𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 || 𝘈 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨

THE MORNING SUN ROSE OVER LONDON PROUDLY. It was like any other morning that Leila had experienced in recent memory. The only difference was that she had a woman straddling her waist with a pair of tweezers in her grasp, picking at her eyebrows.

"Jane, sweetheart, if you accidentally poke my eye out, I'm going to scream" Jane laughed, keeping a soft grasp of the warrior's cheek as she continued to pluck the few hairs that stood out from the rest. "Although, I am not complaining about waking up like this." The comment made the scientist's cheeks flush, movements faltering slightly, causing a large smirk to form on Leila's lips. "You on top, naked-"

"Alright, that's enough," Jane said, moving away and earning a whine in response from her girlfriend. "Get dressed, we need to go out and grab groceries."

Leila groaned, rolling over and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Yawning as she stood to her feet and moved to the closet where Jane placed all their clothes, for some odd reason.

Since moving to London and continuing to let fate forge her path, she had experienced happiness. A chance to live a life that she never saw as a possibility. A chance to repair old wounds and accept that the Norns gifted her something greater than herself.

For a long time, Leila did feel lost. Living on Earth, she always thought that there would be a calling back to Asgard for her and Talon. Asgard needed their help with something, but it never came. And seeing Thor during the battle of New York, she knew that fate had not bound her path there, yet. She knew one day she would return, but not yet. Although she did miss the palace and Thor greatly, but being with Jane changed her goals. Wishing to spend every day and waking moment with the woman as long as Jane allowed her to. And Talon had surprisingly grown a liking to the mortals.

"Leila Emigold, hurry up!" Jane's voice called as the sound of the front door of the apartment opened. "Darcy's here by the way!"

"Hi, Leila!" Darcy yelled in greeting.

Leila sighed, grabbing a pair of jeans and beginning to slip them on. The room grew darker as the light from Talon allowed her to still see. "I feel it again," he commented. "We have to search for it this time."

"Talon, we've been over this," Leila said. "It's been weeks since Erik looked into it and hasn't gotten back to Jane. Once we know what is going on, we'll deal with it."

Talon pursed his lips, nodding before disappearing. Leaving Leila to sigh and slip on a shirt before stepping out of the closet. Making her way out of the room and towards the living room. Finding Darcy raiding the fridge with Jane sitting by, fiddling with a device.

"Why is Darcy eating my yogurt?" Leila asked, moving to the cupboard and pulling out a granola bar.

Darcy rolled her eyes. "You guys are grabbing groceries after we figure out what's wrong with the detector," she explained. "It's on the frits, meaning-"

"We must seek the source." Talon appeared once more, shocking no one. After months of the old warrior appearing up out of nowhere for only their eyes to see, the shock of it had worn off. His presence always being apparent in every room they were in by the ring that was around Leila's right index finger.

"Hi, Talon!" Darcy greeted. "I would hug you if I could."

Talon smiled, giving a curt nod. "Hello, Mortal Darcy," he greeted. "I greatly appreciate the affection you wish to display." He turned to his other half. "But we must search for what has been bothering me for months, Leila. It's familiar."

That caused Jane's attention to shift from the equipment to her girlfriend and companion. "Wait. You've known about this for months?" She questioned Leila, stopping the Alexian mid-chew.

Slowly raising her hands in defence, Leila said, "Now, I had no idea that it was affecting your equipment and was of any importance." Jane scoffed, standing to her feet and grabbing her jacket. "Jane, I didn't know what it was. I honestly thought it was memories from Talon's past that were bound to appear sooner-"

"Leila, I believe you," Jane reassured firmly. "I just wished you had told me. I would've thought the same thing considering you saw Asgard in flames and such."

"Rather dramatic as well," Darcy commented, taking another spoonful of the vanilla yogurt.

Ignoring her friend's comment, Jane continued. "If Talon is sensing something, it has to be what Erik was telling us all about," she told them. "So, get your jacket on and let's go."

Leaving no room for argument, Leila grabbed her jacket and rushed out of the apartment with Jane and Darcy. Making it down to Darcy's vehicle and slipping inside. But when Leila did, she stared at the man sitting in the back already. "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, he's my intern, Ian," Darcy stated, introducing the pair. "So, don't slice his throat, Leila."

"Wait, she'll do that?" The man asked, scooting toward the door to his right.

"She's not going to kill you," Jane reassured.

"Unless you give me a reason to," Leila countered.

"Leila!" Jane scolded, making the other woman sigh in annoyance, staring out the window.

Ian gave directions that Darcy followed with a level of recklessness that made Leila grip the leather shell of the doors. Jane was trying to get in contact with Erik, leaving Leila to sit and stare out the window.

The building infrastructure, and how it was designed gave a sense of home. How the roofs looked and how the sidewalks looked like cobblestone paths. Asgard. Leila felt a faint smile form on her lips. Days of sneaking out into the lower parts of the city with Loki and Thor. Drinking her first cup of ale and having Loki hold her hair back, Thor carrying her on his back all the way to the palace.

"Come on, this is exciting," Darcy commented. "Look! The intern is excited."

Ian stared at her for a moment, smile faltering. "Ian," he reminded her.

Yet, she ignored his comment, looking back at Jane. "Do you want the phase meter?"

"No."

"Bring the phase meter." Jane tossed her car keys at the man. "The toaster-looking thing."

"Yeah. I know what the phase meter is," Ian grumbled, reaching into the car to grab the equipment.

The three women walked toward the abandoned warehouse. Steps faltered at the sight of a truck on its side. But the more they took in around them, they saw shipping containers standing on their sides, some balanced on top of others. A work of magic that such things could balance perfectly.

The sound of Jane's ringtone filled the air, making the scientist groan. "How do I change the ringtone on this thing?"

"An astrophysicist with three degrees should be able to change her own ringtone," Darcy teased.

"Why're you calling me?" Jane questioned.

"I didn't want to shout," Darcy replied. "Intern says it's this way."

"'Ian'. My name is Ian."

Jane hung up the phone call, about to walk away until she glanced behind her and saw Leila staring at the shipping container. "Leila?" She called out, shaking the woman from her thoughts, hearing her hum. "You coming?"

Leila briefly nodded, sparing one last glance at the containers before walking by Jane's side into the warehouse. It was abandoned. Puddles of dirty water rested in the corners of the large rooms. Birds finding salvation in the building flew away at the sound of the group entering. Debris from the structure was scattered across the ground from the rotting wood.

But their attention shifted to tarps that a light blasted against, displaying figures running across. Which made Leila pull out her pen and press the button that formed the hidden sword in her grasp.

"I am not getting stabbed in the name of science," Darcy muttered, quickly raising her hands in surrender. "It's okay, we're Americans," she called out. "And one is Asgardian."

'Is that supposed to make them like us?" Jane questioned. "And Leila put away the sword. Ian looks like he's going to have a heart attack."

Glancing at the man, Ian indeed was staring at the weapon like it was responsible for killing his cat. Leila rolled her eyes, making the weapon shrink to its original form and stuffing it in her pocket.

Kids appeared, coming out from hiding and slowly approaching them. "Are you the police," one of them, a little girl, asked.

Jane smiled, shaking her head. "No, we're scientists. Well, I am."

"Thanks," Darcy muttered.

One of the other kids, a boy said, "We just found it."

"Can you show us?" Jane asked.

The kids looked at one another before they started leading them in the direction of whatever they found. Leila could hear the faint whispers belonging to Talon, but she didn't question. She felt weak like a suppression was placed on her. Creating a muffle in Talon's communication with her. But she ignored it, following the group into a room where a truck was noticeably floating off the ground. The boy leading them walked toward it and placed his fingers near the grill, somehow lifting it further off the ground.

"That doesn't seem right," Darcy pointed out. "Ever seen anything like this on Asgard, Leila?" She inquired, looking toward the woman.

"No," Leila muttered. "But it seems there is something in this vicinity compromising gravity's pull."

"Does Talon feel anything?" Jane asked. "You said he's been feeling something for months. Is it this?"

"I..." Leila shook her head, brows scrunching together. "I don't know. All I can hear is him whispering."

Darcy and Jane shared worried looks before the little girl lead them in another direction. Approaching a stairwell they walked up until they stopped. Looking above, one of the boys held a bottle down the middle before letting it go. Everyone followed before it reached the body, vanishing out of existence.

"Where did it go?" Jane asked.

The little girl pointed up and they looked up in time to see the bottle reappear and continue to fall. It repeated that cycle until one of the boys caught it, shrugging. "That's- That's amazing!" Jane turned, grabbing an old soda can and dropping it down the middle. But when it reached the barrier at the bottom, it didn't reappear at the top. "Where did it go?"

"Sometimes they come back," the little girl said. "Sometimes they don't."

"I want to throw something!" Darcy exclaimed. "Jane, give me your shoe."

Jane instead grabbed the reader, staring at the screen in confusion. "I haven't seen like this since..."

"New Mexico?" Darcy completed, raising a brow.

Leila watched the woman glance up at her, a look of approval. And Leila forced a smile, nodding. Jane smiled, walking past her. "Don't touch anything!"

Time passed by a few minutes and there was no sign of Jane. Raising a level of concern in Leila that seemed to create a pounding headache in the woman's head. The whispering voice grew louder each minute that slipped by without Jane's presence near.

Darcy could sense something was off, sending Ian to search while she kept an eye on the kids. But Leila's mind was beginning to split with her eyes blurring. Legs begin to tetter off balance, hands finding placement on the guard railing.

"Leila? Leila, what's wrong?" She felt Darcy's hands rest on her shoulders. But when her lips parted, attempting to speak, she could only groan at the whispers scraping against her senses. She couldn't think. She couldn't talk.

But there was a brief pause, silence taking its place once more...

"The Convergence returns."

And unconsciousness took hold of Leila.