The sea gently ripples up on the golden sand; the sun is warm and inviting. It's weird; the sun in Asgard isn't like that of earth. It's nice, it doesn't damage even the fairest of skin, which is good because my skin is as fair as it gets. Unfortunately, it doesn't tan your skin either; I guess I'll be a pasty white forever. At least I can lay in it and enjoy the sun's rays.

"Well, shall we go in for a swim, my dear?" Loki says.

"No, I would like to lie out in the sun's warmth for a while. You may go in if you wish." I sprawl out onto a soft thread-bare blanket I brought and laid out on the sand.

"I'll stay here in your company, if that is okay."

"That's fine."

After a while of lounging in the sun I begin to get a little warm for comfort, so I remove the white-cotton dress that I put over my swimsuit. I catch Loki staring at my torso, and I look down. He's staring at the large scar across my abdomen, I look back to him, and he turns red out of embarrassment and looks away. I guess he's still embarrassed about it.

"It's fine to look; you don't have to be embarrassed about it." I mutter

"I'm not embarrassed, I just, I don't like thinking about it. It causes me much pain to think about it. Does it still ache like it did for the longest time?" He stares out at the beautiful lake, it's glittering with the dying sun's reflection.

"No, it stopped aching years ago." I lay back down. It could have happened just yesterday, it feels like it, the years have become blurred together I guess. It was the most important day of my life, not because I almost died, but because that was the day that I knew Loki Odinson loved me back.

It happened nearly 8 years ago, I was 15 and Loki was 17. We were gathering spare wood for burning in the woods, Thor was there too. I was near a huge ravine; it had to have been at least 20 feet to the bottom. If an Asgardian falls in, they would sustain a few bumps and scratches, if even that. If a human fell, death would surely ensue.

Loki knew that I was distressingly in love with him, adolescent love; I was absorbed with everything about him. He would often mock me, by making me do stuff for him by using the cavalier line "You would do what I say, if you were actually to love me." Or "I would adore whoever did _ for me," and me being stupid and hormonal usually fell for it.

"Catherine, go down into that ravine and collect," he pointed to a rather large log towards the bottom, "that log, it's big enough to burn for hours and hours."

"No, with the luck I possess I'll trip half way down, and then you fools will leave me for death." I laughed, "And I don't think I could carry it up."

He brushed of my comment and added, "You would do it, if you were to actually love me,"

"Fine! But, only because you are oh, so charming," I tried to make it sound sarcastic, but it sounded thin upon saying it, I guess I'm not too convincing. I began venturing down, tripping and sliding to my discontent. About half way down I stepped over a large ledge made of boulders and log, and I tried to steady myself, but I trip. I felt myself falling, falling, falling.

All I saw was Loki, not my life flashing before my eyes, but every sweet moment Loki and I had shared. My body landed on a large branch, the tip was so sharp it pierced through my back and came out through my stomach. I touched my hands to the wound and my hand came back covered in blood.

"Catherine, are you okay?! I saw you trip!" Loki called down. I can't even yell, I'm too wrapped up in trying to get the spearing branch out of me. "Catherine! Answer or I'm coming down!"

All I managed to yell was "Help" but it was too feeble, and wouldn't reach him. He began scaling down, much faster than I, for he reached me within a matter of minutes.

"Oh god," he knelt beside me and touched his hand to my wound, "I shouldn't have made you fetch the log for me. This is bad, you will bleed out if we don't find help soon. I am so sorry, I don't know what possessed me to tell you to do this, I was foolish, I was—"

Thor was peeking over the edge, his hands full of logs, and he called down, "Brother, are you alright down there?!"

Loki cleared his throat, "Thor, fetch help, I made Catherine venture down, and she fell. Now a spear is piercing her, she will die if we don't help."

Without a word Thor dropped all of his logs, and ran. By this time I start convulsing, the tears I cried have decreased, and my sight began to blur. I thought for sure I was within Death's icy grip.

"How do you feel?" He says

"Cold, I want to sleep."

"Don't you dare, you will sleep when we get to the healers." He now held me in his arms, moments pass before I said,

"Loki I just want you to know that I—"

"Don't you dare say anything that you wouldn't say if you weren't hurt!" He barked, his voice cracked and tears fell solemnly.

"I just wanted to let you know, I love you. I think you know that, but I think it is the time to no longer keep it a secret."

"I-I know, I've known for a long while now." He didn't try to hide his tears, for now they fell freely.

Sleep begins to overcome me, and my eyelids fall shut.

"Catherine, Catherine open your eyes!" He tries to shake me gently, as to not move the spear, but I don't open my eyes. I am just about succumbed to the sleep when I hear him say, "Catherine, please, open your eyes. I love you too; I have for a long while. Please," my heart began to race harder. A smirk appeared on my face.

"Good," I mumbled.

When I awoke I was in my bed, my wound was healed, but still it ached horribly.

"Catherine, it's getting dark. Should we begin our trek back to the castle?" Loki posed.

My eyelids flutter open, have I really been asleep long enough for the sun to go down? "Yes, let's go back now." I yawn.

He chuckled, "Did you have a nice rest, sleepy one?" I laugh too, it's funny to hear him to poke fun and joke, and it's a nice change from his usual serious demeanor.

"Why yes, yes I did, very refreshing! How long was I asleep for?"

"If I had to judge, I would say, around 3 or 4 hours."

"My goodness, why didn't you wake me?!"

"You look very darling in your sleep, I couldn't disturb that!"

I let out a sigh and say, "Well, back to the castle with us."