My shattered heart's the only thing that's beating

Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Green Day

Sigyn and Loki walked, arm in arm, in silence down the streets of New York. Sigyn was thoroughly enjoying the rain, although Loki looked somewhat like a drowned rat, even with his helmet. She supposed the water hadn't done anything for her looks, either, but she didn't care.

"Do you know where we're going?" She eventually asked.

He nodded, a small smile playing on the edge of his gaze. "Avenger's Tower."

Sigyn was surprised by this, but didn't object. She supposed it was the safest place for them, even if it could get Loki imprisoned. Prison was safer than being out on the streets, subject the mercy of the elements, and possibly vengeful citizens. "And, you know how to get there?"

"Better than you." He smirked at her. "I would assume we ought to follow the path of destruction, chaos and death, hm?"

Sigyn glanced around at the destruction and rubble littering the streets. "You… You did all this?"

His countenance dropped, and a dark cloud of regret swept over his features. "Yes." He answered simply.

Sigyn nodded, at a loss for words.

"Mine, you said?" Loki asked suddenly, a glimmer of hope creeping into his eyes.

"Yours?" Sigyn raised an eyebrow. "What are you referring to?"

"The child." Loki's gaze dropped fondly to Sigyn's pregnant form. "Is it a son or a daughter?"

Sigyn smiled as her husband picked her up, carrying her bridal-style over a small river that ran through the sidewalk. It appeared that a pipe underground had burst, flooding the walkway. "A daughter."

"Have you named her, yet?"

Sigyn shook her head. "I don't know what I was waiting for, but I haven't."

Loki set her back down. "Sleipnir."

"Sleipnir?" Sigyn echoed. "'The Slipper'? Why?"

Loki shrugged one shoulder, leading her onwards.

Sigyn smiled, and leaned her head on his arm. "I suppose it's your child."

"If you don't like the name, I can…" Loki hurriedly started, but Sigyn cut him off.

"The name's fine. It's lovely, in fact. I've just never heard of someone being named Sleipnir, before."

Loki gave her a small smile. "Thank you."

Sigyn was quiet for another spell. "What are the warriors like?"

"The Avengers?" Loki asked, met with a nod. "Well… There are six. First of all, the leader, the Captain. His name is Steven Grant Rogers…"

"Three names?" Sigyn asked.

"I have three names." Loki tilted his head at her. "Prince Loki Od-Laufeyson."

Sigyn narrowed her eyes at him, but decided not to comment. "I suppose. Go on. Is 'Steven' a title, like 'Prince'?"

"No, Midgardians merely name their children three times. Sometimes four. The first is what they normally go by, and if they don't like that, they can go by their second or third. The last is the family name." Loki explained. "The Captain is… a good man, and he was injected with a sort of potion, that makes him far stronger than he ought to be." Loki rubbed a hand on his jaw, remembering the mighty punches the Captain had thrown. "A long while ago, at least for the Midgardians, he was frozen in a block of ice…"

"On purpose?"

"Sort of. He was flying a ship, and he crashed it into the sea, because of the explosive devices on it. The ice froze him, and he slept… for many years, until the organization that brought them together, SHEILD, pulled him out of the ice, and revived him. He's disoriented by the time difference, of course, but he's hurting inside."

"Why?"

"All of the people he knew from his proper era have died. Except for his lover, a woman named Margaret Carter, but she's extremely aged."

"Poor man…" Sigyn murmured.

Loki nodded sympathetically. "Then, there's the Man of Iron, Anthony Edward Stark, who constantly assumes he's in charge of everything. He and the Captain do not get along. He used to be a weapons manufacturer, but rather recently, he was abducted by a group of wandering vagrants called the Ten Rings. While in their midst, he built his first suit of armor, and used it to escape from their custody. You must understand, it is not simply a suit of armor. It has… propulsion devices? I'm not certain how to explain them, but it's much like a flame. He shoots energy from his hands and feet, while he's in it, and he uses it to fly about; it's actually quite impressive. He has dizzying intellect, for a mortal. He built a mechanical servant, that has no body, but resides in his tower. It knows all, and it goes by the name of Jarvis."

"What a curious name." Sigyn mused. "It knows all?"

"Everything the Midgardians know, it knows." Loki amended. "So, no, it knows barely anything at all."

Sigyn smirked, and smacked his arm slightly. "Midgardians have their own benefits. They appreciate life far more than most realms, and live it to the fullest. They're advancing extremely quickly, because of that."

"I suppose so." Loki agreed. "Anyway, the next is Thor. He's… very Thor."

Sigyn smiled. Indeed. There was not much else to say regarding the Thunderer. "And next?"

"A small, diminutive man named Bruce Banner. He had a misfortunate accident in a laboratory, a few years back, and, when angered, transforms into a great fearsome green brute, with no self-control, who destroys everything in sight. It goes by the name of 'Hulk'. I'd have to agree with the name, he's…" Loki shuddered. "It is not pleasant to be smashed."

"Were you smashed?"

Loki shifted his gaze, embarrassed. "…Yes." He admitted. Sigyn patted his shoulder affectionately. "Poor Loki."

He appeared to be extremely unamused. "Yes, well… Then, there is the Black Widow. Originally Natalia Romonova, but she goes by Natasha Romanoff, now, for reasons I know not. She's the only woman on the team, and she's extremely skilled in hand-to-hand combat. You or Sif would be her only rivals, that I know of. She reminded me of you, actually. She has a very strong spirit, and has a way of getting people to admit things they don't want to admit. Interrogation, that's the word for it. She didn't even use torture, but she was able to see right through me and my plans. It was… fascinating. I don't know much of her story, only that she didn't always march to SHEILD's drum. She was an assassin for a different province, Russia, and she killed a lot of people while under their rule. She… regrets the assassinations, I think."

"And who's the last?" Sigyn asked. The rain was slowly letting up, and Sigyn was starting become tired.

Loki bit his lip sadly. "Barton. Clinton Francis Barton. Or, Hawkeye. He's a good man, and I think, in better times, we could have been friends. He specializes with archery, and he has abnormal agility and reflexes, especially for a Midgardian. He's got a very soft heart, but he's not afraid of duty. It's… a strange combination…" Loki trailed off in thought.

"But?" Sigyn prompted softly.

The Trickster hung his head. "I exploited him. I took his mind, with the scepter, and I forced his hand to do unspeakable things so that I didn't have to. I had him kill his own teammates. I doubt he'll ever forgive me."

Sigyn's feet dragged on the pavement, and Loki gently swept her up in his arms, although, judging from the dark circles under his eyes, and the slowness of his stride, he was just as exhausted as she. Moreso, Sigyn thought, because he had his magic removed today, and has probably not been allowed rest since the battle. "Melleth, you don't have to…"

"It's my joy, Beloved, to be able to hold you after so long a time." Loki smiled wearily down at her, rain water still dripping off his nose. "Besides… see?" He pointed his chin at a building, not far away. It was much taller than the surrounding buildings, and it had an "A" lit up on the side, far up in the air. "We're nearly there."

Sigyn relented, snuggling into his shoulder as he carried her. It seemed to take merely seconds until Loki set her down in front of the doors, that opened on their own. "Shall we?"

She smiled up at him. "What choice do we have?"

He shrugged. "Technically, we could sleep in an alleyway, exposed to the cold and damp, and risk getting mugged, beaten, or eaten by wild animals."

Sigyn gave him a look. "Alright, no, we couldn't." He grinned, offering her his arm again.

"Wait." Sigyn trailed her fingers down his jawline. "There's a very real possibility that we won't ever see each other again, after tonight, isn't there?"

Loki nodded cheerfully. "But at least you'll be taken care of, yes? The Avengers are not cruel, they'd most likely support y-mmph!" Sigyn pressed her lips against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Mmm…" Loki sighed against her mouth, his hands laced into her hair. When Sigyn finally, reluctantly broke away, Loki stared into her eyes, his own filled with tears. "You'd still… even after… You know what I did?"

Sigyn smirked. "Am I hearing any complaints?"

"No!" Loki quickly replied. "No, I just… thank you."

Sigyn smiled warmly, and the two of them stepped inside the lobby. It was comfortably warm, especially after the wetness of the outdoors. Sigyn felt bad for dripping onto the Man of Iron's carpet, but she supposed they were going to get arrested, anyway. Loki wrapped his arms around her waist, glancing around nervously. Sigyn gave him a reassuring glance, and stepped in a little further.

"Ow…" Sigyn glanced up at her husband, who was holding a small dart between his thumb and finger, a very strange expression on his face. He swayed, then fell over in a heap on the floor.

"Loki!" She screamed, kneeling beside him and cradling his face. "Wake up, please!" She felt his pulse, and it was still going strong, so she assumed the dart had not been meant to kill him. It seemed too much work to struggle back to her feet, especially after she'd just gotten to the trouble of getting down there, so she stayed kneeling there, her eyes darting suspiciously around the room. "Show yourself!" She demanded.

"I'm afraid I can't, miss." An even voice sounded from the ceiling. The Man of Iron's mechanical servant! What was its name, again… "J… Jarvin?" She asked hesitantly.

"My name is Jarvis, Miss. Would you mind telling me yours, and your relationship to Loki?"

Sigyn shook her head. "Not at all. My name is Princess Sigyn Greenleaf. Loki is my husband."

"Do you happen to be in cahoots with Loki, Princess Sigyn?" Jarvis asked suspiciously.

Sigyn shook her head. "Now, that's a foolish question, Jarvis. If I was in cahoots with a scheme of his, I most certainly wouldn't tell you, so you'd get the same answer both ways. Then you'd be none the wiser. So, no. I'm not in cahoots with any of his shenanigans, at the moment. But how are you sure I'm not lying through my teeth?"

"I'm not, Princess Sigyn, I was merely stalling."

Another door opened by itself to Sigyn's right, and a woman with strawberry-blond hair walked out of the compartment, holding a black device that was probably a weapon. "Ooh... clever servant!" Sigyn grinned.

"Put your hands where I can see them!" The woman demanded. "Tony will be here, shortly, and until then, don't move."

Sigyn raised her hands above her head. "Are you the Black Widow?" She asked excitedly.

"No…" The woman frowned. "I'm Pepper Potts. Tony's girlfriend."

Ick. Smoocheties. Anyway, next time, we'll have TONNNNNY STARK! (Who is the funnest guy to write, but don't tell him I said that, his ego's already so big he can't see over it.)

A heart will allow Loki to carry you over puddles in the rain, a review will allow Loki to explain random things to you as he does so.

TheOnlyHuman.