Poppies

Three men stood well back from the backhoe that was excavating a grave. It was early morning and fog was burning off. The dark haired man yawned. The blond man yawned. "Stop it, brother," he said testily and the dark haired man smirked.

"Did you really get permission from her to retrieve the ring?" the third man asked. He looked the oldest, but he was younger than the other two by... quite a lot.

"Yes, she said that she would remove the piece of Mjolnir and restore it," the blond man said. "Of course, that was before she died, so it will take a little longer now."

They watched as a crew began to raise the casket. "Bucky's funeral was nice," Peter said, looking at the new grave next door that the men were trying to avoid messing up.

Thor nodded. "I was surprised to find that strings had been pulled, as you say, to lay him to rest beside his great companion."

Peter started to laugh, quietly. "No strings needed. Emma did that when Steve died. Because Cap died heroically, during a major battle, it was thought that it was appropriate for a great big funeral, and the President agreed. They sent a major down to let her know they were taking over, and essentially, she told them to go away. That Steve had been her husband, and although the government owned the "Captain America" persona, Steve was hers. So they sent a two-star general to intimidate her." The other men started to laugh. Loki guffawed, although he suppressed it at the work crew's frowns. It was apparently sacriligious to laugh while they disinterred the superhero icon Captain America. Arlington was a place to remember and reflect on sacrifice, with appropriate solemnity.

"I know, right?" Peter said, still speaking quietly. "She said that while he'd been sitting on his ass in the Pentagon pushing papers--they'd brought him from the quartermaster corps, he was the only one handy just then--that she'd been defending the world from aliens and bathing in blood." Loki snorted. "Right, so typical, and she said that she wasn't impressed and that he had a lot to learn about intimidation. So they sent a one-star general in to sort of bolster the other one, but this one was smarter. He listened to what she wanted, and in exchange for a state funeral with all the trimmings, including her participation, they gave her the short form of the funeral mass with minimal chanting and singing and incense, one eulogy--'you'd better make it count,' she said in that way that was like she was threatening you-- that the Avengers would carry Steve's casket to the grave, and that when it came time, that Bucky would be buried right next to him. That last condition was the sticking point, but she threatened to have him cremated and scatter the ashes, and that was that. They had to produce the promise in writing before she'd let them take him."

"I was surprised Barnes lived so long," Loki said.

"I don't think he wanted to leave her," Peter said softly. "As it was, she died just hours after he did. And that turned out for the best, because it was easy enough to put some of her ashes in his casket with him. It took longer to get him down here and buried."

"And now this part. What are the plans for the rest of her ashes?" Thor asked.

"Well, after you retrieve the ring--I feel like I'm in a movie quest--I'll place the other bag with her ashes in with Steve. Then there's just a small amount left. I already put a little bit in the Avengers Memorial Garden outside the tower, in with the pansies and the poppies. Ash is supposed to be good for the soil and plants, and she loved her gardens. When Tony dies--he'll probably live forever, though--the last of it will be sprinkled on his casket once it's in the grave. She didn't want to be buried with him, she said, because she didn't want to be trapped forever with him. But she also didn't want him to be alone. He never has found a great love, and I think she always felt sorry for him."

"She'd be quick to say it was probably his own damn fault," Loki murmured, and the others grinned.

Peter snorted. "I think he was in love with her for some time." The other two stepped away in surprise, turning to examine him. "She wasn't as smart as he is, but she was the only one who could get him to change, was never afraid to go toe to toe with him and win an argument with him and make it stick." Peter sighed. "He's been seeking solace in single malt and he's going to rot out his liver if he doesn't watch it, but he won't listen to me. She didn't remember the first time they met, he didn't make any kind of impression on her, but Tony does, he hit on her when she was touring the labs with a group of college grads they wanted to recruit. He said he'd get her a job. You can imagine how well that went over." Thor rolled his eyes.

"She always said he used his money and influence like a cudgel," Loki said, shaking his head. "It's not like she needed the help."

"And he didn't take getting turned down well, it bugged him off and on, and when he had the opportunity, he fired her, kind of payback for that, I think, also out of jealousy for the relationship she'd had with his father. She thought of it as a mentorship, but Tony said once that his father acted more like she was his daughter, and his plans were for her to eventually take over as head of the research labs. Her future would be secure with a good job and increasing responsibility, the company would benefit, and it would have been really good for her, in terms of her interests and abilities, and recognition of her abilities and achievements. She was an inspirational leader."

"Tony," Thor sighed.

"Yeah. And then, when she was recruited for the Avengers, he really did fall in love with her, but she didn't feel more than friendship. Usually. Even when she wasn't with Steve, she never trusted Tony enough to be more than friends, when that was possible. And he moved on, after it was clear to him that he didn't have a chance."

"She never forgot a slight or insult," Loki said, smirking.

"She didn't usually actively carry a grudge--at least not until Rogers' first death--but she never forgot," Thor agreed.

"Our Emma was a blunt-force object sometimes," Loki murmured.

The men called them over, opening the casket lid and stepping back. The three approached and looked in. Thor grimaced. Steve Rogers wasn't handsome anymore, but at least he was dessicated rather than...gooey. Peter frowned. "I thought I'd put it over his heart, but..." Time had allowed his chest to settle in over the gaping holes the alien projectiles had torn into his body.

Loki snorted, took the tightly-woven muslin bag from Peter, a little ash sifting out, and dropped it on the fly of the uniform pants. "They couldn't get enough of each other," he noted, and Peter laughed, deep and genuine, stepping back. Thor smiled and removed a heavy band of metal from the wasted finger, checking the inside for the spot of uru that Emma had set in the ring. They stepped back, Thor nodding to the crew, who began the process of putting the casket back into the ground.

"I'm a little fuzzy about how you're going to get the piece out of the ring and back on your hammer," Peter said as they began walking away. "I thought only she could do it."

"She will," Loki said. "The Allfather will take her the hammer and the ring."

"What?" Peter said, stopping in confusion.

"The Allfather sent his Valkyries for her after her death," Thor said matter-of-factly.

"That's the phrase, but usually he just dispatches one," Loki clarified. "But in Emma's case, he sent two, and told them not to come back without her."

"One would have done," Thor said dismissively. "All the Valkyrie needed to say was that Rogers and Barnes were waiting for her."

"Were they?" Peter's voice was low. Thor shot him a quick look and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"They were, and glad they were to see her," he said gently. "Steve was waiting for her those long decades. But Odin will take her these things and she will exert her will, and the hammer will be whole and Steve will have his ring back."

"They were all really good to me," Peter said, squinting.

"What did she leave you?" Thor asked.

"She left her jewelry to MJ and our daughter May," Peter said, glad for the shift of topic. "She always liked MJ, and May's been like her granddaughter. She's taking it pretty hard. Some museums have been in contact, wanting to acquire some of the pieces, but they're not interested. Her costumes, all of her Avengers stuff were in the museum already. The Costume Institute is angling for her collection of clothing; she had some great vintage pieces, as well as things she made, some from designs Steve did for her. She left me the shield that she made for Steve in the jungle, the house and more money than I know what to do with. Another chunk went to her alma mater for scholarships in STEM subjects for women applicants, and the last big chunk to the Avengers trust for victims of supervillain crimes. She left Tony a vial of her truth serum/perfume stuff, along with the formula and a handwritten notation that one stage in the synthesis has to be performed by somebody who can do the push on the atoms, and that was why he could never duplicate it. I got the distinct impression that she was cheerfully thumbing her nose at him one last time. And a set of cufflinks she'd made when she had her store. There were a couple other individual bequests, a few things for her lawyer Foggy, Damian and Alex Wayne, Wonder Woman, and Supergirl, but of all the Avengers she served with, only you, Tony, and I are still around. You did get the little hammer Odin gave her and the knife she made, right? I sent them to the embassy." Thor nodded.

"Banner is still alive on the planet he chose after the arena," Loki said, surprising Peter greatly. "Heimdall has seen him. He ages, but more slowly, and barring an accident, I believe he has double his years to look forward to. He does well. His rage has mellowed over the decades and he wanders the land almost calmly."

"He's mostly only cranky these days," Thor added. "What about the second shield she made?"

"That remains with the current Captain America. The vibranium one is in the museum. I haven't decided whether to pass down the shield I have to May or to donate it to the museum when the time comes."

"Is May still determined to pursue the path of the hero?" Thor asked.

Peter huffed out a sigh. "Yes, and it's giving me fits. Now I understand what Emma went through. It's terrifying to watch her swinging over the streets, getting hurt, and she's much more of a fighter than I was. She did say she's waiting til after grad school is over to really get into it, Tony is pushing for her to come work for the company, says he'll make it easy for her to do both. Bastard. I regret agreeing to take over the company for him, but he played the old man card, saying that he needed someone he could trust to carry it into the future."

Loki laughed, a quicksilver peal of delight. "You sounded so much like her in that moment. She often threw in a 'bastard' when talking about Stark, always friendly, of course."

"Of course," Peter said, rolling his eyes. "How are Sigurd and Torburn?"

"They grieve," Thor said simply. "They refuse to submit to Baldur again, after he took them from her that time. They refuse to bond with another warrior, even me. My son Magni offered, but Sigurd just gave him that look that he learned from her, and that was the end of that. Odin is losing his patience and might just send them to Folkvangr after all." Peter smiled.

"Magni takes after his father too much," Loki twitted his brother.

"I am forced to admit that he is occasionally thickheaded," he admitted. "The bane of his mother's existence, at times, but she does well."

"How's your dad doing?" Peter asked. "I only met him once, but he was pretty scary. I was amazed that she stood up to him."

Thor laughed. "She understood that he appreciated her plain opinion, however, even she never pushed too hard. Farther than most, however. It was to regain her good opinion and trust that he changed his mind on our treatment of women. He found it uncomfortable that she would fear him."

"He certainly didn't do it for you or me," Loki smiled.

"That he did not," Thor agreed. "But he is starting to fail, and I fear it will not be long before he passes from the citadel to take his permanent rule of Valhalla."

"King Thor awaits," Loki teased, poking him. "Preparing to serve...what are they called? Yes, buffalo wings in celebrations. And 'Pop Tarts' at breakfasts." He laughed and Peter smiled, shaking his head.

They reached the road. Peter had driven himself, but a driver waited for the brothers. Loki refused to let Thor drive any more. "I guess this is it," Peter said, jingling his keys. "Take care, you guys. Tell her hi for me, if you get the chance. I miss her," he said, and after manly hugs, got into his car and edged away. The Asgardians watched him off before walking to their own car.

"Father has said that if Peter falls in the next Kree invasion, he will consider sending a Valkyrie for him," Thor mentioned. Loki quirked an eyebrow. "But it must be his decision to fight. Even now they approach."

"The Allfather will have to add a special wing in Valhalla just to house those he brings there to make her happy," Loki said wryly. Thor punched his shoulder, Loki winced and stepped away.

"The last in question now are young Peter and Stark," Thor said.

"My poor Emma," Loki said instantly. "Trapped for an eternity with Stark. Precisely what she hoped to avoid."

Thor laughed. "She's more than a match for him, and in any case, Rogers and Barnes will keep the peace. Or not, the others in Valhalla always love a good fight. Just the other day, Wayland the smith disparaged her ability. She immediately challenged him to a competition to see who could craft the best sword. Odin was there at the time, visiting our mother, and judged hers the finer. It was the edge of the blade that tipped it. Wayland lost and is enduring ridicule for his boasts. Though not, surprisingly, losing to a woman."

"What?"

"They are learning a healthy respect for her," Thor said, grinning. "And it does no harm that Frigga is delighted with her."

"I shall endeavor to avoid Valhalla," Loki said.

"You and I both, brother. It sounds too lively for me."