Loki woke to the sound of a persistent knocking on the door. To his surprise, it was morning. I must have slept the day away yesterday. He rolled out of bed before finding himself face to face with Ana.

"Can I help you, Ana?" he asked, rubbing his eyes groggily.

"No I was just making sure you were alive," she explained. "You didn't show up for breakfast, and that seems very unlike you."

"What do you mean by that seems very unlike me? We've known each other for less than three days!"

"True, but judging by yesterday, you treasure your breakfast."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Did you at least save me some food?"

"You can go into the kitchen and check," she smirked slyly. "I don't seem to remember off the top of my head."

He huffed before stepping around the woman to get the kitchen. A plate of bread and sausage was awaiting him on the table. Unlike the previous breakfast, he was allotted three pieces instead of two. Next to his plate was a list of some sort. Loki wouldn't have had a problem reading it if it was in Norse, but since he was living in a house in the middle of Russia, it was in Russian. If All-Speak allowed the person to be able to read the language as well as they could speak it, he'd be fine. But that's now how things work in life for him. I don't know how I thought I was going to read those books I found yesterday. He decided on just ignoring it for the time being until Ana said something about it.

Loki ate his breakfast before heading back to his temporary room. He didn't get far before encountering Ana who was now dressed in heavy winter wear.

"Did you read my note?"

"Yes," he lied.

"I left you some thicker clothes on your bed," she told him. "Come meet me downstairs once we're done. The job will get done faster if we both do it."

"Okay, it will only take me a moment to change."

A fur coat and hat along with a thick pair of leather gloves were laid out on his bed. A pair of boots were sitting in the corner. He quickly pulled them on before going back downstairs. He found Ana waiting for him by the door with two axes in hand.

Oh, we must be chopping wood for the fire. That's what the note must've been about. Won't the wood be a little too wet to safely burn.

Ana led him outside into the snow. She continued on deep into the woods. The deeper they went the closer the trees became. Loki began to think she was leading him out to kill him. Ana had yet to offer him one of the axes as both were still in her hands. Shaking off the thought, he continued trudging through the snow. The two soon found themselves at a dirt road cutting through the forest. His curiosity getting the best of him, Loki finally asked where they were going.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Tsaritsyn. It's a city nearby. I go there sometimes for supplies I can't get from the land."

"Supplies like what?"

"Seeds, tools, strong medicine, books."

"Why do we have axes then?"

"Did you not read my note because you sure are asking a lot of questions?" Ana asked, a slight annoyance in her voice.

Loki huffed. "Yes, I just forgot because I was too focused on wondering whether or not you were going to kill me because you wouldn't give me an axe as you led me deep into the woods. So excuse me for letting that information slip through my mind as I debated if I should run away."

Ana stop walking and turned around angrily to look Loki in the eye. "Look Alian," she warned. "Don't question me or my intentions. I told you exactly what we were doing. I told you exactly where we were going, yet you doubted me all the same. I'm the one letting you stay with me until the snow and storm clear. So you either follow my rules, or you find someone in town to stay with. Got it!"

They walked in silence for the next few miles. Loki could tell they were getting close as more carts were using the road. Even a few horseless carts passed by as they walked to the outskirts of Tsaritsyn. Soon the roofs of buildings could be seen in the distance. Seeing that they were almost there, Ana finally handed him one of the axes.

"I told the people here that I'm the wife of a logger out in the woods," she explained. "My husband stays at home while I go into town for supplies. Once a month I come here to bring wood to sell. That's how I'm able to buy the things I need. Today my husband has come with me to the city. That's you."

"Thanks. Why can't you just tell people that you live alone in the woods?" Loki inquired.

"If the men in this city knew that I was single, they'd show up at my house asking for my hand in marriage." she laughed. "And I don't have time in my life for love right now."

"I guess we're partially in as what you'd say, in the same boat." he chuckled.

Ana smiled. "I guess we are."

"What are we buying today, my dear wife?"

"Medicine and seeds," said Ana. "I'm starting to believe that you didn't actually read the note I gave you, my husband."

Loki sighed. "I can't read," he murmured.

"What?" she asked, not quite able to hear what he said.

"I said that I can't read," he replied a little louder than the first time. He turned away from Ana, so she couldn't make eye contact with him.

"What do you mean you can't read!" Ana said puzzledly.

"Well I can't."

"Why did you lie and tell me you did? I practically bit your head off!"

"I didn't want you to look at me differently."

Her eyes softened in pity. "It's fine. I just wish you'd told me earlier. You told me you were educated, and I assumed that you could read."

"I'm educated in math, sciences, history, and different arts. I was just taught orally." I'm only partly lying this time.

"When we go home, I could teach you how to read if you'd like," she offered.

"Thank you."

The Tsaritsyn streets were home to countless stores and people. Loki followed Ana through the city as she wove her way through its bustling inhabitants. The two soon found themselves in a pharmacy. The pharmacist greeted Ana and was surprised to see her "husband" with her for once. He gave her several bottles of medicine and syringes after she handed over the money. As she paid for the medicine, Loki studied the bottles of pills and tonics inside. Some were red others a dark black. One was a brownish-red color. He remembered learning about the element Mercury in his studies on Asgard, and how it was actually toxic for the Midgardian body. I hope she isn't buying any of that. To his relief, the medicine the pharmacist handed her was a clearish-green color, a stark contrast from the Mercury's earthly hue.

After they left the pharmacy, the two entered a general store. Things like fabric, tools, and everyday items were sold there. Ana walked down an aisle filled with different seeds of what seemed to be every growable food there was. Carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, beets, and more. Ana chose some packets of carrots, potatoes, beets, onions, lettuce, and some type of bean. She sent him to find her a basket to buy to carry her purchases in as she had forgotten hers at home. He found a straw one on the aisle over and went over to the clerk at the front desk were Ana was, so she could pay for it. The clerk eyed Loki suspiciously as he calculated the total amount for her purchases. He ignored the man's gaze and quickly left the store with Ana.

Having finished their shopping, Ana and Loki began to head home. While journeying to the cabin, Ana explained to Loki how the clerk at the general store has had his eyes on her for while, despite her telling him she had a husband back at home. Seeing Loki with her today only agitated him as it confirmed how she was off the market. Loki also asked her about the medicine and the syringes. It was apparently due to a blood deficiency she had inherited from her parents called hemophilia. It was worrisome because it was only known to affect males not females. Because of it her blood doesn't clot easily, so the doctor prescribed a lime-based medicine to her after some scientists in America claimed that it helped blood clot. The syringe was for her to administer it everyday to help eventually train the blood to clot.

Loki told her of his family. A brother who seemed to be favorited by everyone, including his father. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. Muscular. Handsome. He was great fighter and a ladies man. Even though they were driven apart by a simple disagreement he is still someone Loki would always want by his side. He told Ana of a mother who cared for him too much. Someone who taught him everything he could possibly need to know, yet lost him all the same. There was also a father who seemed blind to his son's troubles even though he still had an eye to see it. One that was so cold, but his love shined bright at the same time. From a complicated family came a complicated son.

As they walked, the sky began to darken and snow started to fall again.

"I fear it'll be quite late by the time we make it back home," Loki said, taking in the darkness and sudden weather.

"We probably stayed in town too long," she said worriedly. "I don't normally travel back home at night. There are wolves that roam these woods, and I left the gun my the door."

"At least we have some axes to use if it comes to that."

"True."

They kept walking together, trudging through the snow. The landscape was barely visible ahead of them as the darkness and the snow shielded their visibility. Ana felt around for trees with carved markings in them. She explained to Loki that she'd carved distinct marks on the trees in case she ever lost her way home. The wind began to pick up as the cold bit their faces. Loki felt fine in the weather, but he could see Ana clearly shivering. He quickly took off his coat and held it out to her.

"What are you doing Alian? Put your coat back on! You'll freeze to death!" she fretted.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her. "You on the other hand need it more than I do. You're shivering way too much and your blood probably isn't helping you keep warm."

"I don't think that's how it works," She scoffed in disbelief.

"I'm trying to make a point. You know what just take the coat."

"Fine."

Ana snatched the coat from his hands and quickly put it on.

"See you're looking warmer already," he said smiling.

Ana rolled her eyes and started to say something back when a pair of yellow orbs caught her attention. As she diverted her full attention to them, more appeared all around them. Her blood immediately ran cold when she realized what was happening. Loki took in her sudden change in attitude and opened to ask what was wrong when he felt something brush by the back of his leg. While reaching back to feel what it was, he noticed the several pairs of eyes behind him.

Norns please protect me and Ana.

"Ana do you have your axe?" he whispered.

"Yeah, do you?"

"Yes. About how far away are we from the house?"

"No more than a mile."

The circle of wolves drew closer to them. They could make out the faint silhouettes in front of them. The snarls and growls sent chills down Loki's spine. He and Ana moved closer together as the circle got tighter and tighter. Suddenly one of the wolves jumped out at them. Ana quickly brought her axe down on its back. Blood sprayed onto the snow as the wolf backed off, severely injured. The other wolves took no heed to the warning blow and quickly began to attack. Loki and Ana began taking them out left and right. When one would go down, another would spring up. The numbers refused to dwindle. One minute Loki was standing on his feet, the next he was laying on his back in the snow. He'd been knocked off his feet by one of the wolves that was now trying to sever his jugular with its fangs. Using his axe, he kept the wolf a few inches above his face. Soon others came over to help the single wolf kill its prey for the pack. Loki closed his eyes as he saw that the others were closing in. He didn't know where Ana was and had come to the conclusion that the second Prince of Asgard would be venturing to Valhalla, because he a slain warrior, or Hel, because he ran away from Asgard, that day.

A feral cry snapped him out of his thoughts. Loki's eyes opened in time to see an axe be brought down on one of the wolves' heads. Thank the Norns for sending Ana. The other wolves quickly got of him and went to focus on the new threat. He hears Ana tell him to run before getting up. He followed her silhouette through the trees before catching up with her. The wolves were practically nipping at their heels. Much to Loki's relief, he could make out the form of the house in the darkness.

They were running across the clearing, almost to the front door when a scream pierced the air. Loki turned to see Ana on the ground with a wolf holding on to her leg. He took his axe and struck the wolf mid-back causing it to release her calf immediately. He turned to pick her up when another wolf leaped onto his back. It bit into his shoulder, causing him to let out a painful scream. He tried to push the animal off, but it had latched on and only bit harder. In the struggle he dropped the axe somewhere in the snow. The other wolves approached around him. Then a shot ran out. Loki felt the wolf go lax on his shoulder as the others ran into the woods. He shrugged the animal off his body before turning towards the house to see Ana on the porch with her gun. She was leaning against one of the posts for support as her leg was in too much pain. Loki ran to the porch and helped her get inside before locking the door.

A fire was started in the kitchen for light before the two started on patching each other up. Loki cautiously ventured outside to fetch some snow to help them clean the wounds. He set to helping Ana before she bled out on the floor. Her calf would need stitches, but due to the abundance of coats on her form, it wouldn't be too deep. Though it was slightly protected by the coats, her leg seemed to still have been broken by the force of the bite. It wasn't bad enough that it was completely broken, but it was still fractured. Ana took some of the medicine which thankfully wasn't lost in the woods during the battle with the wolves. It didn't help the blood clot from what he could see, but what did he know. He cleaned the gash with a mix of water and vodka he had found in the pantry. He would have given some vodka to Ana if she hadn't already passed out from pain shortly after giving herself the medicine. Her leg was eventually sewed up and splinted. It wouldn't have taken him so long to do it if his shoulder wasn't in bad shape. Luckily it wasn't the one of his dominant hand. After he finished tending to her, Loki laid Ana onto the sofa before covering her with a blanket and venturing upstairs.

Well I almost died the third day I was on this forsaken planet, but at least I was able to help someone.

Loki tended to his injuries in his bedroom. He endured the pain of sewing oneself up without having something to numb the pain. Ana's lucky. She passed out before I mended her. Because he waited so long, he risked his wound becoming infected and passing out due to blood loss. If he did the latter, because the former was pretty much guaranteed, he'd probably bleed to death because it wasn't like Ana could easily go upstairs and check on him. Luckily he was able to clean his wound, stitch himself up, and bandage his shoulder without passing out first. It wasn't the best work, but it was adequate for the time being. It would probably be healed in a few days anyway because of his DNA, so it wouldn't affect him too much, except checking to make sure it didn't get too infected and changing the bandage everyday.

Finished patching himself up, he headed downstairs to dump out the bucket of bloody water and medical supplies. Deciding that he wasn't going outside again, he just opened a window and dumped it there. He scooped another bucket-full of snow right next to where he dumped the first contents to leave to melt by the fire for the next morning. After closing the window and setting down the bucket, he returned to check on Ana. She looked to be sleeping peacefully on the sofa. She was a little paler than usual, but that was expected. Deciding she was fine, he turned to go back upstairs. As he walked toward them, the room began to spin and dots flooded his vision. Well I guess it's a little infected then. His body gave out right on the first stair as he succumbed to the state of unconsciousness.

Author's Note: Wow, I updated two of my fics today. I feel like this one is easier to write because I have it planned out already. And today's title comes from the Broadway version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. It is a score from the play. Anyway follow me on tumblr at tvlifegirl12. And you can also read this fic on Ao3, but it won't be posted till later because my cousin is using the desktop, I forgot my laptop charger at home (it's dead), and I'm doing this off my phone and Ao3 doesn't have an official app. Have a good day and thanks for reading.