I walked into the lab and saw Tony working on something. I tapped his shoulder to let him know I was here. He stopped what he was doing and looked at me. I could still see the disappointment in his eyes. He motioned for me to sit down in front of him and asked Jarvis to scan me. Before I could protest the scan, it was completed. We sat in silence for a few minutes before Tony started to talk.

"I can't believe what happened with Loki. I know you said that you aren't going to start a relationship with him again right now, but that kiss was something."

"Tony, there is so much to unpack with my history with Loki. From growing up together to falling in love. I'm not sure I would still be here if it weren't for him. I'm alive for two reasons. One was Howard for taking me in and helping me to control my nightmares. Two is Loki. When I was a kid, Loki calmed me down from my nightmares. He was scared too, but he never let me go through any of that alone."

My brother could see that I couldn't back down from protecting Loki, so he sighed and dropped the subject. I asked him why he had Jarvis scan me. Without telling me anything, a hologram appears in front of me, showing me a suit. I realize what Tony was doing. He was making me a suit that works with my powers. After a few minutes, Tony told me the suit was ready for me to test out. I tried it on. The fit was perfect. Tony knew me well enough to make the suit shades of dark green and blue. I thanked him and told him that no matter what, he will always be my brother.

After talking for a little bit, Pepper called us to the main room for dinner. I guess we lost track of time talking like before. As we walked to the room, I saw Steve talking to Bruce, but Loki wasn't with him. My mind starting going insane. Loki wasn't where I left him; if he left, Odin would have my head. Tony noticed that I was starting to freak out. He grabbed ahold of my arm, but he got shocked when he touched my skin. Steve and Bruce saw us and saw the panic and fear on my face. Soon Nat and Clint were in the room, concerned for me. Tony told everyone to stay back and not to touch me. So many fears were running through my mind.

"Where is he? Did he leave? What will Odin do when he finds out I left him alone and allowed him to escape?" Someone had entered the room behind me, but I was too panicked to notice who it was. That was until I felt a cold hand touch mine. Looking up, I saw the green eyes of the man I thought I had lost. Those eyes held so much pain and worried for me and their own past. Once I realized he was still here, I calmed down.

"Night? What happened? Are you okay?"

I couldn't say anything; I just hugged him. The rest of the team grabbed their food and left us for a bit. The two of us just stood there, Loki stroking my hair, trying to calm me down. After I calmed down enough to speak, I looked Loki in the eye and hit his arm.

"Where the hell were you? When I didn't see you with Bruce, I started freaking out. I was scared that you were hurt, and I was scared of what Odin would do if he learned that you had escaped. I didn't know what I was going to do." Tears were rolling down my face as I spoke.

"Night. I'm sorry. I needed a moment to myself." He started to speak but stopped.

I just held onto him. The last time I felt this helpless was when I told Odin about being pregnant. Every night was hard without Loki there. Tony must have walked in at some point because I heard him clear his throat. I looked away from Loki and gave my brother a small smile. He looked at us and waved. Loki grabbed my hand and led me to the couch. He sat me down while he grabbed us food. My mind was still racing with thoughts of losing him again. I knew that I would have to tell him something to let him know I was okay, but it was still so hard to think about.

When he handed me my food, I finally took notice that we were alone. Before I could ask, Loki said that they left us when he had entered the room to give us space. I let out a slight laugh. My friends really did know me. We sat and ate while we watched some tv. I had turned on House M.D. because it was one of my favorites. As we watched, some of the team returned and noticed that I had calmed down. They joined us in watching the show well into the night. I noticed the time and felt drowsiness take hold of me. I told them I was going to head to bed. Loki got up to walk with me, but I told him that he didn't need to always stay with me, and if I needed him, he would know. He seemed concerned by my statement but knew that we couldn't go back to those ways just yet. I gave everyone a quick good night and headed to my room.

Once I got to my room, sleep didn't waste much time before taking over. I hoped that I wouldn't have one of those nightmares tonight what I would give to deal with her tonight. She was at least entertaining. The monster of my childhood, Hela. One day she will no longer be in my dreams but back in our world.

I was walking through the gardens of Asgard. Someone was standing just ahead of me. They were wearing some sort of cloak to cover themselves. I asked who they were, but all they did was laugh. As they did so, they turned towards me and showed their face.

"Been a long time, Little Darkness. How have things been? Still scared of me?"

"Hela. I never thought I would be glad to see you. Are you still messing with my dreams to scare me? I will admit, the one of Loki killing me while we had a little fun, clever. But you can't scare me anymore, not like when I was a kid. I've lost enough to the bastard you call a father."

She smirked and told me her return was coming near. I just shrugged and told her that I would be ready for her. After our talk, she pushed me into a new dream. Thor was standing over Loki's body. Jane was there, shocked and scared. I ran over to the brothers. Loki had started to turn blue to show his true face. He died. Thor asked why I couldn't have gotten there sooner to help. I wasn't sure what he meant.

"You could have saved him, Taylor! How could you let this happen?"

"Thor, what happened? I'm so confused."

Before I could ask any more questions, Thor lunged at me. He looked like he was about to kill me. This wasn't Thor. I knew that, but seeing the true rage behind his eyes was something I had never seen before. He grabbed Mjolnir and hit me. Jane tried to stop him, but he couldn't hear her or me yelling. His hits were getting stronger and stronger. Hitting the same spot each time. I could feel my life slipping away, but I knew that I would lose one of my best friends if I gave up.

Someone was shaking me, my eyes shot open, and I was meet with the green eyes that were always a comfort to me. I looked at him and realized that I don't know what I would do with myself if he was dead. There was only one thing I knew I could do to explain that to him. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him close to me, and kissed him. Loki pulled away, confused. I was hurt by what he did, but I knew why. I had told him earlier that we can't go back to that so quickly.

"Night, what happened in your dream?"

"Loki, I don't want you ever to leave my side. I caused you so much pain, and for that, I am deeply sorry. But my dream felt way too real this time. Loki, you had died, and Thor blamed me. He hit me repeatedly, saying that your death was my fault. He blamed me for everything that happened to you after I had left. The dream with the combination of what happened earlier, I realized that I can't be without you."

I could feel the tears stinging in the corners of my eyes. My head was hanging low, and I felt the cold hands of the man in front of me lift my face to meet his. He held my gaze for a minute before leaning in to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers through his hair. We both smiled into the kiss. After we broke apart, I rested my forehead on his. He held me as if he let go; I would disappear from his hold again.

I laid back down, but with Loki holding onto me. My face was on his chest; hearing his heartbeat calmed me down. Slowly sleep returned for me, but I knew that there wouldn't be any more nightmares. The knowledge that Loki was there to keep me safe, even if it was from my own mind or Hela's torture, made the dreams calming. As I drifted off, I smiled at Loki as he kissed the top of my head and whispered in my ear.

"I will never leave you Night Shade, my angel."