Loki sat, eating with Karliah at the table. Will and Ashley had gone out for the night. Karliah drank out of her glass, looking at Loki as he chewed his food.

"Could you ask to go home?" she asked.
"What?"
"It's been a while since you got here… Could you ask to go home, would they let you?"
"I don't know…" he said truthfully. "Probably not."
"Could I go with you if you did?"

Loki looked at her now.

"No." he said.
"Why not?"
"Mortals cannot live with Gods without just cause."
"But I have just cause."
"Oh? And what is that?"
"I love you."

Loki stared at her. She seemed to not want to look at him, worried about his reaction to her words. He reached out his hand and touched hers. She looked down at it.

"I do not know what to say…" he finally said.
"You don't have to say anything." she shrugged, eating more of her food.

He sighed.

"Kar, it's complicated for me…" he told her.
"I know." she said, not looking at him. "But it doesn't stop me from feeling something…"
"I don't deserve that."
"Still doesn't stop me."
"You deserve more."
"No." she said. "I know what I deserve and what I want and nothing you can ever say would change that… I just thought that you should know…"

Loki had trouble with the silence that followed after their conversation. When Karliah was done with her food, she picked up her plate, and washed it in the sink. She yawned, stretching her arms out.

"I'm gonna go lay down…" she said.
"Do you want me to come?"
"You can do whatever you please."

He watched her walk down the hallway, not knowing how to deal with this. She often did this though, making him think about how he felt about certain things. He knew he felt intimacy with her, he had since the night she'd found out about him. The way they had made love had sparked something in his heart. It made him feel something.

He got up, not caring to take care of his dishes. He went to the bedroom, opening the door slowly. He saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, head in her hands. He knew she was crying. It made his heart ache. He sat beside her, putting his arm around her gently.

"I do not wish to harm you." he said softly.
"You don't hurt me." she replied, lifting her head and wiping her tears. "You don't. I just… I don't know."
"Tell me what you feel."
"I just don't know what to do about myself."
"I do not understand."
"I love you Loki." she said, touching his face. "My God… I love you. But I know you have more to work on… but every single time you touch me or look at me or say something to me… You don't even have to speak. I can't help myself."

Loki smiled slightly, seeing the confliction on her face, hearing it in her voice. It made him happy to know that someone felt this for him, but made him angry that she was not ok. She was hurting, whether or not she said it was so, and he wanted it to stop.

"What do I do?" he asked.
"You don't have to do anything."
"Yes I do… You are mine to take care of."
"Loki…" she said, laughing a little. "It's ok."
"Then stop crying."
"I'm just frustrated."
"Let us rest." he told her, laying down on the bed. "Come lay with me, it will clear your mind."

She did so, placing her head on his chest. They didn't bother changing their clothes. They laid there, Loki holding her in his arms, feeling the flutter again in his chest as he caught the scent in her hair. He smiled.

"Kar, I do not know how to say what I feel. And I do not wish for my poor choice of words to turn into lies if I do not know how I feel."
"I won't think you are lying. It's just a difficult thing, I understand."
"Love is difficult?"
"Yeah…" she laughed. "It is."
"I'd never hurt you." he told her.
"Really?" she asked, seeming to tease him.
"I am strong." he said. "I could hurt you if I wanted to."
"Maybe…. But I know you wouldn't."
"How do you know?"
"Because I can tell. You are so gentle with me."
"Not always." he said, a seductive smirk growing across his face. Karliah laughed, rolling her eyes. She knew the truth in this statement, recalling the previous nights they'd spent together. "Lost in thought are you?"

She closed her eyes, rolling over on her back. He watched her open her legs slightly, her arms laying above her head.

"Take me." she said. "Please me."

He rolled to his side, running his hand down her side. He let it rest on her hip, staring into her eyes.

"Tell me again." he replied.
"Tell you what?"
"Tell me you love me."

He needed to hear it again. He needed to hear the words glide off of her tongue. He longed to feel his heart flutter again, like it did every time he thought of her. He would know it was real if he felt it.

"Loki…" she said, putting her hands on his face. "I love you."

There it was. His heart, trying to escape his chest out of excitement. He smiled at the feeling, accepting that this woman, this mortal, would never be swayed on what she felt. She would never change her mind, so long as she felt like this. He leaned his face in so his lips were a inch from hers. As soon as he felt his stomach jump, he took in a sharp breath, trying to make the tingles stop.

"I love you, Karliah." he said, his voice light.

Her eyes, which had shut due to the anticipation he was giving her, opened after he said it. She seemed to be searching his eyes for something. Truth, he figured. He didn't know what she saw in him. He was nothing special, he was no one, yet she loved him anyways. It felt good to say it back to her. It was satisfying to see her smile, to trust that she was feeling the same flutter inside of her own chest. He kissed her lightly.

She fiddled with his pants slowly, and he knew what she wanted. It was a gentle moment, the pair of them making love together.