. My school really starts putting the pressure on as soon as you hit year 11 and I haven't had a chance to breathe since the year began. Even though this chapter was supposed to be one big chapter, I decided you guys deserved something after all this time so I split it in two and I'll write the second part the next free moment I get.

I had written the Christmas one-shot but by the time I had finished it, it was mid January so I thought that would be a tad late to post it, but now I have a fully written Christmas one-shot to post straight away at the end of this year so that's a bonus!

In regards to replying to comments and messages in my inbox, that may take some time but just know (like I've always said) I will get around to replying to all of you the moment I can, and I apologize that they will/are all late replies, but it's the best I can do at the moment.

I also have some pretty cool news to share with you in the next author's note, but it's still undergoing development and the decision process of whether I should do it or not so I can't give away any details at the current time. Hopefully, I'll be able to see it through though because I think it will be a pretty interesting experience for me and you guys so can't wait to tell ask you next chapter.

QOTD (hopefully people will still do these after such a long wait): Which country are you from?

AOTD: Australia, but quite a few of you already knew that didn't you? I've even got a red dog - that's how Aussie I am.

Thanks for reading, staying loyal and being patient for so long. That's all for now, bye! :) xxx

~ T.L