Legendary

Serena and Carol came in with lunch, and I ate quickly while they cooed over Eira and brushed her some more. She was going to be a big shedder. Then I sat up and each of them took a wing; Carol started in with the small feathers on the wing Serena had started on the day before while Serena took over imping larger feathers on the other. "So what's going on now?" I asked as I cut more splints.

"Pretty much what you'd expect after the war is over," Carol said. "Soldiers are being let go, including the valkyries." I opened my mouth, and she hurried on. "No, it's not like Thor is tossing us out. He's offered to form a guard of those who are left, but nobody's really that keen on it. Most of the oldest valkyries either want to integrate here or resettle on that new planet, they won't have to learn how to deal with technology that way. The rest of us have just had enough of fighting."

Serena nodded as she deftly dry-fit a feather. "Respect to your grandson, Alex, but I'm not going to pick up an identity with the Avengers, either. I'm done with the killing and violence."

"I hear you," I said. "I want to go back to school, do something completely different."

"Thor has offered all of us assistance," Serena said. "Supplies for those who go to the new planet, a place here, or a sum for those of us who want to go back to Earth--a scholarship or training if necessary, or just to be able to rent an apartment and get started. Plus letters of reference from both him and Loki. So it's just a matter of figuring out what we want to do. I'm also leaning toward going back to school, I just don't know what yet. Loki says he can get me set up with some career aptitude tests back in the city."

"Yeah, I took those. I haven't changed a lot," I said. "Still high in the sciences." They laughed.

"But you have changed a lot," Carol said, cursing as she cut her thumb.

"There's a supply of bandages on that table," I told her, and she got up. "I think they forgot they were there; I don't need them. What do you mean, Carol?"

"You're really a strong leader now, and if you can wrangle a bunch of culturally diverse valkyries and get a god to bend to your will, you've got some serious mojo. You don't put up with crap from anybody, and you're not afraid to square off against anybody. When you first showed up, you weren't exactly shy and retiring, but you were softer, less confrontational. So you've been toughened by your experiences, and that's not a bad thing," she hurried to say. "It's just different. It does make you more unyielding, though. And god help anybody who doesn't measure up to your expectations."

"Now that we're not facing the end of the world, you might want to relax," Serena said. "Sometimes you get so uptight I swear you're making diamonds. Go to a spa, get a facial. Have some fun with your little puppy there."

"Relax? What's that?" I cracked, and Carol grinned.

"Exactly. Now that you're not responsible for us anymore and we beat the end of the world, take a vacation. I have never seen anybody more in need of a beach and a mai tai."

"I sunburn. I'll need an umbrella."

"So get better and plant yourself under an umbrella," Carol said. "Just don't make any big decisions right off the bat. As a personal favor."

"What do you mean?" I asked, handing her some fresh epoxy.

"You and Damian. It's not my marriage and I don't actually have an opinion about whether it would be better for you to split or not. What they did to you was pretty heinous. But it isn't a good idea to make any big decisions when you're recovering from a near-death experience followed by ages of stress. Unclench first."

"I know I don't get a vote, so don't bite my head off, but you two were really good together, and you loved him so much," Serena said. "So take time, it's not like there's a rush, is there? Relax, heal up, THEN decide if there's any reason to stay together." I thought about that for a bit.

"That sounds reasonable," I said grudgingly. "So what do you think you'll be doing, Carol?"

"I did data entry before," she said. "So definitely something more active. I'd like my butt not to expand to fit my chair when I hit middle age. I'm thinking about construction, learning a trade. One thing about Valhalla was that I really learned to like working with my hands."

"Daniel is rounding up mastercraftsmen for a new business," I said thoughtfully. "Part of that is equipping them to navigate the modern era, including letting go of sexism. They're going to need apprentices, journeymen. If that's something you'd be interested in, I'll get you in touch with him."

"You think he'd have room for me?"

"I can pretty much guarantee it."

"Danny loves his granny," Serena teased, and I laughed.

"Fortunately for me," I said. "He's very indulgent."

By the time I needed another nap, the front of one wing was complete and the other about half done. Serena and Carol got faster with practice. I managed to share my cupcakes with them so I didn't look too greedy, then they left and I took a nap. I woke up when Eira was struggling to get back on the bed.

Dinner also brought Damian. Eira looked at him and I got the image of her lifting her leg to pee on him. "No, go outside," I told her, sighing. She hopped down and out the door without a backward glance.

"If you'll just listen to what I have to say, I'll go back to the city tonight and leave you alone until you're ready to talk. You come to me when you're ready," he said quietly. I thought about it briefly, then consented. Let him defend himself, then he'd leave me in peace, what's not to like?

"Xander contacted me outside the Wayne building one night," he said. "He said that he'd seen somebody he thought was Two-Face, although the damage to the side of his face was much less severe, talking to somebody who looked an awful lot like Penguin. He was going to investigate, then he said he'd register and come back to the family. He wasn't going to do it before because he'd heard that... pro-villain sympathizers were among those working in the registries and thought he'd have better cover if no one had confirmation of his return. So he started snooping around and started to get really good intelligence about the formation of new gangs, the establishment of a new pecking order of decades of supervillains. He kept his distance from Talia and R'as; even with bleached hair he was worried that they might recognize him."

I snorted. "The Joker had no problem. Bleached hair is like a ball cap. It's not as effective a disguise as everybody seems to think."

"The longer he was in, the more he was learning and the more dangerous it got. Initially, I thought it would be a short assignment and he'd come right back home. The longer he was involved, the harder it got to tell you. I was hoping to avoid your reaction," he admitted. "So I let myself be convinced that you'd never have to know about what Xander had done. I tried to get him to stop, but he was on a hot streak and didn't want to stop. He's always been singleminded." I had to nod begrudgingly. Xander had such a one-track mind that he could have served as the dictionary definition of it. "And the time has long passed since I could compel him to do anything. Bruce was on his side, the information was giving us a big leg up in terms of our response to criminal activity. He didn't see how you'd perceive us keeping silent about Xander's activities. I'm not here to apologize for either of them. They have to do that themselves. I'm just here to admit that I was wrong, to apologize, as sincerely as I am capable of doing, for hurting you." He looked down at his hands, and for the first time I noticed that, along with his wedding band, he wore mine on his pinkie.

"I've done a lot of shitty things in my life," he said. "There are many things that I would do differently or not at all. But there's nothing I regret more than this. I failed to realize how much you'd changed in Valhalla. I thought that your afterlife hadn't affected you much. Overall, mine was pretty easy. Guiding souls to the Gates for judgment. We had time off where we could goof off around the city. When I heard you say that you'd retrieved souls for Odin, I just assumed that you'd had a similar experience. Even the scrimmages didn't sound too serious. I didn't want to ask for details; I figured if you wanted to tell me you would. And you were pretty focused on preparing for Ragnarok. I kind of depended on that distraction too. If I had to articulate how you've changed, I'd say that the experience has stripped away things that aren't essential. Your focus is so acute it's more than Xander's, but you have an ability to put it aside when you have to, like you did with the family. You always asked about my day, showed interest in what others were doing, what their plans were. And I'm not implying that this was manufactured or artificial in any way, but I realize that I didn't reciprocate fully. So I've failed you one more than one front. We just fit back together like we did before death, and I took that for granted." He stood up. "So I've said what I needed to say. I'll answer any questions, whatever you want, at any time, at your convenience." He held out an envelope. "Daniel asked me to give you this. I haven't looked at it, I don't know what's in it." I took the envelope; it was one of those internal mail things. I unwound the red string and pulled out a couple of pages; one of them was a handwritten note.

"Dear Grandma," it read. "I hope you're feeling better. Loki said you've been in a coma. The whole family is concerned of course, but Loki keeps us posted. I'm looking forward to seeing you again and hope that you'll come by when you're up and around.

"Two things of interest. The first thing is going to exasperate you, I think. Apparently a reporter got into the Asgardian embassy in the chaos when people were being beamed up for Ragnarok. She had a camera, and documented the whole thing. The runup to the battle, the battle itself. She stayed up in the trees for the most part, and slipped back to Earth with the first beam down. The reason I know this is because I know the producer; he was telling me about it in an effort to secure financing to release the film. I got to see a rough cut. Objectively, it's both amazing and terrifying, and if released will probably win a lot of prizes. The valkyries are both spectacular and terrifying. She got good shots of you guys flying in formation as well as fighting. I agreed to provide financing on the condition that all attempts to identify the warriors in the movie cease immediately. If I didn't provide the funding, someone else would; it's that good and interest in the battle is intense. Names other than a few Agardians like Thor can't be used due to current privacy laws, although individuals can give consent if they want, so your identity will be somewhat protected. It won't stop people who see it from trying to trace the warriors, but it's about all I can do. So tell Thor that this is coming, and of course I'm available to talk with him or his representative about it.

"The second will be better news for you, I hope. I've had a couple of women contact Wayne Enterprises hoping to get in contact with you. Aslyn Akiyama, Margaret Harris, and Karen Grant. I've enclosed their contact information and would like to assist them if you'd like. As always--

"Love, Daniel."

I looked around frantically, but couldn't find a pen. Damian didn't have one on him, so in the end, I used a feather from the imping kit, cut it down to make a crude quill, and used coffee as a pale ink, writing in large letters and as clearly as I could. "THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll contact on return--please help them! Love, Grandma." I asked Damian if he'd take the envelope back to Daniel, and he said it would be no problem. I slipped my response into the envelope and handed it over. He took it, said goodbye, and left.

I turned my attention to the other paper from the envelope; it turned out to be messages from my three friends, hoping that I was well and asking me to contact them. I helped Eira back onto the bed (she came back after Damian left) and told her about the news. She wiggled and licked my face and was happy or irritated at the right places. I hugged her, kissing her fluffy head, and looked around for a robe. There wasn't one, so we padded out into the corridor without. Good that the hospital gowns they gave me didn't open up the back.

Eira and I went to the Great Hall, where, sure enough, Thor was listening to his subjects from the imposing golden throne. I looked around and saw Loki talking to Magni off to the side, so I sidled around and touched Loki's arm. He looked around and down, and both men smiled when they saw me. Loki hugged me first, then Magni. "You look well," Magni said. "Have the healers released you, then?"

"No," I said thoughtfully, "but they also haven't told me I can't get up and move around. But I have some information that I wanted to pass on immediately. Daniel wrote me, said that a reporter snuck to Asgard with the people who were Bifrosted up for the big battle. She had a camera, took footage of the battle, and is planning on releasing it as a film."

Loki rolled his eyes strenuously. "You humans," he said, and I shrugged. "We will inform Thor."

"Great," I said. "Daniel said he'll make himself available to discuss it with you or anybody else Thor designates." Suddenly I simultaneously yawned and shivered. Loki immediately put his green cloak over my shoulders and looked down at my bare feet. Both he and Magni sighed.

"Hello, Eira," Magni said, and she yipped a hello at them both. Loki walked to the throne, and Magni escorted me out of the Great Hall and went down another hall. Eira and I walked back to our room and got back into bed. The adventure had tired me out. My stamina sucked.

The next morning, the healers gave me clearance to start moving around. My response to light was back to normal, my headaches were gone, and my casts were ready to come off. It was a relief to have them taken off, even if they were lightweight. They wanted me under observation for a couple more days, which suited me fine; it would give Carol and Serena time to finish the wings. Lunch brought another letter from Daniel; It was waiting for me when I got back from my first trip to the dining hall. He reported that Loki had been in touch about the film, so that was being handled, and that he'd contacted my friends and offered them a place to stay if they needed one.

Lunch had been a sobering experience. I kept looking for faces that weren't there anymore; there were so few of us left. Asa, Staeina, Visna, Jora, and Runa were going to resettle on the dark elf planet and would be leaving the next day with their stake, in fact. Eir and Kata were going to stay on Asgard. Only Carol, Dagny, and Serena and I were going to go back to Midgard. Those last three came back to my room with me, Dagny apologizing for not seeing me sooner. She'd been helping to make records of those who were killed during Ragnarok, at least on the Asgardian side. The fire giants had turned to ash and coals when they died, which was pretty nice from the disposal side but made estimates of numbers difficult. The only one we had a name for was Sutr. The hilt of his sword had been found and given to Thor as a trophy of the victory. Those who had come from Niflheim were easier to identify; there were a lot of survivors with long memories. There hadn't been any ceremony with the disposal of their remains; they'd been dumped onto pyres and cremated. A stone cenotaph was being created for placement on Vigrior where Odin had waited for the invaders. "It's going to be topped with an idealized statue of a valkyrie," Dagny reported. We all rolled our eyes. "It's a human idea that the Asgardians have embraced," she said. "They like that way of honoring the dead." She and Serena started work on the back sides of my wings while Carol finished the fronts.

"Look, I'm only here for a couple more days before the healers turn me loose. Then I'm going back to the city. Does anybody want to come with? I'm planning on staying at a hotel for a week, then going on vacation. I'd be happy to get you guys rooms as well."

"Haven't talked to Damian yet?" Dagny asked, surprised.

"Oh, I have, but I'm not ready to deal with it yet," I said as I cut more splints. I was getting tired of bamboo slivers. "I'm going to go on vacation and relax, then I'm going to find a therapist and deal with everything. Then I'll decide what I want to do, then talk to Damian."

"Sounds like a plan," Serena said briskly. "I'll take you up on your offer, then. That should give me time to figure out what to do about housing and such. Also, Loki said that PhD candidates at Columbia were volunteering to help trauma victims. I figure we qualify."

The next couple of days were an odd blend of activity and a few naps, then Thor arranged for our payouts, and we got packed. And I finally tried to relocate myself. I wasn't sure if I could still shift myself around the Nine Realms, but it turned out that I could. Must be another perk of bonding with a tree. I hoped I didn't get the yen for photosynthesis. It was just a matter of waiting for my friends and Eira at the embassy, then we went to Le Meridien. I'd chosen it because it was nice, they had four adjacent rooms, accepted dogs, and had nice amenities that included swimming pools and a spa. I figured we all could use a little pampering.

We settled into the hotel, then had dinner together. I was still tired, so I went to bed early while the others kicked back in the bar. I had a long bath, then snuggled down with Eira for the night. The next morning we met for breakfast, then I went to see Daniel, taking Eira and Carol, and Dagny and Serena went to Columbia. Daniel was in a meeting, so we waited, chatting a little, while Eira charmed Daniel's assistant.

When the doors opened, I saw it had been a family meeting. Martha reached me first, kind of a cross between a hug and a tackle. I could see that she'd noticed all the weight I'd lost, but she didn't say anything. Thomas stepped up, and after a hug, joined Martha, who was greeting Carol and meeting Eira. Everybody fell under the spell of the fluffy puppy. Bruce stepped forward, but I looked at him coolly and he halted, looking awkward. Damian didn't approach, just watched what was going on. Alexander tried to hug me, but I stiff-armed him. "Mom," he said. "I can explain."

"I'm still furious with you, Alexander, and I don't want to talk to you now. It isn't the place for it anyway."

"When can we talk then?"

"Later. It won't be for awhile."

"Mom--"

"Alexander." My voice cracked like a whip. "Don't push me. You're in no position to make any demands." Martha grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

"What were you expecting?" she hissed as she hauled him out the door. 'You have no idea what you put her through, you jerk--" her voice cut out as the door closed. Thomas kissed my cheek and said that Martha Sr would like to see me too. Then he dragged his son and grandson out. Carol watched it all without comment.

"Daniel," I said, holding out my arms, and he came in for the hug. "How's your dad doing?"

"He's at home now, we found a nurse," he said, hugging me back. "It's so good to see you, Grandma." He gave me a final gentle squeeze and stepped back, so I introduced my friend and my companion. Like everybody, he was enchanted with fluffy little Eira, and picked her up for snuggles before inviting Carol and me into the office.

"What can I do for you ladies today?" he asked as his assistant took away the cups from the meeting and poured us coffee.

"Well, while I was recovering, Carol was helping to fix my wings and we were talking about what to do now. She turned down Thor's offer to stay on Asgard as one of his personal guards--we all did, actually. Like most of us, she liked doing all the handwork we did in Valhalla, and she's looking for a fresh start, learning a trade. So I thought of you." I smiled at him. "You've got to have some sort of apprentice program to support your masters."

He looked flummoxed. "I don't, actually. But that would solve a lot of problems. I can't believe I didn't think of it before." He kept Eira on his lap, petting her, while he asked Carol about her interests and abilities, then sent her down to HR to fill some paperwork, asking her to come back on Monday to start work. Then he called his assistant in and told her to start working out on an apprenticeship program. He pulled up an internet search on the old guild systems in Europe and studied it briefly. He nodded, identified several points to use as foundations for the new program, and handed it off.

"It's fascinating to watch you work," I told him. He beamed, then asked about Eira. We chatted for awhile, getting caught up on wider events, and he told me more about the Ragnarok movie.

"It needs to be scored, have professional narration, better editing, but it's so compelling to watch that I didn't even notice two hours had passed. You could see exactly how the battle progressed from the Asgardian viewpoint. They must have really tall trees, because she was up pretty high to get that much perspective. She was closer to you valkyries than I would have thought possible."

I scowled. "We weren't looking in trees for idiots. But yeah, the trees are huge, they're about the size of giant redwoods, but different species. Related to Earth trees, but genetically distinct."

"They're going to have a screening pretty soon for friends and family; you and your friends should come. You don't have to identify yourselves."

"Thanks, Daniel. It depends on where I am, though." He nodded, and we finished by him telling me that he'd put up Aslyn, Karen, and Margaret downstairs. When I showed up, there was shrieking and hugging and tears, and ultimately we dried off and went to lunch, running into Carol in the elevator and bringing her with us.

We went back to the hotel, and I called Serena to see if she wanted to have lunch with us. I had to pop Eira up to the room and give her her lunch and collected Serena on the way back down. We'd gotten a nice table in a corner. "So you were Captain America?" Margaret asked her. "When I died, it was still that hot Sam Wilson."

"Sam was a sweetie," Serena said. "Yeah, I took over after him."

"Are you going to go back to Avenging?" Aslyn asked.

"Nope, I'm done with fighting. I want a nice quiet office job," Serena said, then reconsidered. "But not too quiet." Carol and I laughed.

"What about you guys?" I asked my other friends.

"I practically need another college degree if I want to go back in computers, it's changed so much," Aslyn said, shrugging. "So I think I'll go back and get an MBA. There's a lot of scholarship money out there now, to get people trained and educated. I already applied at Harvard, I can do the whole thing online. Boston is even more crowded than New York."

Margaret nodded. "I need to brush up, but I can still do urban planning."

Karen said that she'd like to get back into construction management. "There's so much building going on that it shouldn't be hard. I have to pass a test now so I need to study building codes, but it's surprisingly not too bad. I'd like to work for a company for a few years, really get my feet under me, make sure my knowledge is sound and complete, then strike out on my own. What are you guys going to do?"

"Force this one to take a vacation," Serena said, nudging me. "Then I'm going back to school. With GI benefits, I'll be in good shape. I took Loki's aptitude tests, and I'm looking into finishing my degree in architecture, go on and get my Masters. I had about three semesters left before I went Avenging, so maybe add another one to get back up to speed. Columbia has a good program. Maybe I should look around some, but honestly, I've had enough change lately. I just want to settle down and find a new normal with friends around." I patted her shoulder.

"I have more to learn than anybody " Dagny said. "I need to take remedial classes, Loki said. Then if I haven't figured out yet what I want, I can always start with the general studies courses. "

"Well, Daniel Wayne is going to put me into an apprenticeship in the building trades, so I'm set," Carol said cheerfully. "What are you going to do after your vacation, Alex?"

"Well, I thought about going back and doing science," I said, breaking off as our plates were delivered. "But I'm thinking about doing something a little different. Maybe museum conservation. Something calm, that uses science, but isn't all about one field." Aslyn, Margaret, and Karen stared at me. "What?"

"I'm just surprised is all," Margaret said. "You not full-on scienceing? It's just a new look."

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Well, my afterlife was all very low tech, very hands on. We all learned a lot of different skills, which I liked. I need something with a physical exertion component."

"So where are you going on vacation?" Serena asked pointedly.

I frowned at her. "I am going. Daniel had a few recommendations, which I plan to research this afternoon after my nap."

"Alex, are you ok?" Aslyn said. "You, napping? Last time you did that you were pregnant and completely zonked out on medication." I gave my friends a condensed version of what had happened.

"So Damian's back to being a dick," she said, and we eye-rolled at each other.

"Well, this is a whole new offense," I said, just to be fair. She shook her head and finished her salad.

"You look like a dancer who's overtrained," Karen said, peering at me. "Your friends are right. You need to relax. Get a massage every day until your muscles remember how not to stay tight and contracted. Put some weight on."

I held onto my temper. "Yes, I know all that," unable to keep all the annoyance out of my voice. "None of this is new to me." There was an awkward silence. "Shit, I'm sorry," I said, blowing out a breath. "But I'm just tired of people saying I look like crap and that I need to take a break. I KNOW that, better than anybody."

"You have changed," Karen said after a moment's silence. "Before, you would have smoothed everything out, downplayed your own feelings." She winked at me. "Good for you."

"She had to carry us for awhile," Carol said. "We were content to stay inside as much as possible during Fimbulwinter. If she hadn't kicked us into shape, weeded out the dead weight, we'd have been toast during the battle. There wouldn't have been enough time to get as strong and conditioned as we needed to be, and even then, I felt we could have trained harder."

I nodded. "During the fight I realized how big a difference there was between even an intense scrimmage and a full-out battle where you really need to put your opponent down, as fast as possible. And the flying was so different. That was really the hard part."

"That was unforeseen," Serena said. "I thought the capes would still work. Having our own was a whole new complication." We had to explain to the others what had happened, and a farther backtrack to explain my different wings. There was some silence while the others thought about this.

"Wow," said Aslyn eventually. 'You had a way more exciting dead than I did. I ended up in the Shinto afterlife. Very peaceful. But even I can't claim to be in a relationship with a plant."

We burst out laughing. "It's probably more like a high school crush," I said, winding down. "I doubt Yggdrasil even knows I exist." After that, conversation got more fun and general. I was glad to see my two groups of friends integrating so well. Before we left the restaurant, I asked them all to let me know if they needed anything. "Thor gave us very generous separation pay, so I can afford to help."

Aslyn laughed. "Daniel already took care of that," she said, putting her arm around me as we walked out. "He arranged for store credit for us in the tower and said that he'd settle with you."

"Receipts, please," I requested, and my friends rooted around in their purses before handing them over. "Did you guys get enough stuff?" I said, glancing through them.

"Enough to hold us until we get jobs," Margaret said. "Then we'll be able to pay you back."

"You don't have to--" I started, but Karen shook her head.

"Daniel won't take a cent for rent, and I'm grateful to be out of the tents with the temperatures getting colder so I didn't argue. But I like to pay my way." Aslyn and Margaret nodded.

"OK, then," I said, and quickly jotted down totals before handing the receipts back. "I'll settle it with Daniel, because he's not going to want to be paid back. You guys can pay me back whenever, so if you need something, go ahead and get it." We arranged lunch for the next day, and the rest of my friends scattered. I went upstairs for a nap with my pup.