Loki was gone. We had spent the most amazing night together, but the next morning, I had found myself all alone.

I picked up the collar and held it in my hands.

Had I read the situation so wrong last night? Had I been manipulated, charmed into believing what I wanted to believe so badly?

I shook my head. I didn't believe that, not for a second. Then again, a conman's mark is always the last to know…

I swallowed down the lump in my throat. What we had was real, I told myself stubbornly. And I could not blame him for leaving. The situation he was in with the Templars, with the collar, would be unbearable for anyone. If Loki had left, it was not because he didn't care for me. It was because everything else was just too hard.

I only knew him so little back then. I still underestimated how strong he truly was, and how much he had come to care for me too.

I braced myself. I'd have to go to Temple Hall and let them know I had let Loki escape, but I didn't have to do that right away. I should give him as much of a head start as I could, I could give him at least a few hours before all hell broke loose.

I put on my pyjama trousers and a T-shirt and made my way downstairs.

The curtains were still drawn, but the light in the sitting room was on. My heart skipped a beat.

"Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well?"

Loki was curled up in his favourite armchair, a mug of tea in one hand, a book in the other.

"I hope you don't mind. I helped myself, you were still fast asleep and I did not wish to disturb your slumber." His smile was the sweetest smile I had ever seen, and my heart soared.

"Did you think I had left?" he put his book down and pulled me onto his lap.

"You thought I had, did you not?"

I buried my face in his shoulder for a second.

"Maybe…" I admitted. I looked up, straight into those gorgeous blue eyes of his. "But I would not have blamed you if you had."

"And where would I have gone? Where could I possibly go that would be better than being here with you?"

I could hardly believe my ears. I secretly pinched myself, was I still dreaming? Loki's eyes smiled straight into mine.

"For the first time in a long time, I feel a glimmer of hope, I can see a light in the dark, a hint of something better to come.

Perhaps if you'd come with me, I'd run. Far, far away, where they'd never find us. But you have a life here, and I would never ask you to abandon that.

So for now, I think I might just rather stay."

His eyes studied mine, searching for what lay in my heart. "That is if you'll still have me of course…"

I nodded, lost for words, and then smothered him with kisses.

And thus began what was possibly the happiest time of our lives, at least for a while. We couldn't tell anyone about us of course. Or about the fact that we could remove the collar at will now. At best we'd be assigned different partners, at worst Loki would be locked away in the deepest darkest cell available.

But that time was magical, it truly was.

Loki spent most of his nights with me, easily explained away by the fact that his apartment was horrible and the bed in my guest room far more comfortable. Not that that's where he was staying of course!

Jessie knew of course. It would have been impossible to hide from her, and I told her straight away. I was worried the conversation would be awkward. After we lost her father, I had hurt for such a long time, and after that, I was so numb. I had focussed on raising Jessie by myself, believing there wasn't room for anyone else in my life.

"He makes you happy mum," Jessie had cut me off as I had awkwardly begun to explain, "and that's all that matters. I haven't seen you this happy in a really long time. And I don't care what he did in the past, as long as he's good to you. Besides that, I like Loki, he makes me laugh too."

Cedric knew as well. If Loki wasn't with me, he was often with Cedric. Loki's tastes were at times far more refined than mine. I wasn't really one for opera or poetry readings, or French New Wave movies from the 1950s. Or the endless hours those two could spend shopping for clothes. Soon they were the talk of the Secret World, with plenty of speculation about the exact nature of their relationship. Both of them laughed it off. I was just happy Loki had a friend. Plus, it gave me time to spend with Jessie or with Richard.

Richard and I had apologised to each other, but things were still awkward between us. Not being able to tell Richard about the biggest thing that was happening in my life stood in the way of our friendship. But Richard was a Templar and my direct superior, and I wasn't sure if I trusted him to keep our relationship a secret.

Our budding relationship didn't make much of a difference with regard to our work. Loki and I had worked well together in the past, and we worked well together now. Even if we did argue a lot on the job!

The job itself had changed though. Once it had been as if everything in the Secret World was stirring at once, but it had gotten quieter and quieter. There was still plenty of work to be done, but there were days when we were on stand by, merely hanging around waiting to be called to work.

"I am so bored!" Loki moaned. It was only the twentieth time he had mentioned this in the last few minutes.

"Can one truly die of boredom? Because I fear my life will be flashing before my eyes any minute now…"

Loki was wearing the Loki T-shirt I had bought him a while ago and black stonewashed jeans. His Loki socks were poking out above them.

He was hanging upside down on his favourite chair, long legs resting against the backrest, jutting out in the air. His head was resting in my lap, as I sat on the floor. I was making little braids in his hair.

"I am so bored!" Loki wailed again.

I wasn't bored. I had been quite busy actually, writing my report for the last mission we had been on. But Loki was distracting me with his constant complaining, and I had given up.

"Wy don't you ring Cedric and ask him to go for a manicure with you?" I suggested. Anything for some peace and quiet.

"Cedric is working with his charity this afternoon," Loki grumbled.

Cedric ran a charity for homeless LGBTQA+ youth in LA. I knew Loki had no interest in helping him with that. Charity just wasn't his thing, he'd say.

"Can't you read a book or something? I still have my report to write, and after that, I'll have to write yours too."

I'm still not completely sure how that had become my job too. The Templars insist on handwritten reports, something to do with their authenticity. I suspected it was a holdover from the previous century.

When Loki was granted his own place and allowance, he was suddenly required to write reports too. And he had no intention of writing them.

His first report had been written in Asgardian, the next few in languages that had been dead and long forgotten.

One of them consisted of the phrase "I am Groot" over and over again. Loki insisted it was a real language, but I had seen Guardians of the Galaxy and I didn't believe him for a minute.

The last report had no words at all. Instead, he had painstakingly drawn out our mission with anatomically correct stick figures. At that point, I lost my temper, and tore up the report (I've always regretted that. I should have kept it myself for posterity's sake.) and yelled "Fine, I'll do it myself."

The huge smug grin that spread over his face made me suspect that that had been Loki's plan all along. And now I was stuck not writing one, but two reports after every mission.

"I've got an idea! Ow!" Loki cried out as he suddenly jumped up from the chair, his hair still entangled in my hands. Impatiently he shook out the little braids while bounding into the kitchen.

I sat down to write my report again. What was he up to though? I decided I'd better check.

Loki had moved the kitchen chairs into the hallway and was now moving the large wooden table by himself.

"Be a dear and grab the other end?" he asked cheerfully.

I had no choice but to oblige since the table was already pressing against me. I had to climb over the table to get back into the kitchen, at which point Loki was gliding on his socks over the kitchen floor.

He grinned at me. "This will do!"

"What are you doing?" I asked, as he grabbed my shoulders and manoeuvred me to the middle of the kitchen.

"Close your eyes!" he commanded.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"Trust me, this will be fun!" Loki grinned mischievously. "Close your eyes!"

I closed my eyes.

"Beauty and the Beast is still your favourite Disney movie, yes?" Loki asked.

I opened my eyes. "Yes, why?"

"Trust me! He grinned.

I closed my eyes again. Nothing happened.

"Oh, will you just for once in your life not be so stubborn?" Loki muttered in irritation. "Can't you just surrender your will for one moment?"

I opened my eyes again. His eyes were glowing green, but nothing was happening.

"Your Bee is blocking my magic because it sees it as hostile. Can you just surrender your will for a second, allow me to work my magic on you?" Loki frowned at me.

I closed my eyes, trying my best to surrender my will, but without knowing what he was planning it didn't come easy.

"Fine, you stubborn mule of a woman!" Loki barked. "Just look in my eyes instead! See if that works! As stubborn as a goat, I swear!"

I bit back an angry retort and looked into his eyes. After a moment I felt myself falling into them as his eyes slowly turned from blue to green, my body relaxing and my mind surrendering to his will.

I was standing at the top of ornate stairs, looking down into a gilded ballroom with large windows overlooking a winter garden at night. A beautiful chandelier hung over the ballroom, basking it in a warm golden glow.

Bookcases linen the walls.

"Yes, I wasn't sure about that, I vaguely remember bookcases, probably not in the ballroom though. Meh, it works I think," Loki grinned.

He was wearing a rich blue tailcoat, embroidered with silver, black trousers and white gloves.

I looked down at my own clothes, I was wearing a yellow ballgown, my hair tumbling in thick curls over one shoulder. "Loki?"

He held out a gloved hand. "May I?" he asked with a bow.

"Is this an illusion?" I asked.

"Something like that, yes." he winked. "It's mostly in your mind."

He led me down the stairs, to the middle of the ballroom and took a few steps back.

The theme song to Beauty and the Beast began to play. What was happening?

Loki bowed, and I felt myself curtsy in return. I could not help but smile, this was so amazing!

"May I have this dance, my lady?" Loki asked formally.

"I haven't danced in years, I'm not sure if I remember how," I admitted.

"Just follow my lead. One hand on my arm," he said, as he took my hand and placed it on his right bicep, "and the other hand in mine."

His blue eyes twinkled into mine, the corner of his mouth upturned in a smile. "One, two… three."

The simple one, two, three steps of the waltz quickly came back to me. I couldn't stop smiling, this was so magical, in every meaning of the word!

Loki moved with beauty and grace, his strong arms around me, his steps confident and sure.

We were gliding over the ballroom floor, our bodies moving as one to the tune of one of my favourite songs. Snow softly began to fall outside the windows, glistening in the light shining out through the windows.

My heart was full, I could not have loved Loki more as I did at that moment, that wonderful, magical moment, as purely on a whim he made one of my most precious childhood dreams come to life.

I felt myself twirling away, only to return into his arms a few moments later as he caught me, and gently dipped me down.

"You are so beautiful," he smiled at me, "Do you know how truly remarkable you are?"

I smiled back, not really knowing what to say to that. I felt like I was floating on air.

"Look down," Loki chuckled. I looked at our feet, and we were gliding through the air, a few feet above the ballroom floor!

"You just couldn't let me have all control now, could you?" he gently admonished.

"Me?" I asked in surprise.

"Oh yes, my dear, that is all you, I'm afraid!" he said with a wink and a smile. I blushed, I hadn't meant to, I wasn't even sure how I did that!

We gently drifted down, the floor firmly beneath our feet again. We kept dancing, lost in each other's eyes, in each other's arms, in each other's smiles, both of us unaware that the music had finished ages ago.

Suddenly the ballroom shimmered, and we were back in the kitchen, the sunlight shining brightly as birds sang outside. Loki stumbled, breathing heavy, but with a smile on his face.

I wrapped my arms around him to steady him, I know he had overextended himself and had used far more anima than he should have.

Loki leaned against me and kissed the top of my head.

"See? I told you it would be fun!"