Everything had gone to plan today, and for that, Loki was glad. He had been plotting this day for weeks, and nothing had gone wrong. Though it had taken a while to persuade Thor to let Freya's family stay, the God of Thunder had eventually relented, especially upon seeing just how miserable Freya had been. Loki had also ensured that any parcels were intercepted, and it was of no coincidence that the dress had arrived in the wrong colour. He had been unable to resist causing some mischief, although he had regretted it when he had seen just how upset the consultant was a few days ago. However, he knew that she was in for a good Christmas, and so he had focused on the task at hand. Astrid and Hilda had been more than happy to assist, and the Prince had also ordered the finest tailors to create the perfect gown for the Midgardian woman. Normally he would not go to such lengths for a mortal girl, but Freya was not just any body. She was the woman who had done everything she could to make him happy, and he could be forgiven for wanting to repay that kindness.

He knew that she still did not trust him, nor could he blame her. He could see that she was trying to move past everything, and he was aware that it was a case of now or never if he was going to prove his feelings towards her. He was also aware that Christmas was the perfect time to do so, especially given how many of the Midgardian films focused on grand romantic gestures at this time of year. Thor had not questioned him much as to his actions, although Loki knew he would have guessed what he was up to. It had been clear to see at his birthday, for once he had reappeared at the party, the King had quietly told him that Freya was responsible for most of it. Thor was also determined that the pair were happy, and he had told Loki that he could do whatever was needed to ensure that his scheme went according to plan. The Prince had not needed telling twice.

However, he had not been expecting to receive the sceptre on Christmas Eve, and he knew then that Freya trusted him. He also knew that she was trying to tie off loose ends, for Thor had told him a while ago about the agreement the consultant had made. Loki had no wish for her to leave, especially when he was so close to telling her everything. He knew his treatment of her had been appalling in recent months, and he wanted nothing more than to make amends for it. The fact that she had agreed to start again had given him hope, but even that was no guarantee that she would stay.

But so far, everything had gone according to plan. He had waited patiently for her to escape to the balcony that evening, and though he had been determined to tell her the truth, the sight of her had knocked him speechless. She had truly looked every bit a Princess as she leaned on the balcony with the Northern Lights behind her, and he knew he could not let her go. For a moment he had no wish to disturb her, but he knew that this was his moment. He had done everything he could to get her this far and give her the perfect day, and he longed to feel her in his arms again. That was why he had asked her to dance, and it was of no coincidence that the song playing was the one he had heard her singing with for the last month. It had not taken him long to learn the words, and he had hoped that these would be enough to show her what she meant to him.

Yet this had not quite worked, and so he knew that there was one other option available to him. A sprig of mistletoe had hung innocently above them, and he knew that this was the opportunity he had sought for quite some time. Freya had been reluctant at first, though he savoured the feeling of her hand on his cheek, before it had moved to his hair. She had pressed her lips to his and he had expected only a quick peck, but instead he had been kissed like never before. There had been such hunger and such pain… Sorrow, and yet something else… It had not taken him long to respond in kind.

Though he had kissed countless people before in his time, he had never felt like this towards them. It was usually lust that had motivated him, and yet with Freya it was different. There was something else. She was not the first one to have caught his attention when it came to the heart, but she was the first mortal to make him feel like this. But there was more than passion in that kiss. There had been something so pure despite its intensity, and he knew then what he wanted. He did not just want Freya to be his. He needed her. And now was the time to tell her everything.

But by the time he regained his senses, she was gone. Loki knew he could not let her go this time. There was too much to be said between them, and he truly regretted not following her all those months ago. If he had just told her then rather than shutting himself away, then perhaps… Perhaps things would have been different between them. But here he was, having done all he could to make sure she had the perfect Christmas, and it seemed he had been successful, except for this last part.

He was not too surprised to find no sign of her in the hall, though he was grateful that everyone else was too distracted to notice him, and so he headed towards her office, having a distinct feeling that she would have gone to the nearest place of safety. He was only a little surprised that she had managed to get so far ahead of him, but as he turned onto the corridor, he heard a door slam shut, followed by sobbing. His heart panged then, for he knew that Freya had a broken heart, and it had never been his intention to hurt her. All he had ever wanted was for her to be okay, and yet these past few months he had only caused her pain and sorrow.

"Freya?" He asked softly as he stood by her door, cursing as it was locked. He could see her hunched with her back against it, crying into her knees, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and comfort her. The moment they had shared on the balcony was exactly like he had dreamed of, and he had hoped that it would have ended a bit more happily than this.

"Freya, please, let me in…" He said gently, but she did not move, and he knew he could not leave until he had told her everything. He just hoped that she would forgive him.

Freya had managed to escape the hall unnoticed, and it was only once she was out of sight that she let her tears fall freely. Her heart was breaking with every step, and she was fighting the urge to run back to him. Yet she knew she had just ruined everything. They had only agreed to rebuild their friendship yesterday, and yet she had already kissed him and given the true depths of her feelings away. She had no doubt that he would reject her, for she was nothing to him. She was but a mortal girl, an insignificant speck in what would be a very long life for the Prince. Why would it matter to him what she felt? But she knew that she could not stay here. She would have to leave New Asgard if she ever wished to let her heart heal, and that meant leaving everything behind. She would lose her job, her new home, and her friends, for she had no doubt that she would not be able to visit them again. Nor would they forgive her for leaving either. She knew she could leave tomorrow should she wish, for that was what had been agreed with Thor, and yet… Yet she did not want to go. She loved every minute here, learning all about the Asgardians and integrating herself with their culture. Today had proven just how much they had accepted her as one of their own, and she had no wish to leave that behind.

Yet how could she stay?

"Freya, please, just open the door…" The Prince said softly through the glass, but Freya ignored him. She had no wish to see him right now, for she did not want her heart breaking any further. She knew he was here to reject her, and she knew she did not have the strength to hear it.

"Please leave me be." She replied, but he would not go. "Loki, please… There has already been enough damage done. I cannot…"

"I will go only once I know you are okay." He told her, and she silently cursed him, for she just wanted to be left alone. Today had been perfect, so why had she just gone and ruined it? "I ask only for a minute Freya."

"Then you will go?" She asked sceptically.

"I promise." This would have to do, and so she did her best to pull herself together. Drying her eyes with the sleeve of her gown, she got to her feet and looked at him through the glass. She was more than a little surprised to see sheer concern in his eyes, and yet there was something more to it. Was it hope? Or something else? She had no idea.

"I will be alright." She told him calmly, but he just shook his head.

"But you won't be, will you?" He queried, and her expression gave the truth away. "I think we need to talk."

"Not right now."

"If not now, then when?" Loki asked, and she knew he had a point. At least right now everyone else was busy, and no one would notice their absence for a while. "Just give me five minutes?"

"You have already asked a lot of me this evening sire. I…" She pointed out, though she unlocked the door. The Prince instantly stepped inside and gently smiled at her. "I do not know how much more I can take."

"I just wish to know one thing." He assured her, while she leaned against her desk.

"Which is?"

"Why do you keep running?" She did not answer, though she stared at her feet and fiddled with the sleeve of her gown. "Freya, even I know you cannot run forever. Eventually the thing you are trying to escape catches up with you."

"I…" She hesitated, unsure if she could tell him the truth right now. Though she had wanted to do so just a few days ago, she no longer had the courage to do so. The moment they had shared on the balcony had been perfect, and she had no wish to ruin it.

"You can tell me Freya. There is no reason to be afraid."

"You already know." She responded quietly. "You must already know why."

"Even I know you cannot kiss someone like that and run away." He told her. "Freya, I wish to know if that was just tradition, or was it something more?"

"It is just a stupid tradition." She sighed, wanting him to leave her be. She was very tired and confused, and she wanted nothing more than to be on her own. Her head was a flurry of thoughts, and she was not in the mood to be telling half-truths. Yet how could she admit the truth to him when she knew he did not feel the same?

"I do not believe you." Loki pointed out as he stepped closer. "Nobody kisses under the mistletoe like that."

"I do." She lied, hoping he would go away.

"I think there is more to this than you are willing to admit." He paused, while she wondered how easy it would be to escape through the gardens. She knew she was trapped otherwise, but she did not want to tell him like this. Not when she felt so broken.

"Perhaps there is." She agreed. "But how can I trust you?" Freya regretted the words the moment they left her lips, for he looked hurt. "I mean, you have done nothing but ignore me ever since that day in August, and then you did everything you could to save my life without visiting me when I was awake. You have treated me as nothing more than a colleague for the past few weeks, and I have no idea what game you are playing. I have no wish to be toyed with, nor can I trust you with my heart. Your actions have hurt me deeply, and I have tried in vain to move on, but today… Today has been perfect, and I have no idea why you would go to such efforts when we are nothing more than colleagues."

"You truly see me only as a colleague?" He asked her, while she shook her head.

"I still see you as a friend." She admitted. "Though I wish to know what I did to cause you to ignore me for so long."

"You ran." Loki stated simply. "That day on the beach, I had never seen you so care free before. I had never quite realised just how much you meant to me, and I was trying to tell you, but then you left. You could not escape quick enough."

"I had no wish to hurt you." She told him honestly.

"Yet that is exactly what you did."

"You ignored me after that day though. I tried to resolve things between us, but you would not give me the time of day." She argued, while he sighed. "You made it very clear to me that you had used me for your own ends."

"And that is what pushed you to threatening me?" He asked, his temper flaring slightly.

"I could see no other option, for it was clear that you would not listen to me otherwise!" Freya told him, her anger taking over. Though they had talked about this previously, she knew that this needed to be said. "I had kept that sceptre hidden for so long, and fought so hard with myself over whether to use it or not…"

"And you decided to use it to get answers from me?"

"I had hoped that the sheer sight of it would be enough." This was true. "I knew you would be angry with me for it. I never expected you to hold me at knife point."

"So it is your fault that the sceptre nearly ended up in the wrong hands?" He asked, and she looked ashamed. "I never expected you to do something so foolish."

"The moment I realised I had dropped it, I went back for it. I never wanted to risk your freedom."

"So you risked your life?" She was quiet, while Loki frowned.

"I was trying to protect you."

"I do not need protecting." He stated. "Why would you do that though? Especially given my treatment of you before that?"

"Because your freedom is worth more than my life." Loki was quiet as he realised that she truly believed that. "Given your capabilities, if that sceptre fell into the wrong hands, then the amount of devastation that could be caused… I had no wish for you to be forced to do anything you did not wish to do."

"Your life is not worth it." He told her.

"I know. I am but an insignificant speck to you." She sighed deeply, and he was surprised to learn that she actually thought this.

"Then if you believe that, why go to such effort to fight for me?"

"Because we were friends once." Freya told him.

"And now?"

"Now I do not even know anymore." She hesitated, and there was such sorrow in her eyes. "I know we agreed yesterday to start afresh, but given what has just happened…" They fell silent for a moment, but the Prince needed to know just one more thing before they went any further.

"Freya, you have done everything you can to protect me, even after my treatment of you. Why is that?"

"I would do the same for any of my friends." She lied.

"Freya…" He warned, knowing that she was not telling the truth. Freya just sighed, for she knew she was cornered. There was no way out of this one without confessing, for he could see straight through her.

"Does it need to be said?" She asked sadly, while he nodded. He was but a few inches away from her now, and she longed to be held in his arms again. "Is it not clear to see why I have done everything I can for you? Why I have done everything to make sure you are happy here? Why I have done all that I can not to lose you?"

"I need to hear you say it." He told her softly as he tilted her chin upwards so that she met his eyes.

"Please don't do this to me Loki." She pleaded, not sure that she was ready to do this. "Please don't make me say it."

"Freya, it is quite alright." He assured her. "You can trust me."

"But surely it is plain to see?"

"Freya…" He gently warned, and she knew he was losing patience.

"Damn you Loki." She cursed softly, knowing that there was no running this time. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and sought the courage needed to say those few words that meant so much. "I did it because…" She faltered, for she had never quite admitted the true depths of her feelings to anyone before, let alone the person in question.

"Because?" He prompted after a few seconds, and she shook her head. She knew she would never get the opportunity like this again, and so she opened her eyes. He was looking at her with such curiosity and hope, and she knew then that she had to do this.

"I did it because…" She hesitated, before finding the strength she needed. If he rejected her then so be it. But if he felt the same, then this was the way to find out. Taking another deep breath, she dropped her guard entirely so that he could see the true depths of her feelings towards him. "Loki, I did it because I love you."