Chapter Text
"I'm going home... if it's still there." Sylvie says, trying to keep her voice steady despite the anxiety churning within. She taps the surface of the TemPad on her wrist, and watches as the temporal portal whooshes open.
"Please, don't. It's harder–" Loki starts to say, but Sylvie steps through the Timedoor without another word. She thinks she vaguely hears Loki say something else as well, but can’t be sure and neither does she care in that moment.
She emerges onto a grassy field on the outskirts of Broxton, the familiar sight of the rural town she called home in front of her.
The sun is warm on Sylvie's face as she stands still in the middle of a wheat field. Birds sing pleasantly in the trees and she can hear the faint honk of a car horn carried on in the summer breeze...For a moment, it genuinely seems like any other peaceful, sunny day.
Relief washes over her like a wave.
Thank god.
Her world is intact.
Yet she can't stop herself from feeling the ugly, devastated feeling clawing inside her. Sure, she may still have her branch, but she has witnessed so much senseless destruction today. So many innocent lives and timelines wiped out without a second thought because of one organization wielding the king of power they shouldn't.
It could have very well be her own too...
She forces herself to take a deep breath, overwhelmed by everything she feels - the relief, the sadness, confusion, the anger. Loki had no right to barge back into her life after so long, throwing everything into chaos again. No right to demand she join the TVA, the very organization that ruined her life, that ruined so many lives. How dare he?
Did he not understand how much they had taken from her?
Sylvie glances up at the sky, squinting against the midday sun. Technically, she knows she should be at work right now, right somewhere in the middle of her shift at McDonald's. But instead, she's standing (once again) traumatized in the middle of a random field after disappearing to try and stop the destruction of countless timelines.
A heroic endeavor that was far less successful than she had hoped.
She knows she should go back to work. Put on her work clothes, plaster on a smile and go on with the day.
But...she can't. She needs to be somewhere else first, somewhere that will settle the turmoil inside her before it drives her mad.
Jack will probably be confused as hell as to where she disappeared off to. But she can deal with that. She'll show up for the evening shift, make up some excuse...the usual bullshit. Jack will buy it.
With a final swipe at the tears on her cheeks and a sniffle, Sylvie reaches for the TemPad on her wrist. A few taps of her fingers and a Timedoor opens before her.
She steps through it without hesitation.
Hours later, Sylvie finally feels calm enough to return to work. She quickly changes into her McDonald's uniform and walks through the doors of the golden arches, acting as if she hasn't been missing for most of her shift.
Jack, the teenage kid who is both her boss as well as the closest thing to a ‘best friend’ she’s ever had, looks up from behind the counter as she enters.
"Sylvie! Where the heck did you go earlier?" he asks as she breezes past him towards the backroom. "You just vanished in the middle of your shift."
Sylvie winces.
"Sorry. Something urgent came up that I had to deal with." She keeps walking before he can respond, going to wash her hands in the sink, but hears Jack follow her, his shoes squeaking on the tiles.
As Sylvie washes her hands, she sees Jack hovering nearby out of the corner of her eye. She keeps her face carefully neutral, but he must catch some glimpse of her residual sadness.
"Oh no, is it -" he starts to say.
But she quickly cuts him off before he can finish that thought. "No, she’s fine. We’re both fine. Really. This was about something else entirely and…" she pauses for a moment, then sighs. “It doesn’t really matter. It's ok."
That was a lie, of course.
Jack clamps his mouth shut and watches as she reaches for paper towels to dry her hands.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asks gently. "You seem...I don't know. Sad about something."
Sylvie forces a smile.
"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Before he can pry any further, she clears her throat, crumpling the used paper towels into a ball and throwing it into a bin, "Sorry again for leaving like that. Tell you what - I'll take the evening shift today to make up for it."
Jack immediately shakes his head.
"No, no, you don't have to do that! Really, I can handle it. I was just concerned something’s wrong.” He says, “Why don't you just go home and -"
But Sylvie cuts him off again.
"No, I insist.” She says, then exhales, “Jack, you know I have to work. And it's the least I can do after disappearing on you."
Jack hesitates.
"Well, if you're sure...but you know, you can take today off if you need it. You've got plenty of overtime hours saved up."
"No, I'd really rather work. Let me take the rest of the evening shift, okay?"
Jack studies her for a moment. He knows her well enough by now that he knows there's no changing her mind once it's made up.
"Okay, okay. If you're sure you're up for it and if you really want to work, I won't stop you, but –" He glances past her shoulder, noticing a customer entering through the front door. "Uh, never mind, uh, I should get back out there..."
Before he can walk away, Sylvie reaches out and grasps his arm, giving him a faint, little smile that looks way sadder than she hoped it would.
"Thank you, Jack."
Jack smiles.
"Hey, of course. That's what I'm here for." He glances down at where she's still holding his arm. "But are you sure you don't want to talk about whatever's bothering you?"
"Nothing's bothering me. I'm fine." She nudges him towards the front, gesturing to the customer waiting to place their order. "Now go on, go serve them. I'll be out in a minute."
"Alright, if you say so. But I'm here, whenever, if you change your mind." He gives her a double thumbs up and flashes her a grin before heading out to the customer.
Sylvie watches him go, shoulders slumping once he's out of sight and sighs.
Later that night, Sylvie finds herself lying on the hood of her old Ford Ranger, still wearing her work uniform and silently staring up at the stars as she waits for Jack to finish closing for the day. A sad love song plays softly on the radio, forcing her mind to replay the tumultuous events of the day.
The TVA, Dox, the erased branches, the trillions of lives lost. And Loki.
Loki.
She hadn't expected to see him again after sending him through that Timedoor. At first, when she'd settled here in Oklahoma, some small part of her had hoped he might track her down and find her again because he genuinely cared and wanted her in his life. But as the months passed with no sign of him, she knew it was foolish to think he'd ever come looking for her.
She hurt him, betrayed his trust. And today made it abundantly clear where his focus lay. Squarely on the TVA now. He hadn't even asked if she was okay, how she was coping. Just barrelled back into her life expecting help saving the same organization that ruined her life and murdered trillions.
Sylvie glances down at the Tempad on her wrist. Maybe it's for the best that Loki seems done with her. He's clearly swallowed the TVA propaganda and is full of their bullshit and she sure as fuck doesn't need that in her life.
They want different things now. They are too different, and perhaps they have always been too different...which, given their status as variants is an irony in itself.
Still...she'd be lying if she said that the way he looked at her today didn’t sting. Or, more specifically, the way he didn’t look at her. The way he just…walked away from her. Like he didn’t care at all.
There was a time she thought...she thought…
But no. Those days are gone.
She’s aware she shouldn't care what Loki thinks or feels. Shouldn't waste time dwelling on could-have-beens. She has a life here now, simple and boring but real and it’s perfect.
It’s all she’s ever wanted.
And he hurt her.
“I won’t let you down.”
She gave him everything she could give him. Her trust, her heart, hell, in the void she even gave him her body after he had managed to charm her with the awkwardness of a teenager who’s trying to woo his crush. She let her guard down, naively believed in their connection and his pretty words and even prettier smile as he conjured a blanket for her. Believed in each press of his lips against her skin.
Believed he wouldn't let her down when it mattered most.
She gave him more than he'll ever know.
And how did he repay that trust?
By stopping her mere seconds before she could complete her lifelong mission, breaking his promise not to get in her way.
And this is what she gets now. No "I missed you," no "how are you," no “I hope you’re well”, no apology or sign he gave a damn beyond his own goals. No sign that she ever actually meant anything to him.
Just the TVA propaganda, the demand to help save the TVA that still hadn't changed a single bit.
Well, fuck him. Fuck the TVA.
This is her life now, this place, these people...they are hers. She has more now than she’s ever had before, and she made this possible on her own. She fought for it and she'll protect it fiercely, no matter who tries to get in her way. Including Loki.
She closes her eyes and sighs. For a moment, Sylvie loses herself in Janis Joplin's raspy vocals.
“Time keeps moving on, friends they turn away. I keep moving on, but I never found out why. I keep pushing too hard and babe, I keep trying to make it right…”
Then she senses movement and turns her head to see Jack approaching her truck, concern still evident on his face.
Typical.
"Um...hey, Sylvie," Jack says, "Are you sure you're okay? I just wanted to check again..."
"Yeah, I'm good, thanks," Sylvie forces a smile, hoping he'll accept it this time.
Jack scuffs his shoe on the pavement, looking down at it.
"It's just...you seemed really down earlier." He looks up, "I'm here if you want to talk about anything, you know. Get stuff off your chest."
Sylvie softens a little.
"I appreciate that. Really, Jack. But I'm alright, yeah?"
"Oh, okay..." Jack says, sounding a little awkward. "I just...you know, I wasn't sure, cause I thought you'd gone home already and -"
"I was waiting around in case you needed a ride home," Sylvie explains. "Wasn't sure if your mum was coming to get you or what."
"Oh, right. Yeah, she's on her way actually, should be here any minute."
"Okay then."
An awkward silence falls. Jack shifts his feet, looking like he wants to leave but hesitates, and for a brief moment Sylvie is almost sure he’s going to ask her if she’s truly, actually, really okay, for the tenth time today.
Finally he seems to make up his mind.
"So, um...do you think you'll be in tomorrow then? For your shift I mean?"
Sylvie frowns.
"Yeah, of course I'll be in," she assures him. Unless, you know...my entire branch gets erased overnight by fascist time cops or something.
"Okay, cool," Jack nods, "Just wasn't sure after...well, you know. Today."
"Don't worry, I'll be here."
Hopefully.
"Cool, cool. Um, so see you tomorrow then?" Jack says.
Sylvie gives him a smile. "See you tomorrow. Goodnight Jack, get home safe."
"Yeah, thanks. Bye-bye," Jack replies with an awkward little wave before turning to walk down to the parking lot entrance, hands stuffed in his pockets.
Sylvie watches him go, feeling a pang of guilt. She hates worrying him and even more than that, she hates lying to him, this…this kid that has done so much for her when he truly didn't have to. But there's no way she can explain the truth of everything that happened today.
she doesn’t even know how or where to begin explaining everything to him.
“Hey kid, you’ve ever heard of norse mythology? What do you think of norse gods? Why? Well, funny you should ask that…”
Now that would be a fun conversation.
She hears a honk and watches as Jack climbs into his mom's car and they pull out of the parking lot, driving off into the night.
Alone now, she glances down at the Tempad in her hands.
She runs a finger over it, tracing the golden cracks contemplatively. It's so tempting to use it, to jump back into the fray. She knows she won't be able to rest until she does, because she sure as fuck can't trust the TVA and whatever Loki's doing with them. She can practically smell the catastrophe just waiting to happen.
But firstly, she has to return home to attend even more pressing matters. The one she’s actually looking forward to.
With a sigh, Sylvie transforms the Tempad back into a bracelet and hops down from her truck.
Sylvie's home (and she still can’t believe she can call it that), is a humble house in a peaceful neighbourhood on the outskirts of town. It's nothing special, but it's hers. Paid for with money earned from scrapping the gold filigree of her Asgardian armor and the money she's earned from flipping burgers. She refuses to use magic, refuses to use shortcuts that would make her life easier. She'd been relying on her enchantment all her life to survive and now that she for once doesn't have to, she refuses to stain her new life with traces of her former.
"Seriously, thank you for staying overtime tonight," Sylvie says to her teenage neighbour, Mary, as the girl stands ready to head home, her backpack in one hand while Sylvie presses a few dollar bills into her other hand.
Mary smiles.
"No biggie. Three more hours is nothing." Mary says, "And she's a sweetie so it's really easy."
Sylvie relaxes, leaning against the beige wall with her arms crossed.
"Still, I appreciate you watching her longer than usual."
"Anytime." Mary says, "Also, I made some spaghetti earlier because I was starving. I hope you don’t mind. Left it warming on the stove for you."
"You're the best, thanks," Sylvie says. A warm home-cooked meal does sound good after everything today.
Plus, she tends to rely on McDonald’s food too much these days anyway.
"But you sure everything's okay?” Mary asks, eyeing Sylvie skeptically.
Sylvie forces a smile. Earlier, when she rushed home in panic, she scared her shitless when she burst through the door.
"Everything's fine, don't you worry."
Everything was definitely not fine. But she doesn't need to know that.
Mary doesn't look entirely convinced.
"Okay then..."
As Mary turns to leave, to finally head home (and leave Sylvie and her oddities alone) Sylvie’s eyes widen.
"Oh, by the way, meant to mention - my shift starts at 1pm tomorrow instead of 3. Is that alright or too early for you?"
"Yeah, that's no problem, I'll be home by noon anyway," Mary says.
Sylvie smiles.
"You really are the best, you know. Thank you. Have a good night!"
“Yeah, yeah, I know..." Mary grins, waving her off, "Night, Syl!”
After closing the door with a click, Sylvie sags a little in relief. Normal conversations, normal life...this is what matters now. This is what she has to hold on to.
Sylvie stands at the closed door for a moment, collecting herself. Then she straightens up and quietly walks down the hallway. Her steps make faint sounds on the cheap carpet, but they're drowned out by soft gurgling coming from the bedroom.
Sylvie's face breaks into a tender smile at that. She steps through the doorway into the bedroom and her gaze falls upon the cot tucked against her bed. Her heart swells at the sight of the baby girl lying inside, little legs kicking gleefully up at the mobile dangling overhead.
"Hey there, my little love," she whispers, "Did you miss me?"
The moment the infant spots Sylvie leaning over her, she lets out a happy gurgle.
Sylvie's smile widens, the last of the tension finally leaving her body. She reaches down to brush a finger over the baby's cheek.
"Mary said you refused to sleep, just waiting up for me," Sylvie murmurs, "You missed your mama, didn't you?"
The infant lets out a high, happy cry in response, kicking with her legs and making Sylvie let out a quiet huff.
"Mama missed you too, my love." Sylvie leans forward and carefully gathers the baby into her arms, supporting her head and drawing her close against her chest. "Mama missed you so much today..."
She cuddles her close, swaying gently on the spot. The baby babbles and grasps at Sylvie's shirt.
"I've got you, Vee-Vee," Sylvie murmurs absentmindedly into her little curls, "Mama will keep you safe, no matter what. You know that right?"
She'd nearly lost her today, thanks to Dox and the TVA trying to destroy everything she'd ever fought for. She didn't even know the grip panic had on her, until she returned home from the TVA, to make sure her baby way still there. Alive and well, and safe. Sure, she knew her timeline had survived, and if her timeline was okay, then her daughter was most likely fine too, but logic had no strength in that moment.
Sylvie needed to hold her daughter.
Needed to see those beautiful blue eyes and wispy black hair with her own eyes. Cuddle that little body close until the fear and terror released its grip on her.
Settling comfortably on her bed, Sylvie watches the little girl in her arms. Chubby cheeks, little lips, perfect curls, those blue eyes looking right back up at her with so much trust...god, she's truly such a perfect being.
It’s both a blessing and a curse that the infant looks so much like her father. A miniature version of the man who both gifted Sylvie this child and broke her heart.
Sylvie sighs, letting the exhale fan over her daughter's curls.
Her reckless, idiot father, who is currently too busy endangering them both by trying to save the organization that rejects their existence.
She built a home here, on a branched timeline deemed ‘wrong’ by the TVA. Her daughter lives here, and yet Loki fights for those who'd happily erase this world, erase his own child without a second thought.
If the TVA is allowed to survive and regain full control over the multiverse again, and if - God forbid - someone like Dox rises again, then no one is safe. As long as the TVA exists, her daughter - their daughter - will be in danger.
Hunted for the simple crime of being born.
And okay, sure. Loki doesn't know she exists.
She'll give him that.
And under different circumstances, perhaps Sylvie would have told him. Would have pulled him aside and told him about the little girl with his eyes, and even let him meet his child if he was interested.
But he betrayed her trust and still keeps betraying it by siding with the TVA, so she harbors no guilt over keeping this secret and their daughter’s existence to herself. He gave up any right to know when he allied with her enemies.
Which was honestly borderline batshit in her eyes. That same guy who had witnessed firsthand the TVA's horrors, who had his own timeline erased thanks to them, who had sworn to stand beside her against them and make sure the TVA pays and burns for everything they had done...is now happily working for them, actively trying to protect the TVA.
So no, she owes him nothing.
And though part of her heart whispers he'd maybe understand if he knew, that he would likely reconsider some things and maybe try to make it right, she ignores it. Now that she knows he is officially associated with the TVA, the risk is simply too great. Who knows how deep into TVA propaganda he’s fallen. Who knows if by mentioning he has a daughter, she wouldn't be accidentally dooming the only good thing she had ever been given in this life.
She will keep her daughter safe from all threats. Even if one of them wears a familiar face.
A whimper escapes the baby's lips as her little face scrunches up. Sylvie recognizes the sign of an impending cry well by now.
"Shhh...it's okay," she whispers. She gingerly runs a finger over the baby's cheek, and the infant turns into her mother's touch.
Looking back now, there was a certain poetry to it. That once Sylvie had killed the one who controlled the timeline, the thief of all free will and freed the multiverse, allowing it to blossom...she soon learned a new life was blossoming within her as well.
One month into her new life on Earth, just as she was settling into some sense of normalcy, her world got turned upside down thanks to a positive pregnancy test.
She nearly wanted to grab her TemPad and track down Loki's reckless ass to strangle him for putting her in this predicament.
Here she was, finally starting to build something for herself. Letting go of the past, learning to relax and to stop looking over her shoulder every second. Carving out a tiny corner of peace and normalcy. And then this - a baby. A BLOODY BABY! She didn't even have a real home yet, just the beat-up truck she occasionally slept in whenever she couldn’t sleep at McDonald’s through the night. She had only just gotten her first paycheck.
And now, wham - a baby on the way.
Part of her was tempted to use magic, find some complex spell or even visit a pharmacy to make it all go away immediately. It was the most logical and sane thing anyone could've and should've done in her position.
But...she couldn't. This was a piece of herself, and also, a piece of him. As terrified as she was, as much as the memory of him hurt her, she still cared. And in a way, a very peculiar, illogical way that to this day she still doesn't quite understand, she wanted this.
Admittedly, the decision was difficult. At first, Sylvie tried to ignore the unexpected situation she found herself in. Went through the motions in a daze, secretly hoping it would somehow resolve itself if she just didn't think about it. That way, she wouldn’t have to feel any potential residual guilt and regret.
But one day at work, a mother and her young daughter walked through the door and changed her perspective.
Sylvie was working the midday shift when they came in. Just a random mum she had never seen before and her young, maybe not even four years old daughter. They walked up to her counter to place their order, and to Sylvie's surprise the little girl was brave and confident enough that she ordered her own happy meal, with just a bit of her mother’s support. There was something about that little girl with reddish hair and brown eyes sparkling with innocence that made Sylvie reflect on her current situation.
It was a slow day, so after they had sat down Sylvie stole glances at them as they ate. The girl was happily dunking nuggets and fries in her sweet ‘n sour sauce and chattering to her mother. When the girl asked for help freeing the happy meal toy from its plastic bag, her mother obliged, smiling as the child squealed over the Bugs Bunny car inside. She even kissed her mother's cheek in thanks.
And something in Sylvie's chest tightened watching the duo, before an aching rose up, filling her chest with a longing so strong she couldn't feel anything else.
Longing to be loved so completely, so unconditionally. To have someone look at her with so much trust and love in their eyes, to have someone lean on her and wrap their arms around her because they love her, because she is their entire world.
Sylvie had never been the most important person in someone else's life before. The closest she came was with Loki - for a brief time, she even thought they could build a future together. Something good. But that fell apart, as most things did in her life.
She managed to befriend Jack and some other people working at McDonald’s. She cared about them, especially Jack whom she began to see as a little brother, but most of her new friends were kids, teens, with their own lives, and once the shift was over for the day she didn’t see them that much and was all alone again, figuring out this newly free vast world on her own.
And...she didn't want to be alone anymore. After centuries of loneliness and isolation, she wanted more than that. She too wanted to have someone to return home to, someone who would be waiting for her at home once her shift was over. Someone who could be just hers, someone she could call her family.
Her real family was lost to her long ago. Too many centuries ago, and she hardly remembered them, hardly even knew what it meant to have a family. Everything she had learned about family and what it meant, she learned from watching other people, happy people, living happy lives, surrounded by people who loved them and who were there for them so they didn't have to go through life alone.
And she wanted that too.
She yearned for that permanence, for a home that isn't just a place, for someone to love her completely, to never leave her again...
She knew she couldn't bring her family back, but that didn't mean she could never have a family again either...
The little girl giggled at something her mother said, and Sylvie absentmindedly placed a hand against her stomach.
Before, Sylvie never would have dared to dream of having something so vulnerable to protect. Not with the way she used to live. Always on the run, always fighting, always hiding and looking over her shoulder for that familiar 'whoosh' of a TimeDoor...
But now, with the multiverse alive and thriving and free will restored...this new life growing within her could actually thrive. She had created a world where her child, where any child, could simply live. She could bring this baby into the world she fought so hard for. Give this new soul the beautiful, ordinary life she had been denied her entire life.
No more running, no more pain and loneliness, just peaceful moments of joy like that mother and daughter shared, filled with laughter, and toothy grins and curious little fingers wrapped around her own.
As the little girl waved goodbye with her tongue poking between her teeth and beaming with delight over her new toy, Sylvie waved back, her decision made.
Sylvie knew it might be insane to keep this baby, but fuck it, she deserved some happiness after everything. Whatever struggles lay ahead, she knew it would all be worth it for that little wave hello each morning, and if she could survive years hunted by the TVA, surely she could handle raising a child.
Famous last words.
She very quickly learned just how bloody exhausting motherhood could be. Plus, she was barely settled into her new job so timing wise it was very unpractical and getting fired now, when she needed money to create a home for herself and her child, would be disastrous.
So Sylvie being Sylvie decided to keep her pregnancy secret from her colleagues at first, and it seemed simple enough.
She was very, very wrong.
The exhaustion and constant migraines of early pregnancy were hellish enough without working full shifts. Not to mention the relentless nausea.
And what worse place for dealing with morning sickness than a fast food restaurant?
The smell of frying oil alone triggered her daily. She lost count of the times she nearly vomited on customers or had to rush to the bathroom to be sick.
Trying to appear normal and chipper when she felt constantly ill and exhausted was nearly impossible.
Still. She tried.
But she should have known she couldn't hide things for too long.
A few weeks later, when she was approximately eight weeks along, she was sitting on the stairs behind McDonald's on her break, sipping ginger tea to ease her nausea and breathing in crisp, autumn air. She heard footsteps approach and looked up to see Jack standing behind her with an easy smile.
"Ginger tea helps, huh? My mom drank it a lot when she was pregnant with my sister."
Sylvie froze, the tea cup hovering near her lips.
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," Jack said gently, sitting beside her on the stairs, "But you should take care of yourself, Sylvie. All these long shifts can't be good..."
A long, awkward silence fell between them.
"So...am I fired then?" Sylvie asked quietly after a while, still unable to make herself look Jack in the eyes.
Jack frowned.
"Fired? Why would you be fired?"
"Because I'm...you know..." Sylvie gestured at her stomach.
Understanding dawned on Jack's face.
"Ohhh, because you're having a baby?"
Sylvie nodded.
"Nooo, we're not going to fire you for that!" Jack scoffed, waving with his hand, "Who told you that?"
"I just figured...I only started working here recently. Getting pregnant right away isn't a good look."
"Eh, maybe not, but we're not gonna kick you to the curb for deciding to have a kid," Jack said, "We all like you here and customers love you. This doesn't change anything."
Sylvie sighed.
"I didn't want to hide it, I just...I need this job. If I lose it now I’m fucked.”
"You don't have to explain yourself to me. I get it. But I promise, your job is safe. Just focus on taking care of yourself right now.” He said, "You know you don't have to hide stuff from us, right? We're here for you, whatever you need. And if you ever need a day off because you're not feeling well, that's totally fine. Don't worry about anything except taking care of yourself and the baby. And let me know if you need any shifts covered, okay? I'll cover you whenever you need time off."
Sylvie nodded, blinking back sudden tears.
"Thank you," Sylvie finally managed. She quickly wiped away a tear that escaped down her cheek. If Jack noticed, he pretended not to see it. "You're a good…friend."
Jack grinned, suddenly looking even younger than his years and nudged her shoulder. "Hey, us restaurant folk gotta stick together ya kno? Congrats, by the way. Your kid's gonna have the coolest mom around."
Sylvie laughed.
“You really think so?”
“Yeah!” He said, “Now you just relax and enjoy your tea. I'll handle things inside - you take it easy as long as you need."
Sylvie nodded and gave Jack another grateful smile as he headed back inside. Finally alone, she let the tears fall and leaned back against the stairs, staring up at the clouds, with a laden weight finally lifted off her shoulder.
Everything was so much easier after that conversation with Jack and shortly after, she came clean about her condition to other colleagues too. Every single one of them was very supportive and helped her to the best of their abilities. She was part of their team and they adored her. She also appreciated that none of them ever asked her about her personal life or about the baby’s father; where and who was he, seeming to sense it was off limits.
For the first time in her life, Sylvie felt like she was part of something real. A little community that accepted her as she was.
After revealing her pregnancy, Sylvie managed (with some help from her Broxton friends) to find herself a small house. Nothing fancy, but obviously far better than her truck. The house was unfurnished and in need of some repairs but it was hers. A real, stable place that she then spent months working on every day so she could turn it into a proper home.
As the worst nausea and fatigue faded, life almost felt normal again, and Sylvie found herself fascinated by the changes happening within her own body. Four months after arriving to Broxton she was no longer hiding the bump under baggy shirts...mostly because she was kinda unable to hide it anymore, but still.
And most of all, she was surprised by how kind everyone was about her condition. Not just her colleagues, but customers were congratulating her too, complimenting her ‘pregnancy glow', asking if she knew the gender or how far along she was, sometimes even offering her advice, unsolicited as some of it was.
One afternoon on her break, while she was busy munching on fries that quickly became her favorite craving, Jack sat chatting with her, eating his own portion of the fries.
"So, got your nursery all ready to go?" he asked and dipped a fry into a sauce, "Crib, toys, all that stuff?"
"I'm working on it." Sylvie said, "Baby stuff is kinda expensive on my budget."
"Well um, hey, my mom kept a lot of my baby things in storage," Jack offered. "I bet she'd love to give them to someone who needs it."
Sylvie started to decline, but Jack waved her off.
"I'm serious! It's just gathering dust otherwise. We can help."
Sylvie stared at him for a few beats, then nodded with a teary smile. Ugh, stupid hormones.
"That would...that would mean the world, Jack. Thank you."
Somehow she kept finding goodness in this little life she'd built, and any lingering doubts Sylvie had about her choice at the Citadel, whether she made the right call to kill He Who Remains or not, faded as she settled into this new life.
And sometimes...sometimes she found herself thinking about Loki. Especially when she watched couples and families eat together at work or on the nights she was trying to fall asleep and the baby's kicks kept her up. She wondered what he would say if he knew. If he'd be supportive or disapproving of her decision, and if he saw the child as a burden or something to be proud of.
She sometimes even allowed herself to imagine a life where they stayed together, where he did not break his promise to her, where he supported her through it all and stayed by her side.
She wondered if in that reality, he'd be excited to become a father.
And if she teared up sometimes when thinking about that life, of that possibility of a life, where they were together and building something...then, well, that's just for her to know.
He had made his choice and she had made hers, and whatever might have been was in the past now.
She honestly tried her best to push all thoughts of Loki from her mind and stay focused on the present. Easier said than done, but she managed most days.
She kept working her McDonald's job right up until she went into labor, refusing offers of early maternity leave, no matter how persistently Jack offered them to her. It reached the point when even her coworkers joked the baby would be born right there in the restaurant…
…a joke which nearly came true.
Sylvie's water broke as she was prepping to start her morning shift, nearly two weeks before her due date, and by the end of what was supposed to be her last day of work before her leave, Sylvie already held the most precious bundle in her arms. A beautiful baby girl.
She was perfect.
Pink and wrinkled, with a little frown and her little flailing limbs as she tried to get adjusted to this strange new world she had just been born into, making the most adorable little sounds as she rooted against her chest, seeking her mother and the comfort only she could provide.
And Sylvie...Sylvie could do nothing except stare in awe. She had never felt so needed before.
She was this tiny being's source of comfort, security, food.
Family.
Her everything.
Sylvie traced the baby's little knuckles.
She made her. She made life.
Vida.
The missing piece of her lonely heart, now finally full.
Sylvie pressed a gentle kiss to Vida's head as she nursed for the first time.
"It's you and me now, Vee..." she whispered.
And god...she was so proud of herself. So proud of her perseverance, proud of herself for never giving up. Everything she did, each stumble, each fall, each emotional and physical scar led to this perfect moment.
Killing HWR was definitely the right choice. As long as he lived, this life with her daughter would never have been possible. If the TVA still existed, she and Vida would be on the run, forced to return to her apocalypses where she’d again have to fight to survive each day and she refused to let her child grow up that way.
Vida deserved what Sylvie never had, a normal, peaceful life full of happiness, and Sylvie vowed she would make it happen.
After two blissful months of leave and staying in her newborn bubble, Sylvie returned to work, leaving Vida in the care of her teenage neighbor, Mary. It was hard being apart from her baby, and separation anxiety was kicking her ass hard, but Sylvie knew she had no choice. She needed to provide for her daughter now. Plus, using enchantment to always keep track of how her daughter's doing and if she's okay, helped somewhat.
Life was genuinely good.
Until today.
Today, mere three hours before her shift was supposed to end for the day and she was able to return home to cuddle her baby and kiss her cheeks, her world got flipped on its head when Loki walked in, and just like that, the fragile normalcy Sylvie built came crashing down. Her past colliding with her present in the worst possible way.
Tiny fingers grasping at her shirt snap Sylvie from her thoughts. She glances down at Vida.
"Hungry, little love?"
The baby of course doesn't respond, but Sylvie doesn't need words to understand her daughter's needs. She unbuttons her work uniform and lets Vida latch onto her breast, leaning back against the pillow as the infant nurses.
Sylvie closes her eyes, trying to focus on her daughter in her arms but her thoughts inevitably drift back to the events of the day.
To Loki.
He knew where to find her now. He knew where she settled down, where she worked. Now it was only a matter of time before he tracked down where exactly she lives.
That is, if her timeline even survives that long.
Today proved the TVA remained a dangerous threat no matter how much Loki vouched for them and as long as the TVA exists, no one is safe, including her and her baby girl.
She can handle variants of He Who Remains if they show up and threaten her. She killed one, she would kill again. Easy.
The TVA, however...
She sighs and adjusts her hold on Vida. When those timelines started disappearing on the screen, Sylvie felt true terror, the kind she had never felt before, grip her heart. For a moment, she was convinced her own world was gone. That her baby was erased as if she never existed at all.
Sylvie's legs nearly buckled then, bile rising in her throat. She wanted to scream, to snarl and lash out at everyone and everything, she wanted to punch Loki for inadvertently having a hand in the TVA taking away her whole world again, all because of his stupid and inexplicable newfound obsession with the organization.
She looks down now at Vida, still peacefully nursing, completely unaware of how close she came to being deleted from all of existence today.
Something clenches in Sylvie's chest.
She has no idea of the amount of danger she's in just by being born.
And her own idiot of a father has absolutely no idea how much danger he's putting his child in by trying to save the TVA.
Hot tears burn her eyes but she refuses to shed them.
She thought she was free, that her child would be born into a free, safe world. Instead, the TVA persists, as dangerous as ever, and the fact that the TVA is still operating...it feels like a betrayal.
She was so certain her nightmare was over when she killed He Who Remains. She thought even Loki saw the evil in the TVA, and had trusted Mobius too when he promised to burn it all down. After all, why shouldn't she trust a fellow variant who had also been torn from his life?
Yet there he was, still proudly wearing their uniform and accompanying a TVA prisoner.
A.TVA.prisoner.
So much for saying they had changed.
Honestly, in that split second when Loki entered alone, part of Sylvie even dared to hope that maybe he came for her because he missed her, because he wanted to pursue this thing...this...whatever it was between them.
Then she saw the prisoner and Mobius keeping an eye on the poor guy...and it was clear nothing had changed.
The organization she sacrificed everything to stop still stood. And now they came to her doorstep.
And then it just went from bad to worse.
Her fingers gently caress Vida's cheek as she nurses. Those bright blue eyes so like her father's gazing up at her, filled only with pure trust...
When Loki first walked through the door today, despite her shock, despite the fear, Sylvie's eyes were immediately drawn to his. So similar to the innocent blue staring up at her now. Even later, while she was talking to Loki in the parking lot, Sylvie kept sneaking glances at Loki's eyes, noting similarities between his and Vida's, how they're identical in both colour and shape.
She loves those eyes on her daughter. They mean everything to her.
So why did it hurt so much to look at him?
Vida unlatches and fusses, signaling she's done. Sylvie looks at her and quickly grabs a cloth to burp the baby, then fixes her bra one-handed, leaving her shirt open. Once Vida has been burped, Sylvie glances down at her milk-drunk daughter, who’s drifting off to sleep with a blissful expression on her face.
She will do everything in her power to make sure Vida gets to live a normal and happy life.
The TVA has to be stopped, for good this time. And Loki...Loki has to understand the danger they present to countless children just like Vida.
She presses kisses to her baby’s curls, holding her close, then rests her lips on her infant's head. Vida's even breaths puff softly against her neck as she snoozes. Sylvie then moves and carefully places Vida back in her crib, holding her breath until she's sure the movement won't wake her. She almost feels jealous of the fact that Vida can sleep so peacefully, because to her even sleep feels dangerous now.
Knowing the TVA is still out there, who's to say they won't prune branches overnight?
What if they come for them. What if Loki is wrong and someone, a fraction of the TVA decides to prune the branched timelines while she's asleep or apart from Vida, working at McDonald's. If that happens, she could maybe have seconds to save herself by using her Tempad, but she wouldn't have enough time to save Vida as well.
She thinks of Loki's confusing words, his claim to have seen her future self at the TVA – she’s still not sure if she’s buying it. She can’t imagine willingly going there, to the source of all her trauma. Not unless forced or tricked.
Unless of course, she had no choice and was either dragged there, captured, subdued or...or her branch was destroyed and she ended up at the TVA for some reason.
She hopes the latter wasn't the case because it would essentially mean she lost her home.
Again.
And Vida?
Sylvie shuts down that line of thought instantly. She can't bear to even imagine such a horrific scenario. Loki didn’t mention any baby, he gave no indication Vida was present in that future glimpse, but she refuses to think what that could imply.
If what Loki said was true, does she really lose it all again. Everything?
No. It can’t be true.
She can't lose everything again. Can't have life be that cruel twice. What would even be the point of living on then? Of fighting?
She honestly doesn't know what to do.
If she stays here she's risking a lot. Staying puts Vida at risk if the TVA targets their branch, but leaving for another timeline could jeopardize everything too.
If she goes to the TVA - which she refuses, but on the off chance she would end up there - the TVA is unsafe, not only because it's evil but also because if what Loki said was true, then the agency was falling apart, so it's not safe either.
The only option that remains are the apocalypses on the Sacred Timeline and that...that is not something she wants to return to, and is definitely no place to raise a baby.
"Mama will protect you." She whispers as she lies on her side in bed, watching as Vida continues to sleep, oblivious to her mother's anxieties. "I promise you."
There has to be another way. It has to be.