In the infinite space between universes and realms, princes and paupers - this particular story had been told countless times before. His entire life has been a lie, and it's entirely possible that he should have seen it before. He's so much smarter than this. I should have seen it coming. The thought occurs to him as he tries to clear his mind to find solace in the emptiness. Now with nothing more left to lose, this seems the cruelest thing of all.

Loki has lost track of time as he falls further and further away from the indistinguishable point in the distance that was once his home. His body aches, but the pain is relative to the aching emptiness in his heart.

There is a strange tingling sensation skimming over the edge of his cold and numbed muscles. It feels like watching a storm roll away in the distance, your hair and nerves reacting to the tension of a power beyond your grasp. He only hesitates a moment before he lets go of his mental link to Asgard completely. When it eventually stops, he can't help feeling like he has lost something. Perhaps his mind.

He loses consciousness so slowly that he isn't even aware the last time he shuts his eyes. If he had, he might remember the look on the All-Father's face. His last disappointment. He would have felt a bolt of panic as his body shattered against something solid.

Instead he wakes, cold and broken in a vast, empty place. The sun feels like an oppressive enemy bearing down on him, and he allows himself a moment to give in and feel it. His exposed hands and face feel as if they are radiating heat. His throat is parched, and it hurts to swallow.

He will never see his home again. Or his family. He had gambled on their love, and he had lost. Even if the sun hadn't stolen the last of his tears, he had no more left to cry.

Loki Laufeyson. What a joke.

He pulls himself upright in small, painful movements and takes stock of his surroundings. The air is thinner here, and the sun feels crude and unrefined in the way it blasts out waves of heat. There are mountains in the distance, but between there and here, as far as his eye can see there is just bland, featureless sand.

Enough of this.

He stands.

There are many types of power in the universe. Some feel like strength and power in your hands. But they, like Mjolnir, had always been beyond his grasp. No, Loki had stumbled upon his power within - in a dark and claustrophobic space in his soul. It felt cold to the touch, like a piece of metal hurtling through the dark recesses of space, so dense and compressed that it is ever ready to collapse in on itself. He draws on his power like one draws poison from a wound. He must nurture the poison that threatens to destroy him, and in turn it sustains him. The process is excruciating - but the power, euphoric.

A cruel, crooked smile slides across his lips. He will start again. By the time he hears the distant, mechanical cough of an engine, he can feel the power coursing through his veins.

Loki looks up to the sky and throws out his arms triumphantly. "Do you hear me Heimdall? Tell them I'm. Still. Here!"

"Thor?" calls a voice from the van in the distance. It is still too far off to see clearly who the speaker is, and Loki gambles on the fact that he too cannot clearly be seen. He crouches defensively, so that his back is towards the approaching strangers and pulls his cape around him.

Midgard -of all places.

That must be where he's landed. He is not entirely disappointed because its inhabitants are primitive and no real threat and he could certainly use the time to regroup. A plan begins to form in his mind.

"Thor!" Jane nearly collides with the door as she jumps out of the van and hurtles towards the figure in the circle. "I thought... I thought..."

Her step falters for a moment as he stands and she catches a glimpse of the glinting armour and bright red cape. The word "god" throws her world off kilter again because it sounds as ridiculous as ever. But her feet have a mind of their own, and she half trips, half launches herself into his embrace.

"I thought..." Jane realizes her ability to speak has been reduced to a handful of syllables. She laughs, so girl-like and free, disentangling her arms from his in order to regain her composure.

"It's good... SO good... so GREAT to see you again."

Loki smiles, despite himself. She feels so small and fragile in his arms, and yet when she talks it seems as if all the world could not contain her vitality.

Thor's woman.

"Did everything go ok? I mean, it took a while and I was worried and I was starting to think you were never coming back, but..." she breathes as if she has just remembered how, "here you are."

Everything, she says. How vague and yet all-encompassing. Loki tries not to think of everything, or anything for that matter. This time a genuine smile, that doesn't require the veneer of the apparition, spreads across his face.

Well, how else would you convince anyone you were Thor?

"Everything's just fine. I've taken care of it. We won't have to worry about my brother for a good long time."

He places his arm around her shoulder because, why not? And together they walk towards the van. Jane talks animatedly about the research she is doing for Shield, questioning him incessantly about the bridge. Loki smiles serenely, cheerfully deflecting her questions and taking it all in.

Everything's just fine.


A/N:

This is my first ever fic, so I definitely appreciate any advice on formatting/notations/etc. Along with reviews/comments in general.

As far as the storyline, this is not explicitly going to be a pairing (though, as a story about Loki rediscovering relationships and coming to terms with feeling neglected, it's not out of the realm of possibility).

It is set in the larger expanded Marvel/Avengers universe, BUT is by and large restricted to Thor itself. Meaning we have SHIELD, who are working towards The Avengers, but the Avengers have not assembled just yet.

Oh, and be warned. I absolutely adore Loki/Tom Hiddleston, but Loki wouldn't be Loki without a legit mean/mischievious streak. Expect things to get f-ed up, and a few egos to get bruised.