The Spark

Loki was crouched down in the base he'd taken over, half-sitting on the floor as he watched various men and women rush about, trying to help Selvig as he worked on the Tesseract inside a smaller room sealed off by plastic walls. There weren't many people and he wasn't sure whether to be pleased or disappointed with that. It was a…fine line he walked in terms of preparing the Tesseract. More people meant more work was done and done faster, which meant the Chitauri's plans would come to fruition all the sooner.

It also meant less time on Earth with Kona before battle.

However, fewer people meant less time spent working on the Tesseract, it meant more time to be with Kona as the others prepared the cube for the plans that lie ahead.

And that meant tension for the Chitauri in regards to whether he was fulfilling his end of the deal and also gave Fury more of a chance to find them and halt their plans indefinitely.

He looked down at the scepter in his hand, as the gem glowed even more brightly, hearing whisper in his mind as he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as he was transported, mentally, across space, to another world, pulled into a vision, a message from the Chitauri.

He opened his eyes to find himself on the planet that he'd been on before he'd arrived on Earth, no, not a planet, more like a wasteland of an asteroid. And he'd thought Jotunheim had been a disaster. This was…a wreckage, this was a civilization at the brink of their own destruction.

He looked up, hearing the shadows around him whispering, knowing the Chitauri were surrounding him. His gaze drifted around, him standing there as calm and as regal as ever as he faced ahead, seeing one Chitauri closer than the others, barely visible, but there, enough for him to make out.

"The Chitauri grow restless," a voice whispered in the darkness, the figure before him.

"Let them goad themselves," he countered, "I will lead them in a glorious battle," he straightened, promise in his voice.

"Battle?" the voice scoffed, "Against the meager might of Earth?"

"Glorious," he smirked, "Not lengthy," before he tilted his head, almost…mockingly, "If your force is as formidable as you claim."

"You question us?!" the figure hissed, "You question him? He who owns the scepter in your hand, who gave you ancient knowledge and new purpose? When you were cast out, defeated!"

Loki's jaw tensed at that, flashes going off in his mind at the words that were being hissed at him.

He saw a bridge, he saw Thor holding Gungnir, he saw Kona falling into the Bifrost, Frost Giants attacking, Mjolnir, Odin, flashes of light, and him…falling away, falling to darkness.

He shook his head, feeling the images fading, feeling the emotion of those moments rising in him, the anger, the loathing, the hatred that he felt for Asgard, no…for Thor, "I was a king!" he shouted, "The rightful king of Asgard, betrayed."

He winced, feeling that small voice in his head that reminded him of Kona shouting against that, railing that it wasn't true, that that was NOT who he had been. That that was NOT what he had WANTED to be. So why was he claiming so? Why did he feel such…anger at having been denied a throne he hadn't wanted in the first place? Why…

He looked up when he heard the Chitauri leader truly hissing at him and his mind drifted, he knew why, he remembered now. Because Thor would have destroyed Asgard, no matter what, no matter how he changed, he knew his brother was NOT the right king for their people. The burden of the throne, the responsibility, should have fallen to HIM.

Thor had proven he would never change. He had returned to Asgard and, without even hearing the other side of the story, without giving those accused of terrible crimes the chance to defend themselves and explain themselves, he had cast them out. Thor had proven himself incapable of being a wise and just and fair king in that instant. It had been a…wakeup call of sorts, to realize all the hope he'd had for his brother, and he had had the greatest of it, were for naught.

Thor's rash actions had led to this, had led to his startling realization that Thor should never be given the throne of Asgard. The Chitauri had helped him to see that it was HIM who was meant to be king. HE was the one who thought things out, who planned, who considered consequences, and who listened to people around him. HE was the one who heeded the advice of others, who could admit his faults, who had the highest concern for his people. HE was the one whose every action had been for the sake and safety of his people.

Not Thor.

It had never been Thor and it would never be Thor. It should never be him. He was sure that, if Kona still retained her sight, she would have seen that Thor's future would be unchanged, that he would never be the king that Asgard deserved. The Chitauri had shown him that the only one suited to rule Asgard…was HIM.

But he refused to do it, he refused to take up that position without Kona. He needed her, more than anything, more than the air he breathed…because she was his air. She was his heart, his soul, his life…without her…he was without his source of strength. He needed her back, he'd fought so hard for a year just to have the hope of getting back to her. He was about to lead an army to war against the humans to repay a debt he owned for the help in making his way to her once more.

"Your ambition is little," the figure spoke pulling his attention back to the Chitauri before him, "Full of childish need. We look beyond the Earth to greater worlds the Tesseract will unveil."

"You don't have the Tesseract yet," he reminded the Chitauri, HE had it. He didn't even flinch when the Chitauri lunged at him, hissing, spitting, merely smirked at it, "I don't threaten. But until I open the doors, until your force is mine to command, you are but words."

And words were his gift, Kona had often told him that, that the sound of his voice and the way he spoke were just…astonishing. He liked to think he still retained his silver tongue despite his banishment, despite the year in solitude. He was clever, his mind had not dulled in all that time, no…if anything it had been racing with newer ways to get what he wanted.

And now…now he had the chance to see one of them come to life before him. He just had to hope it would work.

"You will have your war, Asgardian," the Chitauri stepped back only a foot, slowly circling him, "If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice, where he cannot find you…" Loki's expression grew neutral as he listened to the creature speak, heard the threat in its voice, "You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain!"

And before he could react, the Chitauri creature pressed its hand to the side of his face…sending a bolt of pain through him…

That knocked him out of the vision, leaving him to jerk to the side, waking up in the middle of the hall of the base, exactly where he'd been sitting, his jaw clenching as he grimaced at the pain.

He panted, closing his eyes, that pain…it was familiar, it was entirely TOO familiar to him. It was not something he wanted to feel again, it was not something he wanted to feel a more extreme amount of as the Chitauri had threatened. He opened his eyes and looked around the room, trying to remember where he was as…he had actually forgotten for a moment in the pain that had raced through him. It was…blinding, it made it hard to focus and, for a short while after, made it hard to remember things. He swallowed, trying to push down the brief flash of fear that had filled him along with it, a fear that even more pain would becoming.

It was something he had…become accustomed to in the last year, pain, fear, anger, hatred, and so many other powerful emotions. The Chitauri…sometimes their touch burned him, hurt him and tormented him so deeply that he would…blackout. The longer they touched him for, the more intense it felt and…then there would be these flashes of random moments, moments of his past in Asgard, moments of his time with Kona, and…moments of himself… screaming, of something happening to him, of him being harmed in some way but…he didn't remember those moments, not clearly as they felt more like a dream of some sort, like a nightmare. He could never be sure what was real and what was his own imagination at that point.

But he didn't blame the Chitauri for the pain, no…they only ever used it when they sensed him growing weak, when they sensed his mind playing tricks on him and trying to forgive Thor and the Warriors Three and Sif and everyone else who had wronged him in his life. No, the Chitauri made him stronger, they made it so he could see clearly the events of his past. THEY were not to blame for his current state…THOR was, Thor and Thor alone.

He could remember it all, every single little moment, all the little instances, all the little digs that Thor had given him throughout his life. He remembered every single thing that Thor had ever done to him to make him the man he was now. The Chitauri had only helped him realize who the true enemy was in his life, his so-called brother.

Because of Thor, he had lost everything that had ever mattered to him. And that was all there was to it. As a result, the Chitauri were his allies, the Chitauri were his army, and the Chitauri would help him get Kona back and stop his brother from destroying any more lives.

He closed his eyes a moment, shaking his head. That little voice was back again, the voice that sounded so much like Kona, in the back of his mind. He could hear it…hear her…whispering to him, telling him that was wrong, telling him everything he just thought was completely wrong. It insisted that it was the opposite, that Thor was his brother and the Chitauri were the enemy. But he didn't…he didn't listen to the voice, because the voice had to be wrong. The Chitauri had to be right, all they had done since he had found them was help him, make him stronger, teach him, and give him what he needed to get to Kona.

It didn't matter to him what deal he'd struck with them if they upheld their end of the bargain. He would lead an army into hell if it meant having Kona, HIS Kona, back in his arms.

He stood, wincing as the pain wasn't just in his head apparently, his entire body was shaking with the remnants of it. He looked around, he didn't want to be there anymore, not around these…humans…he couldn't stand it half the time, how slow they were, how much they should be conquered. The Chitauri had shown him that as well, how weak humanity was, how they warred, how they harmed people they cared for, how they needed to be ruled in order to be protected. And now that Kona was on Earth and among them…he knew that they needed to be ruled and they needed to be controlled more than ever. If any of them ever dared harm her…he didn't know what he'd do.

He smiled though, thinking of her, feeling the pain start to ebb away at the mere thought of her, of her smiling face, of her warm touch. He hadn't felt as peaceful and safe and comfortable as he had with Kona last night in all the year he'd been banished. And he could tell she hadn't either despite having a bed and a home and food to keep her going. He had stayed for an hour longer than he planned the other night when he first met her again. They had talked about small things as he knew it would be inappropriate for a stranger to ask the questions he truly wanted to know, but he had managed to get her to speak of her life, of what it had become after she had woken up in the hospital.

And he had been furious to find that the doctors had the nerve and the audacity to claim that she had tried to take her own life as the only means to explain how she'd appeared on Earth and her injuries. His Kona was stronger than that. It had infuriated him more to realize it was THOR's fault she had ended up in such a situation, his banishment of her that had led to that. It pained him dearly to see her suffering and enduring a punishment she should never have been dealt. It hadn't been her fault what had happened in Asgard, it had been mostly his plan the entire time, even if she had contributed some to it and inspired other parts, it was HIS plan.

He hadn't understood why Thor would banish her and yet had made it seem like he didn't want to do the same to HIM. He had had the chance to do so, just after he'd sent Kona through the Bifrost, he could have easily let him follow…but Thor hadn't. And now he knew why, the Chitauri had spoken to him of the events leading up to her banishment, able to feel something heavy in his heart as he thought of her. The Chitauri had made him realize the truth behind her banishment.

Thor had banished her because he'd known that it would hurt HIM most of all to be without her, to have her so distant from him, to know that, even if he did find her again, she would never be his Kona. She would never be the girl he remembered because she remembered nothing and would remain that way unless Thor or Odin, whoever was king at the time, restored her memories.

THAT had been Thor's plan the entire time, it had to be. He had always hated Kona, had always been longing for a moment to get rid of her, he could tell it. The Chitauri had shown him so much in the Tesseract, in the gem that was stuck in the scepter he held. It had shown him the truth of his supposed brother's treachery, his darkness when it came to him, how much his brother had actually hated him all that time. Thor must've known he was a Frost Giant the entire time, he HAD to have, it was the only way he could explain why his 'brother' had always treated him like an inferior, why he had made so many remarks about his sincerity and his ease in lying, why he often made him out to be a monster with those remarks. All the little things he'd brushed off…now he could see them clearly for what they were.

Thor had known he loved Kona dearly and deeply, and had wanted to get rid of her. Thor had wanted to hurt him in the worst way imaginable and, through banishment of her, he had succeeded. And now…he would always hate his 'brother,' his so-called brother. He had been telling the truth when he spoke to Selvig, Thor was no brother of his. Brothers would not harm each other, they would not distrust and they would not seek to hurt the one they had been raised beside.

Thor had proven that he was no brother of his and so…he would return the favor.

He frowned when the little voice came back, telling him that it was wrong, that Thor loved him dearly, that the man had always been by his side and always trusted him and that it was just the circumstances that had led to Thor believing he had betrayed by him and Kona. It insisted that Thor was only following the laws of Asgard when he banished Kona and that it had nothing to do with trying to hurt him. The voice was pleading with him, begging him not to believe what his mind was telling him, what his memories were telling him.

But the voice…it had to be lying, because the Chitauri and their power had shown him the truth.

He opened his eyes and looked down at the scepter in his hand, before he nodded, knowing what he had to do for peace to reach him, for him to calm both his raging mind and his trembling body before he could think clearly.

He had to see Kona.

He always felt better after he spoke with her, no matter what. Even yesterday, when he had been so disoriented from his arrival on Earth, from everything that had happened, his mind had been so consumed with finding her that, when he finally had, he felt calm, he felt reassured, he felt more rational than he had in a very long time. Everything was always better when he was with Kona.

He nodded, deciding that was what he needed to do, Barton could handle this crew that they were amassing. There weren't all that many there, there weren't many at all, but it would be enough to be done for now, it would be enough to appease the Chitauri while also making some progress with the Tesseract.

And so, with that, he turned and strode out of the base.

~8~

Loki quickly headed down the street that led to Kona's apartment, he could have magicked himself before her door but…he didn't want to risk her being near the window and listening for him and not knowing how he had gotten to her home and it would look less suspicious to those wandering the street to see him walking to her apartment complex. He found it very disturbing how few people there actually were on the street this time of night, but he knew that the neighborhood was a less than pleasant one, that the people had likely feared for their lives after sunset. He on the other hand, well…there was nothing to be frightened of, humans were easily dealt with and anyone who attacked him would be sure to feel how well trained he was.

And it was precisely because of how empty the street was, how quiet it was, that the sound of a muffled scream made him stop dead in his tracks.

No, it wasn't just the scream, it wasn't just the sound of someone clearly being attacked…but of WHO the scream belonged to.

"Kona!" he gasped, running for the direction of the scream, skidding around an alley to see two men before her, one grabbing her arm, holding her back as the other tried to grab her purse off her.

"Just take it," she pleaded, trying to get the purse off.

"Oh, we'll take more than just your money," the man holding her leered at her.

And Loki saw red.

Before either man could even blink he had stormed at them and grabbed one's arm, punching him clear across the face as the man turned, the dual force of the momentum of the swing and of his turn knocked him out cold, forcing him to let go of Kona's arm. The second man turned to him, clearly reaching for a gun, but Loki hadn't even paused in between attacking the first man and turning her attention on him as he merely swung the 'scepter' (now looking like walking cane) out and slammed it across the man's face…knocking him out as well.

He stood over the fallen men, about to transform the scepter back into its proper shape, about to stab the two men through for what they'd nearly done to Kona…

When a small voice called out from behind him, "L…Logan?"

It was a name he'd given her, a fake name, he didn't know why he picked it, but…he just had. He was trying to think of a name that was close enough to 'Loki' that he'd be able to remember to respond to it instead of his name and Logan was all he could think of.

"I'm here Kona," he rushed to her side, putting his arms around her, feeling her shaking in them, "I'm here," he held her tightly.

Kona let out a breath, "Good," she swallowed hard, her hands curling into fists against his chest as she held him, gathering the cloth of his shirt and jacket in her hands, clinging to him, which he did NOT mind at all.

He glanced back at the two thugs on the ground of the alley, "Come on," he whispered, dropping a kiss to the top of her head, not even realizing or bothering to remember that she probably had no idea why he was doing that, or why he thought himself familiar enough with her to be able to do that, to think she'd accept it.

But accept it she did, unable to help the warmth that shot through her at the small gesture. She closed her eyes, letting out a breath at the warmth that filled her. She felt…tingling, like she was just humming with energy now despite the fact that she felt so fatigued from her ordeal.

"Let's get you back to your home," he swallowed hard, knowing and remembering for that one brief moment that this Kona…her home wasn't Asgard any longer.

He led her across the street to her apartment house, being sure not to let her out of his arms as he guided her into the building, up to her floor, and right to her room. He forgot though, that she hadn't provided him with the key to the room but, with a bit of magic, had been able to push the door open…something which he knew, if she hadn't been so upset and shaken, she would have noticed and commented on.

He led her over to the couch, gently sitting her down as she shook, glancing over to see Loki-the-Kitten asleep on her bed, "Let me just make you some tea," he murmured, heading to her kitchen.

"Out of tea bags," she called, "And tea leaves," she sighed, rubbing her head, her eyes falling closed.

"Are you alright?" he moved over to her, sitting beside her, "Everything's ok Kona," he reassured her, putting a tentative hand on her shoulder, not sure if she would accept his touch after what had happened despite her having been willing to do so to get her back to her apartment.

"I just…" she shook her head, unable to put into words what she felt. Terrified? Vulnerable? Stupid? Everything and more she supposed. She should have known better than to walk the streets that late at night, but…she hadn't been able to sleep since she'd…well, since she'd met him the other day.

She didn't know what it was but…her mind was just consumed by him, her thoughts turned to him constantly, her mind repeating things he'd spoken, the sound of his voice, the feel of his brief touches. She hadn't been able to focus all day he had been so prominent a thought and…it scared her a little. She had met many people in the last year, none of them had ever affected her the way a one hour meeting with HIM had. No one had taken over her thoughts so completely as him. She hadn't been able to sleep, had just…been restless.

It was odd, she had felt so calm the other day, the night actually, the time he'd spent with her before he'd had to leave. She'd felt more clam and safe in that one hour with him than she had the entire year. No…she didn't want to lose that. There was something so…familiar about him but she couldn't place it. It made her feel…comfortable around him, like she'd known him her entire life but…she was sure if she had that he would have said something, knowing about her amnesia.

But, in the same breath…there was something off as well. It was like there was just something…different about him, and not a good one, but…something that didn't belong. She just didn't know what.

Loki nodded to himself, understanding that she was partially in shock still. He had to smile though when he saw her physically turn herself to lean into his touch more and slowly scooted closer to her, his arm moving around her shoulders, holding her close as his right hand took one of her own. He wanted so desperately to calm her, to have her feel safe and…calm. Like…like he did even now.

It was remarkable the effect she had on him. He never felt pain when he was around her, all that he'd endured the last year just melted away. He was just…so clad to be around her again, his Kona, she just…made everything better and he was trying so hard to do the same for her. And...it seemed like it was working.

He'd just started to smile, feeling her relax in his arms…when she started to cry.

"Shh," he murmured, moving closer, turning her so she was hugging him as he held her, feeling her trembling, "It's alright Kona, it's ok…"

He closed his eyes, feeling his hatred for Thor rising again. He hadn't just taken her memories from her when he'd banished her, he'd taken every single thing she'd had to defend herself with. He'd taken her ability to fight, he'd taken her skills, her training from her as well. He'd left her completely defenseless and at the mercy of the humans and THAT was something he would never forgive the man for. If Kona had had her memories, he knew she would have been able to fight back, she would have been able to stop the men, no…she wouldn't have even been in that place to be attacked as she would have seen it.

He felt his jaw tighten, THIS was why the humans needed to be ruled, to STOP things like this from happening. It had never been his intention to rule the Earth as the Chitauri had believed, yes, he wanted the planet, but to hold as hostage so his 'brother' would listen to him, so that he could trade Earth for Kona, he would leave the planet alone if Thor ended her banishment, returned her memories, and allowed her back to Asgard. That had been all he'd wanted the miserable planet for…but now…now he was starting to think that ruling them might be exactly what they needed.

Freedom was the greatest lie, and giving people freedom with little control led them to do the worst things imaginable.

Yes…he would rule them, he would rule them all, and then…Kona would be safe, because then he could order them all never to harm her, to leave her alone. He nodded, about to release her…

"Don't," Kona whispered, her voice hoarse from tears, "Please…don't go," she begged him quietly, feeling him starting to let go of her and…not wanting him to. In his arms…she felt…not just safe, not just protected but…complete. She felt like she was whole even with the memory gap, "Please…stay…just…just a little longer."

He smiled at that, leaning back so he could look at her, brushing her hair back behind her ear, off her face with a hand, letting his hand linger at her cheek a moment, stroking it with his thumb, "Of course," he nodded, he would do anything for her.

He settled back against the couch they were sitting on, blinking when she didn't just lean back like he expected but pulled her legs up beneath her, leaning more on him, more and more until he realized what she was trying to say without saying it. He let out a happy breath, turning to lay back more on the couch, extending his legs out across it, Kona curling up along his side. The couch was rather small and she was half on top of him as a result, but, given the way she snuggled into him as he wound his arms around her tighter…that was exactly what she wanted.

He turned, looking at her face as she stared blankly at his chest, unable to see it but he knew she was growing lost in thought.

"You're safe now Kona," he murmured, "I won't let anything hurt you, not ever. I won't ever leave you."

Not again, he swore, never again.

He watched as the smallest of smiles made its way onto her face, "Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded, knowing she'd feel it, watching her again as her eyes drifted shut and she rested her head half on his shoulder. He turned his head, his eyes searching her face, seeing it relax, seeing her…truly feeling safe, and smiled. He let his own eyes drift closed, turning his head more to rest his forehead to hers.

Yes, he wouldn't fail her this time, not again, this time…he would protect her.

A/N: Awww, poor Kona :( Good thing 'Logan' was there ;) Little bit of fluff, but much more in the next chapter ;) Also, some hints in this chapter of things to come ;)

Some notes on reviews...

Lol, I love stuttering Loki because he's usually so confident :) Yup, IF it comes back ;) But I can say, as hinted here, even if it doesn't...Kona is very much drawn to Loki so there's quite a bit of hope for them :)

I gave Loki the first name that popped into my head, Logan, because it sounds like he might be starting to say Loki...but just changed it at the end ;) As for how she'll remember...that'll depend on IF she remembers }:)

Lol, I have no idea why I made her forget him here too :) I think because I wanted to show a different dynamic. With the Doctor he forgot and distanced himself, here Kona forgot and just wants to be closer ;)

I don't think it's wrong, Kona will NOT be happy with Thor when/if she learns the truth ;) I think they weren't punished because, from the Asgardian (and Odin's) POV their actions 'saved' Asgard from Loki's betrayal :( and it wasn't entirely a true law that the last rule of a king couldn't be reversed, it was more an unwritten one so the Warriors Three/Sif/Heimdall could have gotten Loki to reverse it, there wasn't a specific rule preventing it, it was more...it just didn't happen. For Thor though, we saw a bit of Loki's thoughts here on that, to Thor I think he felt he wasn't being rash as he'd had all the information he believed was available to him, that he'd had time to process it and make a decision and that what he saw when he returned was proof enough that what he'd been told was true and he went from there, continuing with the decision he'd already made before returning to Asgard :(