A/N: Sorry this is a day late. Unfortunately, I was having a life yesterday (pesky little buggers), but don't worry, I've returned to the land of the undead.

(Or, in other words, I'm locking myself back in my bedroom eating junk food and reading fanfiction whilst having a Once Upon a Time marathon and maybe knitting an army of mini Rumplestiltskins. Life's so precious...)

Chapter 11

The History of Shana

The next day sees me sitting on the couch next to Loki while he reads. He had demanded I sit next to him (which is quite unusual).

I've slowly been making my way through the books, happy to finally have something worth reading, though I'd honestly kill for TV- straight out bloody murder with a chainsaw! Well... that might be an over exaggeration, but I still miss my films... It especially pains me to see all those books with film adaptations...

"Shana," Loki says from beside me, his soft voice breaking the silence in the room. I grunt my acknowledgment. "You know of my history, both the good and the bad, but I know nothing of yours..."

"Oh, you wouldn't be interested in my history, Loki. Believe me," I advise him; because really, there isn't nearly as much blood and history in my backstory as there is in Loki's...

"Regardless," Loki says with a dismissive flick of his hand (he's really quite expressive with those hands...) "I told you of my life, and yet you have remained silent of yours. I've become rather intrigued..." he says, looking at me rather intensely.

"...Okay..." I say with uncertainty. I think for a moment, trying to come up with a thought, an idea on where to start. Something preferably interesting.

I come up short.

With a sigh, I begin telling him my meagre, mediocre story. It certainly ain't no superhero/villain heart wrenching origin story, but I guess there isn't much I can do about it now...

"I lived with my Mom and younger brother, Alex, until recently. My Dad had left when I was seven, which had left my Mom absolutely heartbroken. Lexie and I were then raised by my Mom with the help of her close friend, Ben. He's a great guy, really. Lexie and I both see him as our Dad, more or less, but Mom still hasn't gotten over Dad leaving us like he did. We thought that he might have been kidnapped at first, or worse, but all his belongings had disappeared," I pause to check to see if Loki has grown bored yet. It's not exactly a story that's unheard of. At least half of my friends have at least one parent dead or gone, after all. But he still seems interested, no matter how average my story is.

"Tell me about Ben," he says, instead of asking me to move onto the cool, action packed parts of my life (not that there's much to talk about).

"Well..." I say at length, thinking over his personality. "He's quite quiet; a bit of a geek, really. He's somewhat socially awkward, never really dealt well with showing affection with others. But somehow, it worked," I say softly, thinking back to that awkward man that somehow always managed to make me and Lexie laugh, even when memories of my Dad threatened to break me.

"He always found hugging uncomfortable; but whenever I was sad, he always comforted me with a hug, anyway," I say softly, smiling at those pieces if ancient history. "Whenever Lexie needed some fatherly advice, Ben was there to offer it him. I remember when Lexie got his first girlfriend, he went running straight to Ben to ask for advice," I chuckle at the memory. "I think it was for her Birthday; he hadn't a clue what to get her."

"And what of your brother, Alex?" Loki asks, still looking like he actually wants to know.

"He's about four years younger than me," I begin thoughtfully. "He's still doing Sixth Form right now, simply because we were both told that it's kind of like extended schooling, and our school happened to decide to keep doing it. Apparently it used to be a more common thing back in the day or something, I don't know," I ramble, my voice slowly lowering into a faint mumble. I continue in a clearer voice, "But anyway, he's alright. He usually likes to sit in his room playing games a lot; I usually join him either online or in person. I think he got it from Ben, now that I think about it," I finish thoughtfully.

"Hmm, oh well, I don't live with them anymore. After I found a job and a nice College I could work to apply for, I rented a very cheap place close to the College. There's a little travelling, having to get to work from my place, but I managed," I say brightly.

And that is my history.

"What is it like within your College?" Loki asks me, though. I stare at him for a moment.

"Erm..." I frown, there really isn't that much to say. "It's kind of square shaped, with another square shaped building near it. One of them deals with all the science and tech, whilst the other is used for studying social and business skills. Kind of average and really boring, actually," I finish with a shrug

"And your course?" he asks.

"Well, I suppose it can be fun," I say reluctantly. "I mean, it was fun when we dissected organs and were taught about Space in one of our Physics units. But really, not a lot of it actually appeals to me. I mean, I'm not really as interested as I thought I would be in learning about the finer details of the difference between an animal cell and a plant cell, and I never really liked maths much, which Physics- and even Chemistry, a little!- both rely on," I complain. Loki frowns, looking a little confused at something.

"But if you had not wanted to learn those... units," Loki says slowly, seeming to taste the word, "Then why had you chosen to take them?" I shrug. I don't really know anymore. 'Because it looked fun' sounds too stupid, now.

"I've already told you, before," I say, remembering a similar conversation or two we've had. "I wanted to take the course because I thought it would be good for my future," I explain. Loki just continues to stare at me in contemplation.

"But, did this 'College' you attend offer to you any information on the type of courses it offers?" he asks me. I open my mouth, most probably to stubbornly argue, only to close it again. He's got a point...

"W-well, I-" I break off. "Well, it did, I guess," I say slowly. Loki raises an unimpressed eyebrow at my admittance. I immediately get defensive.

"Look, I swear I read the fucking description!" I exclaim defensively. Loki still looks unimpressed.

"Had you, really?" he asks me.

"Yes, I fucking well did!" I snap back. Technically I did, but he doesn't need to know that, does he?...

"Shana," he says, his disapproval melting away into fond amusement, like an owner with an incredibly cute mischievous puppy. "When you lie, you have a habit of not only getting quite defensive, but also swearing increasingly more. And your hands twitch."

What? Fuck it.

"They don't fucking twitch," I grumble, clamping my traitorous hands to my lap. Loki laughs.

"Of course not," he chuckles. "Though let this be a warning to you, Shana," he says in a more serious tone, his laughter dying down until only a small shine of amusement lingers in his eyes.

"Of what? That I must not tell lies?" I ask him, raising an enquiring eyebrow at him.

"No, Shana. That you must always read the finer details," he explains wisely.

"Right..." I say slowly. "I would, if I gave a crap, but alas, life's too short and you only live once," I say with a shrug, like that explains everything. "Because we're not all all-powerful beings, you know." Loki sighs in exasperation and shakes his head at me.

"One day, I will teach you," he says decidedly, making me scoff.

Yeah, good luck with that one, mate! If there's one thing I will always be, it's stubborn, and there's one lesson I have always taken to heart, and that one is to always be yourself. Sure, I might have taken it a little too literally, but still... At least I know that if I ever majorly screw up in life, it will all be my own fault. Of course, that means that I can't go putting the blame on somebody else's shoulders, but I suppose that's just the price of freedom.

"But, anyway," I say, snapping back to focus on Loki. "I had thought at the time that the course was what I wanted. It wasn't, it's sad, I know, but there we have it," I cross my arms across my chest in defiance. "Now I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a little peckish. Nibbles?" I ask him, already heading towards the kitchen. Not even waiting for a reply, I pull out a bowl and bring out the grapes, returning with them triumphantly. I know it was a childish way for me to escape reprimand for not fully doing my research before applying for the course, but it was the best option I had for achieving my ambitious goal in life. I would have seen it through, too, if it weren't for that meddling god. I would have given it my all...

...Well...

...Maybe about... half of my all...

But still! I would have tried!... Kinda...

"I gotta say, though," I grumble at last, picking off a delicious looking grape that more resembles a small plum. "That course really was boring as shit." I bite into the grape viciously, glaring at the mangled remains in my hand. Loki shakes beside me with repressed laughter.

Fucking science.

-BREAK-

The next day, I'm sitting on the couch, reading the first Harry Potter book. Really brings back good memories, of me staying up way past my bedtime trying to sneakily keep my lamp on without Mom noticing while reading through the latest book. I was always either caught, or would wake up half zombified and realising that I'd forgotten the last couple or so chapters of the book.

Well, now I'm older, I can read through it better and actually memorize it, what with me not being half dead due to exhaustion.

Loki is also reading one of his books next to me. It's still so strange, this unusual side of Loki, it's almost... friendly...

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Loki turn to look at me. I wait for him to return to his book, as he's really kind of distracting me...

But no such luck. He stays staring at me for a while, and I begin to think that he's really actually cracked. But then, I hear the tell tale intake of breath.

"Your home," he says in almost a whisper, like he's afraid to break the comfortable silence in the room. "What is it like?" I put the book down so I can face him in exasperation.

Since when did we switch places? I wonder as I look into his curious, green eyes.

"My home with Mom and Lexie, or my rented home?" I ask him.

"Either," he says simply. "Preferably both, though." I nod, thinking of how I can explain them. After all, how do you explain the place you grew up in with words other than 'safe' and 'home'. The other place isn't really a home compared to it. More like a pit stop, until I get a nice big palace of my own, where my biggest enemy is no longer with the bill company, but with the paparazzi instead! But then again, I have heard that they can be even more vicious and unmoving than bill companies...

"My Mom's place is nice," I start with, breaking the silence that had falling during my contemplation. "It's got four bedrooms- one for each of us. The smallest room Mom converted into a little study area that doubles as an emergency rest place for Ben when he decides to help Mom out with me and Lexie, or some other thing or another. It's got a nice sized back garden and even a small garden area round the front," I smile, thinking of home as details begins to surface more strongly in my mind.

"In the back garden, we had this trampoline. It's not that big, and it's currently stored in the shed as both me and Lexie stopped using it years ago, but I remember that we used to fight to try and have a go jumping on that thing. Mom had won it in a competition, you know," I inform him. "Around about when I was ten, and Lexie and I had both thought it was the best thing she could have won! Summers were always the best, just going out; jumping and trying to perform tricks. The amount of times we hurt outselves and nearly gave Mom a heart attack!" I laugh at the memory of that time when Lexie had jumped and landed on the trampoline wrong, and wound up flying into the bushes surrounding the garden. Mom had shrieked when that had happened, and I'll never forget the state he was in when he finally came crawling out, all dirty and with several bugs scurrying around in confused terror on his shirt, and his hair (which had been longer, then) in a horrid tangled state. While I was splitting my sides laughing, Mom wasn't so happy, and had forced him to keep his ruined clothes and wear them for the rest of the week (after being washed regularly, of course), as punishment for being so careless.

"We also have an attic, of course. It's full of all sorts of interesting crap, pieces of history that Mom didn't want to get rid of, but at the same time, couldn't find any place for in our home. Me and my brother were always digging through the stuff, or using the attic while playing hide and seek, or just plain and simply using the place as a fort. Mom was always so upset whenever she found us up there, saying that the flooring was too dodgy for us up there," I roll my eyes. "The way we saw it, she was always regularly going up there. If the floor can take the weight of a full grown woman, we were sure it could take the weight of a couple of school children."

"Was it safe for you?" He enquires, I nod my head enthusiastically.

"Oh, yeah! Well, it certainly seemed so," I amend. "Personally, I just think that Mom just didn't trust the two of us up there, especially with family heirlooms," I admit. Silence falls again as I think about more stories of my childhood, and think about my family more. I really do miss those guys. Though Lexie frequently pissed me off as all younger brothers do with their sister, we still managed to get along well, against all odds. Ben had also helped by always making sure to include us both whenever he played with one of us, usually with board games and consoles so that we were both more involved. He made sure to only focus all his attention on Alex when it came to playing with his toys only during the times when I was busy, usually watching a film or deeply immersed in my own game.

"And what of your other home?" Loki asks, breaking my silent pondering.

"Hm? Oh, well, it's not really that interesting," I say with a grimace. "I've been living there for about a year, now. But there really isn't all that much to say. I broke up with a boyfriend there, though," I shrug. The dick was only after one thing, after all. It's a good thing I decided to wait to give it to the prick, or else that break up would have been far more messier, with a fuck load more blood and gore than just his broken nose. Prick.

Loki raises his eyebrows in interest, though, and starts to open his mouth with a smirk. I raise my hand to stop him.

"Don't ask," I say before he has a chance to say anything. "He was after a personal whore, I refused and kicked him out on his arse. If you want some dirty, juicy gossip, you're definitely not finding it there... well..." I pause. "If you're after a bit of porn, you might find him in a few; that lying little prick," I mutter. Maybe I'm being a little harsh here, but the bastard had damn nearly gone and raped me on the spot, and I have reason to believe that I might not have been his only sweetheart, either...

"But what of your other suitors?" Loki asks me slyly. I frown at the odd wording.

"Suitors?" I ask him. "What's tailers got to do with any of it?" I ask him, wondering if it was some sort of translation malfunction or something. Loki stares at me for a moment, before realisation dawns in his eyes. His hand immediately comes to hold and hide his exasperated face.

Did he just facepalm me? I think.

"Suitors," he says, finally coming to pinch the bridge of his nose with his hand, "Our word for 'boyfriends' as you call them. Or, rather, potential 'boyfriends', as usually a suitor marries the maiden soon after they are chosen," Loki explains.

"Well, you didn't have to act like that, you drama queen!" I exclaim, he removes his hand to glare at me. "Just saying," I grumble.

"But yeah," I continue on, trying to get back on track. "I've had a couple of boyfriends, excluding that creature as he doesn't count," I sneer at the thought of him. "My first boyfriend was actually my best friend, Ricky. He's a great guy, perfect gentleman-"

"Had he waited until your wedding night to lay with you?" Loki asks, clearly guessing the answer. I snort.

"Come on, Loki," I say teasingly. "No one waits until the honeymoon these days, not even you waited at least for the first date, you hypocrite!" I say, grinning broadly. Loki gives me quite the filthy grin in return, one which makes me feel all sorts of funny things.

"Oh, but I never claimed I was a gentleman," he says with a sexy wink. I blush and look away.

Okay...

"Err," I struggle to kickstart my brain again. Thankfully it starts clanking back into motion, whilst Loki releases an evil cackle beside me, which I try to ignore. "Yeah, Rick's a great guy, we still talk and meet up a lot. We were always great as friends, but as boyfriend and girlfriend?" I shake my head, my face still feeling suspiciously hot.

"And your other... boyfriend?" Loki asks, his condescending tone seeming to make the word 'boyfriend' sound far more stupid and immature than it already was.

"As for the second guy, he was alright. Unfortunately, though, Sam was always the adventurous type. He moved away fuck knows where, and he didn't seem to take too kindly to me choosing to stay closer to home over travelling with him," I shrug, having accepted what had happened a while ago now. "I didn't want to keep him trapped, but I'm quite satisfied with my reliable internet and the College course I had been well on my way to affording at the time."

It was a little sad at first, especially when my first serious boyfriend didn't stick around for longer than a couple of years, but I stopped believing in fairy tales and happily ever after relationships a long time ago. While I know they are possible, I also know that they take either a lot of luck, or a lot of searching. I just like to think that I'm a little less hands-on than some of the other women my age when it comes to searching...

But hey, at least I'm still an innocent little virgin angel compared to Loki.