(Author's Note: I am SO SORRY once again for the wait! I got a job that I go to after school so my time is cut even shorter. But on the bright side, Chapter 3! ;) Honestly, this isn't one of my best chapters. It's kind of a filler chapter, before something actually happens in the next one. But I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!)

Chapter 3

Loki insisted that Emmeline not leave their room until they could depart to Midgard. He didn't want to risk her contracting the plague for anything. He brought her food and things for Sigyn. He could tell it was getting tiresome for her and promised that they would leave soon. The only reason they hadn't left right away was that Loki needed to discuss matters with Thor.

Loki knew that he might never see Odin again. He knew he would die. He also knew that it might be years before he ever returned to Asgard. Therefore he needed to give Thor the proper goodbye.

Loki made his way to the banquet room where he knew he would find Thor this time of day, consuming all of Asgard's kitchen like a glutton. When he entered, his prediction proved true. Thor was sitting at the table with Sif and the Warriors Three ripping meat off of a large piece of mutton.

"Good day, pigs," said Loki as he approached the table. Thor turned.

"You call us pigs do you?" he said. "Do you not eat your midday meal?"

"Yes Loki, your tongue is quick for a man so thin!" chimed Sif. Loki glared at her.

"I am not thin. I am fit. I do not consume meat like an angry Frost Beast."

"Oh yes, it must have slipped our minds," said Fandral. "You prefer the thistles in the garden!" The warriors roared with laughter and Loki scowled.

"Now, now," Thor said to them. They quieted; Sif still chuckling into her hand. Thor turned back to Loki. "What is it you have come for, brother?"

"I need to speak with you on matters of my leave," said Loki, not looking at Sif. If he did he would surely want to kill her. Thor stood up and Loki followed him into the hall.

"I assume Heimdall has told you of my taking Emmeline to Midgard for her safety?" asked Loki.

"Yes," said Thor. "Will you be coming back?" Loki looked at the ground, deciding to be honest with his brother.

"I don't know."

"What about Father?" Thor said.

"What about him?" Loki replied. There was nothing he could do for Odin's fate, and although he felt a small amount of pity for Thor—a very small amount—he had no obligation to his adoptive father; not in his mind.

"He may die when you are gone," said Thor, his voice almost breaking. Loki said nothing. "At least tell him goodbye before you leave."

"He doesn't care to hear from me," said Loki. "My leaving will at least give him some peace before his death."

"Loki, you know that is not true!" Thor scolded. "You are going to go to him and tell him you love him if it is the last thing you ever do for him!" There were tears in Thor's eyes and Loki looked at him and swallowed. He looked down, unable to look Thor in the eyes. Loki had never seen Thor cry or show any kind of real emotion before. He wasn't sensitive like Loki. It disturbed him to see Thor in such a state.

"Fine," he murmered quietly. "I will speak with him."

"Nothing but good things!" Thor demanded, trying very hard not to let his tears spill over his face. "I will not have you breaking our father's heart the last he hears of you!" Loki scowled up at him.

"I said fine!" he snapped. It was hard to keep his newfound softness for Thor when he was continuously being a brute.

Loki turned and left his brother standing there. He was only going to tell him goodbye and now Thor was making him talk to Odin. Nicely. Loki had nothing to say to the Allfather.

Loki entered his room and sat on his bed in a huff. Emmeline smiled when he came in.

"Loki there you are, I—what's wrong?" He looked at her.

"Nothing," he said, his hard expression growing softer at the sight of her.

"Loki, be real. We're married with a child; I know you. And I know when you have beef with someone. So what's up?" She scooted beside him and sat with her legs crossed. He gave her a small smile. She was right; she knew him.

"Thor wants me to speak to Odin before we leave," he said.

"That's no biggie," said Emmeline. "Just say what you feel. Let him know you love him and that you know he loves you. That's the most you could do for him, I think."

"But…it's not that simple," Loki said. "I can't just…'say what I feel'. I don't feel anything."

"Yes you do. And even if what you feel isn't good, tell him you love him anyway. When something like this happens, you sometimes have to do what's best for the other person. And that, in and of itself, is an act of love."

Loki thought Emmeline wise at this moment. She knew a lot about love. Of course, most women did. But Loki didn't. All he knew was that he felt it for Emmeline and Sigyn. But Odin? Did he love Odin? He shuddered at the thought of the word 'love' associated with him. Perhaps he didn't then. However, in all honesty; he didn't know.

Emmeline put her arms around his neck and looked at him.

"Just do what you feel is the right thing, okay? For me and Thor. And quick, because I can't stand much longer in this room." Loki knew she was right, and felt a nervous sensation run down his spine at the thought of talking to the Allfather. He looked down to the floor.

"I will go tonight," he said. He had to get her out of there, before the disease reached her.

Loki leaned forward and kissed Emmeline softly. She smiled and shifted herself to sit in his lap. He put his arm on the small of her back.

"Emmeline…is Sigyn asleep?" he asked, breathing into her hair.

"Yes," she replied. "She's been tired today, from all the fussing she did yesterday."

Loki smiled and pulled Emmeline into him. She put her hands in his hair and kissed his neck. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

"I'm going to take you away from here," he whispered. "You and Sigyn; I'm going to give the both of you everything." Emmeline's lips found Loki's, and they stayed there, unmoving without a breath. Loki lifted his lips from hers and pressed them down again, his hands gripping her hips.

They lied on the bed and Loki kissed her for a while. But eventually they fell asleep, Emmeline's head on his chest.

That night, Loki stood outside the door of Odin's bedchamber, trying to think of what he was going to say when he entered.

He supposed it would be easier to talk to him now, since he could not respond. The nurses had informed Loki that the disease had caused the Allfather to fall into the Odinsleep once again. This was frightening; they feared he might not awaken. But Loki knew that even when he was in the Odinsleep, Odin could still see and hear everything around him.

Loki slowly opened the door to Odin's chambers and closed it behind him. Odin lay still in his bed; sleeping soundly. Loki sat by his bedside and looked at the Allfather, expressionless. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth, no sound coming out. He closed his eyes and sighed, and opened them again.

"Thor…told me to come here and speak to you," said Loki. "I am taking Emmeline to Midgard because she is in danger of contracting this disease. Heimdall says it will be a great plague. Therefore I do not know when or if I will see you again. So…if this is truly goodbye, I suppose you should know…" Loki paused. In all honesty he had a hundred things built up in his head to say to Odin, but he couldn't bring himself to say any of them.

He sat there in silence for a while, staring at his hands folded in his lap.

"…I really tried, father," Loki whispered. "In the beginning I was really trying to make you proud. I—I thought I could prove to you that I could rule better than Thor. But…I just can't be like him; I can't be who you want me to be. I am not Thor, I am Loki. I am not a hero, I am a king. And despite my behavior now, I only ever strived for your approval. You loved Thor better, and I know you did, as much as you denied it. But I suppose that makes sense, given that I am of Jotun blood and not Asgardian. But you know what Odin, I want to know why!

After all that I've done, why didn't you ever at least humor me? You always treated me less than Thor, when there was no reason for ever doing so! I grew up thinking I was inferior to that brute you love so much. You know I should have let the Other slice off your head when I had the chance…But I did not. I grew up with respect for you as my father and as my king, and all I ever wanted was to receive some respect back in return. It is your fault that I am the monster that I am; it is not my Jotun blood!"

Loki stood up and looked at Odin with fire in his eyes; the old man still sound asleep in his bed.

"You put me in prison for the crimes I have committed on your behalf! And another thing; how is it that whenever I need to speak with you about something of importance, you always fall into the damn Odinsleep! It seems that you are trying to avoid me; so you don't have to deal with the emotional turmoil I would certainly impose upon you! I bet you regret the day you took me from Jotunheim. You curse that day on your every waking hour don't you Odin? …Well so do I."

Loki turned away from the Allfather's bed and tightened his fists at his sides, clenching his teeth. The anger that had boiled up inside him was now melting into some other emotion he could not place. He turned back to Odin's bed.

"Do you even know why I still try, Odin? Why I still struggle with the darkness that consumes me? Why I am here and did as Thor said?" Tears welled up in Loki's eyes. "Because you're my father, dammit! And now you're dying! And I haven't done one thing to make you proud of me yet!" Loki slammed his hands on the footboard of Odin's bed and gritted his teeth together, trying with all his being not to let his tears fall. He knew Odin could see him, and he would not show weakness.

He let himself fall to the ground and leaned against Odin's footboard, where his father couldn't see him. He sniveled a little, and slowly stood up and sat back in the chair at Odin's bedside. He thought of Emmeline's words; when something like this happens, you sometimes have to do what's best for the other person. He sighed and looked at Odin.

"Goodbye Odin," he said, standing up. He approached the door and looked back. "I sincerely hope you recover."

And with that, Loki left.

Emmeline sat on Loki's bed, watching him sleep. He had come in that night with an exhausted look on his face, and she could tell he had been crying. He flopped on the bed and said nothing; just simply curled up and fell asleep. Emmeline didn't ask him any questions and she didn't plan to. It was an emotional experience for him and she felt that it was his right to keep it in his own heart.

He was adorable when he was sleeping; Emmeline figured that's where Sigyn got it from. Sigyn was sleeping as well. She had turned into a much better sleeper; Emmeline sang to her often and rocked her back and forth and it put her right out.

Emmeline couldn't sleep. She was so sick of being stuck in Loki's room; it was almost driving her insane. It wasn't good for Sigyn to stay in there for long periods of time either. But Loki would not let Emmeline leave, for fear of her contracting Odin's disease. She understood, but she wasn't even going into his room, how would she get it? She had to get out. …She had to at least open the door and breathe. The longer she sat there in silence, the more anxious she got to get out of the room.

She was going to die if she didn't get out right now.

Emmeline stood up and approached the door, looking back at Loki to make sure he was still asleep. Could she do it? She was only going to go out and breathe for a couple seconds; certainly he wouldn't wake up before she got back. Emmeline took one last look at Loki and slowly opened the door. She tried really hard not to make it make noise and succeeded for the most part. She slipped through the opening swiftly, closing the door as carefully as she had opened it.

She leaned on the door and took a deep breath. Thank God. Now she was just going to stand here and breathe for a while and go back in the room. …But she did not want to go back in the room.

As she stood there, taking in the spaciousness and clear air of the grand hall, she heard footsteps coming from her right. She turned and saw that it was Thor. He sped up and approached her.

"Emmeline, what are you doing out here?" he asked. "Loki wishes to keep you inside."

"I know, but I just…I can't take it any more in there. I feel like if I stay in there one more minute I'll die. I just had to get out for a while. Don't tell him okay?" Thor smiled.

"I will not tell him. But you must be careful alright?"

"I will," said Emmeline with a smile. "And you know I'll miss you when we leave."

"I will come and visit you on Midgard," Thor said. "Perhaps I can even see Jane."

"You'll be welcome," Emmeline replied.

"How is Sigyn?" asked Thor.

"She is sleeping much better," Emmeline replied, lighting up at the mention of her precious daughter. "Loki and I just adore her. You'll have to visit a lot so she can get all excited when you come over." Thor smiled, but Emmeline caught a glimpse of a shadow behind it. Odin's illness frightened Thor, and she could tell. Why shouldn't it? He loved Odin; of course it would devastate him.

There wasn't much hope for Odin's survival, and Emmeline knew it. Everyone in the kingdom had already accepted the fact that their King was terribly ill and fated to die. It wasn't set in stone, but that was what all the people thought. It devastated the entire kingdom.

A silence passed between Emmeline and Thor; Emmeline the first to break it by placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't lose hope Thor," she said. "Odin is strong." Thor turned serious and looked at the floor and back up at Emmeline.

"Thank you Emmeline," he said. "…Did Loki speak to Father?"

"Yeah. I think he…I think he said what he wanted to say." Thor nodded. "How about we go for a walk in the garden? I need to see the sun."

Emmeline and Thor made their way to the royal garden and strolled through the flowers. Sadness was in the air and it was binding both of them. If someone were to join them in the garden, Emmeline thought, they would feel it too. Thor was upset and afraid for his father, and Emmeline was upset about leaving both of them. They eventually sat on a bench next to the rosebushes (or the Asgardian equal).

"…We'll be back, okay? I just…feel really bad about leaving all of you guys with all this." Loki had not told Thor that Odin's disease would turn into a plague, and Emmeline didn't either. He didn't need to know. But nevertheless, she felt terrible; she felt like she was throwing them under the bus and running away.

"Do not feel discouraged sister," said Thor. "It is important that you stay safe."

Just then, Loki busted into the garden, Sigyn in his arms, and huffed when he saw Emmeline.

"Emmeline! What are you doing?! You are required to stay inside!" he exclaimed. Emmeline sighed, saying nothing. Loki saw the strain on her face.

"…We're leaving," he said finally. Emmeline looked at Thor. He smiled at her and she gave him a hug.

"Walk with us to the observatory," she said.

Emmeline and Loki gathered a few of Sigyn's things and Loki swaddled the sleeping baby girl, careful not to wake her. The three of them walked to the observatory, and Heimdall was there waiting for them.

"We're ready to leave," said Emmeline.

"So soon?" asked Heimdall. "You will be missed here in Asgard."

"I have finished my business here," said Loki.

"Very well," said Heimdall. Emmeline looked at Loki and saw that he was a bit sad about leaving as well. She put her hand on his face.

"It's going to be okay," she said, although she wasn't so sure herself. Loki nodded and they both said goodbye to Thor.

"Come visit us and keep us posted!" said Emmeline. Thor smiled.

"I will," he said. He turned to Loki. "I hope to see you soon brother." Thor put his hand on Loki's shoulder as a sign of affection and Loki tried to smile.

"So do I," he said, and Heimdall opened the bifrost. Loki held Sigyn to his chest and Emmeline held on to both of them, so they could keep the baby in the middle. They didn't want the bifrost shaking her up too badly. Emmeline saw Thor wave at them as the rainbow bridge swept them out of the kingdom of Asgard.

Hope you liked it! :)

A Word On Loki's Character: I know that it may come across that I'm making Loki too soft, and that may as well be, but I just want to note that my interpretation of Loki is not a heartless monster. I think that's a wall he puts up so he won't be hurt anymore, by his family or anyone else. He's afraid of appearing weak because he's tried for so long to be strong. And I also think Emmeline softens him a little. Not on purpose, (that would be too Mary Sue-ish) but she draws him out of his shell a little more, you know? I think some people forget all the sweet moments we have with Loki in the movies. Remember in The Dark World how gung-ho he was to fly the ship when Thor let him take the wheel? And remember how he didn't even betray him in the end? (I know he faked his death, but seriously I think he could have still done that and betrayed Thor, but he didn't. I mean let's be real; Loki loves Thor. If he wanted to kill him for real, he would have already.) The reason I'm saying all of this is because this is my interpretation of Loki, and if I am making him too soft by even these standards, please let me know (in a polite way, no flames please). I have just noticed that a lot of people portray Loki a lot meaner than I do, and so I was just stating my reasons for the difference in my opinion.

Also let's not forget the beautiful new comic series Marvel is producing right now, Loki: Agent of Asgard. It is so awesome, so if you haven't read it, do it right now. But yeah, the whole series is about Loki coming back because he wants to change. See? He's a decent guy deep in there. He just has some stuff going on and it spiraled out of control.

Thank you so much, and sorry for the long note! ;)