Hey kids!

I want to start by apologizing for the late update, been busy with work and other personal stuff... Here is the next chapter! I hope you like it :) Please remember to review :)

The next morning I woke up feeling like it had all been a dream until I saw the golden cased scale and heard a soft snore behind me. I turned my head and saw Loki, flat on his back, sleeping on top of the blankets beside me. I did a quick mental check; No, nothing had happened last night, we had gotten back, I had replied to Gemma's latest text that I was all right, then we had gotten into bed. Oh, and he had warned me that he might sleep for at least 24 hours. I looked down, I had actually slept in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, well look at that. I checked the time, it was just nine in the morning but I decided that it was time for me to get up. I picked up the camera that had been in the pocket of my dress, put on my bunny slippers and sneaked out of the bedroom. Softly closing the door behind me. I made a big cup of tea, walked into my office and sat down to load the pictures into the computer. I read an e-mail from a magazine that requested a picture of my own choice, but they wanted it to be of nature. I skimmed through the pictures I had taken the day before and I settled upon one I had taken when we were up in the air; it showed the orange sun shining on the red grass, mountains visible in the distance over the dark green, dense forest. I knew they would probably pick that one but sent them a few other choices as well. After a few hours when I was done editing them and sending them away to the magazine I pulled up my favorite picture that showed Loki sitting on the ground between the two dragons; their heads turned towards him and you could tell that they were really paying attention to what he was saying. I stared at it and fingered on the necklace of Corinth's scale. Apparently it hadn't been a dream. I decided that since Loki wouldn't wake up for some time I could leave the house and go see Lyla and the kids. I showered, put on a long, black, maxi dress with a halter neck. To it I wore a pair of flat ballerina shoes. I allowed my hair to flow free, wrote a note to Loki even if it felt like he always knew where I were before backing Nancy out of the garage.
On the stereo I played Queen – Live at Montreal and sang along to the music. I honked the horn when I pulled up outside the familiar house. Lyla looked out the window, recognized the car and quickly came to the door.
"Hannah! Where have you been?"
"Oh, here and there. Why?" I cocked my head, something seemed off.
"We haven't been able to reach you for two days. Gemma claims that she spoke with you, at your house the day before yesterday, then no one has been able to reach you. She is furious, and Jax has been at your house more than once, but you were nowhere to be found! You better give him a call!" I stared at her in chock. Had it really been that long we were gone? No wonder I had been tired once we got back! Then she stared at me; "Are you wearing a dress? And where did you get that lovely necklace?" She bent forward and took a look at it closely.
"Yeah, I just felt like it. The necklace? A friend gave it to me as a memory." Well, not really but it was as close to the truth as I could get.
"Your friend must really like you." She winked and dragged me into the house, the boys were playing a videogame, so I just ruffled their hair and got a wave over the shoulder. Ellie were over at a friend's house to do homework. Lyla handed me a cup of coffee and we walked out the back and sat down in her sofa overlooking the small garden.
"You look different H. What happened to you?"
I blushed, somehow, I could never keep anything from Lyla or Gemma, they always saw right through me.
"How much did Gemma tell you about what we spoke yest…. A couple of days ago?"
"Not much, only that you seemed a bit distracted and happy. And that you weren't alone." She smiled at me, anxious to know more. I just laughed at her expression.
"Well, okay, but you can't tell the club, I want to tell them in my own time."
"Okay." She hesitated. I took a sip of the warm coffee and decided to give her a bit of the truth, not all though.
"I've met someone. It is nothing serious right now. At the moment we are more friends than anything else. I feel like I can really be myself with him."
She stared at me; "Have you met someone? Finally!" She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me hard. I laughed at her reaction; "I know, about damn time, right?"
"Where did you meet? When can I meet him? Where is he from? What's his name?" The questions came so fast I didn't have time to answer her, I just laughed and held up my hands.
"I can't answer them all at once, but I think you can come and meet him soon. Just promise me not to tell Jax."
Steps sounded behind us and her eyes turned big; "Don't tell me what Hannah?" I turned around and met the eyes of a very pissed of Jackson Teller and squirmed, I hated that look on him. It made him look like a totally different person. I tried to smooth it over; "Only that I am really sorry that I haven't been reachable the last couple of days. I've been out of town so to speak." Not exactly the truth but I wasn't sure how he would handle it. "What's wrong Jax?" I had stood up and placed my hand on his cheek, I could feel how tense it was, his jaw clenching tight. He pulled away from me; "Lyla, could you give us a minute?" The other woman nodded, gave me an apologetic look and fled inside, knowing that if we started screaming, it would take some time for us to stop. She closed the door behind her. It was barley closed when Jax turned back to me; "Where the hell have you been? Gemma said she went to see you the day after you were discharged and she found you dancing with a stranger! She knows everyone in this town and she didn't recognize him! Who the hell is he? Is it him you've been with since then?"
"Stop yelling at me Jax, I'm not a teenager anymore! You can't tell me who to see and not to see!" I cussed at him and he stared down at me. On the inside I cursed Gemma for telling him. I'm sure she meant well but she had promised.
"Yes, I have met someone! Not that it is any of your business and I'm not even sure what sort of relationship we have at the moment! I only met him a couple of weeks ago when I did that photo job down at the fire station! Now do you want to tell me what the flipping hell is going on? I can tell when you are pissed at me or when you're having trouble someplace else!" I cursed again and he sat down heavily on the sofa, his head in his hands. I walked closer as if I was approaching a bomb.
"Tara has lost the baby. Mum kicked her in the stomach!" He yelped, I placed my fingers around his shoulders and he buried his head in my side, I could feel his body shaking.
"We have gotten a restraining order against her. She is not allowed to see the kids again."
"Jesus Christ." I cursed, this didn't sound at all like the Gemma I knew, sure, she and Tara hated each other's guts but Gemma would never risk the life of her grand-kids, she loved them too much, born or un-born. Jax broke down again and all I could do was hold him and let the tears pass. I knew how much he loved Tara even if they had their ups and downs.
"Where is Tara now?"
"At the hospital. I'm only here because Juice phoned and told me he had seen you drive by and I had to see for myself that you were really back."
"Oh Jax, I am so sorry that I disappeared, I can't promise that it won't happen again but I will get better at letting you know where I am, and don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. Go take care of your family." I bent down and kissed his cheek and looked him in the eyes.
"What is it that you can't tell me Hannah? I mean you were gone for two days!"
"I know, but that is not the important part right now. Go tend to Tara and the boys. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"As sure as I can be. I will let you know it all in due time."
He took a deep breath and stood up, squeezing me tight in a warm hug before opening the door and walking through the house and out the other end. Lyla stared at him as he walked by like a zombie. I was worried about him, he had been through a lot, and this might very well be the thing that tore him apart. I walked in to Lyla, handed her my mug and gave her a hug; "I have some stuff to take care of, I'll call you later okay? And I promise not to disappear again any time soon."
"Okay, I'll talk to you later."

The rest of the day I ran some errands, tried to get a hold of Gemma but neither her nor Nero picked up and no one opened the door when I drove by her house so I figured they were straightening out whatever had happened with Tara. It was late when I got back, I put the stuff I had brought in the kitchen and went in to look at Loki. He was still snoring softly on my bed, he looked like he hadn't moved an inch. As I turned to go out to the food I saw a movement in the corner of my eye. He was suddenly sitting up, staring through the air as if he was listening really intense at something.
"Loki?" I asked, he just held up a finger before flying up from the bed and walked over to me, grabbing my arms tight.
"Loki? What the hell! It hurts, let me go!" This seemed to bring him back to reality. He lowered his hands and looked me in the eyes; "Do you trust me?" He asked in a low tone of voice.
"Yes."
"I have to leave. I just saw that there were trouble going on at home." He made a sour face; "I don't have much time, but I promise you this Hannah Winston; I will be back for you and we shall dance together again." Then he nestled his fingers in my hair and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. He was gone before it ended, I had to steady myself on the doorpost so that I wouldn't fall over. What the hell had just happened? How had he seen it? What had he seen? When would he come back?
"Good luck." I whispered through the air before I looked down into my hand, he had pressed something in it as he kissed me. It was a big ring made out of gold. It had a huge green stone on it and in the middle of the stone, I saw what looked like two horns and an L. It was to big even for my thumb so I grabbed my black jewelry box and put it in there so that I wouldn't lose it.
The rest of the day I didn't think much about it, after all, I knew that he usually came and went as he pleased.

But when the days turned to a week I started to get nervous, then the weeks flew by and I started to believe that it had all happened in my head, none of it had been real. I didn't let anyone in the house. I didn't open my computer or answer the phone. To put it in simple words; I was a wreck.

Then one day, I looked myself in the mirror and was shocked; my hair looked like a birds nest, I had dark circles under my eyes, was pale as a ghost and looked like I had lost about 5 kilos. Then the light fell on my necklace. The one I hadn't taken of. The scale from Corinth's leg. Then her words flowed back into my mind; "If things should be unbearable for you, rub it three times and think of my name, I will be there to guide you."
So that was what I did and not long after I could feel her presence in my head; "Young Hannah, what is the matter?" She sounded sleepy.
"Oh Corinth, did I wake you? I apologize!" I cried.
"Don't worry princess. I can sleep again soon. Now tell me what troubles you?"
"Was it all just an imagination? Is Loki not real? Where has he gone? He has been away for over a month now and it feels like I am starting to lose my senses!" The tears flowed as freely over my cheeks as the questions at this moment.
"Hush now. If it hadn't been real, would we then have this conversation?"
"I guess not." I hiccupped.
"Time flows differently in Asgard then on your earth. Loki has lost someone close to him and therefor he is not paying any attention to anyone or anything else at the moment. Remember my grand-fathers words?"
How could I have forgotten? Minath's words were edged to my mind; "Yes of course."
"Good, I didn't take you for a fool after all. This has been the part of heartbreak and trust he told you about. But if you are strong, your heart will heal once more and you will get the happiness you deserve."
"Are you sure?"
I could feel her chuckle; "I am as sure as I will ever be little Princess. And rest assured, Loki will find his way back to you, but, I must warn you; he might need a reminder that not all is bad in this world."
"I will try and remember that. Thank you so much Corinth, one day, you will be as wise as your grand-father. I can already hear it in your voice."
"Thank you little one. Now, I need sleep and you should really take that shower you are thinking about. You are in for a surprise soon." I could feel her thoughts trail off and before the connection was lost I threw out my last thought; "Will I ever see you again?"
"In due time." Came the answer and then she was gone.