AN: Seriously, people, let me love you!

Please, if you wish, for maximum experience, listen to the following song because it's crucial for this chapter. But, don't play it until you see this - ## Once it appears in the text, press play. I think it gives it something really special. :)

Song of the Dragonborn - Sovngarde Chant by jessismith (just paste this on you tube and click the first link)

The song at the beginning is 'Fix You' by Coldplay.

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Marvel.

Chapter 4

When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep,
Stuck in reverse.
Lights will guide you home,
And ignite your bones,
And I will try to fix you.
Tears stream down your face,
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes.

The cold lips of the god of mischief lingered upon Darcy's hand longer than she expected. Her heart hammered violently against its eternal prison, almost jumping out of her throat. The manner in which he held her fingers in his large hand was beyond gentle, the way he snatched her brown gaze with his green one was unbearable.

The sunken, tortured eyes of the Norse god were rimmed with pain and tiredness, and still, in the midst of infinite darkness sparkled mischief. He reminded Darcy of a man who walked through a cave, and have seen light for the first time after so long, adjusting to it, but not trusting it entirely.

After he parted from her hand and straightened up, Darcy realized how incredibly tall he was. She stared up at him, with flushed cheeks, disheveled dark hair, and wide eyes.

Loki smirked down at her.

'Where I come from it is considered rude to stare at someone unceasingly.'

Darcy lowered her gaze immediately, her cheeks turning an even brighter cherry. She couldn't help but wince in her own embarrassment. Loki's grin grew; he enjoyed her small discomfort while she stood rigidly, cornered by his tall person.

'It's quite alright, Lady Darcy.' He cocked his head to the side. his smirk was determined to linger upon his visage.

Lady Darcy? She thought with a small quiver of excitement. What happened to 'mortal'?

'Yeah, um... Look at that!' she exclaimed, determined to change the subject and for at least one moment remove his burning gaze from her humiliated face.

'It's almost morning! Are you hungry?' She said to the ground. When she moved next to him, her arm brushed his.

A plethora of things entered her mind, but she decided, for the sake of her mental health, it was better to ignore them.

'Are you offering me a meal?' Loki turned after her, his dirty cape swishing behind him royally.

'Um, yeah.' She smiled, as she went to the kitchen for the second time that night. 'So, how 'bout it?' Darcy turned to him 'Cereals?' she shook the colorful box at him.

Loki just stared at her.

'Whatever you deem appropriate for us to consume at this early hour will suffice.' He got back and sat on the sofa casually, leaning his arm across the top of the backrest, his knees apart. He sat like he owned the place. There was no doubt in Darcy's mind his posture mimicked his mind.

'I know nothing about Midgardian food.'

'Well, it's diverse and interesting.' Darcy said as she took out the milk carton and two bowls.

'I'm a terrible cook. Except for sweet things.' She smiled. 'I can make pancakes, pudding, cakes and gateau. Muffins, brownies, biscuits and rahat lokum or Turkish delight as they like to call it.'

Loki couldn't help but simply stare at her back as she prepared their meal. The corner of his lip was tipped upward, wonder present in his eyes as he regarded Darcy like she was the most fascinating creature in all the Nine realms.

At the same time he was annoyed and entertained by her babbling. He didn't know any of the terms she spilled out of her lips, but for some reason, he listened.

'What is a… pudding?' he asked, propping his arm on his knee.

'Oh, it's like the best thing ever!' Darcy turned to him, snatching the strawberries out of the refrigerator. Taking a dramatic pose, she lifted her chin up and closed her eyes, as if picturing herself in the land of pudding.

'It's like this… rhapsody of chocolate and milk paradise, sweet but not too much, cold and soft, gentle and wiggly - like jelly.'

Loki smiled at her in amusement, not replying.

'Trust me, words cannot describe it.' She plunged the strawberries in a bucket of water, and as she took two spoons, she pointed them at the god of mischief, 'I'll make it for you, and then you'll know what I'm talking about.'

'But, as far as other things go, like… meat, vegetables and stuff? I don't know, you'll just have to go to a diner 'cause I am not as skilled at preparing those.' Darcy poured the milk into two bowls filled with chocolate cereals, and cut strawberries on a small plate.

'You like bananas?' she asked him casually.

'I do not know what those are.' He said simply, as he walked towards the kitchen and the large table upon which Darcy already placed the bowls, fruit and spoons.

'They are Midgardian fruit. I'll put some on the side; you can try it if you want.' She smiled.

Loki sat down slowly, and eyed the food in front of him suspiciously.

'It's all fresh.' Darcy sat down too, and regarded him 'I'm not trying to poison you.'

'But you can't poison me, Lady Darcy' Loki lifted his chin up, meeting her eyes 'Remember? I cannot die.'

'Oh, right.' She murmured absently. Darcy then made a messy bun on top of her head, and motioned with her hands 'Well, dig in.'

And they ate in silence. Every now and then, her eyes would betray her, and Darcy's gaze flew to him.

Loki sat upright, tense and noble. His wide shoulders square, his chin held high, and he took the bowl in his one large hand, and held his spoon in another. Slowly, he ate, with great manners. He caught the strawberries, popped it between his thin white lips and drank the milk. Darcy never knew breakfast could look so sophisticated.

Suddenly, the memory of Thor smashing the empty cup on the floor in a local diner, demanding another, made Darcy burst out laughing. This broke the silence that echoed with nothing but the clang of their cutlery against porcelain. Loki looked at her incredulously, putting down his spoon.

'Oh, I'm sorry! It's just…' She covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled 'I remembered the way Thor-'

The moment the words left her mouth, Darcy realized, she let something slip. Loki shifted, shadow falling over his eyes at the mention of his brother.

'Is there something you are not telling me?' He placed the bowl down, much violently than he intended.

'Well, I-I already told you - I met your brother.' Darcy probably shouldn't have mentioned that in front of him.

'And how is it that you... acquainted?' Loki smiled, but it didn't quite reach his darkened eyes.

Darcy sighed, as if defeated, and went to grab the bowls. Loki's arm flew and stood between Darcy's outstretched fingers and the dishes.

'It can wait, Lady Darcy.' He cocked his head to the side, his hair again falling over his face. This time he did not smile, and Darcy felt fear. 'How is it that you met?' he pressed.

Darcy removed her hand and placed them in her lap.

'He fell on Earth two months ago. He told us his father banished him.' She shook her head. Loki stared at her. 'I-I was not alone. I used to live here with two more people. Erik and Jane. They, they left not 48 hours ago.' Darcy's voice quivered, as she realized they really left her. Only then, the weight of cruel reality threatened to fall down upon her head.

They abandoned me.

'Jane and Thor kind of, got involved. And since we left, we all worked on getting him back. For Jane.' She said. 'During Thor's stay here,' Darcy paused, 'you sent the Destroyer. And he said he had to go back to fight you. He promised Jane he would return, but he didn't. We – well - I thought, he got killed in the fight. Of course, I would never say that to Jane. That would crush her.'

So, this... Jane is the one who made Thor so weak? How pathetic, brother.

'That's it.' Darcy said, summoning her courage and standing up 'When Thor fell down on earth, he left markings on the sand, and his fall was followed by strong lightning and beams of energy. When you fell down, something similar happened, and that's what made me think you were from Asgard. Beside other things.'

Loki too stood up, as if following Darcy's movements.

'Can I take the bowls away now?' She asked 'Or are you going to release your pent up rage on me 'cause I want to wash the dishes?'

'There is no need for that.' Suddenly he smiled, and waved his hand. The movements of his elegant fingers made the bowls, spoons and plates fly to the sink and settle down soundlessly.

Darcy stared at him 'Was that you!? You did magic!?' She smiled widely, beaming at him. 'That was so amazing!'

'I merely moved it.' He said bluntly.

Darcy laughed in disbelief 'Well, I've never seen someone do it! We can't do magic. It's...' Darcy said in awe '...far above all of us here.'

Loki was intrigued; it seemed that each second he learned more about this strange realm.

However, this particular revelation angered him. To know that on this lower planet inhabited by mortals, they admired magic. While in Asgard, the sole thing he committed his time to was always frowned upon. In Asgard, the home of gods and goddesses of the Nine realms, battle and glory was all that mattered. Not magic, not sorcery, not the subtle art that required the control, strength and determination of the mind. And so Loki, ever the rebel, diligently worked on magic – a strange world only some dared to venture in. Odin did, and now, look at him - the All Father, the King.

Alas, the All Father was fortunate enough to wield two swords – the one drenched in the blood of battle, and the one glowing with spells.

'Magic only exists in books or films-' She smiled, 'Can you do it again?'

'I am not a court jester or an entertainer, Lady Darcy.' He scoffed 'I do magic only when I want to.'

Darcy rolled her eyes 'Sure, whatever.'

There was a short pause.

'So, did you like the breakfast?' Darcy asked, moving to the counter to clean the dishes. 'I know it wasn't much. You are probably used to…I don't know - wild boars, ambrosia and mead? Or whatever you gods enjoy in higher realms.'

'It was quite satisfying.' Lifting his dark eyebrows, Loki smiled. When Darcy saw this, she noted it was the first time since she took him in, that he seemed truly genuine.

Darcy filled the sink and washed the dishes.

##

Loki sighed, closing his eyes, realizing how the pain in his side still lingered. Wincing, he moved to the couch, and leaned down on it, laying his head on the armrest. Putting one arm under his head, making himself comfortable, he observed Darcy.

She stood in front of the counter. The soft beams of the rising sun pushed their way through the curtains. They made her hair glow. Still in her sleeping robes, her sleeves up to her elbows, washing the dishes with a comical bun on top of her head, with bubbles flying out of the spilling sink, Darcy captured the attention of the lying god.

Her bare feet made noise upon the tiled floor as she scratched her right calf with her left foot, almost loosing balance and falling down.

His lips twitched in a smile.

Such a strange creature.

Drowsiness filled him, and he felt himself slipping. Then, something happened - The silence was broken by a voice. Softly, Darcy started humming.

It was a gentle song, like a lullaby, distant and ancient. It gently flew past her lips. Loki's eyes burned in her back, watching as she swayed with the song she sang unknowingly.

He thought he recognized the song.

Was it the tiredness that played with him?

"Dragonborn, Dragonborn by his honor is sworn,
To keep evil forever at bay.
And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph's shout,
Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray.
Hearken now, sons of snow, to an age, long ago,
And the tale, boldly told, of the one.
Who was kin to both wyrm and the races of man,
With a power to rival the sun."

Loki felt the freezing hands of his past lifting him up, off the sofa, out of the house, away from the dry ground of Midgardian realm, high into the sky, pass the clouds – and into the eternal night. He flew gently, only to find himself back in Asgard.

Loki's eyes fluttered shut, lulled by the song Darcy hummed.

Sleep took over.

…

When they brought him in, he wasn't aware of anything. His bare torso, shoulders and arms quivered like branches upon a violent storm. His muscles coiled like snakes, writhing inside his shuddering limbs. He fluttered inside and out, snake's fiery venom glistening off his fair skin. His raven hair was drenched with sweat, damp tresses falling into his tired half-lidded eyes. His hands curled in fists for days, the nails leaving bloody half-moons in pale palms.

They took him to healing rooms, and once they entered, a healing maiden screamed, covering her mouth with fair fingers. Glass broke on the floor as it slipped from her healing hands.

'Be calm, woman!' yelled a familiar voice on his right, carrying him with the help of another guard.

'T-Thor?' Loki murmured in his delirium.

A rough voice spoke on his right. 'I am here brother.'

Loki slipped in and out of consciousness the entire time. As if some higher force wanted him to suffer even more – he regained consciousness just as they were placing him upon a healing bed.

Once his burning skin touched the cold white sheets, sprinkled with dried plants that held healing properties, his entire upper body arched off the bed and Loki opened his mouth and screamed.

The wail of anguish and burning pain that pumped through his entire being ran into each corner of the High realm, echoing hauntingly. For the first time, the Aesir neither laughed, nor looked down upon Loki – for they all cringed at the thought of the pain he must have felt.

Their resentment disappeared, at least for a moment.

It was during those terrifying screams that another person burst through the doors of the healing chambers of the palace, and matched Loki's screams with those of heartache.

'My son!' Frigga threw herself on her knees on Loki's side, frantically catching her son's face in gentle mother's palms. He bared his teeth, his eyes spilling so many tears – Frigga could not distinguish where his tears began and sweat and venom ended.

'Oh Valhalla! What has happened?' The voice of the High Queen of Asgard shook and quivered, just like her second son's wounded body.

No one answered.

'Thor!' she yelled, mindlessly searching for the elder son.

He was at her side immediately. Thor stood in all his powerful glory, Mjölnir swaying from his silver belt. And as he came closer, he wrapped his thick arms around his mother's thin form.

'Where was he?'

'We found him on a cliff. Far away from here, by the sea.' He murmured lowly.

'Mother...' Thor searched for most tender words that would help him deliver the dark news to his mother.

'Speak, Thor!' Frigga took hold of his shoulders 'And, by Yggdrasil, search not for gentle words if there are none!'

'He was chained on a rock.' He said gravely. 'Snake's venom was dripping onto him.'

Frigga's eyes held the color of early dawn. They shined like jewels, leaking torrents of tears, an ocean of pain wide open and looking at her elder son.

'How long?' Her parted lips barely moved as she whispered, despair knitting mother's eyebrows.

'We believe he was there for as long as he was missing from the palace.'

Frigga shut her eyes immediately, throwing herself back beside Loki. Her muffled sobs shook her entire body, as she placed her cheek upon Loki's and cupped the side of his face.

'Oh, my son, my sweet… my dear, dear Loki…' She called his name, uttering it like a mantra, shaking her head sadly.

'He shall heal, mother.'

The coldness which may not have been intended shook Frigga from her grief, instead filling her with anger.

'At times, Thor, you can be so cruel, so cold and so like your father.' She hissed, 'And what about the scars that shall never heal, my son!?'

Frigga looked at Thor, waiting for an answer, her golden head proud.

'There are some things that you shall never understand!' She turned to Loki's unconscious body. 'Mother knows.'

A healer cleaned Loki's wounds, and Frigga caught a silk cloth, dipped it in warm healing water and cleansed his face. 'The fine fabric of his mind shall wear thin, for that kind of agony must be a slashing knife like the one warriors wield.'

Thor shifted in his spot, looking around, uncomfortable and shocked by his mother's sudden anger.

'I shall tell the guards to call for father.'

'No.' Frigga hissed poisonously. 'I know this is his doing.'

When those words left her, the rushing healing maidens stopped their work, and bowed their heads. It was unheard of to speak in such a manner about the All Father, even if the words belonged to his own wife.

Her voice echoed in the great golden hall. The carved ceiling was masterfully decorated, bearing the faces of the ancestors who gazed down at the scene beneath them with indifferent eyes.

Her voice was shaking in rage as she pointed her finger at Thor, still kneeling at Loki's side. 'Until Ragnarok, I vowed, to stand by your father's side. And I shall.' She let her golden arm fall. 'But Valhalla, at this hour, I do not wish to see his face.' Frigga gritted through her teeth.

Thor looked at his mother incredulously, disgusted by what he heard.

'You've done enough for this eve, Thor. Now, for the love of Aseir, leave us in peace.' While she said those words, Frigga lifted her palm in front of her face, blocking the face of her elder son that reminded her so much of her husband.

A bang of golden doors shook the large room. Thor was gone, the hum of Mjölnir silenced.

Frigga shut her sublime blue eyes, and caressed the side of Loki's troubled face.

'Mother...' he rasped, the greenest pools directed gently towards his beloved mother's face.

'Dream. Rest. Be calm, my son.' She whispered to his ear softly, tenderly, smoothing back his dark hair, running her soothing cold fingers over his burning scalp.

'I am here, Loki.' Leaning down, Frigga pressed a long kiss to her son's cold forehead. 'Mother loves you.'

Tenderly, like a small sea wave running towards the cracked sand, she opened her mouth and sang to him the ancient lullaby, like she did in distant centuries when he was a small child.

The salty wind of the ocean drifted inside the healing rooms, stole the song from Frigga's lips and returned it to Midgard.

There, Loki slept, remembering and dreaming, while the last word of the ancient lullaby rested on the heart-shaped lips of strange mortal woman - Darcy.