His hands curved around her hips, and Eva tilted her head back as he bent to kiss her. His groin pressed forth; she could feel the heat, and this music only fanned the flames.

"Do you remember what I told you?" he murmured, and spun her to face him, his hand splaying over the small of her back. "Do you remember, Lena?"

Eva eyed him warily even as her lips began to curve.

"You told me many things. Specify."

Soft laughter, and the strap of her dress snapped. His mouth hovered above hers; had she leant up, she could have kissed him. But his lips never made it – instead his voice was a whisper, a torturous reminder.

"I said you were mine."

Eva sat upright, panting. Sweat slicked her palms, her thighs, under her breasts. Beside her Zach slept on, utterly unaware of her turmoil. Frustrated, she wiped her hands on the duvet, loosely hugging her knees as she listened to drunken singing outside. A bottle smashed, followed by raucous laughter, and it struck her how different it was to her life a year ago. Both chaotic, but this... This was a kind of chaos she could live with.

Feeling an awful chill creep up her bones, she slid out of bed, careful not to wake Zach, and tied a robe around her waist, padding into the kitchen and simply leaning against the sink. Moonlight streamed; she saw a lone spider scuttle through a ray on the floor and disappear into the shadows. Something shrieked outside, though Eva did not even flinch. She was far too used to sudden things to jump. Her hands ran through her hair, and she softly groaned. The temptation to slap herself was horribly strong, though she refrained for the sake of being quiet.

All that sat in her brain, all that played over and over, was that desire. That terrible, ancient, aching desire. But if she took that step, if she allowed herself to even disturb those waters, what hope did she have for calm again?

Closure, closure. Over and over. No, no, don't do it, it's foolish, it's inane, unnecessary.

And yet.

Somehow she found herself fully dressed, a note scribbled and left for Zach on her pillow, and the front door closing behind her. Quite how she did it, she could not and would never remember, only knowing that it passed in that odd cliché blur that so often happened. Her booted feet made their way down the cold midnight streets, quiet but urgent. There was no need for wigs or sunglasses here, and no fear gripped her. She was too determined to even consider feeling such a thing. Instead she walked – strode, really. There was no seesawing between destinations – no, she knew. Knew in her bones, her blood.

And as the dusty ground kicked up under her feet, as she arrived at the deserted park, she tilted her head up to the sky.

"Heimdall."

"Eva! Eva!"

She lifted her head, utterly confused – and then Zach's face swam into focus. With a hideous start, she realised she'd dreamt both scenarios, and she'd fallen asleep at her desk. Loki was dead. It had been a week since the damning news. She was present now, grounded, and her fiancé knelt by her chair, one hand on her back, a steaming mug of what smelled like peppermint tea in the other. A frown creased his brow, though it lessened when she blinked awake.

"W-What – did I fall asleep?"

"Mmhm. Here." He placed the mug by her laptop, careful to avoid an electrical catastrophe. "What had you twitching? Your face… You looked in pain. Was it a bad dream?"

"Yeah." She was abruptly reluctant to divulge details, and instead took the mug in both hands. In her stomach, a mix of emotions pooled – and she inwardly winced as she realised what one was. Longing. A painful, sharp longing. But what for, she dreaded to confront. No. That was one Pandora's Box she would never open. Especially not with Zach by her side. "What time is it?"

"About eight. I was going to order takeaway. Sound good?"

"As long as it's not that god-awful faux-Indian place," she joked weakly. He laughed, which she supposed meant she'd passed as fine and not outwardly panicking as she was within. "Those recipes have never been within a mile of India, surely."

Zach snorted, rising to his feet and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Snob. But you're probably right. Mexican? Or Chinese?"

"Either. I'm going to take a shower," she answered, feeling the need to scrub her skin clean of dreams.

"Alright!" he called back, already halfway down the hallway, phone in hand. Eva watched the open door fondly for a moment, before darting to the bathroom and shutting its door. She stripped as fast as she could, hissing when she turned on the shower and was met with a blast of cold. But it served to wake her fully, and as the water shifted from warm to hot, she tipped her head back, the downpour cascading over her body. White noise, white sensations that blocked everything she wanted to forget. In here, all that mattered was what shower gel to use, whether to shave her legs or not, or if her hair needed washing. A squirt of coconut gel on a bath lily, vigorous scrubbing, and only then did she begin to feel herself again. Nothing bad could permeate the misted glass, this tiny world of water. And when all the foam was gone, when she stood refreshed, she turned and pressed her forehead to the wall, seeking stability. Clearly her mind was playing tricks. The voice, the dreams… Therapists would probably call it PTSD, she thought, and not for the first time did she wonder why she'd never sought psychological help after Loki had left. After all, he'd put her through Hell, and their 'relationship' had been far from healthy. Pushing, pulling, unable to break away until it was too late.

"Loki," she whispered, and her face tautened, hating the feel of that name on her tongue. Heavy. Slick. Oily. Just as filthy. There was no goodness there, no redemption, even if Sif had insisted he'd sacrificed himself. Eva could not believe that man capable of such altruism, even for his brother. Thor had probably exaggerated, in her mind. Love did that. The Thunderer had not been blind to Loki's faults, however Eva was under no illusion that Loki's death had wiped them all away; a clean slate, as it were. If only her slate could be as unblemished.

"You were a fool," came another whisper amidst the water crashing down. "Fool, Loki. And I was foolish for following. I'm glad you're dead. You can't hurt anyone anymore. And you know what? You deserve it, you fucking bastard."

Silence resumed – at least in her mind. The shower provided that welcoming white noise again, and she sighed, laughing breathlessly without quite knowing why. Hysteria? Relief? Possibly both? Her hands flattened against the tiled wall, and she closed her eyes, smiling an odd smile that was neither grim nor grateful but somewhere in between.

"How now, my little lioness?"

Eva spun around, and her foot slipped. Her head cracked against the wall, and darkness swallowed her in slow, blurred seconds, her fingers desperately reaching for a hold that never came. Only that spurt of dizzying, blinding pain… and then nothing.

The shadow watched it all, and then, as the bathroom door burst open and the mortal betrothed ran in, it vanished, leaving chaos in its wake. That was its favourite thing to do, after all. And chaos was such a lovely, evocative word. Just as she was. So lovely. Fierce little female. Someone the shadow could be proud of.

It slid along the hallway floor, crawling through floorboards, up the cavity walls, and then settled in the rafters. Waiting was easy. It had waited for eons. A little longer would not trouble anyone. No. Wait, wait. Patience. Had the shadow possessed fingernails, it might have tapped them on the wood. As it was, it merely curled around beams, watched insects scurry about, and pondered.

The shadow considered Eva Manning, and mused exactly what it was that had her circling in the centre of everything again. The girl didn't want it; she did not want anything but a simple life – that much was evident. But she would never have that, not now. Not when these events were set in motion and not even gods and monsters could alter the threads of fate.

All that was left to do was linger, and watch the girl until the time was right.

And when it was, the pendulum would swing, taking her right along with it.

A/N: Thanks to you all for the reviews and follows! I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed!

Lightning xoxo