"I'll just be a minute," I said, avoiding his eyes as I grabbed my purse off the table. "The chairs in the other room are comfortable. Make yourself at home."

I walked down the hallway into bathroom and shut the door, frantically pulling my concealer from my makeup bag. I cringed as I looked closely in the mirror at the greenish-yellow and purple tinge around my eye. I was used to this routine by now, but it never got easier to see myself like this. He looked at me on the porch like he knew, like he knew everything. It wasn't a look of disgust, it was worse. It was confusion with a hint of pity. Why I cared so much about what he thought after an hour of knowing him was a mystery in itself, but for whatever reason, I did.

Once I finished, I pulled out my ponytail and brushed out my long, messy blonde hair evenly on each side. I wasn't sure why I was bothering to freshen up, especially after he had seen me, but it was strange having another man in the apartment that wasn't Sam or Bill.

"You must be exhausted," I called as I shut off the bathroom light and walked down the hallway towards the living room, my head down as I removed the studs from my ears. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you to the hosp- oh Jesus," I gasped as I looked up, nearly falling over a chair.

Loki had stripped down to nothing but what looked our equivalent of white boxer shorts. He was sprawled out on the couch, his arm draped casually over his eyes. His stomach was pale and lean but incredibly muscular. The same went for his arms and long legs that hung over the end of the sofa.

He casually glanced up at me from under his elbow, his dark locks fallen across his eyes. "What?" he snapped.

"You're just like... practically naked."

"You requested that I make myself at home, did you not?"

"I did, I did say that," I stammered, walking around the perimeter of the room like he was some sort of creature about to attack. "Here, have - have a blanket," I said as I threw one across the room at him, trying not to stare. I was used to strange, naked men. This was different. There are no men like me, I heard him say in the back of my mind. I was starting to believe it.

"Humans are certainly odd about nudity," he said irritably, sitting up to wrap the blanket around him. "I apologize if I've offended you."

"No, not offended, definitely not offended," I said, sounding a little too much like an idiot. "I'm a lot more comfortable with nudity than you'd believe."

"Is that a fact?" he smirked slightly, cocking an eyebrow up at me.

I felt my face get hot as I looked at him, unsure of why he was looking at me like that. Don't look at me like that.

"I merely jest," he said, rolling his eyes as he caught sight of my uncomfortable expression. He sat back with his hands behind his head, looking pleased with himself. "I assure you, Midgardians hold no appeal for me."

"Midgardians meaning... earthlings? Well yeah, men from outer space - not really my thing," I lied, knowing full well that if he was one of the men I fucked for cash there wouldn't be anything I wouldn't do if he asked. Hell, he wouldn't even have to pay me.

I walked into the kitchen, hoping to escape the tension of the moment. It was a strange thing to feel so instantaneously drawn to someone, as it had never happened to me before. I couldn't explain it. He exuded sex and confidence, but in an unattainable way which only made him more attractive. I tried hard not to think about it.

"Would you like something to eat or drink? I haven't gone to the store yet this week, but I can make toast. Or a bag of frozen french fries. Or my personal favorite midnight snack... Johnnie Walker," I said, waving a bottle of scotch at him.

"A drink would be most welcome," he said quietly, rubbing his lips, looking lost in thought. I would catch him with a pained, melancholic expression every so often. He seemed to be taking everything rather well despite the fact he was very far from home and had no immediate way of getting back. I couldn't imagine what that felt like, since I never had a home I didn't want to run away from. Still, I felt sorry for him.

Suddenly, car lights flickered through the kitchen windows and a familiar red truck came flying down the driveway.

"Oh my God. Sam," I yelled, an intense feeling of dread washing over me.

"Who?" Loki asked as he strode into the room, still dressed in nothing but those damn boxers.

"My boyfriend."

"Oh dear," he said sarcastically as he peeked through the blinds, clearly finding amusement in the situation. "You failed to mention you had one of those."

"Yeah, well, it's a long story. See that door over there? It leads to my basement. I need you to go through it and not come out, okay? Not until I get you."

"No."

"Please," I begged him, panic starting to take over. Any second now, Sam would come flying through my door and see us standing there.

Loki looked hard at me for a moment, but resigned himself when he looked down and saw my hands shaking, barely retaining a grip on the glass. In a surprise move, he reached up to steady them, holding onto them momentarily before slowly taking the tumbler away. He opened the door to the basement and shot me one last annoyed look before closing it and descending down the stairs.

A second later, the other door flung open and Sam stepped inside, looking livid.

"Been calling you," he said, reeking of hard liquor as he loomed over me. "You ignoring me?"

"No, of course not," I said calmly, though I was just about dying inside. I reached up to fix his shirt collar, but he swatted it away and grabbed onto my throat, shoving me hard against the wall.

"Don't you EVER run off on me like that again, do you understand?"

"Yes-" I gasped, nodding my head as best as I could. His hand tightened before he let go and I slumped to the floor.

"You know, Claire. Sometimes I feel like you don't appreciate the things I do for you."

"I do," I said, playing extra nice with him as I tried to catch my breath. "Of course I do."

He dragged me up off the floor by my collar and kissed me hard, his tongue snaking across my mouth. I tried not to gag.

"I don't enjoy hurting you," he said in between assaulting my lips.

"I know that," I replied, feigning a smile. My stomach turned at thought of what was coming next. I knew I had to keep it together, for the sake of Loki alone. Sam kept a loaded rifle in his truck bed at all times and there was no way I was going to give him an opportunity to use it.

"Take your pants off."

"Sam, darlin', why don't we just go to the bedro-"

"Because if I wanted to go there, I would. Take them off."

No. Not here. Anywhere but here...

"Do you want me to take them off for you?"

I shook my head quickly and did as he asked then turned around to face the sink, hoping it wouldn't last very long. As long as I could just keep us away from the basement door, it was possible Loki wouldn't have to hear any of it.

"Now your shirt."

As soon as I removed my top and bra, Sam undid his belt buckle, letting his pants drop to the floor. He wasted no time at all removing my panties, turning me around so that my back was facing him. I considered it a mercy whenever I didn't have to look at him.

"Damn girl," he said as he pushed into me, grabbing a fistful of my hair and pulling it back.

I closed my eyes and tried to imagine another place, another time, another man inside of me. Sometimes I would pretend like I was a queen, high up on a balcony overlooking my kingdom while the man I loved made me his. It was completely, utterly ridiculous, because no fucking thing like was ever going to happen. But it kept me sane.

Usually when he was this drunk he never lasted long, which I also considered a mercy. A few minutes later the deed was done. Lucky for me Sam wasn't the type to stick around to cuddle after a screw.

"Where's the rest of the beer?" he said as he zipped up his fly and opened the fridge.

Shit, shit, shit. "It's, uh, I think in the basement."

As he started towards the door I walked in front of it, subtly enough for his drunken self not to think anything of it. "I'll get it for you, baby. Why don't you go relax in the living room?"

"Yeah, alright."

I barely managed to put my bra and panties back on. I knew that if I crossed the room to try put more on his impatient, stubborn ass would go down there himself. There was no time. I swallowed as I opened the basement door, hoping Loki wouldn't be standing right there waiting to come out. I sighed in relief when I saw that he wasn't.

The basement wasn't large, but it was long. Loki sat on a stool at the far right end beneath a small work light, mulling over a picture book of nursery rhymes given to me by my gran. He looked almost angry and also slightly ridiculous, his large legs propped up on such a small stool. I would have probably laughed at the sight if I didn't feel like crying.

"Reading anything good?"

He flipped back a few pages, looking outraged but not yet up at me. "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty together again. Of all the ridiculous-"

"Don't get all worked up," I interrupted, stifling a small laugh as I crossed my arms over my chest in a sad attempt to hide myself. "Humpty Dumpty was just a nursery rhyme. It wasn't based on real events, you know."

"Wasn't it?" he said quietly to himself, pondering over the pages some more. It was a strange comment, one I wasn't certain I was meant to hear.

After a moment he finally glanced up at me and his expression immediately fell. His jaw clenched and he opened his mouth to say something, but I didn't feel like hearing any jests or snide remarks. Not now.

"Please don't say anything," I said miserably as I quickly grabbed a few beers from the mini-fridge, trying my best to avoid his gaze which I felt burning into me. I had never felt more self-conscious in my entire life. "It won't be much longer. I promise."

When I looked over to him for his compliance, he was still staring, but not anywhere other than my eyes. He nodded.

"Thanks," I said, turning to walk away. "Maybe try reading something else."

"Claire?" he asked suddenly, quietly, saying my name for the very first time. It made me shiver.

I looked over my shoulder at him, casually rubbing the place on my neck where I knew there would be a bruise tomorrow. He looked angry. "What?"

"Are you alright?"

No, no, no. "Yes."

"You're a liar."

"Oh," I said, feigning a small smile before heading up the stairs. "You have no idea."