Yep! Super speedy update! This has been my absolute favourite chapter to write so far and also in a way, the trickiest. But I've read over it a thousand times and I'm pretty happy with it.

I hope you all enjoy. I know how patient you've all been with me and my inconsistent updates, so I hope this reunion is worth the wait.

I love you all! Please review.

Rosa stood in the Throne Room with Queen Frigga on one side of her and Sif on the other. The mood in the room hung heavy with anticipation. Most who were present made no attempt to hide their apprehension with the knowledge that Thor was returning with the traitor, Loki. They looked to the King for guidance but he sat stoic atop the Throne, staring at the centre of the room, awaiting his son's return.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rosa saw Sif glance her way for the thousandth time that morning. She could not truly say that she could blame her for her anxiety but it was beginning to wear thin on her patience. As soon as her consciousness had returned to the Asgardian realm, Sif had been at her side once again, begging for answers. Rosa had felt the last of the Oracle's power drain from her and her eyes had immediately grown heavy for want of sleep.

"It's over, Sif. Thor will return home when the next sunrises." She told her gently, moving in a dreamlike state towards her bed.

While the Oracle had been with her, she had seen the Man of Iron divert a bomb that was set to destroy the city. She had seen the Romanoff woman close the portal. She had seen the Chitauri fall. And she had seen Thor take his brother into custody, the Tesseract once again in safe possession.

It had angered Sif when Rosa had denied her answers to her questions. Primarily, who was the voice that had borrowed Rosa's mouth? No being should hold the capability to do such a thing. It was a dark kind of magic that Rosa had permitted to possess her. Rosa had only insisted that she had known what she was doing, that Sif needed to trust her and it was then that Sif had threatened to go to the Allfather.

It had sparked an unexpected fury in Rosa and she had snapped that such course of action would be foolish. Did the Allfather not already have enough on his mind without concerning him with inane matters such as this?

"Leave it be, Sif." She had said, resting her head back upon her pillow. Her heart had beat at a million miles a second, and she could not quite understand why the idea of the Allfather knowing what had happened had frightened her so much.

She glanced towards Sif who quickly looked away from her. She suspected that things would remain tense between the two of them for a time, and the notion saddened her. Sif had become so dear to her and the idea of losing her friendship was not a thought she wished to dwell upon.

There would however, be time to fix that later. She took in a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves. He was coming back. Her heart fluttered at the very thought. No longer would she spend countless hours searching for him, wondering if he was alright. He would be right there, in the flesh. She would be able to explain herself, what had happened, what Lyora had done. She would tell him that she loved him…

Quickly, she shook the thought away. She needed to be realistic. Loki was coming back to face punishment for his crimes.

He had been so cold towards her when she had gone to him. She had never expected that they would leap into one another's arms and all would be as it once was… but she had not expected him to put up such a wall, not for her. It had stung.

A sudden flash of brilliant blue light startled Rosa from her thoughts. She blinked furiously, straining to see past the blinding glow.

There they stood. Brothers and enemies.

Silence fell over the Kingdom as all stared their way but before long murmuring buzzed throughout the crowd. The sound grew gradually, becoming all the more aggressive. Before for long, the Palace shook with the angry roar of the Asgardians. They shook fists and screamed for justice. Screamed for him to pay. For his blood.

Rosa made to move forward but Frigga, sensing her intentions, took hold of her wrist.

"You must remain in your place, Rosa. The whole Kingdom is watching." She whispered without looking away from her sons as they approached the King. She gave nothing away. She stood with her head high and not so much as one hint of emotion upon her face. She was a Queen doing her duty by her husband's side… as if she had no connection to the dark haired man before them whatsoever.

Rosa turned back to watch Loki as he walked willingly to face his fate. Two royal guards had come to stand on either side of him but when they moved to place their hands upon him he had frozen and they backed away slightly as he shot each of them a deathly glare.

Look at me, Loki… Rosa willed him. I'm here. Look at me.

Once they reached the foot of Odin's Throne, the Allfather stood and sounded his staff once, calling for the silence of his people. The roar of the enormous crowd died away immediately but the atmosphere remained just as fierce as it had been. The people of Asgard wanted Loki's blood.

"Loki." Odin spoke at last, his mighty voice echoed out over the people. "You stand accused of permitting a number of Joten's into the realm of Asgard, sending the Destroyer to a peaceful realm to attack an innocent, the attempted destruction of the realm of Jotenheim, the deaths of greater than one hundred mortals in Midgard, severe destruction of their realm, and theft of the Tesseract."

A murmur swept out amongst the spectators, though not a single pair of eyes tore away from the scene before them.

"At daybreak tomorrow, you shall stand trial before a Council of the Gods. If you are found guilty of that which you have been accused, your punishment will be determined and carried out immediately… until the hour of your trail, your magic shall be bound and you will be held under close guard in the dungeons of the Royal Palace."

The guards holding Loki in place simultaneously grasped onto Loki's wrists and ripped back his sleeves, revealing smooth, pale skin. Loki made no attempt to fight them but even muzzled, all could see him snarl.

The King approached him, his eyes never once wavering as he stared into Loki's venomous gaze. Odin reached out his hand and touched his finger softly and slowly against each of Loki's wrists. As soon as their skin made contact, thin black lines faded into existence upon Loki's flesh, dancing and coiling into small, intricate knots. When at last they stilled, they looked as if they were birthmarks. Loki's magic had been sealed.

Whilst the Allfather worked, Thor moved slowly towards his Mother and his eyes met Rosa's. He looked weary, fragile even. His time in Midgard had taken much from him. She offered him a silent look of sympathy and when he reached out a hand to her she took it gently in hers and squeezed it and let go of him again as he pulled his mother into an embrace.

With only a nod as signal from the King, the Royal Guards escorted Loki from before the crowd, sure to be taken to the bowels of the dungeons.

"Thor?" Rosa called to him once the assembly was over and the Asgardians began to disperse, but he only strode past her with a stony expression upon his face. "Thor!"

She followed him down a dark corridor just behind the King's Throne, lit only by a few shattered lanterns hung from the low ceiling. Rosa followed after him, falling into stride beside him with some difficultly, his shoulders took up a great amount of space in the narrow corridor.

"Thor, what did the Allfather mean by that? Loki's punishment… What will happen to him?" there was a deep-seated vulnerability in her voice.

Thor seemed to falter for only a moment before brushing past her and continuing down the corridor. Rosa stopped, distressed by his behaviour. She felt panic rising within her and called out after him.

"Thor… he'll be alright, will he not?"

"Did you think he would just return and all would be forgotten?" Thor turned and shouted finally, frustrated by her naivety. Rosa was taken aback, never had Thor spoken to her like that before, yet when she met his eyes she saw the pain that he was in and she understood.

"No, of course not but-"

He moved towards her with an alarming pace and in her shocked state, she shrunk from him. "The people of Asgard are angry that he is here, Rosa. The Joten's still want his head after his attempt to destroy their planet. He has failed the Chitauri race and the people of Midgard want to see justice done for his crimes against their planet. You spoke the words yourself, Rosa; 'do what you must to keep Midgard safe, and be at peace with it'… this is the cost. There is nothing for him here any longer, he faces an eternity of imprisonment or death. Tomorrow we shall find out which."

Thor turned from her and strode away, the flames of the lanterns along the hallway flickering as he passed. Rosa watched him go, her chest tightening horribly. If it were true, then she would never see him again.

A thought had been playing on her mind since the moment she had learned that Thor was returning with Loki. A stupid thought, she knew that, but an increasingly irresistible one, particularly now that…

Rosa willed the thoughts away. She would wait until nightfall, then she would go to him.

It was pitch black, the only light was a glowing ember around the corner which would have been the guard's lantern. She treaded cautiously, terrified that she might fall into an open pit or step on something that would make enough noise to alert the guards to her presence. She in all honesty did not have the faintest idea what was down in the dungeons of the Asgardian Palace, she'd never stepped foot in them before, and until that day, she'd never had any desire to.

At last she came close enough to the light around the corner that she was just able to make out the outline of her feet upon the dungeon floors. She moved to press herself up against the wall, not daring to so much as glance around the corner. There was little chance that any guard would be looking her way, but it did not improve her confidence. If she were caught done there, she would be severely punished and Loki would face an eternity in chains and solitude.

She stood in silence, listening as the guards made idle chatter. Eventually she could decipher three distinct voices. Their tones were casual, at ease. Tired. They must have been there for quite some time and dread filled Rosa as realisation hit her that any moment more soldiers might come along to relieve those who guarded Loki's cell now. If she waited there and more were to come, she would most certainly be spotted but she could not risk leaving and returning again. It would not be long before someone took note of her absence. Sif most certainly would, her eyes had been trained on Rosa like a hawk upon it's prey since all she had witnessed the day before.

Rosa exhaled shakily. She had to act now.

Slowly she began to rub her hands together, in a gentle swaying motion. She worked until a glittering substance materialized in her hands. Even in the darkness Rosa could see it shine. She opened her hands and blew into the sparkling powder. It rose from her hands like the head of a dragon and became a near invisible haze. Rosa waved her hand and the glittering mist swept around the corner, filling the lungs of the unknowing guards.

Rosa waited patiently, listening as their speech became slurred and their bodies became heavy, causing them to slump up against the dungeon walls until one by one their bodies fell to the floor with a dull 'thud.' Rosa peered carefully around the corner and was satisfied to see their states of unconscious. She had only ever practiced that spell once with the Oracle and it had been upon a stray cat the woman had kept caged on the table before them. The cat had woken by the time the Oracle had declared them done for that day, so no more than a few hours. She had no idea how long the magic would last on three Asgardians.

She moved to inspect each of them individually, content when they did not react to her moving their heads experimentally. She carefully unclasped the chain around one of the guard's necks and moved cautiously towards the cell door.

It was a solid stone door, with only a tiny window carved out near the top so that guards could peer in to check on the prisoner. It was the only way any light could find it's way in. Otherwise the cell was completely eclipsed in darkness.

Rosa felt her stomach knot as she pushed the key into the lock, she was suddenly so terribly afraid. What would she find behind that door? After two years spent worlds apart, after everything that had come to pass… they were practically strangers. Once they had been so in sync, shared everything, trusted one another completely. It all seemed a million years ago.

The notion that frightened her more than anything was that she may very well open that door and discover the monster that everyone warned her he was.

Or would he still be her Loki? She had been so sure that she had seen a glimpse of him when she had spoken to him in Midgard… but the way he had looked at Odin, the hatred… the people he had killed. Was there really anything left of him in there? Rosa's heart grew heavy, knowing that she really ought not to interfere in this. But if he was still in there, if there were any chance of redemption for him, she could not allow the man she loved to face death.

She turned the lock and stepped into the cell.

Even with the door ajar, she was plunged into near complete darkness. She heard the rattle of chains in the corner and spun to face the noise as the sound of slow and steady footfalls came towards her from within the darkness. She looked up at him as he emerged into the light, quite a sight to been seen, still locked up in his silver muzzle.

He studied her with those cold eyes of his, boring into her. Rosa had never felt so exposed in her life, like the prey of a savage beast, though simultaneously her heart fluttered at the idea of at last being within such a close proximity of him again.

If he were at all surprised by her presence he made no sign of it. If anything, they way he looked at her, she felt unwelcomed there.

Slowly, tentatively, Rosa moved towards him. Her gentle gaze met his, cold harsh, once more as she raised her hands and grazed her fingers against his muzzle. He let out a muffled grunt of protestation and jerked away from her touch slightly.

Rosa felt the telltale prickle of magic coursing beneath her skin and soon as her touched feathered over the device again it gave a soft 'click' and fell free from Loki's face. As it clattered to the ground Rosa stepped back from him quickly, still nervous.

Loki stared at the contraption that now lay upon the grimy cell floor with jaw set. His eyes then slowly trailed up her body until he reached her face. Rosa inhaled sharply under his gaze. Where had this predatory demeanour come from? The years he'd spent alone it seemed, had not been kind to him at all.

"I made no request for visitors." Loki spat at her at last.

"You're a prisoner." Rosa rebutted, not at all liking that fact that he seemed more collected than her. "The choice is not really up to you."

Loki's eyes flicked to the open cell door and he snickered at her with a gesture towards it. "I don't blame you for that. If I were you, I'd find the idea of being locked in here with me without the protection of your guards rather... unintelligent."

Rosa gave small shrug. "Actually, the guards are… otherwise occupied at present."

His icy gaze bore into her for a moment before moving towards the cell door and glanced outside to see the unconscious men. He eyes fell back upon Rosa and he tilted his head questioningly.

"You did this?" He asked slowly.

Rosa nodded, stepping towards him once again to close the distance between them. Something between a smirk and a snarl twisted it's way onto Loki's features as he watched her.

"Oh… I see. You're not supposed to be down here." He drawled, circling her. "Tsk, tsk… your husband is not going to be too pleased when he learns of you misbehaving, is he?"

"Loki…"

"He certainly has you well trained to the public eye though, does he not? Dressed in the finest of silks, stood right beside the Queen, his dear Mother, as he returns victorious once again with the Traitor bound and gagged."

She had not even considered how her presence amongst the Royals would appear to him. "Loki, I never married Thor."

The shock showed upon Loki's face for only a moment before he hid it behind his impassive mask. Though even in the darkness, Rosa had seen it.

"My condolences." Loki sneered. "Found another woman he preferred after yet another three minute exchange, I suppose?"

"I never wanted to marry Thor, Loki. I wanted you. You knew that."

Loki shifted his gaze away. He moved away from her once again, seating himself upon the stone bench in the far corner – the only form of 'furniture' in the cell. Rosa followed him stubbornly, she knelt down before him and rested her hands in her lap. She watched as he made his best attempt to look anywhere but her face, his eyes fell upon her burns.

"That day… when I asked Lyora to deliver a message to you-"

Rosa saw a spark of hatred flair in Loki's eyes as she uttered the name. His façade was beginning to crack.

"Loki, that day… I asked her to tell you that I loved you. I asked her to say that if running away was what it took to escape marrying your brother instead of you then I was prepared to do just that."

Loki's eyes flashed up to meet hers, his nostrils flared as he fought to control his breathing. Boldly, Rosa reached out her hand a slowly took hold of his thumb. This time, he did not pull away and she experienced a wonderful feeling of relief wash through her.

"I don't know what she said to you exactly, Loki… but I can guess. When we stood in the Bifrost and I saw you holding my necklace, I knew what she must have done."

Loki leaned forward then, still seemingly reluctant. He closed his eyes as he gave in to a moment of weakness, and pressed his forehead up against hers. Rosa, utterly breathless, felt tears forming in her eyes as she raised her hands to take hold of the front of his lapels. A floodgate of memories seemed to be crashing through each of their minds, of their happier times, of their time apart, of their pain, their loneliness…

Rosa eyes flew opened as her body tingled and for a fleeting moment she was certain she had pushed herself inside his mind. She had seen an image of him, a younger him, standing before his father.

Because I am the monster that parents tell their children about at night?

She heard the words as an echo and they broke her heart. Never did she wish to hear so much pain in his voice ever again. Her tears fell at last and she leaned against him, his familiar scent filling her nostrils.

"Loki, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." She sobbed.

Her grip on him tightened even more and Loki clenched his jaw, an inner battle raging as to whether he should push her off of him or give in to her completely. Still he tensed beneath every one of her movements but there was something so inviting… something he'd all but forgotten…

Rosa finally looked up and touched his cheek, "Do you remember how happy that day was to be?" she murmured.

Loki leaned into her touch, his eyes closed, still unable to speak. He raised his hand to hold hers in place against his cheek, fearing that it will be the last time he ever experienced it.

"We were going to tell your Father, and no matter what his answer was to be, you swore we'd not live another day in secret. I was content to never leave your side again… and when you fell, Loki, I knew you were alive. Somehow I knew. I searched for you, I waited for a sign… and I did not act as I did, so that I might see you locked away forever in a dark prison cell."

His eyes shot up.

"Loki…" Rosa's heartbeat thundered in her chest, and she took in a deep steadying breath. "If you wish to run, then we shall run. To the darkest corner of the nine realms. We will hide away there, together. And we shall never be apart again. I swear it."

"Don't say that." He answered quickly, his voice harsh. He pulled away from her at last stood, striding over to the opposite side of his cell.

"I mean it." Rosa answered gently as she stood.

The notion genuinely angered him. Just like that, he was lost in her again. And he despised himself for it. "You would not sacrifice your happiness for me. I would not allow it."

"You are my happiness!" her voice was strained and she smiled at him through the tears, brimming in her eyes. He did not believe her, she could see it plainly. But she meant the words. Truly. Even as he was now, with all his fury, with all his hatred. "Loki, the happiest days of my existence were spent amongst the bookshelves of the Great Library, by your side, reading stories of Princes and Fallen Stars... I love you. I have always loved you and I will love you forevermore. If you will doubt all else that is of this world, with only one thing which you hold true, let it be that. Let it be me."

He wanted to believe her, more than anything. But he turned his head from her. "You know not what you say. What I am-"

"I don't care what you are."

"I am not the Son of Odin-"

"Loki, I have never seen you as the Son of Odin." So there it was. "And I will never see you as a Frost Giant." Liar. "I see you… only you… Loki."

Loki snarled. Words. Words were simple. He knew words… he now knew actions, too. And they were such very different things. "Is that so?"

The seals upon his wrists could not prevent this. This was not magic, this was what he truly was. His whole body tingled as he made the change. Blue…

He turned to face her, his now red eyes flashing with hate. Hate for himself. For the world. For her and her rejection that was sure to come.

"What do you see now, Rosa? What do you really see? Here I stand, a monster. What can you do but claw at your skin as it crawls in the knowledge that you have ever touched me, that which all beings despise so much."

She watched him with eyes full of sadness and pity. Loki finally turned from her with a bitter scowl. He had been right all along; he was nothing but a monster. A thing. That which would experience loathing and rejection for the remainder of it's existence.

And then he felt it, her hand gently caressing his cheek. His Jotun flesh. Loki stopped breathing and he tried his best not to give away any sign that her actions were affecting him. But then she turned his face toward her, with a gentle, loving touch… the one that he had miss so desperately. The one that was now torturous and which he had no choice but to give in to. He would give her whatever it was that she wanted, now that she touched him – for the first time in two years – as if she really did care.

And what she wanted was for him, in this disgusting, monstrous, blue form of his, to look at her. And so he did. After all, how could anything possibly do any further damage to his tattered heart?

Their eyes met and her touch was gentle and as she pulled him in towards her and kissed him, passionately… desperately… a tear ran down her face. A tear for him, and Loki allowed himself a single moment of hope. When their lips parted, Rosa's grip on him did not loosen, she held him close to her, her forehead pressed against his.

Loki opened his eyes to look at her, his entire body still startlingly blue.

"I still only see you," Rosa whispered.

Loki finally crumbled. He wrapped his arms around her and held on as if he could never again let go. The words finally tumbled from his lips. The words he swore he'd never utter again, no matter how true they were, "Rosa… I love you."

Tears spilled forth from Rosa's eyes as she gripped onto Loki just as tightly. "So let us run, let us hide. And believe me, I will never leave you."

Loki cupped her cheek, taking in her features which he had not properly gazed upon for two years. Her hand came to rest upon his, holding it in place as she turned her head ever so slightly, to place a kiss upon his palm.

"Thor will help us," she told him softly.

And just like that the boiling hate was there again. More than jealousy. More than bitterness. What was he, compared to the Mighty Thor? He had tried to hide it from her, but the emotion must have drizzled onto his face because Rosa spoke;

"It was never him, Loki. Not for a second. It was always you. Always. No one will ever compare, I swear it. After you- you fell, Thor became a dear friend to me… he figured it out – you and I – while we were in Midgard. He has treated me as a sister since we lost you. I think he felt that he owed it to you to watch over me. He never wished to hurt you, Loki."

Cautiously, Rosa took hold of his hand and guided him towards the cell door. She was still somewhat unsure of him, he was so different yet so similar to how he had been. They'd have time to adjust to one another later though, they'd remember things they had forgotten, they'd learn changes that each had gone through… but for now, they had a near impossible task before them, were they to ever have any sort of future together.

"We must move quickly. I know of a safe place for us once we reach the outskirts of the village. The most difficult part will be finding a way out of the Palace." She told him, ducking her head out of the cell.

A small sense of relief washed over her to find that the guards were still unconscious. She stepped out and scanned their surroundings, her heart thundering in her chest. If they could do this, if they could pull this off, all would be well once again. She and Loki could live in peace and the burden Thor faced would be lifted from his shoulders. Loki would be searched for, of course, but together they would hide away in the far corners of whatever realm they could reach until they were all but forgotten.

Long, cold fingers encircled Rosa's wrist and she turned back to face Loki in the threshold of his prison cell.

"Rosa… you have not thought your actions through. This is-"

"I know exactly what I'm doing, Loki." She told him resolutely. "I am sure of this. I swear to you. I made my mind up long ago. I will not watch you die-"

They heard the footsteps before they saw the light of the lantern. It was dull, only barely a glow. They stood, frozen, as the stranger approached, completely at a loss. It was too late to hide, or to make it back to the cell. Besides, the guards were all knocked unconscious and if Loki were locked away again now, there would be no chance of his escape.

Rosa stepped forward, ready to face whoever might approach only to have her composure crumble into shock instantly as she came face to face with the Queen.

The two women stared at each other with such intensity that the walls of the dungeon around them seemed to fade away. Frigga seemed so calm, as if she had been expecting it and Rosa cursed herself. She had made no attempt to mask her emotions when she had seen Loki upon his return. It was stupid of Rosa not to suppose that someone would expect her to find a way to him down there.

She backed away from the Queen slowly, her eyes never leaving the woman's face and that unnervingly composed expression. She stood protectively in front of Loki, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it tight. Whatever were to happen now, at least she was with him. At least he knew now that he was not alone.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Frigga raised her hand and extended it out to them gently.

"Come." She said, "we do not have much time."

You know, I very nearly almost left the last to sentences out to start chapter 21 with but I thought that would be far too cruel!

Anyway, another chapter done. I hope you like it. The thing I struggled most with this chapter was making Rosa's feelings towards Loki believable. Realistically, after everything he's done, she hasn't forgiven him. You couldn't just forgive all that death. But she understands how hurt and alone and most likely frightened he's been and I think that after looking for someone you lost and loved and then finding them again after so long, you wouldn't just stand by and just watch their life be taken away (whether it's by death, imprisonment or whatever else).

His actions will not just be forgotten either, it will all be addressed in future chapters but one thing at a time, you know? We've got a prisoner to bust out, after all!

That's my opinion anyway… and my story so it's the way I'm writing it. I'd be interested in your opinions about this though, because it's really not a black and white sort of issue.

Thank you so much for reading. I'd love it if you could leave a review! xoxo