"Do you truly not remember me?" You asked, fighting back tears.

The pale figure, who was sitting up in the bed before you shook his head, lank black hair shaking from side to side; causing your heart to splinter.

Maybe Thor was right in keeping you away, but it was two days after Loki had been rescued from Thanos, and you couldn't handle it anymore. After he had fallen you had hoped somehow he had lived, but reason told you it was foolish to believe anyone could have survived; you had just begun to move on when Heimdal alerted Thor to Loki's whereabouts and he had set up a rescue mission. Odin had protested, considering what Loki had done, nearly causing war with Jotenheim, being the cause of Thor's banishment, then trying to destroy the Jotuns, but Thor had insisted, he refused to leave his brother in the hands of Thanos.

Loki had just begun to stir when you quietly opened the healing room door, your heart leaped in your throat when you saw that his already pale pallor was almost white, and covered in fresh wounds, some months old and badly healed.

You had hoped he would be happy to see you, but his eyes only held confusion, "Who are you?"

You felt your mouth moving, but it seemed your vocal cords were stuck.

"Do you truly not remember me?" Your voice trembled when you finally found it.

"I'm sorry, I don't." He looked at you sadly.

"I told you, it wasn't a good idea to see him yet." Thor's voice came from the doorway.

You stifled a sob and pushed past Thor, the hallway seemed to cave in around you, and your lungs screamed for air no matter how many times you tried to breathe in. Thor's big hand rubbed your back trying to calm you.

"He doesn't remember anything," He said quietly.

"Nothing at all?"

"He remembers waking in a dungeon in chains, and the things that blue son of a bitch did to him, but nothing before the fall; whether because of that or because of what was done to him; either way, he remembers nothing of before."

"Why did they take him?"

"Thanos wanted the tesseract that the mortals have, he was going to use Loki to go to Midgard to take it back, and in return, Loki would be given Earth and the humans to rule over."

"Then clearly this Thanos knows of what happened here before he took Loki."

"It seems that way."

You ribs ached, but your breathing had returned to normal.

"What do the healers say? Will he regain his memory?" You asked, looking through the crack in the door at Loki.

"They say that that maybe all up to him."

"I think I can help." You decided to gather all of the little notes and trinkets Loki had given you before Thor's disastrous coronation.

Running to your room, you got on your knees and reached under the bed to pull out the wooden box that held all of your treasures, half running back to the healing room, you passed Loki's door, thinking that maybe some of this own things might help you ducked inside and grabbed a few of his favorite books, most you had given to him as gifts. Arms laden with memories you hurried back to Loki's bedside.

"You used to leave these for me," You said, handing Loki a stack of notes tied together with a long, green satin ribbon. He took them in his long-fingered hands, flipping through them, eyes dancing left to right as he read how much he had loved her, taking in the promises and plans they had together. Ending with the last note, he had written her, one she had found as she and Frigga cleaned his rooms after his fall, apologizing to her for his stupidity, telling her it would be better if she were to forget him.

"You made these for me, too." You pointed to the snake choker that was fastened around your neck and the matching pieces at your ears and the rings that glittered on your fingers.

"I didn't realize I had a talent at jewelry making," Loki said skeptically.

"Apparently it took you weeks to finally complete them, or so you told me."

Handing him one of his books, he flipped open the cover and read the inscription you had written.

"We were to be married?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, we had told your parents but almost immediately they announced that Thor would be King and that kind of overshadowed our news…and then…"

"Thor told me what I did."

"He shouldn't have."
"Why not? I should know what I have done."
"Because, you need to focus on getting well."

Loki had definitely seen better days, dark shadows were under his eyes which looked sunken, each move caused him pain, it almost seemed as though he had only been fed enough to keep him alive.

"Odin has also been in to see me."

"Oh?"

"He seems to be torn about my punishment. While be believed I should be punished, what point is there if I do not remember."

A thought struck you, "That would be convenient, though, wouldn't it?"You said suspiciously.

"Oh, don't think that thought hadn't crossed their minds, but," He gestured to the pile of letters and trinkets in his lap, "How could I possibly not remember you."

You both sat in silence for a long while, as he read each letter in turn.

"Do you mind if I visit you?" You asked meekly, wondering if this new Loki would even still be interested in you.

"I would like that a lot." He smiled, but she thought he still looked a little uncomfortable.

You promised to come and see him tomorrow and left the room, you heart heavy, you didn't pay attention to where you were walking when you almost knocked over Frigga.

"I was just going to see Loki," She said, after brushing off your repeated apologies.

"I brought him some things, hoping he would remember, but it didn't help."

"It will take time. He seems to feel that Thor, Odin, and I are familiar, but anything that is recent…its completely alien to him." She looked at you sadly.

"I want to help him. Maybe the more time I spend with him, he can start to remember me." You tried to sound hopeful, but the voice in the back of your head warned you not to be so optimistic.

"Even if he doesn't remember what was, he loved you once, surely he will again." Frigga enveloped you into a tight hug. Talking to Frigga made you feel better, a talent she always had. After you own mother had died, Frigga had become a mother figure for you and was there for you as much as she was her own two boys.

"Thank you." The lump that had formed in your throat made speech difficult but you managed, and Frigga gave you a warm smile and continued down the hall to Loki's bedside.

In the coming months, Loki grew stronger and whatever physical wounds healed, leaving varying degrees of scars. You never wavered in the hours you spent at his side and once he was strong enough, much of the time was spent walking around the gardens that Frigga tended so diligently.

You found yourself disappointed that Loki still did not remember you, but you could tell that he had feelings that were growing; the same telltale signs that gave you the same flutters in your stomach as before.

There was a night finally when he got up the courage to kiss you again and it felt the same excitement as before, even though you both had gone way beyond kissing before, this all felt very new again.

It was eight months to the day when Loki had been brought back to Asgard, and even Thor had noticed a change in his brother, no longer jealous and angry, he enjoyed being in his brother's company, and Thor was almost always in a state of pure joy at the new relationship with his brother.

"I can't believe it's only been a few months, it seems like so much longer." Loki sighed, as you both sat on a bench in the gardens. The sun was setting but the butterflies that inhabited the garden continued to flutter.

"I know, especially after…before." You tried to not bring up the past; especially the fall and who he had been before, but there were still moments when you couldn't believe he was here in front of you.

"I don't think very many people would have stuck by me, or anyone else for that matter, through all of this." He took your hand in his and brushed your knuckles with the cool pad of this thumb.

"I couldn't imagine not doing it."

"I feel so much better, even better I think than I did before. I am almost glad I have no memory of it."

"I think I am too."

There was silence for a moment as you both watched a pair of monarch butterflies land on a large flower blossom and their tongues unfurled to drink the nectar,

"I love you."

If you hadn't seen his lips move, you would have thought your own mind made up the words. You felt his eyes on you, expectant.

"I love you too, you have no idea how much." The words gushed from your mouth, eager to be heard after so long.

"What do you say we pick up where we left off?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet pouch, he pinched the sides to open it and turned it over in his hand, a small silver band with a single cut emerald fell from the bag.

"Loki?" You looked from the ring in his palm to his face.

"I know you have the one from before, but I really don't think that one is appropriate anymore…so I had a new one made for you for now. So what do you say? Do you still feel the same for me that you could still see yourself bound to me?"

"Yes! Of course I do!"

Taking your hand he slid the band over your left ring finger, it felt wonderful.

Loki gave you a beaming smile, and pulled your face to his, covering your lips with his own, "You make me so happy," You said when you finally broke apart for air.

"So do you, my love, so do you."