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Chapter 16

Loki didn't come back home the next morning. Or the next. Or the next. Deidra became more and more worried as time went on. The day that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents showed up at her house was the day that turned her worry into fear.

A knock came at the door one evening a couple of weeks after Loki had disappeared. Deidra answered it and was shocked to find a man and a woman in suits standing in the doorway. They introduced themselves asked to come inside.

"Yeah, sorry," she responded, surprised, and let them in.

The agents seated themselves in the living room and offered her a seat. She thought it was ironic that they invited her to sit down on her own furniture, but she didn't say anything and sat down across from them.

"Ms. Cole," the male agent spoke once she was seated. "You must have an idea of why we're here today."

Hope fluttered in Deidra's stomach. "Is Loki ok?" she asked quickly.

The agents looked at each other and then back to her. "We were hoping that you could tell us," the female agent responded.

Deidra's heart sank. She shook her head. "…You don't know where he is?" she asked in a small voice.

"Unfortunately, no," the woman responded. "It's an embarrassment, but he's simply vanished."

"Vanished?" she responded, feeling a mix of emotions. "How can you lose him?!" she asked in an almost yell. "You were supposed to be watching his every move! Remember?"

"And we were," the male said patiently. "He turns out to be more…. difficult to keep up with than we anticipated."

She stared at him. "You don't say," she said flatly. "So what, you thought that I know where he is?" she said to them. "Sorry, but no. You should know that if you've been spying on us like your Avenger said you are."

"We're merely trying to cover our bases," the man responded.

At that the agents stood up, apologized for bothering her, and excused themselves. Deidra shut the door behind them.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. 'If they don't know where he is, then he's really vanished,' she thought. She was so worried about him. Was he ok? Was he even alive? What was he doing now? Would she ever see him again?

A tickle on her face caused her to rub her cheek just then. She was a bit surprised to find that her cheek was wet from tears. She wiped them away and sighed. 'Now I'm crying over the bastard,' she thought miserably, walking away from the door and going to sit on the couch.

She picked up the remote and turned on the tv. The local news was on. She decided to watch it and curled up with a blanket.

The enthusiastic blonde news anchor spoke about politics and a story about a missing teenager.

"Our next story is about the string of muggings in the area," the anchor said seriously. "There has been at least a dozen people mugged in the Franklin County area. Victims all say it happened at night and at knifepoint. There are no leads as of yet. Witnesses have been unable to describe the man except that he stays in the shadows and uses a knife. Fortunately, no one has been hurt so far."

The woman's co-anchor turned to her in his chair and nodded. "That's incredibly fortunate, Carol," he said and then looked at the camera. "Please take extra precautions when you go out, ladies and gentlemen. And if you see anything suspicious, report it to the local authorities right away."

The reporters spoke some more on the muggings. Deidra frowned. 'Jeez,' she thought. 'This area isn't usually dangerous.'

The news then switched over to their field reporter who was covering the local charity street dance going on that night in town.

Deidra yawned. She turned off the tv and decided to go to bed.

About a week later, she decided to try to forget about Loki and to move on with her life.

'It's not like he's coming back,' she thought as she got dressed for the night. She was going to treat herself to a nice meal at a nice restaurant and a movie. It was just what she needed to get herself sorted out again and to take her mind off the dark haired fallen god.

She dressed in a cute blue dress and did her makeup. She styled her hair and smiled at herself in the mirror. She blew herself a kiss and gave a little laugh. "I'm gorgeous," she said lightly.

She grabbed her purse and left for her dinner and movie.

A few hours later she found herself walking down the streets enjoying the warm night air. She didn't even know what time it was. Maybe around midnight. Everything was so peaceful at night.

She was lost in her own happy thoughts and didn't notice the movement in the shadows behind her.

The figure rushed up to her and shoved the point of a knife into her back. Deidra's blood ran cold and she froze.

"Don't move," the figure hissed at her.

She swallowed hard past the sudden lump in her throat and stood as still as possible. The knife tip in her back was dangerously sharp.

"Don't hurt me," she whispered. She had never been so terrified in her life.

"Give me your purse and you'll be fine," the man said in her ear, easing the knife tip out of her back.

A flicker of recognition broke through her fear. 'No,' she thought. 'I know that voice.'

Deidra swallowed hard and worked up her courage. She spun around and came face-to-face with her attacker. He was obviously surprised that she had turned around on him. His startled eyes met hers. Her eyes widened.

"Loki?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Loki's eyes widened as he recognized who she was. He dropped the knife and took a step back away from her.

They stared at each other for a moment before he suddenly turned and ran into the shadows.

"What?! Come back!" she yelled and chased after him. She kicked off her heels as she ran through the back alleys. Loki was incredibly fast and soon she was tired, but she ran on. Her lungs were on fire, but she didn't dare slow down. If she did she knew he'd disappear again and she'd never see him again.

Loki darted to the right and down another alley behind a restaurant. He ran up to the wooden fence blocking the exit into the street. He looked back at her and jumped up and started to climb over the fence.

She caught up to him at that time and grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pants and pulled him as hard as she could. He held on to the fence, but his hand slipped and he came tumbling onto the ground. He got up and started to run away again, but she grabbed him and shoved him again the brick wall.

He stared down at her and she glared up at him, both breathing heavily. Finally, Loki spoke first.

"Deidra, I-" he started to say.

Deidra silenced him by a sharp slap across his face. She slapped him again and then started to sob. She beat him frantically with her fists, crying hysterically.

He caught her hands in his. She relented and put her forehead against his chest, wetting his black jacket with her tears.

She looked up at him. "Why did you leave me?" she said through her sobs.

Loki didn't know what to say. Her outburst had surprised him speechless. She was usually so head strong and confident. He looked her over. Now she seemed so small and fragile in her blue evening dress and her mascara running down her face. It was like she wasn't even the same person he had gotten to know.

Guilt washed over him. He hadn't thought of how his leaving might have affected her. 'It was for her own good,' he thought. But if that was true, why was she crying against him? And why did he feel so awful?

She looked at him again. "Why did you leave me?" she asked again. She was a bit calmer now, but her voice was still unsteady. "Why did you run from me?"

End of Chapter 16

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I hope you liked it! Please leave a review and let me know!