Such Fragile Creatures

by Kemurikat

The Avengers re-imagined! LOKI falls to Earth and awakens in a mortal form. Thor decides to pursue his love for Jane Foster. The fledgling Avengers team takes shape. Asgard & Midgard collide in ways unexpected! AU. Multiple (and some unexpected) pairings. OC. Warning: bad language & mature subject matter. Myth & Movie. -WIP-

6. A Mortal Existence, Part 2

*Avengers Fan-fiction by Kemurikat*

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Such Fragile Creatures: Act 06 - A Mortal Existence, Part 2

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Overwhelmed by turbulent emotions and lightheadedness, Bryn was barely aware of the strong arms that steadied her body as she swayed to follow the tilting room. The entire penthouse suite wobbled and swirled, her legs no longer able to stand since the floor beneath her feet felt as soft and pliable as a Koosh Ball.

"Breathe, darling."

"Bryn?"

"Ooh, trippy," she mumbled before her eyes slid shut.

"Oh, dear. I'll fetch the smelling salts."

The voices that surrounded her were familiar, but to her temporarily 'off-line' mind, the words that were spoken seemed like an indecipherable alien language.

Anger flaring, Alvi roughly pulled Adam aside and glared at him.

"What the hell kind of sick game are you playing?"

Gazing at an unconscious Bryn with a helpless expression, Loki ignored the uncomfortable grip to his left arm.

"Playing?"

"If you're toying with her..." Alvi's tone was menacing and protective.

"I assure you, Alvis, what I'm doing isn't a game," Loki said seriously. "Will you kindly release my arm?"

When Alvi reluctantly loosened his hold on Adam's arm, he combed his fingers briskly through his hair in exasperation, watching Mars as he tried returning Bryn to her senses.

"I can explain my actions," Loki said calmly.

"Please, do that," Alvi bit back.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to wait until Bryn's more...coherent."

"Who's fault would that be? I think you sent the poor girl into cardiac arrest with that stunt you just pulled," Alvi said irately. "For a second there, Mars and I thought you were about to propose to her!"

"Propose...what?" Loki asked, clearly at a loss. ...something other than what I intended?

"You've got to be kidding me," Alvi said blankly, staring at Adam, dumbfounded.

"Propose what?" Loki asked again, glancing rapidly between Alvi and Mars.

"Marriage, Adam," Mars clarified. "We thought you were going to ask her to marry you." He carefully waved smelling salts under Bryn's nose and she jerked her head away in reaction. "That's it, dearie, come on back."

"Oh..." Loki said, looking surprised and a bit worried. Thor's Hammer! That would've been catastrophic! That I would ever propose marriage to a human female is ridiculous. He paused, frowning to himself. Damn...I keep forgetting that I'm human now as well.

Though the former immortal had some idea of where the future might bring him, companionship was something to consider. If, for some inexplicable reason, he discovered that there was no hope of recovering his armor or his former existence...it ultimately meant that his being marooned here on Earth would be permanent. He was then doomed to spend his remaining mortal years - a precise number which he'd yet to ascertain - living on this wretched mud-ball...eventually watching himself grow old and then die, his body crumbling to dust, eternally exiled from his home world.

The threat of permanent mortal exile sent a chill of absolute dread shuddering throughout Loki's body.

"Bryn, darling, lay back down for a while," Alvi insisted, when she tried to sit up. "Let the dizziness pass."

"Wow...guys...I had the weirdest dream," Bryn slurred, then succumbed to a fit of helpless laughter. "I totally dreamt...that Adam there...pledged himself to me...get this...as my slave!" She laughed even harder, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched her stomach.

"Oh, dear..." Mars mumbled, glancing at Alvi with a look that said, 'I think she's fallen into the Well of Denial.'

"Uh...Brynnie...about that," Alvi spoke cautiously, kneeling down beside her on the couch. "Sadly, my darling, it wasn't a dream."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Bryn replied back with a smile that slowly faded.

"Seriously, Alvi? You're shitting me, right?"

"It wasn't a dream," he repeated slowly, staring straight into her eyes and saw the building consternation on her face. "Sorry, my darling, but Mars and I witnessed the whole thing."

Her gaze instantly flashed to Adam who stood silently nearby, his expression neutral.

"Wait wait wait...are you telling me...that Adam over there..." Bryn stopped, her eyes expanding to the size of espresso saucers. "Oh, my God." She stared off into space for a minute, disbelieving her own hazy recollection of what had happened before she fainted. "Adam...is this true?" she dared to ask.

"My troth is binding. I am and will be your thrall until the day we both agree that my life-debt to you is sufficiently recompensed," he declared solemnly.

From the periphery of Loki's vision, Mars had mouthed the words 'troth' and 'thrall' questioningly to Alvi, who then shrugged in bewilderment.

"Great...good for you," Bryn said offhandedly, caught somewhere between confusion and annoyance. She bent forward, resting her elbows on her knees, wedging her head between her arms and wailed, "Why the fuck do I get stuck with all the weirdos!"

Why in Skadi's Wrath are humans so melodramatic? Loki thought with increasing frustration as he watched Bryn's reaction, her guardians fawning over her.

"Adam says he has a perfectly good explanation for what he's doing," Alvis said skeptically, glancing at their strange, handsome guest and crossing his arms. "Would you like to hear it? Mars and I certainly do."

Taking a deep breath, Bryn unfolded herself on the couch and sat up properly, glaring at Adam with barely contained chagrin.

"Explain away," she said with a sweep of her hand. Without hesitation, Adam strode forward and sat 'Geisha-style' on the floor in front of the couch. Perfect posture aside, she stared at his calm face warily.

"Bryn, where I come from, a life-debt is a stringent boon that must be settled and I am honor-bound to repay you. Accept my pledge, not as a courtesy or reward, but as a humble token of the utmost respect and gratitude I have for the brave and noble generosity you have shown me."

"Adam..." Bryn began with a sigh.

"Wait, let me finish," Loki interrupted softly. "Rather than leave me to die that night, you selflessly took me in and cared for me. All I ask is that you permit me to help you now in any way that I can. Yes, I realize I have nothing to offer you as of yet, but I promise you, I will do everything I can to correct that."

"You don't need to be my slave, Adam," Bryn said, shaking her head.

"On the contrary, our arrangement is beneficial to us both," Loki continued. "I know nothing of this place, of how it works, but you do. You will act as my personal guide. In return, I am whatever you need me to be. I will be your friend, your protector, your servant, your loyal companion. Is this agreeable to you?"

Alvi and Mars stared at each other with their mouths open, then glanced at Bryn who slumped on the couch.

"I really can't deal with this right now," Bryn said tiredly, rubbing her temples.

"Does your head hurt?" Loki asked with concern, rising to his knees.

"Don't," Bryn warned, glaring at Adam, who obediently sat back down on his heels. "Oh, fuck me," she sighed, rolling her eyes with a snicker.

Loki was speechless at her crude request. He wasn't expecting to do her that task so soon and in present company. Inwardly sighing, he had no choice.

"Adam, what the hell are you doing?" Bryn exclaimed in alarm when he began to remove his shirt.

"Didn't you want me to...?"

A deep blush colored Byrn's body from head to toe as Mars and Alvi clung to each other, trying desperately not to laugh.

"NO!" she screeched in mortification, standing abruptly to her feet and pointing a trembling finger at her deranged Science Experiment. "Sit! Stay! Leave me alone you schizo!"

She figured that if she glared at him long enough, he'd forget about his silly 'slave' business and just get on with being...Adam. Although, she wasn't too sure what that really meant to her anymore. The man she rescued from the dumpster was rapidly turning into the single most fucked-up experience of her life!

Keeping her eyes on him, she backed away from the living room.

Cursing faintly for his blunder, Loki quickly pulled his shirt down, turning toward Bryn with an apologetic face as she made a hasty retreat toward her bedroom, slamming the door shut. Beside him, Mars and Alvi were in the throes of hysterics, doubled over and clutching their stomachs.

---

Refreshed for the day, Tony Stark, Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis left the living room of the organically shaped, cliffside mansion after their catered breakfast and filed down the winding stone steps to the basement workshop, gathering around Jarvis's workstation.

Inwardly, Darcy was grinning to herself, proud of her personal intervention in Jane's love-life. Her boss-friend and Stark had stayed up for almost the entire night talking to each other, but she could only speculate on their exchange since she'd graciously gone to bed early to give them privacy.

"Here's the information I have in my notebook, plus our laptops," Jane stated.

"Jarvis, begin new project. Let's call this one..." Stark paused, tapping a finger to his chin.

"Project Mjollnir?" Jane suggested as Darcy rolled her eyes.

"No can do. Waaay too obvious," Stark said with a grin.

"Where's Waldo?" Darcy giggled. Jane smacked her arm.

"Y'know...that's not bad," Stark said, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"Are you guys serious?" Jane exclaimed, staring at her companions.

"Just in case S.H.I.E.L.D. attempts to do a random search of Jarvis's hard drive, they won't suspect to look under that title. I was gonna go the porn route but Darcy's sounds better, and again, even porn probably would've been another obvious thing."

"You're both insane," Jane remarked and gave their grinning faces a withering look.

"Insanity and Genius, is there really a difference?" Stark declared, attaching a special access key to both their laptops' USB ports. He then took Jane's notebook and walked over to a square table with a light-blue tabletop.

"Cool, huh?" Darcy told Jane as they watched in awe. Stark was quickly scanning page after page of Jane's little notebook using the brightly lit tabletop. "That's not all that table can do. It's also a 3-dimensional holographic projector that you can totally manipulate!"

"You've been playing with Jarvis, I see," Stark grinned, flipping to the last page of the notebook. "There we are."

"Yeah...well, me and Jarv have been hanging out a lot," Darcy said, nibbling at her lower lip.

Tony chuckled. "You call him, Jarv?"

"He doesn't seem to mind," Darcy said with a shrug. It's better than Jar-Jar.

Shaking his head, Stark swiftly tapped his keyboard, pulling up the scanned pages of Jane's notebook on his monitor. "Jarvis, categorize these notes and calculations."

"It may take some time for me to decipher the handwritten information," Jarvis answered.

"Take all the time you need," Jane interjected. "I'd rather have it done properly, y'know."

"I will take the precise time that is needed, Ms. Foster. No more, no less," Jarvis stated.

"Uh...right," Jane muttered and her brows creased irritably when Stark and Darcy snickered. "What?"

"Don't worry about it. You just haven't spent enough time around a supercomputer, but you'll get the hang of it," Darcy teased.

"There's an incoming satellite call on one of the secure lines for you, Mr. Stark," Jarvis prompted.

There was a look of concern on Tony's face.

"Patch it through to my cell. Encrypt, Monitor and Record," he instructed, tapping his handheld touch-screen. "This is Stark. Uh-huh. Really? Condition? I see." There was long pause as he listened intently to the voice from his earpiece. "I'm going to handle this personally. I'll need you to make the necessary arrangements so I can meet him immediately. Yeah. I'm sure they'll be expecting me."

He ended the conversation in somewhat of a daze.

"Tony? What's wrong?" Jane asked apprehensively. Had S.H.I.E.L.D. already discovered what they were up to?

"Have any of you ladies heard of Captain America?"

"The name sounds familiar. Oh, yeah, wasn't that dude the military's poster boy from World War 2?" Darcy said.

"He was," Stark said expectantly.

"What's Captain America got to do with anything?" Jane asked.

"It involves me, for starters. Y'see, Captain America wasn't just a poster boy. The man's name is Steve Rogers. He was the most unlikely civilian candidate specifically selected to be the prototype for 'Operation: Rebirth', a top secret military research project that was primarily focused on creating physically superior soldiers for homeland defense back in the 1940s. My father, Howard Stark, was part of that project along with a Dr. Abraham Erskine."

"Erskine...wait...wasn't he a Nazi scientist?" Jane said, brows knotting.

"He was, but lucky for us, Erskine defected. We gave the man asylum and funding. In return, he perfected his 'Super Soldier Serum.' It was combined with my father's invention - some kind of capsule that bombarded Rogers with controlled bursts of radiation that acted as the serum's catalyst and stabilizer. The result produced the first and only functioning, genetically perfect, bonafide super-soldier."

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers forming a pyramid.

"In 1945, during a critical military operation, Captain America was labeled 'Killed In Action' after they lost radio contact with his plane over the Atlantic Ocean. That incident happened over seventy years ago. I just got a call saying that his frozen body was recovered in Antarctica, that he's currently alive and kicking in a S.H.I.E.L.D. holding area near Times Square in New York City."

"Whoa," Darcy said out loud. "Talk about Quantum Leap. That poor guy's in for some major culture shock."

"Is it...safe for you to be telling us all this?" Jane asked. "Not that I'm complaining..."

"Part of the deal, remember? No secrets between us," Stark replied. "Whatever it takes, Jane. I need you to feel that you can trust me. Besides, for someone on the verge of helping us discover a wormhole to another universe, it's only fair that I keep you informed."

"Okay," Jane said, nodding slowly. "So...I guess you'll be out of town for a while?"

"Yeah. I have to stay in the loop and figure out what S.H.I.E.L.D.'s next move is," Stark said, standing. "I'm leaving tonight. I'm sure you two can hold the fort here with Jarvis till I get back."

"Yessir, Bossman. We've got this place locked down," Darcy said proudly.

"I bet you do," Stark grinned. "Whatever you need, just call Happy. For everything else, Jarvis can handle it. Also, Pepper'll be dropping by every so often."

He thumbed quickly through the messages on his cellphone as he gathered various items around his office and workshop.

"Tony," Jane called out as Stark headed toward one of his sports cars with the keys. "Be careful."

He froze, staring at Jane with a warm expression. Darcy grinned and quickly gave him a 'thumbs-up' as she stood quietly behind her friend.

"I'll do that," Stark replied with a bright smile and a wink, turning away to hop into his military green Lamborghini Aventador. He waved goodbye, blasting through his garage ramp with a roaring engine and a squeal of rubber.

---

"I can't believe I did that," Loki remarked, somewhat crestfallen, staring at Bryn's locked door as he stood beside the couch in the living room.

"I'm starting to believe there's nothing you can't do," Alvi said, still grinning along with Mars to Adam's earlier (near) striptease.

"I must apologize to her," Loki said determinedly, taking a step forward.

"Adam, wait," Mars said, urgently rushing forward and snagging his arm. "You should give Bryn some space. Let her come out on her own. Smothering her will only make things worse." He glanced at his spouse sympathetically when Adam conceded with a nod, looking a bit defeated.

"Darling, I know just the thing to cheer him up," Alvi said brightly and briskly left for their master bedroom.

"Would you like a drink? Maybe something...strong?" Mars asked, walking to a cabinet in the living room and opening it to reveal several bottles filled with hard liquor.

Loki recalled how his brother Thor sometimes 'drowned his sorrows' by drinking barrels of Duergar ale till he was in a happy, drunken stupor. It was a crude and disgusting method of comfort that he refused to try himself, despite how annoyingly Thor repeatedly asked him to.

Ah, well...it's not like Heimdall's going to tell him.

"I'll have a glass," Loki relented with a sigh and sat in the center of the leather couch with a heavy plop. Despite his stubborn refusal in the past to succumb to the comfort of hard liquor, at the moment, he was feeling especially wretched.

"You don't strike me as much of a drinker," Mars said observantly as he rooted through the liquor cabinet.

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

"It's just a feeling I get," Mars said sprightly. "Over the years, I've learned to trust these little feelings of mine. They've gotten me out of many tight spots in my life...as well as pleasantly into them..." He'd mumbled the last part with a grin, clearing his throat and blushing slightly at his suggestive play on words. "Here we are."

Selecting a 750 milliliter bottle of Grand Marnier Cuvée Du Centenaire, Mars poured the rich, amber liquid into two crystal, long-stemmed, tulip-like liqueur glasses. For the third crystal glass, which was wider, stouter and short-stemmed, he poured a generous amount of Remy Martin XO Excellence Cognac.

Alvi returned to the living room toting a thick, letter-sized manila envelope, tossing it onto the tempered glass tabletop of their low, modernly stylish coffee table.

"On to drinking now, are we?" Alvis grinned, taking his glass of cognac and sitting on the couch to Adam's right. Mars sat on Adam's left side, neatly crossing his legs and sipping at his glass.

The pair watched as their handsome guest closed his eyes, inhaled the aroma of the amber liqueur he was given and took a sip, rolling the liquid on his tongue before swallowing. When his eyes fluttered open, Adam gazed at his drink with a moment's hesitation before tipping his head back and downing the rest of the little glass's contents. Sitting on either side of him, the happily married same-sex couple raised their eyebrows in unison.

"Would you like a bigger glass?" Alvi asked with a slight smile.

"No. This will do...but I may need to keep refilling it," Loki replied, giving Alvis a loaded side-glance.

Chuckling, Alvi stood to his feet and fished out the bottle of Grand Marnier Cuvée Du Centenaire from the cabinet, pouring Adam a fresh drink. When their handsome guest downed it again, he was given a third.

"Do I leave this on the floor by your feet?" Alvi suggested, holding out the liqueur bottle. His face seemed permanently plastered with an amused half-smile.

"Perhaps you should. I'm tempted to drink straight from the source," Loki said sourly.

"A bigger glass it is then," Alvi quipped, retrieving a brandy glass similar to his and filling it near to the brim with the liqueur.

"You should go easy on that stuff," Mars requested gently, placing a hand on Adam's arm. "It's obvious you're upset."

"Why would I be upset? It's not like I nearly disrobed in front of everyone thinking Bryn wanted me to..." Loki replied disparagingly, downing his third glass of liqueur. He nimbly twirled the small, empty tulip-shaped glass in his fingers as he covetously eyed the full, brandy-sized glass in Alvi's hand.

Loki watched as Werner snatched away the smaller glass he tossed about with his fingers, placing it out of reach on the coffee table. The man then threw a thick envelope at him which he caught reflexively.

"What's this?" Loki asked, looking mildly at the wrinkled paper parcel.

"Tell you what, if you're still upset after opening that envelope, I'll give you this glass and even park the bottle at your feet," Alvi said, sitting back down on Adam's right side, placing the liqueur-filled brandy glass and bottle next to his cognac on an end table beside the couch.

Tearing apart the envelope, Loki stared in confusion as various pieces of paper and little...'plastic' rectangles spilled onto his lap. He briefly examined each of them, discarding the torn envelope to the floor.

"What exactly am I looking at?" Loki asked, holding up one of the small, plastic rectangles.

"Your new I.D.," Alvi said proudly. There was a flicker of acknowledgment in their handsome guest's expression. "This is your local Birth Certificate, your Social Security card and your Passport. Once they're completed, these three very important documents will certify you as a repatriated American citizen living in San Francisco. As for your accent, you'll simply explain to people that you were raised in England, moved to Iceland briefly and came back recently to rediscover the land of your birth. Also, to save you the initial hassle, I took the liberty of getting you a Driver's License, a Bank Account and a Credit Card. Once you've successfully adapted to your new life here, it will be up to you to renew some of these documents. For example, you'll need to reapply for your Driver's License before the time of the 'expiration date' printed here."

While sipping his drink, Mars observed Adam as he listened carefully to what Alvi was saying with an eager concentration on his face. Thankfully, their handsome guest also seemed calmer and less upset.

"This is excellent," Loki said with a grateful smile. "Now that I have my I.D., I can concentrate on searching for 'money' and a 'job.'" He saw the exchange of knowing glances between his two male hosts.

"We can help you out in those areas too, if you like." It was Mars's turn to speak.

"Are you referring to the 'club' you both own downstairs?" Loki replied, falling back on what Bryn had told him.

"That's right," Mars said. "We'll start you out the same way we helped Bryn, by teaching you the club's administration work. If you can handle that, you can move onto other areas of the club that you're interested in or to other jobs in the city."

"As for the money, you'll be paid based on your performance," Alvi explained. "Mars and I are generous employers, so you don't have to worry too much about rates and such. You'll be well compensated for your efforts."

Loki reflected on what they'd told him as he reexamined every piece of his new I.D. on his lap. Alvis's and Marius's help was invaluable since it saved him the precious time he would've wasted to obtain the silly human items.

Why must he need pieces of paper or plastic to tell other people who he was? Why was it the business of complete strangers to know what he did with himself? In the World of Yggdrasil, one could freely choose to remain anonymous or openly declare one's intentions. On Asgard, everyone knew one another to some degree, thus there was no need for the notion of an 'I.D.'

Nothing escapes the watchful eyes and ears of Heimdall or of Odin's many spies. Well...almost nothing, he snickered mentally.

"Alvis, it appears you were right," Loki stated with a small smile. "I do feel much better after opening your envelope."

Feeling warm and fuzzy from accomplishment, Werner grinned, passing Adam his liqueur-filled brandy glass. "A toast to your new life here, then?" He raised his glass and declared, "To new beginnings."

"To a new beginning," Loki replied with a dramatically cheerful smile, the three of them clinking their glasses together. Instead of sipping his drink, he rapidly emptied his glass, his outward expression of contentment expertly masking the turmoil and apprehension he truly felt.

"Whoa, easy there now," Alvis remarked with a slight wince. "Don't think I've ever seen anyone chug down an entire glassful of Grand Marnier before."

"Ooooh. That must burn," Mars said, placing a hand on his neck.

Clearing his throat, Loki resisted the urge to throw his glass at something to simply watch it break, as his brother Thor often did after a good cup of wine.

I've tasted stronger.

Slumping low on the couch, Loki felt surprisingly mellower, his body and lips tingling as a creeping numbness mildly overshadowed him. He stared at the many reflections on the clear surface of his brandy glass.

"Someone's nice and groovy," Mars observed with amusement.

"Adam?" Alvi ventured after a long moment of silence.

"Mmm?"

"Were you truly about to..." He briefly cleared his throat. "...initiate sex with Bryn...here in our living room?"

"If she'd truly wanted me to...then yes, I would have," Loki replied slowly.

"Merciful Heavens! With us...here...watching you?" Mars exclaimed in amazement.

"Had her request been something she truly wished me to do...then I'd gladly do it for her," Loki repeated patiently, still staring at his glass.

"Sex-On-Demand? Good Lord," Alvis muttered, his eyebrows migrating to the top of his head as he took a long drink of his cognac. His spouse's mouth simply hung open in disbelief. "You're really taking this entire 'slave' business seriously, aren't you?"

Closing his eyes with a tired sigh, Loki went limp on the couch in frustration.

"Believe me or don't believe me...I don't much care," he mumbled faintly, raising an arm and placing it across his eyes.

"Mars and I do care if Bryn's directly involved in your shenanigans," Alvi replied with rising anger. Adam turned his head, removing his arm to stare at him with a creased brow as he shimmied up from his slumped position.

"Alvis, I have nothing but the best intentions for Brynhild. What I'm doing - "

"Is bat-shit loco."

The three men on the couch quickly snapped their heads toward her voice.

"Bryn," Loki said, standing instantly but rather unsteadily, his empty brandy glass dangling loosely from one hand. She stood barefoot with her arms crossed on a thin metal rail embedded in the floor that surrounded the living room.

"How long have you been there?" Mars asked in concern.

"Long enough," Bryn replied, marching toward Adam. "You wanna be my slave? Okay, then. Let's do it your way."

She knew it was unhealthy to cater to the delusions of anyone with mental instability, but in the case of her personal Science Experiment, she threw caution to the wind and was willing to give Adam's new role as her 'slave' a good Girl Scout try. Besides, she'd already broken so many rules, what's a few more?

Taking the empty glass dangling from Adam's hand, Bryn passed it to Alvis who promptly took it.

"Come on, I need your help packing up the rest of my stuff from my basement apartment," she said, grabbing hold of Adam's wrist. "Then, I have to figure out what to tell my landlord when he comes back from Brazil."

"Here, take the MDX," Alvi said quickly, sprinting to a magnetic key holder attached to the wall in the kitchen, nicking a set of keys free and tossing them to Bryn. "There's more room in the SUV for your stuff and it's better on gas than your hotrod."

"Are you sure?" she said, overwhelmed by her guardians' repeated generosity.

"Please, dear, go ahead," Mars insisted. "Alvi and I don't mind one bit."

"Thanks," she answered shyly. Still holding onto Adam's hand, she glanced at him from head to toe. "We're gonna do some heavy lifting and getting all sweaty and stuff. You gonna be comfortable in those clothes?"

"I don't see why not," Loki replied, then remembered the couch and pointed to the items that were scattered around where he'd sat. "Look, Bryn. Alvis has provided me with my new I.D.," he added proudly.

"Yeah?" Bryn said, walking over to the couch and examining the various documents. "Holy Shit. How'd you get all this?" She stared at Alvi. "Is this legal?"

"It's all genuine," Alvi reassured her. "I just need to get Adam's picture taken and voilà, he's set. My contact owes me a same-day service. I just have to notify him whenever I'm ready."

"Meaning...you have to go back to whoever did these documents to fucking-knows-where," Mars said sourly, downing the rest of his drink.

"Darling, please, we've been over this," Alvi wheedled carefully. "If it's any consolation, I won't be alone this time since Adam's coming with me."

"You're taking Adam with you...to where you refuse take me?" Mars clarified with a frown. "Fabulous."

Sighing audibly, Alvi ushered Adam and Bryn away from the living room and into the foyer, watching as Mars strode past them briskly to the master bedroom, slamming their en suite door shut.

"I'm sorry, Adam, but you and Bryn had best get going. I'd rather you both weren't here while I talk to Mars," Alvi said softly, his face apologetic.

"Sure," Bryn replied, towing Adam quickly to his room and opening his closet. "Let's see if they gave you comfortable shoes to wear...here we go." She swiped a pair from the carpeted floor of the walk-in: black Cole Haan 'Air Ryder Driver Venetian' leather slip-ons with a tire-tread designed rubber sole. "Your look doesn't exactly go with sneakers, so these'll do nicely."

If Adam insisted on playing her 'slave,' Bryn was definitely taking full advantage of having Mr. Man-Candy following her around dressed in whatever the hell she wanted. Fuck, yes! The guy wasn't modest to begin with, so she could get creative...and her mind immediately dove down the gutter. Gah! One thing at a time. Her first priority was getting her stuff.

"These are very comfortable," Loki commented, examining the fit and feel of his new leather shoes just before he was tugged out of his room by Bryn's firm hold on his wrist. I suppose she's in a bit of hurry, he thought with a chuckle.

"Come on, I wanna get this shit done before sundown," Bryn said, towing Adam quickly through the condo's double-doors and into their private penthouse elevator, jamming her finger on a button that sent them straight to the building's parking garage.

Inside the elevator, Bryn noted how Adam looked around warily, clinging to the corner like a nervous cat. He's never been in an elevator? Now that she thought about it, this was her Science Experiment's first trip outside the safety of their suite. Oh, joy!

The penthouse elevator doors pinged open and Bryn strode out, then skidded to an abrupt halt, Adam nearly slamming into her. She was a picture of pure astonishment when she surveyed her surroundings.

"No fricking way," she blurted out loud, her voice echoing in the underground car park. "They own eight spaces?"

She wandered in a daze toward the parking section assigned to her guardians, staring at eight vehicle spaces spray-tagged with the word 'Penthouse' in bold, red letters.

Spotting her guardians' familiar matching Honda CR-Z hybrids, she nearly dropped her keys when she saw the make and model of the car parked beside her late father's red 1969 Mustang Mach One.

"An Aston Martin DB9?" Bryn exclaimed. Is Alvi seriously going through a James Bond midlife crisis I don't know about? As she stared at the car's black finish, a vague memory popped into her head. It was the same car she followed home when -

Oh. Crap.

Mentally smacking herself, she had totally forgotten about the state of her bedroom. It was the same way she'd left it the night Adam had his epic psychotic breakdown! Nibbling worriedly on her lower lip, Bryn debated whether it was wise to let her new 'slave' see the destruction his fit had caused, wondering if he'd have a relapse.

"Something the matter?" Loki asked, puzzled about the strange expression on the human female's face. Glancing at the vehicles around him, he shared some of whatever her trepidation was, but for a different reason. After his experience in the elevator, he wasn't too keen on entering an automobile with Bryn behind the wheel.

After checking the percentage of her cellphone battery, she unlocked the SUV's doors with her key-remote, startling Adam with the sharp chirp that flooded the building's car park.

"Come on, let's get this over with," Bryn said, climbing into the driver's seat of the metallic-blue Acura iTech MDX and starting the engine.

Forcing down his nervousness, Loki cautiously sat in the SUV's passenger seat as Bryn reached over him to pull sturdy straps of material across his body that fastened him to his seat with a click. Being physically held down inside the belly of a thing created by human technology made him uneasy.

He watched as her fingers pushed a few buttons on the vehicle's dashboard and a rush of cool air filled the SUV's interior. Colorful lights and a digital diagram on a dynamically lit square were brightly visible, his eyes roaming over every symbol.

"Okay, here we go," Bryn said, peeling loudly out of the building's car park.

Clinging tightly to a handle above his window - the fingers of his other hand digging into his leather seat - Loki sat stiffly as their SUV swerved swiftly past other vehicles along the busy street.

"Must we move so fast?" His voice sounded worried.

"The sooner we get there, the sooner things get done," Bryn replied simply, blaring her horn at a vehicle who attempted to cut her off and flashing the other driver her middle finger salute. "Right-of-way, asshole!"

When the other driver responded with his own finger, she ignored it with a snort.

"I'm guessing that's a rude gesture?" Loki asked curiously, trying to calm his racing heartbeat with distracting idle chatter.

"Yup. The rudest it gets this side of the pond," Bryn stated. "I think in parts of Europe they use their arms."

"Ah."

"You're not looking too good over there," she commented casually with a glance.

"Do tell," Loki replied flatly. "I wonder why that is."

"Wait till I take you Bungie Jumping," she muttered with a grin, Adam jerking his head in her direction, his brows crunching together.

Their SUV arrived at its destination in one piece, Bryn backing up the vehicle on the driveway for easier loading.

"I've got stacks of empty boxes in my storage closet," she mentioned. "We should get those out first."

Tying her hair back in a loose pony tail, she opened up the SUV's rear hatch and crawled inside to collapse the back seats. Her tight jeans hugged her backside as she bent over, Loki stealing an appreciative glance.

Taking a deep breath before she opened her basement apartment door, Bryn stepped inside slowly. Flicking on the main light switch, it was an eerie feeling of déjà vu when she saw the dirty tea cups on the kitchen counter and the soft, quilted cotton blanket strewn on the couch. The blanket was something her late mother had made for her as a college dorm room cozy. The night of Adam's fit, she'd used it to tightly wrap her shaking body for comfort as she rocked herself back and forth in shock until her guardians showed up to fetch her. Though the blanket was one of the few keepsakes that remained of her mother, it currently served as a reminder of what she'd gone through with Adam and she'd reluctantly left it behind.

Walking measuredly toward her former bedroom, memories of that night replayed itself in her head like a bizarre horror reel, leaving her cold and fearful. The door had been left wide open as she stopped at the threshold and hitched a breath, her hand gripping the door-frame tightly as she stared inside. Behind her, she heard Adam's approaching footsteps stop mid-stride.

"Bryn...what...happened here?" His voice sounded stressed.

"I guess you don't remember," she replied softly without turning around. She felt Adam moving in for a closer look, his hand laying on her shoulder as he gently nudged her aside.

She saw Adam's disturbed expression as his head moved simultaneously with his eyes as they scanned the devastation of her bedroom. Her hand flew to her mouth in reaction when he gasped sharply as he bent down to touch an area of the carpeted floor stained red with dried blood. Lifting his left hand, he stared at the scarred skin on his knuckles and fingers with wide, disbelieving eyes.

Panting in agitation, he crawled on his hands and knees, eyes feverishly searching her bedroom floor until he found what he was looking for. He sat down heavily and with shaking fingers, picked up a small, metal syringe partially hidden under the remnants of a torn pillow. There was dried blood covering most of the syringe's short needle.

Releasing the metal syringe as if it burned him, Loki's fingers flew to the side of his neck and he rubbed on an area where he felt a sudden remembered sting.

"Adam..." Bryn said cautiously, her thumb poised on the quick-dial button to her guardians' penthouse suite. "Stay calm. You weren't yourself that night."

"That...night..." Loki grated out, his eyes pinching shut as sporadic images flashed in his head accompanied by piercing pain. "Nnnnnghhhh."

"Crap crap crap," Bryn muttered worriedly as she hovered next to him, warring over her instinct to wait it out or to prudently speed-dial Alvi.

Clamping his palms against his head like a vise, Loki doubled over, clenching his teeth after he involuntarily cried out, beleaguered by the hidden memories of what he'd forgotten as they mercilessly surged forward.

That...night...

He grimaced as he stood up clumsily, still gripping his head, only to stumble, his back thudding loudly against reinforced drywall as his legs gave out and he slid to the floor.

I...that night...I was...Odin's Fury...my...head! It feels like...it's splitting apart!

Watching helplessly with tears in her eyes, Bryn knelt down beside a cringing Adam as he moaned against her bedroom wall, clutching at his head as if he was attempting to keep it from flying off his shoulders. When he began slamming the back of his skull against the wall like a bludgeon, she bravely rushed forward without thinking.

"Adam, stop! Stop! You're hurting yourself! Stop it! Adam!" Bryn shouted frantically, distraught, her hands trying to prevent him from physically cracking his skull open.

The instant Loki's ears recognized Bryn's frenzied screams, he froze.

"...Adam?"

He felt cool, trembling fingers combing the hair away from his damp face and trying to pry loose his hands which seemed cemented to his head.

After a long moment, his arms fell to his sides like lead weights.

Panting softly, Loki's eyes stayed shut, his head throbbing in waves as he felt disoriented and nauseous, his limp body leaning against Bryn's bedroom wall. He was like a child's unwanted toy discarded carelessly to the floor.

"I...I know...I remember now...what happened...here," Loki said weakly, shaken by the horrific images of the memories he'd regained.

"Adam - "

"I was so...so angry...and I had...hurt you," he added clearly as his eyelids raised sluggishly. The striking green of his irises gazed sadly at her and wandered to the fading scratches on her bare arms. "I could have killed you that night."

"Well, you didn't," Bryn reassured him slowly. "Besides, you weren't yourself."

"To think...that I had lost...complete control of myself," Loki said blankly in total disbelief, the remorse and fear on his face mingled with worry.

"Hey," she said softly, trapping his right hand tightly in a reassuring grip. "It's gonna be fine. Alvi, Mars and I - we're here to help you, Adam. Whatever it takes. Okay?"

"It's too dangerous," Loki replied softly, shaking his head. "I am dangerous. I can't risk you getting hurt or worse, if I ever lose control like that again."

"Oh-ho, no," Bryn said angrily. "Don't you dare pull a bullshit 'for my own safety' disappearing act on me...on all of us!"

"I? Disappear?" Loki said with a slight chuckle.

In my mortal state? Not likely, since I've yet to determine if I retained any trace of my magic in my present form. Disappear? On some days...I wish I could.

"Fear not, Bryn, for I shan't be 'disappearing' from you or your guardians' care so soon. I truly have nowhere else to go," he added slowly, shrugging with a self-deprecating little smile.

"...oh..." Bryn whispered, mentally kicking herself for her outburst.

"May I ask you something?" Loki asked, gaining her full attention. "If another day arrives when I begin to lose myself in the same manner as I did here...swear to me that you will call for help. Do not attempt to tackle me alone like than again."

With a grunt, he leaned forward and clasped her hands to stretch out her arms toward him, staring at the jagged scabs and diminished welts on her skin.

"Promise me," he said gently but firmly.

Mesmerized by the intensity of his gaze that seemed to burn right through her, Bryn was struck speechless and all she could do at first was nod vigorously.

"I'll call for help. I promise," she said quickly, forcing the words from her mouth.

"Good," Loki replied and struggled to stand. His body felt drained of strength and his head badly ached, but he'd rather not dwell on it. "Now, let's finish packing your things."

"No, it's okay. You should rest. We can come back tomorrow."

"I insist. You had an urgency to get here. On top of that, I've been bedridden long enough. I'd rather move around."

"Are you sure?" She was still unconvinced as she helped him to his feet.

"Bryn, just keep me busy."

For the next hour, the pair systematically packed Bryn's basement apartment, leaving her bedroom for last. Between the two of them, they'd managed to neatly seal and load several boxes into the SUV in record time.

"Well, damn. I can't believe we got so much done," Bryn said happily. Much of their speed had to do with Adam seamlessly following her instructions without protest, and his clever suggestions to make things more efficient. Luckily, her basement apartment was mostly furnished by its previous owner, with the exception of her comfy IKEA couch which she'd decided to leave, sparing the two of them the need to lug around any heavy furniture.

"That's the last box from the kitchen," Loki said, hopping down from the back of the SUV.

She'd watched him fit the mid-sized box perfectly into place like a Jenga block.

"How's your hand and shoulder?"

"Both in good shape," Loki reminded her with amusement. "Stop fussing."

"I can't help it," Bryn replied as they walked casually past her empty kitchen. "Technically, you're still recovering and I don't want you to strain yourself."

"With every passing day, I feel this body getting stronger," he reassured her. At least, as strong as a mortal form can get. "There's no need to coddle me."

"Coddle? Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting that you've memorized an entire Dictionary," Bryn giggled, turning away to roll her eyes. She stopped abruptly at the threshold of her bedroom door. "Last but not the least," she mumbled, staring at the bloodied spot on her carpeted floor. "Crap. We're gonna have to come back for that. I don't have any cleaning solution strong enough for blood stains."

"Concentrate on packing the things in your bedroom. Leave the blood to me," Loki instructed, rolling up his sleeves. It seems I'm back to Asgardian red which, strangely enough, is similar in color to human blood.

He tried not to think about the black mass he'd vomited out after he'd awoken from his chemically induced sleep.

"No, it's okay. I'm not gonna make you do that..." she protested.

"That's my blood on your carpet, Bryn. After all the trouble you went through to subdue me that night, it's the least I can do," he insisted, heading straight for the kitchen.

Although curious about how Adam was going to tackle dried, crusty blood stains on carpet, Bryn decided that the faster she packed up her bedroom, the faster she could help out with the cleanup.

She began by emptying her closet and dumping her clothes in a big pile near the living room for easier sorting. Glancing at her companion, Adam was on his hands and knees patiently scrubbing out the blood stain with a rag and a bucket of water.

Using a makeshift stepladder built with a chair on top of an end table, Bryn took down the many shoe-boxes that were stacked on the highest shelf in her closet.

"Shit!" Bryn cursed when an older shoe-box she'd reached for broke apart in her hands, scattering its contents all over her closet floor, the objects fluttering everywhere like autumn leaves. Nice one, klutz.

Swallowing back a building lump in her throat, she quickly gathered the fallen pictures, trying her best not to look at each of the images too long.

"Photographs," Loki said curiously, picking up one that had drifted beside him. He found it rather whimsical that humans had developed a way of capturing, in such great detail, the exact likeness of someone or something on such a small piece of paper.

On the particular one he held, Loki saw Bryn's smiling face covered in heavy cosmetics as she sat beside an older, well-dressed man at a table. Her hair was much lighter, a dark blonde, and she wore a red dress that made her look very pretty. (halter-top, low décolletage, formfitting waist with a thin, silver rhinestone belt, her skirt flaring out to two inches above her knees; her jewelry, shoes and purse match the belt)

"Let's see that," Bryn said, trying her best to seem casual but she was on the verge of crying. She just had to drop the shoe-box filled with pictures of her late parents.

When she saw the photo that Adam found, she recoiled and instantly ripped it furiously into little pieces.

An interesting reaction, Loki thought. "I'm guessing you're not fond of that man in the photograph?"

"No," was her terse reply as she continued picking up the other scattered pictures, deliberately turning away from her nosey companion.

"Was...that the man who hurt you?"

Bryn froze as dark memories shot to the surface and she sank to the floor in a pale, sobbing heap. The pictures of her late parents combined with a face that she desperately wished to forget had completely overwhelmed her.

Rushing to her side, Loki embraced her trembling body in his arms, her hands masking her face as she cried against his chest. He held her to him and waited until the anxiety of her emotions slowly subsided.

"Forgive me, Bryn. My curiosity often leaves me tactless and careless," he spoke softly as he rubbed her back in slow, measured circles, his chin resting lightly on her head. "Where I come from, it would be extremely dishonorable for anyone to physically hurt or mentally abuse another, especially women and children."

"Sure. Coz...these days...there are so many 'honorable' people...out there," Bryn said sarcastically between sobs.

"I would like to believe there are. People simply need to find the courage to do what's honorable."

"Coming from someone...who's obviously been living in a bubble," Bryn said with a frown, moving away from the security of Adam's embrace, and quickly wiping away the tears from her eyes and cheeks.

"Every living, sentient being has the capacity to distinguish between what is good and what is not. Our choices are what separate us and define us as individuals."

"Spare that lecture for the man who chose beat the living shit out of me," Bryn answered angrily.

"Tell me what happened," Loki asked gently.

"Why? Didn't Alvi tell you?"

"I hadn't pressed him for details. Since it's a delicate subject, I thought it was best to ask you directly."

Looking away from Adam's sincere gaze, Bryn stood to her feet and glanced at the barely visible blood stains on her bedroom carpet.

"You can hardly see the red anymore," she said, amazed. How'd he do that?

"I'll deal with the last of that stain later. I'd rather hear your story for now."

"All right," Bryn said with a sigh. He won't let up if I keep dodging him anyway. Let's get this over with. "I'm making tea. Want some?"

"Allow me," Loki replied, gesturing to the couch.

"No, really, it's fine..."

"Bryn, have seat," he coaxed with a smile. "I know you're perfectly capable of making us a pot of tea but I'm offering to do it. Indulge me."

"Okay, okay. Go ahead and...'indulge' yourself," Bryn said tiredly, hardly in the mood to argue any further. Dropping heavily on the couch, she bunched up her mother's blanket, draping it over her shoulders like a giant shawl. Leaning back and closing her eyes, she listened to Adam's movements in the kitchen as he went about making them some tea.

"How would you like your cup?" Loki asked after he'd poured the boiling water and was waiting for the tea to steep.

"A quarter milk and a heaping spoonful of sugar," she called out, massaging her temples.

When Bryn heard Adam approaching, she opened her eyes, accepting the steaming cup on its matching saucer and placing them in her lap. She watched Adam as he made himself comfortable on the couch beside her, his cup and saucer resting between his legs after he'd taken a sip. He'd slipped off his shoes, leaned himself against the armrest with his back propped by a large cushion. His right leg was bent and resting against the couch's backrest while his left leg was stretched out casually, his socked foot almost touching her.

She remained slouched, wrapped snugly in her late mother's blanket with no desire to move.

"The guy's name was Arthur Keel. He was a regular patron at the club and used to watch me dance every night I was onstage."

"You're a dancer?" Loki said with interest.

"Just one thing at a time, please?" Bryn said irritably.

"Pardon my interruption," he replied calmly and steadily, catering to her temperamentally heightened emotional state.

"Anyway, we started with small talk and he'd buy me drinks at the bar. After a couple of nights, our conversations got longer and before I knew it, I'd accepted a dinner date with him. He was quite a charmer. Well-dressed, loaded, successful corporate job, a good catch for any woman who was interested. At the time, all his attention was focused on me, so naturally, I was flattered and got swept away. He was a model gentlemen and generous with his gifts. Dresses, shoes, jewelry; all designer-made, gorgeous and expensive. I was so naive. I thought that he genuinely liked me. I didn't notice the subtle changes in him until it was too late."

She shifted on the couch, curling up and leaning the left side of her body against the couch's backrest, facing Adam. She placed her cup and saucer carefully beside her.

"I totally blinded myself to the dark side of him for a long time. It was only when I sat down one night and thought about it...that I realized how manipulative and cold the bastard actually was. He never saw me as a person. I was nothing more than a plaything. His 'Personal Property.' Arrogant bastard thought that he'd 'bought' me with all the pricey crap he'd given me."

Pausing her story, Bryn took a sip of hot tea and seemed to be mentally debating whether or not to continue.

"I know that talking about a deeply troubling part of your past is making you very uncomfortable. We can stop if you - "

"No. I want to talk about it," Bryn said determinedly. "I don't want to bottle any of it up anymore."

She took a longer sip of her tea.

"Why haven't you spoken to Alvi or Mars about this before? Why tell me now? I'm more of a stranger to you than they are, surely."

"See, that's the thing. The minute you moved in with us, I've learned more about Alvi, Mars and even myself in the last three days than I've ever had in the last year and a half," Bryn remarked in amazement, narrowing her eyes. "There's...I dunno...something about you...that makes us wanna spill our guts out. Why is that?"

"I...certainly hope that my presence...truly doesn't make any of you wish to disembowel yourselves."

"Huh?" Bryn had a look of pure confusion and astonishment on her face.

"'Spill your guts?'"

"Oh...Oh," she said, when it suddenly clicked. Adam spoke with such a serious, straight face that she hadn't caught what he meant. Wait-a-minute. Did he say that to deliberately derail her train-of-thought? On top of that, when had her mood gotten...lighter? Especially when she was in the middle of dredging up her dark, nasty chapters with Keel. Glancing at Adam, there seemed to be a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. You sneaky bugger. You were trying to make me feel better? Well, it worked.

Loki innocently took a generous sip of his tea when Bryn began staring at him. After a long moment, she resumed her story.

"Keel was a Blue Ribbon asshole. That's even putting it mildly," Bryn said with a frown. "He began with mental and emotional abuse...then graduated to physically pummeling me like a punching bag. Of course, he made sure that wherever he hit me, it didn't bruise or scar. He had a squeaky clean reputation to hide behind." She looked away when Adam gazed at her with concern. "I was even stupid enough to cover up what he was doing to me back then. My self-esteem was next to zero."

With a soft plink, Loki's empty tea cup landed on its saucer as he got up and placed the items near the sink.

"Alvis told me that you were nearly beaten to death. If Keel was so careful, what made him careless?"

"Easy. I decided to fight back," Bryn answered. "I woke up one day, stopped feeling pathetic, mentally scolded myself and wanted out of the whole mess. The minute Keel saw how rebellious I was getting, he flew into a rage. I think he was expecting me to wither away and shrivel up like a raisin. Instead, the whole experience woke me up and made me stronger. I think that's what pissed him off the most."

Walking back to the couch, Loki half-sat on the backrest, leaning forward on his arms.

"Has Arthur Keel been incarcerated by your laws as Mars's father, Stuart Acton?"

"...no..." was her barely heard reply. She stared fixedly a worn patch on her blanket.

"What?" Loki's said in surprise, his anger building.

"...I was barely conscious by the time Alvi got to me. I heard a nasty fight...but I know Alvi beat the hell out of Keel. Then, I was picked up and brought to the hospital. When I woke up after a day or two...Alvi said that Keel was taken care of...and I left it at that. I...then I did my best to...to just forget," Bryn shrugged.

"The fact that Arthur Keel is free to roam and more than likely repeating his vile actions to someone else...I highly doubt that you're satisfied with that outcome," Loki said loudly in outrage.

"Hey, calm down! Alvi did the best he could, okay? Keel's got connections and if that rich asshole had gotten killed that night, guess who'd be in jail right now: Alvi," Bryn replied angrily.

"Then your laws are clearly flawed."

"Preach that to Congress, Adam. Best of luck," she bit back.

"At the very least, Alvis should have permanently broken Keel's legs."

Bryn stared at Adam in mild shock, even if she secretly agreed with what he'd said.

Clenching his fists in frustration, Loki had the overwhelming urge to hit something. Had his magical abilities stayed with him, he would've easily located the degenerate brute that harmed Bryn, rendering the beast immobile as he slowly burned away the animal's body limb by limb. The resulting agony would have been a delicious spectacle. A fitting punishment that Keel deserved, who was nothing more to him than rotting carrion.

"Adam?" she asked cautiously. His body language suggested barely contained rage.

"I need air," Loki said, abruptly turning for the door and heading outside.

She slowly followed Adam to the doorway of her basement apartment but hovered at the threshold. He was pacing restlessly behind the SUV until he stopped, took a few deep breaths, then leaned forward heavily with his hands splayed out on the lip of the vehicle's cargo area. A large part of her was deeply touched, and a little amazed, that Adam showed such empathy for what had happened to her. There was also the part that worried about his consistently Medieval sense of justice.

Even with his eyes closed, Loki knew that Bryn was watching him as he mentally berated himself for his outburst. He'd spent centuries perfecting control over his emotions, but in his current human form, everything he felt seemed to be magnified a thousandfold. Perhaps his forced exile had made him highly unstable and more irritable than he thought possible. Then again...why wouldn't it?

The best solution was for him to find an ideal 'outlet' for his volatile human psyche. Living in Asgard, whenever he was frustrated or restless, he'd find release battling the Valkyrie, Sif, The Warriors Three or even his brother. He even occasionally returned to the Plain of Vigrid on his worst days. (He'd perfected his Cloaking Spells, becoming invisible to anyone who was looking for him in Vigrid - a strictly enforced 'no trespassing' zone allocated for Ragnarok.) Sometimes, he sought out a more sensual form of comfort in the arms of Hildr (a Valkyrie General) or in the warmth of Freya's bed and her expert counsel.

Now that he was human and living on Earth...what would he do? It's not like he could find the nearest thug and break his neck. Apparently, the humans have certain laws for that kind of violent behavior, the same laws that were particularly flawed when it protected wealthier, despicable citizens from their misdeeds to 'regular' society.

When he felt Bryn's quiet presence drawing near him, he turned around and hopped to sit on the lip of the SUV's cargo area.

"Forgive me...I seem to have...overreacted," Loki said slowly.

"You know...I find it kind of amazing that...you're so mad," Bryn said shyly.

"Of course, it made me angry! What happened to you was horribly unjust and had I been there that night instead of Alvis - "

"Then you'd be in jail right now, the same way Alvis would've been if either of you murdered Keel," she argued back. "Trust me, I want that bastard deader than dead if there was any way I could make that happen! It's not like I can go call a 24-hour Assassins-For-Hire hotline and order a hit on Keel. Fuck. The FBI, CIA, NSA, whatever, could easily trace that shit back to me, then I'd be behind bars. I have more than enough catastrophes I can handle in my life, thank you very much."

There was a span of silence as Loki stared reflectively at the late afternoon sky and Bryn had hopped up onto the SUV to sit beside him.

"How about we call it a day? I'm dying for a large scoop of Bittersweet Chocolate from Three Twins Organic Ice Cream on Fillmore right now," Bryn declared.

"As good as that sounds, I do believe we haven't much left to pack. All that remains is part of your bedroom, correct?" Loki stated, preferring to finish the task at hand so they could better enjoy their new endeavors for the rest of the evening.

"Are you seriously being a killjoy right now?" Bryn said, a look of total disbelief plastered to her face.

He'd been called many names in his immeasurably long life-span, Loki thought to himself, but a 'killer of joy' was definitely a new one.

"I'm merely suggesting that we finish what we started. That way, we have the rest of the day to do whatever we want," he replied with a small smile.

"Can't argue with that logic," Bryn conceded, hopping down from the SUV. "Anyway, by the time we finish this crap, I'm gonna be starving for dinner."

"I'm sure Alvi and Mars already have something in mind," Loki said, trailing behind her.

"Meaning that whatever they've got planned doesn't involve having us around," she replied. "I think it's safer if we both went out for dinner tonight. It'll also give you a chance to get a general feel of the city."

Following Bryn back into her basement apartment, Loki returned to scrubbing out the remains of the bloodstain on her bedroom carpet while she finished packing up the rest of her things.

---

Miles away, near Times Square in New York City, multibillionaire inventor and playboy Anthony Stark arrived at a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility that was disguised as a private security consultation firm.

"I know he's in there and I want to talk to him," Stark demanded as he walked passed Agent Philip Coulson down a spotless, white corridor.

"That might not be a good idea right now. The man's rather...distraught," Agent Coulson replied, keeping in step with the intrusive Iron Man.

"What happened?" Stark asked, stopping in the middle of the corridor and crossing his arms.

"There was a minor...incident involving our new guest," Agent Coulson said.

"A 'minor incident?' Lemme guess, he pissed Fury off and you guys shot him to death," Stark said flatly.

"No. Capt. Steve Rogers is unharmed and in good health, but when he first woke up, he was suspicious of where he was and escaped. We managed to contain him in the middle of Times Square," Agent Coulson replied cooly.

"There's one helluva wake-up call," Stark muttered.

"Mr. Stark, may I suggest that you visit Capt. Rogers another time?"

"Don't play dumb. I hate it when people play dumb and do not attempt to give me a lame 'lack of clearance' excuse. My father's invention helped perfect the guy."

"Yes, your father's involvement in Operation: Rebirth is well documented," Agent Coulson began. "However, I can't allow you to simply walk - "

"Yada yada yada," Stark interrupted, pushing past Agent Coulson and continuing his way down the corridor. "Go ahead. Call whoever you need to tattle to. In the meantime, I'm here to talk to a living corpse."

Sighing audibly, Agent Coulson followed closely behind Stark until they found themselves in an area built like a 1940s movie set. A few paces ahead of them, a tall, athletically built young man with neatly cropped dark-blond hair was staring quietly out a large window.

"Captain Steve Rogers, I presume?" Stark said as he approached, his hand outstretched.

"I don't believe we've ever met," Rogers replied warily when he turned around, leaning casually by the window.

"You've met my father, Howard Stark. I'm his son, Tony."

Visibly taken aback, Rogers carefully examined the face in front of him. He shook Tony's hand when there was hint of recognition.

"Your father was good man. Very courageous and...maybe a little crazy," Rogers said with a nostalgic smile.

"Apple didn't fall far from the tree," Agent Coulson muttered.

"What was that?" Stark said, spinning to glare at Coulson when Rogers laughed. "Enhanced hearing, Cap, unfair advantage..." He turned to address Coulson. "...and you play dirty. No wonder people hate you."

"I do whatever it takes to get the job done," Agent Coulson declared calmly.

"I'll bet," Stark retorted, narrowing his eyes. "In that case, don't you have someone else to harass or are you gonna play the annoying third-wheel all day?"

"Is there a problem here?" Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. The Black Widow asked sternly as she approached them. At Stark Industries, she was better known by her alias, Natalie Rushman.

"Can you get Coulson to go away, please, so I can talk to the Cap here?" Stark said.

"I'll take it from here," Romanoff instructed, effectively dismissing Coulson. "You stir up trouble wherever you go, don't you, Tony?"

"It's a knack," Stark shrugged. "Lemme guess, you're my lovely new chaperone." When Natalie made a face, he added, "What? Don't like 'outsiders' snooping around the exclusive tree-house?"

"Why are you here, Tony?" she asked impertinently.

"Respectfully, Agent Romanoff, I'm here to speak to him, not you," Stark said slowly. "Besides, what's all the fuss about? The Cap's not allowed any visitors from the big bad world of the twenty-first century?"

"Fine. I'm letting Fury deal with you when he gets back," Romanoff stated sourly and briskly walked away, shaking her head.

"Why did you come here?" Rogers asked curiously.

"Just a simple social call. I was wondering how S.H.I.E.L.D. was treating you over here," Stark said, looking around the 1940s decor. "I see they tried their best to make you comfortable." When Rogers was silent, he added, "So, uh, how've you been doing since you woke up?"

"Golly-gee, let's see...I rise from the dead seventy years into the future to find out that everyone I've ever known and...loved...are gone," Rogers answered bitterly, then added sarcastically, "I guess I'm coping like a champion?"

"Listen...I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through...but I do know that these super-secret government facilities tend to do things cold and clinical," Stark stated. "I'm guessing you haven't been outside since your rather rude awakening?"

"No," Rogers admitted, turning to look at the bustling city through the large window's one-way glass.

"That's where I come in," Stark said happily. "You up for an excursion?"

Disguised under a complex hologram of Agent Coulson, Stark 'escorted' Captain Rogers away from the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility without incident. Also, he couldn't have Rogers roaming around the city dressed in khaki army fatigues.

"First, let's get you into something more casual," Stark said, glancing at his companion with a frown. "You look like an oversized boy-scout in that outfit."

Still leery of his surroundings, Rogers nevertheless followed Stark down the crowded Manhattan streets and into an exclusive Ralph Lauren showroom. After much persuasion, he agreed to leave wearing an $85 short-sleeved, dull lime, weathered polo shirt and a $185 pair of 'Durango wash' blue jeans; his head reeling from how much the clothes cost.

"I'm a billionaire, so don't worry about it," Stark grinned.

"It's outrageous. Everything in that store was way too expensive," Rogers remarked with a frown.

"It's a designer label. You're paying for the brand name."

"It's jeans and a T-shirt!"

"You hungry?" Stark asked, deliberately changing the subject. "There's a pub over on - "

"Can we go somewhere more...peaceful?" Rogers suggested, feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of futuristic New York City's activity and noise.

"I know just the place," Stark said with a diabolical smile.

---

Bryn left the Zuni Cafe after dinner with a big, satisfied smile as she led her companion to a nearby clothing store. Apparently, her Science Experiment had never been to a restaurant before and teaching him how to use a menu to order food was a bit comical. She also noted how every woman in the restaurant, including the men, were staring at him.

"We're just gonna do a quick stop before we get come ice cream. There's this dress I've been wanting to buy in here. Been saving up for it," she said excitedly, heading straight for a rack and pulling out a brightly printed halter-top. She held the dress against her and said, "What do you think?"

"I believe I'll have a better opinion if you try it on," Loki suggested.

"Oh, um," Bryn hesitated, her cheeks warming. "Sure, why not?"

Inside the change room, she tried very hard not to entertain a fantasy of shopping with Adam posing as her boyfriend...until she was reminded of his pledge to her as a 'slave,' which was a bucket of cold reality to her. It only reinforced the fact that what Adam really needed was a professional psychiatrist and not an infatuated, med-student dropout desperately trying to play doctor.

When she parted the curtain, Adam stood right outside, eyeing her carefully as she twirled slowly in place.

"It's a very nice dress," Loki complimented brightly. "I like the length and the fit on you...however...I did a bit of browsing and found these." He held up two more dresses, both of which she'd seen but never even considered. "Would you mind trying them on for me? I think they'd look lovely on you."

"...uh..." Bryn said, fighting down a deeper blush. Adam was making it extremely difficult for her to forget the whole boyfriend fantasy as she gingerly accepted the two dresses he held out. Just behind him at the store's counter, several young women were giggling and staring at them. Oh, great. We have an audience. It's the restaurant part two.

She returned to the change room and tried on a dress made with different shades of green fabric. The top half was loose-fitting with a wide neckline that could be worn entirely off-the-shoulder or allowing one side to drop down enticingly.

Stepping outside, she stood in front of the full-length mirror, Adam moving to stand behind her. As she examined her new dress, she had to admit, it looked pretty good. Green wasn't exactly a favorite on her personal color palette, but at this rate, it was slowly climbing the ranks.

The second dress was a deep bluish-green, which complimented the color of her eyes. It was a spaghetti-strap halter with a provocative dip to the bust-line and formfitting at the waist. The skirt was layered and fell to three inches above her knees. Despite the dress's style being a bit more risqué than she normally chose, she looked and felt like a runway model.

"It seems we found your dress."

Adam's silky statement sent shivery goose-bumps across her skin.

When she got to the counter, Bryn ignored the dress's price tag which literally destroyed her budget for the month.

"That'll be $125.50," the young blonde at the counter said proudly, openly flirting with Adam.

"Visa, please," Bryn said automatically, then paused. "Excuse me, I thought the dress was - "

"You're in luck. It's on clearance," the young blonde said brusquely, her eyes still fixated on Adam who stood beside her.

"Oh," Bryn said in surprise. Seventy-fucking-five percent off? I can totally live with that, she squealed to herself happily, handing over her Visa card and barely listening to the small talk that was centered on Adam as she punched in her access code.

"Enjoy your dress," the young blonde at the counter said with exaggerated sweetness, saccharinely waving Adam goodbye and batting her eyelashes.

Rolling her eyes when she turned her head, Bryn left the clothing shop floating giddily on cloud nine. Not only had she bought an awesome dress at a ridiculous discount, it was Adam who helped her find it!

They walked back to the SUV and made the quick jaunt to her favorite ice cream shop. The brightly painted spring-green store front near the corner of Haight Street and Fillmore always made Bryn smile and absolutely ravenous for their unique homemade organic flavors.

"Lemme guess, you've never had ice cream before?" Bryn asked Adam when they walked inside. Maybe he is an alien, she laughed to herself.

"No, I haven't," Loki admitted, though the excitement was plain on his face. He was always eager to try something new.

"It's a popular dessert," Bryn explained. "It's cold, sweet and comes in a wide variety of flavors. I tend to go for chocolate. The darker the better."

Her eyes immediately found a tub of Bittersweet Chocolate as she peeked past the glass of the store's industrial freezer.

Loki studied the labels of each flavor for a long moment before pointing to a tub of Chocolate Peanut Butter.

"You sure? That's a brave choice for someone who's never had ice cream before," Bryn replied.

"Then I'm doubly intrigued," he said with a smile, watching Bryn order his selection as she ate a generous amount of Bittersweet Chocolate the second her cup was in her grasp. He then noted her expression of absolute bliss.

Once Loki had his cup of Chocolate Peanut Butter, his first cold spoonful gave him a similar reaction. The ingenious confection melted in his mouth instantly, the unexpected taste of salty and sweet complementing magnificently together on his tongue. He was unaware of the comical expression on his face.

"Good, huh?" Bryn laughed, Adam looking like he had a bug up his nose.

Nodding and smiling with the spoon in his mouth like a five-year-old boy, Loki ate scoop after scoop of the frozen confection.

"Keep that up and you're gonna get brain freeze," Bryn warned with a grin.

"What's that?" he managed to say between heaping mouthfuls.

"You'll see," she said as they strolled out of the ice cream shop.

When nothing happened after Loki had eaten his last spoonful of ice cream, Bryn shrugged and tossed their empty paper cups into the nearest recycling bin.

"I wonder if it's safe to go home," she spoke out loud, checking her cellphone status as they meandered back to the SUV.

"Are we in danger?" Loki asked, his brows crashing together.

"Huh?" she answered in confusion. "Danger? Us? No, no." She kept forgetting that Adam took things too literally. "It's just that Alvi and Mars had a fight, so there's a good chance they'll be making up...and I don't wanna interrupt them."

"I see," Loki replied. "Well, then, this would be the perfect time to show me more of the city. Shall we?"

"Okay," Bryn agreed, slipping her cellphone back into her purse. "How do you feel about walking?"

---

"Nifty, huh?" Darcy said with a wide grin, cradling a plastic bowl of seasoned extra cheesy popcorn on her lap. "Having Jarvis around's like owning a one-stop, no-holds-barred entertainment system."

"With an unlimited selection of movies," Jane said in awe.

The pair sat in large, full-grain buckskin leather bean bags against the bed-frame in Jane's guest-room as the high-definition movie 'The Lover' scrolled through its closing credits on a section of the tall, glass windows that were a prominent feature of Stark's mansion.

"Jarv says that Tony's got a direct pipeline to all the major and indie film companies. They even send him unreleased movies for his personal opinion - which he basically leaves for Pepper to do," Darcy laughed.

"Wow," Jane replied, grabbing a handful of popcorn. She dazedly shoved the entire handful of fluffy kernels into her mouth till her cheeks ballooned like a chipmunk.

"Hey, if you wanna know the skinny on Tony, just ask Jarvis," Darcy elbowed, wagging her eyebrows mischievously. "Betcha he'll do a wicked little show-and-tell presentation if you ask him to."

"Really? He'll do that?" Jane said in amazement as a brief fantasy of Jarvis presenting Tony's entire life from childhood to present flitted through her mind.

"Jarvis, I'd like a collage of Tony Stark fresh from the shower in all his naked glory, please," Darcy whispered with a leer.

"Shut up! Jarvis might hear you," Jane said with a blush, looking around nervously.

"I saw that. You've thought about it!" Darcy giggled. "There's hope for you yet!"

"So, this is where you two've been hiding," Stark suddenly said.

Jane and Darcy yelped in surprised, the bowl of popcorn they shared between them spilling to the floor. Stark stood at the entrance to the room, casually leaning against the doorframe.

"Tony! You're back," Jane said dumbly, her cheek feeling flushed. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest as she stood up, totally self-conscious about her pale pink, spaghetti-strap tank top with matching pajamas, printed with many cute, flying pink elephants. It also didn't help that she was braless underneath her top.

"You look ravishing," Tony teased with a smile which turned into a wide grin when Jane's blush deepened. "I see you girls have been making good use of Jarvis."

"He's got an amazingly impressive selection of movies," Jane said lamely, trying desperately to salvage some dignity. She felt like a teenager caught staying up too late on a school night. "We, uh, weren't expecting you back so soon...not that, um, we wanted you to stay away or anything."

"Actually, I wasn't expecting to be back so soon either but an interesting opportunity presented itself and I couldn't stay in New York," Stark replied.

"What happened?" Jane asked, assuming the worst.

"Relax, Jane, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s got no idea what we're up to and it'll stay that way," Stark reassured her. "In the meantime, we've got an additional guest I'd like you both to meet. I'll, uh, wait downstairs and give you girls some time to freshen up."

"Meet who?" Darcy said curiously as she and Jane exchanged glances.

In the living room, Steve Rogers wandered around with widened eyes as he marveled at the mansion's smooth 'futuristic' design, approaching a curious piece of sculpture hanging on a wall. When he touched it, the geometric pieces turned red, activating the brief klaxon of a security alarm.

"Do refrain from touching that panel again," a male voice with a British accent said flatly.

Rogers spun around trying to pinpoint the source of the voice.

"Where are you?" he declared defensively.

"I see you've met Jarvis," Stark said with a grin as he stepped down from a curved stone stairwell that led to the mansion's second floor.

"More like heard," Rogers replied, still looking around warily.

"I'll introduce you to Jarvis formally when we head to the basement. In the meantime, I'd like you to meet my other guests once they've made themselves presentable."

"Tony, I appreciate what you're trying to do...making me feel more comfortable and everything...but I'm really not up for a wingding - " The words died in his throat when he caught sight of two young women that descended the staircase toward him. One in particular jolted him to the core. Her jawline was softer to suit her oval-shaped face, but the slant of her nose, the reddish tone of her lips, the hazel sheen of her hair and her mannerisms...it was unmistakable...

"...Peggy?" Rogers said softly out of reflex. To the rest of them, he looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Who? Me?" Darcy said, pointing a finger at herself. "Um..."

"I-I'm sorry," Rogers said, his skin paler than normal. "Excuse me...I...I just need to get some air." He then sprinted past them to get outside.

"What was that all about?" Jane said after a few moments of stunned silence.

"Who was that? Why'd he call me 'Peggy?'" Darcy blurted out.

Stark sighed in dismay as he gazed worriedly past them, his eyes following Steve's escape route toward the mansion's front door.

"That...was Captain Steve Rogers," Stark replied, "also known as Captain America." He paused to allow the information to sink in.

"Damn. He looks amazing for a seventy-year-old popsicle," Darcy remarked casually, earning a smack on the arm from Jane and a chuckle from Stark. "So, who's Peggy?"

"He was referring to a Lieutenant Margaret 'Peggy' Carter," Stark explained, having read The Cap's dossier which he'd recently 'liberated' from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mainframe, pulling up a picture of the woman in question. He gave his phone to Jane who passed it to Darcy. "She was a military liaison assigned to 'Operation: Rebirth.' No doubt, her British superiors wanted to keep close tabs on what their former colony was up to."

"I'm getting the distinct impression that there are a lot more people involved in this so-called 'top secret' military research project," Jane observed with a slight frown.

"Let's just say that certain European countries had a stake in the project," Stark said. "What isn't documented on anyone else's official records is that on the eve of Cap's successful transformation, a German shadow organization gone rogue known as Hydra infiltrated the demonstration and killed Erskine. Unfortunately, the core formula of the 'Super Soldier Serum' died with him. That's why Cap's so valuable. He's the only one of his kind."

"What's to prevent the other countries that were present during the demonstration from duplicating what they saw?" Jane asked.

"Germany's military division tried to re-create the experiment from stolen Intel, but without Erskine's core formula and the particulars of my father's capsule, it was a disaster," Stark supplied.

"...and you know all this...how?" Jane said with a slight smile.

"It's all in there," Stark grinned, pointing to his cellphone in Jane's hand. "Jarvis managed to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mainframe with a little help from me...and my acquisition of Agent Coulson's security access card." He tossed the stolen card over to Foster who caught it with a delighted giggle.

"Nice one," she commended, relishing her imagined version of Agent Coulson's mortified expression - especially when he discovers how much of an 'accessory' he was to Stark's infiltration. "...and I suppose this card was helpful with how you were able to smuggle Captain Rogers right out from under S.H.I.E.L.D's nose?"

"I love the way you think," Stark replied huskily, his eyes smoldering.

Jane swallowed hard as she fought back a blush. She then noted that someone was missing. "Where's Darcy?"

Outside by the tennis courts and the helipad, near the steep, rocky cliffs of Point Dume Bluff where Stark's mansion was cleverly structured, Steve Rogers sat alone as he stared at the darkening sky with melancholy eyes. He heard someone's approaching footsteps but his enhanced body didn't seem to have the energy to move a muscle. Tucking his head down into his arms, he closed his eyes and listened as the person slowly sat down on the grass beside him.

"Hey...um...Captain Rogers...I know you wanna be alone right now...but I just wanted to tell you something," she said softly, glancing out at the sunset colored horizon and at her silent companion. Instead of a heroically muscled 'Super Soldier,' the man who sat beside her looked small and vulnerable as a young boy, hunched into a ball as he tightly hugged his knees, his forehead resting on his arms. "I did a project back in my freshman year of high school about my family history...and I had a grandmother on my father's side named Margaret Carter."

Rogers stayed silent but his head had turned to the side toward her, a clear indication that he was listening.

"I only know what my dad told me about her. She was working as a project coordinator for an architectural firm in New York when my grandfather met her. Grandpa David claimed it was 'love at first sight',' at least for him. Truth is, my dad's parents almost never hooked up coz Granny Marge kept politely refusing Grandpa David's invitations for them to go on a date. She finally caved one night since he wouldn't give up on her. After a long courtship they finally got married and had two kids, my dad and my Aunt Mary."

She removed her laptop from the backpack she brought with her and placed it in her lap. Tapping and opening file folders, she felt Rogers carefully inching closer to her to get a better look at her screen.

"It was hard on Grandpa David when Granny got sick. He stayed by her bedside and took care of her. When she passed away...it's like he lost the will to live and it wasn't long before he passed away too." When she found the picture she was looking for, she asked, "is this...Peggy?" Turning her laptop toward him, she adjusted the screen's angle and Rogers's devastated expression spoke volumes.

Placing the computer on his lap, Rogers stared at the face of the woman he loved, touching the screen's digital image with tender affection.

Darcy watched in sad silence as Rogers carefully scanned the digitized photograph on her laptop closely. It was a candid family moment with her dad who was age three, her aunt who was age two and her Granny Marge who smiled reservedly at the camera. There was a subtlety sad look in her Granny's eyes that was always a mystery to her...a sad, longing look that was mirrored in Steve Rogers's sparkling blue gaze. Sparkling...because tears had flooded his eyes, threatening to spill down his cheeks.

"Yeah...that's Peggy," Rogers said softly with a sniff, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from staring at the picture on the screen. Swallowing back a lump in his throat, he briskly wiped away the excess tears in his eyes. "You look a lot like her."

"Um...my dad's got more pictures of her at home...if you wanted to take a look."

"Thanks...but I don't think it's necessary..." Rogers replied sadly. He was happy that Peggy had moved on and had a family, though he secretly wished that the man in the photograph she married had been him. It was ironic, however, that he sat beside her granddaughter, since the odds of such a thing happening were simply astronomical.

Was it all truly a divine accident that he was here or was it a sinister Hydra machination specifically created to torture him? Thinking about the possibility of the latter - ridiculous though it was - gave him a serious headache.

"No really, it's no trouble. My dad can tell you tons of stories about her," she insisted, hoping that bringing some form of closure to Rogers would make him feel better. The 70 years that flew by in a blip while he was in frozen hibernation had no bearing on how he felt. To the newly awakened Rogers, everything was still his all-to-recent present rather than what should have been his past. It was a seriously messed up situation and Darcy felt a deep sympathy for the handsome man who sat beside her.

"What would be the point?" Rogers said dejectedly. "I love a woman who no longer exists." His face hardened when he stood up, brushing away bits of grass and dirt that were stuck to his jeans. "I'm really grateful to you for what you've told me...and I'm sorry...we haven't been formally introduced. I'm Steve Rogers."

"Darcy. Darcy Lewis," she answered with a smile, having grasped Rogers's extended hand as he effortlessly helped her to her feet. She bent down briefly to stash her laptop back into its case, draping the bag's strap on her shoulder. "Ready to go in?"

"In a few minutes," Rogers replied. "I think I'd like to walk around a bit. It's nice out here."

"Okay," Darcy nodded, turning to leave. "See you inside," she added briefly before resuming her trek toward the mansion's main double-door entrance.

---

The hall of Gladsheim in Asgard was ablaze with festivity as a large banquet was held in honor of Sigyn's Homecoming. Many of the Aesir were in attendance, eager to congratulate her on the success of her studies in Ljossalfheim and coaxing her to do small demonstrations of what she'd learned. She was widely known to be a very shy little girl but her time away had allowed her to blossom and she'd grown into a radiant, confident young woman. With her foster sister, Lady Freya at her side, Sigyn obliged polite requests to show off her magic, and for a while, allowed herself to be swept away as the center of attention for the evening.

Despite all the commotion and bright merrymaking, Sigyn knew that there was something amiss. Although Frigga had told her personally of Loki's absence - called away on an urgent errand by the All-Father himself - there was a lingering feeling of dread that fluttered in the pit of her stomach since she'd arrived. She'd tried to disregard the feeling as silly apprehension brought on by her heavy disappointment that Loki wasn't present to welcome her home with open arms. Of the many who dwelt in Asgard, he was the one she missed the most.

Glancing at Loki's older brother, Thor - who had stood in the 'protective' circle of his friends at the opposite end of the hall for most of the evening - Sigyn was beginning to wonder if he was deliberately avoiding her. She had been hoping to ask Thor in secret about where in the Nine Worlds the All-Father had sent Loki, which would then determine if it was possible for her to meet him at a way-point on his homeward voyage.

When she and Freya disembarked from their ship, she had barely contained her excitement to catch a glimpse of Loki; the long span of time she'd been apart from his company, the sole occupant of her thoughts. Even then, Thor had suspiciously refused to meet her gaze.

As she took a drink of sweet wine from her elegantly engraved ivory mug, her eyes caught a brief look of concern and worry on Sif's face. The dark-haired warrior-woman then appeared to be arguing with Thor and Sigyn resisted the urge to stare back at them when the entire group quickly gazed at her in unison.

Setting down her ivory mug, she smiled happily at her foster-brother Frey, the Golden Fertility Lord of Vanaheim who hovered nearby and asked her to dance.

"You seem troubled, little sister, for such a joyous occasion," he whispered.

"Of everyone in Asgard, I had expected Loki to greet me at the shoreline," Sigyn whispered back sadly. "Loki's absence...I find it both strange and...frightening."

She caught a subtle tick of surprise on Frey's face before he bent his head, leaving a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Your questions will be answered...very soon," Frey said ominously, his gaze, a telltale beacon of sadness. He smiled gently, pressed another, longer, tender kiss to her forehead before he turned away with a sigh.

Dizzy and pale, Sigyn leaned heavily against the feasting table, the shadowy dread in the pit of her stomach lurching malevolently. Tears filled her eyes as she placed a hand firmly over the treasured pouch she kept hidden underneath her clothing and close to her heart.

"Sigyn!"

Someone had shouted her name but it seemed so distant and unimportant.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist as her head lolled downwards, her limp body a dead weight.

---

...Loki...

It was dark and cold with an overwhelming feeling of dread, emptiness and painful sorrow that was somehow...familiar.

...Sigyn...

"...up! Come on now..."

A woman's voice, but it wasn't Sigyn's.

Then whose was it?

He should know. He always knew. He could perfectly recall the faces of every voice he'd ever heard in the Nine Realms, especially of those who dwelt in Asgard. Yet the voice of this particular female was a puzzle to him.

Who was she?

Why was she calling him...'Adam?'

Groaning, Loki felt a sharp pain - not to mention an odd lump - on the back of his head and there was a throbbing ache that was quickly spreading along the rest of his body.

"Okay, people. Show's over. Can you give us some room here, please?'

Ah, now he knew why the female's voice had puzzled him. The female wasn't a resident of the Nine Realms.

"What...happened?" Loki rasped as he guardedly fluttered his eyelids open to determine where he was. When his hazy vision cleared, he was surprised to see at least a dozen unfamiliar faces staring back at him.

"Hey, you," she said, much closer this time.

His eyes darted to the voice's origin, and bending over him was...

"Bryn," Loki said as he looked up at her inverted face which was clearly worried.

When he tried to sit up, she was instantly beside him to help, along with a young man whose wavy, sandy-blond hair fell over his eyes.

"I can take it from here, Dav, thanks," Bryn said gratefully.

"Hey, anytime. Glad I could help," the young man replied, flashing her a roguish smile. "Good thing I was there to kinda catch him or he would've cracked his skull open."

Loki sighed softly in dismay. What had his pathetic human body done this time? He winced when he rubbed at the lump behind his head.

"You collapsed," Bryn said plainly.

"Collapsed..." Loki repeated slowly in sheer disbelief.

"Dunno, Brynzie, between the two of us, I know you're more of the doctor here but I'm still going with a mild 'seizure,'" he countered.

"Davin," she cut in sharply.

"Wait, one at a time," Loki said softly. "Let's begin with you." He turned his head to address the young man who stood to his left. "You claim to have caught me when I...'collapsed.' What did you see?"

"Uh..." Davin hesitated, his eyes darting constantly toward Bryn.

"I'd like to hear him speak," Loki said flatly, ignoring the murmuring onlookers and Bryn's slight frown. "You were saying?"

"Well...I was walking behind the two of you before it happened. I thought I recognized Bryn here but I wasn't sure, so I hung back. You guys were having a good conversation and laughing, then Bryn turned her head and I knew for sure who she was," Davin explained. "Course, I wanted to go over and say 'Hi', so I started sprinting toward you guys...and then you kinda...jerked backward...like someone yanked you by the neck from behind or something like that...and you started falling. Dunno how I did it, but I ran and caught you...well, mostly...before you hit the pavement. I think your head kinda bounced a bit, though, before I got my hands under it."

"How did we arrive...here?" Loki asked, glancing at the faces of the dozen or so curious strangers that still lingered around them.

"I hoisted you over my shoulder and the building's manager, Carlie here, offered us her couch," Davin said proudly. The aforementioned manager was a tattooed brunette in a studded cat-suit who waved briefly to them before returning to work behind her desk.

Loki nodded, appearing satisfied by the young man's explanation. The well-worn, black leather couch he sat on made noise whenever he moved and the room they were in was too dimly lit for a work area. The dozen or so spectators soon began to leave, most of them returning to their duties in the building.

"We haven't been formally introduced," Loki stated, glancing at the young man on his left, then at Bryn.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Adam Laoki, this is Davin Connor. He works at the same club with me as a bartender."

"I thought you were a dancer?" Loki said.

"Your workaholic girlfriend here's got two jobs. Bartender and the club's hot feature dancer," Davin grinned, dodging a sharp smack from Bryn.

"I do what I gotta do to pay the bills," she said hurriedly, reaching out toward her Science Experiment who had a very surprised expression with raised eyebrows. "Come on. Let's get outta here. We've taken too much of this nice woman's time already."

"Hey, it's no trouble," Carlie beamed from behind her desk. "If you and your man ever need couple's counseling, I'll be more than happy to - "

"Okay, let's go," Bryn interrupted, blushing furiously and yanking Adam to his feet and out the door.

"Geez, girl, slow down," Davin laughed as he strolled behind them with a grin.

Rejoining the city nightlife, Loki glanced back at the overhead sign from the place they'd just left which read, 'Whips, Chains & Lace;' his eyes settling on provocatively clothed mannequins on display behind a large glass window.

"Hold on, Bryn, I think your boyfriend wants to go back there and shop for stuff," Davin chortled, wagging his eyebrows.

"Davin! Adam's not my boyfriend," Bryn hissed.

"I dunno...you guys seem awful chummy for just 'friends,'" Davin teased.

"Will you stop," Bryn warned, thankful for the evening shadows that hid most of her deeply flushed cheeks.

"I do believe Davin here is more than suitable to be your lover," Loki stated bluntly as strangled noises sputtered from both his companions.

"Whoa, brakes on max," Davin replied, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Bryn and I just work together, dude. Besides, she's got more of a thing for the older guys."

"I'm so gonna kill you," she gritted out with a glare. Davin was a great guy but he had absolutely no tact when it came to his mouth...among other things.

"Oh hey, sorry man, I'm straight," Davin declared quickly when Adam gave him an appraising stare. "I guess you two are friends."

"Pardon me?" Loki said in confusion.

"Hey, I'm cool, you can look all you want," Davin replied with a grin. "It just can't go anywhere beyond that."

Oh God, please, don't let Adam be gay, Bryn mentally whined, nibbling at her lip.

"You misunderstand, I was merely wondering why Bryn would reject you as a potential lover," Loki rephrased with a slight shrug. "You're young, your body is in excellent physical condition and your face is quite handsome."

"I like this guy," Davin grinned broadly as he straightened his posture. "See, Brynzie? The man knows quality when he sees it."

"Dream on, Dav," Bryn said, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, Adam, I have to work with him and his head's big enough as it is. Keep up the flattery and he'll just float away like a hot air balloon."

"Real funny. Anyway, I got some time before my shift. You guys wanna grab some beer?" Davin suggested.

"Perhaps, another time?" Loki replied, his fingers lightly rubbing over the lump on the back of his head. "Nevertheless, Davin, I do owe you a measure of gratitude for helping me earlier and the next time we meet, I'll gladly pay for your ale."

"I'm more of a draft or lager guy but I'll take you up on that. Ale's way too hardcore for me on this side of the pond," he answered.

"Great! It's a date then." It was Bryn's turn to tease.

"It's not a date if I'm straight," Davin laughed. "Catch you two later."

"He's a crazy flirt at work, even to the guys, but he pulls it off, sometimes too well," Bryn explained, shaking her head. "Why'd you think we'd hook up? I mean, don't get me wrong, Dav's nicely cut and all that but..."

"...but?" Loki prodded, curious. "You prefer him to be...older?"

"If he was more mature, yeah, I probably would've gone for him," Bryn stated, clearing her throat. "My disastrous love-life aside...you just smacked your head on cement. Feeling dizzy besides a headache?"

"I'm not dizzy but I'm feeling rather tired," he replied. His human body was still healing and may take a few more days to reach its optimum condition, whatever it was.

"I'm ready to call it a day too. Lemme give Alvi a ring first," she said, reaching into her purse for her cellphone and choosing her guardians' number on speed dial. "Hey, Alvi, sorry if I'm interrupting anything. You and Mars all lovey-dovey again? Good. Yup, SUV's locked and loaded. Adam was a total lifesaver. Yeah, we're both done. I need a hot bath and some sleep. Ran into Dav too. Tell you about it when we get there. See you both in a bit. Bye." She briefly checked her text message inbox before tossing her phone back into her purse. "All clear. I'll help you put some ice on that bump when we get home."

When the pair found the SUV and hopped inside, Bryn noted that Adam was strangely silent.

"You sure you're okay? You may have a mild concussion," she said.

"Apart from an aching bump, I'm confident that my skull's intact," Loki replied dryly. "I appreciate your concern but there's truly no need for such worry."

"It's gonna be a hard habit to break after...well..." she faltered, dropping the rest of her sentence. I'm starting to get mushy. Not a good sign. She decided to place her full concentration on driving.

"Your friend, Davin Connor, kept assuming we were a couple," Loki said with amusement, trying to break the uncomfortable silence between them, which only resulted in his holding on for dear life to whatever he could reach when Bryn jerked the wheel and almost drove into oncoming traffic.

"Shit! Not exactly the best topic of discussion while I'm driving, okay?" Bryn said loudly in distress.

"I can see that," Loki replied cautiously and - surprisingly - held his tongue for the rest of their journey.

---

Steve Rogers walked inside the mansion about half an hour after watching the sunset, just as Stark's favorite catering service arrived on time to serve dinner for four. He had a sad expression with a difficult time trying to hide it, which Stark took as a personal challenge, attempting to make him smile with good conversation. By the time dessert was served, Rogers felt comfortable enough to participate, telling them stories of the time period he was from. He noted that his friendly hosts graciously veered away from anything that might trigger painful memories, but lodged in the back of his mind like a thorn was Darcy's suggestion that he find some 'closure' by visiting her father...his beloved Peggy's eldest son with another man.

"Okay, Rogers, it's time you met Jarvis," Stark said as he stood up from the dinner table.

"Jarvis is so awesome," Darcy said excitedly as Jane giggled.

Curiosity piqued, Rogers followed the trio down to the basement, namely Stark's personal workshop. He marveled at the numerical access panel that magically appeared out of nowhere on the glass door entrance as Stark entered his security code.

"Welcome to my lair," Tony said proudly.

The trio allowed Rogers to gawk at the entire layout, observing him silently as he did a slow, clockwise circuit of the basement work area. He skimmed through the many scattered mechanical and electronic parts atop large worktables, wondered at the sheer size of the area itself, admired Stark's collection of futuristic sports cars and bikes - all of which he was itching to ride - and finally stopping at a grid of several flat panel screens with a central keyboard.

"Steve Rogers, meet my supercomputer, Jarvis," Stark announced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Rogers," said a pleasantly British male voice.

"Wait-a-minute. Horsefeathers...did you just say...'supercomputer?" Rogers gaped, having recently become familiar with the term.

"Jarvis is the finest example of advanced artificial intelligence on the planet," Stark said.

"I'm flattered you think of me that way, Mr. Stark," Jarvis said with undisguised amusement.

"...and with a sense of humor," Rogers observed with a chuckle as Stark made a childish gesture in response. "Uh...I'm pleased to meet you too, Jarvis."

"I trust Mr. Stark, Darcy and Ms. Foster have been seeing to your comfort?" Jarvis said.

"Yes, they've been very attentive hosts," Rogers confirmed with delight. He was conversing with a supercomputer! It was pure science fiction made real!

"I have access to an unlimited amount of databases should you have any questions, Captain Rogers," Jarvis stated. "I can easily assist you in your adjustment to our present timeline."

"Uh...yeah...that's great," Rogers said awkwardly, his companions fidgeting.

"Sorry, Jarvis here needs more practice in the finer forms of tact," Stark replied, glaring at a random monitor on his workstation.

"No, it's okay, really. You people don't have to keep tiptoeing around me. I know it might be hard to believe, but I'm not constantly teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown," Rogers explained. "I know it's gonna take a while for me to...completely adjust...but it'll happen. Also, Tony, if you don't mind, I'd like to use Jarvis here for a crash course in World History."

"Be my guest. Whatever I can do to help," Tony said with sincerity, then noticed the strange look Rogers gave him. "What?"

"For a minute there...you were just like your father," Rogers complimented. "Howard Stark was a good man, and he always managed to do the impossible even if everyone around him said that he couldn't."

Tony's face immediately went somber and he nodded wordlessly, patting The Cap's broad left shoulder with his right hand as he walked passed, heading straight for the basement's kitchenette, specifically the liquor cabinet.

Rogers watched as Stark poured himself a generous glass of strong whiskey, chugging the entire glass down.

"Was it something I said?" Rogers said cautiously.

"It's not you...Tony...he gets a bit upset whenever anyone mentions his late father," Jane replied softly, recalling how incredibly candid and open Stark was to her when she'd first arrived. They'd talked almost non-stop the entire night, found that they had a lot in common and even swapped stories about their pasts.

"I see. Guess he really misses his dad," Rogers added sadly.

"Actually, it's more complicated than that," Jane corrected. "I'm sure he'll open up to you about it at some point soon. I mean, it's only fair since he knows..." She inwardly cursed herself for being so careless.

"...knows...what?" Rogers said patiently, dramatically pausing his open-ended statement with a look that demanded an answer.

"He's gonna kill me," Jane muttered with a sigh. "He stole your S.H.I.E.L.D. file when he smuggled you out of New York...which pretty much had everything there is to know about you."

"I just knew there was more to this whole thing than a lame 'social call,'" Rogers said irately, scrubbing his face in frustration.

"Listen, you look totally wiped out," Darcy reasoned slowly. "I bet you haven't gotten much sleep since they found you, huh?"

"...no..." Rogers confessed with a whisper. There was a long pause before he spoke again. "To be honest...I haven't physically slept since I woke up. I've tried, but I only end up laying awake at night and staring at the ceiling. There's a big part of me that keeps stubbornly thinking...that this is all some horrible nightmare that I'll finally wake up from. Except...when the sun comes up...I'm reminded that...it's not..." He ignored the excess moisture that gathered in his eyes.

"Come on," Darcy said softly with a sniff. "I'll take you up to your room, okay?"

Jane stood motionless and silent as she watched Darcy escort the fabled World War 2 war hero, Captain America, out of Stark's basement workshop and up the winding stone staircase that led to the mansion's living room; a man who was presently just a phantom of his Super-Soldier reputation. Glancing at Stark, she saw a haunted expression that was disturbingly similar and pursed her lips. Taking a deep breath, Jane closed the distance between them, taking away Tony's bottle of whiskey before he was tempted to empty it.

---

In the hall of Sessrumnir in Asgard - one of two that belonged to the Vanaheim Fertility Goddess, Freya - its peaceful, beautifully landscaped surroundings were disrupted by the soft, mournful cries of a young woman, barely sixteen years of age. Her long, golden-blonde hair trailed lightly behind her as she ran past trees filled with multicolored spring blooms and straight into her personal guest bedchamber, slamming the door shut.

The Welcome Feast for Sigyn's Homecoming in the hall of Gladsheim abruptly came to a halt when their guest of honor suddenly collapsed. When Sigyn awoke, Lady Frigga sat beside her, holding her hand. With a constant flow of tears, Frigga informed Sigyn of the tragic news of Loki's madness and the damage it had caused: the destruction of Heimdall's hall, Himinbjorg; the ruin of Bifrost; the near annihilation of Jotunheim; the death of King Laufey in Odin's bedchamber; Thor's banishment and the unfortunate appearance of the Destroyer on Earth, a mortal world in Midgard.

Overwhelmed, Sigyn fled Gladsheim and sought refuge in the hall of Sessrumnir, locking her chamber door from the inside and refusing visitation from anyone. Three days and nights passed, and still her door stayed shut.

Worried for her, Sigyn's adoptive family took turns trying to coax her to come outside. She was silent and whatever food or drink they left for her remained untouched.

"Ah, my grief-stricken fosterling," sighed Njord, Vanic King and Lord of ships and coastlines. Along with his twin children, Frey and Freya, he'd agreed to live as a political 'hostage' in Asgard in return for a lasting peace between the Golden Kingdom and Vanaheim.

A man of early middle age, he was lean, vigorous and bearded, with calloused hands from working with ship-ropes as well as a slightly windburned face; possessing a quiet, authoritative charisma to his leadership as father and King.

"Her grief for Loki runs deeper than friendship," Freya said knowingly as she, Frey and their father sat in counsel on cushioned seats by a warm hearth. Two panther-sized golden-furred cats named Beegold and Treegold were curled by her feet, purring happily.

"Then our Sigyn is...indeed in love with Loki," Njord uttered, shaking his head.

"Since the moment they met, they've had a deep affection for one another," she replied. "As I recall, she and Loki were near inseparable before she left to pursue her studies in Ljossalfheim."

"Loki is quite...odd and unpredictable," Njord mused out loud. "At best, he's a strange and unexpected match for her."

"Who are we to disprove of their pairing? If there is great love between them, only good things can come from such a union," Freya conveyed, gazing knowingly at her brother. Frey's marriage to the Jotun giantess Gerda was still a matter of some controversy to the residents of Asgard. Also, as the foremost authority on matters of the heart in the Nine Realms, Lord Njord and Frey could hardly disagree.

"The most important question would then have to be, dear Sister...does Loki love Sigyn with the same passion?" Frey declared, crossing his arms.

The three of them simultaneously turned their heads in the direction of Sigyn's locked bedchamber.

"For now, I simply wish for her eat and drink," Njord replied. "Or speak to someone. Anyone. I won't stand idly by and let her wither away."

"Perhaps she will speak to someone who loved Loki best," Freya said softly. She whistled sweetly to a nearby red bird with elegant plumage and it obediently flew to perch on her shoulder. From the folds of her white robes, she brought out a crystal locket where a small letter was visible, safely folded inside it. With the locket's chain twisted tightly around the bird's leg, they watched as it flew swiftly from them to find the message's intended recipient.

"Will he answer your missive, Sister? He's changed much since his exile and even more so since Loki's death," Frey stated sadly.

"Thor loves Sigyn as we do and it has pained him greatly to keep his distance since her arrival," Freya explained. "He could not tell her of what happened to Loki. Unlike Lady Frigga, he lacked the strength to form the words."

The Vanir royal family were silent for a long moment.

"Then I hope she can speak to Thor," Njord said and stood to his feet. "Send word to Noatun (his hall in Asgard) the moment there is any change."

Inside her bedchamber, Sigyn listened to her foster-family's worried voices and their attempt to contact Thor. Pacing her chamber in agitation, she pressed the silken lavender pouch that dangled from her neck against her heart. Her eyes were swollen and red-rimmed, her cheeks streaked with dried tears. If Thor couldn't face her before, then a formal request from the Vanic King could not be ignored.

Once Thor was there...should she tell him? Does she dare tell anyone of what she suspects? Would they believe her? After what Lady Frigga had told her, Loki's madness caused such a terrible upheaval that all of Asgard was ablaze with gossip about it. For three days, she heard from many passersby outside her door, the spoken scorn directed solely at Loki and she wept.

Shaking her head, Sigyn knew in her heart that whatever Loki did had a cause. Something or someone had driven her dearest friend mad, causing rage and destruction in its wake. Alas, the only person who could tell her what truly happened was absent and the only other person left was incredibly reluctant.

Moving to sit on her bed, Sigyn carefully removed the lavender pouch from around her neck and laid it reverently on a pillow in front of her. Her fingers gently traced the intricate beadwork of clear crystals and the delicate embroidery of a purple flower in pale lavender thread, the image similar to the fresh blossom that was inside it.

Loosening the silken pouch's ribbon drawstring, she removed the hardy, bright purple blossom that Loki had given to her when they first met. She cradled it lovingly in the palm of her right hand and she blinked back renewed tears that threatened to surge down her cheeks.

If Loki was truly dead...then why had the blossom she held stayed as fresh and sweet-smelling as the day he'd given it? Perfectly preserved by his magic, the bright purple flower should have withered at the moment of his death. No sorcerer in the Nine Realms, no matter how great or powerful, had total dominion over the forces of life and death, unless Fate had given them that duty; such as Lady Hel of Helheim, Keeper of the Land of the Dead or the mystical forces at the command of Odin the All-Father. Surely, Loki's magic would have died with him.

Yet the delicate blossom she held in her hand was flawless...and served as an undeniable symbol that Loki was still alive! Lady Frigga had said that he'd fallen from Bifrost and into the maw of Ginnungagap, the Great Void at the center of the celestial maelstrom. Instead of death claiming him, Loki had managed to survive and was stranded on an unknown world, alone, hurt...lost.

Closing her eyes, Sigyn slowly inhaled the flower's familiar, comforting fragrance and thought only of Loki, of how he appeared when she'd last glimpsed him, which wasn't too long before her homecoming. Smiling impishly to herself, she'd secretly 'cheated' during days between her studies, conjuring Seeker spells that found him wherever he travelled. His handsome face had matured much compared to when they'd parted. They were both so young then, him an adolescent boy and her, a little girl-child. Maybe if she concentrated hard enough, conjured the proper spell...she could find him!

A new determination filled her as Sigyn whispered loving words to the flower she held in her hand, returning it to the safety of her silken pouch and tucking it under her clothing. Clearing her throat, she stood to her feet and walked to her dresser, taking a moment to tidy her hair. Her face was still red from crying, but it was expected. Turning toward the heavy door of her bedchamber, Sigyn took a deep breath and slowly unlocked the thick, metal latch; the door creaking as she pushed it open.

---

"That's quite a bump you've got there," Alvi remarked as he peered over Bryn's shoulder. Mars made a small groan of sympathy.

"It feels as bad as it looks," Loki groused, wincing slightly when an ice packet was pressed to it. Bryn had insisted on attending to him the minute they'd arrived, shoving him into the elevator and leaving all her packed boxes in the SUV's cargo area.

"You think he may have a concussion?" Alvi asked.

"We was out for at least fifteen minutes and he hit the pavement pretty hard," Bryn said. "Just to be safe, Adam, you should stay awake for a while. Let me know if your headache gets worse or you start to feel nauseous."

"If you insist," Loki sighed, slouching slightly on the couch in the living room.

"Better yet, perhaps you should see a good friend of ours who works at the local Urgent Care clinic. Her name is Dr. Alicia Barnes," Alvi suggested. "It'll just be a quick physical to make sure you're all right."

"I appreciate everyone's concern...but there's truly no need to fuss over a simple bump to my head," Loki said, holding the ice packet securely to it. "Yes, I realize it's a rather large bump..."

"We're more worried about what caused it, Adam," Mars replied. "The way you collapsed wasn't..."

"Guys, guys, chill," Bryn interjected. "When he's ready, we'll ask him again about having a formal checkup at the clinic. For now, let's just drop it."

"The young man we met, Davin Connor, who works with you at the club downstairs," Loki said, effectively changing the subject. "He mentioned that you were responsible for working two tasks?"

"Um...yeah. I'm a dancer and a bartender there," Bryn confirmed reluctantly.

"Our Brynnie here's a bit of a workaholic," Mars mildly scolded.

"I'm just fast-tracking my savings," Bryn replied defensively. "Coz you never know what might come up...and as awesome as this penthouse is, I'm still gonna end up buying my own place."

It was the second time that day Loki had heard the term 'workaholic.' It reminded him of the word 'alcoholic' which the humans used to describe one who was addicted to and abused hard liquor. Was it a not-so-subtle implication that Bryn was doing too much at her job and overworking herself?

"Incidentally, Brynnie, Mars and I have offered Adam here an administrative position at the club. He can start whenever he's ready."

"Oh...uh...that's...great," Bryn forced out, quickly glancing at her guardians who seemed to have braced themselves for an outburst - her first reaction. Instead, she held it in, deciding to deal with the whole issue of Adam at her workplace later, moving it down her list of priorities. The most pressing problem was arriving the day after tomorrow from his Brazilian vacation, her former landlord, Raoul Ramirez.

"Well, now, how shall we pass the time?" Mars chirped, seizing the moment in case Bryn changed her mind about chewing them out. "What about a movie?"

"We can watch a new one or something from our collection," Alvi said excitedly. "Who wants popcorn?" He stood up as Mars raised his arm. "Usual topping, love?"

"Actually, I'll be joining you in the kitchen," Mars said with a smile. "I'll help with the drinks."

"Extra white cheddar on mine, please," Bryn said, using the remote to bring their large LCD screen to life. "I'm gonna go change for a sec, okay, guys? I've been in these clothes all day."

As everyone dispersed out of the living room, they failed to notice the look of pure fascination on Loki's face as he stared transfixed at the moving images on their LCD screen. What he originally thought of as an oddly blank 'picture frame' turned out to be much more than he'd anticipated. Gathering two enormous pillows, he settled down on one side of the couch to watch in wonder and amazement as a young man jumped into a vehicle that miraculously flew into the air.

---

"He has come," Lady Freya said with a bright smile. Squeezing her fosterling sister's hand supportively, she stood to greet the All-Father's eldest son. "Thor, welcome."

"Lady Freya," Thor bent at the waist in respect and inclined his head at her companion. "Sigyn." He'd nearly refused their formal summons and did nothing to hide his discomfort.

"Please, sit with us," Lady Freya coaxed gently, encircling an arm around Thor's waist and leading him to a bench by a hearth covered in soft pillows.

Beegold and Treegold, Lady Freya's panther-sized cats, nuzzled Thor's legs as he sat down. He smiled slightly, reaching down to scratch behind each cat's head and listening to their purring grow louder. He dallied with them, scratching their bellies when they rolled over while Lady Freya and Sigyn sat patiently watching him.

"In truth, Thor, our formal summons were made on behalf of Sigyn," Freya stated.

Sighing, the Thunderer slowly turned his head to face the young woman beside him, her wide, violet-blue eyes piercing his heart with a grief for Loki that matched his own.

"Forgive me...I..." Thor whispered raggedly, his deep anguish over the loss of his younger brother laid bare. "...I miss him..."

Made vulnerable by the presence of both Lady Freya and Sigyn, Thor wept silently and unashamedly as he and Sigyn clung to one another. After a while, Lady Freya shared their tears, embraced them both and sang softly to them.

"Please...I need to know what happened that day," Sigyn implored softly. "Tell me and I promise you, I will never speak of this again."

"What do you wish to know?" Thor asked, feeling drained as he sank into the cushions on the bench. "I can only tell you what I saw."

"I wish to see it for myself," Sigyn said firmly, holding out her hands.

Sitting up, Thor glanced at Freya who was silent.

"Sigyn, if we do this...there will be no gentle way for me to show you," Thor warned. "You will feel, hear, see everything that I have...tried to forget about that day. Do you truly wish to remember him thus?"

"I need to know the truth...in a way only you can tell me," Sigyn replied simply.

"Very well," Thor conceded sadly and nodded to Freya who instructed him to kneel facing Sigyn on a large, red, richly embroidered cushion.

Thor held up his hands, palms facing outward and gently grasped Sigyn's, her graceful fingers locked with his. They moved closer together, like a couple ready to dance and closed their eyes in unison, placing their foreheads together and twisting their interlocked hands between them.

A mixture of half-spoken and half-sung words came from Lady Freya as Thor and Sigyn swayed in a trance, the pair looking like they'd stepped onto a boat that rode the bobbing waves of the sea on a bright, sunny day.

In this trance, Sigyn relived Loki's fateful day; saw the appearance of the Destroyer on Earth; of a humbled Thor and his self-sacrifice in his mortal form to spare the humans from Loki's wrath. Then the return to Asgard, Thor's immortality and power fully restored, facing his brother who unleashed the devastating power of the Bifrost's energies toward Jotunheim.

Serving as an anchor for the tranced pair to the present, Lady Freya shed her own tears as she and Sigyn shared Thor's memories of Loki's final moments.

"You can't stop it. The Bifrost will build until it rips Jotunheim apart."

Inside the circular, golden dome that was their Gatekeeper's post at the edge of Bifrost, Loki stood across from him on the topmost step of the pedestal Gate Lock where Odin's spear, Gungnir, had sat briefly in place of Hofud, Heimdall's sword, the rightful Gate Key that opened the portal. An ominous, crystalline form in the image of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, had formed itself around the Gate Lock - as if in direct protest to what was happening - while tendrils of malevolent energy crackled and enveloped the entire area. The image was frightening, cold and wrong!

When he approached the Gate Lock with a single-minded determination to hammer the ice with Mjollnir, he was flung back violently, struck with a sharp sting from the All-Father's spear. Stunned and confused, he stared at Loki whose very presence was unlike anything he'd ever seen or felt in all the time he'd known him.

"Why have you done this?" he asked in distress. He wanted to know what had driven his brother to such violence, anger...and hatred.

"To prove to Father that I am a worthy son," Loki declared with conviction. "When he wakes, I will have saved his life, I will have destroyed that race of monsters and I will be true heir to the throne."

"You can't kill an entire race," he argued. It was the first thing on the tip of his tongue and the most pressing issue, though he desperately wanted to address Loki's other disturbing words.

"Why not?" Loki sneered back. "...and what is this newfound love for the Frost Giants? You, who could have killed them all with your bare hands."

"I've changed," he quickly admitted. It was true. Most of the bloodlust he'd felt toward the Jotnar and their ilk stemmed from his monumental arrogance, the ignorant pride of an eager warrior-boy who sought (shallow) victory in battle hoping to achieve (false) glory that rivaled his father's footsteps. Being exiled from Asgard and forced to live as a mortal was a hard lesson in humility.

Loki, who knew him best, was clearly unconvinced of the change in him.

"So have I," Loki bit back, striking his cheek in direct challenge with the staff-end of Gungnir. "Now fight me," he added, emphasizing his words with a hard hit to the side of his head.

As he lay on the ground, momentarily dazed by the impact, Thor was astounded by the change in Loki. They'd quarreled intensely on many occasions and had physically beaten each other severely when their combined anger was especially explosive...but neither of them attacked the other out of pure malice! It was then that he realized...an irrational contempt and rage emanated from Loki which had never been there before. A deep-seated bitterness that consumed his brother and was terrifying to behold.

"I never wanted the throne!" Loki continued to rant. "I only ever wanted to be your equal!"

"I will not fight you, Brother!" he shouted back, but Loki was passed all reason.

"I'm not your brother," Loki said evenly. "I never was."

Thor had no idea how much those words would hurt him...until Loki had spoken them. His chest felt incredibly tight, as if Loki's hands had reached into his chest, squeezing the love from his heart, threatening to leave it cold and hateful. He felt ill from the thought of it.

"Loki, this is madness!" he cried, desperate to punch through the mental and emotional miasma that painfully misguided his brother's words and actions.

"Is it madness? Is it? Is it?" Loki taunted with tears in his eyes.

What bitterness! How could such a profound change happen to Loki so quickly in his absence? However, the same could be said of himself.

"Come on, what happened to you on Earth that turned you so...soft? Don't tell me it was that woman!"

Jane.

No. Leave the mortal woman out of this!

He couldn't hide the concern that was as bright as daylight on his face.

"Oh...it was," Loki concluded. "Well, maybe, when we're finished here, I'll pay her a visit myself!"

That did it. Despite whatever madness plagued Loki, he couldn't ignore the cruel intent that dripped from the forthright threat.

With a war-cry of indignation, he lunged forward, using Mjollnir as both weapon and shield. When they clashed, he struck Loki with as much ferocity as he could muster. Yet the longer they fought, he sensed with a growing dismay that Loki's masterful precision of Gungnir's attacks were fueled undoubtedly by hate...the sheer relish in Loki's strikes and parries were meant, not just to injure, but to kill!

Throwing Loki away from him, he needed to end their quarrel and spare the Realm of Jotunheim from total annihilation. He focused, willing his next strike to move through Loki's and Gungnir's defenses, effectively knocking his brother away from the Gate Lock, giving him some time to find a way to stop the dangerous energies from growing too powerful.

Wielding Mjollnir high above his head, he flew forward with all his might, deflecting the spear's bolt of strong magic as he and Loki punched through the wildly spinning golden dome that was Heimdall's hall, the pair landing hard on the Bifrost bridge.

Dangling from the shimmering edge of Bifrost, Loki's fingers held on precariously, the lethal waters of the Thund Thvitr river roiling tempestuously beneath him.

"Brother, please," Loki begged. There was fear and sincerity in his eyes and words.

Sighing inwardly, he couldn't refuse Loki's urgent request and bent to help him up...but his hand grasped nothing but air when his brother's body blinked into nonexistence. Spinning around too late, he met the sharp blade of Gungnir as it was thrust into his side, his enchanted armor absorbing most of the impact. He fell onto his back, blinking back the haze in his vision, his brother's mocking laughter echoing tenfold in the wind from the many illusions of Loki that surrounded him.

"Enough!" he shouted, raising Mjollnir as a conduit for his anger, the hammer emitting a tremendous flash of lightning that dissolved all of Loki's illusions. Disarmed of Gungnir, his brother was thrown to the ground with a yelp.

He was running out of time! He felt the savage, unrestrained power of the Bifrost portal building, the golden dome spinning faster. Placing Mjollnir on Loki's chest to restrain him, he inched carefully toward the tip of Bifrost, but its wild, unrestrained energies pulled him forward and if he dared to venture closer, he may very well be ripped apart by the surging waves of crackling energy. Cursing to himself, he needed the help of Mjollnir but that meant allowing Loki the chance to get up, delaying him further.

"Look at you," Loki scoffed. "The Mighty Thor..."

He turned briefly to look at his brother, then spun back to face the madly spinning dome. The portal's energies had reached a point where shutting it down using the Gate Lock was now impossible. Racking his mind, he sought for a way to stop it...permanently.

"...with all your strength. What good does it do you now, huh?" Loki grunted against the weight of Mjollnir pressing down on his chest. "Do you hear me, Brother? There's nothing you can do!"

Ignoring Loki's taunts, he made his decision. Without looking back, he summoned Mjollnir to his hand, bringing the hammer down repeatedly upon the Bifrost bridge. It was an outrageous option, but an option nonetheless. In his mind, he spoke Jane's name in a parting mantra, for he may never see her again. As Bifrost broke and crumbled with every swing of his hammer, the splintering pieces that fell away mimicked the indescribable ache in his heart for his private loss.

Jane, Jane...I know that I made you a promise...a promise that I now must break.

"What are you doing?" Loki remarked in total disbelief.

Be silent, Loki! I do what must be done! This is all your fault!

"If you destroy the bridge, you'll never see her again!" Loki yelled in desperation.

Undeterred, he swung his hammer down relentlessly, a section of the bridge on the verge of collapse. He felt Loki rise to his feet, the rapid patter of leather boots running toward him.

"Forgive me, Jane," he said out loud and roared, his arm thrown back for his final swing, just as Loki's bellowing cry resounded closely behind him.

The words 'I love you' were left unheard, drowned out by the colossal eruption of the severed Bifrost bridge. Heimdall's golden dome, a place that had served as his post for countless millennia, broke apart and drifted downward, lost to the Void.

Greatly relieved that Jotunheim was spared from destruction, Thor scrambled for bearing as he and Loki were flung upward in the explosion. On their way down, he grabbed onto Odin's spear as it soared past, Loki managing to barely hold on to the end of its staff.

If they were to die that day, Thor could at least have some answers.

Rather than falling further past Bifrost and over the edge of Asgard, Thor felt a hand wrap itself firmly around his ankle, stopping his and Loki's descent into the Void. Without turning his head, he knew that the hand belonged to Odin, their father.

As the pair of them dangled dangerously at the severed edge of Bifrost, he saw that the bitter rage in Loki had melted into despair...and the one hand of Loki's that clung to Gungnir was slowly slipping.

What was Odin waiting for? Why wasn't he pulling them up? Was he going to punish Loki by feeding him to the darkness of Ginnungagap?

When Loki looked up, Thor saw the brother that he knew and loved instead of the bitter stranger that he'd so recently fought against.

"I could have done it, Father," Loki said imploringly, and Thor realized that the face he saw wasn't meant for him. "I could have done it. For you, for all of us."

"No, Loki," was Odin's sad reproach.

Now is not the time for this! Pull us up, Father!

At Odin's reply, Loki's reaction was immediate...and disturbing. The brother that he knew and loved was gone yet again, replaced by the bitterness of a stranger.

What was happening? Why was this happening?

Suddenly, he saw that Loki's hand had drifted measuredly to the end of the golden spear...and his heart nearly stopped when he realized that it was deliberate!

"Loki, no," he uttered instantly...watching in horror as Loki's fingers unclasped...

"NO!" he wailed loudly, his sorrow mixed with confusion as he beheld the final image of his brother's face...a face that he wished he could erase from his mind! It wasn't how he wanted to remember him.

Loki's face was blank with a calm resignation and devoid of all love!

"...oh...merciful Norns...no..." Sigyn moaned out, breaking the trance.

Thor, Freya and Sigyn sank down together in a heap, mourning Loki's loss as if he had left them only moments ago. They shivered uncontrollably as if they'd been abandoned in middle of a raging snowstorm.

...and they felt so very cold...

Elsewhere in Asgard, in the silver tower of Valaskjalf which was annexed to the hall of Gladsheim, the aged Odin sat alone in silence, having secretly shared Thor's memories along with Sigyn and Lady Freya. A pair of enormous wolves sat at his feet, Geri and Freki, the guardians of his tower, both whined in sympathy and nuzzled his hands when he reached down to pet them. Above him, perched on either side of him on tall, golden pedestals were Huginn and Munnin, a pair of great ravens that served as his clever messengers throughout the Nine Realms. The ravens cawed softly, sharing their master's pain.

In the privacy of his tower sanctuary, Odin wept for the loss of Loki. He lamented the drastic measures he had taken to vainly defy the Web of Wyrd, shown to him by the Norns in their Divine Well on the day he'd presented Loki as a babe to them. He simply couldn't accept that Loki's Fate...

Disguising a Father's love as indifference, Odin had done everything in his power to insure the best possible future for his adopted Jotun son. He knew it was selfish and the cost was great, but the events he had set in motion could not be undone. Someday, when he and Loki met again, he could only hope that all would be forgiven.

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to be continued

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Correspondence:

Anon:

'i can`t believe that you have so little reveiws! i love this story and loki and everone and again loki. this was a very long chapter! It was increadibly well written and i`m anxious to see the next chapter. i will keep reveiwing your chapters when they come out. you deserve it. this is very cool. i like the flasbacks alot. maybe even more than the story, because he is in more of character. i just hope you don`t make it loveydovey ''you are the only one in the nine realms for me'' sort of deal between loki and your OC.

looking forward to your next post'

...

Dear Anon:

Thank you very much for your note! I'm humbled by your praise. ^_^

Why so little reviews, you say? I can only speculate on that one. It's every author's pleasure to receive feedback but I'm guessing many readers are waiting for my story to further develop. Also, the Mature Rating restricts the number of readers to my story but since I'm definitely dealing with mature subject matter, I'd rather not get in trouble with the 'Powers That Be.' ;D

Loki's character is definitely my main inspiration for writing this thing. LOL.

Yes. The flashbacks are indeed my favorite because they shed more light on Loki's past and his life as an immortal on Asgard. (more fun to write) The flashbacks are important because it explains why he behaves the way he does. Also, it's interesting to speculate on his interactions with his family and friends. :D

As for Loki and Bryn...their relationship will develop gradually over time, making it more plausible for Loki as a former immortal to acquire affection for a mortal human. (a race that he'd previously loathed for centuries) I doubt Loki will be prone to spouting any corny love lines either. xD

Your input is most welcome! I look forward to your feedback!

Take care!

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Author's Note:

My very own 'slave' Loki? Yes, please! *laughs at Bryn's resistance* (The girl's crazy!)

Bryn's road rage = priceless.

Sigyn's immortal age approximation is '16.'

Loki caught the last few minutes of the movie 'Back to the Future' on television.

For anyone wondering about Loki's 'uncharacteristic kindness', please keep in mind that he's not a hardcore bad guy. The evidence is clear on how he's depicted in canon Norse mythology, despite how he's portrayed in the Marvel universe, which includes the movie. Loki's best defined as someone who enjoys walking the gray line between good and nasty, depending on his mood. It's truer to his nature of 'I do what I want,' which I'm guessing is pretty much the philosophy that governs the immortal beings that reside in the universe of Yggdrasil. ;D