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"Mommy, Mommy, look!" Something was poking him in the side and he groaned.

"What is it, sweetie?"

"I found a homeless man! What do you think he's doing in the park?" He cautioned himself to opening one eye; there was a chubby, pink face full of two blue eyes staring at him. He gasped and sat up quickly, not knowing where he was.

"Honey, leave the poor man be. I'm sure he isn't homeless."

"Where am I?" Loki whispered to the little girl, though he already had an inkling of where.

"This is New York," said the girl's mother who had joined her daughter in staring at him. She looked friendly enough. "You must have fainted or something. Are you okay?" There was concern in her eyes, though she had never met him before.

The god rubbed his face and sighed. This was where he had been sent for attacking Manhattan; back to the very same place. He looked down at his clothes, already knowing that he had been stripped of his original god-like attire. Instead, they had been replaced by a pair of black jeans, a white top and a black and green checked over-top.

"I am fine. I am afraid that I am lost. This is not exactly where I went to sleep." The woman gave him a sympathetic look, the first that he had received in a long time.

"Look, why don't you come back to our house and see if we can't find out where you're supposed to be?" The man grinned at her; he may have no powers, but that didn't mean that didn't still have a silver tongue.

"How gracious of you. I have not received such hospitality for a long time." Her cheeks tinged a light pink and she offered him a hand so that he could stand up. "What is your name?"

"It's Valerie. And I'm Danny," piped out the little girl, who smiled widely at him. "Who are you?" Loki had to think about this for a time, knowing that he could not give his real name.

"It's Lieth."

"Mommy, why can't I have a cool name like that?" The mother laughed.

"I didn't think of it before you were born, that's why." She ruffled the little girl's hair. "Now, come on, let's go back to the car."

...

"Are you sure that sending Loki back to Midgard was the right thing to do, Father?" Odin sighed at his only son.

"Thor, it was what needed to be done. What would you have had me do, let him roam free here, with all of his powers?"

"I would have looked after him," said the god fiercely, trying to restrain the angry tears. "I would have tried to teach him his wrongs."

"And what good would that have done?" Odin's voice began to rise. "He is not your brother; he has no need to listen to you!"

"We grew up together, Father! That must count for something in his mind!"

"That is what you do not understand!" The king began to shout. "There is no accounting for what Loki could or would do!" Thor turned away from him. How could his father not see what he had done wrong?

"Father, I love Loki. That we are not blood brothers does not change how I feel for him!" Thor brushed a hand through his golden hair. "I see him as my brother no matter what he does."

"And that is your greatest fault. You are too easily trusting."

"Then let me prove you wrong. Let me prove to you that Loki is worth redemption. Send me down there, to watch over him, to see what he does." Odin remained silent, mulling over this idea.

The god of thunder remained standing there, waiting to hear what his father had to say. He wanted to save his brother, and that was exactly what Loki would always be to him; a brother. He counted the Warriors Three as his brothers, as he counted Sif as a sister.

"So be it. You are not to make contact with either Loki, those he speaks and interacts with or the Avengers. Is that clear?"

"Thank you, Father," said Thor, kneeling before the All-Father. "For this action, I owe you my gratitude."

"I cannot send you yet. I need time to rest after the magic I used on Loki. Return tomorrow."

...

"I know that this place isn't much, but it works for me and Danny." Valerie showed him into the lounge. "Please, take a seat." He sat down on the couch as she went into the kitchen, becoming used to the human feeling of everything.

"Where are you from, Lieth?" asked the girl, sitting beside him and having difficulty pronouncing his name.

"I'm from a faraway place," he whispered to her. "Can you keep a secret?" She nodded quickly, leaning closer to him. "I am from Asgard. But you must promise not to tell your mother of this."

"I promise," she said solemnly, holding up her pinkie. "Pinkie promise?" They crossed pinkies and pinkie promised on it.

"Do you want a coffee, Lieth?" the woman yelled from the kitchen loudly, startling the god.

"Thank you, that would be most agreeable." Danny laughed a little at him.

"You talk funny."

"It was how I was raised. Sometimes even I am confused at how profuse my words are."

"What's pro-fuse mean?"

"It means lengthy. I stretch my sentences out with unnecessary words at times." The little brunette girl scratched her head.

"Okay." Valerie came back into the room carrying two coffee mugs.

"Here you go. Scoot, Danny."

"Mommy," she began to whine before she finally moved to sit down on the carpeted floor, crossing her arms grumpily.

"So, Lieth, where are you from?" He shot a secretive look at Danny, who winked at him, and then said,

"I'm originally from Britain, but I moved here when I was 5." He sipped the hot beverage, managing not to frown at the strange taste. After a few more sips, he grew used to the bitterness.

"You remind me of someone I've seen before," the woman said, tapping the side of her mug with her fingers. "I can't remember who, though."

"I'm sure it was not important," Loki said, grinning.

"Did you hear about what happened to Manhattan a few days ago?" she asked. "Some super-villain came and trashed up the place, including Stark Tower."

"Oh really? How strange." He set his coffee cup down on the coffee table in front of him. "I know that this is abrupt, but would it be alright if I stayed here, just for a couple of nights? It may take me a while to find a place to stay."

"That's fine. The guest bedroom is upstairs, you can stay there."

"Thank you, Valerie. I, er, may I take a nap now, if that's alright?" She waved a hand.

"That's absolutely fine. Danny, do you want to show Lieth up to his room?" The girl stood up and gestured for him to follow her. They went up the small spiral staircase and down a hallway, where Danny opened one of the doors.

"Is it okay if I come talk to you later, Lieth?"

"What would it be about?"

"I want to learn more about you," said the 7 year old shyly. He smiled at the girl, feeling a stirring of warmth towards her.

"Knock on my door in 3 hours."

"Okay then!" she said, skipping down the hallway and leaving him alone.

He entered the room and sat down on the single bed, looking out the window at the other buildings. Loki was beginning to feel like he belonged here, strange as that was. It was more tranquil, though the buildings were cruder and the air was dirtier than Asgard.

And the people could be friendly to complete strangers. He himself would have trusted no-one, especially if he had found them on the ground in a park. He lay himself down on his back, head resting on the pillow. He said one last thing before he closed his eyes.

"I miss you, Thor."