"Are you ready, brother?"

I wasn't sure. The last time I'd visited Midgard was when I was going through that crisis. I doubted Midgard would welcome me warmly.

"Ready," I murmured, nodding to Heimdall. Heimdall returned the gesture and stabbed his sword into the slot, signaling the Bifrost to open and send us to Midgard.

Blinding light absorbed us and released us within the same second onto cold concrete.

"Thor!" a feminine voice shrilled nearby. I peered up, still dizzy from the difficult journey. My sight was hazy; I could make out a muddled figure kneeling beside Thor. It was the woman I had nearly killed during my rampage. But that was behind me. I had served my time and gone through dozens of anger management sessions. I was pure once more.

"Jane! How I've missed you!"

I turned away, not wanting to observe my brother being *scoff* affectionate and such. Ever since he had met that woman... I fought the urge to groan aloud, until I reminded himself that I too had changed.

"Whose this?" The woman asked. I could hear the questioning in her tone, and knew she was speaking of me. I didn't look up.

"That is my brother," Thor boomed, slapping me proudly on the shoulder. "Loki."

This time I turned to catch Jane's reaction. Her eyes widened in fear and confusion. She still remembered the day...

I offered a bone chilling smile and a wink. It didn't relax her.

"Oh, uh, nice to meet you, Loki," she held out a manicured hand. I glared at the threat. If she planned to slap me, she would be dead in seconds and -

"It's a mortal motion," Thor explained. "Shaking hands is a welcome."

I took her hand in my mine and gave it a round of tense shakes. My satisfaction was answered when goose bumps ran up her arm. No, I firmly thought to myself. You've changed.

"I'm -"

"Jane," I finished for her. "I've heard plenty about you."

"Oh," Jane beamed at Thor. "And this is Darcy." She pointed to a woman standing awkwardly across the room, with two white wires jammed into her ears, connecting to a small device. She glanced up at the sound of her name and waved with a smile at me.

Darcy was easily the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She looked frail, easy to break. Her hair hung in ringlets to her shoulders and she wore eye catching leather boots to her knee that gave her a certain edge. I was in love with her just by sight.

"Nice to meet you," Darcy casually grinned at me.

"And you," I returned, taking her hand and kissing it. It might've been the wrong move because she looked a tad weirded out. I'd have to learn what Midgardians did during greetings. But she did blush a little at the gesture.

"So, how long are you two staying this time?" Jane asked, stroking Thor's arm.

"Just one night. We have to be back to care for mother while father is away. She has a small cold," Thor replied. I nodded in agreement, wanting to be a part of the conversation.

"Okay, great," Jane, I could tell, was trying to hide her disappointment. I guessed she had wanted a longer visit.

"Don't be upset, Janey," (I almost gagged at her nickname) Thor took her in his arms and held her tight. "We'll be sure to stay much longer once mother is healed."

As they chatted about distant plans, I focused on Darcy. She dialed something on her device and readjusted the wires in her ears. She then closed her eyes and began swaying from side to side. I got to my feet and, feeling confident, strode to her side.

"What's that?" I curiously inquired. She continued swaying like she hadn't heard me. I politely tapped on her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and she jumped a bit in surprise. I offered a kind smile. "What's that?" I repeated, pointing to the device in her hand.

"My iPod," she answered. "Wanna try?" she plucked the wires from her ears and handed the machine to me. "Put these in your ears," she fingered the wires, "and pick a song." I followed her directions and stabbed the buds at the end of the wires into my ears. They fit strangely and fell out a few times before they eventually stuck. "You can pick a song by scrolling through my list with your finger."

I glared at the tool in confusion. I gave the glowing square a swipe with my finger, and words began rolling up and down. I studied the titles; they made no sense. Experimentally, I tapped a name.

"Good choice. One of my favorites." Darcy nodded approvingly.

Music began playing in my ears. Stunned, I stumbled backwards. "Where's that coming from?!" I demanded.

"The headphones," she giggled.

"Is this the real life; is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality."

"This is...unusual," I muttered. Involuntarily, I began swaying as she did.

"Open your eyes, look up to the skies, and seeeeeeeeeee."

I enjoyed the bizarre mechanism. "Where do you obtain one of these?"

"Target. I'll take you tomorrow," she offered, looking as though she was restraining laughter.

"Thank you," I stated sincerely, already looking forward to more time spent with her. Midgard wasn't so bad after all.

********HI! IF YOU KNOW THE SONG, LEAVE A REVIEW OF THE TITLE xD HOPE YOU LIKED IT!*********