A/N: Wow! Thank you so much for all the fantastic reviews! You have all really made our days with these! I won't take up too much time in my ramblings, because I'm sure you've been waiting to see Loki's fate. Onward!

"Thor, you must release him," Odin instructed.

"You won't take him from me. I just got him back. You won't... Can't they save him?"

"The healers cannot restore breath," his father sighed.

"Then I will destroy all of Jotunheim to avenge him."

"You will do nothing of the sort. That is grief speaking. Step back."

"You would know nothing of grief!" Thor raged, turning his angry eyes towards his father. "How can you stand there and care nothing for him?"

"You know nothing of the grief of a father for his son," Odin growled out dangerously. "You will move back now."

Slowly, numbly, Thor released Loki's body and eased him to the floor. His face had grown horribly pale against his dark hair and the blood that spread all around. Thor felt sick when he realized that it was the same shade as his cape.

He stumbled back and collapsed again to the floor, hands braced against the still cold marble. Thor forced himself to draw in ragged breaths, but the smell of Loki's blood filled his nostrils and he shut his eyes. He thought his heart might burst or merely stop beating within him.

Odin sank to one knee next to his slain son and placed a hand against his forehead, his own heart breaking within him. It had been a different kind of heartbreak when he lost Loki to his son's own blind ambition but he was not fool enough to believe his actions had no part in the matter. He glanced at Thor, and knew that if he could not change this he would lose not one son, but both. "Oh, my boys." Odin murmured. The staff in his hand began to glow softly.

He stood, power flowing around him. A mere tap of his staff echoed as loudly as Thor's voice had and Loki gave a sharp jolt, eyes flying open as he sucked air into his lungs. He sputtered for a moment, his brother's name tumbling from his lips again and again. Odin fell back to the ground, both from exhaustion and need to be near to his youngest. Loki's eyes focused on him. "Father?" he rasped and the aging king couldn't help but smile.

"It has been some time now since you have referred to me by that name." He brushed back a stray bit of dark hair and shifted to the side, allowing Thor access.

The blond fell to his knees, his entire frame shaking. "Loki?"

The younger prince gave a groan, hand going to his head as if he were trying to pull his thoughts together. "There were four, Thor. Did you-"

He wasn't able to finish his question as his brother scooped him up, burring his face in the crook of his neck and sobbing unabashedly. Loki grimaced but did not struggle away. He couldn't quite grasp what had just happened, but it was a rare sight indeed to see the mighty Thor in such a state, and he knew he could do nothing against it. So slowly, painfully, he wrapped an arm around his brother's neck and propped his chin up on his shoulder, allowing the closeness to warm him and ease the pain away.

"Easy with him, Thor, he is not entirely healed," Odin warned.

Loki brought his other hand up to hold onto the sleeve of Thor's shirt, wincing as pain twisted in his chest, but more alarmed by the fact that his brother made no response to their father's statement and the fact that Thor was shaking. "Brother?" he murmured.

Thor drew back just far enough to rest his forehead against Loki's. "You were gone. I could not bear..." he trailed off but it was enough to call Loki's thoughts to order in a startlingly clear manner. His gaze slid sideways and caught the grim look Odin was giving them both.

"Surely you did not..." Loki said, the implication of Thor's words sending a wave of cold fear through him. He tightened his grip on his brother instinctively. He had been badly injured, yes, but certainly not gone.

"He did. He brought you back," Thor murmured, still shaken by the experience. He had yet to release his younger brother and didn't seem inclined to in the near future.

"Why?" the younger prince asked, green eyes still trained on Odin.

The Allfather looked exhausted by the feat and leaned heavily on his staff. Slowly, as if tasting his words, he said, "I have lost my sons too often as it is."

The moment of honesty struck the dark haired god to the point that his throat tightened. He opened his mouth to speak, but found no words could express the raging emotions that ran through him. He would have to pick through them slowly, carefully, and return to this at a later time. That was the only way that he would be in control of the outcome. "Can you stand, brother?" Thor asked.

"I'd rather not just yet."

"We should have the healers take a look at you."

"Oh, I'm fine," Loki chuckled, grimacing even as he did so. Truth be told, and he rarely did, he didn't know what the extent of injuries were. He had just been... dead. How does one recover from that? His eyes shifted back to Odin. "Father?" he called before he could stop himself.

Odin's attention came back to him, hearing the question in his voice. "Go and rest, my son. You and Thor have bought us precious time with your bravery today." He stood, using his staff to leverage himself off the ground. "I must go and speak with your mother. I will come and see you both later. Thor, make him see a healer if you think he needs one."

"Yes, father." Thor murmured. Loki and Thor remained until Odin was out of sight.

"What will that have cost him?" Loki asked quietly.

"I do not know. Perhaps it is something that I can one day learn." Thor said.

Loki frowned, knowing the consequences of such an action could not be anything good. "I'd rather you didn't." he said.

Thor's smile was a fraction of its usual brightness. "I generally make it a habit to take actions you'd rather I didn't. Are you ready to move? Let me help you." Thor was almost desperate to move away from the shadow of blood on the ground and to get it out of his brother's clothes and off of his skin. He feared he would be smelling Loki's blood in his dreams for years.

His brother made a grumbling noise, but nodded. "I can walk," he assured him after a moment of thought, remembering how Thor had simply scooped him up the last time he had been injured.

Thor shot him a look that said that he didn't believe him, though he still refrained from doing any more than offering a steadying hand to gently pull the younger god to his feet. Slowly, stiffly, Loki stood and felt the world sway dangerously. Strong hands steadied him and his own thin one went to where the life-taking wound had been. It was still tender beneath his torn and bloodied tunic, but he seemed mostly intact. His fingers began to probe curiously, but Thor shifted as if he were ready to move. "The healers can take a look at it."

"I don't think I need one," Loki answered. "I seem to be more or less whole."

Thor reached out as if he too were going to brush his fingers over the place where minutes before he'd been trying in vain to keep his brother's blood from spilling. He stopped halfway when he caught a glimpse of the blood still on his fingers and let his hand fall. "You will want to change, then, brother, as will I. You should rest, as father said until this magic is complete."

Loki nodded, still lost in the ghost like feeling within him. "Wait. What are you going to do?"

"After I walk back with you I am going to speak to Heimdall. I very much wish to know how we came by these visitors again." Thor said.

Loki had no wish to visit with the gatekeeper since they were not exactly chummy after his stint as king of Asgard. It was a good question though, if they had not come through the Bifrost and the trickster hand not ushered them in, as to who might have brought the frost giants through the vaults.

They were moving, slowly, towards their chambers and his mind began to reach for every possibility. There were secret entrances all through the palace. He and Thor had used many of them in their childhood days to sneak away from the keepers and out from under watchful eyes. Many of those passageways had been sealed up and the others should have been beyond a Frost Giant's reach. He frowned to himself as they reached the door to his own rooms. Thor paused, waiting until he entered to make his way down the hall to his own. "I'll be along in a moment," Loki murmured without ever truly making the decision in his own mind.

"To where? You're going to rest."

The younger brother's lips stretched it a charming smile, innocence seeming to play out in his green eyes. "Oh, don't fret, brother. I just lost a bit of blood. It's nothing that would stop me from accompanying you. After all, I would like to know what happened as well." The smile broadened, a look that had always gotten what he wanted from the elder Asgardian all through their years.

Thor stared at him as if not really seeing him. He knew Loki was no longer dead, had been right there when the Allfather had brought him back from the beyond and could see his little brother standing before him now, all light eyes and winning smile. Thor kept trying to reach for that feeling of safety, for that certainty of rightness that his brother was by his side where he belonged but not enough moments had passed to fill the terrible chasm that opened within him when Loki had died in his arms. No strength he possessed could have saved Loki. If Odin had not been there or had not loved his son so much...

Thor looked away, clenching his fist and digging the tips of his fingers into his palm. "As you wish, little brother. I'll come by in a few minutes and we will go together." He turned and walked away before Loki could respond.

The dark haired god stared for a long moment, feeling the change in his brother's attitude painfully. Thor had been known to speak coldly to him in the past, but not quite in that tone. He let out a low, long breath that came out somewhat as a frustrated sigh as he turned into his chambers. His clothes were ruined and he began pulling the layers from his body as soon as the door was shut behind him. He dropped them carelessly to the floor. His tunic tugged a bit when he got to it, dried blood keeping it firmly in place. He winced as it pulled at still-healing skin and took a look at the damage. There was an obvious mark where the staff had dug through him and bruising now surrounded the area. It was dark and angry and very tender, but nothing that wouldn't be done healing by that time the next day. The Allfather's magic had done wonders for him, and he would, eventually, have to find a way to swallow his pride and find a way to thank him for saving his life. Eventually.

Thor shut the door to his chambers behind him and leaned against the door for a long moment, closing his eyes and inhaling the soft scent of rain on the air and the plants on the balcony. He suddenly jerked away from the door as if he'd been burned, angrily pulling off torn and blood stained clothing, leaving a trail of ruin behind him. He drew a bath, quick and hot to cleanse the blood away. When the water turned pink he got out and redressed, nearly ripping fabric as he pulled his shirt on over his head. This was his house, his father's house. To show so little respect was outrageous and to take from him the life of his brother was not to be tolerated. Charging into Jotunheim would do him no good, no one could say Thor would repeat mistakes with so great of a consequence. Perhaps not a whole realm could be taken in vengeance, but whoever had dared breathe orders to kill in Asgard would not be speaking orders for much longer.

He stepped over the clothes he'd left in his wake and slammed the door to his chambers behind him. He would collect Loki and they would speak to Heimdall and hope his eyes had caught the creature that needed to be silenced.

The thunder god stopped at his brother's door, unable to move to either knock or simply open it. Loki had long since stopped complaining when Thor barged in unannounced into the outer part of his rooms, but now the blond couldn't even find it in himself to do that. What if he entered and Loki was not there? What if he found the rooms empty, silent, and cold? If he had, in a fit of despair, imagined the Allfather bringing Loki back to them? What if that smile and those easily tossed about words of wellness had been a frightening illusion and his brother still lay dead in another part of the palace? He could feel his throat closing in panic at the thought, despair threatening to wash over him in waves as he stood there, unmoving.

Without warning the door opened and the god of mischief tilted his head in question. The door clicked shut behind him and worry sparked in Loki's mind as he gauged his brother's expression. "Thor?" he murmured.

The panic diminished slightly and for the briefest of moments Thor considered hugging Loki to him, close enough that he would be able to feel the heartbeat and the irritation such an act would surely invoke. He shook his head. "Nothing, brother. Are you ready to speak with Heimdall? I promise I won't let him send you back to Midgard." he tried for a smile.

"You would try to get in the way to go and spend time with your favorite mortal, I have no doubt." Loki said, not believing his brother for an instant.

"Perhaps we shall go together at one point or another. You still have never met her face to face."

"I'm sure the way in which I met her was enough for a lifetime," Loki sighed. "Though I'm sure that she would love to hear of some of your... accomplishments before you both met."

"Perhaps it is best that you do not accompany me on my next trip."

The two gave way to light banter as they walked. Thor slowed his usual gait to match Loki's. The younger prince typically had no problem in keeping stride with the elder, but signs of exhaustion had already begun to creep into his face. His body might be whole, more or less, but the ordeal had not been washed away just yet.

"Thor?" The blond startled out of his thoughts and turned, seeing one dark eyebrow cocked upward and Loki tilted his head in the opposite direction than the one they had been walking. "While I'm sure you have no issue walking to see Heimdall, perhaps we should take the horses?"

Thor's expression tightened, cursing himself for not suggesting so or thinking of it in the first place. "Of course."

When they arrived at Heimdall's dominion, the gatekeeper was not as direct as Thor had envisioned, much to the thunder god's frustration although Loki was not surprised. "It is as if looking upon something familiar that you have not seen in many, many years. It has a place in your mind but it does not belong." Heimdall said.

"We should go back. We know the tunnels, probably better than anyone." Loki said.

Thor shook his head. "No. If Heimdall cannot see them who is to say that they are not there now, laying in wait to take you away again?"

The argument was not the one Loki had anticipated.

Heimdall shook his head. "I did not say I could see it not at all." his bright gaze slid to Loki. "It is like gazing upon shadows in smoke. Do you remember what I said to you once? There are ways to make yourself unseen if you are clever enough. But you are right. You need to return. Your mother is looking for you."

Loki frowned at his words. "It is difficult to mask anything from your sight," he murmured and the gatekeeper's face was unreadable. They had not spoken at any length since is return to Asgard.

"Come on, brother," Thor urged, obviously put off by the fact that they had not learned anything that he felt they could use.

Loki murmured their thanks to Heimdall and mounted his horse. They did not speak as they road, and by the time they reached the stables the younger prince was regretting his decision to join his brother. Exhaustion pulled at him from every angle and he could feel a deep ache from where the wound had been. He slipped off of his ride, just barely managing to avoid the stumble that tried to trip him up, and released the horse to its caregiver.

"There are dark days ahead of us, aren't there?" Frigga's voice filtered through the stable.

Thor, who had looked like he were going to say something, turned instead to his mother.

"We'll do everything we can to prevent that mother, you know we will." Thor murmured.

Frigga smiled at her oldest son's unthinking use of the word "we" and not "I", not missing Loki glance at him in surprise. Her smile slipped ever so slightly. "Loki, your father needs to speak with you. Quickly, if you can."

The brothers exchanged glances. "Is he…?" Thor asked.

Frigga nodded. "I don't know how long we have, but he will not rest until he speaks with you."

Loki swallowed and nodded. "All right." He turned to Thor. "You won't...go looking for anything without me, will you?" he asked.

The question made Thor pause, as that was precisely what he had intended to do. Slowly, he shook his head. "I will not go into the unknown without you, brother." Thor said.

Loki hesitated, as if he wanted to say something else, but decided against it and left to answer the hail of his father.

"Is he well?"

Thor looked away from his mother, battling the various answers that rose in his throat. "I don't know. He was... gravely injured, but Father-"

"I know what happened, Thor, you need not shield me from it."

Her eldest nodded. "He is tired, but I think he will be alright."

"And you?"

"I was not injured."

"My dear, that is not what I meant."

Thor's bright eyes looked troubled and he suddenly felt very small. "He was gone, Mother. I swore when we got him back that I would never lose him again."

"And you still haven't, my child," Frigga promised, embracing her son. "He is here still, and perhaps your father's actions may even begin to heal some of the long hurts that Loki feels."

Thor sighed, resting his chin upon his mother's head as she held him close. He only wished her words could ease some of the dread he felt.

TBC

A/N: Not quite as dramatic as the last chapter, but that's what happens when you open a story up with Loki's death. Don't worry, we like to top ourselves. It's a game, and a fun one at that. More Loki-whump and brotherly flangst (Thank you, Niilan, for such a fantastic word!) to come.

TS