Dira stared unbelievingly at him. "Loki?" She breathed. "So it's all true, all the Norse myths about Gods and all sorts?"

Loki nodded. "Yes."

"Wait." She paused and stared at him as if remembering something. "You're the guy." She exclaimed. "The guy who led those aliens into New York, the guy that went up against Iron Man and all those other super people."

Loki sighed and looked guilty down at the floor. "Yes." He muttered.

"Oh my..." Dira gasped and started breathing heavily as her eyes stared wide.

"Dira" Loki yelled, coming close to her and grabbing her by the arms. "Dira, it's okay-"

But he was cut off mid sentence as Dira swore, something Loki had never seen the well spoken woman do before. She wasn't looking at him but was staring down at her hand instead. "It's happening again." She gasped.

Loki looked down at her hand and stared. Strange purple wisps were emitting violently from her hand. As they both watched the wisps grew stronger and clearer and swirled around the palm of her hand and fingers, never ceasing, never fading, but always otherworldly looking.

"This happened before?" Loki questioned.

"Yes" Uttered Dira "Only once and it was many months ago and it didn't last as long or grow as strong as this."

"When?" Loki demanded; he held his hand to Dira's face and guided her to look at him. "Exactly when did this happen?"

Dira stared into his eyes and thought hard. "It's was back when I first met you, the night after the night you first came into the diner in fact."

Loki's gaze turned away as he tried to think. This was impossible, wasn't it? Or was it? And then something clicked in his mind. "Dira Dawson." He muttered.

"What?"

"When your parents were here and they said the surname Starkovsky I saw you shiver as they said it, as if there wasn't right in your mind. There are no pictures in your house of you as a child younger than five years old, and you possibly don't remember anything before that time either. And apart from the colour of your skin there is very little else physically that compares you to your family. Perhaps even all your life you've felt that you were different from your family, no matter how much they've always loved you and you loved them back you've always felt as if you were something more. Am I correct?

"How do you know what pictures I have in my house?" Dira asked.

Loki smiled. "Not now. Answer me."

Dira avoided his gaze and was silent for a moment. "Yes." She finally said quietly and looked up at him. "You are right, by every word."

"I am right because I know you; I've known you since we were both but young children." He stopped and smiled. "You're not Dira Starkovsky at all, you're not even human. Your name is Dira Dawson, you mother is Ira, my own mother Queen Frigga's maid in waiting and your father is a guard to Odin King in Asgard. You yourself are an Asgardian and it was said when you were a child that you would one day take your mothers place as maid in waiting to my mother, henceforth Thor and I were allowed to play with you as children, for your mother was both a friend to the Queen as well as her maid. Thor always liked to show off to you and you would laugh when he did, which made me jealous, but around me you were quieter and more truthful. Like your mother also you began to learn magic from the Queen which is what this is."

Gently Loki reached out and touched her hand from where the purple wisps emitted softly, slowly the wisps faded and as Loki let go his gaze turned dark suddenly.

"But we all thought you lost one night when you were still but a child when a great storm came to Asgard and you were thought to be swept over into the seas that night. We were all grieved at the loss of you. But you must have survived and found you way through one of the hidden bridges to the other realms, to end up here in Midgard. You were found by what you know as your parents and remembered only your name and nothing more. And being raised around Midgardians you became more like a Midgardian yourself."

Dira was silent and still for a long time after listening to Loki's tale. But she did not seem afraid for she held his gaze all the while before she spoke. "I know." She said finally. "Somehow it's as if I've always known and the truth had never been forgotten; only hidden from me."

Loki smiled and walked back to the window, leaning one arm on the side of the wall as he watched the last rays of light leaving the sky. "You know, I never felt like I quite belonged in Asgard, and anywhere else I never felt like I belong there either. But some days as children in Asgard you'd come find me and talk to me, about how you wished that one day we would both be strong and powerful like are parents before us, and you said that when we were older we'd learn magic from each other so that together we'd be more powerful than any others before us but that we'd only us our magic for good so that all of the nine realms would know the peace and beauty the same as Asgard."

"What's Asgard like?" asked Dira.

Loki looked out of the window and slowly he moved his hand across the open air. The view changed. Instead of the city Loki created a vision of Asgard in all its beauty with the stars twinkling in many colours and shinning off the metal buildings.

Dira stepped over to the window and looked out on the illusion. "It's beautiful." She breathed.

Loki nodded once and smiled warmly at Dira, and for what was possibly the first time Dira noticed the way he looked at her.

Slowly she stretched out and gently took his hand in hers.

Suddenly Loki tore his hand away from Dira and backed off when he saw the way she was looking at him. He knew that look all too well, he'd been giving that look himself to Dira every time he'd unexpectedly seen her recently. "I cannot give you what I know you ask of me, Dira." Loki said, turning his back on Dira.

"Loki." She gasped, taking a step towards him.

"No." He shouted and felt her stop behind him although her eyes remained fixed upon him. "No." He whispered softly. "I've loved you Dira and now that I know who you are I would have a right to love you freely without pain, but I cannot." Loki assumed his true appearance as a Frost Giant and turned on Dira. "Everything that I am is a lie, I'm a monster. You ought to fear me rather than love me."

Dira stared at Loki, but he could not tell if she was afraid or not. "Jotunheimr?" she questioned.

Loki smiled curiously. "You remember?"

Dira nodded. "I remember everything, Loki."

"Then you must know that I am like you, raised by others than my true parents. Except you are the purest thing the nine realms has ever known, and I am a monster. I am unloved. And you have all the love in the world."

"I know" said Dira "I've known you all my life. And I know that you are not a monster. I've know you as a Human and as an Asgardian and even now I know you as a Frost Giant. But I do not fear you."

Loki shook his head. "You are unwise then. Do you not remember the stories we were told as children? How our parents scared us by telling us to do their bidding or they'd send the Frost Giants after us? And think of New York. Everyone in this world knows what I did, how I destroyed a city and the lives of many. Now tell me why I am not a monster?" He yelled.

"Because you were lied to" said Dira, without even flinching. "You were led to believe a life that wasn't true, I understand, I've been there myself."

This confused Loki. He wasn't sure if she was referring to the fact she'd believed she was Human and wasn't, or the fact that he'd lied to her himself and led her believe she was Human. "Well, you seem to be handling it impeccably." Loki smirked.

Dira smiled. "I have someone else to think about."

"Oh, yes you always do." He hissed. "Always so perfect looking after others but never sparing a glance to the truth."

"No not like that. I was talking about you, Loki."

He stopped and now it was his time to stare.

Dira stepped close to him and he could see she did not fear him as she looked into the redness of his eyes. She took his hand. "I love you Loki, monster or not."

Slowly Loki faded into his Asgardian appearance. He could see the illusion of his perfectly normal face reflected in her dark eyes inches away from him. He remembered how much her eyes had mesmerised him as a child. She had been a good friend to him as a child. She could be a wonderful lover to him now.

For what seemed like the first time in his life Loki accepted the truth.

"I love you, Dira." He whispered.

Dira gave her usual honest smile. "How do I know that's the truth?" She questioned cheekily.

Loki smiled. "Perhaps this will convince you?" He closed the small gap between them as their lips passionately met.