You only know what I want you to

I know everything you don't want me to

Your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine

You think your dreams are the same as mine

Ooh, I don't love you but I always will

Ooh, I don't love you but I always will

I don't love you but I always will

I always will

I wish you'd hold me when I turn my back

The less I give, the more I get back

Ooh, your hands can heal, your hands can bruise

I don't have a choice but I still choose you

The Civil Wars - Poison And Wine


Loki landed with a grunt of pain and swiftly rolled off the ledge. Sigrun and Thor ran to where Loki disappeared from sight, to see him join with the Chitari assaulting the city below.

Turning to face each other, Sigrun's eyes trailed to where Loki's dagger was still embedded in Thor's side.

"I knew he didn't mean a word of what he said. And yet I still fall for his tricks." He mumbled.

"I know," She wrapped her fingers slowly around the hilt of the dagger.

"He is my brother…was…I don't know anymore."

Sigrun took a breath, tightened her grip, and pulled quickly. Thor let out a hiss.

"Nor do I." She held her hand to the wound and felt the warm stickiness ooze between her fingers, reminding her of the man on the boat in the sky; her body shuttered.

"I must join the others," Thor's voice was strong again. "You will be safe here, the Chitari won't attack the tower, and maybe you can close the portal."

Her heart tightened at the thought of being left alone, but she saw no way around it. She would be useless, a burden more than anything. She simply nodded in agreement and squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the gust of air announcing Thor's departure.


Sigrun was rooted to the spot, she didn't know for how long. The sounds of the ongoing war below sounded distant and barely registered in her brain cells. How did any of them stand a chance against so many? Just six of them against an immeasurable number and more arriving each second. Maybe this was Loki's chance at victory, maybe he would be the King he wanted…needed to be. The thought made her stomach lurch.

Loki victorious.

No.

Not here.

She clenched her fists hard and felt her nails dig into palms. She felt the slippery wetness from Thors blood, mingling with the dried blood from the man on the boat.

Loki was the cause all of this.

She needed to stop. Stop trying to get to her Loki, when he very obviously wasn't, and had no intention of being again. What she needed to do was to stop him, do what little she was able. She turned and saw the light from the Tesseract, and with a skittering heart, began to climb.


When she reached the top of the tower, a man laying on the ground began to stir and Sigrun froze, not knowing if he was still under Loki's spell.

"Sigrun?" A female voice was behind her and caused her to whip around.

"Natasha?" Sigrun was breathless. Natasha looked exhausted, and was caked with blood and dirt.

"What are you doing here?" Natasha's voice was slightly accusatory, Sigrun knew she deserved her scrutiny.

"Loki took me from the boat and brought me here." Sigrun turned back to the portal, "I thought I could close the portal."

"Loki's scepter." The man on the ground was peering over the ledge.

"Doctor." Natasha walked over and knelt beside him.

"Loki's scepter. The portal. Can't fight."

"Its okay, you didn't know what you were doing." Natasha's voice was soft.

"Well, actually, I think I did. I built in a safety to cut the power source."

"Loki's scepter." Sigrun whispered.

The man nodded, "It may be able to close the portal." He looked back down below, "And I'm looking right at it."

"I will get it." And Sigrun turned on the spot and raced back to the ledge below.


She was mere feet away from the scepter, and began to reach out her hand for it when a blast to her left made her stop, and saw in slow motion a figure being thrown from the blast close to where she stood.

Loki rolled, Sigrun made a quick movement to grab the scepter before he had a second to register before it was there.

An enormous green flash and Loki was thrown thru a pane of glass back inside the tower. Sigrun followed, in spite of all her instincts telling her to flee. The creature, who again, Sigrun was positive was Banner, charged Loki as he began to stand.

"Enough!" Loki commanded. The beast stopped.

"I am a God you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by-" What he would not be bullied by, neither Banner nor Sirgrun would know.

Banner grabbed Loki by the leg and began to slam him from side to side. Creating deep craters each time Loki's body hit the ground. Sigrun stood dumbfounded, holding the scepter close to her body.

Finally with a sickening crunch, his body finally came to rest amongst the rubble.

"Puny God." Banner's voice was loud and booming, the complete opposite of his voice on the boat. Although, Sigrun thought, this creature was everything that Banner was not.

The creature walked away from Loki, who lay very still on the ground. His eyes fell on Sigrun and she felt her insides turn to lead. Would he turn on her as well? His eyes looked her up and down, then met hers. A sigh left the Hulks lips as he turned and leaped from the tower.

Loki still hadn't moved from his hole in the floor. Sigrun took a few tentative steps towards him and saw his eyes were fixed on the ceiling above. She would have thought him dead if she hadn't seen the steady rise and fall of his chest.

"This is over Loki." Her voice brave. "We've figured out how to close the portal."

He said nothing.

She looked at the scepter in her hands and remembered the glint of metal as it poked thru the man's chest. She felt bile crawling up her throat.

"You're done." She took a few steps backward, turned and ran from the room.


"Where have you been?" Natasha demanded.

"Hulk." Sigrun's breath was coming in short gasps.

"Bring the scepter here." The doctor motioned for her to walk to the cube. "If you put it in the beam, and touch the cube it should turn off the portal."

Sigrun nodded and gripped the handle tightly.

She felt the resistance as soon as the tip of the scepter entered the beam.

"Guys, we can close the portal." Natasha was speaking into a communication piece.

"Now?" Sigrun asked.

"No. Wait." Natasha was looking up, searching the sky. "There!"

Sigrun squinted, and her eyes focused on a red streak flying towards the opening in the sky.

"Stark?"

"They sent a missile to destroy the city."

"Hes going thru the portal?"

"That sounded like his plan." Her voice grim.

"He wont make it back." Natasha didn't meet her eyes.

Sigrun watched as Stark flew out of site.

Seconds passed.

"What now?" Sigrun asked quietly.

"Come on Stark." Natasha's eyes were skyward. She blinked slowly. "Close it."

Sigrun steeled herself and pushed the scepter forward. She felt the vibrations as the scepter made contact with the cube, and felt relief rush threw her as the portal began to close.

Still there was no sign of Stark, and the opening in the sky was almost completely closed. Natasha's eyes kept searching.

"It's closed." The doctor was triumphant behind them.

"Look!" Sigrun pointed excitedly. A small figure was falling from the sky.

"Something is wrong…he isn't slowing down."

Sigrun's eyes followed the figure until he disappeared from sight.

"Maybe the others got to him." Natasha tried to be hopeful.

"Maybe." Sigrun dropped the scepter and turned away.

"Where are you going?"

"To make sure the "King" is where I left him." She said over her shoulder.


And there he was, just beginning to stir.

"Were you successful?" Loki's back was toward her, his voice bitter.

"I would say so."

"Hmph." He tried to crawl out from the rubble surrounding him.

"You don't seem very surprised."

"I stopped being doubtful once you joined against me. You always were determined my love."

A heavy hand fell on Sigrun's shoulder causing her to jump, and she turned to see Thor and company.

"You did good little sister." His voice proud.

Loki, noticing they were no longer alone, turned slowly and ran his eyes over each of them.

"Well, if it's all the same to you, I think Ill have that drink now." His eyes finally resting on Stark, who smirked.


The park was beautiful, she thought. The air was sweet, and everything was green and luscious. She could see Thor's fascination with this world, how could he not be? And felt disgust bubbling inside her as she thought of Loki's intent to destroy it.

Loki…

She saw him in the corner of her eye, chained and masked to prevent him from speaking. His eyes spewing venom at everyone and everything his gaze rested on.

"Ready to go home?" Thor came and stood next to her.

She breathed in deeply, enjoying the scents of the park, and nodded.

Thor led her to a path where everyone else had gathered, including the doctor from the tower, who handed Thor the encased tesseract. Loki took a few slow steps to stand in front of his brother. Sigrun and Thor stood side by side and put an arm around one another. She kept her eyes down to avoid Loki's gaze as his eyed bored into her.

Thor motioned for Loki to grasp the other handle; Sigrun heard the clinking of the chains as he raised his arms.

Once he had hold, Thor turned the handle. A flash of light and they were gone.


Sigrun sat in her tub, she had scrubbed her skin raw, and the scalding water burned her flesh. Her wounds were already on the mend, thanks to Frigga who caught her before she had taken two steps.

Loki had been whisked away by the guards immediately.

Sigrun's eyes burned from the steam, and she clumsily reached for soap to wash her hair. Her fingers getting caught in the knotted tangle.

She feared for what Odin would have planned for Loki, however much she knew he deserved what would come to him.

Her scalp screamed as she dug her nails into her skin scrubbing as hard as she could.

With Loki's crimes, there would only be one outcome.

Death.

Leaning back into the tub she sank lower and lower into the water until she was submerged. She waited until her lungs burned and her body was about to explode.

"Father, Loki's crimes warrant no other punishment than the obvious. And there is no way to know if we can ever keep him properly contained" Thor's voice echoed in the throne room as he stood before his father. Sigrun entered quietly and saw her mother standing to the side with her head bowed.

"You recommend execution?" Odin's question was simple.

"I do."

"He is your son." The words were out of her mouth before Sigrun could stop them.

"Loki's actions have proven time and again that he is not. So, I shall treat him as such."

"You brought him here!" she stood next to Thor, "You brought him here! You took responsibility for him. You raised him!"
"Yes! I did all of those things, and look! Look at where we are! Did you not see the damage he has caused?"

"Yes, and I do not pretend to ignore those things. But, I only wish for this to be considered. He is your son, whether he wishes to believe that or not, whether we all wish to believe it or not."

Odin considered her.

"You are very much like your mother, she too came to me with this argument." He shook his head. "All this is beside the point. Loki is dangerous, it would be unwise to allow him to live."

Sigrun bowed her head and felt Thor shift uncomfortably beside her.

The silence was deafening.

"Its time." Odin's words were heavy, "Bring in the prisoner."