Warning: This chapter gets extremely dark. I would suggest you proceed with caution.

Also, I FINALLY SAW THOR RAGNAROK AND AHHHHHHHHHH IT WAS EASILY THE BEST THOR MOVIE EVER AND THE WHOLE CAST WAS BRILLIANT AND TAIKA WAITITI'S DIRECTING WAS AMAZING!!! GO SEE IT IF YOU HAVENT!!!

I will be incorporating some aspects of the movie, but it will be waaaaaay later on, hopefully enough time for you guys to watch the movie.

And for those of you who were concerned, the romance will change. I didn't write the troubles at the beginning for no reason at all. In fact, you'll see some changes in this chapter.

"Who are you?" Thor questioned. I walked closer. His hands were locked inside some metal devices so he could not use them.

"My name is Melody." I said quietly.

"Have we met before?"

"You helped me out of some rubble at the Battle of New York."

"Now I remember you." Thor sighed. He looked rather defeated. "Where did you come from?"

I stared at him, not knowing what to say. Thor's eyes widened for a second as he began to put two and two together.

"You came from upstairs, didn't you?" I nodded, twiddling with my hands. "I'd have expected Loki to speak of you. He gloats over every small victory."

He walked away from the glass and slid down the wall. I tried to think of something to say.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned. "Wouldn't you be a threat?"

"Not with these chains. I can't call my hammer back to me. Loki keeps me here so he can torture me instead of using that damned scepter on me." Thor growled. "He only let Jane in here after I told him where the rest of the avengers are." He nodded towards the woman, who gave me a soft smile.

"There's more out there?"

"A few. They escaped Loki's purge." I saw tears forming in his eyes. I could feel anxiety creeping up on me. Loki was suddenly the worst being in the universe again. "He forced me to watch as he enslaved my comrades. He let Stark go, just to make him suffer."

"I...I'm sorry." I could barely breathe. I didn't want to hear anything. Ignorance was truly bliss.

"Your eyes aren't blue." Thor stood. "He didn't use the scepter on you. I would have thought he wouldn't want an independent creature."

Jane could see the anger building in him. She stood as well. I took a step back, tears filling my eyes.

"Tell me, do you love him?" There was anger in his eyes and written plainly over his face.

"Thor, calm down!" Jane tried to soothe him.

"Does it pain you to hear the awful things he has done to this world? He's killed thousands, taken the freedom of millions. His heinous acts are innumerable."

Suddenly, voices came from down the hallway. Panicking, I ran back to the elevator. I flicked away a tear as I escaped. Frantically, I pressed the button over and over again, thinking that it would make the machine go faster. I slipped into the elevator and returned to the pent house, barely holding myself together.

Stumbling out of the elevator, I fell to the floor, sobbing. I was torn between my heart and my mind.

You love him! He's kind and caring and he wouldn't do that!

No! He's a monster! Have you forgotten? He took you away from your family! He stripped your soul from your body! He raped you and beat you!

No! No! No! He promised he would take care of you!

He never promised that! Don't listen! Don't fall for him! He lies! He deceives! He doesn't love you! Don't. Love. Him.

I couldn't stand the voices that waged war in my head. I stumbled to the bedroom, grabbing my iPod. Attempting to find sanctuary in my music, I pressed shuffle.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality.

The opening of Bohemian Rhapsody began playing. I stared out the window at the passing clouds as I tried to calm my mind. I didn't want to think about anything.

I wanted with all of my broken being to love Loki. He could be so kind, so entertaining, so...enrapturing. Deep down, I knew it was wrong. He had done so many heinous acts, I should have continued to despise an fear him. Yet, I had I allowed myself to fall for him.

"Just give him another chance." I whispered through my tears. "Try to change him! You can change him. You see the good in him!"

I lay on my side, still gazing out the window. Each moment that passes was another moment I was at war with myself. Soon, I couldn't take it anymore.

I found myself in the study, standing before Loki's case of daggers. I needed to distract myself. I just needed a pain to take away from the war in my head. There was no lock, just a small latch. Carefully, I lifted the lid, pulling a plain knife from the case.

I heard Bohemian Rhapsody repeating form the other room as I sat on the bathroom floor. I took a breath as I placed the knife on my skin. I hissed as I made a small cut.

I threw the knife away, not able to do anything else. I watched the blood leak from the wound. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to distract me.

I didn't know what I would do when Loki returned.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Love! I'm home!" I heard a call from the living room. I ran through my memory, making sure I had erased any evidence. The knife was cleaned and back in its case. There were no blood stains on the bathroom floor. The cut was just a shaving accident. It had been three days since the incident, his meeting had taken longer than expected.

"I'm coming!" I replied. Running out of the bedroom, I saw Loki standing in the living room, smiling from ear to ear.

In the next moment, I was wrapped in his arms. I felt the familiar feeling of comfort, then it was stripped away as I remembered what Thor has said. Before I could stop it, tears were emerging in my eyes.

Loki pulled away. His smile turned to a look of concern when he saw my tears.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just missed you...and...it's just...you know." I shook my head. Loki looked at me with skepticism. "Really! I'm fine!"

"Alright, if you say so." Loki still gazed at me in doubt, but that changed to a wild hunger in his eyes. "Now, I do believe I have several days, or rather nights, to make up for."

I giggled, letting him lead me back up to the bedroom. This feigned happiness came easily to me; I'd had years upon years of practice. And as Loki satisfied his hunger for me, I tried not to reveal my inner plight.

XXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry it took so long. Another issue arose." Loki sighed, rubbing my arm. I was curled up against his side.

"It's alright." I whispered. There were a few moments of silence that were interrupted by Loki taking several deep breaths, as if he was about to say something, but couldn't put it together.

"I don't want you to go out alone anymore." He finally stated. I sat up.

"Why?"

"There are...people...who want to take you from my side." He explained. The rest of the avengers. "I cannot lose you and until they are captured, I cannot allow you to run around unaccompanied."

"But..."

"No. You must never leave without my escort. Am I Understood?"

"Yes, Master." I growled, a hint of sarcasm in my voice. Loki sat up, placing his hand on my cheek.

"Loki." He said.

"What?" I stared at him, confused.

"Call me Loki. Master is a title not worthy to grace your lips anymore. You are my lover, my precious one, my sweet song." He gently placed a kiss on my lips. "I love you, Melody, and I will not have you take from me."

He said it. He said the one thing I hoped he wouldn't, yet I was relieved to hear him say it. Maybe there's hope for a better future. I smiled softly.

"I love you too." I whispered.

It wasn't an entire lie, yet it wasn't an entire truth. I just couldn't decide which it was.

The director walked into the laboratory.

The soldier sat on the table, having just woken up. He looked bewildered and utterly lost. He glanced at his left arm. The metal limb shone under the luminescence.

"James Buchanan Barnes." The director stated. The soldier looked up, not knowing who the director was talking about. "The winter soldier." The director stepped closer to the table. "We need you to do something for us."

The soldier stared at the director. He knew nothing of where he was, just the pain he had endured.

"No one's going to hurt you. You're free now. We just need your help." The director stated.

"What do you need?" The soldier said blankly.

"We need you to bring us a girl, alive."

Sorry this chapter was a bit short. I'll try to get the next one up soon.