"Because it's so easy to say it to a crowd

But it's so hard, My love,

To say it to you out loud."

~ 'No Light, No Light'

Anja woke up several hours later, Loki's long arms and legs draped over her protectively beneath the sheets of his bed. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, slow and steady. Anja could not remember feeling so well rested. She turned in his arms carefully, trying to get a better look at his own face.

In sleep, Loki looked like the same man she had fallen in love with in the gardens. There was no darkness in him, no evil. She chewed her bottom lip, unable to help herself as she scooted closer to him. She wrapped her fingers in the light dusting of hair on his chest, moving so she was nose to nose with him. She was so at peace here with him… So at peace that it took her several seconds more to realize what they had done to one another mere hours before.

She shot out of his arms at that, sitting up quickly as he jolted awake beside her. She held the sheets to her bare body, looking down at him as he blinked sleep out of his eyes. When she met his gaze, his eyes were emotionless. She could not tell what he was thinking, but they weren't the eyes of the man that had cried out her name merely three hours ago.

"What is wrong?" he asked quietly, sitting up. The silver arrowhead on his chest did not go unnoticed.

"You really have to ask me that?" she said quickly. "I have to get back," she whispered. "They will be missing me."

She got up swiftly, taking a sheet with her as she made for the dress that Loki had thrown carelessly aside. It was fully dark out now, and Anja expected it was around nine or ten o'clock.

Loki watched her form from his place in the bed, furrowing his brow as the pang of loss shot through him. He wanted her to stay with him all night…

"You could stay," he said quietly.

She turned around abruptly at that, sucking in a breath as he got out of the bed and walked over to her. He hadn't bothered with decency and now he stood before her, stark naked. "I cannot," she said as she turned away from him and moved back to grab her dress from the ground. She had it bundled in her arms when his cold arm snaked across her waist and pulled her back up against his chest.

"I am not protesting," he whispered into the tender spot behind her ear. He inhaled her scent deeply, remembering everything about it. It had been so long…

"But I am," she fired back. "I have to go home." His touch had muddled her thoughts severely at this point and it took every bit of her willpower to pull away from him. "Selena will be missing me… she is probably already beside herself with worry as to where I am and- Loki!"

His hand had cut her off, pulling her into him and ripping the sheet she had clutched around herself off of her body. His bare skin rubbed against hers like silk, caressing her senses in too many ways to count. He was looking at her intently and her olive skin contrasted against his alabaster complexion in the semi-darkness of the room; the embodiment of light and dark.

"Stay," he said quietly. "Please."

She shook her head, pulling away from him when his grip on her arm went slack. In a matter of seconds, she had her gown back on her body, redoing the laces with a swipe of her magic.

"Anja," he said quietly when she had made it to the window.

She stopped, closing her eyes before she turned around to look at him. "What?"

"If I… if I rejoin my father… Would you… consider my offer of last night in more depth?"

Anja's eyebrows almost shot to her hairline. "What do you mean?"

He crossed the room in three strides and taking her hand in his own. "If I renew my vows, will you marry me?"

Anja was speechless as she took Loki in. "I would say that that is something I would never have expected to see from the silvertongue," she quipped.

"Anja. I am serious," he shot back. "Do not take this lightly."

Anja swallowed, meeting his intense gaze. "Loki," she said softly. Her gaze was softer now, almost understanding. "You cannot ask me to make that decision right now. There is so much going on. I fear for Aric and Amora's presence is not helpful. And then of course there is the matter of Andrew's party-"

"A party?" Anja bit her lower lip at that, realizing that she had not mentioned anything to Loki concerning Andrew's birthday. "What kind of party?" he growled.

"Tis none of your concern, Loki," she replied. His grip on her arm merely tightened. Why did he have a bad feeling in his gut when she mentioned an affair such as this?

"No, Anja. Tell me."

"Andrew wanted a masquerade for his birthday, Loki, a mortal tradition that I thought you would not appreciate." That last comment was a bit of a sting, one she knew would make Loki think. It was only then that he released her hand and let her turn to the window. "I will think on your offer, Loki. If you are truly willing to change… I cannot tell you how overjoyed I would be to stand at your side."

Loki's jaw tightened as he nodded. Something other than what they had been speaking on was going through his brain. What it was, Anja did not know. "Oh," he said after a moment of looking down at the silver pendant on his chest. With a sharp tug, the chain came free of his neck and he handed it out to her. "This is rightfully yours," he managed.

Anja pressed her lips together in a fine line. The memories of Loki's curse back on Midgard came back to her and she looked back up quickly to meet his gaze. "You keep it," she said softly. "It harbors too many bad memories for me."

Then she turned on her heel before her lover had time to protest and was falling through the open air.

*o*O*o*

Loki watched the place that she had disappeared from for the longest time before he finally turned and redressed. There was no telling what his little skylark had meant by that answer. He knew that she loved him, and he knew deep down that she knew it too. The Aesir and Midgardians had simply twisted her away from him.

He wanted her. Badly. That night they had shared had only stoked the fires of his need for her, the sparks that had been there all along now growing to massive flames. And it was the same for her. She had only cried his name out like she had just a handful of times… and those times had been nothing but loving between them. Was he willing to change for her? To go back to the liar that had claimed to be his father for so long?

Yes or no? He could not have been sure if his life depended on it.

He did know that she was a prize he wanted, something that he would kill for if he needed to.

And then there was the matter of that blasted masquerade party. His thoughts were haunted by the very idea that something might go wrong with that. How stupid could that sister of Anja's be to throw a party in which guests could so easily be hidden from each other. Amora could do so much damage to his family in the briefest of moments… or any of his other benefactors could swoop in and do anything they wished with their face behind a mask…

As the urge to kill shot through him, Loki felt the familiar tingle of what he had felt in his gut with Anja rear up. Because he could feel something shift in his power aura, something deep and magical that he hadn't felt in the longest of times.

*o*O*o*

"Anja!"

Anja mentally kicked herself as she tried to make it up the stairs and to her bedchambers. Selena's voice had stopped her on the very last of the steps and she turned to see the blonde coming at her from the foot of the stairs.

"Where have you been!?" Selena fought to keep her voice a whisper, not wishing to wake everyone else in the house. "Do you realize how worried I have been?"

Anja held her head high, descending the staircase once more to stand before her older sister. Then she realized that Selena's blue gaze had come to fall on her collarbone and she looked down.

She hissed in a breath when Loki's lovebite came into focus before looking back up to meet her sister's shocked expression… before the blonde's eyes filled with anger.

"You went back to him…" It was not a question, but a statement of obvious fact.

Anja swallowed, angry at herself. "Selena, I-"

"Anja, you know I have always supported you in anything that would make you happy… but this… This is unacceptable on so many levels."

"Selena, I… I was scared and I needed someone-"

"How in Valhalla could you think he was the one to turn to?! After all he lied about, Anja, after all he did to you!"

"I needed to talk with someone, Selena. I do not trust Amora, and other things have been going on in the palace…"

"So you gave yourself to him again," Selena's wind-chime like voice was the darkest Anja had ever heard.

"Not… not completely," Anja whispered. "He is just as damaged as I am, Selena. There are higher powers at work here that forgo even the Allfather. I needed someone to talk to… to-"

"But Loki?!" Selena chewed her lower lip, a characteristic that the sisters shared, and crossed her arms. Her blue gaze was clear and angry. "Anja… I spent far too long before you… before you disappeared turning a blind eye to your meetings with the prince. I will not let you go down that path again. I love you too much…" Tears were in Selena's eyes at that point and she blinked them back hard as she brought a hand up to wipe a stray drop of water away. She still had a bit of kohl on her eyes and the action left a smudge of darkness on her pale skin. "If you think… I will ever trust that… man again, you are wrong." She had spit out the word 'man.'

Anja licked her lower lip, wincing as her tongue trailed across a place that Loki had bit down particularly hard on. The guilt that was surfacing in her was amplified as she remembered the way he had touched her… and the pleasure that she had felt from it.

"I love him, Selena," she said softly. "And, in his own way, he loves me as well. Dark magic has twisted his mind. He is not the same man I fell in love with… but I have to believe that that part of him will return."

Selena placed a hand to her forehead at that, shaking her blonde head slightly. "I can't lose you, Little Anja," she nearly whispered.

"Sister, I am not a child anymore. I have to make my own decisions."

Selena's head shot up at that. "Anja… With Vanaheim lost to us, we no longer have contact with Father. I, as the eldest of the family in this realm, am responsible for you as you are still unmarried."

Anja opened her mouth to protest, but Selena put up a hand. "I will not lose you again. I do not want you leaving this house until everything has been sorted out with the prince."

Anja felt her world fall away at that. "Sister, you can't!"

"I already have Fandral's approval. You are to remain in the house with Aric until further notice."

Anja's jaw dropped at that. "Selena-"

"Please do not argue with me Anja," Selena said softly. "It pains me to do this, but I worry for you."

"Then don't," Anja managed. "I am a capable mother and sorceress. I will not let Loki corrupt me."

"But he already has, Sweetling," Selena said softly. "I can see it in your gaze."

Anja felt tears brim in her eyes. With Amora roaming freely around Asgard, how was Anja to know what was going on? Thor had said he would talk to the enchantress, but now Anja would never know… at least until the night of the party.

*o*O*o*

"Hold still, My Lady!"

The maid that was helping Anja into her gown pulled hard on the strings of Anja's corset as the silver-eyed girl closed her eyes. Air whooshed from Anja's lungs as the corset came down even tighter around her frame. At this point, Anja hardly needed a corset. She was still unfathomably thin, sometimes going days without an appetite. Something deep down told her it was the dark magic that she had been working with.

"Okay, one more time," the maid managed before pulling once more on the laces. Anja bit her lip, taking in the slight pinching. "There we go," the maid said. The maid turned her back briefly to grab the silken dress that Anja would be wearing for Andrew's party that very night.

"Will you be needing assistance, Lady Anja?" the maid said quietly as she laid the pink material on the white blanket of Anja's bed.

Anja cleared her throat, pulling herself away from the mirror that she had been looking at the dark circles under her eyes in. "No," she said quietly. "I will manage it myself. Where is my son?"

"Oh, he is with Master Andrew," the maid said as she bent down to pick up a few hairpins that had fallen from Anja's vanity.

Anja nodded before the maid curtseyed and left the room completely. Anja turned back to her mirror before going for her make-up with a little sigh. She had not been out of the house since she had returned back from Loki. Thankfully, the love bite that he had left her with had faded considerably, but it still showed through under the powder that she was applying to her skin. The bastard would pay for that one, she promised to herself.

She swept the pink gown through the air with a bit of magic, letting it fall gracefully over her head as it fastened itself into place on her body. It truly was a sight, something similar to what the Midgardians would have worn during the time of the Renaissance.

It was an off the shoulder gown, made of baby pink silks and satins. Selena had been right when she had first been fitted for it. It sat well against her skin tone. She pulled her dark curls back away from her face carefully, lacing them through one another until she had an intricate braid pulling the top part of her hair away from her face. She was determined to look presentable tonight.

Then her gaze shifted to the silver mask. It was a simple one, plain silver with soft pink beads framing the edges and eyeholes. It would hide the dark circles under her eyes quite well. In a way, this whole outfit was a mask, a carefully crafted image to keep Loki's ex-lover in a presentable place. Some part of Anja wondered how much Selena worried about what the other Aesir would think should Anja simply show up. With that final thought, she tucked the mask into the small pocket at her waist and turned to on her heel to find Aric.

*o*O*o*

Aric and Andrew were playing in Andrew's quarters. Aric was holding himself up on a chair by the fire place while Andrew darted around the room with a fake sword.

"Be quick, fellow warrior!" Andrew said at the top of his voice, perching precariously on one of the chairs. Aric was looking at him wide-eyed, a grin on his face as he watched his cousin jump from one piece of furniture to the other. "We must rid the realm of terror!"

Aric let out a little laugh, letting go of his hold on the chair briefly to clap in agreement.

"Amamam…oooo….waaaaa!" Aric cooed out, throwing his hands in the air before falling backwards onto his bum. "Amama… am-oooowaaa!"

Andrew looked down at his cousin, extending a hand to lift Aric back up as Anja came into the room. "Aunt Anja!" Andrew said excitedly.

He took his aunt's hand and kissed it. "You are absolutely beautiful!" he said happily. That was his father in him, Anja realized, ever the womanizer. "You look like you should be a princess!"

Anja smiled softly at Andrew as she bent down to pick up her own son that had crawled over to her. He was dressed in a simple blue tunic for Andrew's party, nothing too flashy for a young child. The mask that Andrew had made for Aric was long gone, covered in baby spit.

"We were ridding the realm of evil, Aunt Anja!" Andrew said excitedly. "Weren't we, Cousin?"

Aric smiled down at Andrew before turning to his mother. "Amam… Amowa!" Aric cooed out with a nod. Anja's eyes widened at that, but she didn't say anything about Aric's interesting babbling.

Instead, she turned to Andrew. "Your mother was looking for you a few moments ago, Andrew. I believe your guests are arriving.

Andrew's eyes widened excitedly at that before he nodded and took off out of the room. It was another two seconds before he returned, having forgotten his own sapphire blue mask on the couch. Then he was gone again.

Anja smiled softly before she looked down at the babe in her arms. Aric was looking at her questioningly. "Bababa…dada?"

"No Little One," she answered quietly. "Not tonight."

Aric pouted a little bit, placing a palm to her cheek as he made his mother look down at him. "Mama," he whined. "I… I want Dada."

Anja closed her eyes at that, trying to block out the pain that was going to resurface any moment now. "So do I," she replied as she kissed Aric's head. The baby's attention was soon caught by something else as Fandral entered the room. The warrior hadn't pried too deeply with her about why Selena had kept her in the house for the past three days, but she knew he had a decent idea.

"I wanted you to know that we have heightened security this evening," he said softly. "No one shall be entering without an invitation."

Anja furrowed her brow at that, meeting Fandral's gaze. "Have you spoken with Thor?" she managed as Aric latched onto a lock of her hair.

Fandral stroked his beard, thinking. "To an extent. Know that you are safe from those that would do you harm. Let us leave it at that."

Anja nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Fandral," she said softly.

The warrior shrugged, seeming to hesitate a moment longer before he looked back to Anja.

"If I may be so bold, sister, I do not think it is an outside source that you need to concern yourself with when it comes to your own well-being."

Anja bit her lower lip, looking down at Aric as her baby rested his head on her shoulder.

*o*O*o*

The party had been in full swing for an hour and a half by the time Anja saw Prince Thor come through the doors. He was greeted reverently by the partygoers. All of them could tell who he was, even with the small, dark mask that covered his blue eyes. Amora had not been seen, but Anja knew that the Enchantress could easily slip in with the rest of the Aesir. Her hair color was perfect for it and the only thing that might set her apart would be her considerable height.

Lady Sif and the Warriors Three were making rounds, smiling and nodding to the partygoers. They really were quite the celebrities, she realized, and they greeted Thor as he made his way over to them.

Anja had seen several people since she had come down with Aric. Now her baby was with a nurse maid, letting Anja take a break as Aric played with the other children. At this point, Anja was at the edge of the room in the shadows, leaning against a pillar as she took in the dimly lit world around her.

Selena had found a way to dim the lanterns that lined this hall. The room was cast in a deep orange glow, contributing to the rather carnival-like aura that had been the blonde's intention. Anja could still see Aric with the nurse maid. Even with the added security, Anja was not about to let her child out of her sight in this environment.

She was just about to make her way back to Aric so she could go greet Prince Thor when a voice as cold as ice stopped her in her tracks and cool breath ghosted across the shell of her left ear. Because it was a voice she had not heard in three days.

"Anyone catch your fancy, My Lady Anja?"

With a gasp, she turned around, silver eyes wide beneath her mask as she took in the man that had just spoken.

Her heart nearly stopped as emerald eyes shielded by a golden mask met hers, burning through the semi-darkness and straight into her soul.