III

It took three tries before Hope could grab the right moment in Loki's time stream, and the right time stream for that matter. While she had learned how to activate and deactivate her abilities, hitting the right point in time was still a work-in-progress. Of course, she had no clear idea when she was going except that it was a year before Loki was stuck in that cell and it was in New York. Even with the Tardis working overtime in the back of her mind to help her, the search had been a tricky process.

On her fourth try, she landed hard on her back onto a granite floor, somehow missing the glass shattered everywhere. Hope groaned, turning onto her hands and knees as her stomach evicted its contents. She had spent far too much time in the streams and her body was hating her for it. She couldn't really blame it either.

The sound of explosions caught the girl's attention, making her turn to look out the glassless window once her stomach was done. When she couldn't get a good look, she stood. If she hadn't just emptied her stomach, she would have thrown up again. New York City's familiar skyline was marred by various explosions, caused by what appeared to be aliens on flying jet skis. They were flying too fast for her to get exact details.

"And what do you think of my army, Little Pixie?" Hope felt chills climb up her spine at the familiar voice. She turned to the owner, tears forming in her eyes.

"Loki…" The God of Mischief was smirking evilly at her, chaotic pride igniting his emerald eyes. His hair was just a touch shorter than it was in prison and he wore far more menacing armor. In his hand was a wicked looking scepter-spear with a glowing blue jewel in the blade's center. "You did this?!" He chuckled.

"Yes, my love. This is my design." Hope searched for some purchase to keep herself up. She could feel her legs melting into jelly under the stress of time travel and the revelation before her. She didn't know who this god before her was but he wasn't her Loki. "I plan to rule this world," he continued, stepping towards her. "And now I have the missing piece."

He tugged her by the wrist into his arms, kissing her hard. Hope was stunned for a moment, partly by Loki's roughness and partly from the shock that he'd actually kiss her after she had so obviously been sick. However, a cooling sensation in her mouth, much like when you take a breath after sucking on a peppermint, hinted he used his magic to clean her mouth. A sorcerer boyfriend was useful sometimes. But not when he was destroying your home planet. When the god finally released the girl for breath, she winced, almost certain her lips and arms would be bruised. "Now I have my queen to rule beside me." Hope finally found her senses.

"Loki, you can't just take over a planet! This is my home!"

"Your home? My love, you are not like these mortals. If anything, you are a goddess among them. They should worship the ground you walk on." He gently brushed stray hair from her eyes. "The proof is here… In your eyes… No other mortal is meant to carry the sands of time in their eyes."

"You don't understand. This isn't right!" She pulled away from him, taking several steps back "You can't just dominate my home, my world. We haven't done anything against you!"

"Do not lower yourself to their filth, Hope!" He hissed. "You said yourself; the humans are not without their crimes. And against each other!" The god went to the window to her right, staring out at his chaotic painting below. "The humans need a leader to guide them, protect them from themselves. I intend to give them that." He turned to her, a chaotic grin on his face. "With my firm hand and your gentle one, we can shape this lost people into a kingdom to rival Odin's Asgard." Hope couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You can't be serious… You realize you're committing genocide…"

"Some blood must be spilt, my love. Your own country was born in bloodshed."

"To fight a tyrant! Which is what you're turning into!" Now she could see the change she couldn't identify in Loki's cell. It was not her fairytale prince but a defeated man who thought he should be king. The jealousy she had witness him dry swallow in Asgard had erupted and consumed him. Hot anger began to burn down her cheeks. "You can't attack innocent people and expect them to just accept your rule. It's not right!"

"These people will only destroy themselves, my love. And they shall not take you with them." It was obvious his patience was wearing thin. "Love, you do not seem to understand. I am offering you a throne. I want you to rule beside me as my queen. Together you and I can turn this pathetic planet into the most powerful realm ever known. Is that not what you want? To be a queen?"

"Not at this cost. Not through murder and violence." Hope was beginning to regret coming here at all. She didn't want to know her prince in golden armor had turned into a blood thirsty monster. "Loki, please end this! This is wrong!" Without thinking, she grabbed at the scepter in his hand in an attempt to yank the weapon away from him. She had no doubt it was the culprit behind Loki's transformation.

She barely had a hold of the scepter when Loki grabbed her wrist, yanking her away from it such force she was certain she heard a bone snap. The god glared through her as if it wasn't truly aimed at her. "He's destroyed you." When she gave him a confused look, he continued, "The Doctor. Your precious Doctor. He took a woman as powerful and deadly as she is beautiful and made her fear her true potential." So he was back to being jealous of the Doctor. "You are meant to be a queen. A goddess of time. With your power we could end this bloodshed. Yet he teaches you nothing to bend time to your will as any goddess should."

"Loki, the Doctor has nothing to do with this!"

"Does he not? Look out the window, my queen." She turned away, unable to face everything at once. "Hope, your precious Doctor has more blood on his hands than I. He would condemn my actions when he's destroyed not only an enemy race but his own."

"Stop it..."

"No. You need to see the truth. He is no saint. Yet he attempts to cover his crimes and paints himself to be a good Samaritan of space and time. When in truth, he is worse than this." He gently caught her chin, turning her head to face him. "I would never lie about my sins. And most certainly not to you, my love." For a fleeting moment, Hope caught a glimpse of her Loki through the angry mask he wore, a young prince with a talent for mischief before hate consumed him. Perhaps he could be saved?

"Loki… abandon this path. It's not too late to end this…" Her hands cupped his face, ensuring he couldn't take his gaze from her. "You could come with me. Travel with me and the Doctor…" At that, the evil Loki returned and he shoved her hard away from him, causing her to land hard on the granite. Her injured wrist landed underneath her, causing her to yelp in pain. Yep, definitely broken.

"All I've done for you and you. Still. Choose. Him." She held her broken wrist to her, watching Loki almost with fear. "If you won't stand with me, Hope, then be certain to keep the Doctor out of my way. I will always spare you, my love, but if he tries to stop me, I will-"

"You'll what?" Hope didn't look up, knowing the Doctor had put himself between her and Loki. Which was a good thing; she had no more emotional strength to face the monster in her prince's skin. Even the man in the prison cell seemed drastically different from this. "You certainly can't kill me, I'll only regenerate."

"I'd find a way. You are not invulnerable, Doctor."

"Neither are you. As it is, I'm not here to stop you anyway. I'm here to collect the only saving grace you haven't alienated yet." The girl didn't resist the gentle hands that helped her to her feet. Hope wasn't paying attention to the snarkfest between the two immortals, her head spinning from everything that had already happened and just wanting to get back in the Tardis.

Hope wasn't fully aware of her surroundings again until she felt the Doctor gingerly lift her broken wrist. They were back in the Tardis, with her perched on the steps. "Just leave it…" She said tiredly. "It'll heal…" Not that she really care right now.

"Hope, I don't think he meant to hurt you," the Doctor comforted, tending to her injury anyway. "Loki certainly wasn't in his right mind."

"No duh… He attacked Earth… My home…"

"I know. I saw that. But it couldn't have been just him. There has to be someone else I just haven't figured out who it is yet…" The girl looked at him, surprised.

"You knew." The Timelord grew silent. "You knew this would happen."

"…Yes I did."

"You should have told me!"

"You wouldn't have believed me." She frowned, knowing the Doctor was telling the truth. How could anyone possibly believe the one they loved could pull such a turnaround? "I'm sorry this happened though… I'm so sorry…" For once, the Doctor's words meant little at this point.

Hope couldn't help but wonder if this was her fault though… If she had stayed with him in Asgard instead of traveling with the Doctor, would he have not lost his mind? However, as she watched the Doctor put new coordinates into the Tardis, she knew couldn't blame herself. Whatever decisions led to Loki to attack New York were his own. She didn't have to like them but she couldn't allow herself to carry the blame for something she had no part in. What good would she be to anyone if she did?

Time can be rewritten… "Time can be rewritten…" That was it! Maybe she could prevent this atrocity from happening! She and the Doctor had rewritten time before, why not now? "Doctor, maybe we could-"

"No, we couldn't, Hope," The Doctor denied. "Not this time. The Battle of New York is a fixed point in time, you can't change it."

"We can try, can't we?" Hope was somewhat desperate for this to be a good idea. She didn't want Loki to be evil. He didn't have to be a saint (that was a scary concept) but he shouldn't be such a monster either.

"We could, but we'd risk destroying the very fabric of time, Hope." The two wobbled a little as the Tardis landed, but didn't fall. "I know it's hard to accept but you have to. If you stop the Battle of New York from happening, you may only lose Loki in a far worse way."

"I haven't lost him yet." Loki had said himself he would not hurt her. In her currently bruised heart, she knew that he was telling the truth. He still wanted and loved her. Maybe she couldn't completely redeem him but she sure as hell could drive a hammer of sense into his head. The Doctor smirked.

"I was hoping you would say that." He snapped his fingers and the Tardis door swung open. A soft gold light melded with the Tardis's multicolored lights. "Why don't you go see where we've landed then?"