Months had passed since I'd returned home from an adventure that hadn't lasted even two weeks. As predicted I'd lost my job due to my 'unauthorised absence', but what I hadn't predicted was that nobody had even seemed to notice I'd gone. As far as they were concerned I was either ill, away or just turned antisocial. Everything else was the way it had been though, so my home had been exactly the same as when I left it and sometimes it felt as though it were trying to convince me that the whole episode hadn't happened.
I kept the photograph on me at all times, as a reminder that it had all happened and as something to cheer me up when I felt down.
I even kept Loki's knife, wearing it as a necklace seeing as it was small enough keeping it hidden beneath my top lest someone mistake me for a murderer or something.
Adjusting back to a normal life wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be- I felt like Amy and Rory did when they had a chance to experience normal life. It was surprisingly good. I soon got another job, caught up on all the fanfics that had been updated (I even published my own story on there) and started going out with friends again to the pub or the cinema. Heck, I even managed to get a date or two.
People would tell me that I had changed, that I seemed more alive and more energetic. They would ask me for my secret and I would just smirk at them and told them they'd never believe me. Of course that meant they had to come up with completely bizarre or rude ideas, as they always did whenever you didn't tell them something.
I should have known it wasn't going to last.
"Are you leaving now?" asked Lois, leaning on the counter with an expression of boredom. It was an extremely slow day today due to all the rain we were having, so we'd spent most of the time trying to find things to occupy ourselves with.
"Yeah, I've only got about five minutes left and the rains on a break for a moment," I replied, putting on my coat and shouldering my Joker messenger bag (I'm such a kid sometimes). "Knowing my look it would have started to rain as soon as my shift actually ended."
"It might also decide to rain as soon as you get halfway down the street for payback," she pointed out, and I rolled my eyes. "But I'd take getting wet over this any day- I can count the number of customers we've had in here on one hand. Unfortunately I've got another hour to go before I'm free to leave."
Don't worry- I think Kevin takes the shift after me," I said, watching her eyes light up.
"Really?" she asked, sounding very pleased. "I'm glad I took Kim's then."
I shook my head, saying goodbye to her before walking out of the shop and heading home. Sure enough Lois's predication came true and it was pouring it down with rain before I'd even taken ten steps.
Luckily for me I didn't live that far away from work so it was only a matter of a ten minute walk and I was soon at home, wringing the water out of my hair and grabbing a towel from the bathroom as I went up to my bedroom. Muttering under my breath I walked into the room, making a mental note to turn on the heating and dumping my coat on the chair.
"Where have you been?"
I froze as I (finally) noticed the figure sitting on my bed.
"I was at work," I replied evenly. "Shouldn't you be facing your punishment?"
Loki was sat there, paler than usual and covered in cuts and bruises. He seemed exhausted, but still held himself with pride. One of his hands was held over a wound in his side and his helmet lay abandoned by his side.
He didn't say anything, obviously not wanting to discuss such things with a mortal.
"So what brings you here?" I asked, seeing as he was going to say-or do- anything. "Did you miss me?"
"Do not test me, mortal," he snapped. "I have chosen your world because Heimdall's gaze cannot reach here- do not wish that the oaf who insists on calling me his brother would come."
"And you appeared in my bedroom because that was the only place you saw," I finished, shifting from foot to foot, unsure about what to do. "Did you want me to heal those?"
His eyes narrowed in suspicion, watching me carefully as I walked over to him.
"Relax, I just thought you'd be less cranky if I helped you out," I said, not wanting to add that I hoped it would make him less likely to kill me for blasting him off the tower.
He continued to look at me in suspicion, but begrudgingly allowed me to approach him and I sat beside him on the bed as I started with the wounds on his face.
What I'd learned about my power was that I actually had to be touching the wound in order to heal it, but if I touched someone's forehead I could use it to relieve pain instead of healing. Which meant headaches and period pains were no longer a problem- beat that ibuprofen!
Of course that made it awkward at times, like now as I healed a bruise on his cheek whilst he stared defiantly ahead. It was kind of awkward and I half-expected to find another knife in my stomach.
"Why are you wearing it?"
"Wearing what?" I asked, mentally panicking at the thought that he seemed to have read my mind. Could he do that?
"The blade I used to stab you- do you wish to be reminded of your pain?"
"No," I replied cautiously, thinking that kinda sounded like a threat. "It was just a memento."
We fell back into silence, and I decided it was my turn to ask a question.
"Are these injuries from your punishment?" I guessed, and he looked at me like I'd suggested the moon was made out of cheese.
"It was the Chitauri," he replied, tensing as I moved my hand to his split lip and seeming to mock me as my hand probably shook from it.
"I thought the Avengers killed all the Chitauri," I said, regretting it immediately.
Again with the look.
My hands were on is neck now and I had the urge to strangle him when he spoke.
"Do you really think that those pathetic mortals could beat the Chitauri?" he sneered. "They had so much trouble taking down only a fraction of their forces."
"So they didn't use all their forces," I commented, not liking the fact he was still giving me that arrogant look. "If you've gotten any hidden wounds you're going to need to remove your armour."
And judging from the cuts in it and the red stains he had.
"Of course they didn't use their full force, they believed it would be simple work taking over such a weak planet." He was saying all this as he took off his armour and you can't blame me for not focusing when there is a hot, topless guy in my room- I mean meeting people like doesn't happen very often in a gal's life. Unless you find a portal to a movie world and then you're surrounded by them. "And they choose to blame me for their failure, accusing me of not giving them the Tesseract when it is by their own underestimation that they lost it."
"Not to judge but didn't you underestimate it as well?"
Oops, shouldn't have said anything.
"You are lucky not to have been killed the moment you walked in here," he hissed. "It is only your talent that allows you to live."
Someone's being a cranky boy.
Obviously Loki hadn't been enjoying a holiday in the Bahamas for the past couple of months, but he just seemed so much more angry and annoyed than I would have thought he would be. Speaking of which, if it's been months then exactly how long has he been running from the Chitauri? I mean he obviously hadn't come here first- however he'd done that- and there wasn't exactly many other places he could go without Heimdall seeing him. So what had he been doing all this time?
That was when a portal began to open in my room.
Both of our heads turned to look at it, both stunned as it expanded outwards and began to properly open.
"They shouldn't have found me so fast," he hissed, jumping to his feet and dumping his armour and helmet on me as he began to open another portal. This one opened much faster, revealing a winter wasteland, the cold air rushing through and sending shivers down my spine. "Let's go."
"Wait, what?!"
He wanted me to go with him?! That was definitely not a good idea.
"Would you rather I leave you to die at the hands of the Chitauri?"
I gave one final glance at the other portal as figures began to appear, then allowed Loki to grab me by the wrist and pull me through into wherever he was taking me.