Ella stood overlooking the River Hudson, her hands holding onto the barrier as she looked out over the water. She was silent as the sun slowly set over New York City. She had wandered around the city while Thor dealt with Loki, making sure that he was restrained and unable to practice his magic. Ella had left them to it, insisting that she needed time to herself. She had looked to Loki as he had been handcuffed and his eyes had met hers.

She had looked away after a moment, fearing she might openly sob for him as she left, informing Thor that she needed time alone. Wandering around the streets, she saw the destruction that her brother had caused. The Chitauri were all dead, but their bodies were mixed alongside humans. Ella had seen families weep over their lost ones, gulping at the sight and tears threatening to brim from her eyes down her cheek.

Loki had done this. Loki had been the one to cause this much suffering. But, Ella suspected there was something more. Someone controlled him, she knew that much. She had heard him tell her that. Of course, she didn't know who it was and he had not been forthcoming with the information. Ella had seen some sense of conflict inside of him earlier. She had seen some kind of regret, but Loki hid it well. He hid everything too well and that was the problem.

As Ella continued her walk, she felt people staring at her as she passed. Did they know who she was? Did they have any idea where she came from? She ignored them too content on finding somewhere quiet for her to go. Looking to the sky once she had arrived at the waterfront, she wondered if her father and mother knew what had happened. Did they know that Loki had been stopped? More importantly, did they know that their children had failed them?

Thor and Ella had set out on a mission to bring Loki home. They had vowed to bring him back safely and they had failed. A part of Ella wondered if her mother would be disappointed in her. Ella had prided herself on being the one who was able to talk sense to Loki and she couldn't do it.

"Your brother is wondering where you are."

Ella turned her head over her shoulder in time to see Steve approaching her. Ella turned around, her thighs resting against the barrier as she offered Steve a soft smile. He stood next to her, arms folded over his chest as he looked over the city, the sight of collapsing buildings and destruction greeting his eyes.

"I told Thor that I needed time alone."

"I get the feeling he's a worrier," he commented and Ella scoffed.

"You wouldn't be wrong," she informed him. "He never used to be like this…he…well…he has changed over the past year."

"For the better?"

"Trust me, it couldn't have been for the worse," she said, her lips curling upwards once more and Steve felt himself smile despite everything. "Thor used to be self-centred and obnoxious. Father banished him here and he came back a changed man."

"I heard about that," Steve said to her.

"I think everyone has," Ella said. "But Thor came back and ever since he has been completely different. It seems him and Loki have swapped roles."

"He told me about Loki too," Steve said. "He said how…well…you've always been close to Loki…the one he listens to."

Ella shook her head. "I used to be the one he listened to," Ella spoke. "I don't know what really changed, but Loki doesn't want to listen to me. I asked him to stop this. I begged him. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't do anything but sit back and watch him self-destruct."

"What he did is not your fault," Steve informed her and she scoffed softly.

"You don't know what I did to him back home," Ella whispered. "I betrayed him. I made him feel as though he couldn't trust me and I betrayed his confidence. I constantly went behind his back. I constantly doubted him. I should never have done that. I should never have done any of it."

"You didn't force him to come to Earth and do this."

"But I could have done more." Ella said with a firm shake of her head and turned to look a back over the water, bowing her head as she felt the overwhelming urge to sob. She had held it in this entire time and she didn't know how much more she could cope with. "I should have done more."

Steve sensed the anguish inside of her and he kept silent, inhaling a sharp breath before speaking in a soft voice.

"I know all about blaming yourself," Steve informed her as she managed to pick her head up and turn her head to the side to look at him. "I'm supposed to be here really. I should be dead and in the ice still."

"What happened?" Ella wondered from him.

"When I was younger I was injected with a serum that gave me…well…I'm not a superhero or anything like you, but I do have enhanced strength and speed," Steve said and Ella nodded.

"I kind of gathered that," she informed him.

"Anyway, I did that to be able to fight in the Second World War," Steve whispered to her. "During the War…I…well…a lot of things happened, but one thing that happened was I got hold of the tesseract."

Ella felt her mouth gape as she heard him and he nodded in confirmation.

"I know," he agreed with her silent shock. "I crashed the plane carrying the tesseract into the ocean. I was on ice…I thought I was dead…I'd died destroying that thing and I thought that was noble enough, but then I woke up and everything here is different. Everything has changed. Everyone I cared about before has died…everyone has gone…and…there's so much that I wanted to say to them and I'll never get a chance to say it now."

"That's horrible," Ella whispered. "You did what you thought was right, Steve. There can be no good that comes from the tesseract…but…you lost everything."

"I lost everything and I have so many regrets," Steve whispered. "So many things I had wanted to do and to say to people."

"I can imagine," Ella informed him and he moved a hand to rub at his chin for a moment before seeing Ella glance up to him. "I'm sorry for going on," she declared. "I…I sound so whinging when you have gone through so much more than I ever could have."

Steve chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm alive," he simply responded. "I'm still here and I'm able to help people who need me. I think that is all that is important right now."

Ella bit down on her tongue and nodded. "That's a refreshing perspective," Ella informed him.

"I can't dwell on what I lost," Steve said. "If I did then I would get nothing done."

Before Ella could respond, she saw her brother in the distance, clutching hold of his hammer as he moved towards them. Ella saw that his cloak was torn and his arms covered in cuts and dirt. Ella stepped away and towards him as Thor held his hands out to his sister, dropping his hammer by his side. She took hold of them as Thor bowed his head and squeezed her hands tightly.

"None of this is your fault," Thor said and Ella looked up to him.

"How did you know I blamed myself?"

"Because I know you," Thor responded simply. "Loki made the choices he did."

"Where is he?"

"Somewhere safe," Thor said to her. "There are people who would love to get their hands on him. He needs to be hidden until we return tomorrow."

"What will happen to him?" Ella whispered.

"I do not know," Thor admitted. "But, whatever happens, he brought this all upon himself."

Ella didn't respond, instead she looked on as Steve moved closer towards them. Standing opposite Thor, Steve looked to the God of Thunder and nodded to him. He didn't entirely know what he should say to him, knowing that what he probably wanted was peace at that moment in time.

"Thanks for helping us," Steve managed to say to Thor. "I don't think it would have been a fair fight without you."

"Probably not," Thor said, sounding slightly cocky as Ella rolled her eyes at hearing him. "Regardless, I came here to tell you that Fury is looking for you. I just need a word with my sister."

"Yeah…of course…" Steve nodded. "I'll see you both later on."

"Bye, Steve," Ella spoke and watched him wander away as Thor nodded his head.

Moving to drop her arm inside of Thor's the two of them walked along the side of the Hudson.

"You can't keep doing this, Ella," Thor informed his sister.

"Doing what?" she responded.

"Blaming yourself for what Loki did," Thor said. "You spent months on Asgard locked away and hiding, Ella. You wouldn't come out your room or speak to anyone. You can't go back to that. You cannot let Loki keep breaking you."

"What else can I do?" Ella wondered, shrugging her shoulders. "Loki is our brother, Thor. When you were here and I was with him on Asgard, I betrayed his trust. I think that I am to blame for what he has done here. If I had been honest with him…if I had just trusted him…"

Thor shook his head. "Nothing would have worked, Ella," he assured her. "Loki felt the way he did not because of you, but because of everyone else…because of me…because of father…you were the only one who treated him like he longed to be treated."

"Stop it," Ella whispered.

"It is the truth," Thor responded. "Loki did what he did because it is who he is, not because of your actions."

"Deep down, I know that," Ella nodded her head. "But deep down I also feel as though I have failed him."

"If anyone has failed him, it is me and father," Thor said. "I only worry that there will be no bringing him back from what he has done."

…

Ella was unsure of how S.H.I.E.L.D. worked. She had listened to the debrief meeting before she had been told that their were guest bedrooms in the underground base. Ella had gone into her own chamber and settled down on the bed, her back resting against the wall the bed was against. She pulled her knees to her chin before she saw him. Uncurling from her position on the bed, she moved to sit on the edge of it.

"How are you here?" she demanded from him and he shrugged his shoulders before moving around the room, still dressed in his traditional clothing.

"Humans are not as advanced as we are," Loki informed her. "The cage contains me, but it cannot stop me practicing magic."

Ella nodded. "So this isn't you."

"No," Loki said, "not in my true form."

"So I see," Ella mused. "And what are you doing here?"

Loki lowered his gaze to the floor before daring to sit down on the bed near her, but keeping his distance. She turned her head to look to him, but Loki was still watching the floor, seemingly more interested in it than her.

"Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to see you?" Loki asked from her, turning his gaze towards her and Ella took her turn to look away.

"Don't," she demanded from him, feeling herself grow with rage.

"What?" Loki wondered and he watched her stand up.

"You had ample of opportunities to see me in person," she snarled at him. "You could have stopped all of this the day we came for you. You could have just…done none of this…you could have stopped this in Asgard and then we would not be here. We would still have been at home…being us…the way it was…so do not come here and dare to tell me that you just wanted to see me. You never get to say anything like that again."

Loki could see the rage in his sister's eyes and he wondered what he had done. For a brief moment, he felt regret course through his veins. He felt regret that he had hurt Ella in such a manner. He felt anguish that he had been the one to cause her hurt. He never meant to do that. He never meant to see Ella hurt. He adored her, of course he did, she was his sister, despite everything he said. He would always feel affection towards her. He would never be able to turn that off or make it go away.

"I can't do this," Ella said to him with a firm shake of her head. "I can't keep doing this…wallowing…blaming myself…Thor is right."

"Thor?" he asked from her.

"Yes, our brother," Ella said. "You remember him, do you not?"

"How sarcastic," Loki muttered. "And what did that great oaf have to say?"

Ella scoffed. "Do not speak of him like that," she demanded of him. "Thor returned home a changed man. He is no longer the brother we knew. He has been there for me. Do you know that I have barely said two words to father since you fell from the Bridge? I have hardly been able to look at him because I blamed him for you falling…I blamed him because he said the one thing you never wanted to hear."

Loki looked away as Ella continued on her rant.

"I blamed everyone but you. I blamed father. I blamed myself for going behind your back. I…I didn't come out of my chamber for days…weeks…" Ella said, feeling her emotions getting the better of her. "I mourned you. I cried for hours. I wanted you back, Loki. I wanted you to come home. I want the brother I knew, not this man in front of me."

"I am still me, Ella, this is who I always have been."

"No it isn't," Ella said to him as she moved back to the bed and Loki stood instead. "And you're lying to yourself if you think it is."

"I wanted you by my side, Ella," Loki responded, looking down to her as she rested on her side on the bed. "I asked you to join me. I never abandoned you."

"No, you just wanted me to commit mass murder by your side," Ella replied.

"Ella-"

"-Just leave me alone," Ella interrupted him.

"Is that what you want?" Loki enquired.

Ella scoffed and closed her eyes, a single tear falling down her cheek. "What I want is to forget this ever happened," Ella responded. "But that's impossible."

Loki watched her for a few moments, wondering if he would dare to say anything else. He kept his lips pursed tightly together and allowed his hologram to disappear from the room, finding himself unable to watch his sister any longer for, deep down, he knew that he had hurt her beyond belief. Slowly, he suspected, the guilt would eat him up.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!