Hello! This is my first Thor-only one-shot. Others I've tried were crossovers. Hope you like it! I wanted to give my own version of what might've happened between Loki and his father. And just a warning, if you didn't see Thor: The Dark World, turn back now before it's too late, because this'll spoil the ending for you...Otherwise, enjoy! :)

The Love of Odin

"We found a body." said the gold-armored soldier gravely as he looked up at Odin.

"Who?" replied Odin, worry evident in his lined face.

"...Loki Laufeysson." answered the soldier. There was a strange anticipation in his eyes that Odin missed as he slumped in his throne. For a long moment, the old king seemed speechless. Finally he said quietly, "Bring in the body."

Odin didn't catch the twitch of the soldier's lips, seeming to supress a smile before he bowed his head and called for his fellow soldiers to bring in the body. It was carried in on a gold-colored stretcher covered in a white cloth and set carefully on the floor. Odin rose from his throne and walked rigidly down the steps toward the stretcher until he was standing right in front of it. He bent down and swept the white cloth off the face, revealing what was indeed Loki's face. It was cold, peaceful as if he were asleep. Grief was plain on his face as he stared down at the man he'd always thought of as a son. Who he'd protected from the truth to save his feelings, so that he would always feel apart of his family. "Loki, if only you knew how much I truly loved you." he muttered. "Maybe you wouldn't have betrayed me."

"I betrayed you?" answered a harsh voice behind him. Odin's eye widened and he spun around. The soldier who'd announced the arrival of the body stood there still. But as Odin watched, the disguise melted away in a wash of green light to reveal Loki, looking alive and well though a bit worn from his recent excursion and near-death in the dark world. Odin felt a mixture of emotions: anger, relief, joy, shock, confusion...they roiled inside him as he stared at his son. "You're the one who threw me in prison for following your lead!"

"Loki!" Odin's voice came out angier than he meant, but he carried on, his relief overshadowed by outrage at Loki's words. "What you did was wrong! What you're doing now is wrong!" He glanced back at the body on the stretcher, briefly wondering if he was talking to a ghost, but Loki's "body" was gone, the soldier in his place. He turned back to glare at Loki. "You let me believe you were dead." he said, his tone accusing.

"Disappointed?" asked Loki, a sly smile on his face. He began walking slowly toward the Allfather, but continued speaking. "Were you really glad for my death, Father." He sneered the last word.

"Of course not! I've always loved you like a son, Loki. What I did was for your own good! If you can't realize this, you're more of a fool than I thought." Odin's tone was full of anger, but there was something underneath it, something familiar, yet foreign to the god of mischief.

He allowed his hard green eyes to soften a bit before saying, "Then I am a fool." He darted forward then and Odin let out short cry as something sharp pierced his abdomen. "The spell on this blade will put you into the Odin Sleep until I decide to wake you. Until then, Asgard is mine to rule." he murmured quickly in Odin's ear. The old king fell, groaning, to the marble floor and Loki pulled the blade out. He knelt down beside his adopted father. Odin's eyes were closed, but Loki knew he could still hear him. "I am sorry, Father. But it's my time to rule now, whether you wish it or not." He stood, and in a wash of green light, became the Allfather. Using more of his magic than he'd ever done, he pushed Odin's unconscious figure through the floor where he knew he would rest in the lower levels of the palace. Then, with a deep sigh, took his place on the throne.

Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you think!