On the waterfront, Odin, Thor and the citizens of Asgard gather for the funeral rites. Hundreds of burning arrows soar through the air, alighting on the boats of every other soldier and citizen killed by the invading dark elves.

Hundreds of boats burning like candles, approach the edge of Asgard's sea. The waters flow over the edge and into space. Odin strikes his staff, Gungnir, upon the ground. The citizens of Asgard cradle orbs of light, which they now lift towards the sky and release. The orbs float up, each a tribute to a lost loved one.

Vanessa made her way past the sad scene and down into the dungeons her hands grasping the disc like key she had nabbed engraved with Asgardian text. It wasn't fair, she had wanted their reunion to be happy and full of joy, not this, not Frigga almost killed and war looming over them. Everyone was greatly relieved to hear that in time she would make a full recovery just as Vanessa had said, but it had been a close call. Less than an inch deeper and she would have been lost.

She finally made it to his cell and saw him lounging in his bed starring up at the ceiling as he threw a cup up and down, but she knew one of his illusions when she saw one.

"Loki." Vanessa called out as she walked up to the cell, but Loki merely groaned like a wounded animal and turned over away from her. She placed the key against the barrier. It would only allow her to go in, but not come out. It was the only key she could get without being caught.

She walked through the barrier into the cell standing in the center of the room. She concentrated as Loki had taught her to do and slowly the illusion faded away from her eyes. The illusion of a neat tidy cell dropped away, to show the room scattered with upturned furniture, and Loki sitting against the opposite wall. His foot bleeding, his clothing torn, his hair a mess, in his hands was gripped the locket with her hair that she had given him so long ago.

"Loki." Vanessa quickly ran to his side kneeling in front of him. "Loki, look at me, please."

"You're not here, you're just another illusion." Loki grumbled, his eye starring away from her at something she could not see.

"Illusion?" Vanessa questioned in confusion.

"Ever since you left and never came back, ever since you died, always an illusion that seems so real then fades as soon as I touch you." He said still looking down at the locket in his hands.

Vanessa cupped his face and pulled him into a deep kiss filled with all of her love. She did not spend over two years searching for a way back to him to lose him to his own minds tricks. Slowly Loki responded to the kiss, his arms circling around her pulling her into his lap as he deepened the kiss. Slowly he pulled away starring down at her on wonder.

"You're really here?" He said in shock.

"Yes, I'm here." Vanessa said as she stroked his cheek.

"They said…said you were…" Tears gathered in his eyes.

"Well I'm not. Odin and I had a misunderstanding, but it's settled now." Vanessa said as Loki reached up running his fingers down her face until his hand cupped her face and she leaned into his touch. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you as well." Loki said pulling her against him nuzzling against her face as Vanessa leaned into his touch. "Is it true that…"

"Yes, but she's going to be fine." Vanessa said knowing her was talking about Frigga. "The healers say that she will be back to full health in no time."

Loki nodded in relief as he held tightly onto Vanessa who was biting her lip trying to think of a way to tell Loki about Rhea, she didn't know why this was so hard for her and she knew she was being silly, but she didn't know how he would react to the information.

"What is it?" Loki asked bringing her from her thoughts.

"What?" Vanessa asked.

"You're biting your lip which always means there is something you need to tell me, but you don't know how." Loki replied kissing the top of her head.

"You know me way to well." Vanessa said with a smile.

"I do, so what is it?" Loki asked.

"After I helped my father on Earth I found out something I didn't know before." Vanessa said as she looked up at Loki. "Loki, I was four months pregnant." You could have heard a pin drop as Loki starred at her for a bit, not even blinking. "I had a little girl and named her Rhea, she looks just like you and she has amazing magical abilities and…" Vanessa trailed off as Loki continued to stare. "Loki, honey, you're scaring me. Blink, breathe, do something."

"I'm a…father." Loki breathed out.

"Yes." Vanessa nodded. Loki's face lit up in a bright smile and started to laugh.

"Does she know about me?" He asked then his face fell. "Does she know…?"

"She knows all about her daddy and loves him very much." Vanessa replied as she took out her phone and showed him a picture of Rhea holding her Loki/daddy doll and knit dove.

"She's perfect." Loki said as he looked her over then looked at the doll. "Is that doll…is that me?"

"Yeah…dad did that." Vanessa said as she scrolled through the pictures showing him all that she had.

"How could I have possibly not known?" Loki shook his head then his eyes narrowed. "Odin did something didn't he?"

"Yes, but It's handled now." Vanessa said as she scrolled through her phone.

"What of Thor?" Loki bit out.

"I believe he thought I was dead along with the rest of Asgard." Vanessa said. "But as I said, it is handled."

"Vanessa he…" Loki started, but looked down at Vanessa who he could see had wanted this moment to be happy and let out a calming breath. Now was not the time for anger, he had more important things to think about. "What was her first word?"

"Dada followed closely by mama." Vanessa said and showed him the video Jarvis had taken.

They sat like that for hours just holding one another, watching the videos of Rhea. Vanessa's head lay against Loki's shoulder her forehead resting against his neck as he held her tightly in his arms his cheek resting against the top of her head.

Thor approached the cell as the last video ended. The illusion Loki walked towards the energy barrier to meet him as Vanessa and the real Loki watched from where they were.

"Thor. After all this time, and now you come to visit me. Why? Have you come to gloat? To mock?" Loki said bitterly only calming down when Vanessa snuggled into his chest. Vanessa had tried to fix relationship between Loki and Thor and there had been some progress, but it seemed that it had all gone down the drain since she had been gone.

"Loki enough. No more illusions." Thor said with a glare.

Loki closes his eyes and bends his head, disappearing with a ripple of magic revealing Loki and Vanessa sitting amongst the rubble of the room against the far wall.

"Now you see me brother." Loki said as Thor approached him from the other side of the barrier. "Does she suffer?"

"I did not come here to share our grief." Thor replied sparring Vanessa a glance. "Instead I offer you the chance of a far richer sacrament."

"Go on." Loki said holding Vanessa closer.

"I know you seek vengeance as much as I do. You help me escape Asgard and I will grant it to you; vengeance and afterwards, this cell." Thor said.

"You must be truly desperate to come to me for help." Loki chuckled. "What makes you think you can trust me?"

"I don't." Thor said and Vanessa could feel the hurt rippling off Loki though he showed nothing. "Mother does and Vanessa does. You should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with the glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you." Thor paused before going on. "You betray me and I will kill you."

"When do we start?" Loki said with a smile.

"Now." Thor said taking down the barrier and handing Loki his armor as well as Vanessa hers.