AN: It's so hard to write your headcanons of a movie into a story without it becoming a transcript of the movie.
Again, really sorry this took so long. I was rather hung up with Loki's last scene , so let me know what you think!

Thanks again for all the favs/follows and reviews! It means a lot to me!

Recommended Listening: Gone- Snow White and the Huntsman Soundtrack

PS: I'm going to assume that Loki perfected his projections of himself into full blown doubles from the knowledge he gained from the Tesseract.


Yuanfen

Mandarin for a binding force which eventually brings two people together in love.


The gilded surroundings of the Bifrost came to view, as did its keeper... a lot less frozen than the last time Loki had seen him. Behind Heimdall was a host of Einherjar to greet them, shackles and chains ready to burden his body. Loki sighed, and stepped towards his jailers, ready to receive his sentencing.

He couldn't begin to describe how infuriating it was to be paraded around Asgard, muzzle about his face, a collar around his neck, and chains draping his body. A prince of Asgard now reduced to the status of a savage beast. Despicable. His jaw tightened with every step closer to the palace.

The guards paused at the door to the throne room, removing the wretched muzzle from his mouth. They were staring at him apprehensively, hands on the hilts of their swords, ready to strike as if they were afraid he would mutter an incantation and kill them all as soon as his tongue was free.

"Rest assured, if I'd wanted you dead, it would merely be as simple as a single thought." He scoffed at them, and pushed through the doors.

The walk up to the throne was lengthy, and Loki intently marched with heavy feet, every footfall jostled the chains around him and jingled them with each step. He had a defiant stare in his gaze as he made his way to his father.

"Loki," His mother's concerned voice drifted from the side.

"Hello, mother. Have I made you proud?" It wasn't his intention to give her attitude, but he had so much pent up rage towards his father, it just seemed to spill out of him.

Frigga twisted her hands together; the nervous gesture was not lost. "Please, don't make this worse," she begged.

"Define worse." Really, he couldn't imagine anything much worse than facing the man before him. But he was doing this for Darcy; trying to right his wrongs and become the Loki from the future that she had seen.

When Odin had ordered his mother away, Loki had set his jaw and stomped towards the throne, clicking his heels together to mock his stance at attention.

"I really don't see what all the fuss is about."

"Do you not truly fear the gravity of your crimes? Wherever you go there is war, ruin and death." Odin spat at him.

Loki kept his composure. "I went down to rule the people of Earth as a benevolent God- just like you."

"We are not gods. We are born, we live, we die; just as humans do."

Loki thought a moment on the Allfather's words, noticing the pointed correlation between humans and Asgardians. He thought of Darcy then, her lifeless body fading out of his arms. Someday, he would join her in Valhalla; yet, the wait would be an eternity.

"Give or take five-thousand years." Loki smirked smugly after his smart reply.

"All this because Loki desires a throne..."

"It is my birthright," he defended.

"Your birthright was to die as a child! Cast out onto a frozen rock. If I had not taken you in, you would not be here now to hate me."

Of course. Remorse for claiming the spoil of war that he had hoped to utilize in the future. "If I am for the axe, then, for mercy's sake, just swing it." Odin apparently had the gall to renege on claiming him as a son; Loki wondered if he would be able to just execute him like a commoner. "It's not that I don't love our little talks, it's just... I don't love them."

"Frigga is the only reason you are still alive and you will never see her again. You will spend the rest of your days in the dungeon."

Loki was pulled back by the guards, trying to fight the tears springing to his eyes. So, Odin did want him dead, then? The proclamation weighed heavy in his heart. The bastard really knew how to swing a low blow.

"And what of Thor? You'll make that witless oaf king while I rot in chains?"

"Thor must undo the damage you have done and bring order to the Nine Realms; and then, yes, he will be king." The guards flanked him then, forcibly turning him and dragging him out of the chamber and to the dungeons.

He was unceremoniously locked into his cell, the white lights were blinding, but no matter; he still had full range of his power if only confined to these walls—a comfort of which he was almost grateful. Loki began pacing around the small room, contemplating his new situation.

When he saw Darcy last, she claimed to have spent Time with a future version of himself... So Odin was going to eat his words; Loki was eventually going to get out of this cramped space. He paused in the middle of a step as a thought crossed his mind. When he finally was free of imprisonment, how much Time would he and Darcy have together? She still looked much younger than his first encounter with her, but how much Time would go by until he was finally able to be at her side? Would it be too late? Would he lose her forever just as he gained his freedom?

Loki didn't sleep at all that night. Instead, he focused his energy on how he was going to break free from his confinement and spend as much Time as he could with the mortal waiting for him on Midgard.


Darcy walked with her face pointed towards the sun as she milled about the neighborhood sipping on her large cup of tea. She enjoyed a walk every morning before heading to the lab, relishing the brisk air against her cheeks and the warm liquid sliding down her throat. She used this Time to reflect on the choices she'd made in her life... and lately, she thought of the lanky blonde she'd "hired" as her very own intern/assistant.

After the attack on New York, the two women had seen neither hide nor hair of their Norse Gods. And after finding out that the God of Thunder had made a visit to Midgard without stealing a singular moment with her, Jane had become a wreck. She'd reverted into a puppy-like state, getting excited at the prospect of new information, wagging her little tail, waiting for him to come home. Eventually, the excitement turned to impatience, making mornings with the love-struck astrophysicist tense. And after a year had well passed, Jane had given up entirely on the blonde behemoth, resorting to pitying herself and crying all day.

Darcy never told Jane the details about her foray into the future, but remembering the intimate picture of herself and Loki during Thor and Jane's coronation, Darcy couldn't let the woman simply lose hope. She tried to be encouraging; "Just be patient," she'd say. "He'll come back for you, just don't give up." She wasn't about to spill the beans on knowing for a fact that Jane and Thor were going to spend eternity together, reigning over the universe in a glorious gilded palace; but it was hard to see her friend so lost in the fray.

To be honest, Darcy was a hypocrite. She knew her own future rested with Loki, but with their tumultuous history, she wanted to try and carve her own fate for once—to entertain the idea of her own freewill.

And that was how she'd found herself at the mercy of a British accent and a crooked smile.

Darcy met Ian a few weeks ago in the cafe she frequented. He'd bumped into her as she turned around from the counter, warm beverage in hand, resulting in soaking the front of her coat. He apologized sincerely, immediately buying her a replacement drink and fetching napkins to help dab the liquid out of the fabric. It was the only day that she settled on staying inside the establishment; not wanting to brave the cold winter weather until her coat had dried. So Darcy sat next to the mildly attractive youth, growing fonder of him the longer they talked.

She found herself so swept up in the moment; she was almost embarrassed that she'd asked if he'd like to work with her. He jumped at the chance to work under the legendary Dr. Foster and Darcy used his new intern status to justify her wanting to be around him. She kept their association clandestine, of course, mostly having him help her with work she would bring back to her apartment, not yet wanting to explain things to Jane. Eventually, Darcy circled back to her flat, gathering her keys and work purse before heading out.

Darcy was greeted by Jane's mom at the door. The middle-aged woman welcomed her inside and then headed back into the recesses of the lodging to continue with her day. Darcy made her way over to the make-shift lab set up in a spare room. Dropping her bag next to her desk, she was surprised to find that Jane was nowhere in sight. Maybe, for once, the work-a-holic astrophysicist was going to finally get more than a few hours of sleep.

Darcy was pounding back her second cup of coffee and thinking about food a half an hour later, when a beeping sound pervaded the beat of her music flowing from her ear buds. She pulled out the headphones and milled about the room, in search of the alarming equipment. When she found the offender, she looked at the readings and felt a jolt in her stomach. The little TI-83/palm pilot hybrid was chirping away, display going haywire on the screen. She refused to let herself entertain the idea that the readings were the same as when Earth had its first Asgardian encounter; deciding rather, that the equipment must be malfunctioning. So she executed the "malfunctioning equipment protocol" and gave the little device a few good whacks against the hard wood of her desk. When that didn't seem to work, the feeling that the seemingly improbable reason of a gravitational anomaly due to the return of an Asgardian crept through her mind. She decided to consult Jane.

When Darcy found her bed empty after a series of unanswered knocks against her bedroom door, Darcy sought out Jane's mom. After getting the info she needed, she called Ian, telling him they were getting sent out on a field assignment, and that she'd swing by and pick him up before going to get Jane, who, apparently, was on a date. Ian slinked into the backseat, and Darcy raced off to the fancy restaurant where she was told she'd find her boss. Parking around the block, Darcy instructed Ian to wait there, and she headed inside. Oh, this was going to be good.

Using her American flare for impatience and assertiveness, Darcy bypassed the maître d', leaving his feathers ruffled and his mouth slack jawed as she marched by with lava flowing through her veins. Darcy might have given up on living the rest of her days with a Trickster God currently being punished for his multiple crimes against humanity, but she'd be damned if she'd stand by while Jane threw away being Queen of Asgard for a petty mortal. And when did she start thinking like Loki?

Darcy halted at the side of the table, looking at the disgustingly cute couple before her. Would it be possible that Jane could be happy with someone else? Darcy pondered the question for all of two seconds before making her decision. Nope- engage party crashing behavior immediately.

"Hi can we get some wine, please?" the man turned and asked her. She almost snorted right there, but the surprise on Jane's face was enough to silence her.

"Sure, I'd love some!" There was a slight frostiness to her tone. Did she look like a waitress? Really?

"Richard, this is Darcy," Jane interjected. Darcy pantomimed a "cute" and gave her friend a thumbs up, hoping that her presence would put off the seemingly would-be suitor for her friend. "What are you doing here?" Jane's voice was dripping with accusation.

Okay. Alright. We're going to take that tone, are we? Well, Darcy was going to really help her girl out. She turned around, found a chair and dragged it slowly across the floor, metal legs scraping as loud as possible. The grin of triumph almost faded from her face when she realized that Loki would probably be proud of what she was doing. She counted at least twenty other patrons had turned their head in her direction as she sat down at the table. Richard apparently was a little discomfited at her ease of sliding in between them.

"So, I show up to work at the lab-slash-your-mom's-house, fully expecting you to be moping around in your pajamas eating ice cream and obsessing about you know who," she coughed, grabbing a knife and buttering the piece of bread she'd lifted from the basket. Helloooo tension! "But you're not! You're wearing lady clothes. You even showered, didn't you? You smell good!" She hoped that talking with food in her mouth would really turn him off. Throwing table manners out the window always seemed to work in situations like these.

Jane didn't seem to understand Darcy's point to all of her encouragement on being with Thor. "Is there a point to all this? Cause there really needs to be a point to all this."

"Right." Darcy dropped the bread and brushed the crumbs off her hands before reaching into her pocket. "You know all that scientific equipment you don't look at anymore? You might want to start looking at it again. This is the reason we came all the way out here." She shoved the beeping device into Jane's hands.

"It's malfunctioning."

"That's what I said." Jane frowned and initiated the standard malfunctioning equipment protocol. She thwacked the electronic device against the table, and the noise rang throughout the sophisticatedly quiet room. "That's what I did!" Darcy continued, popping more bread into her mouth. "I thought you'd do something a little more scientific."

"I'm sure it's nothing." Jane smiled at her date, handing the device back to Darcy. Oh no, she wasn't going to get off that easy.

"Doesn't look like nothing," Darcy insisted. "Kinda looks like the readings Erik was rambling about—Our friend, Erik," she turned to Richard, "kinda went bananaballs." Upping the ante on being an awkward third wheel was proving to be a successful cockblock.

"He's not interested." Jane interrupted.

"I'm interested," he countered.

Feeling between a rock and a hard place, Jane bit out "I'm not interested. It's time for you to go now."

"Okay." Darcy gave a sweet smile that didn't come close to reaching her eyes, scraped her chair back over to where she got it, letting her lips curl in to a smirk and feeling like an insufferable little shit, and strode to the exit.

She left the restaurant feeling victorious and sure enough, no more than five minutes later, Jane was rounding the corner and hopping in to the passenger's seat.

"Aaand I hate you," she greeted.

"What? I said he was cute!"

"Just shut up and drive." Darcy threw the rest of the bread on the dash and sped down the road.

When Intern-cum-personal-GPS shouted his directions, Darcy thought Jane was going to pee her pants. After a quick explanation, which Jane didn't technically reprimand Darcy for her decision, the two were introduced and they'd reached their destination.

Darcy parked the car haphazardly in the abandoned shipyard, and everyone piled out. "Come on! This is exciting!" She was trying to boost team morale. "Look! The intern is excited!"

"Ian." His passive voice was almost lost in the wind.

"Do you want the phase-meter?" she asked Jane.

"No."

"Bring the phase-meter—the toaster-looking thing." she instructed Ian.

"I know what the phase-meter is," he replied.

Jane's science-senses must have been tingling, because she began to wander around the yard aimlessly. When she got too far away for Darcy wanting to make a dignified attempt at getting her attention, she went with option number two. She could hear hip-hop ringing in the distance as soon as she hit send.

"How do I change the ringtone on this?" Darcy laughed. She wasn't about to tell.

"An astrophysicist with three degrees should be able to change her own ringtone."

"Why are you calling me?"

"I didn't want to shout. Intern says it's this way."

"Ian. My name's Ian." he stammered next to her. Really, she didn't know why she never referred to him by name. Okay, well, maybe she did. If she called him by his name... Ian, she would probably have to stop lying to herself and admit that the only reason she wanted to keep him around was her attraction to him.

After being scared shitless by some kids and then being amazed at the crazy portals they found, Darcy was excited. "I want to throw something. Jane, give me your shoe!" she called, but the petite brunette was worlds away.

"I haven't seen readings like these since...since..." She was speechless.

"New Mexico?" Darcy finished for her.

"Don't touch anything!" she yelled before darting away.

Come on. Really? Like she was going to follow the rules when she could chuck things into a portal and have them fall infinity style like in the video game. Darcy, Ian, and the kids were all caught up in the fun, chucking in whatever they could find, and watching in awe as the objects fell, guessing whether things would come back or disappear entirely. They were having good time, at least, until Darcy noticed a familiar Rubik's cube falling and re-falling from the sky. And then, it didn't.

"Were those the car keys?" She asked. Dammit. It had taken her forever to figure out that stupid-ass cube, and now she had nothing to show for it. Not to mention she had no idea on how to hot-wire a car. Shit. Well, the disappearing act had officially lost its appeal. Darcy huffed and sat on the stairs, waiting for Jane to get back so she could break the news of their new hitchhiker status.

When a half an hour went by and Jane hadn't come back, Darcy went looking for her. She, Ian and the kids all split up and scoured the compound; the echoes of their voices rang off the dilapidated concrete. Minutes turned into hours and Darcy began to panic, calling both Erik and Jane's cells and leaving frantic messages. Finally, Darcy gave up, biting the bullet and calling the police.


"JANE!" Darcy screamed when she saw her friend. "Where the hell were you?" she asked running over to her.

"Tell me you didn't call the police," was Jane's reply. They bickered for a moment over the involvement of the authorities.

"Jane! You were gone for five hours!" That seemed to shut the astrophysicist up.

"What?"

They hadn't noticed the sudden thunderstorm, but after a moment, they realized that the rain wasn't falling in a vast circle around them. Jane stuck her hand out into the spray.

"That's weird." She looked around and spotted Thor, running off to greet him.

"Typical," Darcy bemoaned when the chilly precipitation suddenly started falling on her. Apparently the circle of dryness was only there to protect Jane.

Watching the two reunite was almost sickening to Darcy. Usually, she was the one all for public displays of affection- which apparently included slapping, but hey, whatever floats their boat... She just couldn't help but feel a little left out, seeing Thor come back for Jane when Loki never came to her—at least not with obvious, untainted love and devotion that Thor was displaying. Darcy recognized her cue when the two were just about to kiss. Hey, she was a cockblock earlier today, might as well continue to carry on her mantle. She interrupted the two and confronted Thor about the rain, which peculiarly enough, stopped suddenly as if someone had just simply turned it off.

"Um, we're kind of in the middle of something here." Jane was not happy about Darcy's timing.

"Um, I'm pretty sure we're getting arrested," Darcy replied snarkily.

Jane excused herself and Darcy was left in the company of the towering God of Thunder. She didn't want things to be awkward, but so many things had happened since the last time she saw him... Things that involved Loki. Did he know about them? More importantly, what happened to Loki two years ago when he and Thor left after New York got destroyed? Was he okay? She wanted to ask, but at the same time, she didn't.

"Look at you, still all muscly and everything. How's space?" Yep, way to diffuse the weird atmosphere, there, Lewis. The big blonde just smiled down at her.

"Space is fine."

When she was about to find the courage to ask about Thor's mischievous little brother, an explosion burst throughout the shipyard. Thor's hulking mass covered Darcy from the blast, but everything happened so fast. The next thing she knew, Thor had grabbed Jane and they disappeared in a roaring rainbow bridge. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed, stepping into the circle of burned pavement, staring at the sky in amazement.


It was an old habit, but Loki paced around the confines of his cell, noting out of the corner of his eye the numerous prisoners from various realms being escorted deeper into the dungeons.

"Odin continues to bring me new friends. How thoughtful," he sneers.

"The books I sent, do they not interest you?" Frigga redirected the conversation.

"Is that how I am to while away eternity? Reading?" Incredible. Let everyone forget the monstrous prince of Asgard while he rots under the palace.

"I have done everything in my power to make you comfortable, Loki," his mother replied softly.

"Have you? Does Odin share your concern? Does Thor? It must be so inconvenient, them asking after me day and night." So much Time had passed and the only person to even think about him was his mother. Just because he'd pushed the other two away didn't mean that he wanted them to forget about him—it was a cry for help, for their understanding.

"You know full well it was your actions that brought you here." Apparently, Frigga was getting tired of him as well.

"My actions?" he shot back. "I was merely giving truth to the lie that I'd been fed my entire life—that I was born to be a king." For a moment, one of Frigga's knowing-looks passed over her, and she camouflaged it with indignation. What had she seen?

"A king?" she asked. "A true king admits his faults. What of the lives you took on Earth?"

"A mere handful compared to the number that Odin has taken himself."

"Your father-"

"-HE'S NOT MY FATHER!"

"Then am I not your mother?" Loki was taken aback by her question. He didn't mean it like that... it just... well there was no turning back now.

"You're not." He replied calmly, tears in his eyes.

Loki's words visibly wounded her, and she scoffed at how easy his declaration rolled from his tongue. "Always so perceptive about everyone but yourself." She held out her hands for him, but he realized the futility of the gesture. He could feel guilt written all over his face, and he hoped that she hadn't taken his words to heart. He passed his hands through hers and she faded away in a green shimmer.

Tired of pacing, and emotionally exhausted from the spat with his mother, Loki laid down on his bed, tossing a small cup in the air to sort through his thoughts. Up. Down. Up and down. The reverie of thought in his repetitive motion was interrupted by the sound of pounding and screams from somewhere else in the dungeon. When the lights dimmed, he paused and placed the cup on a nearby table. The alarm began to ring, and prisoners, not soldiers rushed past his cell. He got up to watch the chaos unfold. A large creature, the likes of which he'd never seen before, and certainly not something from any of the inhabited nine realms, approached him. Was this the moment he would finally be freed? He tried not to let any emotions betray his stoic stature as the wretched thing approached him, but he couldn't help but wonder if this would be finally be the time when he would return to Darcy Lewis. But, the creature turned away, apparently changing his mind. It was almost as if, from the point of view of another monster, Loki was the true fiend that needed to be locked away. Loki felt himself deflate a little. No matter, he thought. Let the wretch wreak havoc upon Asgard until his last breath. "You might want to take the stairs to the left," he encouraged.

Sometime later, after the alarm had silenced and the murmur of commotion had died down, he immersed himself between the pages of one of the books his mother brought. He saw the guard approach from his peripheral vision, but he wasn't about to grace the man with his full attention. It wasn't until the words finally registered that he looked up from page, words blurring as his vision swirled. It was peculiar, he did and did not hear the news that the guard had come to bear; sounds were drowned out by an overbearing silence and the beating of his heart. He said nothing to the guard, afraid that he would lose his composure, so he simply turned his head and nodded at him in thanks. When the guard disappeared, he let himself fall apart.


He didn't know how long he'd been sitting in his cell, surrounded by the ruin of his possessions. He didn't deserve sleep, he'd decided in his self-deprecating state. He was at a loss for words—for thoughts. Life held no meaning to him now. His head rested against the wall behind him, eyes blurring from the intensity of the light above, and tears streamed down his face. He led the creature straight to his beloved mother. Loki had screamed himself hoarse at that realization, and now, all he could do was mourn quietly in the destroyed cell; praying for both a long life so that he may truly atone for his crimes, punishing himself for the rest of his days; and also hoping that death would take him soon, for if there was one person who deserved to die, it was him—let the universe rid itself of one less monster. He had just enough strength to keep up the outward illusion that all was well to passersby.

He was in a catatonic state when he heard the soft call of his name. His eyes had burned out of focus and he slowly blinked to moisten them. He must be dreaming, he rationed, surely no one would dare visit the black prince now. Yet the being that stood before him was beautiful beyond reason. Slowly, she came into view; lush lips forming in the shape of his name, but the call was far away. As a soft hand cradled his face, his vision had restored and he found he was able to cry again, his voice raspy as he wept.

"Darcy?" He looked into her eyes for just a moment; they looked silver, but she was crying too, so he couldn't be sure. He turned away and sobbed even harder as she enveloped him in a warm embrace.

"Shhh... It's okay." She held him tighter and traced circles over his back with her open hand.

"I killed her!" He could hardly talk, it seemed like his heart was going to lodge in his throat. "It was my fault." He didn't return her hug, leaving his arms limp at his sides; deciding he was unworthy of her affection as well.

"No, Loki. There was nothing you could have done." He shook his head against the crook of her neck. "He would have found Jane because of the Aether, regardless. And she knew what was coming. There was nothing you could have done."

"Why are you here?" He felt so defeated and he most certainly did not deserve the company of the woman before him.

"Because I love you," was her quick reply. "And there is somewhere you need to be." With a familiar lurch in his stomach, they were gone.

In the next instant, they found themselves on cliffs jutting out from the Sea of Space. His heart sank when he realized Darcy's purpose for bringing him there. In the distance, he could see the shores of Asgard and all its people who came to pay their respects to their beloved queen.

Loki choked a little when he saw the small boat in the distance. He thought he was going to fall to his knees with grief, but a small hand firmly entwined with his and he felt a little stronger. A blazing arrow rose in the distance, and he watched as it met its mark; the skiff was engulfed by many tongues of fire. Then, thousands upon thousands of arrows followed, each igniting their own rafts; one for each year of his mother's life. He could feel the tears stream down his face as the fleet drew ever closer, but the weight of Darcy curling around his arm kept him grounded. Centered. Focused. The small vessel approached the edge of the sea, and the sound of Odin's staff rung out over the void. As the boat fell from the realm, his mother's soul drifted to Valhalla. Shortly thereafter, the denizens of Asgard released pieces of their own souls; orbs of their memories of their queen to follow her in to the heavens. Loki amassed a rather large one, filling it with the deepest sentiment of love that he could muster out of his emotionally broken body; praying that his mother would forgive him in the afterlife.

Loki was watching his orb drift away when he felt magic beside him. He was amazed to find that Darcy had formed her own orb—an ability of which he thought Midgardians were incapable. He was about to ask her how she came about such magic when she spoke.

"I spent a lot of time with your mom," she started; tears delicately rolling down her cheeks. "She was lying on a bed of apple blossoms from the trees of Idun, wearing a beautiful amber gown from Odin, and holding a sword Thor had given her as a gift." Loki looked at her in bewilderment. "I helped get her ready," Darcy answered his unspoken question. "And I wanted to make sure she had the necklace that you'd made her, but when I couldn't find it, I realized that she was already wearing it- I don't think she ever took it off."

Loki pulled the small woman into his arms, his eyes burning again. "Thank you," he whispered into her ear. "I find that I will forever be unable to express the exact depths of my gratitude, Darcy Lewis."

Darcy pressed her lips to his cheek. "We have to get you back..."

"Can we stay but a moment longer?" There was desperation in his voice. "It's just," he began. "It's been some Time," since I'd seen you last, he finished in his head. He didn't want to outright say that he missed her over the past two years, because he wasn't sure as to which Darcy he was speaking. Loki took a small step back to appraise her in the starlight. His breath hitched. It was the first time he'd actually looked at her since she appeared in his cell.

The woman before him seemed to be much more mature than the one he'd met in the desert, and he wondered how much Time she had left. The gown she wore was elegant, regal even; a silken sapphire fabric dripping with decorative crystals, complementing the azure of her irises perfectly. She looked like the beautiful embodiment of winter. As his gaze continued to drink her in, he noticed one detail that he'd missed entirely. Resting atop the dark curls on her head was a crown made from a very rare gemstone; it looked like diamond ice crystals. If he remembered correctly, it was the most precious and rare jewel of Jotunheim. He smiled at the discovery. It only seemed fitting that he would bestow upon her a crown to represent the beauty of his true nature, when she was the only person to truthfully accept every facet of who he was.

"You make a beautiful queen." His thoughts lightened, and he did not feel as lost.

"Thank you." A deep blush began to stain her cheeks. "You have to go back," Darcy reminded him again after a pregnant pause.

"I don't." He challenged her playfully.

"I'm pretty sure that I outrank you, oh Prince of Asgard, and I say that you are going back."

"I suppose I must obey a direct command from my queen." He had missed their banter. "But first, I would very much like to kiss you."

"Then I must politely decline." His eyes narrowed at her rebuttal.

"And why would you do such a thing?"

"Because kissing you does something to me, and I don't think you're supposed to find that out just yet." Her soft lips turned up in a coy smile.

"I am no blushing virgin, Darcy. I am familiar with intimacy." He stepped closer.

"I'm going to quote something you said to me before—And I really hate to use you against yourself, but... 'I distinctly remember our first time, and this isn't it.'"

"Is that so?" Loki pulled her close and she gasped as he pressed her mouth to his, pulling on her lower lip. His eyes sprung open as lightning danced across the sky. Had the blue pools of her irises turned silver, or was it simply a reflection of the lightning in the sky? He was rather perplexed, but didn't get any time to examine them further, because Darcy had taken them back to his cell. "Look at me," he commanded softly. Darcy panted for a moment, trying to regain her composure before she obeyed him. When his green eyes met hers, he looked into their familiar blue depths... but he was so sure that he'd seen...

"You should try to get some sleep. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

A fear crept into him, then. "Can you stay with me?" he begged. Although he didn't feel worthy of her tenderness, he was terrified of her leaving, afraid he might never see her again—an irrational concern, of course, because he knew their future was entwined. "I just don't want to be alone right now." Darcy nodded, and he leaned his head against her shoulder. The last thing he remembered before drifting asleep was lying down with his head in her lap; the soothing caress of her hands in his hair; the sound of her voice quietly humming through the silence.

Loki woke up on the floor sometime later. The sound of his own voice resonated through his slumber at Thor's approach. He dropped the illusion at his brother's command and leaned against the wall, feeling as defeated on the inside as he must look on the outside. Loki had failed them.

He was impressed with Thor's plan; surprised that he wasn't just going to smash his way through everything—he'd actually had it all thought out. And he was caught off guard at Thor's trick, the metal of the handcuffs biting around his wrists. Finally, the great oaf seemed to be learning how to play dirty; a lesson he'd never heeded before, even though Loki had reminded him time again that others would not be so honorable.

When he introduced himself to Jane Foster, he wasn't expecting her right hook, but the punch, along with her attitude was very reminiscent of his own Midgardian woman. Darcy must surely be rubbing off on Lady Jane. While the others were distracted with the brouhaha of the oncoming guards, Loki continued to smile down at the petite female. She was likely with Darcy moments before Thor brought her to Asgard. He was tempted to inquire about the feisty assistant, but they were pulled into the fray of battle.

After their haphazard landing in Svarftalfheim and all seemed well, Thor doted on his woman by covering her with a blanket. A pang of jealousy pierced through Loki's heart. If only he could have more Time with Darcy...

"What I could do with the power that flows through those veins." He muttered.

"It would consume you." Thor was probably right.

"She's holding up alright," Loki countered. "For now."

"She's strong in ways you'd never even know." Yes, he supposed that Midgardians had to be, given the short breath of life they had to live.

"Say goodbye." There was a hint of regret dripping in his tone.

"Not this day."

"This day, the next, 100 years, it's nothing! It's a heartbeat—you'll never be ready." I never was, and I never will be, he added to himself. "The only love you prize will be snatched from you." Just like Darcy is to be snatched from me. It's inevitable.

"And will that satisfy you?!" Thor shouted, clearly not willing to accept the consequences of loving a mortal.

"Satisfaction is not in my nature," was his tired reply. No. He will never be satisfied. Not with the short amount of Time he knows he'll only have with her. And not during the eternity of mourning and loneliness he'll have without her.

"Surrender's not in mine," Thor bit back, and Loki hoped for his brother's sake, he would never give up on a happy life with the fragile mortal lying in the bottom of the boat.

Before they knew it, they were executing the last stages of their plan. After following Thor's tumbling body down the mountainside, and chopping off his hand, Loki announced himself.

"Maleketh! I am Loki of Jotunheim and I bring you a gift." He threw Jane with enough flare to make it look painful, but his magic broke the hard impacts of her fall. "I only ask for one thing in return," he continued. "A good seat from which to watch Asgard burn." His voice dripped with poison and conviction. The monster from the dungeon spoke to his leader, apparently vouching for his villainy. He smirked at the interaction.

When Thor gave the cue, Loki jumped to cover Jane. He hovered over her as shards of broken Aether reunite around them. Maleketh absorbed the Aether as if it was a flock of birds diving into a single pond and the power that radiated from his body was palpable. The murderous fiend threw a black hole grenade at the group, and Loki tossed Jane out of the way. He hesitated for a split second when the portal burst open. He tried to jump away a moment too late, and ended up ensnared in its pull. The air was knocked from his lungs as his brother's hulking mass broke the singularity's tether.

Loki palmed his blades as he measured up the squadron of Dark Elves around him. It was a pity that there were only five, he would have much rather preferred a challenge. He dispatched of them quickly, delighting in the fight. It was like stretching an old muscle and relishing in the aching familiarity of use. He could feel his blade slip beneath the skin, muscle, cartilage and arteries of his last adversary's throat; his jaw set with glorious purpose as he scanned the horizon for his brother and the brute.

Loki made a careful, clandestine approach, staying deep within the shadows. Thor was surprisingly being pummeled into the ground, but just before the beast was about to deliver a finishing blow, he cast a double and skewered the fiend with a pike. He wasn't surprised the damn thing was still standing, but he most certainly wasn't expecting the creature's deadly embrace. Loki collapsed to his knees and clutched his core. He was definitely going to be bruised through and through for the next few weeks. His breaths were great and gasping as he felt the double's life slipping away, but the real pain wasn't from the gaping hole in his middle; no, the real pain was a burning in his heart from his brother's tender exchange.

The jagged rocks behind him were digging into his back as he rested against them, but his mind was too far away to care. Thor would have him named a hero? After all Loki had done to him- how he'd inadvertently killed their mother? His surmounting guilt made it difficult to accept Thor's forgiveness. Loki just couldn't understand how his brother could still love him after everything. He thought back to the conversation he'd had with his mother- the very last he would ever have. He inquired if Odin or Thor even cared about him. Were he not so blinded by his rage, he could have recognized the avoidance of her answer. She knew he wouldn't have believed her had she told the truth. A sad pit formed in his stomach as he wished he could have changed their conversation; tell her how much he loved her instead of spitting that she was not his mother.

He was nearly healed when the Einherjar came to the surface, easily shifting into the familiar figure of the guard. When he reached them, he informed them of the fate of the Fallen Prince, and helped transport the body. When they crossed through the Bifrost, Heimdall's gaze was fixed upon the young prince's limp and ashen remains. Loki was grateful the gatekeeper was so transfixed. The grief in his golden eyes distracted him from the additional guard that came back with the troop.

As they marched down the vast halls, Loki noticed a distinct emptiness in the palace. His throat tightened as he realized how completely his mother's presence had filled Asgard with vitality. She was everywhere, her spirit ever present. Every step became increasingly heavier as he approached spaces in their home where he knew he could always find her. Eventually, he broke away from the squadron and sought the Allfather.

The King of the Nine Realms looked withered and worn; he'd aged more in the last few days than Loki had seen in thousands of years. He stood in front of the throne, silent; and his bearing held none of the strength he knew his father possessed. Loki was almost loathe to interrupt his rumination. When he finally announced his own death, Odin's posture held strong, but his voice betrayed his true state.

"Walk with me." The command was hardly a whisper, not the booming voice of authority Loki was used to.

The journey was silent as they made their way through the palace and Loki was content to keep it that way, taking in Odin's body language. The Allfather moved as if every step pained him; he was carefully concealing a grimace under a tight façade of control. It wasn't until they reached the royal suite that he noticed the man had started to sway, his reserves of strength depleting as he neared his massive bed.

Loki stopped at the entryway, feeling hollow on the inside seeing his parents' room. It seemed so empty without his mother to radiate warmth and love into the atmosphere. He fought back tears as Odin gingerly sat on the bed. "Einarr, come," came his soft, but firm command. Loki crossed the room and knelt at the king's feet. "I grow weary of the pain of loss. I feel that the time for rest has come." He paused.

"My lord?" Loki questioned.

"The measure of a king is his family, his legacy... The better half of my soul has traveled through the gates of Valhalla and awaits me there; and now to hear that my youngest son has suffered the same fate?" His gaze was far away as the ill tidings weighed heavily upon him. "He was destined for greatness, if only he hadn't strayed to malevolent misadventures... Thor was right. I am an old man and a fool." A silent tear trickled down the valleys of his withered cheeks and Loki's ribcage constricted around his heart. The Allfather gingerly reclined onto his bed and pulled his silken, gold sheets around him. "You must send for Thor," he began as a field of gilded magic rose over him. Odin stretched out and grasped the cool hand of his guard. Loki's heart skipped a beat as he met the gaze of the man before him. "If my son is up to the task, and if he is worthy, then the power of Gungnir is his to lead the Nine Realms." The weary man gave a sad smile before surrendering to the lilting call of Odinsleep.

Loki dropped the illusion and shifted back into his Aesir form. His knuckles blanched as he held Odin's hand in an iron grip and fought back the sobs that threatened to retch out of his throat. "I'm sorry, Father." He stood up and blinked away the tears sparkling in his eyes. He waved his hand and the Allfather's clothes changed out of his regal attire into a more comfortable sleeping gown. Loki bent down and gently pulled the silken sheets around Odin's sleeping form before stepping away. He could still feel the effect Odin's last words had on his laden heart.


"Loki is dead," he'd said.

Darcy was in the bathroom, trying to fight back nausea and keep herself from hyperventilating. No. That can't be right. She'd seen Loki in the future, but Thor had been there with him on Svarftalfheim and the somber look on his face told her everything she needed to know. She'd turned the water on in the shower as a preventive measure; something to help drown out the sound of her cries if she gave in to tears.

There was a soft knock on the door, followed by a British voice asking if she was alright and Darcy answered that she'd be right out. She shakily stood from her spot on the floor; she'd been leaning against the bathtub, and faced herself in the mirror. If Loki was faking his death to get out of punishment for the things he'd done wrong, then she wasn't going to wait around for him to decide when he'd like to grow up. So she splashed some water on her face and headed back to the living room.

After the height of the Dark Elf battle in Greenwich, Darcy wasn't ashamed that she'd kissed Ian. Okay, maybe she was a little ashamed at her body's response to kissing him... the way his lips felt pressed against hers, and the weight of his body in her hands... He had saved her life, after all. And it wasn't like Loki was ever around. She'd made up her mind. Darcy Lewis lost her patience in the god she loved because he couldn't be bothered to grow up and actually pursue her. Time and fate be damned, she was going to live her life to the fullest from now on.


Loki was expecting this moment, when Thor would come to him- well, when Thor would confront their father. However, he wasn't expecting Thor's rejection of the throne.

"Loki, for all his grave imbalance understood rule as I know I never will," he'd said. He contemplated Thor's words for a minute.

"Is this my son I hear, or the woman he loves?"

"When you speak, do I not hear mother's voice?" Loki could feel his lips turn down. How right Thor was... for both himself and their father. Loki embodied more of his mother's character than he'd realized.

"One son who wanted the throne too much; another who will not take it. Is this to be my legacy?"

"Loki died with honor," Thor started, a sad lilt in his tone that made Loki's lips turn up just a smidge. "I shall try to live the same; is that not legacy enough?" Thor's open question was followed by an offering of his precious Mjölnir; an exhibition of his brother's sincerity—complete willingness to sacrifice his divinity to be with the woman he loved.

"It belongs to you, if you are worthy of it." Loki replied. Even if he were to grant his brother mortality, the God of Mischief and Lies would not be capable of lifting the mighty hammer.

Loki reminisced on when he believed his brother to be unfit for rule. Not so long ago, the mighty God of Thunder was quick to anger, and quicker to judge—willing to dispatch entire species if their ways did not adhere to his. The man who knelt before him had aged and matured in just a few short years; he'd become someone Loki admired... all because of the perspective and knowledge gained by a seemingly simple Midgardian woman who had ensnared him. And who better to empathize with that exact situation than the very man who had been enraptured by one woman over the course of millennia? "If I were proud of the man my son had become, even that I could not say. It would speak only from my heart." He'd spoken the words through the mask of his father, but he smiled with love for his brother.

"Thank you, father," was Thor's beaming reply.

His illusion faded at his brother's retreating form. "No, thank you," Loki confessed, settling comfortably into the gilded throne beneath him.


The dimly lit sky felt almost like home as she followed the telltale flocks of disgruntled birds peppering the somber clouds. The shipyard was just as desolate as the first time she'd been there, and so she walked slowly; reminiscing about the landscape, enjoying the warm Midgardian winter air on her skin. It had been such a long Time... A familiar roar rang out in the distance, and a great crash vibrated through her feet. Darcy smiled at the tickling sensation and found her quarry.

The great beast was nudging his nose against the limp body of a raven, and she vaguely thought of a dog that'd finally caught a car, but just didn't know what to do with it. The young creature used his tusk to scoot the poor bird around the pavement; its wings flapped around in lazy disarray from his ministrations. The pup was completely oblivious to his audience. When she drew near, Darcy shifted into her Jotun form; the blue skin and ridges sliding over her in a lover's embrace, and she hummed at the familiarity. She called out a name, and the great beast's gaze rose from his plaything; his head tilted to the side in confusion, but his massive tail began to thump up and down idly in contentment at her presence. She raised a hand and stroked the icy, stony skin of his nose, and the beast closed his eyes at her touch. "Let's get you home," she whispered.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and lightning flashed silver in her eyes. When the brilliance of light had faded, the two were gone and the smell of ozone was left in their wake.


AN: Another big chapter down!
I can't promise chapter length is going to stay at this kind of behemoth level since I'm now away from the movies and in my own free territory, but I will do what I can! Hopefully, that means I'll be able to update sooner, too, since I won't have to keep going back and referencing lines from the films.