"I love you." The echo repeated over and over again in Taylor Stark's mind as she landed with a thud on the ground in Midgard; she hadn't even enough time to say she loved him back… The mortal had landed in the park where she had been when she'd been transported up to Asgard. She lay in a sobbing heap on the ground, curled into a ball. The hour of the day was early; nearly sunrise; the joggers would be out soon. In a tired, sobbing mess, Taylor managed to pull herself up onto a nearby bench. The cold air swirled around her like a cape that held no warmth and she shivered violently.

"I love you."

Those three words she'd longed to hear for so long continued to replay over and over in her head, only causing the sobs to intensify. She wasn't sure what had happened after Loki had said them, as her mind had gone blank, but she knew she hadn't said them back. The blonde cried until tears no longer escaped, and then she sat up. Ocean orbs took in the sight of the Midgardian park for the first time in a month; empty trees. sun kissed fountains, leaf covered sidewalks, and birds perched upon bare branches; nothing had changed aside from the loss of leaves on the trees. Taylor heaved a sigh, her chest cavity expanding to fill her lungs with the fresh, Midgardian air. She had calmed herself down somewhat, and now she just wanted to go home. But… where was home? For the past month it had been on Asgard wit Loki. Loki. Her eyes filled with tears again as she thought about him. What had happened after she left? Was he angry enough to come after her? Doubtful, she told herself. Even her own father hadn't wanted her, so why would he? Taylor shook her head as another sob crept up in her throat, forcing herself to stand on shaky legs. Maybe she could convince her brother, Tony Stark, to let her stay with him until she was able to find a place of her own.

"I've gotta try…" she mumbled, shakily walking away from the bench and out of the park.

Loki stood in utter shock in front of the Bifrost chamber, emerald eyes full of tears. All he'd done was admit that he loved her, and his father had nearly killed him he'd drug him out of there so fast. He had protested her return, even attempted to go after her, but each time he was met with the same response from both Heimdall and Odin: no. The colors of the Rainbow bridge had darkened from the utter sadness that stood upon them, and nothing anyone did could make him move. The god just stood, staring, crying. Yes, Loki, the god of mischief and lies was crying. He missed her already, and he knew he always would.

Back on Earth Taylor had managed to talk her way inside her brother's house and get Tony to allow her to stay. He of course poked fun of Asgardian clothing, claiming that it looked like something out of a Star Wars movie. The exhausted female simply nodded, forcing a hint of a smile onto her lips.

"We'll have to get you some REAL clothes later, sis. I'm actualy going out right now. JARVIS will keep an eye on you, though."

"Thanks… but these are fi—"

Tony held up his hand to silence his little sister, "just go to your room before I change my mind."

"….Ok…" She left the room in which Tony stood and padded across the cold, tile floor to her room. It was a large, purple room, and Taylor liked it. But little attention was paid to her surroundings as she flopped upon the bed, sobbing into the pillow. She hated the fact that she hadn't been able to at least say she loved Loki back; maybe this wouldn't have hurt so much if she did.

Meanwhile, Loki had managed to sneak down to the treasure room in search of the Casket belonging to the Frost Giants. He wanted an answer for the blue coloring his sin had taken when the monster grabbed him, and he felt the Casket would hold that answer. The god's fingers slowly curled around the handles of it as he lifted it up, the azure coloring and intricate lines returning to his skin.

"Stop!" Odin's voice rang out through the Treasure Room, causing Loki to freeze.

"Am I cursed?" He asked in a desperate last attempt to disprove the horrid truth that had unfolded before him.

"…No."

Loki slowly sat the Casket back in its place and turned to face the Allfather; the blue marking now completely covered him. Odin looked on silently from his place atop the golden stairs, no words immediately coming to mind. He had hoped the moment would not come for much longer, but it was too late to avoid it now; he knew.

"The Casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jötunheimr that day was it." Loki advanced to bottom of the stairs, his question more of a statement than it should have been.

"…In the aftermath of the battle I went into the temple and I found a baby; abandoned; left to die… Laufey's son."

"Laufey's son…"

"Yes…"

Loki's heart had shattered into a million irreplaceable pieces twice; once when Taylor was torn from him, and now in the Treasure room. He was a Frost Giant.

Taylor had been lying on the bed all day, only leaving the room a few timed to go the bathroom. JARVIS had insisted that she eat, and she finally gave in and padded through Stark Tower until she found the kitchen, and poured herself a glass of soda. No sooner had she lifted the glass to her pale lips, when it dropped to the floor, shattering into pieces. Her hand clutched her chest as her breath left her, ocean optics wide with fear. She felt a pain unlike any other in her chest that nearly made her crumple to the floor. She gripped the counter behind her for support, gasping for breath.

"Miss Stark, are you all right?" JARVIS asked.

Taylor tried to nod, but she couldn't. She could barely breathe still. She'd only felt pain similar to this one other time; earlier that day on Asgard. Crumpling into the floor, the blonde muttered but one word:

"Loki."

Loki sat by his father's bed, Frigga on the side opposite him. Odin had fallen into the Odinsleep, and left the kingdom of Asgard without a ruler, something Frigga intended to remedy. When Loki got up to leave the room, the sound of guards and servants outside the door caused him to pause in his steps. As one of the servants, one he recognized as his father's personal favorite, knelt before him with the staff Odin used to rule Asgard with, the young god turned to his mother.

The queen held her head high; a proud look played across her defined features. She spoke in a louder, prouder tone, her eyes on Loki's.

"Thor is banished. The line of succession falls to you. Until Odin awakens, Asgard is yours."

The servant held the staff up to Loki, who simply stared down at it for a while. Inner turmoil swirled within him; should he take the staff, or should he not? When one of Odin's ravens cawed, the god finally held his hands out to accept the treasured staff. His fingers curled around the cool gold, and his mother's voice was heard again, but softer this time.

"Make your father proud."

He slowly turned around to face her, emerald optics flitting up to her face.

"My king."

JARVIS had sent a message to Tony after witnessing Taylor's 'panic attack', or so he called it. The mechanic had taken his time about returning home, but when he did she was his main concern. Pepper was at work, and the blonde being home alone with panic attacks concerned him.

"It wasn't a freakin' panic attack, Tony!" She protested, crossing her arms beneath her chest.

"So you just collapse to floor and mumble people's names all the time?" He sassed at her, mirroring her arm crossing movements.

The blonde rolled her eyes, turning on her heel to exit the room.

"Leave me alone…" she reached for her room door, but found it locked. She huffed in agitation and turned back to her brother, an angry glare on her face. "Open it." She demanded.

"Not in the mood," he said, smirking. JARVIS had locked her door so now she would HAVE to tell him who she was talking about.

"Please?"

"Not until you tell me who this Loki guy is. What, he sleep with you and run? You're not pregnant are you?"

"TONY!" She glared again, mouth dropping open in shock.

"Well?"

"No I am not…what you said! Gosh!"

"Then what are you so jumpy about, Tay?"

The blonde hesitated to speak, unsure if Tony would even believe her if she told him the truth. It was quite farfetched after all, but he wasn't going to let her in her room unless she told him something. The blonde sighed in defeat, nimble finger curling around the necklace her mother had given her. Her ocean orbs slid behind tired and swollen eyelids as she prepared to speak again.

"Loki is, was," she corrected, "a very good friend…"

Tony observed all of the movements his little sister made, and was especially curious about the key necklace she'd been playing with since he'd met her over a year ago; he'd yet to ask what significance it held, though. His hazel eyes fell on the bruises on her wrists, and he wondered if her 'friend' Loki had hurt her in some way. If so that would explain her being so upset.

"How'd you get those bruises?"

Taylor opened her eyes and gave Tony a confused look. She had no clue what he was talking about.

"On your wrist. Loki do that?"

She held her wrist up where the light shone on it better, ocean eyes wide as took in the bruises. It was obvious she'd never seen the before, but she did know where they came from.

"Crap…"

"Did he?"

"What? No. No he'd never hurt me…"

"Then where'd they come from, blondie?"

"I. Don't. Know." She said a bit angrily, her mind playing over the moment Odin had grabbed her and thrown her on the ground. If he had left bruises on her wrists, there had to other bruises elsewhere. "Can I PLEASE go change now?"

The mechanic looked over his sister a long moment before nodding, "fine. But if I find out Loki did that, and he shows up—"

"I get it, Stark."

Tony arched a brow at his sister's stubbornness, but unlocked her door anyway.

"Fine. Don't tell me." He said while walking off to his workshop. "But I'll find out what I need to know anyway."

"Sure you will…" the woman sighed and pulled her door open, only to collapse onto the floor once inside. Tears pooled in her eyes as she looked down at her Asgardian armor. She knew she would have to change eventually but she just couldn't bring herself to do so. Loki had arranged for her to receive it, and it was very special to her.

Flaxen curls fell over her bare shoulders as Taylor carefully slid the Asgardian tunic off, letting it drop to the floor. She picked up the t-shirt Tony had given her and pulled it over her head, then pulled on a pair of Pepper's shorts, which fit surprisingly well. Taylor and Pepper had met once before, and she seemed nice enough, but she wasn't sure how well the red head would approve of her borrowing her clothes.

"Oh, well." She mumbled as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her golden trusses had been pulled back into a ponytail, but there was one pesky piece that still dangled beside her left ear. "Stupid hair." Her stomach let loose a growl, and the blonde sighed again. She couldn't starve herself, what good would that do? Taylor tiredly padded down into the kitchen and flipped on the TV; news. She flipped it back off and groaned, leaning on the counter with her head in her hands. Tears dripped from her eyes again, landing on the stone counter below. There was knowing feeling in the pit of her stomach again, much like the one she'd had before Loki and his friend left for Jötunheimr, and she knew it had to do with Loki. But with no way of reaching him, or even contacting him, all seemed hopeless. Her heart was broken, and she didn't think she would ever recover.