A couple of weeks went by and a few more Hydra bases were destroyed. Loki knew that they were running out and eventually the Avengers would find the Sokovian one with or without his help. Which meant he had to tell them about it soon because if they found it because of him then he'd be hailed as a hero. His public image could do with a boost and this would be just the thing to make him into an Avenger in the eyes of Midgard. And perhaps Asgard as well. Certainly in Maisy's eyes, which was what he most wanted.

After one particular raid, Loki was walking home. Maisy hadn't come to greet him like she normally did since she couldn't get off work. He was sure that she was worried over him, despite the text he'd sent her as soon as they'd landed, so he planned to pop in and visit her. Of course, he didn't plan on doing that until the person that was following him was off his tail.

The hooded figure had been walking approximately fifty feet behind him since he'd left the Tower. They were being rather obvious about it so he was fairly certain of the identity. It was someone who wasn't afraid of him and someone who probably knew he was onto them. It was, more than likely, Blaze. Or else an assassin sent by Tyr who was a complete and total amateur and was trying to follow Loki home. Either way, they needed to stop.

Loki took a turn down a road and then another and then finally turned into an alley behind Linn's favorite grocery store (where their favorite cashier, Manuel worked). He leaned against the wall, waiting for his pursuer to come to him.

"Hey princey," Blaze pulled back the hood of her black jacket and nodded at him, "You look well. Having fun destroying my friends left and right?"

"If they were truly your friends then you wouldn't have given me such helpful information at our last meeting," he didn't think she'd try to hurt him, but he took out a dagger and twirled it around his fingers just to let her know he was armed, "They are tools. Pawns in Surtur's game. Just like you."

"You are mistaken," she grinned, "If we're likening this to a chess game I think I'm probably the queen."

"Funny, I didn't think Surtur was the type to marry. Particularly not an ugly one like yourself. Maybe he can't see through all of the soot and flame."

"Hey, hey, no need to be mean," Blaze took a step closer to him, "I just meant that I'm the one doing all of his dirty work."

"And what work would that be?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She stuck out her tongue at him and he was tempted to cut it off.

"I don't care, to be completely honest. As long as it doesn't affect me," he straightened up, "However, having you tail behind me has affected me, so tell me what you want and then be on your way."

"I know you're planning on hitting Sokovia soon. You have to, right? It's practically the last place Hydra has left," she pulled a photograph out of her pocket and handed it to him, "I just wanted to warn you to stay clear of these two."

The image was of a young woman and a man who looked like he was related to her. She had long brown hair and he had a silvery white mop of wavy hair. The girl's fingers twitched in an unnatural position and a red glow surrounded her hands.

"A witch on Midgard?" He asked, "And who is the boy?"

"These are the twins. My Hydra pal, Strucker, played around with the scepter and managed to give her magical abilities and him unbelievable speed. They both hate Stark."

"Don't we all?" Loki stared at the picture, "How have they done this? A human should not be able to-"

"There is a lot that humans can do if you stop belittling them," Blaze said wearily, "In my time here I've learned that Asgard thinks itself too high above Midgard. They are catching up quickly but we have been too proud to see it."

"But artificially giving this girl such abilities, that is beyond what even we are capable of!"

Asgard had never been able to bestow the gift of magic upon a being. One was either born with the ability or they never learned it.

"That scepter needs to be removed from Hydra's curious hands before they do something truly absurd with it," Blaze agreed, "And even then, I've heard tell of another defender of this world. One they call the Sorcerer Supreme."

"A mortal? Master sorcery?" Loki scoffed, "Who?"

"She is ancient and bald," Blaze shrugged, "That is all I know."

"Surely just rumor."

"Think what you like," the woman tapped the photo again, "Just look out for these two. She'll grab hold of your mind if you are not careful. Show you… horrible things."

"It sounds as if you have felt this for yourself."

Blaze shrugged quietly and looked at her feet.

"Strucker wanted to know if her abilities would work on Thor. Since I'm Asgardian-"

"Partly."

"You aren't one to judge on that account, princey," Blaze narrowed her eyes at him, "Anyway, it worked on me so Thor is in for a surprise if he bumps into her. You too if you aren't careful."

"Why are you telling me this? Why do you want the Avengers to take the scepter?"

"For the Norns' sake! I don't care," she laughed, "Surtur said to make sure they get it and that… other things happen. Easiest way to make those things happen is to get you and your friends to Sokovia."

"What if I simply don't tell them? Have you considered that? Now that I know where it is I could hide it from them."

"I don't think you'll want to do that," Blaze rocked back and forth on her feet and grinned, "Tell me, princey, has your darling wifey-poo had any, I dunno, nightmares of late?"

Loki lunged forward and pressed the woman against a wall, knife to her throat.

"So it was you."

"Yeah," she giggled, her throat pulsing against the metal of his dagger, "It was me."

"Why? How?"

"That one was the boss' idea. He knew I'd need something to hold over your head to get you to do what I want. I'll only tell you how to lift the curse after you get the scepter to the Avengers… and do a few other things later."

"You threaten me with a few bad dreams for Maisy?" Loki scoffed and backed away, straightening his jacket, "Come again when you have something worth my time. Dreams are only dreams."

"Sure, sure," Blaze nodded, "But dreams can hurt. If one becomes too afraid of the things one sees in their sleep then one stops sleeping in order to stop seeing."

"Then I'm sure it will be no trouble to find a doctor to prescribe sedatives."

"And the dreams will continue to haunt her. The curse isn't at it's worst yet. Give it a month and she'll see horrors when she blinks! She already sees them while she's awake and the ones while she sleeps are getting worse. Ask her about them and you'll see. In a little while she'll be raving mad from the things this curse does to her brain."

Loki had been under the impression that Maisy's nightmares were becoming less frequent. But… there were those dark marks under her eyes. That jumpiness when he left her at work. Could she have, once again, stopped telling him when she suffered? Why?

"I see that doubt on your face," Blaze cracked her knuckles, "I may not be a gifted magician like yourself and Egil, but when I learn a spell I learn it better than anyone else."

"We'll see about that."

"Go on," she shooed him away, "I'll be waiting here same time tomorrow. See if you can break my curse but when you can't we'll talk."

Loki watched her leave and then rushed to pick Maisy up from work. He was fairly quiet as they walked home, but once the door of the apartment closed behind them he spun around and placed his hands on either side of her face.

"What are you doing?"

"Hush a moment," he said, searching her being for the curse. He sensed it, coiled around her brain and her heart. He sensed something else within her, but it wouldn't harm her so he did not investigate it further. Going back to the curse, he gave it an experimental magical tug.

"Gah!" Maisy winced, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Hold still," he pulled again, harder and uncoiled some of Blaze's spell but he had to stop when Maisy broke free of his hold and backed away from him.

"Loki, tell me what you're doing! You're freaking me out!"

"I am undoing a spell," he was having a hard time stopping himself from simply grabbing her again and forcing the curse out of her mind, "You were right when you said someone was causing your nightmares."

"What? When did you find this out?" She gingerly touched the back of her head, "What were you just doing to me? It felt like something was slithering around inside my head!"

"I am attempting to remove the curse that is giving you nightmares, but it is firmly rooted. Let me try again. I'm sure I can get it out."

"There is a curse stuck in my head?! Who put it there?"

"That is unimportant," he closed in on her and tried to lay his hands on her face again, but she skittered away from him, "Maisy, come here and let me help you."

"No. You're scaring me," she put more distance between them, "How do I know you're you and you're not someone else trying to put something in my brain?!"

"For the Norns' sakes!" Loki huffed, "What can I tell you to convince you that it is me so that you will let me fix you?"

"I don't know!" She exclaimed, "Ugh, I don't know! Tell me… tell me what Linn's favorite color is."

"What?"

"Linn's favorite color."

"Turquoise, but that has to be the absolute worst test of my true identity that I've ever heard," he said, "Ask me something harder and if you ever doubt me again ask me something more complicated than that! Honestly Maisy, Linn's favorite color?!"

"Okay, it's you," Maisy grinned, "No one else would get that worked up over my question being a weak one."

"I don't care," he snapped, imagining what would have happened if he'd really been an imposter, "I'm serious. Ask me something more difficult."

"Alright," she tapped her chin, but she looked more relaxed now, "Where was our first real date?"

"In our room in Asgard," he replied, "But I enchanted it to look like that place on Migard, the Rainbow Room."

"Correct again," she allowed him to come closer now, "Okay, do whatever you have to do."

Loki was struck again by his love for this woman. No one else trusted him (especially if they were certain that it was him) to use magic on them. In fact, Maisy might have been one of the only people in all the realms who trusted him at all.

He was more gentle when he pried at the spell this time, concentrating so hard that he was beginning to get a headache. Maisy flinched again when he started to unravel the curse, but she let him keep going. Working with the greatest care, he thought he had nearly untangled the spell from her, but then there was a flash of white across his eyes and he was blinded momentarily. Maisy screamed and once Loki could see again he saw her desperately patting at her arms and clothes and then rushing to the sink. She cupped her hands under the faucet and doused herself with water.

"What's the matter?" Loki asked, "What are you doing?"

"The flames!" Maisy continued with her hasty dousing, "Loki! Get the fire extinguisher!"

"What flames?!"

"On my clothes!"

He quickly went to her, wrapped his arms firmly around her body, and refused to let her budge even as she wiggled in his grasp.

"Loki, stop! It will burn you!"

"Hold still," he told her quietly, "Stop moving. The fire isn't real."

With great effort she stopped moving and finally took a deep breath. Loki released her and she looked down at herself in shock.

"The fire…"

"It wasn't real. I must have triggered it by mistake," he rubbed his forehead where he felt the headache raging, "I apologize."

"Did you get the curse thing out of my head?"

"No," Loki clenched his fists, "I could not."

"Who put it there?"

He couldn't tell her that or else she'd want to know what else Blaze had said. And then he might let it slip that he'd spoken to her before. That he and Blaze had made a deal.

"Why didn't you tell me you had nightmares recently?" He asked to deflect her question.

"I… I didn't think it was a big deal," she rubbed her arm, "I figured since I hadn't been waking you up with them then they must not be that bad."

"When was the last one?"

"Err," she bit her lip and looked away from him, "Yesterday. At work."

"What happened?"

"I was helping a customer and, and he sort of looked like Egil, but when he turned around he was Egil and…" she shuddered, "He was holding your head."

"And then?"

"Before I could do anything he changed back into the customer and he was just holding a bag," she hugged him, "I don't know why I didn't tell you."

"And your last sleeping nightmare?"

"I've had a few about you and Linn getting hurt, but my last really bad one was the night we fought," she closed her eyes and rested her cheek on his chest, "Egil… Egil was… he made me… I had to marry him. And he put your head in the fridge!"

Loki was rather disturbed by the thought as he ran his fingers through her hair as comfortingly as he could.

"Egil is dead," he told her, "He won't be decapitating me any time soon."

"I know," she sighed, but didn't move away from him, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I am still having nightmares."

"All is well. I will find a way to end them. Soon."

He knew he'd said he would try to be more sensible about who he killed and when, but if he got his hands on Blaze again he'd tear her to shreds if she didn't tell him how to fix what she'd done.

A note from the author: *weather lady voice* In the upcoming chapters we have a forecast of angst and some unhappiness. Readers may want to start stocking up on comforting foods and plushies and prepare to take shelter in the nearest Pillow Fort of Denial. Thank you. ;)

Special thanks to my reviewers:

xlokiswolfx: Maisy would probably be loudly singing "You'll Be In My Heart" while sniffling and eating chocolate. Loki, eyes wide, would probably just pat her on the head and try not to say anything. XD

Ninja Squirrel: Sadly, I have not written anything else with Taylor in it, but I'm considering writing her wedding as a one shot and including it in my compilation of one shots that I will be doing after this story is over. Hope studying is going well!

Old-fashionedAnglophile: I can neither confirm nor deny such guesses.

MetallicarBaby: I can neither confirm nor deny such guesses. All I can say is buckle in folks, it'll be a wild ride from here on out.

Dragoncat: True, true. Easily could have been a worse party. Loki could have tossed someone out the window and then been thrown back in the dungeon! Or Maisy could have punched her "friend" and started an all out brawl! lol

You guys are the best! Thank you so much for all the reviews/reads/favorites/follows!