Thor looked around the street for any of the landmarks that Stark had instructed him to look out for. This Maryland was a whole new world for him. New York he knew now, and New Mexico he had acquainted himself with long ago. But, Maryland puzzled him still.
He would not be there at all if he did not feel an obligation to Nancy McAllister. She was the only human who had stood by his brother and tried to understand him, even in the most dire of situations. And, Thor was not an idiot. He had seen the way she looked at his brother. As though she could stare into the man's eyes forever. The same way he looked at Jane.
So, here he was. Because Nancy deserved to know.
He found her flat easily. The breath he took was more to steady himself than to prepare for her reaction. She would not like this news, but it had to be done.
/
"Brutus Maximus! Get down off that sofa!" Nancy blinked at the haze in her eyes, doing everything she could to stay awake. Here she had worked day and night trying to decode those relics, and just when Brutus had been left alone for one evening, he decided to have a hay-day with his doggie-bed. She turned on the vacuum for the little bits and quickly chased Brutus out of the room with it. Stupid dog. Why did she have a dog in the first place?
At almost the same instant, a knock resounded on her front door, shaking it on its hinges. Even with the running vacuum the knock was loud enough for Nancy to hear it.
"The heck? Who could that be?" Nancy quickly tuned off the sweeper and headed for the door. As she opened it, she suddenly remembered about the rag she'd tied around her head. She ditched it as fast as humanly possible, further messing her already messy hair.
"Thor?" Nancy blinked in surprise. He was the last person she'd expect to find at her door. "Wha...?"
Thor kept his hands loosely by his sides. Stark and the Captain had said it showed he meant no harm and brought out his "friendly demeanor". His attempt at a smile fell short, so Thor stopped trying to smile. Instead, he leveled his gaze on her and heaved a great sigh. "Lady Nancy. Might I... might I enter?"
Nancy blinked again. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Why else would Thor be here of all places? Something had happened.
Before she could answer, Brutus had slipped in beside her and was barking viciously at Thor. Snapped back to attention, Nancy quickly gripped the dog's collar and puled him back. "Down Brutus!" She pulled the door open wider for Thor. "Sure. Come on in. Um.. excuse the mess." White fuzzies were still scattered over the living room.
"I have seen worse." Thor stooped to pet the dog. Anything to lighten the mood. He so hated to be the bearer of bad tidings. "All those times you came to the tower, I never thought to ask where you made your home."
Nancy shrugged and released Brutus. She'd never seen that dog be so friendly. She'd gotten him as a guard dog, but apparently he wasn't good for that either. "Cap doesn't live too far from here." she commented. Anything to break the awkward silence. "But I've always liked the smaller cities. I'm not a big fan of D.C. myself. So... um... what's up?"
Thor sighed again. He had so much courage on the battlefield. Why could it not follow him into these situations? These times when he had to be gentle and calm. Nevertheless, he had to tell her. "I remember those days vividly, you know. Those times you came to study Loki."
Nancy smiled at the remembrance. It had been almost a year since she was last in Stark Tower. "Yeah. Too bad Stark caught me. I never got to say goodbye. I mean, I was there when you took Loki back, watching from one of the buildings nearby, but I would've liked to say it to his face."
At that moment, realization struck. There could only be one reason for Thor's visit. To offer his condolences for the death of a friend.
"Oh," Nancy fell back against the nearly door-frame. "They didn't... he's not... oh... is he?"
Thor stood to his full height. The dog should be appeased now, having had his full share of attention. So he turned his attention back to Nancy, staring down into her wide eyes. He managed a slow nod. "Not by judgment or sentencing." He added the last part to make her feel better. To let her know that it was not the people of Asgard who had done Loki in, but himself.
Nancy's breath caught in her chest. Loki... was dead. She staggered over to a chair and sank down into it. "How?" Her voice broke as tears formed in her eyes.
He should have known she would ask. The most curious of women, and he had thought she would leave it rest as he told it. Thor's shoulders slumped and he lowered his voice. "By protecting me and Jane, both." His eyes slid closed as he remembered the horrendous moment. The very second his brother's skin turned blue and icy.
Despite her efforts to stifle them, tears began to stream down Nancy's cheeks. "How noble." she managed quietly, "I knew he wasn't all bad. I could tell, just from looking at him. I could tell. He had good in him." She lifted her hand to her mouth, trying to keep herself from crying. "I just wish I'd been able to see more."
"He could have been a great man, one day. If he had allowed himself." In an effort to bring some modicum of comfort to Nancy – and himself, he would admit – Thor moved to her side and placed his large hand on her arm. "I am sorry."
"He promised he'd come back. He promised."
"He did not expect this. No one did." Her tears echoed the aching of his own heart, and Thor could no longer ignore their common pain. He slid one arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his embrace, bringing his other arm up to rest his hand on her hair. "No one could have foreseen the Dark Elves' monster."
A monster had killed him. He'd fought in the battle against the Dark Elves and a monster had killed him.
Nancy buried her face in Thor's shoulder and allowed herself to sob. He was the only person in the universe who could understand her pain. "Are you sure?" she pulled back and looked up at Thor, trying to recompose herself, "Quite sure he's gone?" She just couldn't believe it. Maybe, somehow, he had escaped.
"I held him in my arms. I watched it. Jane was there, too." Thor swallowed, hard, and blinked at his tears. He had shed tears already for his brother and his mother. He needed to be strong for the woman before him. But, it was difficult.
Nancy's heart sank farther. He really was dead. Another sob escaped her lips. "I don't know why I'm so bothered by this." she admitted, "I only met him a few times. But, in those times, we had... such a connection." She shook her head. "I can't explain it."
A soft smile graced Thor's lips. He knew. Even if no one else did, he knew. This woman, this Nancy, could have been a second chance for his brother. And yet, no one else had seen it in her. "You studied him. Anyone who has seen the better side of Loki falls under the spell of his charm."
Nancy smiled a little, remembering how charming Loki could be. Like when he moved her hair from her shoulder. Or allowed her to stand with him. When he calmed and spoke civilly. When he seemed more...human. In those times, he was charming.
She sniffed again and pulled out of the hug. "Thank you for telling me, Thor. I would've never known otherwise."
"'Tis the only reason I came. I thought, after what I saw during your time with him, that you would like to know." Thor straightened again. He knew when a woman wanted him to let her grieve in silence, and he sensed that in Nancy. He took a single step back to allow her some room.
"Do you... do you think the little time I spent with him mattered in any way to him?"
Though he wanted to say yes, that Loki had cared deeply for her as she had cared for him, Thor knew better. He glanced down at her with an apologetic expression. "I am afraid Loki's thoughts are his own. I know not what he pondered when alone."
Nancy nodded sadly and stood. She needed to be alone. Alone to grieve and gather her thoughts. "I'd invite you to stay," she began, leading Thor to the door, "But I don't really feel up to it right now. I'm sorry. But I do appreciate you telling me."
"Of course." Thor stopped at the door and turned one last time to see the woman he would have gladly accepted as a sister. "I do apologize for being the bearer of bad news."
"I'd rather you tell me than someone else." Nancy forced a smile and hugged him one last time, knowing that now she'd never see him again either, "How are you handling it?"
Thor rested a reassuring hand on her head and smiled down at her sadly. Surely she could see his pain was hers. Surely she knew how much their common bond meant to him. "I will recover. Someday."
Nancy nodded sadly and pulled away again. Mechanically, she forced another smile and closed the door behind him. Just as mechanically, she slipped down the wood of the door until she was sitting at the bottom.
Slowly – gradually – the shock set in...
Loki was dead.
He was never coming for her.
He had died in battle, killed by an alien monster.
Loki was dead.