"When everything falls apart your arms hold me together, when everything falls apart you're the only hope for this heart, when everything falls apart and my strength is gone I find you mighty and strong, you keep holding on, you keep holding on. When I see the darkness all around me, when I see that tragedy has found me; I still believe your faithful arms will never let me go and still I know."

My head was on his shoulder, one of my arms wrapped around his neck. "Loki, I don't want to lose you." His arms wrapped tighter around me, his head buried into the crook of my neck, and we stayed like that for countless minutes until he could no longer take the environment that we had created within his room.

"We need to get out of this damn room for I will go mad if I have to remain a minute longer."

I was somewhat thankful that my mind could now be focused on something else, other than my possibility of dying, which believe me, I have experience, is NOT all it's cracked up to be. With clothes on he pulled me through the halls like an excited child. We were in the gardens, the sun shining softly on the flowers and green grass as he led me deeper off the stone trail. He turned to face me, walking backwards, both my hands in his. And for that split second I had already forgotten about what happened this morning.

I knew I wasn't graceful enough to walk backwards and apparently neither was Loki. He stumbled, falling to his back pulling me on top of him. I pressed my hands to his chest, the tight muscles rippling beneath my palms through the thin shirt, our eyes locked onto each other's, not blinking. Smirking I looked down at him, my legs straddling his waist.

"You know, this isn't the first time we've found ourselves in this position."

I gasped when he pulled my lips to his, but soon began to move mine with his until my brain was in a tizzy and in the moment I cursed the necessity that was oxygen.

"And I am nearly positive it will not be the last." His voice was breathy, low and primal. Smiling I ran one hand up into his hair and pressed my lips to his, Loki's hands slithering down my back. The bushes beside us rustled and Sif's voice followed.

"Am I interrupting something?" I broke the seal between our lips and turned my head to look at Sif, an impatient and annoyed look on her face, pulling myself off of Loki brushed down the front of my shirt, a red blush creeping to my cheeks.

Loki had propped up on his elbow, still lying on the ground. "What it is?"

Sif's careless and fierce demeanor cracked. "It's the tesseract, in the weapons vault. It's behaving. We can't control it; it's not safe here any longer."

Upon hearing that Loki bolted up from the ground. "And where do you suppose we keep it then Sif? It is in the safest place in all the nine realms."

I knew him well enough to see that he was struggling, we both knew why the tesseract was misbehaving, but they didn't have to know that, they needn't worry about it. I looked back at Loki, my eyes widening.

"The tesseract has never been stable here on Asgard, take it back to Midgard if you must. The Allfather will speak to the council about it and then it will be decided." Sif turned on her heel, walking back to the hall.

"Well that certainly ruined the mood."

Loki waved his finger in my face and then motioned for me to follow him and so I did. The tree we had come to was old, the branches reaching out creating a canopy over most of the garden, the bark was that of an ash tree. Producing a dagger he smiled and began carving our names in Runes into the trunk of the tree. 'Loki&Eira: Stronger Together.'

Grinning like a fool I traced the characters that he had just engraved. I turned to Loki but he pushed my back to the tree, his strong arms holding me in place as kissed my lips, draining all thought and sense from me.

The afternoon passed slowly and I was perfectly happy with each second as this disaster kept brewing and coming ever closer. We strolled the streets of the city, young girls running up to me, presented me with bouquets and flower crowns. This was something I never would grow accustomed to; I was practically royalty now, a princess of the Realm of Asgard.

The rainbow bridge never ceased to amaze me, the way colors shot out with every step, the vivid array of colors dancing just beneath my feet, waiting, growing, and preparing for when I would take the next step for them to be released into every direction.

The time for dinner was approaching as we made our way back to the palace gates, the doors receptively opening as we approach, the sun seeping into the golden halls before they were locked out by the thick doors. Sif was leaned against a column in the main hall almost as if she was waiting for us, and she was.

"Loki the Allfather will speak to you, go now."

Loki nodded his head, snagging a short kiss before venturing off in the direction of Odin's private study. I made my way back to my room to freshen up before we would dine. Shutting my door I looked over the room, the bed had been made, my bookshelves were essentially bare and my closet door was opened revealing the wide selection of clothes that would rival the best designers back on Earth. Sighing I twirled around, flopping onto the bed.

My door creaked open, in walked Loki, hopping off the bed I ran to greet him throwing my hands around his neck, but quickly I pulled back, shying away. His eyes were a ghostly blue, no life or emotion within them, his stature was different, and the way he looked at me was different. What the fuck is going on?

I had backed into a wall, of I could I would've crawled up it, through my fear I diverted heat to my hand and grabbed this thing by the arm, he didn't cringe or flinch but laughed a laugh that did not belong to Loki. I continued my hold on his forearm until he produced a dagger and drove it into my stomach. I gasped, releasing my grip to focus on this new wound. Quickly I pulled out the blade tossing it to the floor, but I was stunned, torn between attacking and running. Both.

I raised my blood covered hand emitting a blast of fire before I dashed to the door. When a vice like grip curled around my wrist I screamed, as loud and as strong as I could. The doors to the balcony were opened but instead of the grand view of Asgard I was met with an opening portal. No, no, no, no.

Remembering the mental link that Loki had started with that flame I called out to him, hoping he could hear and that he would make it. Loki. Help. Me.

The vile creature that looked like Loki, threw me over his shoulder, stepping closer to the portal, the armor on his shoulder pressing into the knife wound, staining the gold metal red. Then my door opened Loki my Loki rushing in immediately throwing a dagger but the thing that had me in his grasp caught it, and returned the throw, stepping ever closer to the portal. He turned and stepped through, the last thing I saw was Loki being thrown back into the door, his very one dagger lodged within his chest.

There was darkness, everywhere, trying to creep into my soul, into my heart. It was suffocating as I still felt blood seeping from my stomach. The thing that had me tossed over its shoulder shifted from the form of Loki and into a skeletal creature that I had seen before. In real life, on the news, everywhere after the invasion of New York; it was a Chitauri soldier. I kicked, and pounded my fists into his boney back; I even tried to conjure a flame, the air around me not sufficient to sustain one. I was a grade A damsel in distress, truly helpless at the moment.

I was tossed on the cold ground, my hands clutching at my stomach on instinct, the faint light from distant moons showed the blood red staining my clothes and hands. Loki, if you can hear me, and I hope to God that you can, I'm alive, but are you? The images were fresh in my mind; I was alone, painfully alone. The creature left me on the ground, it was all I could do to remain calm and stop the bleeding, and I would not die here. It was a promise to me, to Loki, to Tony. I would make it through this; I just had to keep this attitude. Then I heard it in my mind like the sweetest of melodies.

Eira, I'm coming for you. I promise. My eyes slipped shut but quickly opened when I could subconsciously feel a looming figure, hovering over me on the ground. His hooded cloak helped conceal his hideous face; it was mutilated and twisted into what could only be described as something that truly looked evil.

"Eira Taylor of Midgard, how pleasant of you to visit us."

I rose to my feet but still did not compare to the figure I recognized from my dream. My mouth was dry but I managed to somehow spit in The Other's face, a smirk on my lips as I held my stomach. He sneered at me raised his repugnant hand to wipe it away.

"He's coming for me, and he'll kill you."

His hands met my cheek and brute force knocked me to the ground, the pain throbbing within.

"It would do you well to watch that sharp tongue of yours Asgardian."

Still on the ground I laughed that dementing a powerful laugh that shook my bones and terrified myself, out came to two words I would probably regret, they were a sneer, filled with anger and hatred.

"Fuck. You."

Has your hair ever been pulled so hard that it feels as if your entire scalp will tear off? You don't want to. His hand fisted in my hair, close to the roots as he pulled my up by my hair off the ground so my feet dangled helplessly, tears forming in my eyes as I tried to scream in agony but my voice would not come. A deeper and more authoritative voice echoed through the emptiness.

"We want her alive; any harm done will come by my hand and my hand alone."

I crumpled to the ground, pain coursing through my body as my thigh hit the edge of a jagged rock, the flesh tearing and the air stinging. Two more Chitauri members grabbed my wrists and dragged me to a rock, I wiggled and squirmed all the way until I felt the cold metal around my wrists snap above my head, the blood trailing down my leg. From the darkness emerged Thanos, the one from my vision, or dream, or nightmare, which was exactly what this was. Loki, I love you.

"I won't kill you, not yet." He approached closer leaning down so his disgusting purple skin was inches away from mine. "You see, that would be too easy." I screamed in pain as he stuck a finger in the hole that the dagger had left and twisted it, tears streaking down my face, they burned to the point where I thought my skin would be scorched in their trail. "No, I am going to make you beg for death, and when your pathetic lover delivers what I require, when he thinks he will have you in his arms once more, I'll split you skull right before his eyes."

He finally withdrew his finger and vanished, leaving me chained to a rock, blood oozing down my stomach and thigh, my cheekbone beginning to swell. What have I gotten myself into? I didn't know if Loki had a plan, I didn't know how he would go about finding me, but I hoped to god that he wouldn't give in, that he would not surrender the tesseract, and the entire universe depended on that. But I trusted him, I must sound like a fool, trusting the God of Lies, but I did, he had saved my life before and now I trusted him to do it once more, because he loved mouth was dry, lips cracked and body weak from blood loss, at this point I welcomed the unconsciousness that sleep provided.

She needed me, and I let her down, I let them take her. Way to go Laufeyson. Slumped to the floor I watched the imposter that looked like me take her into the portal while I lay on the ground, my very own dagger in my chest. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath and pulled out the knife, whispering a small healing spell to stop the blood. Tossing the knife aside it clanged against the marble floor, echoing through the emptiness, bringing myself to stand I walked over to the balcony.

The portal had closed before my eyes she was gone. The rage within me boiled to the point where I punched a marble column, pieces chipping off and raining to the floor as I fell to my knees, pulling at the ends of my hair and screamed to Valhalla. My head hung low, but I heard her faint voice. Loki, if you can hear me, and I hope to God that you can, I'm alive, but are you?

There was renewed hope in my veins, as I peered up into the stars of the Asgardian night, I would give the stars, and I would give her the world if she wanted it, because Eira Taylor has my heart. My lips didn't move to form the words that I spoke within my mind; I said them with conviction and determination and, as a promise. Eira, I'm coming for you. I promise.

The tesseract was the key to ending this; it was my key to having Eira with me, and now I was to transport it to Midgard, her friends would help. Wouldn't they? And I knew Thor would. I was going to get her back, one way or another. My heart pounded within my chest as I felt a pain in my stomach that was strange. Her voice was growing weaker and the last words I heard were Loki, I love you. I was desperate. I looked to the stars once more, knowing she was out there in some faraway place where she could not see the 'little diamonds' littering the sky.

Eira Taylor,

Let it be known that I will move worlds to have you in my arms once more,

I will give you the stars and the moon;

I will love you forever after.

You have my word, I will save you,

End this torture, or I will die trying.

This, my love, I promise you.