A/N: Thank you again for all the support! beccaspad, this one's for you - happy vacation! :)
The thunder before the lightning, and the breath before the phrase –
Have you ever felt this way?
Have you ever wished for an endless night?
()()()()
Happiness.
It fills her to the brim, making her grin even though she cannot see a thing. All is dark.
But then…jealousy. Jealousy wraps its icy claws around her heart, making her angry and desperate. She wants acceptance. She wants to be more than a shadow, hovering on the edges of society – and reality. She wants it more than anything she's ever wanted in her whole life. Don't they see? If they let him take the throne, everything they have ever worked for will be destroyed.
Then, the utter betrayal sets in.
She feels ugly and lost, lonely and hated. She has been betrayed by her family, lied to all along. She is a monster.
She wants – needs – to prove herself.
For a brief moment, she does. She can feel the power rushing through her veins, pulsing as electricity – blue, crackling, sparkling electricity. And every last bit of it belongs to her.
Then, suddenly, she is falling. Her heart pounds as the wind rushes up around her, spinning her senseless and driving her mad. She is vaguely aware of Loki's arm still around her – it's the only tangible thing left – so she wraps her arms around him, clinging to him for dear life.
They land with a thunderous crash, pain shooting through her. She is terrified that she will be ripped away from Loki in this dark place. It feels treacherous and hostile, smoke wrapping around her legs like tendrils of ivy.
Pain.
Pain pain pain pain pain PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN
It overwhelms her. She would do anything to make it stop.
Turning her tear-stained face into his chest, she cries, but no sound comes out. He wraps his arms around her protectively, but she feels no comfort here in the dark.
With a burst of wind, the pain disappears…
Only to be replaced by absolute rage.
Rage, burning beneath her skin, begging to be released. Hatred, flowing like magic, obliterating lives with ease. She feels powerful. She feels alive.
There is no remorse in any corner of her heart. She wonders, for a moment, if she even has one. The moment disappears just as quickly as it came, though, replaced by the simple need to destruct. To wreak havoc. To exact revenge.
And then…
Emptiness.
She feels the disgust from her own actions creeping back into her conscience, the self-loathing building until it is unbearable. She begins to cry again, clinging to Loki with all of her strength.
She feels rain pouring down on them, drenching her hair, falling into her eyes. She wonders if she'll die here, bruised, bloodied, alone and unloved.
Abandoned.
Forgotten.
Maybe then she will be at peace.
()()()()
Molly's eyes fly open. All the physical pain of the experience has vanished, but her heart still races, Loki's arm still draped over her shoulders.
Before he can protest, she throws her arms around him in the biggest hug she has ever given. He stiffens at the sudden contact, but after a few moments, he slowly, awkwardly returns the embrace.
"I'm so sorry, Loki," she says against his shoulder. "I know it doesn't fix anything, but I'm so, so sorry."
Pulling away from the hug, Molly meets Loki's eyes. They have lost a bit of their edge now – the hopelessness, the helplessness still there, but the glint of danger has faded.
She reaches out to grab his hand, but when her fingers brush his, an electric shock shoots up her arm, green sparks twisting around the sleeve of her sweater.
Molly immediately yanks her hand back from Loki. "What was that?" she exclaims, rubbing her now-tingling fingers.
He regards his own hands with amazement as he replies, "Could it be possible? I have only heard tales of it – myths, really – and even then, with a mortal?"
"Loki, what are you saying?"
"There are stories of connections formed only through the transfer of memories. When such a connection occurs, the two people involved can share anything: thoughts, knowledge, emotions…even magic."
Molly's eyes widen in disbelief. "Magic?"
He nods slowly, looking up at her at last. "Magic."
"That's amazing."
Loki half-grins at her words. "It doesn't…upset you, does it?"
"No! I mean, it's definitely going to take some getting used to, but…wow."
A brief look of genuine happiness fills his eyes, and Molly knows now that it's the first time anyone has ever been so accepting of his abilities before.
"I wish that this night never had to end," he says wistfully.
"Me, too."
They remain quiet for several moments before Loki's voice breaks through the silence. "He will come back, you know."
Molly looks at him, confused. "Who?"
"Your detective. He will come back." Loki smirks at her surprised expression. "I am the god of lies, Molly. I know when someone is lying to me. Although I must admit, your lie was rather convincing."
"That's because it wasn't all a lie," she replies, sighing.
"I know." He pauses again, keeping his eyes fixed on the far wall this time. She watches as he deliberately and visibly gathers his courage for his next words. "I must return."
"I know," she echoes quietly. "You don't belong here, on Earth."
Loki huffs a laugh, his eyes flicking to hers for an instant before darting away again. "If that is so, why is this the first time in years that I have felt at home?"
She has no answer for that.
"I will not forget you," he continues, his gaze finally settling back on her eyes. "No matter what comes next, I will never forget what you have done for me."
She smiles sadly. Yes you will, she thinks, though not bitterly, forgetting for a moment that he can hear her thoughts. Everyone does. After all – I don't count.
"I wish you would stop using that phrase," he admonishes her. "If you still believe that you hold no worth in this universe, then you are sadly mistaken, Molly Hooper. You matter. And you matter to me." The sudden conviction in his otherwise tired voice surprises her.
"Why?" she asks quietly.
"Because I know what it feels like when you do not matter. I know how it feels to be forgotten, pushed aside, like you mean nothing. And now…now I know what it feels like when someone understands you."
Molly fights back tears at his honest, heartfelt words. "Well, you matter to me," she replies, taking his hand in her own. "Don't ever forget it."
He gently kisses her hand, like the prince she now knows him to be. "I never will."
To be continued…