Jenna listens to her mother's music often. Not long after they arrived in Asgard, Thor took her entire music collection and put it on little cubes that floated in bowls that somehow amplified what was recorded on them. She has no idea how they work, but she is grateful for her father's foresight. While Thor has a version of Jane's iPod that he carries with him, the discs and vinyl that most of the music had been stored on would not have stood up to the number of times Jenna has replayed the songs. The music is of all sorts- there are jazz pieces, different decades of pop music, rock, classical, movie soundtracks, ethereal world music, and traditional styles from around Midgard. She has at last a hundred cubes to chose from, carefully arranged in a drawer in her father's desk.

She selects one and places it in the bowl. Loreena McKennitt. A Canadian artist with a style that blended sounds from around the globe. Jane called it her "thoughtful music"- something she would put on when she was feeling particularly philosophical about her work or about the way her life had moved from Midgard to Asgard. To Jenna, the songs are lullabies. They are calming, centring, and that is what she needs at the moment. She has been thinking too much about the threats against Loki. She knows that Sif and Fandral have been harshly culling the guards to only those who are able to perform their duties without question or prejudice. Leaving the safety of the palace, though, even for the gardens, suddenly seems scary when it never has before. She listens to the music to calm herself, ground herself, and build her courage.

Loki is trying to stay unafraid, but he knows that he is failing at this miserably. He has refused to spar with Sif a few times when this fear is too strong, preferring to hermit in his rooms. That place, is at least safe, and he has enough books to occupy him. Unlike Jenna, he has nothing to centre him other than books. He has reread "Reaper Man" three times in the week since the revelation to the advisors. "Living on borrowed time" seems apt. When he tells this to Jenna at supper one night, she reminds him that he is missing the point of that phrase in the book- even when Death himself is borrowing time, he knows he must use it wisely. There is no time that can be wasted, especially that which is not one's own. Loki does not know how to take this.

It is Thor who has been making sure he still comes to supper every evening. He has only convinced him to walk in the gardens after with Jenna a few times, and Loki is wary and jumpy during these excursions. It is tiring being on edge, and he goes to bed as soon as they return. On nights with no walks, he retires immediately after supper. Thor is worried when he refuses to read with Jenna, citing his exhaustion.

At the end of this first week, Sif visits him as he is getting ready for bed- he is mildly irritated when he allows her to enter, but she is insistent that he take the time to talk, so he does knowing it will be far easier to talk to her and try to get the conversation finished quickly than it will be to argue with her in the hallway about why she cannot come in.

"You are hiding for no good reason, Loki."

"Oh? A threat on my life is not a good reason?"

"Fandral and I have been ruthless in our quest to rid the guard of those who we think cannot guard the family without prejudice. We have Thor's advisors under watch and we know their comings and goings. You have nothing to fear."

"And what if you are wrong?"

"You are a royal. You once knew that you were constantly under threat and still lived your life- and, I might add, you were far more reckless."

"These are different times, Sif. The hatred for Jotunheim is far stronger than any dissent against the ruling family."

"I think you underestimate just how horrible looking up at this gleaming edifice makes some of our city's poorest residents feel. There are those easily recruited to do terrible things thanks to their desperation and they have attempted acts we never told you or your brother. And they have always been angry. We have not been seriously threatened in centuries, other than Malekith. I repeat. You do not need to be afraid."

"Perhaps I am now because I have more to leave behind."

"Jenna."

"Of course."

"You do her no favours by staying hidden. You only increase her own fear. And that you need not do."

He tosses a pillow that has fallen to the floor back onto the couch, "What would you have me do, Sif? Should I ignore the reality that this body of mine is one reviled by so many simply because of where it was born? Should I pretend that the hatred for it that we are taught since childhood is meaningless? That it has no power to motivate people to do terrible things?"

She recognizes this exasperation and sighs, taking his hands, "No, Loki, I don't expect you to ignore it. I just want you to be brave. I know you are. Revealing yourself to Thor's advisors proved that. You have come this far. But hiding seems so unlike the man I knew in our youth."

"Well it is like me now."

"Because you fear leaving her."

"Yes. And I truly do not wish to die. There are far too many good things in my life for it to end."

She wants to ask if she is one of them, but the question lingers unasked, she steps closer and wraps her arms around his waist, "I have promised Thor that I will take care of any threats quite brutally. Please end your seclusion. Come, spar with me by the moonlight. It will do us both good."

He holds her lightly. They rarely stop to touch like this, like they did at Midsummer's Eve. Flirtations, light touches on the arm as they meet in the halls, holding hands at the table, sparring in the evenings, these are all part of their normal interactions. He knows this is, in part, because Sif feels she must always be the warrior when she might be seen by the men- not someone they could even consider pursuing. Being one of them is a survival tactic and the way she has gained the respect of the guard. But Loki likes the warmth of her body against his and takes great comfort in knowing that she trusts him and only him in this way.

"Sif?"

"Yes?"

"I think I will come with you tonight. But I would like to ask something of you in return."

"Oh?"

"Will you come back here with me after?"

She starts to shake her head, but stops herself, "Only if there is no expectation of anything other than a cup of tea and conversation."

He agrees and goes to get his practice weapons.

In the morning, he wakes on the floor in front of the couch, Sif beside him, their tea cups tucked under the edge of the end table to keep them from being spilled. Their conversation lasted for hours and neither of them wanted to get off the floor when they started to feel tired. So they pulled the blankets down from the back of the couch and snuggled down to sleep. He still has no idea what to call their relationship. She is not just a dear friend, but he cannot think of a word that really fits. When she wakes, he is dressed and ready for the day. She greets him and leaves without waiting for breakfast. For a moment, he wonders if it is because she thinks they might be doing something wrong. He pushes the thought aside. Then he decides to see if Jenna and Thor would like to share breakfast and a walk in the gardens.

Later in the day, Thor leaves to do the business of being king and Jenna, skipping, drags Loki through the palace to her favourite spot- the queen's drawing room. Loki has not been in this room in decades. He left it, untouched, while king. Thor has moved little in it, but there are signs that little hands have been here. It seems fitting. Frigga loved children and would have doted on Jenna even more than he does. Loki clearly remembers a conversation in this room when he was young.

She brushed his hair, braiding small locks to keep it out of his face, "I am sometimes sad that you boys are nearly grown. Your brother only has a few more years before he comes of age. And you a few after."

"You miss the childhood years?"

"Yes. Once, long ago, I also dreamt of a daughter. But then you came along and I knew that my family was complete with sons. You came at a time when I was grieving the loss of Thor's infant years. No more nursing to sleep in the afternoon sun, or listening to him coo as he played with his feet. And I loved you all the same as I would have loved a girl. You were perfect and tiny and beautiful with your dark hair and bright eyes."

"And now? I look nothing like the others- no one else has such dark hair. Except for Sif, and that is not her blood."

"No, that is your mischief. But you are still perfect and beautiful."

"Do you still sometimes wish for a daughter?"

"No. Now I wish for a granddaughter that I will watch my sons raise as a warrior-scholar queen, a child who will see life from both sides as her father and uncle teach her well."

"You always tell us we are yet to young to consider marriage."

She smiled and ruffled his hair, "Of course you are. But that does not mean I do not look forward to the long future we have together."

Loki is so lost in this memory that he does not hear the door open.

"What are you doing here, boy?" Odin does not see Jenna at the window.

"I am here to think. Jenna loves this place. It is beautiful, and strong. And it still smells of her flowers and oils."

"Yet you disowned her as you did me. Why?" He wanted this to sound more curious, but everything still sounds so harsh, even to his own ears. Blunt. Perhaps he is incapable of being any other way.

Loki bristles, "Can you still not understand this? How much I once sought to cut myself off from you? It is only thanks to Thor and Jenna that I have come to some sort of peace about myself and my place in a family. Can we please move on to condemning me for more recent sins?"

"You forget that to me, those are recent sins. I was not aware for decades."

"True." He sighs, "But please. This journey has been long and I am weary of it. I wish to exist. That is all."

"Fine. You exist. I did not expect you to tell in what state you exist to the advisors yesterday."

"Word has traveled?"

"I have ears in all places."

"Of course. The All-Father is all ears." He smiles a little at his own jest, "Jenna asked that I be brave with her, and so I did my best. I cannot say I felt all that successful, but she is satisfied that I tried, even though I was terribly nervous."

"Were you told what was said?"

Loki has had enough, "Odin, get to your point. I know that it nearly came to blows. And I know that I am at risk. But I am not going to speak of such things. It is far too upsetting-" he nods toward the window where Jenna sits, very still, "-especially for one I love dearly." He gently punctuates his last four words as though to set himself apart from Odin, to remind him of his choices.

It is only then that Odin sees the girl sitting in the window, "Ah." There is an awkward silence and then he leaves abruptly.

Jenna hops from the window and hugs Loki, "I don't like how angry he sounded."

"I did my best to stay civil."

"Would it have gotten worse?"

"Likely. But you will not hear such things."

I love you, Uncle."

He holds her hand as they leave for lunch, "I love you, too, my dear. You are a wonder."