Ok here we are, the last chapter! Lots of lovely smut in this one, as you probably expected. Enjoy! Thank you for the lovely reviews! ^_^

There was a knock at Loki's chambers, and for a second he was going to tell whomever it was to go away. He wasn't in the mood – his thoughts were still focused on that morning, much to his dismay. When he didn't answer, he heard someone yell, "Get off me! I'm seeing him!" and he realized, with a start, that it was Sif. He jumped from his chair just as she stormed in, two unconscious guards in her wake.

"You lied about the All-Father," she said, her lips curled into a practical growl as she marched forward, drawing her sword and pointing it at his neck. "You had something to do with his death, didn't you?" she demanded.

"Once again, my dear lady, you forgot to address me properly," he told her, although there was no playful smirk on his lips this time. He was just angry at her – angry for leaving him, angry for figuring out his secrets, angry for loving her brother instead of him…the list was nearly endless at this point. "And it was quite rude of you to knock out my guards."

"Oh shut up, Loki," she snapped, pushing the blade slightly into his skin. He just chuckled and pushed it away.

"Oh please. You're not going to kill me. If you were going to do that, surely you'd have taken the opportunity when I was asleep this morning before you snuck out," he told her.

Sif reached forward and smacked him across the face, which wasn't completely unexpected. His cheek stung where her hand made contact, and he found himself smirking again.

"Now isn't the time," she hissed at him. Loki smiled and crossed his arms, leaning against his chair.

"Actually I think now is the perfect time. Why did you leave so fast? Afraid of what Thor might think if word got out that the great Lady Warrior spent the night with his little brother?" he asked.

SMACK. She hit him again.

"Really, my dear, if you continue to hit me I'm going to have to chop off your hands, and that would be such a waste. I quite like what your hands were capable of last night," he teased her with another smirk.

"Stop it! Just stop it!" she cried, and suddenly, in an instant, she went from looking fierce and cold-blooded to crying, tears falling down her cheeks like rushing streams of water. Loki stood there, perplexed for a moment as he realized what was happening. Damn, not the crying again! He hated the crying!

"Oh, Sif, come on now, I'm just jesting with you," he said. He waved his hand and closed the doors again – he didn't want anyone to see her tears. He knew she'd hate it if anyone thought she was weak and discredited her abilities as a strong warrior.

"No, you're not. You were right about Thor, he's gone and…and that's it. He's gone," she whispered, wiping away the tears. She sat down on the bed and looked away from him, biting her lip.

"I'm sorry, I just…Heimdall told me Thor was down there," she explained softly.

"I told you I wasn't lying about that," he replied.

"And that was one of the only truths you told me," she snapped back, still avoiding his gaze.

He didn't say anything. Sometimes – not very often, but sometimes he felt bad about all the lying. Still, it was just easier to lie than tell the truth. Unless of course it came to Sif, in which case almost nothing was easy.

"You believed me last night, what changed?" he asked.

"I didn't believe you – I believed, well…I felt it. In my gut. That he had left, I mean," she explained. Loki wasn't sure if she really meant that; that she really hadn't trusted him last night. Why would someone who didn't trust another sleep with him so easily?

"Believe it or not, Sif, when I told you that last night – it wasn't to make you angry. Or hurt you," he told her. He could tell by the way her shoulders tensed that she didn't believe him. This was so bloody difficult. Why couldn't she just believe him? He could care less if anyone else thought he was a liar. It was her opinion that mattered right now.

Wasn't that how it had always been?

Sif had started to walk out of the room, headed towards the doors, when she stopped to look at him, crossing her arms.

"Why should I believe that? You know, it's quite frustrating having to figure out what is real and what is a lie with you," she answered. He knew exactly what she was thinking - that that was how it had always been. Even when he was just the young God of Mischief, playing pranks to get a laugh out of people, you could never fully trust him. Back then he'd done it just for laughs, but now he had a purpose behind his lying tongue.

"I know. But I'm serious. I told you about Thor because I want you to forget him," Loki explained. In this case, he decided it was best to just tell her the truth. After all, Thor was the one who had left her, not him. Maybe she'd appreciate a little honesty – but if he thought she would buy into that story easily, he was wrong. Sif snorted.

"That logic doesn't make any sense," she pointed out. He shook his head, his dark hair falling softly in front of his face, and he ran a hand anxiously through his locks.

"No, I mean – I thought if I told you about him, that he had left, you'd start getting over him. I mean, he's gone now and there's nothing you or I can do about it," he explained. He startled himself when he realized that the cool, calm, collected jest in his voice had all but vanished. He was just talking to her normally, having a civil conversation – it both thrilled him and scared him at the same time.

"You had to know the truth eventually. So I broke the truth to you so you could start, well…healing," he explained.

Sif just stood there, looking Loki over. He could tell that she was trying to size him up – to figure out what exactly he was playing at. He wanted desperately to tell her that it wasn't a game, he wasn't doing anything except being sincere because he genuinely, truly cared for her, but that would be a sign of total weakness. He'd lose control, and Loki had just gotten everything he desired – he didn't want to lose Sif because he broke down and practically begged her to love him. As he thought about this, his eyes made their way to her lips, so red and plump, reminding him of all the kisses they'd shared last night…

No. He had to focus.

He noticed that she seemed to grow a bit angry – probably deciding that he had some sort of trick up his sleeve. She wrinkled her dark eyebrows and looked him over once again.

"Why would you do that for me?" she asked him.

"Because I…I just did. I figured sooner rather than later would be best," he said defiantly.

No, wait, damn, that wasn't what he'd wanted to say! He'd done it because he loved her; he bloody loved her and couldn't stand to see her hurting because of Thor. What a moron, why did he choose a mortal over her? No one compared to her, no one was greater than Sif, the great Lady Warrior who not only had a heart of gold but also could fight better than many men in the kingdom…

What was wrong with him? He was usually the puppet master in any conversation he had. Damn this woman, last night when she slept with him she'd taken any ability he had to manipulate her as well.

"Really Loki? That's all you can come up with? You just did? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I'll never believe you and never believe anything you say ever again!" she exclaimed, getting ready to turn around and stomp out again.

Loki was just going to let him go, unable to form words as he watched her leave, but then she stopped. After a moment, she turned and marched up to him and for a second he was afraid she was going to hit him again.

"Why kill the All-Father, though? Why do you continue to go after the throne? Why?" she asked him desperately.

Now Loki understood. She wanted to get into his mind – to figure out why he was lusting after power so much. He was pretty sure no one on Asgard or even Earth could ever understand his feelings. The rage inside him started to build as he thought about how he'd been cheated out of the throne for so long, and he could feel his confidence coming back. His devilish smirk returned to his face as he answered her question.

"Well obviously if he were around still, I wouldn't be here. I'd be in a cell wouldn't I? Or hiding on the planet of the Dark Elves, all by my lonesome," he told her with a grin.

"Alright, so you simply killed your father to get him out of the way. I'm guessing you were enacting some sort of revenge as well," she snapped at him. He chuckled.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I harbored any love for that man," he told her with another smirk. He could tell that she was a bit startled by how coldly he reacted regarding Odin's death – but really, did he have any reason to mourn him? Absolutely not. As far as he was concerned, Odin was the real villain in all of this. Talking down to him all the time like he was a child, favoring Thor and making no effort to hide it from Loki, threatening to kill him as if he were nothing more than a common cockroach…

"Why save Thor then?" she asked. "Why save him if you just wanted to crown?" she asked him.

"What is this, an interrogation?" Loki snapped, a flash of anger in his eyes. He was upset thinking about Odin, and was quite sick of answering all her invasive questions. He just wanted her to leave him in peace. After all, she'd made her feelings toward him quite clear this morning when she left. Were they not done here?

"Answer the question!" she exclaimed.

"Because he is my brother!" he yelled. He saw the look of surprise on her face and had to admit he had surprised him as well. Loki knew that he was exposing a weak part of himself, but he didn't care. Perhaps if he showed her he was capable of feeling something towards someone, she wouldn't see him as such a monster.

He was telling the truth. No matter what happened, Thor was his brother. He was the one who fought for him on Earth, always the one who tried to reason with him and convince him to change his mind. Thor looked out for him, even if he didn't trust him anymore. Just like Frigga, Thor gave Loki comfort and respect when Odin refused to show it. Despite their differences, and the fact that he was more than happy with Thor's current location, he couldn't bring himself to kill his brother.

Neither of them said anything for a while, until Loki finally asked her a question.

"Did you ask Heimdall about that as well?"

She nodded softly.

"See? Why is it so hard to trust me?" he asked.

"Because you still lie! You still scheme and try to find power any way you can, and you know what? No one wants to follow a leader who LIES all the time," she spat him. "I guess you'll just have to lead by killing and torturing those who defy you, as you always have."

"You really think that is how I will rule Asgard? With threats and executions?" he asked her. His face was turning beet red now, glaring at her as that anger started to form behind his eyes again. She should have known better than to accuse him of that, after all they'd been through together, fighting alongside each other…

"Of course! It's all you've ever done whenever you've gotten a shred of power in the past…"

"Once I have Asgard in my grasp, FULLY in my grasp…I will not be hated by my people. I will be loved, and I will be a good leader," he snarled at her. She had insulted him by questioning his leadership style, and all he wanted was for her to leave. She would never understand him. She would never love him. He might as well just banish her.

"I will not need to make threats. I will rule and be admired and run Asgard as a prosperous kingdom, returning it to its glory days. If I must step on a few people along the way, so be it, but someday, I won't have to," he told her. He could see the realization on her face as she started to see what he was really telling her – that he wanted to be nothing more than a great leader. A leader who did the best for his people, who was loved and admired for running a rich and successful kingdom.

"That's it? That's all? You don't want to…cause war and take over other realms?" she asked.

"Why would I want that? If we are attacked, of course, I will defend, but…I just want to rule and have a prosperous kingdom. Something I can be proud of," he told her. That was a little bit of a lie – he wasn't hesitant about invading another realm if they had some good resources that he was after – but mostly, it was the truth. She glared at him.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't expect you to."

They were silent. Loki looked at her, trying desperately to tell her without words that he was telling the truth. She was looking at him like he was speaking another language. She was trying to analyze everything he said to figure out fact from fiction. She continued to stare him down and he was beginning to become uncomfortable. He just wanted her to say what was on her mind, what she was thinking…

"I'm leaving," she announced, yet she made no movement to walk back towards the door. Loki let out a little chuckle. Just as he thought. She couldn't stand to be around him anymore. Had he really thought anything else would happen?

"Ok. Go then," he said, egging her on. She didn't move.

"I thought you said you were leaving?" he questioned her, raising an eyebrow. What was she doing? She was just staring at him, biting her lip nervously.

"I am."

"You aren't moving."

"I know."

"Why?"

She didn't answer. Suddenly, before he really grasped what was happening, she was walking towards him, and she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him towards her. Their lips made contact and he felt a surge of electricity at the touch of her lips, and he groaned into her mouth as she kissed him, hard, like he was oxygen. Her hands were tangling in his black hair, and his were running up and down her body, lightly scratching her back underneath her clothes…

Wait, why was he doing this? Why was she doing this? A moment ago she had been looking at him like she wanted to murder him, angry at him for all the lies and deceit – and yet here she was, kissing him. Could this be about Thor again? If it was, he wanted no part of it. His body was going to hate him, but he couldn't be with her if she was just trying to replace his brother.

He pulled away, using all his strength to stop himself from kissing her back greedily. "Sif, stop, don't…you're just upset about…about him…" he said softly. He couldn't even bring himself to say his name.

She shook her head, a few dark pieces of hair falling into her eyes. "No, no. I'm not doing this because of Thor. I just…I don't know," she admitted.

"You don't want this, Sif. Just go," he whispered. She shook her head again.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said confidently before taking her face in her hands and bringing his lips back to hers.

Damn, she was stubborn. He allowed himself a few moments of weakness, kissing her back and lightly grazing his tongue over hers, gripping her arms tightly as she moaned against his lips, trying to ignore the throbbing between his legs as he tried to tell himself that she didn't want this, she was playing some sort of trick on him…

"Why, Sif?" he whispered against her lips. Despite his misgivings about her intentions, he was kissing her neck, slowly moving his lips up to her ear before biting down on her earlobe.

"Because you love me, don't you Loki?" she asked him. His breath caught in his throat. He knew that if he lied to her this time, he'd be lying to himself as well, and he didn't think he could bear that kind of pain. Not telling her would be worse than telling her the truth.

"Yes," he said, and she grabbed him and roughly kissed him. All reservations aside, Loki kissed her back, hard and forceful, hands tangled in her dark hair. He had no idea what her end game was, or what she thought would come of this, but he didn't care. He didn't give a damn. He was just going to ravish the woman he loved and worry about the complicated stuff later.

He led her to the bed and pulled her on top of him, kissing her and undoing her corset with his hands as he bit her lip roughly. She moaned and ground her hips into his pelvis, earning her a loud groan from him. He felt like the room was spinning, it felt so good to have her against him like that…for some reason, telling her his true feelings was giving him a rush of emotions he hadn't expected. He felt exhilarated, full of passion, ready to make love to her and make her scream his name…

He wrapped his legs around her and flipped her onto her back, reaching down and grasping the flimsy top she had covering her now that her corset was gone. With a sharp tug, he ripped it from her body, causing her to gasp in surprise. Throwing the now useless garment to the side, he bent down and kissed her chest, taking the nipple of her right breast in his mouth as his hand cupped and squeezed the other one. She groaned and pushed his hand down, spurring him on.

By the light of day, he could see every bend in her finger, every birth mark, even every scar from the many battles they found. He ran his hands lightly over the small marks on her sides from a particularly vicious practice battle she'd fought with Fandral. He remembered it perfectly, and remembered how gorgeous she looked in the midst of battle. Her breathing now was heavy and labored as she watched him explore her skin like it was uncharted territory.

He looked up at her and they made eye contact, and he pulled her up towards him, kissing her as he ground his pelvis into hers. She groaned and began to undo the strings on his trousers, thrusting her hand inside and running her hands along his erection. He groaned and pressed his forehead against hers. God, she was good with her hands. She lightly touched him, squeezing gently on the tip, causing him to throw back his head in pleasure as she stroked him.

After a few moments of teasing, she pulled down his trousers just enough so she could sit in front of him, and she slowly started to kiss up his thighs as he knelt there. In one swift movement, she took him in her mouth, running her tongue against his length as he forcefully tugged at her hair. He let out a loud moan as her head bobbed up and down, taking him deep into her throat.

This time, he didn't stop her, and when he came, he grabbed her hair and gasped, throwing back his head and muttering her name softly. She pulled back, smiling and licking her lips. Despite coming down from his orgasm, he pushed her back onto her back and laid on top of her, kissing her softly and passionately. Then, his hand slowly started to make it's way down to the wet center between her legs, and while he continued to kiss her, his fingers slowly made their way into her opening.

She gasped and began to buck into his hand, her lips clumsily kissing him as she moaned and groaned at his movements. He kissed every inch of her face, lightly and tenderly as his fingers did devilish things to her. She grabbed his biceps and squeezed, her moans getting louder as she pushed against his hand, trying to urge him deeper. He chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose softly.

"Impatient?" he asked with a small smile. He stopped his moments and began to trail kissing down her body, spreading her legs open and licking along the milky skin of her thighs. She sighed contently, bucking again, trying to get him to tease her again. He lightly brushed his tongue against her opening before putting one finger roughly inside her, causing her to gasp in surprise.

He leaned down and began to suck at her clit, running his tongue up and down her opening, trying to pleasure her as best he could without losing it completely himself. She groaned and moaned as he pleasured her, his tongue doing wicked things to her that made her squirm in anticipation. Wanting to see her reaction when she finally went over the edge, he pulled away from her and began to rub her clit with his thumb, moving his fingers in and out of her as she bucked into his palm.

She groaned and she squeezed his arms again, gasping and digging her nails into his flesh. He could sense she was close and laid on top of her again, his fingers working furiously between them as he continued to pleasure her. She finally succumbed to her orgasm and yelled out his name in ecstasy, her eyelids fluttering as her mouth formed a little O shape. As soon as he was sure she was satisfied, he stopped and rolled off of her, afraid he'd lose his resolve and begin fucking her right there until he lost his mind.

Damn, she was beautiful. As she came down from her orgasm, she turned to him and rolled on top of him, kissing him softly on the lips.

"Loki, say it," she whispered at him.

"Say what?" he asked. Beg for her to fuck him? Tell her what he wanted her to do to him?

"Say you love me," she told him, kissing his earlobe. Loki felt his heart jump in his chest. Tell her he loved her. Well, it was true, but…uttering those words would be like weakness to him. It showed his heart, and as he had learned from watching everyone around him all these years, that was the one thing you never exposed.

There was a very good possibility that Sif could use this against him. She could get close to him just to stab him in the end and stop him. It wouldn't be against her nature. She was a warrior. She fought. What if she was fighting him right now? For Asgard?

Quite frankly, he didn't care.

"I love you," he whispered softly against her lips. She paused for a moment before letting out a strange sort of cry – a mix of excitement and surprise, before kissing him full on the lips. As he kissed her back and forced his tongue into her mouth, she lowered herself onto him and he moaned, bucking his hips into her.

They went slow this time, even though both of them wanted to go fast and pound their bodies against each other in passionate frenzy. Loki didn't want that though, no matter how badly his body wanted it. He bucked his hips, moving in and out as she rode him, moving in perfect rhythm and harmony with her.

Was this what it was like to truly make love to someone? She hadn't told him that she loved him back, but she was giving herself to him fully in this moment of ecstasy and passion. It was hard to think of anything other than how amazing she felt riding him, how beautiful she looked riding him, her breasts bouncing softly as she rode him…

She threw back her head, her dark hair cascading over her back, and he could tell she was coming close to the edge. He quickened his pace and he could feel himself approaching that edge as well…he bit his lip, determined to last longer, to give her every ounce of pleasure he could…

She fell over the brink and groaned, yelling out his name as she surrendered herself to pleasure. As he felt her tighten around him, convulsing and muttering his name as she came down from her peak, he lost his resolve. He shuddered as he came and he whispered her name softly as she collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily as he came down. The room was spinning in front of him, and his arms wrapped around her body, pulling her as close as possible to him as their breathing slowed.

Once he could finally wrap his mind around coherent thoughts again, he slowly rolled so that she was lying next to him. She was clearly exhausted, but she had a very faint smile on her face. This time, rather than spoon her, he faced her, pushing a piece of her ebony hair behind her ear. Her eyes were closed, but after a few moments, she opened them and looked directly into his eyes, before reaching out and pushing aside his hair just as he had done to her moments before.

"Sif, why do you keep doing this?" he asked softly. He could no longer ignore the fact that she didn't love him back, didn't seem to trust him, and didn't seem to want any serious relationship with him – yet here she was, in his bed, completely naked. He knew that Sif was a powerful woman and had wooed her way into a few men in the kingdom, but he knew she wasn't just one to give it away either. There was something inside her that she was hiding and he didn't know what it was. He was determined to find out what that was.

She bit her lip, making her look extremely irresistible. It took all the will power he had to stop himself from grabbing her and taking her again right then and there.

"I don't know, to be honest. And when I say that, I mean it, I'm not like you, I don't speak in riddles," she told him. Loki wrinkled his eyebrows.

"If you still don't trust me, I don't get why you don't just le…"

"I don't, and yet….I'm starting to. A bit. I don't think I'll ever fully trust you again, though," she explained.

"I don't blame you," he whispered. He hated to admit it, but she had reason not to trust him. He couldn't even make promises to himself that he wouldn't hurt her for his own personal gain. It made him hate himself, yet he couldn't fully hate himself either. It was all part of his nature.

"So you're sleeping with me because you're confused?" he asked. She nodded.

"I suppose. I don't know. I feel this pull toward you, and…well, no one has ever looked at me the way you look at him," she said softly. Loki blinked and looked at her in surprise.

"But Sif, you're the most beautiful woman in the realm, every man…"

"Not a single man looks at me the way you do, though," she told him. "When you look at me, I can tell it's not lust, it's something much more. You look at me as if I'm the most important thing in the world, and you can lie as much as you want, but your eyes always tell the truth."

Loki didn't know what to say. Instead of words, he finally decided to kiss her. He pulled her slowly towards him, kissing her softly and running his tongue lightly over her lips.

"You don't love me, though," he said.

"No, I don't think I do," she replied.

"You don't think?"

"Oh, shut up Loki."

"So what happens now?"

"I don't know."

Loki found himself chuckling slightly. "Do you have any other answer for me today besides 'I don't know?" he asked her. She giggled and shook her head.

"Probably not. I'm very confused right now."

"As am I," he admitted. She smiled and rested her head against his chest and sighed. He could tell she was slowly drifting off to sleep – they had just had quite the workout, after all.

As sleep started to overcome him as well, he tried not to think too much about the future. He wanted nothing more than to have Sif proclaim her love for him, but he knew that would most likely never happen. Then again, perhaps it would – she realized that he had told her the truth for the most part, and while she would most likely never fully trust him or have loving feelings toward him, maybe she'd at least be…pleasant towards him? Friendly? Could things possibly return to the way they were someday?

He tried not to let his mind wander into that dark territory – the part of his imagination where he thought maybe, just maybe, she could fall in love with him. He knew it wasn't a likely outcome. He knew that chances were, she'd wake up and they'd part ways, and maybe he'd be lucky enough to find her in his bed again. Most likely, they'd be warriors together once more, but that would be it.

Still, there was a slight chance that he could get the girl of his dreams, and that was more than enough to keep him smiling as he drifted off to sleep.