Wyoming ranked on the Top 10 list of most remote places in the country—Violet-Sky knew because she looked it up on the Internet—and they could tell why before they landed. There was like… nothing there. They had been to the safe-house in the woods at least once—all of them—but never from the air, where they could see just how much of nothing but trees was surrounding them.

"Shoulda gone to Park City," Natasha muttered. Violet-Sky grabbed her gear and her bow from the cargo rack and left off the ramp before anyone could say anything else.

"What for?" Clint asked, his eyes following his cousin as she disappeared inside.

"It's got a lot more population than this wasteland," Black Widow retorted.

Violet-Sky went up to her old room. It was exactly as she'd left it a year before when she was recovering from her gunshot wound, right down to the slightly-tousled quilt. She unpacked and laid down to rest her eyes. They had been open for too long.

"You have worked yourself into quite the fit," Loki remarked. She grabbed a goblet of water from the banquet table and chucked it at his head. Had he not been smart it would have clocked him right in the eye. As it was, it hit the wall since he ducked under it. "I told you we had rage in common."

"I'm hot-tempered and feisty. That's different," she retorted.

"It's really not," Loki fired back. "Rage and a temper are the same thing. Fiery passion that eats on your core."

"You know what else is a fiery passion but doesn't eat at you? Love." She didn't know why she said it—probably because she was thinking about Steve—it just sort of spewed from her lips before she could put her verbal filter in place. She wanted to take back what she said as soon as she realized she said it.

"Love can eat at you," Loki pointed out. "I love you, and it's eating at me."

"What, because I don't love you back?" Her sarcasm churned in her eyes and rolled off of her. Her violet eyes glittered with the sassiness she radiated. Loki crossed the dining hall and took her fingers in his hands, looking deep into her eyes. His were pale like ice. Steve's were dark blue, like crystals. She couldn't help but notice the differences as his face was only about six inches from hers.

"Yes," he murmured. "Stop. Please."

"Stop?" Violet-Sky asked, slightly confused and slightly sardonic. "Stop what?"

"Stop torturing me. Your rejection is agony to my heart." His voice was almost pleading, and it concerned Violet-Sky. She had… never heard him sound so vulnerable. Her natural reaction was pity and a sudden urge to comfort him. But then she remembered one of the things he'd once told her. I am the Master Manipulator. And she wasn't going to be manipulated into loving him. She wasn't going to let the puppy eyes he was making at her melt her heart so he could have her wrapped around one of his pale long fingers. It quite simply. Wasn't. Going. To. Happen.

"Then suffer," she spat, struggling to wake up.

"I can give you the life every woman dreams of. Power, wealth, love. I don't understand you."

"Then let me make myself crystal clear—like I haven't been doing that since you started showing up in my dreams. I don't love you. I love Steve. Clint would kill me, then you, then me again, then you again if I chose the life you want to offer me. I'm loyal—unfailingly. If you want to take over my planet—my home—again, you'll have to do it with me on its surface. I went willingly to Asgard the first time, thinking it wasn't worth it to argue. Now I wish I hadn't."

"We married," Loki pointed out, almost sounding lost.

"It was in a dream for me. You may 'count' it, but I don't. As far as I'm concerned, I'm still single. Still free. And still way too young for you."

"By your society's standards, you're an adult. You are allowed to make your own decisions."

"And marrying a god at least a thousand years older than me was not one of them," Violet-Sky snapped. Loki pressed his lips together into a thin, pale line and sighed. He looked… tired. And… beaten. For the life of her she couldn't understand why he would look like that.

Something lit up in his eyes and he dropped her hands. They hung uselessly at her sides as he crushed her into an embrace that hurt—badly. "You love me. You're just not willing to admit it because of your 'unfailing loyalty' to the soldier and Agent Barton," he told her decisively. She struggled against him. One of his hands pressed her head into his chest.

"Get. Off!" she grunted, her voice muffled through his armor. He pushed her to arm's length, cold hands holding her shoulders. Slowly she felt his fingers trace up her neck and cradle her face. Once they were there, he pulled her to him again, leaning down and closing the gap between her lips and his. The almost painful kiss was cold. His lips were soft, but the sheer anger at his advance made her push and struggle against him.

"I want to show you something," he whispered in her ear when he pulled away. She glared. He turned her around and held her to him with one arm. With the other, he flicked his wrist. There was a bright flash of green.

Laughing, a little girl appeared out of thin air. She was probably five years old. She had long and sleek black hair, like Loki's. Her skin was pale. And her eyes were violet.

Another flash and a tiny boy appeared. He was a toddler. He had the same brunette hair that Violet-Sky had, with icy blue eyes and tan skin.

The two illusion-children began to play with each other as Loki released his grip on Violet-Sky, chasing each other around the banquet hall and giggling. The girl caught sight of her. "Mama!" she exclaimed, running over and throwing her small arms around the archer's waist. Violet-Sky completely froze. The girl was completely intangible. She let go and went back to running around with the little boy.

Loki's hand touched the small of her back. "You could have all of this. A husband who loves you, children who adore you, everything," he said. The little boy tackled the girl, and with a flash of green they disappeared. Violet-Sky stared, unresponsive, at the spot where they vanished.

"This isn't the life I want," she managed to get out. "Besides, any child I'd have with you would be half-human and half-Asgardian. They wouldn't belong to Earth, and they wouldn't belong on Asgard. I wouldn't wish that fate on any family of mine—much less my own children." She pushed Loki's hand away from her and sat down on one of the chairs near the banquet table, waiting for Loki's retort that was sure to come.

"Ah, but my queen, you forget. I have almost located the magic that will turn your frail human form into a powerful, strong Asgardian one. Our children would be gods to your former people."

"You said that you wanted me because having a queen that was one of 'them' would make 'them' be more accepting of your coup. You wouldn't be able to change me for fear of a riot on Earth. And seven billion people rioting would be… chaotic," she pointed out.

"They wouldn't have to know you were turned into an Asgardian," Loki retorted. She sucked in a hissing breath through her clenched teeth in annoyance. "I am also the God of Lies. If you remember."

"How could I forget?" she snapped.

"I could make you forget," Loki murmured, more to himself than her. "Forget your life on Earth. Forget your soldier. Forget Agent Barton. Give you memories of life on Asgard with me. Memories of… love from me."

"No," Violet-Sky said, fighting to stay calm. "I would think that you would want me to love you for who you are. You seem to love me for who I am. Giving me fake memories would make it fake love. I can sense that you don't want that." She wanted to tell him to give her time to fall in love with him. But on that same page, she didn't want to lead him on and she was pretty darn sure that she wasn't ever going to actually love him, so it would be a terrible lie. Of course, he didn't mind lies. But she was pretty sure that kind would get her, Clint, and Steve murdered by him.

"Of course. You're right my love. I am sorry for the suggestion." Loki sounded defeated. It surprised her to hear such a vulnerable tone from such a… powerful demigod. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Or live with false love." He paused and took her hands in his. His long pale fingers were chilly against her warmer grip. "I must give you time. Yes. That's what it is. Time for you to fall in love with me. Only then can we truly be happy together."

Well, since he arrived at the conclusion himself, Violet-Sky didn't feel the need to ask it of him. Even if she knew his hopes could never come true.

End Note: Still working through this.

Thanks!

~Cass