"Run away, run away

One day we won't feel this pain anymore."

Grace was in a great, golden room. It stretched for several hundred feet out in front of her, marble pillars holding up the vaulted golden ceiling. The room was breathtaking, and a golden aura was emitted from the walls. In the distance, through golden gossamer curtains, blue waters stretched towards starry skies.

She started walking towards the end of the hall, as if out of habit as she took in the golden throne that her gaze had fallen upon. No one sat on it and her footsteps were the only ones that fell along the golden hall. She walked uneasily, feeling her way through the alien surroundings.

She made her way out of the room and down a hallway, stopping in her tracks as she caught a glimpse of a moving figure in the reflective walls beside her. The woman looking back at her was dressed in a deep blue gown of fine silk and sheer materials, draped about her in an almost roman fashion. Around her neck was… a silver arrowhead and feather pendant. Her gaze stopped there as she realized whose face she would see looking back at her. Her gaze did not falter as she looked into her own silver eyes, a golden circlet around her head to match the golden embroidery of her gown. A golden band to match was curled twice around her right bicep.

Her breathing accelerated. This was all familiar to her… as natural to her as breathing now that she thought about it. But where was she?

She picked up the hem of her skirts, realizing that she was barefoot against the cool floors. A balcony was to her left and she suddenly felt the need to have some air…

Warm air clung to her, but she paid it no heed as she took in a breath of the outside world. A rousing boom in the distance caught her attention and her head snapped up to see a bright light touch down near one of the golden buildings. Her hands clutched the balcony in front of her as she took everything in.

Her attention was diverted as two cold hands appeared on her shoulders, sliding down her arms to where her hands rested on the balcony. She could feel what felt like metal armor against her bare back as the owner planted a kiss on her left shoulder, speaking into her skin.

"Welcome home, Lady Anja."

*o*O*o*

Anja woke up the next morning feeling awful. The sound of Aric's cries caught her attention and she slipped out from the covers of her bed to pad down the hall to him. She had picked him up the night before from Eira's house… The night before. She could not bring herself to think on that. How on earth had she let Loki get that close? It had been unintended, that she knew. She could see it in his eyes that he hadn't intended to kiss her until he had her in his arms. And it had felt so… good…

"Shh, baby," she said as she picked the child up from the crib. She bounced him up and down on her shoulder gently, cooing to him as he relaxed against her. "Momma's here. Momma's here…"

"Babababababa," he babbled to her, the same sounds he had made when he had seen Loki in the grocery store.

"Aric, calm down, Momma's here."

The child's cries merely picked up in frequency, his pale skin flushing as he grew more and more upset. A knock at the front door resonated against Aric's cries and with a roll of her eyes, Grace made her way down the hall.

Her heart dropped into her stomach when she opened the door to see Jim standing there, dressed and ready for work. "Hi honey," he said over Aric's screams. He looked at the baby with a small smile, trying to soothe the child. "Awww, Aric," he said as he held his hands out to the baby. Aric looked at Jim for a whole two seconds before he had turned away from him, a hand in his mouth and still crying.

"I don't know what's got into him this morning," Grace said after another moment. "He woke up like this."

"And apparently so did you," Jim said with a laugh as he indicated her over-sized T-shirt and panties. She had completely forgotten that she was in her sleep-wear. She felt a flush touch her cheeks as she stepped to the side to let Jim in. "Did you sleep well?" he asked after a moment as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. Aric let out another shriek as Jim leaned into her, stopping the man in his tracks.

Grace gave him a sad smile as she nodded. "You want some coffee?" she asked as she was finally able to calm Aric down. She placed the baby in his playpen as she reached for a bathrobe that was draped over the recliner in the living room.

"That would be good if you've got it," Jim said as he took a seat at her kitchen table. "I don't have to be in for another hour or so. You?"

"I have the late shift tonight," Grace replied, her back to Jim as she set the coffee pot up.

"So I need to pick Aric up?"

"I can handle it. If worse comes to worse Eir can pick him up."

Jim's hand came down on the table, just loud enough for her to hear and she pressed the 'on' button of the coffee machine. "Grace." She chewed on her lower lip. There was a tone in Jim's voice that made her uncomfortable. "Can you please look at me?"

She kept her gaze fixed on the little red light of the coffee maker a second longer before turning around to look at Jim, leaning against the counter. "What's wrong, Jim?"

He ran his hands through his blonde hair before standing up abruptly. "Grace… I feel like I'm losing you."

She chewed her lower lip insistently as she looked at him. "What do you mean?"

He gave her an ironic smile. "You never ask me to watch Aric anymore. You didn't return my call last night after I left you a message telling you I got a raise… Grace. Relationships come from both ends."

Grace stared at him. The 'ding' of the coffee machine did nothing to pull her from her thoughts. "I don't… I don't need your help with Aric, Jim."

"Yeah but why didn't you return my call?"

"Jim… Can we not do this right now?" She turned around to pour him some coffee. "I'm tired."

Jim pressed his lips together in a hard line before he walked over to her turned back. She turned around to see him standing there, the hot cup of coffee clutched in her hands. "Grace. I don't want to lose you."

She saw him looking at her with nothing but adoration, caring. "Please, Jim, not here."

"Then where, Grace?"

Her nostrils flared as he brought a hand up to cup her face. It wasn't the hand that she wanted there… and she realized this as he took the cup of coffee from her to put it on the counter behind her. He leaned into her. "No, Jim."

He pulled back to look her in the eye. "No?" A tear trailed down her cheek as she met his gaze and he wiped it away. She closed her eyes at his touch. "Grace," he said quietly. "Baby, what did I do? Was it something I said, something I did?"

She closed her eyes, looking down as she shook her head.

"Is it someone else?"

She looked at Jim again, inhaling through her nose as Aric let out another torrent of cries. She looked over at the baby briefly before back to Jim. She couldn't lie. It wouldn't be fair…

"I think there might be," she said quietly.

Jim looked down at her, his eyes darkening. "So what does that mean for us?"

Her brow furrowed as she looked at him. "I… I don't know, Jim," she whispered. Aric let out another shriek, but quieted down again.

Jim stepped away from her, grabbing his jacket. "Well then… let me know when you've decided, Grace," he said sharply as he turned to leave the house. He was hurt and she could tell, but she did not follow him as he slammed the front door behind him.

AN: I realize there wasn't much Loki this chapter, but I am going to try an approach where I update a bit more frequently, but with less words per update. This way I can keep bringing yall chapters more. Loki'll be back next chappie along with some more dreams ;) Review?

~Sirius