Hey... sorry it took me so long to update. I have no excuses, it was written and everything. Please don't leave the story. This is a very important chapter that I believe many of you will enjoy. It's been a long time coming ;)

Ding! Loki shook the bell. He frowned, irritated, when the maid didn't come. Ding, ding! He was bored. He had not left his room for three days. He was tired of the false apologies, the fake pity. He decided he wouldn't leave until his arm was healed. Thank the gods for his magic, otherwise he would be filthy. But still… he was bored. He needed to be distracted before his longing came back. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. A little breathless, the maid rushed into the room.

"I'm terribly sorry sir," She murmured.

"You're late."

"I know sir, I'm very sorry."

He strode over to her. "Do you know that lateness is one of my biggest pet peeves?"

"N-n-no sir."

He leaned close. She smelled good. Not as good as- stop. He halted his thoughts. The maid was a distraction. He didn't care about her well-being or mental health. She was a tool. To keep his mind busy so he would forget about- ugh. He fed off her fear.

"Sit in that chair." He pointed to a chair near the wall.

"Sir…"

"Sit!" Loki barked. Timidly, the maid walked over and sat down from the chair. Loki opened a case resting on his bed. "When I was eight I received a set of expensive jeweled daggers. Slim and silent, knives an expert assassin would drool over." Loki laughed mirthlessly. "They were already marking me as the man I would become. Funny, is it not? I would never be strong like Thor. I needed something to give me a leg up on my opponent. It appeared I showed no immediate promise, so they gave up on me. Not unusual. However, what they did not know was that I trained by myself in secret every day. I believe I have mastered them." The maid whimpered. He turned to her. "Would you like to see?" Pulling out a dagger, he balanced it on the tip of his finger. "Perfect, is it not?" He glanced back at her.

"Sir, please."

He shook his head. "Shush. Now I'm warning you, if you scream…" He grinned. "Then this dagger goes straight through your little eyeball. And that would most definitely not be pleasant." The maid began crying as he laughed. Closing one eye and steadying himself, Loki threw the dagger with practiced ease. It landed inches from her neck. She swallowed hard, tears never stopping, but managed to hold the fear at bay. He could hear it though, way down low in her throat. It would be all too easy to break her. "You know," Loki remarked casually, "It really is lucky for you that Thor broke my left arm, not my right. Imagine what would happen to you if I didn't have use of my good arm." She whimpered. Loki picked up another dagger and threw it. The beginnings of her scream escaped. A little noise of terror, not really a scream. It was a little disappointing, really, how easily the feeble girl broke. He had been hoping it would take a little longer at least. Loki grinned and threw the third knife. Just as he predicted, the third one broke her, she began screaming at the top of her lungs. Unluckily for her, this was a feasting night. Nobody would be around to hear.

"No! Stop it, oh gods, please stop. Please I'm begging you!" She stared at him, her eyes full of wild fear. Loki tried to keep his face serene, but inside he was laughing.

"What did I tell you?" He asked her. Her whole body shook with sobs.

"I know sir, I know, but please!"

He tsked. "Naughty, naughty." Loki picked up a fourth dagger. That sent the maid into hysterics.

"NO! NO NO NO NO NO NOOOO PLEASE!" Suddenly, she burst into the room.

"Enough." Loki closed his eyes. She was here. She had come. Even with the maid here… Sidhe. Sidhe. Sidhe. Her name buzzed through his brain. She was always on his mind, niggling at the edge of his thoughts. She made him weak, brought his emotions back from the cold, locked box he kept them in. "Get up." Sidhe told the maid. "You are relieved of your duties here. You are not required to return." Bowing, the maid ran out of the room. Sidhe looked up at Loki, her expression unreadable.

"Sidhe…" Loki whispered. She just shook her head.

"Why?"

"What?" Loki queried.

"Why, Loki?"

"I know not of what you speak."

Sidhe's eyes flashed. "Don't. You know bloody well what. Do not lie to me."

He glared at her, slinking forward. "You really want to know?"

"Of course! I care about you, Loki." His heart lifted at her words, but he quickly squashed it.

"It is because I am just. So. Evil. Did you not know? Loki is the evil son, the disliked one. No one could ever love him." He sneered at her. Her eyes softened.

"Did anyone ever try?" She whispered. He winced, weakening again. With a breath, he tightened his resolve and glared at her. "You know that is not true. You are not evil, Loki." She told him, eyes never leaving his.

"Do I know that? Really?"

"You should. Honestly, you have been dealing with this all your life. Is this really what is bothering you, Loki?"

"Why should it not be?"

She sighed. "Never mind. If that's it…" She turned to go.

"Maybe it is just easier this way." He mumbled.

"What?"

"It is easier this way. Pretending."

"Pretending what?"

"THAT I DO NOT CARE!" He exploded. He turned to face her. "That every day of my life it does not hurt to be cast aside as the disliked one. The good for nothing. I have kept my emotions clammed up in a box for years. Then I found someone. Somebody very like me. And then she just rips the lid off the box, exposing all of the ugly things to the world. All my emotions, out there for everyone to see." He leaned down, his lips centimeters from hers. She could feel his breath, warm on her face. He stared intently into her eyes. "I find myself… loving her. And I am so afraid. I am afraid! That she will laugh. That she will leave me. That she will betray me like all the others. So I try to distract myself, forget about all the things I could say or do, just to see her smile, to hear her laugh. But it does not work. She is still there, driving me crazy, in my head."

Sidhe blinked, her eyelashes catching his. "So why resist?" His eyes widened with shock as she leaned forward, nullifying the centimeters that kept them apart. His eyes slowly closed and he pulled her closer and closer to him, his hand around her waist, her hands buried in his hair. She pulled back, resting her head on his shoulder, her arms sliding around his waist. He rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"Sidhe." Loki whispered.

"I will make you a promise. I swear I will never leave you or betray you. As long as you promise the same." She looked up into his eyes. He smiled softly.

"Until I die." Then they both stopped talking. After all, what more was there really to say?