I am entirely indebted to jazz-sparks. She's let me talk at her as I work through scenes, she's so graciously shared her talent with me and created some beautiful art that has helped me through the first scene of this chapter. Read the chapter through, and then head over to my Tumblr, where I will be posting the works.

Chapter 10

Nightmares

There was a world that could have been.

In the depths of a restless, but necessary sleep Loki could see that world. It was clear and precious to him. He had not been capable of picturing it before. But now in sleep, when his ambition was drowned in sound defeat, he could see the world he had truly wanted.

In the lost world, The Avengers were the souls cursed with defeat. His false brother banished to the darkest of realms. The lumbering green beast sent even further. But Loki was no fool. He kept the assassins close, the maverick of technology closer. They were valuable assets to him. They were held under his control, and would be until their value subsided. The fate of the soldier had been a difficult thing, and in the contrived memories of his dream, he couldn't recall what had been made of the man time forgot.

However, the fate of his many enemies did not matter to the god of mischief, now the reigning king of Midgard. He had his power, he had his kingdom, and he had his queen.

"Good morning."

He had awaken, but not to reality. This was his dream; it's start more glorious than any he had ever experienced. She sat on the edge of the bed, draped in sheer, pale fabrics. Her back was to him, but she was gazing at him over her shoulder, ginger locks of hair hanging just past her shoulders.

She turned, leaning down, and kissed him. The kiss was short and sweet and familiar. She did it swiftly and without much care, as though it was something she had done many times before and would continue to do until the last of her days.

Smiling with tired eyes, Ellie picked herself up from the bedside.

"We'll be late." She said in a whisper.

Loki reached out, catching a fistful of fabric and pulled her gently back down.

"Let us be late," he said, sitting up and brushing his fingers against her cheek.

She laughed. "You said that yesterday."

"And I'll say it again tomorrow." Loki said before pressing his lips to hers once more. He moved to pull her up and into his lap, but she slithered easily from his grasp.

"Come on now." She said, only pretending to scold him. "My King."

A familiar, stunning chill embraced Loki. His eyes fell shut at the sound of the words leaving her lips.

My King.

How strange it was to hear those words. How strange it was that he wanted them spoken in such a way. Without reverence, without fear or respect…but with love.

His fantasies as a young boy had never included a Queen. In his youth he had not the patience for such sentimental dreams. He only wished to rule on high, a lone figure basking in power and honor.

How much had changed since those long lost days. The chance to rule had been stripped of him, as had any hope for honor. His life had been nothing but a secret, kept and coddled until circumstance had shed light on the shadow.

But none of it mattered now.

He no longer cared so desperately for the approval and respect of the realms. He only sought out hers.

"I'll be getting dressed up, then." She said, her voice still muted.

Loki watched her slip away, knowing full well she would struggle with the process. She had stumbled in to the role of Queen. It overwhelmed her and, Loki suspected, she was frightened of it at the start. For all his insistence Ellie had out rightly refused the help of servants and handmaidens. She merely scrunched her nose in distaste at the first mention. No matter his clever persistence her stubbornness and conviction won him out. If I absolutely need help I'll call for it, she had said, dismissively.

"I didn't spend a great deal of my life claiming that I could be my own woman, only to have others help me dress in the morning."

He pulled himself from the bed, knowing he had preparations of his own to attend to. After donning his clothes and fixing his helmet, now a glistening crown of status to his head, Loki stepped into the courtyard.

The sun was bright, rays of light raining from the sky. Trees bearing delicate pink blossoms lined the courtyard and they trickled from they're branches to the cobblestone.

Ellie came soon after, dressed beautifully in his colors. The dress she had chosen was the garment he was most fond of. The emerald green reflected in her dark eyes and made the freckles on her face seems more prominent. A gold trimmed corset hugged her slender waste. Several locks of her hair had been tacked back, with gold dusted flower pins.

"My Lady!"

The call came from behind Ellie and she turned to answer it. Seeing what awaited her, she spun around, a flustered frown dampening her face.

An attendant appeared and in his gloved hands he carried the crown that had been crafted especially for her.

"You forgot-"

"I didn't," Ellie quipped, turning an accusatory stare to Loki.

Loki only sneered, amused at Ellie's discomfort. He held out his hand, his eyes never leaving his Queen.

"Give it here."

The young attendant bristled, but approached Loki bequeathing the golden piece to him.

"Yes, My Lord." He said, before bowing his head and hurrying away as quickly as he had come.

Ellie scoffed, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. She was frustrated with him, this he could tell. But he knew she wouldn't be for long.

"Allow me." He said smoothly. Lifting the crown to the air, he placed it atop her head. It was made of the same light-catching gold as his, its horns swept shortly upwards, then curved back and in, ending to thin points.

"Perfect." Loki whispered, as he tucked a stray wisp of ginger hair back into place.

Ellie said nothing. A shady pink dusted her cheeks and she tilted her head down.

"I look ridiculous." She fiddled with the luscious green fabric of her skirt, refusing to meet his gaze.

He stepped closer to her, until his chest almost brushed against hers. His index finger catching under her chin and lifting her face to meet his. Before she could hope to speak, he dived down and his lips were upon hers stealing a fiery kiss.

Loki said not a word, but his message was received a thousand times over: You look beautiful.

And she was. A true Queen and companion. The only soul in the nine realms he cared to have. He longed for her affection and for her approval. He wanted not to control her with magic or keep her imprisoned. He only wanted her.

Ellie's pink blush turned to crimson, as his thumb traced over her bottomed lip; his gaze unrelenting.

As his hand fell away, she uttered the very words he had never known he longed to here.

"I love you." She said; her voice a whisper.

He smiled, waves of bliss filling him. "And I, you."

It was then, at that sudden admission that Loki's dream came to an end. He was pulled from the courtyard, the vision of Ellie vanishing in a spiral of shadow.

As the darkness, chilling cold of his prison began to creep in, Ellie's face appeared one final time.

However, this time her face was not crowned in gold. It was utterly changed. Her eyes reflected not happiness, but horror.

Loki.

And as he returned to a state of consciousness, he could hear her voice.

Help me.

Loki gasped, his forehead hot with sweat. His hands went to his face, cradling it as he tried to rock himself from sleeps vice grip.

Help me? Was that what he had heard? He couldn't be sure anymore, her voice was far away and drowned in the dream that would never return to him.

He remembered where he was. Asgard. Locked away under the city awaiting word of his impending punishment.

Gasping, Loki attempted to calm his weary breath. He tried grasping for the dream again, the feeling of warmth having not yet dissolved. But the dream was too far gone now and, try as he might, he couldn't will the images back to him.

Reality was the harshest mistress. She clung to the hopeful, weighing on their dreams. Creeping in and baring her fangs only when hope was at its brightest. He bite was like a venom: it could kill even the strongest.

And now, in the underworld of Asgard, reality was consuming Loki.

His dream. It was a dream that could never be. The worst of them. The worst of the nightmares.

Ellie couldn't be sure how much time had passed. She wanted to guess hours, she wanted to guess close to a day. However, she couldn't be sure and she knew that straying on the thought would do her no good.

She had spent most of her time attempting to find a way out. The only light she could find was the sliver that lay at the bottom of the door. It was so narrow it barely stretched a foot into the room.

Slowly, she had made her way around the small room. With her hands held out in front of her being sure to touch every bit of wall she could reach. Even jumping, she couldn't reach the ceiling and there was not enough light for her to see.

The door, Ellie discovered, could not be opened from the inside. There was no handle, no lock, nothing she could do to pry it open.

The room wasn't very large, no more than ten square feet. It must have acted as a storage closet of some sort before. However, now it was home to nothing except a functionless piece of machinery, Ellie guessed to be a water heater. It was clear that not a soul had entered the room for some time, as it was covered in a thick layer of dust.

The floor was covered in layers of what Ellie could only imagine was dirt or sand. After combing over every inch with her hands, all she could find was a small drain no larger than a dinner plate.

After scouring every inch of her prison, she knew there was no way for her to escape unless someone opened the door.

In the end, she had relented to banging her fists against the door and screaming for help.

"Hello!" She called as loud as she could. "Hello? Help me!"

After several minutes of yelling, Ellie knew she would have to give up on that too. She had no idea what the time was. No idea of knowing if people or workers ever wandered into the building at all.

Collapsing to her knees, her fists stretched out above her head, pressed against the door, Ellie tried to catch her breath. She let her forehead rest against the cool metal surface, shutting her eyes tightly.

She could feel it, the panic eating away at her gut. If she didn't try harder to stave it off, it would consume her whole.

Instead she tried to focus on her breathing and banish all thought to the back of her mind. But try as she might, her thoughts seemed strengthened in the dark. They were all she had.

What if he never returns? What if this is it? What if you die here?

She sniffed, pulling away from the door. Stepping backwards until she could feel the wall at her back, she slid down it. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them hugging them close.

But what if he does come back…?

He'll hurt you. He said.

He said he would.

...What did he mean by it? What will he do?

What if he kills you? He'll kill you, Ellie.

You've met your killer. You've met him…

…Only a matter of time…How will it happen?

He's an alien…how…?

She was shaking now, her whole body racked with shivers. She hugged herself tighter, trying to fight the shivers away.

How can anyone find me? When will they even look…?

Steve could've left…Loki…he's…he can't…

Oh god…

It'll be ages before anyone can find me. And what if…

Her building paranoia was interrupted by a sound. Footfalls. They echoed louder and louder as they descended each step. Someone was coming.

It's him. It has to be. Puller yourself together, Ellie. You can't let him see you…

She lifted her head up, still hugging her knees tightly to her.

Sure enough, the door was pushed open to reveal the same stocky, towering form from before.

Ellie blinked as the faint neon light attacked her vision, but she was careful not to flinch. It took several moments for her sight to adjust.

His hands were stuffed deep into his pockets, the buttons of his jacket undone.

He stepped into the room.

"Stand."

Ellie gulped. She didn't move. She wouldn't let herself be intimidated.

He sighed, only slightly miffed. "Now, Ellie."

Ellie refused to answer, instead she just looked away.

He seethed, reaching down and grabbing a fistful of her hair.

He grunted in pain as he dragged her from the floor and up onto her feet. Her hand wrapped around his wrist and tried to pull him away, but he was just as strong as he had been. Releasing her hair, his and grasped her shoulder and pushed her back into the corner.

She immediately tried to move forward, but his body crashed into hers keeping her pinned to the wall.

She gasped as his hand trailed lower, his finger hooking on the V collar of her t-shirt.

"You must be wondering where it was I ventured off to for so long?" he said, his voice dangerously low.

Ellie had an answer for him. In fact, she had several. The most tempting of them being a poisonous "Fuck off." But she held her tongue, afraid if she opened her mouth she would scream out and reveal the depth of her fear.

It surprised her, how calm she could pretend to be. She wasn't shaking any more, her breath was slow and calculated. However, she knew that the smallest

He waited only a second for her response.

"I had to test my…abilities on separate human form. Your life is very important to me Ellie. I need to know what I am capable of doing. I wouldn't

He was so close to her. Too close. His face was inches from hers and she could feel his breath on her nose. Ellie wanted to push him a away, but she couldn't bring her arms up, she was petrified.

"You humans…" he said, bringing his hand up to her face. The fingers glided over her cheek and past ear lobe and down until he was grasping the side of her neck. Ellie felt her breath hitch in her throat and his grip became steadily tighter.

"So horrendously weak," He continued, his whispers becoming faster and more urgent. "And yet, your internal systems are so stunningly complex. If one small cog in your body is undone, it could mean the end for you. It is such a strange contradiction.

He pulled his arm back, slamming her even further into the wall. Ellie seethed as the back of her head collided with another hard surface.

"Look at me, Ellie." He growled. "When I speaking to you, you look at me."

Ellie gasped, trying to reign in her fear. Sucking in a calming breath she raised her eyes to meet his. She could hardly see him in her dark. The light that surrounded his head could not reach around to his face, but she could see an eerie glint in his eye.

"Now," he said, his voice returning to a more pleasant register. He brought his other hand up, placing his palm over her temple. "Shall we begin?"

Ellie couldn't help herself. "What are you doing?"

She couldn't stop her voice from shaking and she cursed herself for speaking.

In the shadow, Ellie swore she could see the corners of his mouth twitching as if he was fighting off a smile.

Suddenly, a searing pain erupted in her head. It was as if hundreds of pins were piercing through her scalp and drilling into her skull. She gasped and tried to thrash away, but his grip on her head and neck were too strong.

"If you don't let me in, Ellie," He whispered. "The pain will only worsen."

His words were true. With each passing second, the pain grew and grew. Her vision swelled and then went black, blacker than the small storage room. She couldn't

She felt her body being to go numb and she could no longer hold herself up.

Just when she thought her head would burst from the pain, her consciousness slipped away.

Steve did not return until the morning. After riding into the city, intent on seeking out a friend, Steve remembered he had none. His thoughts strayed first to Stark, but he remembered that the billionaire, playboy, genius philanthropist had flown from the country, hoping to assist Banner on finding a place to hide for several weeks' time.

He retreated to the first bar he stumbled upon, eager for alcohol and a pointed distraction.

There was too much light in the bar. The music was far too loud and far too repetitive. The amount of people packed inside, chattering on and on about what had happened just days before, was too much for most people.

Luckily, it seemed the other patrons were far too concerned with their own stories of survival, to notice that one of their heroes say amongst them.

Steve sat in the corner, nursing a beer that would never get him close enough to the lost state of mind he longed for.

It was just as it had been moments before he met her. He flinched at the memory, realizing that it was all a lie.

She had not approached him out of interest, but out of direction.

Don't dwell on it.

He let the bar in a rush and headed straight for the only sanctuary he knew: the gym.

After pounding into several sand bags, he had left in the early morning hours. He retreated into the park, needing the freshest air that could be found in the city. He walked almost every trail, thankful to keep himself moving. Standing still only reminded him of the numbness in his heart.

He didn't return to the apartment until last the next day. Parking his motorcycle on the sidewalk, he looked up into the window of the fourth floor. There wasn't a light visible inside.

Steeling himself, Steve stepped into the building. As he climbed the stairs he tried to find words, any words at all. But nothing came to him. His mind was a flurry of images, some welcomed, and others uninvited.

"Ellie?" He called, almost timidly as he pushed the door open.

There was no answer.

She's probably sleeping. He thought to himself, shedding his jacket and dropping it onto the couch.

Feeling sleep's gentle pull, Steve headed into the bedroom. No matter his anger, no matter his feelings of utter betrayal, he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, pull Ellie into his arms and sleep.

Whatever lies she might have told, whatever had truly conspired between her and Loki, he didn't care.

However, when Steve entered the bedroom, he saw the bed was empty.

Standing in the doorway, he looked over his shoulder, down the hall and into the kitchen.

He realized that it wasn't just the bed that was empty.

The entire apartment was empty.

"El?"

She was awake again. Lying on her back?

On my back. Ellie thought; her mind hazy and thick. When did I…did I fall?

Her eyelids fluttered open only to be met still with darkness. Her heart sunk. None of it had been a nightmare, she had awoken to the same dark room. Why couldn't it have been a nightmare?

She stiffened, realizing that she wasn't alone like she had first believed. There were hands tangled in her hair, they sifted through her locks, running to the tips before returning to her scalp and beginning their journey again.

"Awake at last are we?" He said, his amused voice pulling her from dizziness. She gasped, trying to pull air into her lungs, choking on dust.

Trying desperately to move away from his unwanted touch Ellie balked, discovering that her body was still pulsing from the pain that had racked her system earlier. It pulsed in her veins with hesitant vigor, each beat of her heart sending new waves of soreness to every inch of her body.

"What did you do to me?" She croaked; her throat raw as though she had been screaming. As her perception grew stronger, she realized that her head lay in his lap, her body prone on the floor.

"I merely attempted to gain access into your mind." He said, quite coolly. "I will admit the way of my doing it is…a bit more savage than that of your precious god's. You only have yourself to blame, I'm afraid. If you hadn't put up such a fight…"

He trailed off, his fingers brushing hair away from her sweat covered brow.

"It took much longer than I suspected." He continued. "You're more resilient than several of the humans I invaded. And never once did you beg me to stop."

"You wouldn't have." Ellie spat. She tried to remember what had happened, but she couldn't. How long had it gone on? I don't know…I can't know…how long was I out? What day is it? What…

Her lack of knowledge was enough to drive her insane. She hated not knowing.

She tried to lift her head up, but it felt far too heavy. She had no control over her body whatsoever. Every move she tried to make was only met with a shudder or twitch.

"Smart girl," He whispered, bowing his head lower, closer to her. "Clever girl. It is better this way. I would hate to waste time explaining things to you. It will only be a matter of time before your mind belongs to me. And once it does…I will rip it to shreds."

His voice sounded completely inhuman now, raspy and guttural. His hand crept lower, wrapping around her chin and pulling her head back painfully. His grip tightened again so that Ellie could only manage short shallow breaths.

Ellie choked back a sob as hot tears spilled from her eyes. He was right. She had her chance to fight him off and she had failed miserably. She couldn't fight him. She couldn't run away. She was trapped in the dark with a monster, an alien beast in human skin.

"I ask, Ellie," He said, his voice suddenly grave. She could feel his fingers tracing the veins on her neck. "That you try to remain conscious throughout this next period…"

"…I suspect it will be most trying."

Again, Thank you all for reading and reviewing and keeping this story going. Suffice to say, things are not going to get easier from here. I would love to hear your thoughts (Yes! Yours!). Again, mock ups of Ellie's crown and dress will be posted on my Tumblr (bluebirdsandink) if any of you are curious! Much love!