When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his cell. Alone. And the emotions of years of mistakes came crashing in in waves.

Loki did not come to his senses until he heard someone's voice and felt a hand on his shoulder. He blinked as the world around him came back into focus and he saw what he'd done to his cell. It had been truly and utterly destroyed. Pain managed to claw its way through the fog in his mind and he gazed down at his hands. They were bloody and burned. He must have thrown himself against the barrier.

"Loki," Odin said. There was an edge to his voice that made Loki think he had been repeating himself for quite some time.

"Fa-" he coughed; his throat felt shredded. He swallowed and tried again, turning away from the barrier to look upon his father.

I love you my sons.

"Father." His voice was horse. He staggered forward, towards him, ignoring all the soot and ash covering him. Pain in his foot made him stumble. There was glass on the ground. He caught himself on the barrier. His hands burned as the barrier sparked. He ignored it.

Odin's hands were raised, as if to catch him, but he lowered them again. "Is this a trick?"

Loki did not know if he wanted to laugh or cry. His emotions were still in turmoil. His thoughts were a mess. Frigga. Hela. Ragnarök. Thanos. "No Loki." "Your mother would be proud." "Frigga is the only reason you're still alive." "I love you my sons." "Your birthright was to die-" "You are the worst father in the history of fathers."

Odin's eye widened for a second, before his face returned to the stoic mask Loki was used to. "So, you do consider me your father?"

And at that, Loki did laugh. "I guess I have no other. But do you? Frigga is the only reason I am still alive, isn't she? It was my birthright to die, and you would have killed me, if not for her." Odin started to say something, but Loki was not done yet. "In any case, I was actually not referring to myself at all… And not to Thor, either."

Odin inhaled sharply, but he said nothing.

"Tell me, is what I have done so much worse than what your true children did? Or is it death for me and banishment for them because I am not really your son?"

"Who told you this?" snarled Odin.

This was pointless. Odin was not answering his questions, and he would not believe him if he said the Norns had shown him. "You haven't come to visit me in a year. Why are you here now?" He was certain this had not happened in the future Skuld had shown him.

Odin's gaze scrutinized him. "Heimdall said you were unwell."

Loki laughed again, but only because he did not want to cry in front of Odin. Unwell. Heimdall. But then laughter died in his throat. Heimdall was still alive. Then… so was Frigga. But Frigga would die in an hour or two, Skuld had not been sure. And he had no idea how much time had eluded him in his brief bout of madness.

"Who has told you of her? How do you know?"

"Heimdall! Heimdall!"

"Loki, calm down." Odin reached for Loki's shoulder again, but Loki stepped aside, ignoring the pain that shot up his leg, turning away from him.

"Heimdall! Dark Elves will attack Asgard! They are after the Aether!"

"Loki! How do you know of the Aether? What madness is this?"

Loki swirled around. "You aren't listening! Dark Elves will attack! You should not be here. You are wasting time."

"What have you done? How do you know of the Aether being on Asgard and of… Hela?"

"What have I done? What have I done?" Loki exploded. "What have you done? You and your lies have doomed us all! Ragnarök will see this Realm in flames because of your lies! And all you care about is them! Hela, and Thor, and his mortal. You don't care how I am; you are only here because you think I am up to something!" With the last words out, the rage evaporated, and he sank to the ground. He felt cold. Odin did not believe him. Heimdall would not believe him either. His last chance would be convincing Thor when the attack was already underway. But as long as Odin was here, even that chance was slim at best.

He could feel Odin's arm on his shoulder again. He tried to shrug him off but could not find the energy to do so.

"Be calm, child."

And suddenly he did feel calm. Was Odin casting a spell on him?

"I do care, Loki. And I came here because I worry about your wellbeing. Execution was never truly an option. I was angry and I wanted you to know it. Unfortunately, lashing out when we are hurt is something that we have in common. Even this imprisonment was never meant to be permanent. Only until you had calmed down and learned your lesson."

Learned his lesson? Loki shook his head. "Then you are a fool. How am I supposed to learn anything in here? If anything, my time in here has made me even angrier." He had learned, but not because of his time in the dungeon. The Norns wanted him to know that Frigga, Thor, and even Odin were still his family. And that he was not by nature a monster but had done monstrous things, things that he only now began to regret. But how had he been supposed to learn any of that if he was locked away and only Frigga had ever visited him. "What lesson was I supposed to learn? That Midgardians and Frost Giants are people? How would I learn this in here? And… my feelings towards them were never the problem. I did not attack Midgard because I dislike them. If you don't understand this, then you don't understand me at all."

Odin sighed. He let go of Loki and crouched down in front of him. "Perhaps I don't," he admitted. "And perhaps I have not given the motivation behind your actions the proper consideration they deserved… Why did you attack Jotunheim, Loki? Why did you try to kill your brother? Why did you attack Midgard?"

Loki inhaled sharply and backed away from Odin, his back hitting the barrier. He flinched and leaned forward a bit. He was sitting as far away from Odin as he could without touching the barrier. The answer was there, but he felt so drained, he was not certain he could take the fallout from having his soul exposed another time today. "You truly do not know, do you?"

Odin looked away. "It has always been easier for me to understand Thor. He wears his heart on his sleeve. I did not see how unhappy you were, and how resentful you had grown. I should have made more of an effort."

Yes, Loki thought. He had yearned for it, longed for Odin's attention. But it had always been Thor who had gotten it. "You have always favored Thor, don't deny it. And you taught us both to hate Frost Giants. When I found out…" he trailed off. "It suddenly made sense to me, why I could never fit in. Why everyone, even you, favored him. I tried and I tried to please you, to be who you wanted me to be, to earn your respect and make you proud and…" and be loved, but he could not say that. Could not bring himself to utter such a truth. He had always wanted to belong and to feel loved. Yet, regarding Odin, he never had. "But I never stood a chance, did I? Because I am different. And because I do not belong here. And because I am no child of yours."

Odin swallowed. "This is not true. Like I said, I had an easier time relating to him. Not because he is of my blood, but because he is predictable, and open when something bothers him. You were always eager to please and never showed openly how you felt. Your mother would often call you a sensitive child. I am not sensitive. I am not a very affectionate person. I was not always aware of how you truly felt and did not know how to talk to you when you were upset… but I have always… loved you. From the moment I found you. I have never thought of you as anything but my son. There is nothing you could ever say or do that would make me stop loving you. I am your father, regardless of who you were born to. I rocked you to sleep, stayed by your bedside when you were sick, taught you how to ride a horse,…"

Loki held his breath for a second. Odin had never voiced his affection before. Not even to Thor and Frigga, or at least not in public. He wanted to reject it, reject Odin, because it still made no sense with everything else that Odin had done. But he had seen the past and the future, had heard Odin's last words. "You lied to me," Loki finally said, when he had collected himself somewhat. "You lied to me about my very existence. How am I to know what else you lied about? I doubted this…" he swallowed, "love… even before I found out. How am I to believe any of it now that I do know about it?"

Odin closed his eye, a pained expression on his face.

Loki swallowed. Something very heavy was settling on his chest. "You claim to love me, yet you put me in here and never once visit… Do you love Hela, then, too?"

Odin did not answer immediately. "Hela has committed terrible crimes. And on some level, I have always known that… it was my fault. What she did, what Thor did, what you did… I have failed all three of you and I do not know how to deal with it. Your crimes are not so different from each other, that is true. Not on the surface of it. They are also not so different from what I myself have done in my youth. What I have failed to see is that the motivation behind these actions differs. You and Thor, you are not like Hela and I. You are better. You committed none of your crimes because you are bloodthirsty or power hungry."

"That… is nice to hear, but it does not answer my question."

Odin sighed. Finally, he said, "I love all three of you. Not a day passes where I do not think about your sister. But I have cultivated in Hela a lust for battle and conquest that would have brought ruin to all of us. It was my mistake that she now has to live with, and I understand her resentment, but at the same time I see no way of releasing her without dooming the Nine."

"The Realms are doomed already. When you die, Hela will be free. Your solution only delays the inevitable and by not telling us, you deny us the chance to prepare. She will bring death and ruin to Asgard. And a being even more powerful than her will use this to gather the infinity stones."

"How do you know of this?"

Loki shook his head. So, it was back to this. At least this time, Odin had not accused him of anything. "It does not matter. You would not believe me if I told you. But you know that what I have said so far is true. Then also believe me in this: The Dark Elves still live. The Convergence is upon us and they want the Aether to bring eternal Darkness to the cosmos. They will attack, most likely within the hour. And mother will die if you do nothing."

"I will bring you to Eir-"

"I don't need a healer!" Loki hissed. "And I don't need you to let me out of this cell if you do not trust me. I only need you to believe me and to heed my warning!"

Odin eyed Loki warily, before he nodded. "What is it you want me to do?"

Loki opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it again. What did he want Odin to do? "The cell over there," Loki motioned his head in the direction of the soon to be Kursed, "one of them is a Dark Elf. He has a Kursed stone. He will use it, break out of his cell, turn off the shield protecting Asgard, and the palace will be overrun. Have him searched. Take the stone from him before he can use it. Kill him! Then kill the rest of them, as Bor should have millennia ago. They must be close but cloaked if Heimdall cannot see them."

Odin considered him, then nodded. Without another word he left the cell.

Loki's gaze followed him towards the Einherjar. There was nothing more he could do now, so he focused his attention on his feet, freeing them of glass shards. He should not have refused to see Eir. He could not use any healing spells in his cell, and his hands and feet were a bloody mess by now.

He tore his bedding apart and provisionally bandaged his wounds.

When he looked up again, he saw Fandral staring at him through the barrier, his eyes wide.

Loki sneered at him. Odin must have called Thor's entourage as backup. Perhaps not a bad idea. The Einherjar in the dungeon had not been enough to stop the Kursed in the future he had seen, so there was no reason why they would be now. Still, Loki would have preferred not to be seen by the traitors he had once believed to be friends.

"Loki, wha-"

"Spare me your pity," he spat, "and your fake sympathy. You have been called to aide Odin. Do as you have been ordered, make sure the royal family survives this day, and leave me be, like you've done for the last year."

Fandral took a moment to consider his words before he said, "I do not enjoy seeing you like this, even if you believe otherwise. The last couple of years have been rough, but it does not negate a millennium of friendship before that."

Loki bristled at that. "You were always Thor's friends before you were mine, and the second he was gone, you turned on me. So, do not talk of friendship now. I could have used friends when my brother was banished to Midgard and I wasn't sure if I'd ever see him again. I could have used friends when Odin fell asleep and I was left to rule an Asgard at the brink of war, unprepared. I could have used friends back then. I do not need any now."

Fandral's nostrils flared and Loki thought that he would start an argument, but then he exhaled slowly and turned away from Loki. Too bad, Loki thought then, because he did feel like fighting someone right now. Preferably with fists and daggers, but words would do as well given his limitations. But then, Fandral turned back to him.

"Would it have changed anything?" he asked.

"Pardon?"

"If we had not gone to Midgard. Would it have changed anything? Would you still have sent the Destroyer after Thor? Would you have attacked Heimdall? Would you have attacked Jotunheim? Would you have… you know…"

"Jumped off the bridge?" Loki asked dryly, considering the question. "I did not send the Destroyer after Thor, I sent it after you for your treason. The same is true for Heimdall. I see no reason why I would have done any of that had you not gone to Midgard." The other two questions, however, were not that easy to answer. Had he been closer to them, he might have been able to confide in them. Perhaps then they would have been able to talk him out of his actions. But as their relationships had been, he would never have shared his discovery with them. Even had their relationships been better he might not have. He had not even told his mother of his inner turmoil. "As for your other questions, I do not know. I was not quite myself during that time."

Fandral stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Loki would have expected some anger at the admission that he had tried to kill Fandral himself and not Thor with his actions. Or at the accusation of treason. "You… jumped off the bridge?"

Oh. He should have expected that. He should have expected Odin to lie about the circumstances of his supposed death. But he was surprised that Thor was willing to lie to his friends. He did not usually lie, and he was not particularly good at it. Perhaps it was easier for Thor to pretend he had fallen. It was easier for Loki as well. His mind shied away from the thought and it had not been difficult for Thanos and the Other to twist that particular memory. However, there was no turning back from it now. "Like I said, I could have used friends back then."

Fandral, rather pale all of a sudden, seemed to think about what to say next when Odin called for him. They were about to open the cell and search the prisoners. Fandral looked at Loki for a while longer before he joined Odin and the others.

The guards all positioned themselves in front of the cell. Then Odin gave the command and cell was opened.

By now the Dark Elf had realized what was going to happen. He fell to the back of the group of cellmates, taking out the stone.

Loki groaned. This was going swimmingly. "The one at the back of the cell!" he yelled.

The Einherjar redirected their attention towards the Dark Elf, but it was too late. He had the stone in his hands and began to use it. And the other prisoners used the distraction to attack the Einherjar.

Perfect. Idiots.

Still in his cell, Loki could do nothing but watch as the now Kursed sent Fandral and Volstagg flying, and the newly freed prisoners fled the scene. At least this way they could free none of the prisoners in the other cells.

Odin stepped towards the Kursed, Gungnir in hand, and a battle began.

Loki had never seen Odin fight in earnest before, but it was truly a sight to behold. Yet, the Kursed was strong and held his own surprisingly well, even though he was outnumbered.

Loki was growing restless. The fight continued and there was nothing he could do but watch. A few minutes into the fight, he could hear the sound of a ram's horn – Asgard was under attack. Either the rest of the Dark Elves had found a way through the shield, or Heimdall had heeded his warning and the fight was happening on the outside of the shield.

"Fandral," Loki hissed, as the man had been thrown against the wall in front of his cell. Perhaps he did still need... someone. He refused to call the traitor friend. But still, he needed him. And they most certainly needed Loki. "Let me out of here!" It was a long shot, but Fandral had looked sufficiently shocked and guilty earlier, and from all the Traitorous Three, Loki had always had the best relationship with Fandral, so Loki thought it was worth a try. "I can help."

Fandral got to his feet and eyed him warily. But Odin was still locked in battle, the prisoners who had been in the same cell as the Kursed were running rampant, and the ram's horn had just sounded a second time, so Fandral relented and opened the barrier.

A wave of energy swept over Loki as he stepped out of his cell. His magic was at his disposal once again, his wounds beginning to heal already. There was no time to ponder this, however.

"A dagger, if you have one to spare," Loki said. Fandral reluctantly handed him one, and Loki conjured several duplicates of himself, sending them after the Kursed.

Perhaps he should have left then. With the distraction of twelve Loki's and several Einherjar surrounding him, it would be easy for Odin to finish the fight.

But the Kursed had killed Frigga, and new rage burned in Loki's chest. He jumped towards the Kursed with a roar, driving the dagger deep into his back while he charged one of his illusions.

The wound was by no means lethal, not in the state the Dark Elf was in, but it slowed it down enough for Odin to land a blow with Gungnir that knocked the beast of his feet.

"Kill it!" Loki yelled, dispelling his illusions.

And that Odin did as he brought down Gungnir and the full might of the Odinforce overpowered the Kursed.

Odin's eye met Loki's. Then the horn could be heard again.

"Mother," gasped Loki. She should be able to hold her own against Malekith if the Kursed did not show up, but he was not willing to leave anything up to chance, not when her life depended on it.

Decisions, decisions,...

With a wave of his hand Fandral's dagger returned to him. He took a step back, felt for one of Yggdrasil's many pathways, and left the dungeon, Fandral and Odin behind.

He arrived in the great hall and cloaked himself in invisibility. The shields were still strong, the fighting must be happening outside the city walls. But that was not his destination. He raced to where he knew Frigga to be, using every short cut and hidden passage his long years of exploring the palace had made known to him. He was so focused on his goal that he almost crashed into Jane Foster. She was hiding in a narrow passage concealed behind a statue.

"Who're-" was all Jane managed to utter before Loki's hand managed to cover her mouth. She stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Be silent if you want to live," he hissed, then released her.

Her wide eyes soon narrowed, and the next thing Loki knew, she had slapped him across the face. "That's for New York."

"I see, my reputation precedes me," Loki replied with a crooked smile. Fierce, brother, I approve. "We can discuss me attacking your Realm later. For now, you must trust that I do not wish to see my own fall." Not that she had much of a choice. Asking her to remain silent was a courtesy. If she refused to do so, he could silence her magically.

She swallowed, then nodded.

He peeked around the corner. Frigga was sitting near the pool. Loki stared at her for a long moment, unable to think of anything but that she was alive. It took all his willpower not to just call out to her and run towards her.

An illusion of Jane was waiting nervously near the curtains, only a few feet from the real Jane.

He waited, tension growing. Finally, the door opened and Malekith strode in.

The confrontation played out just as Skuld had shown him. Frigga, his wonderful mother, was graceful and swift as she dueled Malekith himself. Her blade moved quickly and confidently in moves that Loki remembered from the combat lessons she had given him, her hair shining golden as it whisked around with her movement. She rose to the challenge, and the illusion of Jane made a good impression of acting nervous.

Loki let invisibility surround him once again, ignoring the wide eyes of Thor's mortal.

He walked towards Frigga and Malekith, calling the dagger to his hand. The Kursed had surprised Frigga and had impaled her from behind. There was a certain irony in the same now happening to Malekith.

Frigga took a step forward, Malekith took one back, and pure and utter hatred burned in his gut as Loki plunged the dagger into his neck.

Frigga froze, and so did Malekith. But then Malekith began to struggle, his hands wandering to the dagger. Loki twisted it once and then slit it across the Dark Elf's throat. Malekith fell to the ground. He was dead.

Frigga aimed her sword at Loki. "Show yourself!"

Loki took a step back, his hands raised in front of him, and dropped his invisibility. "Mother."

Frigga stared at him, mouth agape. Eventually, she dropped her sword and took a few steps forward, embracing him. "Loki, my son."

Loki wrapped his arms around her. For the first time in years, they did not pass through her. She was real. Warm and solid, smelling of the flowers that grew in her garden. She was real and alive, and it took all of Loki's willpower to not let a sob escape. "I am sorry," he mumbled. For what, he was not certain.

"Loki," she said, and Loki's eyes fell shut as she let go of him. She took his face in her hands. He leaned into her touch despite knowing that he should not. Despite knowing that he did not deserve it. Loki had always been so selfish. "I don't understand. Where is Odin? Is he the one who freed you?"

Or did you escape? She did not say it out loud, but Loki heard it, nonetheless. "I have to go," he said, a sudden panic filling him. Thor would soon be here, and so would Odin. They would interrogate him. Demand answers which they would not believe. Put him back in his cell. Leave him there and forget about him again.

"No," Frigga gasped, her hands wandering from his face to his shoulders, holding on to him. "Don't. I will speak to Odin. Don't run from me, I'm begging you."

There was such utter desperation in her voice, and he felt himself giving in to her. He was about to say so when the door flew open.

"Jane? Wh-" Thor stopped mid-stride. "Loki?" The clear puzzlement evident on his brother's face soon darkened and Mjolnir in his hand sparked dangerously. "What have you done now? Where is Jane?"

"I haven't done anything!" barked Loki, responding to Thor's anger with his own. But Frigga had reached for his shoulder again and he calmed down. Fighting with Thor would not benefit anyone.

"Thor!" yelled Jane, having left her hiding spot. She threw herself into Thor's arms.

Thor returned the embrace but kept his eyes on Loki.

"Be calm, Thor," said Frigga. "As you can see, Jane is well. Your brother saved me from this creature." She used her free hand to gesture towards the dead elf.

Thor relaxed, if only a little. "Why are you not in your cell? Who released you? Who did you trick this time?"

Loki glowered at Thor. "Fandral." The accusations were grating on his nerves, even though they were not entirely baseless. Only a few hours ago he had been plotting Thor's and Odin's demises in his cell. But if he wanted to save the universe and change the course of history, he would need his oaf of a brother. Not that he could get rid of him if he wanted to. If Skuld had taught him anything then it was that no matter what Loki did, Thor would always be there. "Released me, that is. There was not really any tricking involved. The dungeon was overrun by enemies and he thought I would help, which I did. So, lay off with your questions."

"How fares Asgard?" asked Frigga in an obvious attempt to divert her older son's attention.

Thor kept his eyes on Loki when he answered her. "We have managed to defeat the foe."

Good, Loki thought. But he would not compliment Thor for it.

Jane released Thor, but as she took a step back, she swayed. Thor caught her before she could fall.

"Are you okay?" Thor asked Jane worriedly. When she nodded her head, his gaze turned back to Loki. "What have you done to her?"

"What have I- Nothing! Stop accusing me of all evil in the universe. I have been in the dungeon for a whole year, how do you imagine I discovered that Dark Elves are still alive, contacted them, led them to Asgard and infected your mortal with the Aether while down there?"

Thor hesitated. "I- I apologize. You have threatened Jane before, and your escape happened at a rather peculiar time."

"What escape? I already told you that Fandral released me to help them against the Dark Elves. And I am here now, aren't I?" Although he really could not remember why he was still here. He should leave before Odin arrived. Take some time to work through everything he had learned from the Norns and devise a strategy to save the universe.

"But you know of the Aether? Do you know how to separate it from her?"

That gave him pause. If he could separate the Aether from Jane, Asgard would be in possession of two Infinity Gems. The mind stone was still on Midgard and if the rumors he had heard while there were true, so was the time stone. He could easily collect four of the six stones. Even if Thanos managed to gather soul and power, he would stand no chance against an Asgard with four stones.

The problem was, of course, how to wield them. He was certain that with the help of his mother he could figure out how to separate the Aether from Thor's woman. But the problem was that they needed a vessel for it. Powerful magical artefacts were needed to hold the infinity stones and only few could actually wield them if given such an artefact.

But he had seen Than- "The Infinity Gauntlet," Loki said.

"That thing in the vault?" Thor asked.

"Only a prototype," Frigga said. "But if we asked Eitri, I am certain…" she trailed off, lost in thought. Her eyes fell on Loki. "This could work."

Loki sighed. He hated the Dwarfs. And, perhaps more importantly, they hated him. Thor could deal with them. Which was probably exactly what the Norns had had in mind. If Loki were able to save the universe on his own, showing him the future would have been enough. But they had shown him more than that, in an attempt to reconcile him with his family and with himself. And they had presumably not done so for Loki's sake but because it was crucial for their mission.

"Father, I need to travel to Nidavellir," Thor said, his gaze set on something behind Loki.

Father? Loki turned around – a tense looking Odin had entered the chamber. His eye met Lokis' and some of the tension seemed to leave his body. "Here you are."

Loki just inclined his head.

"I have heeded your warning and done as you told me. What you predicted came to pass and I would like to know how you came into possession of such knowledge."

Loki hesitated.

"You have predicted things that no one could have even guessed at. I cannot fathom how you have learned such things. So, however unlikely your story is, I am inclined to believe it."

"I – ah…" Where was his famed silver tongue when he needed it? He smiled at Odin and Frigga crookedly. "I've been visited by the Norns and, among other things, they have shown me the future."

"The Norns? Loki-"

Thor stopped abruptly at Odin's raised hand. "Let him speak, Thor."

This was new. No one ever told Thor to be quiet so Loki could speak. Usually, it was the other way around. And although he liked this new development, liked that everyone was listening to him for once, he was not willing to share his information so freely. "No. If you want me to share my secrets, I want you to share yours first. You cannot demand honesty of me and not practice it yourself. A big part of why the future is such a mess is because of all the lying going on in this family."

"Your heritage?" Thor asked. "I already know and it makes no difference to me, Loki."

Of course, it did not. Why had Loki ever thought otherwise? "Perhaps not to you. I should never have doubted that." He thought of the future Skuld had shown him. The Thor of the future had known who Loki truly was. And Loki had betrayed him again and again. Yet, Thor's love had never wavered. But then another image came to him. The one he had seen in the countless reflective surfaces of Midgard. The one Verðandi had forced him to see. "But it makes a difference to me, Thor." Because no matter what Verðandi had said, it would never not make a difference. Perhaps it did not make as much of a difference as he had once believed. Perhaps it did not make him a monster or make him unworthy of love, but it was no imagined slight. It was significant. "And if anyone else ever found out – it would make a difference to them as well."

"We never wanted you to feel different," Frigga said. "What Thor says is true – It makes no difference to us. I could not imagine loving you any more had you been born to me. But we should not have lied to you. It was wrong and you had a right to know. We never intended it, but we hurt you. Much could have been avoided, had we not hurt you so."

For a moment, Loki was speechless. The simple admission that he had not acted in a vacuum, that he had been wronged first… That the terrible things he had done had not been his fault alone. That he had not simply committed them because he was a monster… It was almost more than he could bear. He swallowed heavily. "This is not the lie I was speaking of."

"No," Odin sighed, "it is not." Still, he hesitated.

"Thor will find out sooner or later. And he will not hate you for it, if that makes it any easier."

Odin massaged his temples. "You promise to tell us everything you have learned from the Norns once I have told Thor?"

"Told me what?" growled Thor, clearly losing his patience.

Loki grinned at him, hoping that Thor was expecting the worst. "Yes."

"And will you also help us defeat these threats to Asgard and the Nine Realms that you have talked about?"

"Seeing as I also live within the Realms, I think it is prudent to prevent their annihilation."

"Very well. You seem to no longer desire the demise of yourself and those around you. We will talk. I will share my knowledge and you will share yours and together we shall defeat these enemies. As a family."

The last bit seemed to punch the air right out of Loki. As a family. It meant accepting their love for him and his for them. It meant acknowledging the past and letting it go. It meant sharing everything with them. It meant telling them about his time with Thanos and what he would do to the universe. It meant facing that mad man once more, fighting him, together.

Loki swallowed. Then he nodded his head. "As a family."

The End

AN: That's it, y'all. Sorry it took me so long - I think the hardest part when it comes to writing is endings. I'm still not entirely happy with it, but it's way past Christmas already. I like Loki's talks with Odin and Fandral, but not so much what comes afterwards... Anyway, what do you guys think? If you enjoyed it, let me know. If you didn't, tell me why.

All the best,

Mikill