A/N At last, we find out Loki's fate! Yay! So without further ado, here we go. :)

Thanks so much to my awesome reviewers! You guys really have no idea how much of an impact you have on me or how much support and encouragement your reviews give me!

pallyndrome

Ophelia Lokisdottir

ImperfectIsPerfect

Princess PrettyPants

RossyGaray

Ellamena

aliceindeepdarkwonderland

chibitamaora

Fawkes83

Son-of-hiddle

DragonsAddicted- Thanks for the review! Read on and you'll find out if your preferred outcome happens. I hope you like it! :)

Aka-Baka Hoshi

OkieDokieLoki

ThePastReliesOnMemories

beckywbotsford

maliha1205

A New Fight

For two days, Thor sat by Loki's bedside, watching over his unconscious brother. He refused to leave Loki's side except when Frigga and Odin would come and force him to leave to eat or rest for a few hours, and he would do so only with the assurance that his parents would stay by Loki's side and alert him if there was any change.

Neither Loki nor Thor had any shortage of visitors. The other Avengers visited often to check on both Loki's condition and to see how Thor was holding up. Even Sif and the Warriors Three dropped in to visit and check on both princes a few times. The bond between them and Thor was slowly mending, thanks in large part to their apology to Loki and the help they had provided the younger prince with during the battle.

But that was where the good news ended. It had been two days since the battle and Loki's collapse, and he showed no signs of getting better. If anything, he had grown worse, and all of Thor's hope was quickly disappearing. He was finally being forced to face the truth, that Loki wasn't going to get better, he wasn't going to wake up. Thor's heart ached and cried out at the injustice of it all. After everything that had happened, everything Loki had endured and survived, he was going to lose it all just when he was finally free and safe.

The battle was finished. Thanos was defeated. And yet, they still lost.

Thor hadn't been exaggerating when he told Loki that he couldn't survive his younger brother's death again. Thor could feel his heart break a little more each day as he sat by Loki's bed and hoped and prayed for him to wake up, which later turned into begging as he pleaded with his unconscious brother to come back to him, only to be disappointed every time. Eir had warned him, had told him the damage and strain may have been too much for Loki to come back from. Thor had refused to believe that. His brother would come back to him.

But with every passing day, every hour, every minute, he was forced to face the truth that he was going to lose his little brother, his heart.

When the full weight of the realization finally hit him near the end of the second day, and the tears sprang to his eyes, he didn't try to stop them. He didn't try to stifle the sobs as they broke free. He just gripped Loki's hand, laid his head on the bed next to it, and let the tears come.

"You promised," he choked out. "You promised."

)()()(

Loki floated in darkness, blind and deaf to the world, cocooned in the comforting, safe black around him. It was quiet and peaceful. It was a nice place, one Loki didn't feel like leaving anytime soon. Maybe he would just stay there forever, floating in a safe, painless world of silence and neutrality.

Unfortunately, Loki couldn't seem to get peace for any length of time as a vague and distant voice kept encroaching on his solitude. It started out as an unintelligible murmur, a distant hum that Loki was mostly able to ignore, but as time went on, the voice grew louder and more insistent. He still couldn't make out the words, but the voice sounded distressed, almost like someone pleading with someone to do something. Loki wasn't sure how he knew that, as he couldn't make out the actual words, but somehow he knew that whoever it was, was begging someone for something.

Loki was simply too tired. He just wanted to stay in the quiet peace around him. So, he stopped trying to figure it out and ignored the voice until it stopped. For a while, he was left alone, but then the voice returned again. Only a few words this time, but he could understand them, and he instantly recognized the voice for the first time since he had started hearing it.

Thor?

Thor was talking to someone, begging them to wake up, but Loki had no idea who he was talking to until Thor said his name and Loki realized his brother was talking to him. Why was Thor asking him to wake up and why did he sound so desperate? Loki was tired. He needed rest. Thor just needed to be more patient and leave him alone so he could get some sleep. Loki tuned out the rest of what Thor was saying and retreated back into the darkness.

It wasn't until a little while later that Loki's mind finally cleared enough for him to think straight. When it did, he became aware of what sounded like someone crying, but that couldn't be right because Loki would swear that it was Thor, and Thor never cried. But as he listened, he became more and more sure that is was Thor, and he was indeed crying. And that scared him. There were very few things that Loki knew of that could make Thor cry, and none of them were anything remotely good.

In that moment, Loki wanted to reach out and comfort his brother, but he just couldn't seem to shake loose of the darkness and the fatigue that was weighing down his body. It was starting to worry him that he couldn't seem to make his body obey him. Was he back under the tesseract's control again? Would he be trapped in his mind forever?

It was one of his biggest fears, that he would be a prisoner in his own head for the rest of his life. It didn't help that he couldn't seem to remember what had happened to render him in this state. He vaguely remembered being cleared of his crimes. He was home and things were going well for him for once, but there was something... some threat. Try as he might, he could remember no more.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a hitched sob before a few whispered words.

"You promised. You promised."

Promised? He had promised something? What was it? It took him a minute, but then he remembered Thor asking him for a promise... what had it been?

Then it clicked and the memories rushed back to him. The battle, Thanos, Odin. He remembered the lifeforce transfer he had performed and feeling his strength drain out of him. Perhaps it had been a bit foolish to perform such a dangerous spell while wounded and bleeding. Now the darkness and heavy feeling made sense. Now Loki could feel just how weak he was. He was fading away. That was why Thor was crying, because Loki was dying.

Loki was tired. He was weary. It would be so easy to just let go and slip away. The idea was very appealing as the darkness beckoned to him, but Loki saw the truth of it now and he would not be enticed again. Thor needed him. Thor had felt the loss of a brother before and he wouldn't survive it again. And after all, Loki had promised that they would both come through the battle and stand together on the other side. That was one promise that Loki simply could not break. Not this time.

So Loki started to fight. For nearly two weeks, everyone had been telling him he wasn't weak. They had been trying to convince him that he was strong. Now it was time for him to prove them right, to them, to Asgard, and more importantly, to himself.

)()()(

Thor's tears had long since dried, but the weight in his heart hadn't lessened any as he continued his vigil at his brother's side. Behind him, he heard the door open and recognized his father's footsteps. Without taking his eyes off Loki's face, he spoke.

"We were supposed to have a feast today to celebrate his return to us, and instead I am sitting here watching him slip away," Thor said.

Odin simply came up behind him and laid a hand on Thor's shoulder.

"Would that there was something I could do to bring him back to us," Odin said, looking at his youngest son. "But not even I possess such power as to help in this situation. This is a fight that is Loki's alone. Only he can save himself."

"But will he?" Thor whispered.

"That, I do not know, My Son. I can only hope that, even now, he is fighting to get back to us. If there is one thing I have learned in these last weeks, it is that your brother has more strength in him than any in Asgard ever knew. I have not yet given up on him winning this battle," Odin said, giving Thor's shoulder a squeeze. "Try to get some rest, My Son," he said before turning and leaving the room.

Even with the late hour, and as tired as he was, Thor didn't think he would be able to sleep. The grief he felt was too acute and the fear that, if he closed his eyes, even for a moment, he would lose Loki, plagued him every time his eyelids began to droop.

Unfortunately, despite what his mind wanted, he couldn't fight his body forever and before long, his fatigue won out and he was sound asleep.

)()()(

Loki woke up slowly, feeling completely exhausted. His whole body felt weighted down and it seemed to take all his energy just to pry his eyelids open. He laid there, staring at the ceiling of the healing chambers. The fact that he could recognize where he was by the ceiling alone should tell him something. Considering it was the healing chambers, that probably meant he had spent way too much time there in his life.

After a moment, he became aware of a hand gripping his and with some effort he managed to turn his head enough to see Thor sitting in a chair next to his bed, his hand gripping Loki's and his head resting on the edge of Loki's bed. Even in sleep, Loki could see the worry lining his usually happy brother's face.

Loki opened his mouth to speak but found that it took too much effort. Moving also seemed to require too much energy, but he wanted to wake Thor, to show his brother that he had kept his promise, that he was still there, that he had fought his way back. So, with a monumental effort, Loki moved his hand just enough to squeeze Thor's.

Surprisingly, the slight pressure was enough to wake the usually sound-sleeper. Thor shifted and blinked his eyes open. He raised his head off the bed and rubbed his eyes sleepily before looking around. Loki just watched him, waiting. After a moment, Thor's eyes landed on Loki's face and he froze as his gaze met Loki's tired eyes. Loki would have smiled had he had enough energy, but instead he had to settle for the corners of his mouth shifting ever so slightly and his face softening. However, it wasn't necessary for him to smile. Thor was able to read it in his eyes and he smiled brightly as a few tears of joy gathered in his eyes.

"Loki," Thor whispered, grabbing his hand again and reaching out to gently rest his hand against Loki's cheek. "You came back."

Loki opened his mouth and with great effort managed to form a word but he didn't have the strength to make it heard.

"What?" Thor asked, leaning forward so his ear was next to Loki's mouth.

Loki gathered his little strength and managed to force the word out again on the barest breath of air.

"Promise."

Thor leaned back and looked at Loki as the tears finally slipped from his eyes.

"You promised," Thor repeated. "You heard me."

This time Loki managed to smile ever so slightly. Thor leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Loki's forehead before resting his forehead against Loki's.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for fighting, for coming back."

Loki let his eyes slip shut and sighed in contentment. After a moment, Thor leaned back again to see Loki with his eyes closed, nearly asleep again.

"Wait, Brother, don't fall asleep yet," Thor requested.

Loki pried his eyes open again and looked at him blearily.

"I know you're tired, but do you think you can stay awake until I can send for Mother and Father and our friends?" Thor asked.

Loki wasn't sure if he could. His exhaustion was pulling at him more with every passing moment, but he would try. Thor must have seen the determination in Loki's eyes because he smiled again, then turned and quickly moved to the door to the healing chambers. He roughly wiped away his tears and opened the door, leaning out in the hallway and speaking to the two guards stationed outside the room.

"Fetch my parents, the Avengers, and Eir here at once," Thor ordered.

The guards snapped to attention and saluted him before turning and running up the hallway to carry out the order. Thor closed the door and went back to Loki's side to see his brother barely awake and yet somehow managing to look at him like he was an idiot.

"What?" Thor asked.

Loki didn't try to answer. He just waited. It took Thor a moment to realize, and when he did, he wanted to slap himself. He had probably just given his parents and friends heart attacks. When the guards came running to them and told them that Thor had summoned them to the healing chambers, they were all going to think Loki was either dead or dying. He should have told the guards to tell them Loki was awake.

"Oops," Thor said, borrowing one of Tony's and Clint's often used words.

Loki wanted to roll his eyes so bad, and if he hadn't been so tired, he would have. He loved his brother, but sometimes Thor could be so oblivious. However, Thor was perceptive enough, or perhaps just knew his brother well enough, that he could tell exactly what Loki was thinking even without the usual eye roll.

Sure enough, only a few minutes later, the King, Queen, five Avengers, and Eir all came bursting through the doors, a myriad of emotions ranging from fear and worry to panic and sadness between the eight of them. They all pulled up short, staring in frozen surprise at the sight of Loki's half-lidded, exhausted, but open eyes.

Then a few of the gazes turned accusingly on Thor who was looking very contrite.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Loki huffed slightly, the closest he could come to laughing. Then he was surrounded by people as the whole group crowded around his bed. Frigga and Odin came to stand side-by-side on the other side of Loki's bed, across from where Thor was sitting, while the Avengers spread out behind Thor and at the foot of Loki's bed.

"My Baby," Frigga said caressing his face and kissing his forehead.

"It is good to see you awake, My Son," Odin said with a soft smile as he squeezed Loki's shoulder.

"About time you woke up, Lokes," Tony said from where he was standing next to Thor.

"You had us all worried," Steve added.

"That you did," Eir said, finally stepping forward.

Frigga and Odin reluctantly moved a few steps aside to give her room to check on him.

"You gave us all quite a fright, My Prince. What you did was incredibly dangerous," she said. "You almost died."

Loki's gaze moved from her to his father and held there for a moment before tiredly looking back at the healer. The message in his eyes was clear. His family, his friends, and his people were all alive and safe and Thanos was gone for good. As far as Loki was concerned, it had been worth it.

"I can tell you are exhausted, My Prince," Eir said. "You will likely be so for some time after that transfer. Why don't we let him get some much needed sleep?" Eir suggested.

With more words expressing their happiness that Loki was awake and on the mend, the Avengers filed out of the room.

"Rest well, My Son," Odin said.

"Sweet dreams, Little One," Frigga said, caressing his face again before she and Odin reluctantly left the room.

Loki turned his barely open eyes back to Thor.

"Sleep, Brother. I will be here when you awaken again," Thor promised.

Loki let his eyes close and was almost instantly asleep. As soon as he was sure Loki was asleep, Thor got up and slipped out into the hall where Eir was standing with the others, all of them waiting on him.

"Eir?" Frigga asked.

"It's too soon to say for certain, but I strongly believe Prince Loki will make a full recovery," Eir said.

More than one relieved smile appeared on the faces surrounding her and Steve reached over and gripped Thor's shoulder. Thor returned the gesture, both of them smiling happily.

"It will not happen quickly," Eir warned. "He is very weak and it will take time for him to regain his strength. He will likely sleep much for the next several days and he will be weakened for quite some time, but he should recover, slowly."

"Thank you," Frigga said gratefully.

"Don't thank me, My Queen. It was all Loki," Eir said.

"Team effort," Tony said, offering a compromise.

"Indeed," Frigga agreed with a smile.

"As was our victory against Thanos," Odin said. "I must thank you, Avengers, for helping to defend my kingdom."

"It's what friends are for, Sir," Steve said with a shrug, glancing at his fellow Avengers who all nodded in agreement.

"I see my sons have made wise choices in their friends," Odin said. "Anything you need or desire is yours, you need but ask."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Steve said, the others adding their own words of thanks.

Tony mumbled his own thanks, his attention focused more on Thor who looked to be mere minutes from passing out on his feet. Despite his friends' and parents' attempts, the eldest prince had barely eaten and hardly slept during the whole time Loki was unconscious and it was finally taking its toll.

"Hey, Thor, why don't you take a break. Maybe go get something to eat, catch some sleep, shower," Tony suggested. "You've been with Loki almost nonstop and you look like you're about spent."

"Dad's right," Steve agreed. "Now that we know Loki is going to be okay, you need to think about yourself some too."

"I promised him I would there when he woke," Thor said, sounding beyond exhausted and looking dead on his feet.

"We'd be happy to stay with him," Steve offered, glancing at the other four Avengers to be sure they were okay with that.

Thor looked like he wanted to take them up on their offer but also seemed to be a bit unsure.

"He will easily sleep for several hours without waking, My Lord," Eir assured.

"Your brother is going to need you, and you won't be of much help to him if you pass out from exhaustion," Odin said gently.

"Listen to your friends and your father, Thor," Frigga said, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Loki would be displeased to find out you didn't take care of yourself while he was unconscious."

Thor smirked slightly. He knew exactly what Loki would do. He would roll his eyes and call Thor an idiot. Thor never thought he would miss hearing his brother call him that, but he did, and he was actually somehow looking forward to hearing Loki tease him again.

He knew his friends and parents were right, though. He needed food and rest, and Loki would have their friends with him. So, reluctantly, Thor agreed, making his friends promise to come get him if Loki woke up. Then he tiredly returned to his room where he practically collapsed on his bed and all but passed out for nearly eight hours.

Loki didn't so much as stir during that time and by the time he did drowsily wake again, Thor was once more by his side, just as he had promised.

A/N This is not the end! I know it kind of sounds like an ending but this story is not finished. I still have a few loose ends to tie up and a couple of cool things planned. There will be at least another three or four chapters. So be sure to come back next Friday. Also, if you would be so kind, be sure to leave me some of your thoughts on the chapter! :)

Now then, you didn't really think I was going to kill Loki did you? I mean, come on. For one thing, Loki is too awesome to just kill off. Not even Marvel could bring themselves to do so in Thor 2. Secondly, I love Loki way too much to kill him and I'm always a sucker for a happy ending anyway. Lastly, how could I write more stories in this universe if Loki was dead? ;)

Next chapter is going to be one of my favorites. Loki continues to recover and is finally recognized and rewarded for all his talents and efforts. It's about time, if you ask me.