Childhood feels like a dream. It flows slow and fast, it hurts and it's sweet, it's ugly and beautiful. It is a piece of life that is never coming back to any of us, and even if some of us have had the worst pains to endure, there is always going to be a ray of sunshine somewhere in their childhood.

Loki's sunshine was named Sigyn. From the first moment, when she took his hand above the waterfall, she had always been a smile to look up to in the dark. Through the years the two children of Asgard shared their fantasies, wiped away each other's tears, stayed up late at night to watch the stars and dream about breathtaking adventures. As time passed, Loki grew to become the Prince of Asgard he was born to be and Sigyn became a gifted beauty with a wonderful mind. The protocol and their respective responsibilities pushed them apart.

But, when no one could see them, they would meet at the waterfall that saw their first encounter. Finally at peace, they could be themselves. Loki was relieved of his burden as Prince and Sigyn was able to show her talents as a magician. The young Prince had asked his witchcraft-master to teach Sigyn in complete secrecy. Learning together, they grew better and better in the art of magic. Their lives were perfect then. They were safe and no one was to break their happiness. No one, ever.

One night, as he was coming back from the library, Loki heard voices in his brother's chambers.

Sigyn had left for Jotunheim with her father, the alchemist master, to gather special ice-stones for his potions. Boredom was strangling Loki, for Thor was training with the Warriors Three all the time, without paying attention to him. He was alright with it, since it was giving him plenty of time to bury himself in books. But, on this night, he had been buried a bit too deep and it was the middle of the night when he stumbled out of the library. He was about to reach his chambers when he heard voices coming from Thor's chambers. He was a bit surprised, no one was supposed to be there at this late hour. Was Thor seeing someone? A girl?... It suddenly sounded interesting to the young Loki, who was already smiling to the idea of having such crucial informations about his brother.

He leant against the wall by the high golden doors that were half opened on his brother's wide chambers, allowing him to hear every word of the conversation. Unfortunately no feminine voice was to be heard. Instead, it was his father's voice that echoed through the room.

Was it boredom or real interest that drew him to listen at his brother's door? He did not know himself, but afterwards he would start to think that he had been meant to hear this in this very moment. So, he heard what was going to follow him in his dreams for a lifetime.

"You must let me speak to him, father." Thor said.

"No, I think it can wait until tomorrow morning." Odin answered. " Loki will be ravaged, this is most sure. So let him rest and dream tonight. Tomorrow will be painful enough."

"But... what happened to her? The guards said it was a problem with the Bifrost but how..."

"I am not sure, my son. But I think that they have been attacked by some Jotun renegades and the transfer in the Bifrost did not work the entire way long. Sigyn has been... lost during the transfer."

"Do you think she is dead?"

"I do not know. Even the Gatekeeper is clueless about her."

"How are we going to tell Loki?"

"Even I cannot answer, my son."

In this moment, something broke inside Loki's heart. It was cold and sharp, cutting through his entrails and torturing his flesh. Pain frost him inside out and he could only let himself fall to the ground, powerless, bitter tears flowing down his cheeks.

In an instant, just like this, she was gone. She had told him she would come back soon... but she was never going to come back. Ever.

..."You jump if I jump?"...

Back in present days, Nick Fury was staring at the large lab screen, on which silhouettes were moving fast in the streets of Paris. The agents Romanov and Barton had been sent to scout the area around Armand Stark's mansion, not far from Saint Germain des Près. Tony Stark's cousin was extremely wealthy, for he had built his fortune over the petrol industry in Russia, by buying the areas where the precious black gold had been sleeping unnoticed. On this very evening, his mansion was crowded with politics, famous artists and rich businessmen. They were all here for a reception given by the billionaire. This was a blessing for Fury's team.

There sure was awful a lot of witnesses and bodyguards, but this gala was a great opportunity to get in easily. Tony just had had to call his beloved cousin and in a matter of minutes, he got three invitations for the gala. Then it was only a matter of determining who was to come with him to get into this mascarade. Natasha and Barton declined instantly, Jane was not comfortable with the idea and Banner and the Captain had not arrived. So it became obvious that Tony's last partners would be the two Norse Gods. It occurred that Loki was needed to shut down the communication with the Ulgreheim army and that he was not to be separated from Thor.

"But we also need a lady." Tony added. "We will look very conspicuous otherwise."

Sigyn tried to argue, but it was already too late and she was hired to go to the reception dressed up as a perfect Madame. Since there were only three tickets, Sigyn, Tony and Loki would play the guests and Thor, the bodyguard.

Uncomfortably sitting on the backseat of a black Bentley, Sigyn was grimly looking outside the tainted window. She was trying hard not to tear her hideous dress to pieces. She desperately longed for a cigarette and a shot of good Vodka to forget that she was dressed up and painted like a winning horse at the Kentucky Derby. Stark and Thor were sitting facing her, the billionaire was enjoying a good Whiskey looking at her with greedy eyes.

"I wish I could be surrounded by girls like you." he smiled. "It would be far more comfortable."

"Ask Thor or Loki to get you comfortable, boy." the agent grinned back.

Tony took another sip from his glass and sighed deeply.

"I told Fury that I needed girls to get in. We will definitely look weird."

"I am a woman, thank you very much." Sigyn gasped.

"Sorry? I did not quite understand this last bit, Mister I-am-an-imortal-killjoy."

It was hard for her not to draw out her blade. She was going to reply when she heard Loki laughing by her side. His gag had been removed a few hours ago, but he still had not spoken a word. He had just followed them in the car, tossing angry glances at everyone. He was very strange, especially when he was looking at her, and he was not even looking at her, he was staring. Every time she felt his glance, it was like he was seeing right through her. And the pain in her stomach was also going harder each time she was near him. And now she was sitting right next to him, it was unbearable. His lips were opened on a sharp unbelievably large smile.

"You should not worry for that, Stark." he said, still smiling.

On these words, he clapped his hands once and was surrounded by a golden light that warmed up the air for an instant. On the next second, Loki was not sitting by Sigyn's side anymore. The person who had taken his place was a tall, beautiful black haired woman, wearing a fabulous green dress with golden high heeled shoes that matched her discrete but elegant jewels. Her green eyes were planted into Tony's, who was astonished.

"Is this feminine enough for you mister Stark?" the Lady Loki said in a suave tone. She genuinely crossed her legs, revealing a knee. Her cleavage was dangerously deep and it became hard for Thor and Tony to breathe.

When they got out of the limo, Stark took grip of his old self back and entered the mansion with a smile on his face. A lady on each arm, he walked pass groups of stunned people. Lady Loki seemed at ease, not disturbed by the dozens of eyes staring at her. She was politely laughing and conversing with the hosts, innocently sipping champagne. As for Sigyn, acting in society was not a problem either for she had centuries of practice. Even though she hated every second of it, she acted like a perfect lady and drew the attention of all the men who were not already mesmerized by Lady Loki.

This was the perfect diversion, half of the hosts were busy trying to catch a glimpse of Tony Stark and his two adorable partners. It allowed Natasha and Clint, dressed as maid and butler, to infiltrate Armand's personal wing of the mansion. Thor joined them, pretending to look for a breach in the security system. He knocked out three body guards on his way to the agents and punched the locked doors open for them.

Down in the drawing room, by the buffet, Tony was faking a discussion with the two women when his earplug started to tickle him.

"Tony" Natasha called. "You can come up and help us, leave Loki and Sigyn down here. Sigyn, I'm counting on you, keep both eyes on Loki."

Tony took a last look at the girls' cleavages, and discretely sneaked out of the room. As he got up the stairs and reached his cousin's personal wing, he managed not to blush seeing Natasha Romanov dressed as a chamber-maid.

"If I was a fan-boy I would have a nose bleed." he grinned, patting Clint's shoulder.

The archer just punched him in the stomach and Tony pretended not to feel any pain.

"When you're finished boys... We might get to work?"

The plan was simple: neutralizing Armand's security systems within his own wing, then waiting for Loki to use his spell on the French billionaire to make him come up, afterwards they relied on the God of Mischief to find the Ulgrech artefact.

"Alright, the wing is blind no cameras can see us now." Clint said in his communicator when the last camera was shut down. "Foster, can you tell us where Armand is?"

There was no answer. Natasha tried to call Jane as well but she only got the same silence in her earplug. Thor got nervous, why was she not responding? She was supposed to be watching the ball-room where Loki and Sigyn were, waiting for their signal.

"Something's not right." roared Natasha, trying all of the frequencies on her communicator. "Nothing works, I can't believe it!"

"Can't you?"

They all turned around when they heard the voice laughing those words. Standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by a dozen of bodyguards, was Armand Stark. He was holding a gun in his right hand, and at the end of it was Jane's head. The girl could not move, strangled by the billionaire's arm. Thor felt blood pumping in his head, and nearly lost control, but calmed down when he saw that the bodyguards were not humans. They were all Ulgrechs.

"You have always been crrrap in strategy, cher cousin." Armand said. "And you even are capable of getting ridiculed when other people are helping you, pathétique."

"You just need to speak English to sound pathetic... I don't." Tony answered.

"Idiot d'Américain... let me put it this way: check mate!"

As those words rang, the air started to taste thick and salty. Tony realized it was gas when he saw Natasha and Clint falling to the ground and felt himself fainting. His last thought was that he had invented this special gas... what irony?

Meanwhile, among a crowd of elegant rich people, Sigyn and Loki were starting to lose their patience.

"What the hell are they doing?" the blond woman mumbled, pretending to take a sip of champagne. "Are they having tea or something? We can't even locate the bastard in that f... blasted crowd."

"Are you afraid of drowning in champagne?" Loki spat. "In your case it might be a good thing."

"You know, when I talk like this I'm not addressing to you. I don't need you to answer and I don't even want you to. I actually wouldn't mind if you did not talk or breathe at all."

Lady Loki was about to answer something sharp and irritating mixed with an ironic smile when a terrible nausea stormed in her stomach. She nearly threw up but took hold of the table behind her not to fall. Sigyn took her by the arm and helped her up.

"What now?" she asked.

"I... I can't hold this b... body any longer."

"You...What? You've got to be kidding!"

"If I don't sh...shift back I'll have some serious problems."

Loki's pretty face was twisted by pain and Sigyn saw with horror that the lips were getting thinner and paler, the hair was shrinking and the womanly clothes were progressively disappearing. She pulled Loki towards the lady's room, trying hard to make it look like some indigestion. Thank heavens, the bathroom was empty when they reached it and Sigyn locked the door behind her as Loki fell on her/his knees. A shriek of pain rose from the shifter's chest and an ungodly sound of broken bones followed.

"It was not that hard back in the car." Sigyn pointed out, not too stressed by the situation. It was in fact very comforting to see this legendary moron in so much pain. She picked a cigaret in her hand bag and lit it up with a smile.

"It's always easier the first... time." Loki answered, still fighting against himself.

There was another flash of gold and the shrieks stopped. The tall man stood up, smartly dressed in a black tuxedo with golden buttons. He was out of breath but seemed in better shape than earlier.

"Some men will be so disappointed." Sigyn said. "I'm sure you'd love to have your way with businessmen."

"I don't need them when I have you, alone, in the bathroom."

Ordinarily the Norse woman would have made him have a taste of her fist, but this time she chose to spare him.

"Anyway." she said. "The plan is dead if you can't be a girl anymore and your face is too well known."

"Is it?"

"Videos of your attack on New-York are all over Youtube, everyone wants to cut off the head of the Horned green man." she pressed on her earplug. "Agent Sigyn broadcasting, I'm in need of a cover to evacuate the perimeter, over... Does anybody copy? Over..."

After decades of working as a special agent, Sigyn had learned not to remain in one place for too long, especially when the situation was not going in accordance with the plan. She took handcuffs out of her hand bag, clipped one around Loki's left wrist and the other around her's.

"How intimate." he snarled.

"Shut up and act like you're in a lot of pain."

On these words, she punched him in the stomach as hard as she could, which meant very very hard. Loki instantly bowed, gasping. There was no need for play acting. The blond woman pulled him out of the bathroom, shaking him like a puppet.

"Everyone please let me through!" she barked loudly. "I'm part of the security team, please step aside. This man is an intruder, I'll escort him outside. Please ladies and gentlemen remain calm and do not interfere."

As odd as it might seem, it worked. Too surprised to act, the bodyguards did not make a move and everyone let the two people walk through the ball-room, straight towards the door. They reached the court yard and rushed pass the gate, Loki still folded up, coughing his lungs out. Sigyn knocked out a guard who tried to stop her as they were reaching the street. Once out of the mansion, she forced Loki to stand straight and started to run. Their hands were handcuffed, so he had to follow her as she sprinted on the pavement. After putting some distance between them and the mansion, they stopped running and took a break to breathe. It was at this moment that their communicators crackled and that Nick Fury's voice rang in them.

"Can anyone hear me?" he was barking. "Here's director Fury, answer me!"

"Yes, director!" Sigyn answered. "I've lost contact with the others and I left the place with Loki. There's been a problem."

"I know..." There was a sound of gunshot and a struggle. Fury's voice became fainter, like he was far from the microphone. "Armand knew we were coming and he located us. Our headquarters are under attack. I made the Asgardian civilians evacuate on a plane but the Ulgrech will find them if no one hides them."

"What about Stark and the others? Thor is still inside and..."

"Forget it!" his voice was pressing and full of apprehension. "Your priority is to make sure they don't get hold of Loki, he is our last chance to get rid of the invaders. Go to Scotland, this is were I've sent the Asgardians we'll meet you there with God's help and we'll sort something out. Leave Paris now, this is an order."

"Fury." snapped Loki. "Tell your men not to touch the Ulgrech's skin or they'll be burnt. Find Odin and tell him to use the Tree spell, he'll understand."

"Thanks for the advice but..." there was a glimpse of sadness in the director's voice and it took him some seconds to finish his sentence. "... Odin went down, I'm sorry. You're on your own."