p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;" align="center"strongTaste the Starlight/strong/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Loki looked out, in memory, over the dark penetrated with stars, and wondered./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" If the Doctor had been kept at home, had he stayed with his own kind, would he have become a monster like Loki?/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Or, maybe more importantly—if Loki had run away, would things have been any different?/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Sometimes, he truly envied the Time Lord—and then found that he didn't. Because people loved the Doctor, desperately, needily, even for love's sake—but the Doctor so often didn't even realize. And Loki had seen the gaping holes in the Doctor's soul. Sometimes, in a cruel mood, he'd wished that the other man was there so he could rake those wounds wide open all over again; there was a certain pleasure in building up and then breaking another with words./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Not any more. And really, not ever./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Pleasure was hollow, empty, meaningless. Especially since in a foolish, childish fit of passion, Loki had turned his brother away—the only person, perhaps, besides Frigga, who he had ever truly loved. Brotherly love had grown cold, and Loki's pride had kept him from accepting the kind hand held out./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" He was even denied the satisfaction of knowing that there was another in the universe, just as badly ruined as he himself was./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Except, the Doctor truly was just the same as he was; he simply didn't know it yet. He kept on lying to himself—/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" To keep himself honest. Loki sighed. Even his own thoughts betrayed him today./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "There weren't enough stars in the sky to fill that hole in your heart," the Doctor said, quietly. Loki looked up, giving him a raised eyebrow./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "Good afternoon to you too."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "Listen to me," the Doctor growled in that low, dangerous voice that was like a blend of Loki at his most deadly and the Hulk rolled all into one. (Banner was not the only one who kept a monster caged within. All three of them did, more or less.) "I wasted my breath on a childhood friend turned enemy and the only other Time Lord left alive. He's dead now—and I just wanted something back. Something in return. So I'm in no mood to play games."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "You never are, when you come here."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "I don't come for amusement. I come to try to help you." With a visible effort, the Doctor's clenched fists uncurled. "That hole in your heart only exists because you want to possess things. To say you own them. That's not the point. We're all stewards, we come and we go. We die. We're transient. Nothing's meant to last forever, some things just last a few minutes longer than others."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "How is your memory, Time Lord?" Loki mocked, but it was hollow./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "Do you want to see them?" the Doctor asked, quietly. Loki gave no sign. The Doctor turned to walk away. "The offer stands, if you ever decide to let go of your greed and heal."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "Why are you trying to help me? You're even breaking your no-second-chances rule," Loki asked./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "That rule was made for bending. If I see someone who I believe can be saved, I will never stop trying."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Stubborn fool./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" They both knew that Loki's pride would never let him./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" And that, Loki realized, was probably the answer./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;" align="center" /p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" He and the Doctor were not the same after all./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Loki looked out, in memory, over the dark penetrated with stars, and wondered./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" If the Doctor had been kept at home, had he stayed with his own kind, would he have become a monster like Loki?/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Or, maybe more importantly—if Loki had run away, would things have been any different?/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Sometimes, he truly envied the Time Lord—and then found that he didn't. Because people loved the Doctor, desperately, needily, even for love's sake—but the Doctor so often didn't even realize. And Loki had seen the gaping holes in the Doctor's soul. Sometimes, in a cruel mood, he'd wished that the other man was there so he could rake those wounds wide open all over again; there was a certain pleasure in building up and then breaking another with words./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Not any more. And really, not ever./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Pleasure was hollow, empty, meaningless. Especially since in a foolish, childish fit of passion, Loki had turned his brother away—the only person, perhaps, besides Frigga, who he had ever truly loved. Brotherly love had grown cold, and Loki's pride had kept him from accepting the kind hand held out./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" He was even denied the satisfaction of knowing that there was another in the universe, just as badly ruined as he himself was./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Except, the Doctor truly was just the same as he was; he simply didn't know it yet. He kept on lying to himself—/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" To keep himself honest. Loki sighed. Even his own thoughts betrayed him today./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "There weren't enough stars in the sky to fill that hole in your heart," the Doctor said, quietly. Loki looked up, giving him a raised eyebrow./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "Good afternoon to you too."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "Listen to me," the Doctor growled in that low, dangerous voice that was like a blend of Loki at his most deadly and the Hulk rolled all into one. (Banner was not the only one who kept a monster caged within. All three of them did, more or less.) "I wasted my breath on a childhood friend turned enemy and the only other Time Lord left alive. He's dead now—and I just wanted something back. Something in return. So I'm in no mood to play games."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "You never are, when you come here."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "I don't come for amusement. I come to try to help you." With a visible effort, the Doctor's clenched fists uncurled. "That hole in your heart only exists because you want to possess things. To say you own them. That's not the point. We're all stewards, we come and we go. We die. We're transient. Nothing's meant to last forever, some things just last a few minutes longer than others."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "How is your memory, Time Lord?" Loki mocked, but it was hollow./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "Do you want to see them?" the Doctor asked, quietly. Loki gave no sign. The Doctor turned to walk away. "The offer stands, if you ever decide to let go of your greed and heal."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "Why are you trying to help me? You're even breaking your no-second-chances rule," Loki asked./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" "That rule was made for bending. If I see someone who I believe can be saved, I will never stop trying."/p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" Stubborn fool./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" They both knew that Loki's pride would never let him./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" And that, Loki realized, was probably the answer./p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;" align="center" /p
p class="MsoNoSpacing" He and the Doctor were not the same after all./p