Author's Note: Hello again! I'm really sorry for the long wait. It took me quite a while to get this chapter right, but I'm pretty happy with the final result. I hope you will be too. This chapter is the conclusion to the story arc of the last few chapters; after this I'll be going back to the non-chronological bouncing around. Thanks to everyone for reading/following/favouriting, and special thanks to my reviewers: HistoryGeek1993, bellahtrix, Crimsonyblack, RogueMetamorph, and Fronk10. I really appreciate your feedback, you wonderful people!

Disclaimer: Thor/The Avengers belongs to Marvel.

"Rika?"

I jump at the sound of my name and whirl around; I'd been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed Thor come up behind me.

"Are you alright?"

I nod as my heart rate returns to normal. "Fine, Thor. What do you need?"

He sits down beside me before answering. "You've seemed distracted these past few days. We've all noticed."

I nod again, not saying anything. Jane is the only one I've told about the kiss I shared with Steve, and he's kept quiet about it as well; Jane is also the only person who knows about my guilt-ridden dream.

And no one knows about the dream, or hallucination, or whatever it was that I experienced the other night.

Thor rests his large hand on my shoulder. "What's the matter, Rika?"

I sigh deeply, his sincere concern breaking down my walls. Without even making a conscious decision to do so, I tell him everything that's been troubling me starting with the kiss and ending with whatever happened in my room a few nights ago.

When I'm finished speaking, a thoughtful and surprised look crosses Thor's face. After he's stared off into space for several long moments, I nudge him in the side to get his attention again. He turns back to me, his expression still confused.

"Thor? What is it?"

He takes a few moments to compose his thoughts. "I thought I must have imagined it..."

Now somewhat concerned, I place my hand on his arm. "Imagined what?"

"I thought I saw Loki too..."

My heart nearly stops in my chest. I wait for Thor to continue, not daring to think it possible.

"When did it happen to you?" he asks.

I think back. "Three nights ago." Thor's eyes widen. "What?"

"That's the same night I thought I saw him," Thor replies.

My brain begins working overtime, piecing things together, and hope flares to life in my chest. I get to my feet and grab Thor's hand.

"We must go speak with Jane," I say, pulling him with me as I cross the grounds to the lab.

Jane looks up from her work, startled, as we burst in from outside and hurry over to her.

"Are you two okay?" she asks. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"We may have..." Thor muses.

Jane raises her eyebrows. "What?"

"Jane," I say, drawing her attention to me, "those readings you came to me about the other day. Could they have been caused by someone traveling between realms without use of the Bifröst?"

She furrows her brows in thought. "I didn't think you guys could do that, but...if there were a way to do it, it might explain those fluctuations. I suppose it's possible."

Suddenly my knees feel weak and I sink into the nearest chair, burying my face in my hands. I feel Thor grasp my shoulder hard, whether to steady himself or me I'm not sure. Probably both.

Jane's voice is soft and concerned when she speaks next. "Okay, what's wrong? What is this about?"

"Loki," Thor says in a choked voice.

A long silence follows his answer. Taking a deep breath, I look up; Thor looks about how I feel and Jane looks incredibly confused.

"But - what - how - " she sputters. "You said he died."

"We assumed he did," Thor replies, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "No one's ever fallen from the bridge like that before... What were we supposed to think?"

He looks down at me and, finding my eyes shining with unshed tears, pulls me into a one armed hug. A moment later I lean back to meet his eyes.

"After all this time..." I whisper. "Could it really be him?"

A heavy silence follows my words, none of us having an answer.

...

I've been keeping close to this compound, unable to make myself leave quite yet even after what I saw. Even though she's moved on, though she's no longer mine, I just can't go yet.

They still don't know I'm here; I have been observing from a safe distance, with the exception of the night I snuck into the living quarters to see Rika and my brother. They both seem happy enough, especially Thor with his lovely Jane.

I'm not certain why I feel so reluctant to reveal myself to them. Perhaps I am just afraid of what might happen. I wouldn't blame them if they were angry with me, if they hated me for everything I've done; I hurt a lot of people, Rika and Thor included. And while I don't regret killing Laufey, I do have regrets about the way I went about it.

Though I long for it, maybe I don't deserve their forgiveness. Maybe they're better off without me.

...

My head is spinning. Is it really possible that Loki is alive? And if he is, why hasn't he come to us? He must know that we thought he was dead, that we mourn him and miss him. So why not end our grief?

I excuse myself from Thor and Jane's company, needing some time alone to clear my head. Late afternoon sun shines on the grounds, so I head to my quarters before going outside; the temperature has recently begun to drop significantly late in the day. Entering my rooms I pull a dark purple turtleneck on over my t-shirt before heading outside.

I begin walking slowly down the stone path through the gardens, bright autumn leaves swirling in the breeze. The beauty of the grounds surprised me when we first arrived here; it seemed odd to me for such an efficient government facility to have put such consideration into how it looks from the outside. In the past months, however, I've often been glad for it. Parts of the garden remind me a little of the palace gardens back in Asgard.

I head towards one of those sections now, longing for familiarity. My thoughts and emotions are still a whirling maelstrom as I sink down onto a stone bench and stare off into the slowly setting sun. A moment later it all finally overwhelms me and the tears that I managed to keep back earlier finally fall.

...

Hidden in the late afternoon shadows, I find Rika sitting on a bench alone. It takes me a moment to realize that she's crying; she's not making a sound, but tears are glistening on her cheeks. I wonder what upset her.

After a few minutes I hear footsteps approach, and seconds later a man appears in the clearing. My insides clench; it's him, the same man I saw kissing Rika several days ago. He spots her, notices her tears, and goes to her. He kneels in front of her and covers her hands with his, causing her to look at him.

He says her name softly and she lets out a choked sob, flinging her arms around his neck. Evidently he's not the reason she's upset.

I watch him comfort her, putting his arms around her and stroking her hair soothingly, and my stomach twists with jealousy. Still, I stay where I am, somehow unwilling to show myself. Some masochistic part of me wants to see how this plays out.

And so I stand and watch as he soothes her, as she calms down. Finally she pulls away and wipes at her eyes.

"Rika, are you alright? Thor said you were upset but he didn't say why."

She shakes her head, eyes downcast. "No, Steve. I'm not."

The man hesitates. "Is this about...?"

"No," Rika says, shaking her head again.

He looks relieved, though I have no idea why. "It's getting cold. Do you want to come inside and talk about it?"

Rika hesitates for a moment, then nods. "Alright. Just give me a minute?"

He gets to his feet. "Sure. I'll meet you in the lounge."

He kisses the top of her head before turning and walking away. My blood boils. I follow him.

...

I sit in the gathering darkness for a few minutes after Steve leaves. My tears have dried and I take a deep breath, rubbing my eyes. I don't really feel any better; hopefully talking this over with a friend will help. I just hope that talking to Steve won't be too awkward, given our recent history.

Getting up, I stretch my stiff limbs before heading down the path. Night is falling quickly now; I shiver in the cold and walk a little faster. Seconds later I stop in my tracks. Two figures seem to be arguing in the shadows beside the building. I hear Steve's voice and start to move closer before stopping again, my heart hammering painfully. The second voice is low and angry, but it's a voice I know better than any other.

"Loki?" I ask, my voice cracking.

Two heads turn to look in my direction; Steve looks shocked and confused, but I can't decipher Loki's expression. It's then that I realize that Loki has Steve pinned to the wall. Despite his larger, more muscular build, Steve is no match for Loki when he's using magic.
For a moment I can't speak from shock. When I find my voice again there are only three words my foggy brain can come up with.

"Let him go."

Loki hesitates for several long seconds, magic swirling in the air; just when I think I'm going to have to physically step in, his magic flickers out and he steps back. He takes in my worried expression then looks at Steve, who seems pretty shaken. Now that there's no immediate danger to anyone I don't know what to do. The three of us stand in silence, unmoving, for what seems like an eternity.

Finally Loki takes a couple steps toward me and though his expression is still carefully blank, I can see the turmoil in his eyes. It's almost the same look I imagined in my dream: pain and betrayal, but mixed with shame.

"Rika," he whispers. "I don't..."

"Steve," I say shakily, my eyes not leaving Loki's face, "go inside."

From the corner of my eye I see his concerned expression. "But - "

"Please."

Steve seems reluctant to leave me here, which I suppose is understandable considering that Loki just attacked him. But even after everything, one thing I can be certain of is that Loki would never harm me. After a moment of hesitation Steve nods and goes inside.

Awkwardness hangs heavy in the air between us like it never has before. I can't think of anything to say to him. After months of wishing for this moment and imagining what I'd say to him, I can't say anything at all. I can't even move.

Loki finally breaks the silence, his expression twisting with pain. "I didn't mean to hurt him. But seeing you with him... I am not sure what came over me." He pauses briefly, and when he speaks again his voice is angry and hurt. "How could you move on so quickly? Did I really mean so little to you? All the time we spent together, everything we went through - did it mean nothing?"

At his accusing words I grow angry myself. As he opens his mouth to speak again I cut him off, my voice shaking with barely suppressed fury.

"Are you insane? You actually think I've moved on? I've spent nearly a year thinking you were dead! Do you have any idea how hard it's been? I've tried to let you go, I've tried to move on with my life, but it still feels as if I'm walking around with a hole in my chest! Nothing helps! I have dealt with that agony every single day since I lost you!"

Loki looks stunned at my outburst; my voice rose throughout, until by the end I was nearly screaming at him. I've never yelled at him like that before in my life. But it's as if all the feelings I've been bottling up for months are suddenly breaking loose, and I can't seem to rein them back in.

I step closer to Loki, breathing heavily. "How could you possibly think you meant nothing to me? Does this look like I've moved on?" I hold up my left hand in front of his face so he can see the ring on my finger. "I never took it off. Not once."

He seems to deflate a little, some of the anger rushing out of him. "But... You kissed him. I saw it."

I huff impatiently. "Actually, he kissed me. And did you bother to listen to what I said to him after?"

"I couldn't hear you, but it didn't look like you were bothered by it," he snaps.

A frustrated growl escapes my throat. "I rejected him. I told him I consider him a valued friend, but I don't feel anything more than that for him because I'm not over you!"

I half-shout the last few words at him before shutting my mouth to wait for him to say something. We stand there in silence for a moment, just staring at each other.

Then he grabs me around the waist, tangles his hand in my hair and kisses me hard.

...

Rika does not move for a moment when I kiss her, but then her mouth is responding to mine and her arms slip around my neck. She buries both her hands in my hair as she opens her mouth to me, deepening the kiss. Her touch sends shivers through me and for a moment all rational thoughts fly from my head and I want nothing more than to take her fully right here, show her just how much I missed her.

All too soon, however, our lips part and my brain kicks back in. I gaze down at Rika; her cheeks are flushed and she's breathing heavily. I brush my lips over her forehead and her arms tighten around me. When I pull back and look into her face again, tears are rolling down her cheeks. She buries her face in my chest for a moment and when she pulls back she's still crying, but she smiles radiantly up at me.

"I missed you so much," she says shakily.

I feel tears burn in my own eyes and I pull her close again, resting my chin on top of her head. My voice cracks with emotion when I speak. "I missed you too, my love."

We stand there for several long moments, just holding each other tight. Then Rika leans back slightly and kisses me softly before pulling away and taking my hand.

"We need to find your brother," she says. "Thor will never forgive me if I don't bring you to him right away."

I hesitate. Rika frowns in confusion. "What is it?"

"He would want to see me? After everything I did?"

"Yes, Loki," she replies firmly. "He mourns you. He misses you. He loves you. I promise." She tugs on my hand. "Now come, see for yourself."

Nervously, I follow her inside. For a few long minutes we walk through brightly lit corridors; every once in a while Rika stops to peer through a door, moving on when she determines Thor is not behind it. Finally she pokes her head into a room, turns back to me and nods. I swallow hard as she steps forward and I follow her into a dining hall; Thor is sitting at a table with his back to us.

"Thor," Rika calls to him.

He turns and sees me standing behind her; a rapid flow of emotions flicker across his face, some of which I am unable to decipher. I feel like I should greet him, or apologize, or something; but before I can come up with anything adequate, Thor crosses the room and envelops me in his strong arms.

Shocked, it takes me a moment to return his embrace. When I do, Thor tightens his grip and squeezes me in one of his characteristic crushing hugs. I can see Rika grinning over his shoulder, tears sparkling in her eyes again as she watches us.

After a few moments Thor releases me and takes a step back, resting his hands on my shoulders. His blue eyes are bright with tears.

"I have never been happier to see you, brother," he says in a choked voice.

I lower my gaze. "You still call me brother? After everything? Odin must have told you of my true parentage."

"He did," Thor replies. "It doesn't change the fact that you are my brother."

At his sincere tone I raise my eyes to meet his again. Seeing how happy he is to see me, even after everything I did to him, threatens to break me down completely. I begin to shake and tears form in my eyes.

Rika crosses to the one other occupant of the room who I have been only vaguely aware of up until now. I realize that Jane is sitting at the table watching with an astonished expression and my heart hammers at the thought of having an emotional breakdown in front of a stranger.

"Jane," Rika says softly. "Would you give us some time, please?"

The brunette nods and rises. "Of course." She leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

As soon as the three of us are alone I allow my tears to spill down my cheeks. Thor and Rika both put their arms around me and we stand there for a long time, letting it all sink in.

...

It still almost doesn't seem real. Even as I stand here, in the middle of the dining hall, with my arms wrapped around Loki and Thor, I almost can't believe this is really happening. He's here; he's alive.

After a long time we pull apart, all of us wiping tears from our faces. I take their hands in my own and lead them over to sit down; I let go of Thor's hand once we're seated, but keep my fingers wrapped tightly around Loki's.

Now that we've all had a bit of time to greet each other properly, I have to ask the question that's been burning in my mind. I squeeze Loki's hand and he looks at me.

"Loki? What happened?" I ask softly.

He clears his throat and launches into the tale of what happened after he fell from the bridge. He tells us how he flickered through all the realms known to us, and some unknown; no matter what he tried, he could not stop anywhere. I can't contain my gasp when he says that he tumbled through the void between realms; since childhood we have been told cautionary tales of those foolish individuals who tried to walk between the worlds and never returned. I grasp his hand tighter.

Loki's face darkens as he speaks of the time he spent in the void, and he does not tell us what he encountered there; I cannot even imagine the kinds of horrors that lurk outside the civilized worlds.

"I do not know how long I spent there," Loki says, his voice haunted. "Time seemed endless. I sometimes wished for death, just so it would end. I thought I would be trapped there forever.

"And then suddenly it just stopped. I don't know why, or how. I landed here on Midgard, terrified and in agony, but alive. I hid while I recovered, and once I was healed I set out to find you."

"How did you know we'd be here?" Thor asks in a hushed voice.

A small smile crosses Loki's face for the first time since he began his tale. "I know you both well enough to have made an educated guess. I was not certain how long I'd been gone, but I knew you would think me dead. I knew you had a desire to return to Earth and that you would likely take Rika with you, to help her heal." Loki pauses, reaching out with his free hand to grasp Thor's arm. "Thank you for taking care of her, brother."

Thor nods. "You are welcome. Though she took care of me as well." His voice cracks slightly as he continues. "Life was difficult for us both after we lost you."

Loki lowers his eyes and clears his throat. "Even after all the horrible things I did to you?" He raises his head and his green eyes are glistening with tears. "I don't expect you to ever forgive me, but I want you to know that I am deeply sorry for everything."

I choke back a sob and squeeze his hand hard. He clutches onto my hand like a lifeline. I know his apology is not for me; we both know I don't need one. In the events that led to where we are now, I was only, for lack of a better term, collateral damage. Thor is the one Loki hurt directly.

Loki has lowered his gaze again; it almost seems as if he is bracing himself for Thor's rejection. Shock crosses his face when Thor leans over and puts his arms around his younger brother.

"You ask for my forgiveness," Thor says. "You have it, Loki."

With wide eyes, Loki stares at Thor. "You forgive me? Truly?"

"Yes, brother, I do. I love you, and I understand why you did those things."

Loki looks confused. I clear my throat and he shifts his gaze to me.

"I told him everything," I say softly. "After you...fell, Thor couldn't understand why you'd done what you did. But I could. So I told him about all the times you'd come to me upset about living in his shadow, about Odin's favouritism. I told him how you'd always been jealous of him and that everything you did was to prove yourself his equal in Odin's eyes." I look away, unable to meet Loki's eyes after admitting I'd violated his trust. "I'm so sorry. I know you never wanted him to know, but he needed to understand."

"Please do not be angry with her, brother," Thor says. "She helped me see what I had always been blind to. And I think I owe you an apology for my years of ignorance."

"You couldn't have known, Thor. The fault lies with Odin, and I should not have taken it out on you."

There is a long pause in the conversation. I keep staring at my lap, certain that Loki is angry and hurt because I betrayed his confidence. So it surprises me when he kneels in front of me a moment later, placing gentle hands on my knees; I slowly raise my eyes to meet his, finding his face completely devoid of anger. In fact, his gaze is soft and lit with understanding.

"Rika," he says quietly, "all you did was help give my grieving brother some perspective. Some comfort. How could I possibly hold that against you?"

I stare at him with wide eyes. "But - I told him things I promised you I'd never tell another soul. How can you forgive that so easily?"

Loki smiles softly, reaching up to stroke my cheek. "There is nothing to forgive," he whispers as he leans forward and brushes his lips over mine.

Rocking back on his heels, Loki seems to have regained some of his old demeanor; his eyes sparkle with light once more. I open my mouth to mention this, but before I get the words out the door to the dining hall bursts open and Phil Coulson strides in, followed by Nick Fury.

Oh shit.

Director Fury looks incredibly displeased.

Thor and I nearly leap to our feet while Loki rises slower, not knowing who these men are. He shoots me a questioning glance and I shake my head briefly before turning my attention back to Coulson and Fury.

Suddenly Jane rushes in behind them, hurrying around to stand next to Thor. She looks at us with wide eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she says breathlessly. "I tried to explain what was going on, that you'd need some time to yourselves, but they wouldn't listen."

Thor takes her hand. "That's alright, Jane. I think we said all of what we urgently needed to say."

"So," says Fury tersely, stepping forward. "You just let a stranger waltz right into the middle of a classified government project?"

"Loki is my brother," Thor replies, his voice laced with irritation. "He is hardly a stranger."

"He's a stranger to us," Fury retorts. "And from what I've heard, he's pretty unstable."

Anger lances through me and I clench my hands into fists at my sides, willing myself not to punch him in his good eye.

"Didn't he try to kill you?" Fury asks Thor. Without waiting for a response, he continues speaking. "He's a criminal, dangerous. Possibly insane. He can't be trusted."

"And how would you know?" My voice is surprisingly calm, not shaking at all even though my fists are trembling. The cold rage is clear in my words though, and everyone in the room turns to look at me, some with shocked expressions. No matter; let them be shocked.

Fury opens his mouth to respond but I cut across him. I've heard enough.

"How dare you speak about him that way? You know nothing, mortal." I take a step toward Fury, staring him down. "Back off."

His eye flashes dangerously. "You presume to give me orders? You're out of line."

"I don't care," I say coldly.

"What if I were to arrest him? Lock him up?"

"I'd like to see you try," I reply, the threat obvious in my voice.

Fury glares at me. "You would fight against us?"

"I would."

"When you arrived here you swore loyalty to this organization," he says darkly.

"I did. But my loyalty to Loki runs far deeper than my loyalty to you."

I feel Loki grasp my hand and give it a squeeze. I'm grateful for his silent support; as confident as I sound, I'm shaking inside. Most of the people here have become my friends, and the last thing I want to do is fight them.

Thor steps up beside me wordlessly, but his intent is clear; the two of us have placed ourselves between Loki and Fury.

There is a long pause. Then movement behind Fury catches my attention; Agent Coulson moves forward. I had nearly forgotten he was here.

I meet Coulson's eyes and begin to feel a little better. He doesn't look angry and I don't think he's going to just take Fury's side.

A second later he speaks up, proving me right. "Director, I'm not sure it's our place to lock him up. And he doesn't seem unstable to me. Thor and Rika are obviously willing to vouch for him, and I trust them."

Fury's gaze snapped onto Coulson when he began speaking, and remains locked on him for several seconds after he finishes. Then his anger seems to deflate a little. When the director speaks again, his voice is calmer than before.

"What do you suggest, Coulson?"

Instead of addressing Fury's question right away, Coulson turns his attention to Thor and myself.

"You'll probably have to go back to Asgard soon? All three of you?" We nod. An apologetic look crosses his face with his next words. "Well, until then can the two of you just...keep an eye on him? Make sure he stays under control?"

I think I'd be angry at the implication if the man didn't look so damn apologetic and awkward. As it is, Thor and I exchange a glance before nodding at Coulson. He is visibly relieved that we took it so well, and he turns back to Fury.

"Is that acceptable, Director?"

Fury considers for a long moment. Finally he nods sharply and turns to leave the room, stopping in the doorway and looking at us over his shoulder.

"Anything he does is on your heads."

And with that he sweeps out of the dining hall, leaving an uncomfortable silence in his wake.

Coulson clears his throat. "I'm sorry about that. Listen, there's still some things to deal with here, but I think it can wait until tomorrow. I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do. I'll just arrange a room for Loki, and - "

I hold up my hand to stop him, a blush creeping into my cheeks. "That won't be necessary."

"Ah - right," Coulson replies awkwardly. "Well then, I'll see you all in the morning."

After Coulson leaves Thor and I properly introduce Loki and Jane, and the four of us sit and talk for a long while before heading to our rooms for the night.

...

Rika and I walk hand in hand down the corridor to her quarters; we have hardly let go of each other's hands all night. After having been separated from her for so long I cannot get enough of her, and I am looking forward to being alone with her at last.

We bid goodnight to Thor and Jane as they enter Thor's room. Rika opens the door to her own room right across the hall and we go inside.

I shut the door behind me, and barely a second later Rika is in my arms. She hugs me tight, her face buried in my chest; I hold her close, delighting in the feel of her after such a long time not knowing if I'd ever see her again. After a long moment I place a finger on her chin and tilt her face up, kissing her. She responds immediately, opening her mouth to me as her hands begin to roam over my body.

Feeling a fire ignite inside me, I wrap both my arms around her and lift her off her feet; she wraps her legs around my waist and I carry her into the bedroom.

...

Lying tangled in the bed sheets with my head resting on Loki's bare chest, I sigh contentedly. He tightens his arm around me and kisses the top of my head.

"By the gods, I love you," he whispers into my hair.

I smile widely. "I love you too."

We lay there in silence just enjoying being together again, and slowly fall asleep in each other's arms.

A/N: Hope you liked it! And I have a question for you guys. I have kind of a smutty little chapter mostly written, and I wanted your opinions: should I put it here and raise the rating of the story to M, or would you prefer I post it as a separate one-shot? I can't decide; please help!