Thor didn't know how he could bring his sister out of her chamber. She had locked herself away in that room for the past week, refusing to come out. She had meals sent to her, but she would only take mouthfuls and then return them. Frigga had comforted her daughter, lying on the bed besides her, wrapping her arms around her. Odin had tried to talk to his daughter, but she had refused to listen. She blamed him for this. He had said the words that had finally pushed Loki over the edge.

Visiting his sister, Thor would sit on the edge of her bed, his hand moving to hold her arm as she rested on her side. She didn't speak nor did she move. She was silent and still, a shadow of her former self. Her thoughts were constantly on Loki, wondering exactly what she could have done differently.

It was on the sixth morning of him visiting her when Thor finally got conversation from her.

"He sent the Destroyer," Thor spoke in a soft voice. "He sent the Destroyer to kill me and I don't know what I have done to him, Ella. I…I knew there was a rivalry between us, but I never suspected he wanted to see me dead. Do you know how that felt, Ella?"

Sniffing, Ella finally sat up and looked to her brother. She watched him as she took hold of both of his hands and Thor looked downwards, a sense of anguish pining in his chest on once more.

"That was wrong," Ella said to Thor. "And I have never felt so ill at hearing that. The thought of him letting the Frost Giants into Asgard…sending the Destroyer after you…that was not the Loki I knew…not the Loki you knew…"

"It was not," Thor agreed with his younger sister. "But he did it, Ella. He did all of it."

"And it was all my fault," Ella said in a whisper.

Moving to take hold of her chin, Thor lifted her gaze up to meet his, seeing the tears that were forming in his sister's eyes. He shook his head at her, refusing to believe that any of this was her fault. His Ella was not like Loki. She was sweet, loving and gentle. She had a temper when she needed it and sarcasm when required, but she was not like Loki.

"How was any of this your fault?"

"Because I betrayed him," Ella said. "Thor, I went behind his back so many times…because I thought that I was doing the right thing. He asked me for my trust and confidence and I betrayed him because I thought I was doing the right thing. I always thought that I was doing the right thing and clearly I was not."

"Mother told me," Thor whispered. "Ella, you did nothing wrong. You never did anything wrong."

"I should have stood by his side."

"You would not have stopped him," Thor informed her. "You would never have stopped him from doing everything that he had planned. He has his own mind. He came to me on Earth and he…he lied to me, Ella…before everything…he came and told me that Odin had died. He lied."

Ella let out a deep breath, the noise shaky as Thor continued to grip onto her hands, holding them tightly before he saw her close her eyes, tears falling down her cheek and into her lap.

"Why did he do this?" Ella whispered. "Why did he do any of this? We loved him…he was our brother."

"He did not see himself as our brother in the end, Ella," Thor responded. "He saw himself as an outcast and I regret that. I regret everything about what I might have said or done to him in the past…perhaps he did have reason to dislike me…but you? I cannot see why he would do anything to hurt you."

Ella scoffed. "I think that was the problem," she admitted to him. "He never did anything to hurt me. He was always trying to protect me and make me see that what he did was for us…he…I do not know why he thought that, but he did."

"It is odd," Thor admitted to his sister. "But Loki made his choices."

"But why did he fall?" Ella wondered. "Why didn't he just come back? We could have made everything right. We could have put this behind us."

"I know," Thor said to her. "But he has gone, Ella. All we can do is remember the Loki we grew with and loved."

Ella didn't want to admit that Loki had gone. She didn't want him to be gone. She wanted him back. Closing her eyes, she moved with haste until she had her arms wrapped around her brother's neck and she held onto him, hoping for some sense of comfort as she rested her head on his shoulder. Thor held her back, his mind focused on how he could help his sister considering he couldn't help his brother.

…

"Did you love her?" Ella wondered as she walked with Thor later in the day, both of them wandering through the gardens side by side as Thor told Ella of Earth and, in particular, Jane.

"I do not know," Thor admitted to his sister. "I had feelings for her. I cannot deny it."

"And did she care for you?"

"I should have hoped so," Thor declared. "I do not know entirely, Ella. I had no time to speak of these things with her. All I know is that you would have liked her. She was strong, charming and, above everything else, very intelligent."

Ella managed a soft smile. "She sounds lovely, Thor," she said, sounding sincerely happy for her brother. "Is there no way you can go back to her?"

Thor said nothing for a second as they took a turn through the peach trees. "The Bifrost is being rebuilt. Perhaps once that happens then I can go to her. I do not know when that will be or how long it shall take, but…I do not want her to stay on Earth and wait for me."

"But if you love her and she loves you then why not?" Ella enquired and Thor managed a soft smile at hearing her.

"Because I do not think love works like that," Thor said. "If I can not return to her then someone else should have the chance to make her happy. She should be with someone who is like her…someone she can age with…not me."

Ella nodded her head at hearing him. "I suspect that is very noble of you," she declared. "But does it not sadden you?"

"Terribly," Thor admitted to his sister, perching on the edge of a bench as Ella joined him, sitting down and looking around. "I am not the same as when I left. I am different, Ella. I feel different."

Ella smirked and looked to him with an arched brow. "My, my," she chuckled, "has Thor truly grown up?"

He moved to ruffle her hair and she swatted him away, laughing once as Thor managed to quirk his lips upwards. A sense of normality took hold of both of them for a moment. This was what it had been like. They had joked with each other and teased each other. It was the way it should have been.

"I had no choice," Thor spoke. "I needed to grow up, sweet sister."

"I'm glad," Thor said. "You seem much more mature, Thor…still you…but…but less arrogant."

"You wound me," Thor said, pressing a hand to his chest as Ella's lips quirked once more. "Do you imply that I used to be pig-headed?"

"Just a little," she said. "Perhaps I might meet this Jane one day. I can thank the woman who made my brother a better man. Besides, it is a sister's prerogative to meet the woman who holds her brother's heart, especially if she managed to best you."

"And the man who holds my sister's heart?" Thor asked of her. "What am I to think of him when I eventually meet him?"

"Do not turn this onto me," Ella said. "I doubt I shall ever feel that way about someone. Mother has stopped trying to find me a suitor. I suspect that is one good thing, but…I do not think that I am ready to feel anything so deeply."

"You do not think it until it happens," Thor informed her. "Believe me, Ella, I never imagined I would feel this way for anyone."

"This is so odd," Ella whispered. "How are we both sat here talking about our feelings? We never talked about our feelings…I used…well…that was more a conversation I would have with Loki."

Thor nodded his head. "Did you often talk about things like this with Loki?"

Ella shrugged. "I cannot entirely remember," she admitted. "We would talk about everything and nothing, really. We would talk about so many things and he would…he would always listen to me….even when we were children he would listen to me. He never turned me away, even if what I was feeling was foolish."

"He loved you," Thor spoke with sincerity. "If I know only one thing then it is that he always loved you more than anyone."

"No," Ella shook her head. "He loved us all."

"Perhaps in his own way," Thor nodded, "but he had a special adoration for you, Ella. I saw the way he was with you and I saw how you were with him."

"Don't," Ella whispered to Thor as she felt tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I can't keep doing this…crying…"

"Yes, you can," Thor said to her. "You can cry for as long as you like because you miss him. One day it will not hurt us, Ella. One day we will stop grieving so openly."

"How long will that take?"

"I do not know." Thor spoke. "I do not know."

…

"She will not speak with me."

"She is angry and upset."

"She does not look at me."

"Because she is angry and upset," Frigga answered once more as she sat with her husband around the dining table. Dinner had been a terse affair, as Frigga had expected. Her daughter had finally graced them with her presence before leaving with Thor, the two of them saying that they needed to go for a walk.

"I only told him the truth," Odin informed his wife. "I only told Loki that he did not do this for me."

"And you could have lied to him," Frigga said.

"I could never lie to him," Odin responded. "He was our son, Frigga. He deserved the truth. I did not for one moment think that he would fall to his death. I never wanted that for him. You know how much I love him."

Frigga let out a deep breath and took a sip from her cup of wine. "I know," she agreed with him. "But I also know Loki. He…all he wanted was our love. He wanted us to love him equally."

"And we did," Odin said.

"Did we?" Frigga responded. "We always knew that he was different. Perhaps he picked up on that fact? Perhaps he knew all along?"

"He couldn't have."

"Well, he did," Frigga snapped. "Because he fell. He did all of those things and we only have ourselves to blame."

Frigga moved to her feet and left the room, heading towards the balcony. Looking down, she saw her daughter and son roaming the gardens, her eyes set on both of them. She watched as Ella bent down and placed a hand against a rose, sniffing it as Thor remained stood. Her eyes watered as she watched the scene, her daughter finally standing and taking hold of Thor by the arm, her small muscle inside of his large ones. Tears formed in Frigga's eyes as she knew that the scene was missing one person.

…

A/N: Moving onto the Avengers next so please do let me know what you think!