Loki sat up from the healer's table, shirtless, his shoulder bandaged. He stepped off onto the floor and crossed the room to a row of small beds whereupon one of them lay Sarah, deep asleep. A servant walked up to him with a fresh tunic in hand which he took and shrugged on gingerly, feeling the stitches the healer had given him, pull, the pain sharp.
He sat on the side of Sarah's bed and watched her for a moment until one of the healers came to him and said quietly, "She needs to rest, sire." Loki turned to the healer and glared at him, "I will not wake her, I wish to be near her." A small cooing behind him made him look around to see Fen in the arms of a wet nurse and he held out his arms, she placing Fen in them but hovering as if Loki would drop him at any minute. "He is doing well, sire." The wet nurse said, Loki nodding and placing a kiss on his forehead, handed him back to her, he then put his hand on Sarah's arm and rubbed it gently, his face a mask of seriousness, staying there some minutes until a servant came running into the rooms and up to Loki. "The Allfather has summoned you."
Loki found Odin in the reliquary, still in his battle armor, helmet set aside on the steps into the small room. Loki's eyes found the Tesseract at the end of the hall as he walked down the steps to where Odin was standing.
"How is Sarah?" Odin asked him as he reached the bottom. Loki stared at the tiles in the floor until they started to blur, swallowed hard, "She is recovering." Odin nodded, "Father, we must return to Jotunheim as soon as possible, I made a promise to Menyir and I am eager to keep it.." Odin interrupted him, "Menyir is dead." Loki looked at Odin in disbelief, struggling to maintain his composure, "How?" "Run through by my own staff." As he said this, Odin gazed up at the trident atop the staff in his hand, dull with dried blood. "You must let go of what has darkened you heart."
Loki forced his hands to remain limp at his sides, "I cannot," Odin struck his staff on the floor, the sound loud in the small room, "You must, or what you have fought so hard to save, will be lost to you." The more Loki thought of Jotunheim, the harder it became to keep still, and he answered Odin, his voice hoarse, "I don't know that I can stop what has started."
Odin bent down and picked up his cloak that he had set at his feet, "There is only one way to know," Odin opened the cloak to reveal the scepter lying within the folds, "You know what you must do and what you could do, the choice is yours." Odin laid the cloak wrapped scepter in Loki's hands. He could feel the vibrations of power running through it as the scepter sat in his hands once again. He looked up to see Odin slowly climbing the steps towards the door to the reliquary and he looked back down at the scepter. As he listened to the doors close behind Odin, he whispered "You were wrong father, I am indeed cursed."
Loki had nearly reached the door to his chambers when he was met by Thor, disheveled and still in his battle armor as well.
"We have been victorious, brother!" Thor clapped him on the back, Loki gasping and shoving him backwards, "My shoulder hurts!" he hissed, opened the door and stepped inside, Thor following him. "What have you in the cloak?" Loki glanced at Thor, "Something Father gave me." "Might I see it?" Thor asked, reaching for the covered scepter that Loki had placed on the bed. "Don't touch it," Loki growled, causing Thor to stop in mid reach. "Loki, what troubles you? We have saved Sarah and Fen, beaten the frost giants into submission, destroyed Menyir." Loki whirled around to him, "No, Father destroyed him, were I there, It would have been my duty, my pleasure, to have killed him for his actions!" Thor put a hand on Loki's left shoulder, careful to avoid the right one, "What does it matter how it came about, you were busy rescuing Sarah and the baby which you had every right to do. Would you have seen them perish so that you could avenge yourself upon Menyir?" Loki stood there trembling, unable to answer for a moment, "I know that you love Sarah and Fen. Now you must hold on to that like a light in the darkness, brother." Thor said, then quietly walked out of the room.
Sarah opened her eyes to soft torchlight and warm sheets. She sat up slowly, feeling the ache in her legs and feet as the muscles stretched and readjusted, and looked around. One of the healers, a young man, saw her sit up and came over to the bed. "How do you feel?" Sarah stretched her arms upwards, twisted the kinks from her back, "Like I want my son, where is Fen?" The healer smiled at her, turned and said, "Sigurd? Bring the little prince to his mother. Sigurd is a wet nurse." A large boned, rosy-cheeked blond woman of middling age appeared out of the shadows with a sleeping Fen in her arms. "He's been good as gold while you were asleep. He suckles well too, he will grow quickly." She laid Fen in Sarah's arms, Sarah lifting him up to kiss the bridge of his nose. "Thank you for taking care of him, how long was I out?" The young healer said, "A day, the healing is easier when you're asleep." Sarah nodded, "I remember." ,then a sudden awful thought occurred to her, "Where's Loki?" The healer smiled again, "He was summoned to speak with the Allfather." Sarah sighed deeply, "He's alright then." The healer nodded, "We made sure of it, M'lady." The sound of a door opening across the room made her look behind the healer and she saw Loki walking towards the bed.
The healer moved away as Loki bent forward to Sarah and kissed her, then sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled at her, Sarah noting that the smile didn't extend to his eyes which remained fixed, and cold for a second before he looked down at Fen and his countenance softened, leaving Sarah with the feeling that she had been looking into the eyes of the man she had watched on the cd in what seemed like so many ages ago. Loki put his index finger into Fen's tiny grasping hand, watching him.
After a couple of quiet minutes, Sarah put her hand to Loki's face and drew it upward, "Loki, stay here with me," his eyes narrowed, and he sat back, "Where would I go?" Sarah sighed "I don't know, off I guess," The baby started to fuss just then and Sarah moved the bodice of her gown to reveal her breast which she gave to Fen, with a loving smile, then she glanced back up at Loki, "You're not yourself, in fact you seem closer to the other.." She stopped short and closed her eyes until she felt Loki grip her arm, "Closer to what?" Sarah kept her gaze trained on Fen, "The other side of the coin, you mean? The side you've seen on video but never actually experienced?" His grip became tighter. "I would burn for you Sarah, for him, but I find my rage outstripping my passion. I would finish what I started in Jotunheim but for my father and now I find nowhere to spend my anger." He stood up abruptly from the bed and turned to walk from the room, his own bitterness startling him, nearly reaching the door before he heard Sarah, "And do you think I would do any less for you?" Loki stopped, facing the door, "I followed you to a place I didn't believe was real, let you into my heart where no one has been for many years, gave you a son, trusted you, believed in you when no one else would, and still do, mind you." Loki turned his head, she could see his profile lit by firelight, "Did you ever think that perhaps your trust was misplaced?" Sarah paused for a minute, "No, I was too much in love by then." Loki turned away, opened the doors and walked out into the corridor, "Loki." Sarah said too softly for him to hear, then looked down at Fen, trying to keep her thoughts from straying to Earth
Loki pulled first one boot on, then the other, as he sat on his bed, stood, grabbed his heavy leather coat, fastened it to the neck, turned and picked up the scepter, still wrapped in the cloak, and walked from the room.
He dismounted from the horse in front of the portal, turning back to look at the skyline of Asgard, the palace rising above it, bright in the night sky. Then he proceeded into the dome where Heimdall stood, staring at him, "Shall I open the portal to Midgard?" Heimdall asked Loki as he approached. "Yes Heimdall, please." Heimdall nodded, "A wise choice." And slid the sword into its metal sheath.
The intercom in Fury's office beeped and he looked at it, "Yes?" "Sir," a voice replied, "We have a visitor in the secondary landing pad." Fury stood up from his chair. "Thor?" "No, it's Loki." Fury was at the door, "Alone?" upon a reply in the affirmative, Fury said, "I want two agents to me, I'm going up."
Loki stood in the landing pad, hands curled tightly around the scepter which hummed as if it could feel the hands mere inches from it. Fury, opened the interior door and stepped into the landing bay followed by two agents with guns drawn but held at the ready. "What brings you here tonight?" Fury asked him, eyeing the cloak Loki held in front of him. "I have something that I believe you want, Director." Fury stepped up to him, touched the cloak, feeling the familiar edge of the scepter, turned and walked back to the elevator, motioning to Loki to follow along with the agents.
As the elevator sped down to sub-level 6, Fury gazed sidelong at Loki, "How's the family?" Loki looked at him, looked back at the numbers dropping in the panel, "Sarah is fine, she calls Fen, Squeaks." Fury glanced at Loki who wore a smirk on his face and shook his head.
The doors to sub-level 6 slid open and they walked towards the holding tank to find Doctor Banner standing at the edge with a pad, looking into the tank when he heard the footsteps behind him and whirled around to see Fury walking towards him, "Director, I'm glad you're here, we just got a massive spike on the energy signature of the scepter and…Loki?" Loki walked up to Banner and held out the cloak, "I need a place to put this." Banner backed away from it. "Um, you hold it, okay? Follow me."
Fury watched as, a minute later, Loki was setting the scepter into the clear box at the bottom of the three story tank. Fury shook his head again, and went to the elevator to wait for Loki to return topside. When Loki stepped from the elevator, Fury walked up to him, "Now what?" Loki put his hands together and gave a slight grin, "I return home. I've done what I came to do." Fury nodded and held his hand towards the open elevator.
They stood at the top landing pad, Loki looking out over the lights of the city. "Why did you bring the scepter back?" Fury asked him as he walked to the center of the pad, to which Loki turned and said, "You're welcome," Fury crossed his arms, "I don't thank anyone unless I understand their motives, and maybe not even then." Loki looked up at the night sky, "Redemption, then," He peered at Fury, "Am I absolved?" Fury shook his head, "No, but it's a start." Loki gave him a wry smile, and shouted, "Heimdall, Open the Bifrost!"
Sarah was asleep in their chambers when he arrived back in Asgard, having insisted that she was well enough to be without the healer's care. Loki stood gazing at her as the braziers spilled warm light on her sleeping form, reached over and rocked the cradle where Fen lay fast asleep, and he smiled as Fen's chin quivered, suckling in his sleep. He cast his clothes over the chair by the wardrobe and slid into bed beside her, pulling her close to him, his arm draped over her stomach, she smiling and putting her arm over his, they stayed in that position until first morning light the next day.
Loki opened his eyes to Sarah talking to Fen as he suckled, and he put a hand to her thigh, rubbing it gently. "I'm sorry, I didn't wake you up did I?" Loki rolled over on his back and stared up at the high ceiling, "No you didn't," She stroked Fen's head, murmuring softly to him, then turned to Loki. "I have to go back home," She met his stare for a moment but then looked away, "We've talked about this before. I have to go back." Loki raised himself on his elbows, "But why?" Sarah sighed, wiped Fen's mouth and picked him up to her shoulder to burp him, "I have a job back there, an apartment, friends, a family who wants to see Fen and I have some big decisions to make."
She felt Loki lay back down on the bed, she could see that he had laid his arm across his eyes. "When?" "Today," Sarah answered and jumped as Loki sprang from the bed and walked to his wardrobe, whipping out a pair of breeches, shoving them on. "We've had just over a week together, why must you go now?" He exclaimed, walking back over to the bed, staring down at her. "Because if I stay any longer, I won't want to go back!" She cried in response, "And you're so eager to do so now?" he shouted, walked past the braziers to the portico planting his hands on the railing to stare out across the city, "Loki, I love you, but the world doesn't stop spinning because you wish it. You can't just erase an entire life." She could see Loki's head drop down. "How long?" Sarah stood from the bed and placed Fen in his cradle, then walked out onto the portico to stand beside Loki, "I don't know, maybe a week?" Loki slapped his hands on the railing, "A week? Dear god." Sarah put her hand to his shoulder and felt him stiffen until she slid her arms around his waist and laid her head against his back, feeling his shoulders drop in resignation. "Promise me," She heard him say, as he turned around to wrap her in his arms, "A week, and no more? Let me have as much time with you as I can before the spell is broken again." She looked up into his eyes and was overjoyed to see the man she'd fallen in love with was once again looking back at her. "Promise." She said, and they stood there at the railing locked in each other's arms for a long time until she backed away from him, then started to get Fen and herself ready for the trip home, Loki walking out of the chamber to avoid watching her as she packed.