Thank you to all those who have read this and JannaKalderdash and on-stolen-time for reviewing! A particular thanks to on-stolen-time as I couldn't PM you – I'm thrilled you think my characterisation is good, Loki's so hard to write and I was worried I was doing him wrong!

This is another long one, and was kinda tricky to write, but I hope I did okay. It's fairly Efanna centric as we already know Loki so well. Both characters have such extreme and rapid mood swings I'm having trouble keeping up with them!

Disclaimer: In this chapter I reference 'The Penguin of Death' which I do not own. This is a book/poem by Edward Monkton, and if you haven't already read it you should go do so because it is bizarre and wonderful. You can actually buy the t-shirt I describe and I've got a mug with the same thing on it ^_^

o

Notes for this chapter:

'Mam' is the Welsh (and other accents) version of the general British 'Mum' or the American 'Mom'

I had to go back and change the flowers from chapter one as I realised that daffs aren't in season in September!

The necklace Efanna wears is the symbol from the story cover.

o

Chapter Three:

Home Sweet Home

The journey home was an awkward one. Loki sat in stony silence radiating hostility, but Efanna saw this as a blessing. She was never particularly comfortable with driving, not knowing when she might have another Vision and so welcomed the lack of distraction. Although, whatever power caused them appeared to connect in some way to her own survival instinct and her Visions never seemed to put her in life-threatening situations.

At least not while having them, she thought gingerly feeling her neck and thanking the Gods she'd thought to put on the scarf.

Nevertheless she generally felt it was safer not to drive unless she really had to, just in case. Her mother had taught her long ago in the fields where they kept the sheep, and she'd learnt well enough from Visions of herself and others driving, both before and after she first sat behind the wheel, but she didn't actually have a licence. At first she had worried about this, but throughout her life no one had ever really noticed her unless she specifically drew their attention, something that was particularly useful given her unique situation. Her mother had always impressed upon her the importance of keeping this anonymity, something she agreed with instinctively.

The long drive was uneventful. Loki stubbornly kept his silence and Efanna didn't bother to break it. After about an hour he drifted into sleep, not waking up even on the bumpy, winding lanes through the valleys towards her small farm. It had just turned 18:15 when she finally pulled up into the muddy courtyard between her small cottage and the three, fairly small stone barns. The sun was just beginning to set, not this was particularly evident as the hills in which her farm was located were enveloped in heavy cloud, which was currently depositing its contents with considerable ferocity. To simply say that it was raining would have been an understatement.

Turning the engine off, Efanna turned to contemplate her sleeping passenger. He looked remarkably peaceful with his head leant back against the seat, a few strands of his black hair falling into his eyes. A mess of emotions surged through her as she watched him. She had known this man all her life; grown up with Visions of him; Seen his childhood, his maturing, his shattering decent into darkness. What's more, her Visions went beyond simply seeing. She felt every emotion of those she Saw, knew every thought as if it were her own. She didn't merely watch the things her Visions showed her, but experienced them, in every joyful, painful, heart-wrenching way.

She didn't understand why, but her Visions had always focussed on a specific set of people, whom she now knew to be 'The Avengers' and certain others who were associated with them, such as Loki. Throughout the course of her almost-twenty-two years it felt as if she had spent more time living their lives through her Visions than she had living her own. She had always assumed they would somehow be important to the course of her life, (after all why else would she have been forced to spend so much time watching their lives?) but now that one actually sat before her she had no idea how to react. What do you do when you meet for the first time someone you know so intimately, and yet doesn't know you at all? She was finding it difficult to believe this was actually happening, right now and to her, rather than it just being something else she was Seeing, as the rest of her life had been.

She reached over and poked him gently in the shoulder, half to wake him up, half simply to feel that he was really there. His reaction was fast, although not quite as fast as she might have expected; he reached around, grabbed her wrist and jerked her slightly towards him, his eyes blazing as they snapped open.

"We're here," she informed him, gently wriggling her hand to try and keep up the blood circulation to her fingers. "It'd be nice if you could let go of me now, I need to get the chickens in."

His eyes had softened marginally when he had seen her and he dropped her hand, turning instead to peer out of the windows and through the rain. His eyebrows raised slightly and Efanna couldn't tell whether he was more dismayed at the rude nature of his new dwellings or surprised at the sheer volume of water currently suspended in the air. More probably the latter considering how little of her cottage could actually be seen through the downpour.

"Stay here for a minute," she said, glancing over the thin fabric of his shirt, "I'll sort the hens out then come back for you. No point in you getting completely soaked."

He looked at her with a flat gaze, quite clearly stating that he was unimpressed with the situation. Efanna decided a grin would annoy him least (or most) and so smiled sweetly before turning to get out.

"Oh, and don't think about running off anywhere," she added, "It's five miles to the nearest village and you'll end up with hypothermia long before you get there, dressed like that."

She smiled again before hopping out and walking over to the smallest of the three barns. It wasn't a big courtyard but she was thoroughly sodden by the time she got there. Not that she bothered rushing. She was Welsh, and well used to being wet. At the door to the barn she looked back to see Loki watching her moodily from the passenger seat, just as she had Seen when she'd collapsed in Cardiff.

It didn't take her long to get the hens sorted, busying herself with domesticity to calm her racing mind. She had discovered that chickens didn't particularly like being outside during horizontal rain, sleet and snow, and so had built the 6 foot high fence of their large run up against her smallest barn and added a 'chicken flap' to the back door so they could come and go as they chose. She'd also found that foxes and other predators were as yet incapable of unlocking the wooden doors or burrowing under the old stone walls and so hadn't lost a hen yet. This evening, when she went to shut them up for the night she found all seven of them already inside the barn, huddled up to bales of hay or already nesting in their coops. Sensible birds. She quickly closed and bolted the 'chicken flap' and returned to the courtyard, locking the barn behind her and bounding back over to the Land Rover.

The only problem about the hens being so quick to sort out was that she hadn't had so long to consider how much she should allow Loki to find out about her Visions and the amount she knew of his past. It was something she felt rather guilty about. Many of the things she had Seen had been intensely personal, and she knew that a lot of of them were things that he chose to keep secret. She didn't want to make him hate her even more than he already did by revealing that she knew things about him that he would barely even admit to himself.

She was still pondering this question as she tapped on his window and darted over to unlock the door to her cottage. Once he was safely inside she turned and whistled for Pip, her blue marl Border Collie, who promptly came tearing in from where he'd been sheltering from the rain in her biggest barn whilst she'd been out, tongue lolling and tail high. She didn't bother to lock the car. No one was going to hike at least five miles just to steal a twelve year old, mud covered Land Rover, and Loki couldn't drive.

The door from the courtyard opened into small lean-to which had been converted into a utility with slate floors and bare stone walls which were well able to cope with Pip's muddy paw prints and the vast amount of water he shook off his long, black-speckled, white and grey coat. Efanna decided to ignore the grumpy Asgardian for a moment, instead she peeled off her gloves and grabbed a towel to give Pip a proper hello. As she wove her now bare hands through his damp fur she felt a stream of memories wash over her, chasing a rabbit, guarding the sheep, sleeping in the hay; all the things he'd done since she'd last touched him. She threw the towel about him, leaving him to roll around in it and stripped off her sodden hoodie. She was also about to remove her damp t-shirt before she remembered that she wasn't alone.

She span around to face Loki with a small "Oh," and found him stood with his arms crossed, watching her with a cynical gaze. Even though he'd been less than a minute outside, his hair was dripping and the shoulders of his shirt were drenched. She froze for a moment, her brain still trying to catch up with the fact that this was actually happening, before she grabbed another towel from the worktop and chucked it at him, taking a third to dry her own sopping wet hair. He caught it deftly and they spent a long moment staring at each other before Pip broke the tension by placing his cold nose against Loki's hand. The Asgardian jumped slightly, making Efanna giggle, which earned her a long, cold stare.

"Pip, this is Loki," she introduced, "Loki, Pip. He's going to be staying with us for a while."

Loki gave the dog a brief glance before resuming his attempt to assail Efanna with his eyes. Pip's reaction was much more cordial; he cocked his head to one side, looked back to his master, and then jumped up to place his forepaws on Loki's stomach and demanded a fuss. Loki didn't look particularly impressed.

"Pip, get down and come here," Efanna scolded lightly, as she pulled her boots off. She grabbed his discarded towel from the floor and wiped his paws with it.

"You may as well take that off," she told Loki, casting her eyes over his now muddy, as well as wet shirt, "Leave it in the sink, I'll go see if I've got anything you can change into. Take your boots off, then you can go sit down."

Before he could argue she ducked past him and through the door into her kitchen, then ran upstairs before Loki could follow her. Once she was safely within her room she slid down the back of the door and let the full extent of the situation was over her.

She'd just brought home the being who had been the inspiration for the Norse God of Mischief and Lies.

For the first time in ten and a half years she was going to be sharing her home with a creature who didn't walk on four legs and could talk.

He'd touched her. Okay, so it was more attacked, and thankfully it hadn't been skin-to-skin, but it was still physical contact.

She didn't have any men's clothes.

Actually that last part isn't true, she thought, shaking herself out of her shocked stupor. Living on her own, comfort was Efanna's main concern when it came to nightwear and overly large men's t-shirts and boxer shorts were, in her opinion, about as comfy as you could get. Somehow she couldn't really see Loki accepting to wear any of those though. When she'd rushed out of the house this morning she hadn't really thought of the consequences of what she was doing. Now she was starting to realise just how much they were going to change her life.

o

Loki watched Efanna dart past him, unsure as to whether he found this strange mortal more annoying or amusing. The way her emotions and behaviour seemed to flit constantly from confident and overly friendly to shy and almost terrified and back again was certainly entertaining to watch. She seemed lost somehow, almost like a child. The way she dared to order him around, however, and ignored him, even going so far as to talk to her dog over him, irritated him intensely.

The animal in question was currently sat looking up at him with eyes as white as his owner's. He had the same wolfish appearance of Asgardian dogs, but was far smaller and his features were more friendly. The animal watched Loki for a moment, his eyes holding a surprising intelligence, before turning and following his master's route through the door and into the house proper.

Loki sighed as he looked around at the crude dwelling. The rough stone walls were a far cry from the gleaming halls of Asgard, but at least they were shelter from the truly abysmal weather outside. He could feel the chill of the water seeping into his shoulders and decided to comply with Efanna's suggestion, even though he was loath to swap even these most basic of Asgardian garments for mortal ones. He peeled off his shirt, depositing it in the white ceramic basin and proceeded to remove his boots as requested before moving to explore the rest of his new 'home'.

There was a small step up into what appeared to be a kitchen by what little light shone through the windows. Using his knowledge of Midgardian architecture, Loki searched the walls around him for the small switch that created light. Pressing it revealed the kitchen to be fairly small with stone surfaced, wooden cabinets following two of the walls and a large iron oven and stove to his right. Filling the corner of the room to his left was an old wooden table on which was placed a variety of crockery, some clean, some used, and a jug sporting about a dozen pale purple flowers. Behind the table, against the wall there was a high backed wooden bench and clustered on the nearer side were several mismatched chairs. The low ceiling was beamed and the walls now plastered and painted a deep red colour. Opposite him, on the far wall was a heavy wooden door and a window over the counters which showed a view of the rain. In the wall to the left of this door was another, smaller and partially open.

Seeing as neither human, nor beast were in the kitchen Loki headed for this door, cursing the cold stone beneath his feet. The room beyond was small by Asgardian standards, with a staircase rising against the wall from his left and curving to protrude into the room as it reached the far corner. The wall opposite was dominated by a large fireplace, surrounded by logs. The wall to his left, beyond the stair, was filled with bookshelves, the one nearest him to his right with what appeared to be a large wooden-cased musical instrument. Beyond that, in the corner, Loki recognised the Midgardian entertainment system they called a television, and clustered around it and the fire was a large, squashy looking sofa and a couple of armchairs. A thick rug of deep plum sat upon the cold stone floor between these seats, mirroring the colour of the walls and on top of it was curled Efanna's dog. There was a window on the wall to his right, but no other doors. Loki assumed then, that this was the extent of the living space, as there could be little above them but sleeping quarters. The whole building would have fitted easily within the merest of bed chambers in the Palace of Asgard.

But, as Loki reminded himself as he sank onto the sofa, it was still far more comfortable than the cell he had been occupying in the deepest vaults of Asgard for the past few months; and infinitely superior to the caves and hovels he had been forced to live in during his previous exile. It would certainly prove adequate until he figured out what he was going to do with his curious new host.

On thinking of Efanna, Loki spread himself out on the sofa, ensuring he would be easily seen by her as she descended the stairs. Whilst it was true that he did not yet know what to make of her, she was still mortal and still female. His first plan of seduction could still prove useful and it seemed obvious to make use of his current state of undress. Whilst waiting for her to arrive he carefully schooled his thoughts and appearance, bringing about him the facade of a charming, witty, but essentially harmless mortal. For the moment he firmly set aside his questions and irritations about her nature; once he had won her trust and affections he could quite easily extract from her the information he desired. And he could not deny that he enjoyed playing these games. Mortals were so easy to manipulate. It only took a few words, gestures, looks, and he could influence their thoughts, their feelings, their actions. To have such power with so little effort. To be able to make someone trust him completely and then destroy their soul. It was a pursuit he thoroughly enjoyed. He would gently wrap his hand around Efanna's heart and then, when she was at her most vulnerable, crush it.

These delightful contemplations were interrupted by soft footfalls on the stairs. Loki turned his head to watch Efanna descend, now dressed in a long, slim fitting, v-necked top, an overly large cardigan, skin-tight leggings and an mismatched pair of bulky, neon coloured socks. Around her neck he noticed a silver pendant in the shape of a triple spiral. In one hand she carried a towel wrapped bundle, in the other a small amount of black material. Her eyes seemed thoughtful as they met his, but she smiled nonetheless. Loki returned her smile and stood up to meet her, enjoying being able to look down upon her, even if the top his head did graze the beams of the low ceiling. She cast her eyes over his bare chest, but Loki was unable to fathom the emotion behind them.

"Here," she said, tossing the black material at him, "This should fit you. Think of it as a 'welcome to Earth' present, I thought it was appropriate."

He caught the cloth and opened it to find it was a black t-shirt with a design printed on the front – a captioned cartoon drawing of some sort of bird.

"'The Penguin of Death'?" he questioned, one eyebrow raising. Efanna's smile grew.

"Strangely attractive because of his enigmatic smile and able to kill you in any one of four hundred and twelve ways; remind you of anyone?" she said with a hint of teasing in her voice.

Loki's eyes narrowed as she once again revealed how much she knew of his true nature. Pushing these thoughts aside he reminded himself that he was trying to charm her, not interrogate her – yet.

"You think me attractive?" he questioned, moving close to her, still holding the shirt rather than putting it on. The corner of his mouth curled up as Efanna backed up, keeping her distance, like a timid animal. Once at a safe distance she tilted her head and cast her eyes over him again.

"I suppose so. I never really thought about it that way before," she answered, a little hesitant. "I'm afraid I've not got much more in the way of clothes though. The other guys t-shirts I have would all be too big for you and I can't imagine you consenting to wear them. I don't have any trousers, but you could borrow some boxers if you wanted to change your underwear I suppose." Her ramble tailed off and she looked at him for a long while. Loki steadily held her gaze, trying to determine what was happening behind her white eyes.

"I guess I'll have to buy you some clothes if you're going to stay," she said finally. She looked conflicted, nervous, almost reluctant. Her eyes seemed to stare beyond Loki and into the unknown. He took another step towards her, wanting to take advantage of this sudden weakness to assert his own dominance. This seemed to snap her out of her trance and she smiled brightly at him.

"I'll get the laptop out after dinner," she said, skipping back from him and over to the door to the kitchen. "Put that on and come and help."

Annoyance flickered over Loki's face, partly at her escape, partly at being forced to work. He stared after her, contemplating the information she had given him, before shrugging on the t-shirt and following her.

Fifteen minutes later they sat at the table in the kitchen eating a stew that Efanna had reheated from the previous night. The food was simple, nothing compared to Loki's standards, but he could find no real fault in it. Efanna had cheerfully ordered him around her kitchen, asking him to fetch things and lay the table, but Loki had detected a hesitant undertone in her words and actions. As the two ate they watched each other with careful, guarded eyes. Loki was starting to become unnerved by the way she was constantly watching him, almost as though she was seeing right through to his very heart. He was the only one who should be able to look at another like that. In an attempt to switch the balance of power back to him, he decided it was time for some gentle probing into the thoughts behind those elusive white eyes.

"This is quite delicious, Efanna," he said with his most charming smile. Efanna merely raised an eyebrow at him.

"Liar."

There was no hint of accusation or offence in her voice, she simply stated it as though it was a fact. Which it was. Loki was momentarily perturbed, but quickly changed tactics.

"So when am I going to meet your boyfriend?" he asked smoothly.

"Boyfriend?" she asked, looking utterly baffled.

"I assumed that was why you had men's undergarments?"

"Oh," she replied, looking as if this had never occurred to her. "No. Boxers are just comfy."

"So you don't have a boyfriend then?"

"Of course not."

Her tone was incredulous. Loki wondered why, she was fairly attractive for a mortal, it wasn't so unthought-of that she might have a suitor, unless…

"Girlfriend?" he questioned.

"No…" The look she gave him quite clearly wondered why he was asking such things.

"Just curious," he said, "I thought that if I am to be staying with you, I should know with whom else I may be sharing this house."

She stared at him for a long moment, her eyes looking almost sad.

"No one," she said quietly, "It's just me and Pip."

Loki was taken aback by the loneliness in her voice. Before he could think much of it though she smiled brightly and stood up, taking her plate to the sink.

"Right, you want to wash or dry?"

"What?" he asked, his voice flat.

"This isn't Asgard, Loki, you don't have any servants here."

His eyes narrowed at the mention of Asgard, annoyance at being told to wash the dishes forgotten. How could such a mortal know of the Realm Eternal? Just as she had known his name, his true identity. His temper flipped and he followed her to the counter, pressing her up against it. She squirmed slightly, craning her head back from his and holding her hands behind her back, away from his. From the corner her dog growled at him in warning but Loki paid him no heed.

"How do you know of Asgard?" he demanded in a low voice.

"So we're going to go through this again are we?" she asked, her voice level but her eyes betrayed an uncertainty she hadn't shown earlier, in the city.

"We wouldn't have to if you simply told me."

Efanna looked at him for a long while, her pale eyes staring unblinkingly into his. A dozen emotions flickered through them, too fast for Loki to define. Finally she seemed to come to a decision and she took a deep breath, letting it out almost as a sigh.

"I know," she said with a small smile, "But still, I'll give you the same answer: there are a lot of things that I know, Loki. That's all I shall tell you. For now."

Loki's temper flared. How dare this insolent mortal think to keep secrets from him? He, the Master, the God, of secrets and lies! He gritted his teeth, his lips curled in a snarl as he bared down upon this pathetic creature.

"You going to hit me, Loki?" she interrupted, her voice strong and clear like a bell, "Strangle me? Punch me? Cut my skin?"

Her pale eyes held his, blazing as they challenged him. She didn't back down, didn't even blink. For how long they stood there, a battle raging between their eyes, Loki couldn't say. Eventually he turned from her with a growl of frustration and stormed out of the room.

"I guess we'll leave the washing up for tonight then," he heard her mutter as he left.

Loki threw himself into one of the chairs and sat there stewing in his anger, slowly letting it drain away. As his thoughts gradually became more coherent he realised that in losing his temper he had broken his promise to himself, to push aside his grievances with her until he had her sat in the palm of his hand. Was he really so weak that he could let a mere mortal aggravate him to such an extent? Who was this girl who not only knew so much, but who dared to challenge him?

He allowed his mind to flow back, examining every minute he had spent with her, every word she had spoken, every expression that had moved her features. The girl was strong, there was no doubt about that, in spirit and perhaps in body as well. But she had moments of such vulnerability that Loki was almost surprised that she hadn't fallen apart, like a repaired but once broken glass. Could it be that there was more to her than met the eye, that she was more than an ordinary mortal? Her knowledge, certainly, was unprecedented, but was there more beyond that? He had seen firsthand, and to his disadvantage, that these beings of Midgard were beginning to evolve. Could she perhaps be such a creature?

If so what use could she be in his plans for dominance, for power? If he could beguile her, if she could be persuaded to join his cause she could prove to be a powerful piece in this grand game of chess he was playing. Loki doubled his convictions. Now she might have some worth to him he would ensure that her heart was his. He would not again let her spark his temper, not until she was wholly within his control. And if she proved to be worthless? Then he would make the crushing of her heart all the more painful.

o

Efanna heard the creak of an armchair as Loki sat down heavily in the other room. Gradually she let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. It was one thing to See Loki's temper, but to be on the receiving end of it in real life was quite another. She had known her choice to have him live with her would at times be difficult to follow through, but she hadn't expected just how intimidating he really could be. Slowly she sank to the floor, reliving his assault, letting his anger finally wash over her. She knew that he hated her. She had been quite prepared for that fact, but she hadn't realised just how much it would hurt.

She didn't blame him of course. After all, she understood him better than he even understood himself. But in ten and a half years she had never been as close to someone as she was to him now. She had never spent so much time with another person. She had never realised just how much she craved company. It hurt her to have to keep things from him, but she couldn't make him hate her even more than he already did. Not now. Not when she had only had the merest taste of what she had been missing all these years.

Pip padded over to her and licked her face, gently butting his head against hers. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his fur until he shuffled, asking to be let go. She smiled at him and leant her forehead against his before resting back into the counter behind her and closing her eyes, trying to calm her raging emotions. Pip laid down and put his head in her lap and she gently stroked his ears as she thought, taking comfort from his soft fur.

There was silence from the lounge and Efanna guessed that Loki was doing the same as her; calming his emotions, ordering his thoughts. She wondered what he thought of her, her peculiar behaviour and sayings. How much about her powers had she revealed to him? How long would she be able to keep her secret?

There is mist in the valley, but the skies are clear where they stand. The morning sun crests the horizon and the valley full of cloud seems to light up as it swirls beneath them. Efanna turns to Loki, her bright hair fanning out behind her in the breeze as he holds her gaze. The air between them is so full of emotion that it's almost alive.

Pip's cold nose on her forehead opened her eyes. She'd slumped down to the floor with her Vision and he was looking at her inquisitively, checking up on her as always. She gave him a little smile to reassure him and gently stood up. Efanna put the Vision out of her mind. She had enough to deal with in the present for the moment. Slowly, she started gathering the dirty plates and pans, piling them in the sink as quietly as she could, not wanting to disturb Loki's thinking.

She gave Pip his dinner, checked on the laundry, wiped down the surfaces, straightened the cushions on the chairs. When finally she could think of nothing else to do (other than the washing up, which Loki was going to help with, whether he liked it or not) she pulled on her pair of black cotton gloves, wishing they were longer. It had been too close a call when Loki had pushed her against the counter. She would need to be more careful around him, it would only take the briefest of brushes of his skin on hers and she couldn't face Seeing what would come. But more importantly this was the one aspect of her powers she could control. She wouldn't invade Loki's privacy any more than she already had, not if she could help it.

Satisfied her skin was as covered as it could be she softly padded over to the door, Pip at her heels. Loki was sat in the chair facing the empty fireplace, completely still save for the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Efanna watched him, her eyes following what little of his features she could see. It felt strange to be actually seeing him, rather than Seeing him. To actually have him physically here before her. After a couple of minutes he turned his head and his eyes met hers. They exchanged another of their long gazes, each knowing the other was trying to figure out what lay behind their eyes.

The silence stretched on and became awkward. Efanna shifted uncomfortably, feeling keenly her lack of social know how. When she finally decided that Loki wasn't going to break the silence she mustered her courage and her smile.

"I guess I should show you where you'll be staying?" She tried to make her voice light, but she knew she hadn't quite got it right.

He continued his scrutiny of her for a moment before politely inclining his head.

"Of course," he said, standing up to face her, his voice all warmth and charm, "After you."

He held his hand out and gave her a smile she was sure would melt most girl's hearts. Efanna wasn't fooled. Loki could charm the birds out of the trees, but not if you knew what he was doing.

She ducked past his hand and scampered up the stairs, onto the narrow landing. Three doors led off from it, one on her left and two on her right. She walked past the stairs towards the slanting roof and the second of the two doors to the right.

"That's the bathroom there," she said, pointing to the door at the far end of this wall, "And this is where you can stay."

Her hand lingered on the handle and with a deep breath she forced herself to open the door. The room beyond was fairly small, the roof slanting from halfway across and a double bed with its head at the lowest end of the room. There was a wardrobe in the far corner and a desk crammed in to her left. What little wall space there was left was covered in bookshelves full of dusty academic books and old scientific journals. The walls were painted a deep forest green and Efanna couldn't help but marvel at the irony that its previous occupant's favourite colour should be the same as its next. Everything was exactly as it had been ten and a half years ago. And now she was about to change it, just as she had changed the rest of her life that day.

"Efanna?"

She turned her head to see Loki watching her, his eyes far softer than she had seen them before. Slowly she reached up and wiped away the single tear that was tracing its way down her cheek. He looked at her quizzically as she stepped back to allow him into the room. He peered inside and she could see the distaste in his carefully schooled features.

"I like the colour," he said eventually, as if forcing himself to say something positive about it.

"Mam always used to say it reminded her of forests. It's probably a different reason to why you like it though."

Loki's eyes bored into hers, obviously questioning her current emotional state.

"It was her room," she said simply, knowing he would be unhappy if she didn't give him at least some answers.

He looked as though he was going to question her further, but seemed to decide against it, much to Efanna's relief.

"I'll see you in the morning," she said, squeezing past him carefully and dashing back downstairs to turn the lights off and lock the door before he could ask any more questions. When she came back up he had already disappeared into his room.

I hope that wasn't too long, and that I managed to keep up the interest! Please let me know! :D