"Come along, Ponds – Oh." This was the eighth time the Doctor had said this and then realised his friends weren't coming this time. In fact, there weren't going to accompany him ever again. Swallowing the odd shaped thing in his throat, he made his way into wherever exactly he was.

"Oh, this is unexpected." Since the… loss of Amy and Rory the Doctor had mostly taken to voicing his thoughts aloud, it wasn't like they had fully listened anyway. For once, the Doctor actually knew where he was. Hopefully Loki hadn't been waiting too long. The Doctor had become slightly side tracked (try a few years side tracked) but he had come back within at least twenty minutes. From where he had parked the TARDIS he could hear a myriad of screaming and general cheering.

"Well, this sounds exciting. Not clockwork man exciting but still, rather gripping!" Again, voicing his thoughts out loud he strolled down the stone hallway into a large chamber type thing. There seemed to be a crowd gathered below a throne. Upon no one at all, but next to it kneeled a behemoth of a man with long blonde hair a red cape. Slightly further down the podium was a man of about twenty dressed in dark green with – the Doctor had to admit – admirable bone structure and sleek black hair.

By his count about twenty minutes had passed since he had left young Loki and for that he was sorry. Ha had technically said five. He watched over the crowd as it dispersed, with the old man and the behemoth disappearing into a door behind the throne and the man in green began to stride toward the Doctor. He was staring directly down at the floor and, naturally, did not see as the Doctor hailed him and grabbed his arm.

The man looked up with a snarl that soon turned almost wounded when he saw the Doctor. His eyes took on a curiously glazed watery look and he staggered sideways into the wall, the skin around his mouth turning a rather curious white colour.

"You okay there friend? I'm just looking for a boy, about nine medium length black hair?" The Doctor was smiling rather oddly at the man, mostly because he looked like he might pass out or even punch the Doctor at any given moment. The Doctor released his arm and stepped back, but was grabbed by the green man and dragged through a door into what seemed to be a bedroom.

"Yes, um, okay. Anyway yes a boy of about nine, blue eyes?" the Doctor was trying to act normal whilst simultaneously wondering if this man was quite sane.

"You," The man looked like he was choking, "Why did you – why did you say five minutes" he whispered, sinking to the ground, his face scrunched up in pain and tears in his eyes.

"Loki? No, it was – I was only gone twenty minutes!" Oh no, I am an old man and a fool, the Doctor was thinking.

"Why did you say five MINUTES!" The man was up and shouting, his face contorted with rage. "I WAITED FOR YOU AND YOU LEFT ME!"

The Doctor stayed quite for a moment and turned his head in shame.

"I am and old man and a fool, Loki. And for that I am sorry. How long did you wait?"

"Twelve – twelve years I waited for you, you TRAITOR!" Loki was back to yelling, and the Doctor was shocked to the core. This was not the same curious, bright young child he had met with so long ago. This man was a mess.

"Leave me. I never want to see you STUPID FACE AGAIN!" Ouch, another painful reminder of his past. Of Amy and Rory and all the things he could have done to save them. The Doctor looked solemnly into Loki's eyes and backed out of the room, heading back to the TARDIS, no spring in his step or sense of excitement. He felt broken. Old.

He stopped in the hallway, resting his face against the wall, feeling mostly pain and regret. He could hear something through the wall. There it was, that wet sniffily sound again. Loki was crying. The Doctor tried so hard to walk away, to get in his TARDIS and leave like he was told. It would have been a good idea but, hell, when was he ever one for good ideas?

He walked right back into Loki's room and found him sitting spread legged on a large chair by the window.

"I apologise, friend, many a thing has happened since you last were here. Life has not been easy here in Asgard for us all." Loki was begging to be talked to, the poor man looked just as broken as the Doctor.

"I am so sorry and I know that is nowhere near enough apology but it is all I can offer. How are you? Are you alright?" The Doctor knew it sounded pathetic even as it left his lips.

"I am Loki, God of Mischief. I am always alright." He had a bad attempt at a sneer on his face.

"Is 'alright' special Demi God code for 'really not alright at all'?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm alright, too." The Doctor could barely lift his eyes to Loki's at this point and when the behemoth blonde from before barged into the room he was glad.

"Brother, quickly, he has entered the Odinsleep. I will go to Jotunheim, they will pay for what they have done. I need you to stay here, be in charge for me Brother. I need you." Loki arose at once, passing the Doctor as if he did not exist.

"Let me come with you, Thor, please." The blonde, Thor, shook his head and they exited the room, leaving to the Doctor alone. He assumed he could do what he pleased.

The Doctor didn't see Loki or Thor for the next three days. He stayed because he felt like there was a chance, even if it was miniscule, that he could fix what he had done with Loki.

The Doctor found an empty room and some sort of serving woman allowed him to occupy it. He couldn't just leave, not after last time. And he really had so little time left. He had lost the Ponds, but he would not lose Loki, no matter what. And he had to do it soon.

He had procured a mirror from somewhere and held it carefully in his hand, hesitant to see the damage. Not too long ago he had been surprised by a Silurian and bitten. He only had a week, two tops. He hadn't wanted to tell Amy and Rory, he had planned on leaving them to a peaceful life and finding somewhere to die on his own. He couldn't regenerate again; a Timelord can only live so long.

He held the mirror near his hip and lifted up his shirt. It was spreading, leaving a sick black trail in his veins. Two hearts wouldn't save him from this one, although they would prolong his life. Only one person knew, an old friend. Captain Jack Harkness. It hadn't gone down well when Jack had found it.

"It's killing you, isn't it?" Jack had said in that American accent, a horrified look on his face.

"Maybe it's better this way. Maybe you should stop trying to save me and let me go. I'll have to leave you one day."

"Don't you dare, Doctor. You're not alone in this. You can't push me away so stop trying and let me in. I only want to help you." The Doctor felt awful about it, but he had left silently in the middle of the night while Jack was with Ianto. They didn't have to see this.

The Doctor was pulled out of his memory when he heard the unmistakeable sounds of a fight in the throne room.

Loki.