"Home! Earth! It's just through here!" Jane said excitedly.

Wren blinked in confusion. "Have you hit your head?" She asked as she struggled to sit up a little in Loki's arms.

"No it's a... look you're just going to have to trust me, I'm telling you, London is right through here. Come on!" Jane led them deeper into the cave while Loki stood, obviously intending to carry Wren.

"Honestly, why is the floor covered in shoes?" He asked after nearly tripping on one.

"I can walk, Loki."

"Yes, you look perfectly fit and robust." Loki said sarcastically.

"Put me down!"

"I'll tell you what," he said theatrically, "when you can say that, and I feel legitimately in fear for my life, you can walk on your own. Right now you'd lose a fight with a half starved kitten."

"I'm fine, I'm awake and I'm angry so put me down!" She yelled up at him.

Thor, who hadn't said anything, moved past them to where Jane was gesturing at what seemed to be the last three feet of the cave. "We'll ah, wait for you, shall we?"

"Don't bother, I'm fine and I've got nothing to say to a lying, manipulative, evil,"

"Might be best," Loki said across her to his brother, who flashed him a quick smile that Loki somewhat shyly returned.

"Right. Five minutes, we do still have to avert universal disaster." Thor said quickly, took Jane by the elbow and they disappeared into thin air.

"Whose side are you on?" Wren screamed after them. "I swear, Loki if you don't put me down,"

Loki headed her off by placing her on the rock where he'd been sitting. "Better?"

"Shut up. Stop all of this." She waved her arms in front of her. "Stop... whatever it is you're doing now. You're, you're dead, then you're not, you're a megalomaniac and suddenly you're a gentleman? What? It wasn't enough to scare the hell out of me now you're... I have no idea what you're doing, I don't..." She stopped and took a deep breath. "You make me weak. You make me stupid and gullible and hopeless and I wont let you. Not now!"

Loki stood by quietly and let her yell at him until she eventually seemed to run out of steam, only to glare at him in irritation at his calm acceptance of her ire.

"You and I suffer from the same disease, little bird." He said quietly once the silence became oppressive. "For all this time, since I left Asgard, you refused to accept what was real... you should have killed me in New York, you know that, don't you?" He moved forward and knelt so he was looking up at her. "But you wouldn't. You should have cut me off a long time ago... but you haven't."

Wren's eyes had grown progressively wider as he spoke and she coughed incredulously. "Are you somehow trying to suggest all this, this madness, has been you trying to hold on to me? Loki, that's insane!"

He laughed and shook his head, then put on of his hands on her knee. "No. You wouldn't accept what was right in front of you... but neither did I. All this time, and I was convinced I knew better. You couldn't possibly..." he looked away for a moment and squeezed her leg gently. "The difference is of course, that as usual, you were right... I should stop pretending I can make any decisions for myself, simply do whatever you tell me..."

"You want to run." Wren said quietly. Loki's eyes popped up to meet hers. "That's why you did it, right? You wanted to run... you knew we didn't have time, we'd have to leave you there..."

"Yes..."

"So, there's no way for me to know if this little revelation of yours is genuine, or if you just had to give up on your last plan because you weren't sure Thor would knock me out before my stupid broken heart tore this planet to bits." She looked at him sadly and covered his hand on her leg with one of her own. "I don't know if I ever knew you at all. I don't know what you want. I don't understand what you're thinking... and I can't trust myself with you." She struggled to her feet and moved past him towards the back of the cave.

"We can't wait for you. And we can't stop to chase you, there's too much at stake right now." She looked at him over her shoulder where he remained crouched down beside the rock. "When the dust settles, this cave may well be gone. If you didn't make it through the rift, you must have been buried here..."

"Wren, wait" Loki started but she held up her hand to stop him.

"If it's important, tell me when we get there... if it isn't? I don't really want to hear it... in a few minutes we'll know who was right, wont we?" She turned and, still trembling violently, stepped towards the back of the cave;

and fell to her knees on the cold, wet pavement in London.

"Wren!" Thor was at her side a moment later and helped her to her feet. "Loki?"

"Give him a minute." She resolutely set her eyes on the distant skyline. She wouldn't turn round. As seconds ticked by her bottom lip began to tremble slightly, but she squared her shoulders and nodded. "We can't wait." She whispered as the first tear escaped her eye.

"Is someone else coming?" Loki asked from where he stood behind her.