Grace was in the middle of a mouthful of food when she noticed the normal suppertime din of the hall dial down a couple notches. She glanced around the room and finally caught sight of the interruption. Loki had walked into the room seeming as terrified as a new student. She thought about standing up and showing him where to go but the scene in his room replayed in her mind and she kept her seat, merely observing him. She looked to the staff table and saw Ororo already out of her seat and waving to him and still he seemed rooted to the spot as if ready to bolt at any sudden moves.

She had heard his name before, she had read it countless times from her books on mythology and although nothing would ever surprise her again after the last ten years spent among super-humans, if he was the real deal, she was Queen Elizabeth. Logan had been right, his name had to be mere coincidence, either that or he'd made it up. The tall man awkwardly making his way over to the staff table was simply another mutant. She resumed eating, taking one more look at him, realizing he'd found her gaze and was staring back at her with those intense blue green eyes and she nearly choked on her mouthful of fish, grabbing a glass of water and taking a gulp. By the time she had managed to get the mouthful down, however, he was sitting at the staff table beside Logan. She shivered, feeling his stare lingering in the back of her mind. She stood with her tray, trying not to turn her head in his direction, hoping that it was just a residual effect that she felt his eyes were on her again. She brought the tray to the long carts at the side of the hall, separated her trash and put the tray in one basin then hurried out of the hall, her clipboard under her arm.

Loki watched her leave, unsure if she'd approved of the fact that he'd made it to the great hall alone, whether she even cared, and angry at himself for wanting to apologize to her for the way he'd acted. The burden of human sentiment was a ponderous weight and he wished fervently to be free of it but so long as he stayed among them, he was doomed to bear the repercussions all around him. He had even begun to fall victim to such deep seated emotions. He thought of Sarah again, her touch, her smile, her voice, and he closed his eyes.

"Hey, pal, don't let your food get cold. It's a helluva lot better hot." Logan nudged him.

He glared at Logan and muttered, "Can you not see that I was deep in thought? Grace was right, you are a thorn in one's side at best."

He had swiped the fork up from the table and was about to stick it in the piece of fish that lay before him on a plate when he was jolted nearly from his seat by a sharp prick at his side. He turned to Logan who now held up one hand from which jutted between the knuckles three long razor sharp blades.

"Now that was a thorn in your side wasn't it." They stared at each other until Ororo tapped on the table with her knife."

"Boys, at the table we use proper manners."

Loki nodded, broke his stare, "Forgive me, Miss Munroe."

Ororo returned the nod, "Logan?"

Logan was sitting back in his chair, hands on the table, "He's a little oversensitive don't ya think?"

Ororo put her fingers to her temples and rubbed them, "Logan." her tone had switched from congenial to threatening.

"Ah shit, fine, I'm sorry, now can we finish eating?" he sat forward and picked up his own fork.

Ororo shook her head, "Of course, we wouldn't want to impede your forward progress would we."

Loki paused outside the great hall in the corridor unsure of whether to return to his room or wander the mansion. He was concerned about losing his way only because he wished not to ask anyone for directions. He considered looking for Grace and asking her to show him around but he doubted she was going to want to show him anything but the door at this point. He chose the corridor to his right and started walking, weaving amongst the few remaining students, past countless doors, some labeled, some ambiguous, the sameness of them all broken up by color or personal artifacts. He wondered if there were places that were off limits to him. Then it struck him, he wanted to find the library. Books would occupy his mind now that his body had been sated.

He had been looking down at his feet but now that he had a goal in mind, he put his head up and just narrowly avoided walking into a man a bit shorter than him who had a book in front of his face and was unaware of the encounter, or the man he'd missed, as he kept his stride, until he was a few steps past him.

Loki stared unabashedly at the man dressed in a long brown coat, gray button down shirt and brown trousers, his feet bare. The pointed tail that stuck out from underneath the hem of his coat had been swinging languidly back and forth but had now stiffened in response as he stopped dead in his tracks. He glanced over his shoulder at Loki, "Forgive me, I vas reading and valking yet again."

Loki slowly approached the man, circling him, gazing at his dark blue skin, hair, the markings, scars, his golden eyes.

"Vat..." the man stammered, "Can I help you?"

Loki stopped before him afraid to say the words but compelled to at the same time, "Are you Jotun?"

The man blinked, tilted his head, "I am Kurt. Who is dis Jotun you speak of?"

Loki raised his hand, hesitated, then touched Kurt's own hand which still clasped the book, quickly withdrawing it as he felt the warmth at his fingertips. Kurt closed his book and hugged it to his chest.

"You are new here, ja?"

Loki looked about the corridor as if awakening from a dream, then back to Kurt, "You have but three fingers.."

Kurt smiled, revealing pointed white teeth, "Mmmm, and two toes for a total of ten digits."

"Your teeth.." Loki put his hand to his lips.

"Ja, teeth...you vant I should call dem fangs?"

They moved apart to let two students pass on their way to the dorm rooms.

"I wish ve could continue this wonderful lesson in anatomy but I am running a bit late. Vas dere something I could help you mitt?"

Loki looked at the floor then, mute.

"The library, perhaps?"

"Please," he whispered.

Kurt pulled a gold chain from the pocket of his trousers. At the end was a small pocket watch. He glanced at it and sighed, "Come mitt me, I vill show you the way."

Kurt pushed one of the heavy oak doors open to reveal one of two rooms stacked floor to ceiling along most available wall space with books on white painted shelves. Short brown couches were scattered about the middle of the first room. High backed light blue flocked chairs stood in groups in the corners. A large fireplace dominated part of one wall to their left, a longer couch and two red chairs flanked it. Loki walked farther into the room, turning slowly around to take it all in.

"Dis is the library. You may borrow books but vatch for der librarian. She is a harsh taskmistress." Kurt removed his book from under his arm and held out a hand for Loki to shake, "It has been a pleasure." Loki started to put his hand out, stopped, then as if afraid he'd lose his nerve, grasped Kurt's hand and shook it.

Kurt made a slight bow and made to leave but paused, "Ach, I did not catch your name."

He had approached a shelf in the interim and was starting to peruse the titles, "Loki."

He didn't see Kurt Wagner's look of surprise, nor the change to confusion as he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway again on his way to fencing class.

The book lay down open faced on the mattress beside Loki. He had returned to his rooms to find a pair of pajama pants and a top lying on the bed with a few sets of clothes folded next to them. He put put the pants in one drawer of the dresser, the button down shirts in another, t-shirts in the top, she'd even included a couple sets of boxers and socks, for he knew it had been Grace who'd brought them. He changed into the pajama pants, ignoring the top, draping it over one of the easy chairs, then sliding between the sheets, suddenly aware of how tired he really was. He picked up the book again, in an attempt to read himself into a stupor, preferring to clutter his mind with words instead of the relentless thoughts that took over when he was quiet, the noise of a myriad of minds all thinking at once, the one loudest in his head, that of Sarah.

He had set in one of the easy chairs earlier when he'd first gotten back to his rooms and let his own mind slip into the ether until he found and joined hers. His hands had gripped the arms of the chair on reflex as the fresh influx of her essence had assaulted his senses. Her earlier anger had turned to worry and unsettling fear. She had been thoroughly questioned by Fury, examined by one of the office physicians, told about the pregnancy which she'd already been aware of. The offer of an abortion had crossed her mind and he'd almost leaped from the chair until she sent particularly venomous thoughts towards the one who had suggested it, taking his breath away when it resurfaced in her thoughts unbidden a few minutes later. He had broken the connection, cried out in the emptiness of his room, the residual emotions coursing through him like the long ago jolt of the perimeter bracelet.

He put the book back down, picked it up again, trying to concentrate on the plight of Romeo, spilling the book twice to his side as he began to doze. He closed the book a final time, turned off the lamp on the night stand and burrowed under the covers, all conscious thought banished for the remainder of the evening as his breathing eased into a steady rhythm and sleep finally overtook him.

The knock on his door brought him up through a dreamless sleep. He opened his eyes, squinted at the low rays of sunlight streaming into the room across his bed. At the second knock, he muttered, "Come in."

Grace opened the door and poked her head into the room. "It's almost breakfast and we have a bit to accomplish today."

He rolled over on his side facing away from the door and groaned, heard her close the door and almost considered that she might have left him alone again but she was soon rummaging in the drawers of the dresser for a set of clothes. He watched her, his arm under his head.

"Get up, we have to eat then we're going to the "Self Defense as an Option" class to observe and possibly test your proficiency to be an assistant instructor. I say possibly because I have to get the go ahead for you to be official and you have to demonstrate knowledge of the moves and procedures."

Loki sat up in bed and stretched, "You are relentless, are you aware of this? What have I done to cause you such concern about my eating habits. Am I truly that thin?"

Grace tossed a shirt and pants onto the bed, "It's called a routine, we have one around here, it falls under social etiquette and manners which you seem to have a lack of."

He had bent his knee up under the covers and was now resting his arm on it, "And who, might I ask, knocked on my door at this impossible hour, is that not rude?"

"Seven a.m is an impossible hour? How long do you usually sleep?"

Loki frowned, grabbed the shirt before him and shrugged it on, concentrating on the buttons, ignoring her question.

"Don't concern yourself either way, I make it a point to guide new people only for a couple days, then I leave them alone."

She held her clipboard wrapped in her arms as he finished the last button, his hands had a certain graceful elegance in their movement and she found herself staring at them for a moment.

"I would put on my pants were it not for the fact that you seem unwilling to look away." Loki began to throw the covers from him and she covered her eyes. "I'm sorry." and swung around to face the sitting area, hearing the bed creak as he stood and the rustle of cloth as he pulled his pants up and zipped them. As the bed creaked again, she pivoted back around to see him with a pair of socks in

hand, pulling the old pair of dockers he'd arrived with from under the bed and she clucked her tongue.

"I forgot to get you shoes. We'll stop and get some later."

He stood from the bed and she opened the door for him, "How tall are you?" He shrugged in response, "How tall are you?"

Grace cast him a sideways glance, "I'm five nine, you must be at least six two." She flattened her hand out at the top of her head then raised it even with the top of his, "Yeah, at least."

He reached out and caught her hand before she could draw it away, "You still have not told me why you wear gloves."

The shock of his touch coupled with the fact that he was holding her hand made her wrench from his grip more violently than she meant to, "I like gloves, my hands get cold and don't ever do that again."

"I am as a rule often impulsive. Forgive me." His tone had softened then. She nodded, her hand still shaking as she gripped the clipboard.

"Apology accepted."

She could hear the soft pad of his shoes behind her as they headed to the hall for breakfast. She tried to slow her heart rate again. She had known when she first met him that he was vastly different from the other mutants she usually dealt with. He radiated something akin to power, she was unsure whether it was his eyes, the intensity of his gaze. Was it the way he held himself, his stance always somehow regal? She had told herself afterward that he was just another handsome face, and she'd happened to notice, berating herself for it in the process. Then he had taken her hand and even through the gloves she had begun to sense images, scenes she didn't want to see, a strange looking city, a name, Asgard, another name, Sarah, a long strangely wrought staff with a blue orb at its end, then she'd pulled from his grasp. Asgard she knew about, at least from books and she hoped that she had seen a drawing or his own interpretation because anything else would be totally unrealistic. But it was undeniable, he possessed incredible power in those hands and she had felt it.

Ororo sat at her desk, hands templed before her. She glanced at the phone before her that she'd just set back in its cradle, expecting it to ring again. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly then stood up. She was going to have to find Loki quickly.

They were halfway down the main staircase in the foyer when Ororo caught up with them. She touched his shoulder and he spun around, nearly missing the next step, Grace paused beside him.

"Loki we need to talk now, excuse us Grace."

Logan met them at the bottom of the stairs, "You two heading to chow?" and was immediately on guard as he caught Ororo's expression when they passed him to pause in a small alcove off to the side of the stairway. He stood there listening.

"I spoke with Fury just a few minutes ago. He was quite adamant that we hand you over to S.H.I.E.L.D., that you were a wanted man."

"Wanted, for what?" Logan had walked over to them.

"For forming a relationship with Sarah Miller. For leaving New York without permission. I tried to find her when they took her from me, reassigned her. I did everything in my power to reach her."

"What's everything?" Logan was staring back and forth at the two of them.

"Fury mentioned Sarah."

Loki grabbed her arm, "What did he say?"

"He said she was there at the office but he wouldn't say anything else. I told him I'd offered you sanctuary and until I decided otherwise, you could remain here unless he considered you a danger to my students."

Loki held his breath, waiting.

"He told me what he wanted me to hear, I knew he would. He's a manipulative man even if he claims his intentions are honorable. I told him I had to give you a chance, that we were more than safe here."

Loki let go of her arm, a slight smile coming to his face,

"He said that your brother was on his way to talk to you."

Loki's heart started to hammer in his chest.

"Should we be concerned?"

They were interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Ororo looked at Logan, then at the door where the knock came again, this time a bit more forceful. Loki tried to will his feet to move but they wouldn't obey him and he watched Logan as he opened the door to find Thor silhouetted in the bright sunshine spilling in the doorway.

"Can I help ya?"

Thor started to elbow him aside and Loki realized he was in full battle armor, one hand held Mjolnir extended at the handle. "Brother, come here!"

His forward progress was impeded suddenly by Logan who put his arm across Thor's chest, "Hold it, pal. I didn't say please come in."

Thor growled at him, brought his arm up shoved Logan hard enough to send him sliding across to the stairs.

Loki had pushed Ororo back, and now held up a hand to Thor as he rushed at him, taking the outstretched hand in his own and wrenching him forward to the hard metal armor at his chest, all of it happening too fast for Loki to react. He heard Grace's voice on the stairs above them where she had remained, "Logan!" And suddenly he was outside in the bright sunshine with students and faculty alike staring and shouting. Thor locked his arm with Loki's, bent his knees and raised Mjolnir, and Loki closed his eyes to the scene before him of the school, students, teachers, new friends, that would soon disappear from his sight. He felt his feet leave the ground for a fraction of a second, heard the sound as of a sword striking stone and he was jerked backwards, felt Thor's grip loosen and knew he'd found his chance.

He stood then beside Logan who had buried his claws into the asphalt of the circular drive, through Thor's long red cloak. Thor bellowed in rage swinging Mjolnir around over Logan's head, his cloak ripping in strips as he turned.

Logan yanked his claws from the pavement and held them up before him, "You got worse manners than your brother here."

Thor, his teeth bared in a snarl, walked up to Logan and stared him in the eyes, "You are nothing to me." He swung around to Loki who was glaring at him with unbridled hatred, "Brother, you will come with me to New York."

Ororo shoved her hands between Loki and Logan, parting them to stand before Thor who without warning broke into a seeming benevolent smile, "Woman, I have no quarrel with you, be gone before you are injured."

"I spoke with Fury and I told him Loki was remaining here. Did you not get the message?" Her hands were down at her side palms out and open, ready. Logan grinned at Thor whose smile had swiftly dropped from his face.

"Loki, do you wish me to call the Bifrost here? Are you ready to bring your friends to Asgard with you?"

If he could have returned to that evening in the cell, he would have acted with more haste to slit Thor's throat if only to prevent him from speaking at that moment.

"You need to leave the school grounds at once." Ororo had now brought her hands up, palms towards the sky. Logan began to back up, pushing the students near him back towards the doors of the school, "You tell him where to go, Storm."

"Logan," Her tone was one of warning but it carried a hint of humor as the clouds far above her started to coalesce and swirl. A brief flash of lightning made Thor chuckle and Loki put a hand to his forehead.

"Bring your lightning sorceress, I will bring the thunder." He swung the hammer down in a forward arc to strike the pavement, cracking it beneath her feet, throwing her hard to the left where Loki caught her by the arm to keep her upright, she as swiftly jerking from his grasp, her hair swirling about her as the irises of her eyes faded into the sclera, an ivory white. Thunder was rumbling in the sky now, lightning and wind making the children back further towards the building.

Kurt stood in one of the multipaned windows on the second floor, staring in disbelief at the scene unfolding in the courtyard below. He had felt the house shake beneath his feet and would have passed it off as a student's antics if he'd not heard the ensuing crack like stones being thrown together. He put his book down on the windowsill.

Thor's laughter was cut short as a concentrated sharp blast of wind knocked him backwards off his feet. It was Ororo's turn to smile, "That's nothing, wait until we get started."

Thor struggled to his feet, squeezing the handle of Mjolnir, glaring at her, he'd nearly managed to regain his footing when he was knocked down again by something he couldn't see at first, a streak of blue that was everywhere and nowhere at once, appearing and disappearing in a sulfurous cloud with a sound like air being pulled swiftly through a vaccuum. He swung with one fist at the air, receiving a chuckle in his ear for his trouble. He shoved his feet beneath him and straightened up to stand facing Kurt whose tail was now snapping back and forth like a whip,

"A frost giant, here in this realm?" Thor reared back ready to grab him but he had long disappeared again.

"Much vorse," He heard behind him, whirled around until he'd come full circle again where they were standing in a line in front of the school, Logan, Ororo, Kurt and Loki.

"You come back to NewYork, brother. Sarah mourns for you, grieves for you. She thinks you dead."

Loki's heart twisted painfully in his chest at the mention of her name and he strode dangerously close to Thor, "And after she's seen me, you take me back home and she is alone again while I serve my sentence? What then brother, what if the High Council see's fit to take my life? Will you fill the void in hers? Cater to two women at once? Or would you abandon Jane for her?" He had seen inside his brother's mind, the way he had comforted Sarah when they'd brought her back to S.H.I.E.L.D. How he'd tenderly stroked her back as she cried, fighting the desire rising in him to claim what had been his brother's, perhaps only to spite him, her beauty intoxicating him as it had Loki.

"COWARD!" Thor bellowed, "You are unworthy of her as you were unworthy of the throne, as you are unworthy of the concern of these strangers. You will always be a coward." he stepped closer and Loki tensed, ready. "I will tell her that you live, that you have no wish to see her, is that what you want?"

Loki was now inches from Thor's face, "And I shall tell Jane that you wish to bed Sarah. We shall both be undone shall we not?"

Thor roared, brought his hand up in a backward lash at Loki's jaw, knocking him to the ground. He tasted blood at his lip, his tongue licking the edge, as he brushed his hand across, looking then at the smear upon his knuckles. A touch at his shoulder and a hand at his elbow startled him. He turned his head to see Grace trying to lift him to stand, her eyes locked onto Thor, a sneer on her face.

"A woman to help the fallen warrior to his feet. Shall I regale you with a tale or two about your charge, M'lady?"

It was under her breath, low enough that the others couldn't hear but the two of them, Thor bent over, watching her.

"Fuck you,"

Thor stood up again, "I see, not a woman, a common whore."

Loki had regained his feet then, he pushed Grace behind him, hearing her protest, ignoring it.

"Thor, leave the grounds of this school as Miss Munroe has requested." he glanced behind him at Grace who now had her hands on her hips watching them, Kurt joining her, his lips pulled back in a snarl. "And apologize to the lady."

Thor's face seemed to drop in exhaustion and Loki's heart skipped again in memory of the brothers they had once been.

"I am sorry, forgive me." he bowed, his hammer now limp at his side. "Loki, you must return with me. The High Council is enraged at you for stealing away like you did."

"Sarah took me from Asgard, I was too sick to do much else, not to mention escaping. I daresay I couldn't have walked much less run."

"Nevertheless, you must answer for it or risk remaining here on Earth in exile."

Loki said nothing more. Thor looked about the courtyard at the students and teachers still standing, murmuring and then back to Loki.

"I am sorry brother, you will miss the opportunity to be with Sarah, if the High Council allowed it, you might possibly be able to stay here on Earth with her."

Loki shook his head, "I would be afforded that opportunity only to lose it when Fury ordered me locked up himself. I cannot win, Thor."

Thor hefted his hammer over his shoulder and with one more look around him, rose into the sky.

Loki kept his gaze straight ahead until he knew his brother had gone too far for him to see, then he knelt to the ground, palms flat on the hot asphalt, eyes closed, felt the weight of a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Kurt's golden eyes staring back down at him. "Do you pray?"