I'm sorry, but Odin has got to be up to something and even I am not sure I like it.

Differences in this chapter: All of it.

Thor went to visit Heimdall. Dalla and Loki sat in their secret corner of the garden, enjoying a quiet moment before duty called. Lucky for them, Thor was in line for the throne, so they didn't have much to do.

"I'm glad you avoided ending up in the dungeons," Dalla said. "It's not a place I'd wish upon anyone. Mother and Thor would visit often, made sure I was comfortable, but…"

"Why didn't you let me take the fall?" Loki asked.

"You really think Father would fooled by that?"

"Well…" Loki knew it wouldn't have worked, even with all evidence pointing to it being his idea.

"I thought not. Besides, it's best to stick to the truth, especially with you and/or Mother around. Anyway, I knew I wouldn't pass my part of the punishment onto you. I just watched you fall into a wormhole, Loki. I thought you were dead. You can't punish a dead man. Denying anything would have made it so much worse." She sat on the edge of a fountain. "The only hold I had in Asgard at the time was gone. It took Mother and Thor both to keep me in this world after you were gone. I felt broken all over again."

He sat next to her. "I never meant to do that to you."

"I know, Loki. But even after that, I couldn't abandon you. Part of me always hope you had somehow survived and that we would find each other again."

"I'm glad we did. You saved me. I'd say that makes us even."

"Agreed." She laid her head on his shoulder. "I miss him, Loki."

"Your soldier?"

"Yes."

"Then, we will convince Father to let us return to Midgard."

She smiled and they stood up. As they were walking to get some lunch, they saw Thor heading to the healing room with someone in tow. Dalla and Loki looked at each other. That was then that Loki remembered Dalla's injuries. As they needed to go there anyway, the two siblings ran after their brother.

That was when they noticed a woman in the Soul Forge. Loki and Dalla looked at each, recognizing Jane Foster, the mortal that captured Thor's heart. They stayed back and out of the way. A healer came to take care of Dalla's injuries. Because the healer was between the two of them, and talking to distract the princess from any pain, the two siblings missed Odin's entrance and decree. What they didn't miss was the wave throwing everyone back or Thor yelling out.

Dalla and Loki picked themselves up off the floor, staring at Jane in shock. She didn't have any of that power when they last saw her. Odin allowed her to stay in Asgard until they could figure out how to help Jane. Thor saw his siblings surprised looks. Jane followed his eye line and got up.

Dalla stood in front of Loki when Jane came up, slapping her and saying, "That's for New Mexico!"

"How dare…?" Loki began, earning him a slap too.

"You too!"

Dalla looked at the floor, saying, "And we apologize, Lady Jane. I was blinded by grief and my brother by pain. We took things too far."

"That's no excuse!"

"You are right, it isn't. It never should have happened."

Thor stepped up to his mortal and said, "Jane, my sister is very remorseful for her part in that. My brother." He looked at Loki, "well, he will in time." He caught Jane as she fainted. "I will take her to one of the guest chambers."

"We will be here if you need us brother," Loki said. "Though, if she hadn't hit our sister, I'd admit to liking her. She's feisty."

Thor shook his head before he left. Dalla cupped her cheek once they were alone. Loki looked at her cheek, the pale skin glowing red. He clicked his tongue.

"Don't," said Dalla. "She needed to get her anger out. We deserved worse for nearly killing Thor in front of her."

"She struck you," Loki said in anger.

"Oh, and we haven't done worse?"

"You are a princess. If she were an Asgardian, she'd be in a cell or worse."

"If this is the worst she does to me, I will live with it."

"Dalla!"

"Stop it, Loki!" She glared at him. "I may not have been conscious for it, but I know HYDRA tortured me in some way! Hel, the slap didn't even hurt!"

"Dalla, I know when you lie. I just don't know if it was being unconscious or the slap not hurting."

"The slap didn't hurt, Loki! Drop it!"

"You…"

"Yes, I know what torture feels like!" Tears fell. "They burned you, but that ended when you agreed to take part in their plan! But HYDRA? They would put all sorts of Midgardian concoctions that nearly drove me mad from pain into my veins! For the first time, I knew what it was like to burn! And even when I did as they asked, they! Kept! Going!" He pulled her into his arms. "Them beating me was a vacation, Loki! So no, her slap was nothing!"

"Why keep that from me? You had so many stories of your soldier and battles against this HYDRA, but not what they did to you."

She moved away from him. "Not just me, but Bucky too. He was Steve's best friend and we fought side by side before we were captured. He was tortured too."

"The one that fell from what the Midgardians call a train?"

"Yes. He was my brother on the battlefield. It hurt both Steve and I to lose him. It was like I had you with me. That's how close he and I got. Bucky couldn't replace you, but he would tease me when we had a lull in the fighting." She gave a soft smile, despite her still falling tears. "We even did minor pranks on the others to ease tension and raise spirits. You would have enjoyed it and liked Bucky."

"So losing me…?"

"You are my brother, so it hurt worse, but yes, it brought the pain back. The fact that you both fell to your deaths… I was having flashbacks while dealing with losing you."

"You've been in battles and lost friends before…"

She glared at him. "But I was never close with them. They weren't there because they liked me. They were there because Thor told them to be! There was no connection, no friendship, nothing! I had a better connection with the Midgardians than I did with many Asgardians! The only connections I have are with my family, and even that is strained between all of us! You and I have the strongest connection, Loki! But Steve and Bucky…"

"Sister, you don't need to explain. I understand." He gave her a smile. "What do you say we go mess with the Warrior's Three?"

She smiled back and wiped her tears. "The first one to make them scream like little girls without using their powers wins."

"Oh, so it's a competition?"

"Always is."

Both ran off, laughing.