Chapter Ten (Redo)

Bri had never been so cold in her entire life. She remembered watching a video where a scientist dumped a watermelon in liquid nitrogen and wondered if she was learning how the fruit had felt. It was horrible. The door had disappeared the moment it closed, lost in a swirling wall of white. She wasn't sure—because she couldn't see past her eyelashes—but she was almost positive Loki had added more layers. That or she was already going into shock. Either way she was suddenly feeling just a little bit warmer. Her bones didn't feel as if they were brittle shards of glass incased in thin paper sheets.

When she was finally able to move again she took a few tentative steps forward, throwing her hands out to keep from slamming face-first into any of the furniture she was certain still had to be there. She tried to open her mouth to scream his name, hoping to find him somewhere within the eternal cold, but her mouth filled with cloth, muffling her voice. Well. I guess I'm going to have to find him the old fashioned way then… She thought irritably, biting down hard when her foot hit the edge of the bed. Apparently her arms missed the post.

She felt for the fabric and used it as a guideline, following it until she had found the opening. She wasn't sure if he was there but she wasn't going to make it much further, so she fell into the cushioned mattress and pulled herself up. She yanked the curtains closed and scurried under the blankets while feeling for Loki.

He was shivering when she found him and cuddled up to him, yanking the scarves down. She could see him now. His Asgardian skin was long gone, replaced with the deep blue of his Jotun side, including the raised tattoos. At her touch, his eyes flew open and he stared at her without seeing, his mouth opening wide to emit a scream that wouldn't reach his lips. It was terrifying and at first she began to jerk away from him but stopped herself at the last minute. He wasn't looking at her, he was looking at whatever nightmare was grasping his subconscious.

"Loki! Loki please!" Her body was beginning to convulse in shivers, being so close to the source of the insufferable cold was weighing on her. He grabbed her roughly and began shaking her while yelling in a language she didn't understand. His face twisted with pain and fear and she was beginning to bruise where he was gripping her.

Panic flooded her veins as he continued. "Loki please!" Whatever he was dreaming must have been horrific. "It's not real!" She screamed as loudly as she could. A cloud of black was crowding her vision as she started to lose consciousness, reaching out a hand to touch his face, doing everything she could to channel her powers and force him to wake. "It's…not…real…" She gasped, the brutal shaking and the chill dragging her into a dream-world of her own. The last thing she saw was Loki blinking, his pupils dilating as he recognized who was before him.

She thought she heard someone yelling her name but it was too far away. She was never going to reach it. No. It wasn't her name they were shouting. "The medics cannot continue to come here brother. She must be taken to the hospital wing for treatment." Who is that?

"I am not your brother. Nor will she leave this place. She is MINE." That was Loki. The other voice had to be Thor, who else would call Loki brother?

"She is not a plaything Loki! If you truly cared for her you would allow her to be treated!"

"Do not dare to question me, Thor." The last word was a sneer, she didn't need to see his face to know it was twisted with rage.

She started panicking, attempting to wake up to stop their fighting. It needed to end. They were brothers, adopted or not, they shouldn't argue like that. Especially over her. It felt like her eyelids were weighed down along with her limbs and she couldn't open them. She became distinctly aware of someone holding her hand.

"If you insist on arguing you must leave this room. You are agitating her. She must rest and will continue to do so here." It was Lady Frigga, and as was her way she left no question in her command.

It was quiet immediately. She smiled to herself and let the weight of sleep consume her again.

It was morning when she woke again. This time her eyes opened just as they should and she was able to sit up against the headboard, although the effort of it made her dizzy. In a large comfy chair next to the bed, Loki slept peacefully, covered in a dark green blanket. The entire room was green in fact. She smiled to herself. He had kept her in his own room while she recovered.

She held her hands up in front of her to inspect for damage but found none. She wondered what it was that had kept her asleep before. Maybe it was a drug of some sort. She shrugged and tossed the blankets off of her, crawling to the edge of the bed as quietly as she could so as not to wake Loki. She snuck into the bathroom and showered, not thinking about her lack of clothing until after she had emerged in only a towel.

"I think that might be my favorite outfit." Loki slipped lithely from his chair with a smirk on his face, his eyes showing a mixture of concern and amusement.

She rolled her eyes as she walked past him to his wardrobe, slipping on one of his green tunics along with a pair of black breeches, careful so that he wouldn't see any part of her as she dressed. He waited patiently for her then grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her to him, crushing her against him in a hug. "I was beginning to think you would never wake." He breathed into her hair.

The suddenness of his embrace made her blush. "How long was I asleep?" He stroked her hair then tilted her chin up to look into her dark grey eyes.

"A week. Lady Frigga has been here every day to ensure you were receiving treatment and were recovering." His long fingers brushed across his lips, his gaze focused intensely. "You were almost frozen solid." He dipped his head and pressed a kiss to her lips, waiting for her reaction. She slipped her hands around him and leaned into it, running her tongue over his lips in invitation. He obliged with a groan.

When they parted, they were both panting and he lay his forehead against hers. "You could have died." He whispered. "You should not have come into the room."

"I'm fine now. Besides, you needed to wake up. It wouldn't stop until you did."

He stared deep into her eyes as if trying to see her soul, some kind of lie, but there was nothing except for joy and laughter. "I have not had another nightmare since I have been sleeping near you." He brushed a brown lock away from her face. "It seems you are quite useful, my pet."

She rolled her eyes at him and sighed heavily. "Not your pet." A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Friend though…maybe more…but not a pet…you don't own me…"

He laughed and took a step back, holding her hand as he did. "Yet."