All they ever wanted

Chapter 1 – Shaded

It had been two weeks since Eris had thrown herself into unconsciousness by saving the famous group from being killed at the hands of the Frost Giants, thanks to Thor's stupidity in Jotenheim. Loki and Sif had stayed with her those past two weeks, sometimes taking it in turns to be at her bedside and sometimes they done it together. One this occasion, it was only Loki in the room with her, and he watched the Tartian who had been summoned in order to take care of Eris, come in and do her usual healing.

"Are you sure that it doesn't hurt her?" He asked as he watched the woman take a knife and make a cut on Eris' left arm, which was already covered in scars from the previous cuts that had occurred due to the healing.

"I'm sure Sir." The woman told him, her greying eyes finding his, her wrinkled yet soft face moving to smile softly at him.

Loki walked over to the fireplace, and he pulled out a small box from under his robes and he opened the box to look at the ring that it contained. The ring was a beautiful thing, the jewel was a dazzling deep emerald green and the glistening white gold band took the form of a snake – Loki's favourite animal since most of his tricks involved snakes.

He quickly shoved the box back into his robes as the woman touched him. "What?" He realised that he suddenly sounded very annoyed, but he hoped that somehow she didn't pick up on it. However, she did notice, she just didn't want to comment on it.

"I will wake her up in a few hours, gather her friends but warn them that they might not like what they see at first." She warned.

Loki nodded and done as the woman had asked, he went to find everyone, and he did with slight ease – his ability to disappear playing a huge part in aiding him. He found his parents in the throne room, the warriors three in the training arena, Lady Sif in the rose garden and Thor in his room.

A few hours later, they were all gathered around the bed, Loki was sitting back in his normal spot on Eris' bed, holding her hand whilst the Queen sat on the other side.

"How long is this going to take?" Loki asked, eager to see Eris' beautiful hazel eyes looking into his green ones.

"Give her time your highness, she needs to be able to heal and wake up." The woman told him.

Loki closed his eyes and he gently kissed Eris' hand, but his eyes shot open as he heard the Queen and Lady Sif gasp. He too looked shocked at the sight that greeted him, Eris' skin had become almost black with her veins, and she started to shift around on the bed.

"Eris, it's alright." Loki whispered. "I'm here now, you're safe, just open your eyes for me." He whispered to her, kissing her hand again. It didn't take long after that for Eris' eyes to spring open, only instead of them being their usual beautiful hazel; they were nothing but a cold black.

"Loki?" She whispered his name and she sounded scared.

"It's alright, you're back now." He soothed.

"You're going to be alright your highness." The woman promised her. "Your shade knocked you out, in order to protect you from itself. You were unconscious for two weeks, and the Prince hasn't left your side, nor has the Lady Sif." She carried on talking as she walked towards the fireplace and she picked up a goblet, and she walked back to her before she helped her to sit up with Odin and Loki's assistance.

"Alright Eris dear, your shade is in the front right now, so you need to drink this drink in order to keep the shade under control." The woman told her.

Eris looked at her, and then the goblet and shook her head, but Thor suddenly pinned her down and the woman forced the drink down Eris' throat.

When Thor had pinned Eris, he had pushed Loki out of the way, and when she saw this, Frigga beckoned for him to join her and she took his hand and squeezed it.

"Your brother only wants to help her." She told him quietly. "She will be okay soon."

Loki nodded at his Queen's words, and he watched his brother relent and moved away from Eris, who looked like she was about to be sick, breathe. He then moved to sit back on the bed with her, and he moved her hair from her face.

"Easy Eris, easy." He whispered to her, which caused her to look at him and he noticed her hazel eyes come back, and this made him smile. "Hello beautiful." He greeted her.

"Hello handsome."

"Alright everyone, let's give them some time alone." Frigga told them as she stood up, getting everyone to leave and once they had, she looked at them. "Get some sleep you two." She stopped as she was about to leave, and she looked back at Eris. "Oh Eris dear, make sure my son spoils you." She smiled.

"Yes your highness." Eris promised, as she looked back at Loki.

"Good night dears." She smiled, and left them shutting the door behind her.

"Are you tired?" Eris asked when they were fully alone.

"A bit, why, do you need anything?"

"No, I was hoping to go to the balcony, I like to look at the stars."

"I'll help you." He told her, leaving no room for argument, as he stood and made one of his undershirts appear and he handed it to her. "Put this one."

As she slid it on, he walked out onto the balcony and made a fire appear as well as a chaise lounge. When he made sure that everything was perfect, he wanted to keep her as warm and as comfortable as possible, he walked back inside. What he was greeted with, actually made him smile, since he found Eris, wearing his undershirt and trying to get herself back onto her own feet.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He asked, appearing right in front of her. "I am meant to be spoiling you." He told her as he suddenly knocked her legs out from underneath her and picked her up.

"I can walk Loki." She groaned.

"I know, but let me spoil you for saving my life." He carried her outside as he spoke, and he moved to sit on the chaise lounge and she lay on it, using his lap as her pillow. They stayed out on that balcony, watching the stars and talking about, well anything really.

"You know, I heard everything that you were telling me." She told him randomly.

"Oh no..." He immediately thought about all of the private things that he had said. "Really?"

"Yep, like about how the way that I fight turns you on." She giggled.

Loki actually blushed. "Well it is quite sexy." He smiled as she giggled more.

"Oh and apparently, Hogan and Fandral both think that I'm hot."

"Oh really now?" Loki asked, as his body tensed and gained a dark edge to his voice as he felt a rush of jealousy and protectiveness towards his now fiancée.

"Loki, wait." She tried to stop him from leaving, but ending up hitting her head on the chaise lounge as he disappeared. "Damn it Loki." She thought to herself, as she forced herself to her feet.

Loki ended u appearing in the gathering room, where Hogan and Fandral were sitting, along with Sif, Thor and Volstagg who as per usual was eating.

"Ah Loki, come and join us!" Thor shouted.

"I'm not staying long." He replied simply, his voice monotone. "I came to ask Fandral and Hogan if they think that I'm stupid."

Everyone looked at him in confusion, not really knowing what he was talking about, until Fandral suddenly realised.

"You know what I and Hogan said to her."

"Of course I know, you dare to tell her you think she is hot." Loki told them, his jealousy getting the better of him.

"What's the matter Loki, scared that she won't choose you?" Thor asked, seeing his brother's jealousy.

As Loki went to hit his brother, his arm was caught by Eris, who had suddenly appeared, still wearing Loki's undershirt.

"Stop it." She told him simply, moving to hold his hand instead of his arm.

Loki's eyes locked with Eris and he started to relax, which made Eris give him a breath taking smile.

"Why don't you two join us?" Sif asked the couple. "Then maybe you can enlighten us Eris to what a shade actually is."

Eris nodded and looked at Loki. "Stay with me." She whispered to him, pulling him to a free sofa, which was next to the one that Sif and Thor were sitting on, and she pushed him to sit on it, before she moved to cuddle up to him, and pulled her legs up beside her. Everyone else sat either on the other sofas or the wall seats that were around the large fire in the middle of the room, and they looked at Eris, waiting for her to start explaining.

"Well, technically I'm not a full shade, instead I'm only half, but you have been able to see the remnants of a shade, the black eyes and the really noticeable veins." She began. "However, due to being half, it means that I have shaded blood, which is what allows me to become the Goddess of Chaos."

"Why is that?" Thor asked her.

"Because the power that I can fully posses, which is what my shade keeps me from, is too strong for an ordinary blooded body to bear and the shade can actually control the body. So, that's why I'm able to best you Thor, my shade allowed it."

"Okay, so apart from having awesome amounts of strength, what else can you do?" Fandral asked, as he sat on the sofa across from them, intent on learning more about Eris' species.

"I can flit, I can use magic – hence the human fireball back in Jotenheim – and I can be extremely big headed." She shrugged, smiling softly as Loki kissed her shoulder.

"What's 'flit'?" Volstagg asked, for once forgetting about his plate full of food and walking over to join them.

"How I got us back here from Jotenheim." She smiled as they all shuddered at the memory. "It's not that bad."

"Eris we all felt like we were being ripped apart." Sif told her.

"Oh...Yeah I didn't feel that, but if you think that is bad, then you should try being bitten by a shade."

Sif looked at her in curiosity, as did everyone except Loki –who was playing with Eris' hair.

"What is that like?" Sif eventually asked.

"Absolutely horrible, one hundred times more painful than flitting." This time as everyone shuddered, she laughed. "And someone who isn't shaded can die from it, because it's a form of poisoning."

"Is there some form of antidote?" Fandral asked.

"Yes, the bloods of a half shade." She replied smoothly.