Thank you for still taking the time to read, favourite, follow and best of all - review. Ten chapters left to go including the epilogue so things are starting to hot up, but first we have a chance for a quiet moment. There is a warning for some mild sexual content in this chapter, but nothing too serious

Apologies for any reviewers who haven't had a reply yet - I am doing my best but between preparations for getting my daughter off to university, and work - which is being a nightmare at the moment - I'm a bit behind.

Shameless plug for my sideline series of stories from Harry's POV. Called the The Tales of the Third Brother you can find it via my profile.

Reviews make a tired, stressed writer very happy, so please let me know what you think

Merrick x

Hermione and Loki walked slowly back to their chambers, cutting through the Throne Room on the way. As she viewed the destruction for the first time, Hermione stopped, rooted to the spot in shock. Loki put his arm around her. "It's a mess, but it can be rebuilt. Asgard is ancient and durable. This is not the first time we have suffered such damage." He looked at her closely. "That isn't the issue is it?"

Mutely, she shook her head. "I've seen this before, it was the same, but – different." Seeing the mystified look on her husband's face, she elaborated. "That night at the Leaky Cauldron, when I had the nightmare, I saw this – only – your father was here, not your mother. I'm not sure how I knew, but I'm fairly certain that Jane wasn't here either, and you..."

"Were dead..?"

Hermione's face was distressed. "No. You were... you were in the dungeons. You were alone, and grieving, lost. I couldn't help, couldn't get to you. I banged on the screen, burnt my hands, but you couldn't hear me... you couldn't hear me..."

Loki wrapped his good arm around her, pulling her close. "Shhh sweetheart, it was just a dream, or another life, but not here, not now. My father is dead, Mother is alive and Thor is King. Yes, things are difficult at the moment, but we're all safe, except..."

Hermione looked up at him, frowning, wiping tears on the back of her hand. "...Except?"

Loki sighed. "Dalan is dead Hermione. He died protecting the man that WE brought here. .. they cut his throat, just like they did those poor bastards on Midgard."

Hermione paled, her vision greying around the edges in a way that was becoming disconcertingly familiar. She clutched weakly at Loki's shirt, the only stable thing in a world which spun alarmingly, feeling his arm tighten around her. Acting entirely on instinct, she buried her face in his shoulder waiting for it to pass. Dalan had been a good man, an honourable man, of all of Odin's men, the only one prepared to risk his displeasure by showing kindness to a fallen and condemned prince. Since then he had been a constant presence in their lives, giving Harry his first lessons with sword and bow. Now he would never give those same lessons to his sons.

She opened her eyes, the world was stable again, and her head clear. "His wife and children. What will happen to them now?"

Loki smiled sadly. "They will be cared for, Asgard has many faults, but the widows and children of those who give their lives in her service are not left to starve in the streets."

Hermione nodded, her mind running on practical matters. "Support is about more than money and food. She will have to move out of their cottage, we must ensure that wherever she is she will be safe, an unprotected woman with a little money will always be a target for the unscrupulous."

They turned away from the devastation, heading back to their chambers. He nodded in agreement, but was unable to resist teasing her a little. "Unscrupulous men like me you mean. Taking shameless advantage of a lonely, defenceless schoolmistress."

His wife let out a most unladylike snort. "As I recall, you were the defenceless one at the time. And don't forget that I was the one that made the first move. With all your codes of honour and nobility, I'd still be waiting if I'd left it to you." Despite their concern and weariness, she couldn't suppress a giggle. "Do you remember that first morning? Your face...!" Her reminiscing was cut off as Loki paused, turning her to face him, drawing her close, oblivious to the activity around them.

"Believe me Hermione, every moment of that encounter is seared deeply into my memory..." He bent his head, lips brushing hers with a sigh of relief. "Gods woman, there were times tonight when I thought I might never get to do this again..." the kiss deepened, heat and urgency building slowly between them. Aware that they were causing something of a stir in the middle of the aftermath of battle, they eventually broke apart, a little breathless. Loki rested his forehead against his wife's. "If I wasn't so tired, I'd transport us both straight to our chambers now, and be damned to inappropriate behaviour. In this state though, we could end up anywhere."

Hermione smiled, brushing her fingers over his face. "Believe me – walking is fine right now." She sniffed, wrinkling her nose. " You're filthy sweetheart, what do you say to a bath before bed?"

Loki leaned down to kiss her once more. "Only if you're joining me"

Her smile was wicked. "I thought you'd never ask!"

oo0oo

One of the best things about Asgard, thought Hermione, were the baths. To be sure, she missed her shower in the summer, but there was something about the big sunken baths that were a feature of every bathing chamber in the palace. Baths that could be filled with hot water with amazing speed, thanks to a system which delivered water at multiple points all around the bath rather than just two taps. But the best thing was the size. Stepped at one end for lounging, the other end was deep enough to swim in with more than enough room for two. The smooth glide of Loki's wet skin against hers, the sensation of those long beautiful hands that she loved so much gliding over her body, awaking sensation, desire – need. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her fingers in her hair, he was kissing her as though he hadn't seen her for months – years. When they finally shattered into oblivion, she didn't realise that she was crying until Loki frowned in concern as he brushed her tears away.

"Alskling – what is it. Is everything alright, you seem very – emotional. It isn't like you"

Pregnancy hormones, thought Hermione, but she wasn't telling Loki now or he'd have her locked in an impenetrable glass box until all of this was over.

"I'm just tired. It's been a really long difficult emotional few days." Still wrapped around him, she buried her head in his shoulder. Loki had an unerring instinct for when people were lying to him, but nothing she had said to him had been an actual lie – more of an evasion. Hopefully that would be enough.

Fortunately his exhaustion was also becoming harder to ignore. "Come on wife, you need to get your wounded warrior to bed before he keels over – especially if you're going to require such vigorous demonstrations of my devotion... I would carry you out, but I don't know that the healing is quite there yet, and we could both end up in a heap on the floor, which would really kill the moment."

Emerging from the bathing chamber, they discovered that the food, left by Frigga was still under the stasis charm that Hermione had cast before falling asleep so many hours ago. Stopping briefly to eat, the couple were glad to head to bed. Hermione, curled into her customary spot on Loki's shoulder, was asleep in minutes, but in spite of his physical exhaustion, Loki lay awake, his mind racing, waiting for the sun to rise.

Hermione had only been asleep for an hour or two when Loki was aware of movement over by the window. Carefully sliding out from under his wife he went to investigate.

Sitting on the window sill was a large brown barn owl...