So, I realized I never posted this chapter for y'all. So you lovely people get two chapters in one go. Please forgive me, sophomore year of college is a bitch. Enjoy!

Loki's POV

I tapped the blunt nail of my forefinger against the glass in front of me, still half full of dark red wine, as Thor told some grand adventure of the Avengers. I was only half paying attention to the story I was sure Thor had most likely told me before, but I appreciated the distraction nonetheless. Thor provided a great deal of solace in the trying days following my wife's kidnapping. He had kept me distracted when all I wanted to do was tear (YN/)'s parents and brother apart, both verbally and physically. He had stayed up late with me when I couldn't sleep, too afraid to close my eyes and see the harrowing images of (Y/N)'s capture. And more than once, he had provided a solid shoulder to cry on.

Norns, this entire process had been so hard. I thought that the longer she was gone, maybe, just maybe, I would be able to wrap my head around the idea that she had been taken. Maybe I could stop reaching over the cold side of the bed in the morning. Maybe I could stop rolling over at night, reaching over to wrap her in my arms. Maybe I could get out of the hole I had dug myself and start being of some good to my family. Maybe I could stop feeling sorry for myself and get my useless arse in gear and go save my wife on my own.

But, as time went on, it only got harder. Instead of coming to terms with the situation and doing something helpful, I could only feel the anger and rage growing like wildfire inside of me. It was harder to reign in my anger, to control the tears, to reason with the seemingly infinite pit in my stomach. Norns, it had only been a few days since my wife was literally ripped from my grasp and even fewer since (Y/N)'s parents and brother had come to stay on Asgard. My physical wounds were healing nicely, and I was nearly back at one hundred percent, but the emotional and mental wounds were still flayed open and raw.

Now, we were waiting not so patiently for our father to return from his meeting with the royal court and higher-ranking officers of the einherjar. I was still angry about not being allowed in the meeting, but I could also understand the reasoning behind keeping me out; I was too close to the situation. Yes, we were all family, and I knew both of my parents viewed (Y/N) as their daughter, but she was still my wife. The bond and the emotional connection we shared would have clouded my judgment. Hel, it already had, but we couldn't have that in the meeting where the rescue of my wife was being carefully and tactfully planned.

I would just get in the way and cause a scene. We didn't need another scene, not one caused by me anyway. After one too many comments from (Y/N)'s parents, Thor had to physically hold me back from the offending creatures that tried to call themselves (Y/N)'s family. Her family was here, with us. Her family was me, Thor, Jane, Mother, and Father, not these beasts who scarred her physically and mentally. I clenched my fists tightly at the mere thought of them.

"Loki," a voice said, and I jumped when there was a hand suddenly on my shoulder. I nearly spilled my wine at the unexpected touch. "Easy, brother," his deep, baritone voice came again, much softer this time as if he was speaking to a frightened child. And in some ways, I very much felt like a small, frightened, helpless child. I had no control or grasp over the situation at hand. At the moment, there was nothing for me to do. It was being handled, and I knew that. But that didn't stop me from feeling incompetent and like a failure of a husband.

"Brother, please," Thor said, a worried tone to his voice. That, and anger, seemed to be the only two tones my older brother was able to express these days.

"I'm here, Thor," I said, reaching up to pat the large hand that was still resting on my shoulder. The blonde man grunted in acceptance and pulled his hand away. I had a tendency to slip away into my own thoughts, sometimes unable to dig myself out of them. So, Thor liked to know when I was back and in the present moment. I knew these little fits worried him, but Mother said it was grief. The first time she had said that, I had snapped at her, yelling, "don't talk about my wife like she's dead!" As soon as the words had come from my mouth, I felt horrible. I knew that wasn't what she meant, but the thought terrified me. I had hit my knees, apologizing profusely to the woman in front of me, begging for her forgiveness, tears pouring down my face. She hadn't said anything. Instead, she stayed silent as she knelt beside me, bringing me into her arms and holding me close to her heart.

"Loki, you're doing it again, brother," Thor called. I felt his strong hand wrap around my own and pull it away from the wine glass that was beginning to whine under the pressure of my clenched fist. I was quick to relax my hand, dropping the glass back onto the table. A few drops sloshed over the rim of the glass and hit the table, soaking into the tablecloth and staining the crisp white with deep splotches of red.

"I can't do this for much longer," I admitted in a whisper, my voice cracking with emotion.

"You won't have to, Loki," Thor said, conviction thick in his voice. "Father is in the meeting right now, and he promised a plan by the time he was done," my older brother reminded me. "It won't be much longer now, Loki." I nodded, taking a deep breath and straightening up a little bit.

"I hate this," I muttered, venom in my voice. I heard Thor sigh. I had been unable to look at the man, choosing instead to stare at my hands which fidgeted in my lap.

"As do I, brother, as do I," Thor whispered empathetically. There was a moment of silence before Thor moved his chair to be closer to mine as we had been sitting on adjacent sides of the table. I winced at the sound of the chair against the floor, my entire body tensing up at the offending sound as well as the sudden close proximity. When Thor was settled beside me, he wrapped a strong arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side gently.

I stiffened at the unexpected embrace, but it wasn't unwelcome. I couldn't remember the last time Thor and I had been this close. I couldn't remember the last hug we had shared. I had missed this. I just wish it had been under different circumstances. It shouldn't have taken such dire circumstances to bring the two of us back to where we belonged, as brothers.

"Don't overthink it, brother," Thor whispered in my hair, and only then did I realize the crown prince had leaned his head against mine. I couldn't help but smile slightly as I relaxed into his steadfast, comforting embrace. I allowed my older brother to hold me for a few minutes, burying my pride and allowing my walls to come down even further, allowing myself to be vulnerable with someone other than my wife.

The moment was broken when there was a knock on the doorframe of the room we were residing in. I shifted away from my older brother but only slightly, not quite ready to give up the closeness I had so missed, and looked up to mind my mother hovering in the doorway. She was leaning against the wall, the look in her eyes soft and full of love as she looked at the two of us. Seeing that it was just my mother, I let my walls that had risen at the sound of knocking to fall once more as I sunk back into the steady hold of my brother.

She crossed the room quietly as she came to stand before us, placing one hand on my cheek and the other on Thor's. I couldn't stop myself from leaning into her warm touch, a barely there smile on my face. "My boys," she whispered, looking between the two of us and back again. She then leaned forward and placed a kiss on the crown of my head before doing the same to Thor.

"Your father would like to see both of you in the throne room now," she reported softly after a moment of silence. Without a moment of hesitation, I was moving, standing from my chair, and leaving the room, my sights set on the throne room. I could hear two sets of feet behind me, signaling that my mother and brother were both following.

When I reached the doors of the throne room, I threw the doors in and marched right up to where my father was seated upon his throne. And to say that the All-Father looked angry was an understatement. His brows were creased and his mouth was set in a harsh scowl. He was sitting slumped in his seat, his elbow on the arm of the chair and his chin in his hand. I could practically see the gears turning in his head. I looked up at the man expectantly.

But, he didn't speak, just sighed heavily and stood from his throne, gesturing for me to follow him over to the table where Thor and Mother were already waiting patiently. "We're just waiting on our guests," Odin explained as he took his seat at the head of the table. The word 'guests' was nearly growled, his voice filled with venom. I huffed at the news and wrung my hands before taking the seat next to my father and across from my mother. Thor took the seat beside me, putting a large hand on my shoulder as he did so.

I tugged at the ring on my finger as we waited, alternating between taking it off and replacing it and spinning it around my finger. Playing with the ring had become somewhat of a nervous habit for me. The physical symbol of the love I shared with my wife kept her close to me, even when she was on another world. More than once, I had caught Mother looking at me as I played with the ring, unable to keep my hands still. However, she hadn't said anything yet. I was sure she was waiting for me to bring it up to her, but with the circumstances at hand, I just couldn't. It was already hard enough to hold myself together as it was, and I knew I wouldn't be able to reign in my emotions if I told my mother asked. How was I to tell her I proposed to and married the woman who was already my wife only to have her ripped away from me not long after? This entire situation was a nightmare I couldn't seem to wake from.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait very long before the king, queen, and crown prince of Alfheim were entering the room and found their seats around the table. Before they could find anything to complain about or say anything derogatory, my father was speaking.

"I have met with the court and the higher officers of the einherjar, and we have all agreed that the only way to handle this situation is to propose a stealth mission," Odin explained, but he didn't look completely satisfied. There was a look in his single eye and an expression on his face that made me uncomfortable. "However," there it was, "the issue we find ourselves in is that this could start an all-out war," he said bluntly. I felt my heart sink. The idea of a stealth mission sounded like the perfect plan, but I didn't know if my father would risk war with an enemy kingdom as well as their allies over one woman.

"However," Odin said, "that is a risk I'm willing to take for the sake of the princess. They already declared war when they attacked my son and his wife." The All-Father's icy cold voice was full of conviction and promise. "So, with that being said, we need to set up a special team of the einherjar to infiltrate the Dark Elven palace; I'm certain they are keeping her there." If she's still alive, I couldn't help but think. I immediately shook myself. I couldn't think like that. We had a plan, and damnit, it was going to work.

"The second issue we face is that we do not have a secure team that regularly runs stealth missions. The einherjar are used to conflict on an actual battlefield, not in the tight quarters of a palace, Norns forbid a dungeon."

One step forward, two steps back it seemed. And I was starting to get frustrated. First, we had a plan, then we didn't. Then we did and now, once again, we didn't. This never-ending nightmare just got worse and worse as time ticked on.

"This is ridiculous," King Thayor spat as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Of all the power you hold as the crown jewel of the nine realms and you don't have a team to run a stealth mission?" he pressed, his quite ugly face going an even uglier shade of red in his anger.

"And Alheim does?" Odin boomed, making me flinch slightly. "From what I recall, you came begging on your knees over a century ago when you couldn't hold off the forces of Muspelheim?" Thayor shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and I could tell both he and his son were itching to say something, but Odin had backed them both into a corner, and there was no way out.

"Father," Thor cut in after a moment of tense silence. Everyone present at the table turned to look at the crown prince of Asgard. "I could call upon the Avengers," Thor offered. "A small, elite team that has worked together for many years and have conducted more than one successful stealth mission during their time together," my brother pushed. "And I doubt the news of the Avengers has traveled to places like Svartalfheim; the Dark Elves wouldn't know how to handle then."

There was a spark of hope in his steely eyes, and the idea of the small but well-oiled machine of a team stepping to help lit a spark of hope in my chest. Hope, at a time like this, was dangerous. And it hurt when that hope was all but destroyed, but by the Norns, there had to be something.

Father leaned back slightly in his chair, a hand coming up to rest on his beard. He looked thoughtful for a moment before he returned his gaze to his eldest son. "And you're sure they will help us?" The king of Asgard asked, sounding cautiously hopeful but hopeful nonetheless.

"I'm sure of it, father," Thor said with unwavering confidence. "They all fell in love with (Y/N) when we visited Midgard, and they "owe us a favor" as Tony said for helping with the Dark Elven bomb."

"You took our daughter to Midgard? The place of filthy, pathetic mortals?" King Tayor bellowed, all but jumping up from his seat.

"Get out of my throne room!" Odin boomed, louder than I had ever heard it, as he slammed his fists down on the table in front of him with a thunderous sound. The light elves present in the room were stunned to silence, staring at my father in shock, their faces ashen. Hearing the king's deafening shout, several guards entered the throne room to escort the royal family of Alheim out into the hallway, surely leading them back to their wing of the palace.

"Thor," the All-Father said, his voice now much softer but not completely devoid of anger. "Gather the Avengers and bring them as quickly as you can; we don't have any time to waste." Thor nodded sharply and jogged out of the throne room, swinging his hammer as he did so, no doubt prepared to fly all the way to the Bifrost.

"Father, you must allow me to join them," I demanded as I stood up to follow Odin as he moved to leave the room, most likely to inform the council and einherjar. The All-Father stopped on a dime and looked over his shoulder at me.

"As long as your mother clears you healed enough to fight. But either way, there is nothing I can do to stop you from going after your wife if you so choose. You've waited long enough," Odin said before slipping out the doors and into the hallway. I spun on my heel to look at my mother, but she was already heading toward the opposite set of doors which was closer to the healing wing.

"Come along, son. It's time to bring our girl home."