Author's Note: If you come across this and plan on reading it, I thank you so much! This is an idea that's been bugging me since I saw Thor: The Dark World. That being said, if you haven't seen Thor: The Dark World, I don't advise you read this for it contains MAJOR spoilers in the first chapter alone. However, I know there are some rebels out there, so I can't stop you if you decide to read it. I respect that. But consider yourself warned...

This chapter's song is Goodbye by Apparat. Give it a go while you read and you might feel tears threaten to fall.

Disclaimer: Pretty sure I don't own any of Marvel's characters and concepts. I'll check on it though... I do, however, own Aveline who's character is dedicated to my cousin, Ava.

...

Aveline studied the broken, hollow shell of a man she once knew sitting before her. There were dark circles ringed beneath his eyes. His face had turned a sallow pale. His eyes dull of their usual spark and mischief. His form gauntly and slumped, tired and broken compared to his usual tall, confident, regal composure. This was a man that had once flown to the highest of mountains and steepest of hills. Sure, many saw him as evil and tarnished. A waste to the name of Odin. But Aveline saw him as misunderstood, misguided and misled. Beneath the darkness and ill will, Aveline could still see the remnants of the boy she befriended many years prior. A boy who had accepted her for who she was, who she is, and who she would always be. It was for this reason that she continued to visit him in his eternal damnation. Condemnation to a cell beneath the Asgardian royal palace in the high security dungeons.

He hadn't spoken to her since she had arrived. Instead, he chose to take particular interest in a book he reread over and over, each time Aveline snuck into the dungeons. To an extent, Aveline was frustrated by his unwillingness to speak to her, unwillingness to acknowledge her. Unwillingness to even look at her. So, Aveline opted to lean against a wall very close to his cell and speak to him, even if he wasn't listening. Talking and holding a conversation with herself, hoping to spike his interest in at least something she said.

"Why do you continue to drag out this charade?" the man spoke with contempt and anger rising in his throat, flipping a page idly in his book.

Aveline raised her eyebrows in surprise, and straightened herself off the wall. He had spoken. "To what are you referring?" her brows then furrowed in confusion, even though she already had a good idea where this was leading.

"Do not mock me with your false pretenses!" The man screamed in pure rage, shutting his book with an audible slam and snapping his gaze to Aveline, face contorted in anguish.

Aveline flinched at his outburst and felt her eyes prick with tears at his distress. "Loki," she spoke softly and delicately yet firmly. "The only reason I am here is because I want to be."

"No!" Loki barked before Aveline could continue. "The only reason you're here is because your guilty conscience pries at you. You know you're the reason I'm locked in this cell for the rest of my days. You know you should be suffering the same fate as I."

With each sentence he spewed, he stood and came closer to the cell's magical barrier. Each word rolled off his tongue in vexation and wrath. Aveline had to force herself to hold Loki's gaze while his silver tongue lashed out at her.

"You were just as responsible as I for what took place in Midgard, but you got off with a slap on the wrists, just because you chose the side of good," Loki sneered the title as if it disgusted him.

By this point, his face was mere inches from Aveline, the only separation being the layer of magical boundaries that kept him enclosed in the cell. Aveline was sure that if Loki were not limited, he would wrap his hands around her throat and deprive her of air. That's how vicious he looked.

"You betrayed me," he growled. "And you feel guilty. So don't try to act righteous and benevolent. The only reason you choose to be here is so that you sleep better at night knowing you condemned a man to incarceration."

Aveline was unable to respond for a few moments. Her breath hitched in her throat. She blinked rapidly to suppress the ever growing moisture in her eyes and swallowed thickly. When she finally mustered up the courage to look back at Loki, he had a satisfactory gleam in his eye, as if he was enjoying her distress and reminding her of the wrongs she had done against him.

"You're right," she admitted meekly, keeping eye contact. "I do feel an immense amount of guilt. But Loki," a ghost of a smile played upon Aveline's lips. "What you fail to perceive is that I continue to visit you because I care about you."

Loki scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Sentiments," he spat, slumping back against the wall. "If you truly cared about my well-being, I wouldn't be down here in the first place," he snarled.

Aveline felt her own anger and disbelief growing within her. She was unable to hold it in. "You're down here BECAUSE I care about you," she hissed. "Believe me, I never dreamed that this would happen. I thought that the Allfather would sentence you to do your time then you would be released. I wouldn't have turned you in to the Avengers if I had but known your fate." Tears slid down her cheeks and her voice quivered as she recognized the gravity of her words. Loki studied her through slit eyes, as if trying to determine how truthful she was being.

"But, Loki," Aveline took a tentative step closer to the boundary of the cell, desperately trying to appeal to his emotions, to make him see straight. "You were deranged, rage driven and not yourself in Midgard. At first I didn't know any better, but then I came to realize how crazed you'd become. It scared me to the core. You weren't yourself." When Loki opened his mouth to protest, Aveline shot him down before a word could escape his lips.

"Don't even try to deny it! We've been friends since we were children. I think I know what your natural state is."

Loki narrowed his eyes at Aveline. The two shared a brief stare down before Loki relented. "Alright," he shrugged. "If you are so confident that you care," he stood, walked over to Aveline and kneeled so that they were at even eye level. The look he gave Aveline was unnerving and sent a shiver down her spine. There was no light behind his green eyes. "Look into my eyes and tell me what you see."

Aveline repressed the sudden urge to roll her eyes. She hated these games he always played. Mind games designed to make the one in question look foolish and unobservant. Regardless of what she responded with, she would lose. He would find a way to see it as insufficient, and perhaps hate her even more. But, what choice did she have? She couldn't deny him. Not after everything she'd put him through. So, staring intently into Loki's eyes, she went to work on deciphering the emotions he kept bottled inside. To anyone who didn't know him, his eyes were a lifeless, empty void. But Aveline knew better. She smiled and reached out to Loki as if she could touch him, but withdrew when she realized she'd only be electrocuted with strong waves of magic if she attempted to do so. So instead, she started listing.

"Distress..

"Doubt..

"Devotion..

"Despair..

"Resignation..

"Realization..

"Remorse..

"Relief..."

And she stopped, seeing Loki's jaw harden and teeth clench. He was speechless for a while. A million and one emotions swirled in his emerald green vortexed eyes. She knew she was hitting him deep. Each word spoken referred to a certain discussion the two had held throughout their friendship. Each had meaning. Each had significance. Each reminded Loki of a time of weakness. When he finally spoke, the words came out almost in a choked cry. "Get out."

Aveline bowed her head, feeling as if she had overstayed her welcome, lying to herself that she was welcome in the first place. "As you wish." And she turned away from the cell, preparing to shroud herself in a cloaking spell to retreat unseen.

Aveline had lifted her hand to put up the invisibility spell, when Loki stopped her.

"Wait," he commanded with a lot more force than previously used. Aveline paused but didn't yet look back.

"You risk execution every time you come down here," Loki continued, voice strained and almost unreadable. "Why DO you continue to come see me?"

Aveline smiled a small smile and shook her head lightly. "I thought it would have been obvious by now," she muttered to herself. Even so, she turned to face Loki fully and spoke more clearly.

"Like I said. I care about you," she confirmed once more. "More than you'll ever know." She stopped when she heard the distant sound of clanking approaching: guards on their nightly patrol.

"I must go," she frowned regrettably. "But know this. I will never give up on you Loki. It isn't enough for ME to have faith in you. You must have faith in yourself."

The incredulous look he gave her would stay with her for the rest of her life. It confirmed that he wasn't so far gone. There was still a chance for redemption. Aveline wouldn't stop until Loki was released. Somehow, she'd find a loophole in the Allfather's sentence. She would appeal to him, strike a deal if need be. Anything to keep Loki from spending the rest of his days within his own mind since it had taken him so deep and dark the last time. Aveline was the only one who had witnessed Loki's innocence in Midgard, and she wouldn't stop until everyone else saw it too.

And with that, Aveline took her leave. That was the last time she ever saw him.

Aveline woke with a start, tremors running up and throughout her body. Her veins ran cold and her face completely drained of color when the events of what had transpired within the past few days slammed into her mind full force. Her chest ached and her heart ignited a burning fire in her veins. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears and her face crumpled into complete grief and sorrow.

Loki was dead.

Aveline had spent hours crying. Hours trying to convince herself that it couldn't be true. Hours denying the simple truth that she would never see him laugh again. Never see him smile again. Never see the fire in his eyes or have an invigorating conversation with him. It was unbearable to think, even worse to live.

Aveline stood, repressing the guttural sobs that worked within her core, and stalked over to a table in the corner of her room. She lit her workspace with a wave of her hand and studied the contents strewn out across its surface.

All for naught, Aveline had tried anything and everything in the way of spells to bring him back. She had even delved into the darkest of magic which was sure to taint her heart. Aveline didn't care. Anything was better than this existence. Anything was better than the reminder of his absence. But, so far, nothing had worked. She had gone through so many books for answers, slaving away day and night, searching for an answer to relieve her of her misery. Aveline was determined to find a way. She would find a way. She had to. Aveline flipped through the pages of a book of spells of which she currently working through. She stopped when her eyes landed on a spell.

To call a lost love.

Aveline's blood ran cold. Her finger traced the title and her eyes flooded with even more tears. She closed her eyes and let the tears spill all over her face as a new wave of grief overcame her senses. She had been avoiding this fact at all costs. It reminded her even more of what she had truly lost. Not only a friend, but her first and only love. But what really scrubbed salt into the wound was that she had never even mustered up the courage to tell him how she felt.

The two had been through so much together since childhood. Ups, downs and everything in between. Aveline could recall almost every moment she'd ever spent with Loki, which made the pain all the more raw and excruciating. Like someone was squeezing her heart and cutting it out with a dull, wooden spoon. The only thing worse than telling the one you love how you feel and him rejecting you is never telling him at all. Never knowing. Never even having a chance at true happiness.

Aveline breathed a shaky breath and sighed. This had to be it. This had to be the spell that would work. If this didn't do it, nothing would. All Aveline wanted was for the pursuing pain to end.

She briefly glanced through what the spell called for and withdrew the ingredients from her stash. Rosemary, Cypress and Yarrow root all within a silver mortar. She positioned the contents out on the floor and read through the procedure a few times. Although it didn't call for much, this spell could've been the determining factor for life and death. Happiness and despair. Nothing and everything. Aveline was desperate.

Dropping to her knees, she pulled a few strands of hair away from her face with her bony, shaking hands, took a deep breath, and began to grind the ingredients with a pestle within the silver mortar, her muscles working hard to pulverize the elements. Aveline hadn't eaten in days, so the task was more difficult than it should have been. While breaking a sweat to crush the ingredients in the bowl, she repeated the words that she had hurriedly engrained into her mind.

"Power of the universe rise.

"Course unseen across the skies.

"Come to me who calls you near.

"Come to me and settle here."

For the next phase of the spell, Aveline withdrew a dagger she kept with her always from the inner folds of her robes and pressed the blade against her wrist. She gasped and winced as she made another deep, thin, jagged slice in her skin, along with the many other incisions she had made in her wrists in previous spells that required her blood. She held her wrist over the bowl and squeezed the skin around the cut to let the deep red liquid ooze into the bowl. She licked her lips nervously before chanting the final words to the spell.

"Blood to blood, I summon thee.

"Blood to blood, return to me."

She shuddered and waited for something, anything to happen.

The light she had summoned with her magic pulsed a few times, flickering in and out of darkness. There was a light breeze that blew wisps of Aveline's hair around her face. But other than that, nothing. No signs of success. No warm feelings in her heart. She waited and waited. Sitting on the floor, staring dully through the sheer curtains at her window and into the night sky. She didn't know what she expected. Perhaps a beam of light and Loki emerging from it. Maybe a gentle whisper in the wind as confirmation of the spell's success. But nothing happened. It hadn't worked.

Aveline continued to sit on the floor, staring blankly into space, jumbled emotions consuming every aspect of her mind.

Loki is dead.

He's not coming back.

I can't do anything about it.

I never apologized.

I never told him that I loved him.

I'll never see him again.

I never even said goodbye...

In an act of pure rage, Aveline cried out in anguish and tossed everything that sat before her across the room. A blur of items crashed against the walls. Explosions, screams and tears. Aveline destroyed everything in her path, using a combination of magic and physical force. She wore herself to exhaustion ripping apart all that she possessed. With a desperate cry of defeat, Aveline collapsed to the cold, stone floor, and sobbed. Hyperventilation kicked in. Loss of breath came quickly. Her eyes were swollen. Her head throbbing.

Nothing was as it should be. Aveline couldn't cope, and there was only one solution.

Tomorrow, she would venture to seek Odin's counsel. As much as she hated to admit it, the Allfather was the only one who could grant her peace. Grant her freedom from this desolate existence.

"Tomorrow," she vowed to herself before falling into unconsciousness.

Loki sighed in frustration and massaged the bridge of his nose. Impersonating Odin had proven more grievous a task than expected. On the contrary, Loki didn't know how the Allfather dealt with the dim witted imbeciles he had working as warriors and staff. Many a times had Loki kept himself from lashing out and revealing his true identity. Which led him to another problem.

He didn't know when or if he would ever transition the Asgardian reign from Odin to himself. As far as everyone else was concerned, Loki was dead, and Thor had neglected his duties as king. If Loki were to reveal himself too soon, or in a neglectful manner, all hell would break loose. For now, he resigned to being the benevolent king many considered Odin to be and followed through his duties the way he believed Odin would. And first on the list was restoring the kingdom from the Dark Elves decent and Thor's poor piloting. Restoration and revival of Asgard, all under the watchful eyes of the God of Mischief.

"Allfather," a guard whom Loki hadn't noticed enter bowed before him at the throne. "I have someone here who seeks your audience."

Loki almost rolled his eyes at the request. Who DIDN'T seek audience with the king?

"Who?" Loki responded with instead.

"Lady Aveline," the guard answered.

This caught Loki's attention. He hadn't heard of or seen Aveline since he and Thor had escaped Asgard with Jane. Quite honestly, she had slipped his mind, clouded over by the duties he was forced to uphold. Loki was speechless for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and nodded.

"Very well. Send her in."

Aveline waited outside of the throne room, nervously fidgeting. It took everything inside of her to keep from shaking. She knew that Odin disliked her, perhaps even despised her, but she had run out of options.

"The King will see you now," the guard that had gone in to notify Odin of her arrival informed Aveline.

Aveline was actually quite shocked to learn that Odin had agreed to see her. Now that half of the battle was won, Aveline had to deal with the bigger request. She nodded, signifying that she had heard, and followed the pair of guards that escorted her to the throne room.

Despite all she'd been through, the walk down the long stretch of floor to the throne was one of the top on her list of hardest things Aveline had ever done. She knew she looked awful. As hard as she'd tried to look presentable, she knew there were bags under her eyes. She knew her skin looked sallow and pale. She knew she looked more bony and sickly. Her hair had lost its luster. Her eyes had lost their sparkle. All in all, she looked like she'd been to hell and back. Aveline knew this. And with that knowledge, it made it even more difficult to keep everything together, to act like everything was okay.

She avoided eye contact with the Allfather, but held herself as regally as possible. When she reached the throne, she bowed as low as she could without her knees buckling, then kneeled to the floor. This wasn't the time to look inferior and weak.

"Your majesty," she acknowledged respectfully.

"Leave us!" Odin barked at his guards. Aveline flinched at the authority in his tone and wasn't surprised when the guards departed the throne room without a challenge.

Odin waited until he was sure the two were alone before continuing. "Now, Aveline, my dear... What brings you here?"

Aveline was taken aback by the cordial warmth in his voice. She felt her ears perk and she lifted her head to face the Allfather, still kneeling low in respect.

"I come humbly bearing a request, my king," Aveline spoke, making eye contact with Odin for the first time since entering the room.

Odin leaned forward in his throne. "What might that be, my dear?"

Aveline swallowed before speaking. She felt a bit more confident in her request with Odin being in a seemingly good mood, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong. Something... off.

Aveline bit her lip before answering. Should she ease into the request and beat around the bush or dive right in?

"I would like passage through the Bifrost."

She decided on the latter.

Odin froze and his face had an icy edge to it. "Why?" he barked.

"I realize that you have forbidden me passage into the other realms," Aveline spoke quickly and tried desperately to repress the shakiness in her voice. "And rightfully so. However, if you allow me to leave Asgard, I swear to Valhalla that I will never return. I only ask for a one way transport to Midgard."

Odin chuckled dryly. "You expect me to pardon your sentence to send you back to the very realm you aided in conquering?" Aveline felt her face flush. She knew how dumb it sounded, but Odin saying it aloud only emphasized the stupidity of the request. "What makes you think I would allow this?"

Aveline hated the mockery in the Allfather's tone. It made her feel inferior and insignificant. "I have no idea," she admitted with a sigh. "I just... I need... I can't..." Aveline couldn't put anything into words. She'd rehearsed what she needed to say over and over, but nothing came smoothly out of her mouth.

Aveline's eyes narrowed in determination. "I can't stay here anymore," she said. "Bind my powers. Tamper with my mind as you did last time I was banished. I don't care. But please, allow me to permanently leave Asgard."

Odin said nothing, pensively absorbing the young woman's words. Aveline continued in hopes of convincing him to allow her departure.

"I will no longer pose a threat. Of this I swear. I promise you will never be burdened by the sound of my name. It will be as if I never existed. I will completely disassociate myself from this kingdom. You will never hear or see of me again. Please," Aveline pleaded, staring Odin straight in the eye. "Allow my leave."

Odin was silent for a moment, looking slightly puzzled and torn.

"You have not yet given me one good reason why I should grant what you desire," he finally uttered.

Aveline felt her face pale, and she knew right then and there what she had to say. She'd hoped that she would have been able skirt around it, but somehow she knew she'd have to admit it at some point. Aveline stood tall and proud before her king and stared him dead square in the eye.

"I'm in love with your son," she spoke loudly and clearly.

Odin froze and his one good eye widened in surprise. After the initial shock subsided, it narrowed and his lips curled in something between a sneer and a smirk.

"Thor?" he growled.

Aveline couldn't repress the laugh that built up in her throat. "No!" she chuckled sardonically. "Heavens no," she repeated. Then, Aveline's face dropped and her eyes saddened.

"Allow me to rephrase that," she said in a much quieter, reflective tone. "I was in love with your son. Loki."

Odin looked dumbfounded and was unable to respond to Aveline's confession, so Aveline continued to speak.

"And everywhere I turn, everywhere I go, there's just the bitter, painful reminder ripping in my gut that he is gone. That I'll never see him again." Tears spilled from Aveline's eyes, and she was powerless to stop them. But she tried to contain them to a minimum, as to appeal to Odin's emotions, but not overwhelm him with her feminine empathy.

"Surely you can relate," she smiled sadly. "Fresh off the death of your wife, the queen? I can't even imagine the loss you've endured..."

"Indeed," the king managed to croak. "Who... Who told you about Loki's...?" he left the question hanging.

"Thor," Aveline admitted with a shudder, memories of him breaking the news crashing over her like a tidal wave. "Before he left for Midgard."

"And you wish to follow in his footsteps?"

"No," Aveline shook her head. "Believe it or not your majesty, I had a life in Midgard. A life that didn't involve magic, transcending realms and gods. It was simple, and perhaps a bit boring, but... It was something." Aveline bit her bottom lip and frowned.

"Something as opposed to...?" Odin prodded.

"As opposed to putting up the facade that there is nothing wrong," Aveline answered with ease. "There's only so much I can do here in Asgard. But in Midgard, I can take the steps necessary to move on with what's left of my life and forget. And I can do it in a non-toxic environment, clean of the temptation to use magic."

Odin's eyes narrowed in contemplation, testing the value of Aveline's sincerity.

"I can sense that you ponder the truth to my words. But please believe me when I say I'm being sincere. There is no ulterior motive to my request. I only seek peace. Peace and closure."

Odin ran his index finger over his top lip, still deep in thought. Aveline remained silent to let his mind churn. The silence was nearly unbearable. She avoided eye contact with the Allfather, sensing his gaze penetrating her.

"I believe you," he finally said, and Aveline released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

"And," the Allfather continued carefully. "If it should bring you amity, I will allow your passage to Midgard."

Aveline's smile radiated off the walls of the throne room. "Thank you for your gracious judgment, your majesty. I am truly grateful."

A ghost of a smile played upon Odin's lips. "You are most welcome, my dear. When do you desire to leave?"

"Immediately, if possible."

"Why so soon?" Odin asked curiously.

Aveline smiled sadly. "There's nothing here for me anymore." And that's all she offered in explanation. It was enough.

"Very well," Odin resolved. "I shall inform Heimdall of your arrival."

"I hardly think that will be necessary," Aveline chuckled. Heimdall had been released from captivity as sentence of his treason soon after Thor had returned from defeating the dark elves. His intentions had been honored in a sense, and he resumed his position as gatekeeper. Just as when he'd begun his post as Gatekeeper, Heimdall continued to see all. He was the eyes and ears of all nine realms.

"Perhaps," Odin shrugged. "Nethertheless, he will be told of confirmation of your departure. And, Aveline, if you plan on leaving immediately, I suggest you start heading that way."

Aveline smiled warmly and curtseyed once again. "You have my deepest gratitude, your majesty. You have no idea what this means to me." Aveline looked up to meet Odin's gaze, locking his eyes into her ocean blue stare, emotions rolling like waves in the deep irises of her eyes. "Thank you," she spoke with emotion brimming her eyes and voice.

Then, Aveline turned away from the king with a new sense of purpose. A new start on the horizon. She doubted she'd ever truly get over the emptiness that ate at her, but at least she could begin the healing process by leaving Asgard, the place where the memories of Loki were overwhelming.

"This is truly what you want?" Odin's voice stopped her. It was strained and lacquered with confusion and bewilderment, which alarmed Aveline.

She bit her bottom lip, turned to face the Allfather, and nodded solemnly. "It is," she confirmed.

A silence pursued. Both the King and Aveline didn't say a word. But with words unspoken, the two came to a mutual understanding. Yes, Aveline was running away from her problems, but Odin would do just the same if not for his obligations to the kingdom. While they both were in the same boat of grief and despair, only Aveline could flee.

Aveline bowed her head, indicating that she would be leaving, then resumed to exit the throne room. She'd barely made it two steps when Odin said something that shook her to the core.

"Then I wish you the best...Ava."

Aveline froze. Instantly, without warning or control over herself, tears began to spring into her eyes. She hadn't been called Ava since...

"Ava, you look ravishing this evening."

...

"What is it you see in me, Ava...?"

...

"Ava...you bring out the good in me. A side I had believed I'd lost until I found you again."

...

"Do you remember what you said to me all those years ago, Ava? That we would always be friends? Tell me... Does that still ring true?"

...

Aveline felt herself shaking. Felt herself on the verge of collapsing. She didn't look back, fearing she would lose her composure upon refacing the King. Why did this have to happen every time she was reminded of Loki? Why did she have to be put through such pain and agony? Where was the justice? Why...? Why..?

"Is something wrong, my dear?" Odin asked. But his voice sounded distant. Realms away. As if he wasn't even there.

"No," Aveline found herself choking. "It's just... The only person that's ever called me Ava was..."

Aveline couldn't find the heart to speak his name again. It hurt too much.

"The only person who ever called you Ava was who, darling?" a voice spoke from behind, right into Aveline's ear. Her eyes widened in disbelief, the hairs on the back of her neck standing straight up as his breath breathed over the nape of her neck. She knew that voice. In her wildest dreams, she'd never thought she would hear its silky, smooth, eloquent drawl ever again. It couldn't be...

Aveline squeezed her eyes shut and didn't make a single move. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. Not only was Aveline depressed, but now she was delusional and hallucinating. She'd resolved that it had only been a matter of time before she went officially crazy. Aveline just hoped that by the time the hallucinations swept in, she would've been long gone, tucked away in Midgard.

But now, here she was, hearing the voice of her dead best friend and only love.

Then Aveline felt hands grip her shoulders firmly. She tensed, keeping her eyes shut, telling herself to come to her senses. This wasn't real. As much as she wanted it to be true, he wasn't actually there. He couldn't be. He was dead.

"Ava," he spoke again. "Ava, look at me."

She refused, standing her ground and not saying a word. She heard a sigh, then proceeding footsteps walking around her to her front. The same firm hands that had gripped her shoulders now held her face, gently, lovingly, in a caress. Thumbs stroked her cheeks, and Aveline couldn't help but relax into the touch. Sensations she hadn't felt in a long time rippled throughout her body.

"Aveline," he whispered softly. "Please... Open your eyes..."

And she obeyed.

Aveline was met by bright, emerald green eyes. Her eyes traced his jawline, lips, cheekbones and pale skin. Tears dripped from her eyes down her cheeks, of which he gracefully and willingly wiped away with concern etched into his features.

"Loki?" Aveline whispered brokenly in disbelief.

"I think it's safe to say that you thought you'd seen the last of me," Loki chuckled lightly.

Aveline, still in shock, blinked several times to prevent any further tears from pouring. She felt her head getting light, and her vision blurred, but she forced her eyes to drink in every feature of the man that she had believed to be dead. The man that she loved.

"I must say," Loki continued, a smug smile replacing the gentle gaze he held. "I'm quite surprised that you haven't figured it out by now."

Before Aveline could ask what he meant, darkness consumed her and she fell into unconsciousness. The last thing she remembered was his strong arms catching her as she fell into his embrace.

...

If you're curious as to what kind of music I draw inspiration from, check out my 8tracks account where I have created playlists, including my personal favorite, the "To be in a relationship with Loki" series.

Link: 8tracks .com (slash) nikkih450 (no spaces and replace the words with the actual thing)