I

The vast library was as silent as any typical library. Perhaps more so due to its current occupancy of one. Nestled in the thousands of books' company was a lone young man, hiding himself away from the duties of being a warrior prince. Only two people in the entire realm knew of his little hideaway, a large plush loveseat tucked into the deepest recesses of the library, and they knew he more than likely did not wish to be found. The raven haired man wished to hone his skills of sorcery and tricks, which was best mastered in solitude. As it was, most avoided the Library anyway, favoring to train for battle with other warriors.

So it's not too difficult to imagine how surprised the young prince was to hear an alien sound in the aisles not too far off his right, followed by a young woman's terrified scream and a clatter of falling books. Dropping the book of ice spells he was studying, the young man followed the fading golden light, and was somewhat shocked to watch it recede into the body of a young girl pinned under several heavy looking books. The girl had curled herself as tight as possible, terror obvious on her tear-streaked face. He felt thankful that very few people frequented the Library as a crowd would just worsen her distress. "Easy, easy, Little One. Are you hurt?" He asked in his softest voice, beginning to help dig her out of the books. She mumbled something, speaking too softly to understand. "What?"

"I-I said.." A soft voice began, trembling a bit from her crying and fear. "I'm n-not little." She looked up at him as she said this, tearful earth brown eyes meeting his concerned emerald eyes. He chuckled lightly, amused by her apparent ability to be seriously indignant while being a sobbing fearful mess.

"I'm sorry. What is your name, Li-Miss?" She glared at his near slip, wiping her eyes.

"Hope… Hope Black…" Hope released a somewhat pained and relieved sigh as her rescuer lifted the last giant book off her ankle, freeing her. "Who are you… Where am I?" He groaned as he shoved the thick volume back onto its proper shelf.

"My name is Loki," he finally answered, kneeling beside her. "You are in Asgard, Hope. In the palace library." She stared at him, stunned.

"Asgard!? Like the Asgard?! Home of the Norse Gods?" Loki chuckled, nodding. He gently took hold of her arm and waist, helping her to stand. "That means you're the Lo- OW!' Hope collapsed only to be held up by Loki's strong arms, clutching her leg.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"My ankle. I think it's busted." She bit her lip with a small whimper, making it obvious how much pain she was in. Clearly, she couldn't walk.

"Put your arms around my neck," he instructed. When she gave him a confused look, he merely repeated the instruction, with the addition of "Trust me." She hesitantly did as she was told, squealing in surprise as Loki scooped her into his arms. Her grip tightened in shock. "Relax, Hope. You're safe in my arms." She met his gaze again, shock mixed with her fading nervous fear. "I'll take care of you."

"Aren't you the God of Lies?" She definitely had to be from Midgard, which added to the mystery of how she came to Asgard. He smirked a little.

"That is true. But it has happened upon occasion that I tell the truth." Hope smirked a bit through her tear streaked face. "There are actually quite a few instances where I'm believed to be lying where I am actually telling the truth!"

"Scandalous!" The brunette giggled as Loki carried her out of the Library, heading towards his own room. Any other retort she intended to make was quickly replaced by awe as she saw the golden halls of the palace. Loki took advantage of her fascinated silence to study exactly who he had rescued.

Unfortunately, his task was made difficult by layers of dirt, sweat, and baggy clothing. Wherever Hope had been before landing in the Library, there had evidently been a fight. There were several small cuts and scrapes marring her hands and arms, some on her face catching her hair and sticking it in front of her eyes. Hope was young, couldn't possibly be older than 19 or 20. Her currently wide chocolate eyes were large in comparison to her facial features, making her appear much younger. Watching her eyes, he noticed that the pupils shimmered gold, similar to the light that heralded her arrival. Which reminded him…

"Hope? May I ask how you made it to Asgard?" He asked as he gently set her on his bed. It took Hope a moment to shake off her stunned awe.

"That's… a long story…" She was still looking around the room as she spoke. "Is this your room? It has the same color scheme as your clothes. Green and gold."

"This is indeed my bedroom and don't change the subject. It appears you need a bit of healing so we have plenty of time for a story." As he pulled up a chair, or rather conjured one, his eyes took a critical sweep of her dirty clothes and ragged body. "I may need an assistant. You need clean clothes. And a bath."

"Oh thanks. So why do you need an assistant? I can bath myself."

"But you can't walk on your ankle. And I do believe it is quite a bit early in the relationship for me to see you nude." Hope giggled at that.

"True enough. You haven't even bought me dinner." As if on cue, Hope's stomach grumbled loudly. They both laughed at that.

"Wait here. I'll get you clothes and food."

"A: I can't exactly walk. It's not like I can go anywhere. And…" When she failed to finish, he turned to her confused. The girl was staring at her hands which were glowing. "No, no! Not now!" Loki watched stunned as the glow traveled up her arms, engulfing her body. She looked at him, sheer terror in her eyes. "Help me! Please!"

Loki had no idea how he could possibly stop… whatever was happening to Hope, he only knew he had to end her terror. He grabbed her hands, muttering the first spell that came to mind, a spell that froze time. The pair shared a shocked look as the light faded back into Hope's body. He sat down beside her, still confused as to what exactly happened. "What… was that?"

"It's… complicated… Thank you…" She hugged him tightly, still trembling with fear. Loki sighed hugging the girl to him.

"Easy… You're safe now… Let me send a servant for food and clothes… Then you'll explain everything to me while I heal you." She just nodded, still shaken by the experience. The Mischief Prince went to the door and called a guard, making his demands. In her current state, it was in no way wise to leave her alone. As it was, he had no idea how long his spell would last. "So…" He sat beside her again, rolling up her pant leg. "What just happened?" Hope tensed as he examined her ankle, clutching the emerald sheets beneath.

"Well… I, uh… I travel with this being… He's a Timelord called the Doctor…" She sighed. "He's probably looking for me… I have no idea how to get ahold of him…"

"I know someone who can help you find him. Now how does this healer correlate with you arriving in Asgard?"

"Well… we were fighting this alien race… called the Daleks that were trying to take over the Earth. Again. When the battle seemed to start leaning in their favor, I… I took a big OW! Risk!" She hissed as his cold fingers danced along her injured ankle, green magic shimmering around his fingertips.

"What kind of risk?" He asked, seemingly ignoring what discomfort his healing was causing her.

"Well I looked into the heart of his time machine, the Tardis. Or spaceship whichever. Technically both. Anyway, I heard one of his previous companions did it to defeat them. Only… it nearly destroyed her mind."

"But not you? You seem fairly sane presently." She chuckled lightly.

"Sane is a matter of opinion. No, the Tardis didn't destroy my mind. It didn't seem to do anything to me! It wasn't until after the battle that we had any sign I had been affected. Basically, I am now a human Tardis. I can travel through space and time without a ship. Only problem is… I can't control it. That's how I ended up here…"

"So coming here was an accident," Loki confirmed as he healed the cuts and scrapes on her hands. She nodded.

"Hopefully, I'll be able to force myself to stay here and make it easier for the Doctor to find me." Why did that sting? He just met Hope. That shouldn't hurt his feelings.

"You may be here awhile regardless. I've healed the break in your ankle; however, it is still sprained. You need to rest it." Hope slumped against the headboard, now looking worn and exhausted. "Or perhaps you need to rest your whole body."

"Nah, I'm fit as a fiddle," she fibbed, smirking. "Besides it would be a sin to not explore the great Asgard."

"I can show you Asgard after you're rested and healed." The brunette pouted, irritated at the news. "It's only for a day or two. You can stay here in my room."

"So I have to sit around for a day or two?"

"I have plenty of books you could read."

"Books?" She perked right up, looking hopeful. Loki found himself equally hopeful. On Asgard, even among the women he found it difficult to find fellow bookworms.

"You like to read?"

"I love to read! And the Doctor says books are the greatest weapons in the universe!"

"I'm starting to like your doctor." Loki picked a well-worn book from his nightstand, a childhood favorite full of heroes and wizards. "I have plenty of books you can read. They can teach you about Asgard as well." He handed her the book, which she took eagerly. She began to flip through the pages, giggling excitedly. However, her excitement faded as she leafed through.

"I… can't read this…" She looked at him, disappointment clear in her eyes. "It's gibberish… I can't read it… Can you help me?" He smiled.

"After you're clean and fed, I'll read it to you, alright?" The girl nodded eagerly as a servant entered.

Loki kept to his word. After a short bath which he left his bedroom during (it was still rather strange) and a good meal, the trickster made himself comfortable beside his charge and read to her. This became their routine as her ankle healed. They would exchange stories, his tales of bold Asgardian warriors and his own (mis)adventures with his somewhat foolish brother, hers of distant stars and galaxies and the races that inhabited them. The pair became very close.

As for Hope's uncontrollable "Tardising," as she called it, Loki was able to stop them with his spell to freeze time, effectively keeping her in his care. Which he thoroughly enjoyed. Hope was witty and intelligent and very independent. He found her company much more entertaining and enjoyable than most others in Asgard. His favorite thing to do once her ankle had healed and she was walking again was to tease her about her height – the top of her head came to his shoulders – just to rile her up. She'd puff up like a bird and punch his arm, which always hurt her more than him, and insist he was just too tall.

It wasn't until about two weeks later that they encountered a problem. For as long as she had been there and as much as they had explored, Loki had managed to keep Hope a secret from Asgard. The people knew that Prince Loki had been caught sneaking about the Palace grounds with a mysterious young maiden but that was it. Unfortunately, they were now expecting Loki to introduce the maiden at the upcoming feast. And Hope was starting to get restless.

After much arguing and debate, he finally agreed to let her accompany him as long as no one learned she was mortal. Since mortals weren't allowed in Asgard and the Allfather did sometimes have a bad temper, Loki couldn't stress the idea of secrecy enough. "And what do you plan to do if I randomly Tardis again?" Hope asked from behind the changing screen. This was accompanied by various grunts and groans and a curse or two as a handmaiden helped her into a traditional Asgardian gown.

"My spell seems to keep you safe for several hours which should be long enough for this feast." Loki, already dressed in his ceremony armor sans helmet, paced as he waited, fiddling with the small green velvet pouch in his hand. "And I may have something else…" He muttered quietly.

"What was that, Loki?" He looked up… and forgot what he was about to say. Hope was draped in green silk, with a gold brooch pinning the fabric onto on shoulder. A gold belt cinched the dress around her waist, enhancing her figure. A small, delicate hourglass was engraved into her brooch and embroidered onto her belt in emerald green. Only fitting for a time traveler. She didn't seem as impressed. "Hourglasses. Subtle. I'm pretty sure I'm not the goddess of time."

"Obviously not. She's been harassing me about meeting you." Hope rolled her eyes at Loki's typical snark. She turned to observe herself in the mirror, looking surprisingly unsure of herself. He didn't understand why. Now that her back was to him, he could see how her long, usually straight brown hair was made into tight curls bound together by a green leather band, a few looser curls framing her face. He fought a chuckle as she swatted at the curls. She didn't typically like having her hair in her face. "Stop fidgeting."

"I look silly!" She huffed. Loki frowned. How could she possibly think that? He caught her wrist, turning her to face him. As he turned her, he pulled her to him, closing the gap between them. Her eyes widened in shock as Loki had never invaded her space like this before. In all honesty, Loki was surprised be his own behavior, but he had to get his point across.

"You look beautiful, Hope." A faint pink blush stole across her cheeks at his quiet words "You easily pass for a goddess like this. Even surpass any goddess I know. I'll have to spend this feast fighting off suitors." Her blushed deepened to a vivid red. "It just needs one more thing." He held the velvet pouch to her, smiling at her surprise lit eyes.

His arm subconsciously snaked its way around her waist, pulling her closer to him as she opened the pouch. He grinned as her jaw dropped at the contents of the pouch. She reached in and pulled out a delicate looking gold chain with a small hourglass pendant filled with emerald dust. The frame of the hourglass was decorated with tiny runes his time freezing spell. "It's beautiful…"

"It's a gift." She looked at him, stunned. "We may have had little time together thus far… But I've never felt so comfortable in the company of someone outside my family as I am with you." His hand found its way into her hair, twisting a silky curl between his fingers. "For your company, I am eternally grateful…" He wanted to say something else. Something very important. He felt the words trapped in his throat but could not force them out. She seemed to read his annoyance at his loss of words and turned her back to him, handing him the necklace.

"Help me?" She pulled her hair out of the way. He smiled, more than happy to do even such a small task for her. As he helped her with the necklace, he attempted to rediscover the words trapped within him. He knew it was important and concerned her. But what in the Nine Realms could it be? It was… about how… he felt about her…

"Hope, there's something you need to know… Something I need to say…" He began, meeting her gaze in the mirror. She watched him expectantly. "Before time runs out… Hope Black… I think I-" A loud knocking interrupted him.

"Milord, the feast has begun. Your father is looking for you and your consort." Loki sighed, frustrated.

"We will be there soon." He untangled his arms from her waist – how did that happen – as the servant's footsteps faded away. Hope turned to him, looking expectant and somewhat hopeful.

"You were saying…?"

"It doesn't matter," he huffed as he put his horned helm on. "We'd better hurry."

Just as predicted, Loki found it very difficult to keep Hope by his side. Everyone was intrigued by Loki's mysterious consort and was dragging her in all directions except his. It wasn't so bad when the women stole her away but if another man dared to look at her, he fought red fury. How dare they touch his woman? What made them think they could wrap her so tight in their arms that their bodies touched? She wore his colors, not theirs. Needless to say, quite a few would be suitors were surprised to find snakes and beetles crawling out of their goblets and made fools of themselves. Loki smirked as this would happen.

"Do you intend to ask her to dance of are you just going to curse good wine all night?" Thor asked as he sat down beside the jealous trickster. Loki didn't turn, keeping his eyes on Hope.

"I've no idea what you're talking about." The thunder god laughed at his brother's denial.

"Do not lie, Loki. Everyone can see you have feelings for this girl. Otherwise you wouldn't be turning those suitors' drinks into snakes." Loki smirked slightly.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Very. As if the fact you can't stop staring at her was not enough." Thor followed his younger brother's gaze. His consort was gossiping with a few of the other courtiers. "She is rather beautiful."

"And intelligent… and witty… and absolutely perfect…"

"Not your best poetry, Brother." Both chuckled, although Thor's still sounded like a laugh. "If you feel that way about her, why are you sitting here while others attempt to steal her affections?"

"Because I shouldn't feel like this so soon. And she's not staying…"

"What do you mean she's not staying? Does she not know how you feel?" Loki sighed.

"She's waiting for a … friend to come for her…And no I haven't told her how I feel." Why bother if she was just going to leave with her precious Doctor?

"Then what are you waiting for? If she can't stay with us, then you don't have much time. And she may change her mind if you tell her. She may decide to stay." The Trickster thought about this. Would Hope really stay if he admitted he loved her? Would she return his affections? The way she spoke about the Doctor made it seem that he held her love. Yet… before the feast… She seemed almost disappointed when he failed to make his admission.

"Perhaps you're right, Brother…"

"I know I am. Now go rescue your woman and tell her you love her."

Loki nodded with a smile, finally feeling assured. He stalked his way through the crowd, eyes once again locked on the beautifully disguised Midgardian. Hope was surrounded by the women of Asgard's court, whose giggling gossip only intensified in volume and speed as they spotted the Mischief Prince coming towards them. Hope had stopped listening, her focus on the intense stare in Loki's eyes. "Forgive me, ladies, but I need to steal Hope away from you." None of the girls minded at all, in fact pushing Hope to him so hard she stumbled into him.

"Oops…" She muttered shyly, righting herself. He chuckled.

"Dance with me." He had meant to be more romantic in his request, but he also doubted he didn't have time for romantics. If her stories were true, that blasted Doctor could arrive any moment.

"Uh… Certainly…" The Trickster God smirked, leading the girl out onto the nearest balcony. "Uh, the dance floor is inside, Loki."

"It's also too crowded," he quipped, pulling her closer to him. "There's much more room out here. And I know how much you love the stars…" Hope smiled as they began to dance, eyes reflecting sadness.

"The stars are beautiful… And being so far out among them. It's so magical…" Loki smiled.

"Yes… Magical…" Hope smiled, resting her head on his chest as they danced. The trickster grinned like the lovesick schoolboy he was. This was a small, wonderful victory. The pair spent a few quiet moments like this, the artful waltzing devolving into a simple sway to the music. The music enveloped them into their own little bubble, shielding them from any outside interruptions. It seemed so… "Perfect…"

"What did you say?" Hope asked, looking up at him. Once again, Loki's silver tongue failed him. He began to stammer out an excuse when he noticed something shimmering down her cheek.

"Hope… Are you crying?" She quickly wiped the tear away.

"Something in my eyes…" She lied, tilting her face away from him. "It's nothing. I'm fine." Maybe this wasn't such a victory after all.

"No, you're not. You're crying. Something's wrong." He guided her to a nearby bench, sitting them close to each other. "Tell me what's bothering you…"

"I don't want to ruin the moment." Loki's heart gave a somewhat excited flip at her response. Were they having a moment?

"You're not ruining anything. It's nothing if you can't enjoy this." He found her hand, running his fingertips over the pewter dragon she wore comfortingly. "Tell me what's wrong…" She stared at him with her sad brown eyes for a long moment, as if she knew her next words would sting.

"I'm starting to think… The Doctor's never coming for me…" Loki stiffened, fighting down his jealousy. Hope turned her head from him, looking out at the night sky. "I would've thought he'd have found me by now. He said he'd always come back and he always did… But where is he now?" The trickster nodded, feeling his heart begin to break. He was nothing compared to her doctor. One look in her eyes as she spoke told him everything. Her heart was already taken.

"And yet…" He looked back at her, preparing himself to hurt more. "I find myself torn…" Torn? "Between wanting to see more of those stars… and staying here." Hope blossomed in the god's heart. She wanted to stay? She smiled at him. "These past two weeks have been heaven, if a bit stifling. But I know you were just protecting me." Loki nodded, feeling the embarrassingly stupid grin forming on his face. "So yes, I miss the Doctor, but I wouldn't trade a second of these past weeks with you, Loki."

"But your Doctor… He must be missing his, uh, companion…" He intentionally implied a second possible meaning just to get her reaction. She chuckled lightly shaking her head.

"There's nothing between me and the Doctor like that. I do admire him but I'm not in love with him." Relief swept through him. "Why?" She asked, leaning towards him slightly. It was now or never.

"Well, Hope… There's something I need to tell you…" He began to lean towards her, words growing softer. "Something I've wanted to tell you all day…"

"Yes…?" She was moving to meet him, eyes drifting close.

"Hope Black… I…"

"LOKI!" Both god and girl jumped at the bellow, quickly separating from each other. Loki actually fell, rather ungracefully, off the small bench. While they-meaning Loki-composed themselves, the pair were joined by the Allfather himself, flanked by Thor and a man Loki did not recognize. Once Loki was standing, Hope hid somewhat behind him, clutching his arm. The intimidating Odin was furious. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Father." The trickster knew he was playing a dangerous game lying to his all-seeing father. But he wasn't going to lose Hope if he finally had a chance at her heart.

"Perhaps I can explain then," The stranger commented, stepping forward. The young man straightened his violet bow tie as he said, "I'm the Doctor. And she…" He pointed to Hope. "Is my companion."