Sorry this took awhile, I meant to update since some days back but didn't get round to finishing this until today! Hope you all enjoy!

Your true colour

Your true nature

These two have naught in common

For you are what you choose to be

Chapter III: Heritage

Darcy had spent the later part of the afternoon in the kitchen, putting together a meal of macaroni and cheese. Thor and Jane had been talking no end since he got back and Loki had finally dosed off to sleep on the sofa, knocked out by the medicine.

The clock read six as Darcy bent to take the meal out of the oven, hot and freshly backed, abundant in sizzling cheese.

'Is it ready?' Jane inquired. She and Thor were both sitting in the kitchen to avoid waking Loki in the next room.

Darcy set down the dish and gave it a doubtful poke with a fork, clearly rather unsure concerning the mystery of macaroni.

'Looks good,' she decided.' Shall we call... um,' she waved her hand toward the next room,' fellow,' she filled in,' or leave him to sleep?'

'He had best have some supper,' said Thor.

'I'll call him,' offered Jane and getting to her feet she left the room.

Loki was sound asleep, his hair scattered on the pillow, his face clear in the dying sunlight from the window. Jane paused, studying the face. It didn't look evil, she thought, Loki had achieved a kind of innocent expression despite everything. When he grew angry or donned that stupid horned helmet he did look fierce, but here, asleep on the sofa, he didn't look like the sort of man to hurt a fly. Yet how much he had done, guilty of so many deaths.

Jane approached and gave him a slight tap on the shoulder. It needed no more for his eyes snapped open at once.

'What is it?' he asked, alert at once.

'Only supper,' said Jane,' we figured you might be hungry.

Loki gave a half smile,' very thoughtful of you,' he said, then glancing at the clock,' that was rather a longer sleep than I intended.'

'I'm sure it was what you needed,' said Jane,' no need to worry, you haven't missed anything.'

Loki smiled and swung his feet off the sofa.

'Do be careful on your ankle,' warned Jane.

'It's almost healed,' said Loki coolly,' we regenerate faster than you.'

Jane smiled,' I know,' she said,' but it'll be sensitive for a few days so take it easier.'

She walked out the room and Loki getting to his feet, limping, followed her.

Darcy was hovering in the door waiting for him,' ankle better?' she asked.

'Considerably, but what name had that medicine you gave me?'

'The painkiller?'

'Yes,' his tone was rather acid.

'Something wrong with it?' inquired Darcy, ignoring the tone.

'Well I slept all afternoon if you didn't notice.'

'Yeah, I noticed,' chuckled Darcy,' you'd know, having the mischief maker in your house, you make pretty sure you know he is.'

'Don't sidetrack,' said Loki, coking his head,' the subject here is that it had me sleeping.'

'Yeah, so? Did you have some other plan for your afternoon?'

'No.'

'Then what is wrong with sleeping?'

'I prefer to be alert.'

'Okay,' said Darcy,' next time you can sit with a throbbing ankle and I won't give you anything and you check a load on alert you'll be then.'

'Are you two coming to eat?' called Jane intervening before Loki could get in a sizable retort.

'Right on it,' cried Darcy and she slid along the floor to park herself in the seat beside Jane, leaving Loki the one between herself and Thor. He crossed over and sat down, somewhat pointedly avoiding the gaze of his brother.

The meal proved to be fairly good. Loki had some difficulty eating it with his hands still cuffed tightly together and Darcy noticing it looked over at Thor.

'Can't we get those things off?' she asked, nodding toward Loki.

'Inadvisable,' said Thor,' are you having trouble brother?'

'Just a little,' said Loki acidly,' maybe a spoon would help.'

'It's not my fault you wear those restraints,' said Thor.

Loki's proud head went up,' you'd say it's my own,' he said coldly,' but I never placed them there.'

'No more did I,' retorted Thor,' your actions did.'

'I was seeking my birthright!' snapped Loki.

'Okay cool it,' cut in Darcy,' just eat your dinner, I didn't mean to set you two off at each other again.'

Jane said in a perky tone,' after dinner we can see what we can do to make the shed comfortable.'

'Yeah,' agreed Darcy,' we got a pile of spare blankets.'

Thor gave his ingenuous smile,' is there a light in the... shed I think you named it?'

'Yeah, shed,' said Darcy,' and yip, there is a light in there. It's a bit old and dim, but it'll do.'

'We don't have any spare mattresses do we?' cried Jane in sudden alarm.

'Nope,' asserted Darcy, unperturbed,' but we can pile up blankets.'

'Sounds too good to miss,' said Loki.

Darcy gave him a wide smile,' would you like a teddy bear to take with you?' she asked.

Thor chortled at this and Loki made no response, having little idea how to respond to jokes of this nature. Darcy turned her attention back on her plate, rather chuffed that she had achieved silencing Loki.

The remainder of dinner went off without much conversation. With it over they were all getting to their feet when, from outside in the street, a loud and unfamiliar noise greeted them.

'What's going on?' asked Darcy, screwing up her brow.

There was a pause, while all listened, unconsciously holding their breath, then Loki suddenly moved swiftly to the window which looked out of the main street. It was rather high up, being above the kitchen sink and Loki pulled himself on to the surface beside the basin and, gripping hold of the inner sill, looked out though the lace curtain.

'What is it?' asked Thor moving over.

'The Einherjar,' said Loki,' we are being hunted brother.'

'The inner jar what?' inquired Darcy.

'The Einherjar,' corrected Thor,' the warriors of Asgard.'

'Oooh!' cried Darcy and bolted into the entrance and through to the main door.

'Darcy,' protested Jane, but there was no stopping her enthusiastic friend who had wrenched open the door and darted out. Jane sighed and turned to Thor,' they can't find us can they?' she asked.

He shook his head,' no, we are quiet safe with Hemdall's protection,' he assured her.' What do you see brother?'

Loki's eyes were glued to the window,' they are seeking us,' he said,' I wonder they waited the entire day.'

'They no not that we have Hemdall's protection,' said Thor,' there would be no reason for them to think we could hide.'

Loki made no response, but craned further to see. He was doing so when he felt a wave of giddy sickness hit him. He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling as though he was being drained of something, like the letting of blood. He raised his chained hands and even before his spinning, blurry vision he saw the colour creeping up them. Blue, like the veins in his hands were expanding.

Sick dread took over and he raised a hand to his face. He could all ready feel it. The pattern of the frost giant forming over his face. The crescent loop across his forehead and markings along his cheeks. In the glass of the window he dimly saw his own reflection and saw his own green eyes turn to red.

Behind him came Thor's voice,' Loki, are you okay?'

Loki did not want to turn. He hated this form, one he had only assumed completely twice in his life and one Thor had never seen. But the sick feeling was growing worse and now he saw a yellow, mist like light seeping from his finger tips.

Slowly Loki turned his head toward Thor, then he slipped back and fell from his perch on the surface. Thor's caught him as he dropped and stared down at his brother's face.

Loki had fallen unconscious, his black hair swinging back. The red eyes were shut, but Thor saw the lines of the frost giants etched across his brother's brow, cheeks and chin. The patterns of enemies he once hated on a much loved face. For the first time Thor could see his brother's likeness to his real, blood father.

He stared down at the face, feeling a weird sense that he was finally truly facing reality. Loki was a frost giant, how well he knew the fact, but how little he had understood it. In the back of his mind Loki's words came back from more than two years back.

'I'm not your brother, I never was!'

The pained words that Loki had spoken a mere two or three days after discovering the truth for the first time in a thousand years.

Thor felt Jane's hand on his shoulder and heard her whisper,' what is wrong with him?'

Thor straightened, picking up his brother,' it is the look of his people,' he said,' I told you of them, remember, a few weeks ago?'

She nodded,' is that how they look?' she asked.

Thor nodded,' more or less,' he said and bore Loki through to the entrance where he set him down on the couch.

Jane bent beside the unconscious trouble maker, murmuring,' what brought this on?' she pondered a moment, then inquired,' Thor, that light mist which was coming from his hand, wasn't that his magic?'

Thor looked interested in the idea,' it could have been,' he nodded.

'And losing that Asgardian magic may have set off this,' said Jane, enthusiastic now she had an idea. She took Loki's wrist to take his pulse and was about to start counting when she saw that the blue colour was seeping away from his hand. Moment's later it washed from his face, returning it to his usual pallid hue, smoothing away the lines of the frost giant.

Jane stared, spell bond and fascinated. Then, slowly, she let go of his wrist, but the blue did not return to his face

She glanced up at Thor, but he was only staring at his brother, pale, clearly off his usual balance. Jane reached up a hand to grasp his.

'It's okay,' she said,' he's going to be fine.'

Thor's hands both closed over her's and his eyes turned to her with a smile, full of love.

There was a swish of cold air now as the door flew open and Darcy burst back in,' what'd I miss?' she asked.

More to Come!

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