A/N: Gods damn it, Hiddleston.

You all know what I'm talking about.

Carry on.

Eva came down for breakfast late the next morning. There were circles under her eyes, and she was ashen. She had not slept well, that much was obvious, and concern lingered upon the faces of her family – that, and an unease that, despite her sadness, confused her greatly. Only after seating herself at the table did she voice her bemusement.

"Has something happened?"

Daniel handed her an envelope with her name upon it in emerald ink. "He left it for you this morning."

It was unopened, wax-sealed, and Eva felt the weight of it in her hand. She was acutely aware of all eyes upon her, and she stood from her seat, moving to the corner of the room to open the letter.

Her eyes scanned the writing, brow creasing, and when she looked up, her voice was quiet, fingers folding the paper.

"Excuse me."

Without another word, she walked across the open-plan room to the adjoining living room, where a fire crackled in the fireplace. She knelt before it, and gently tossed the letter in, fodder to the flames.

"Eva?"

"It's nothing," she said softly, watching the paper slowly turn to ash. "Loki is coming tonight."

"Why?" Aidan asked. Eva closed her eyes.

"I can't tell you, Aidan."

"You came here to be with family. Away from him," Daniel said, and Eva could hear the annoyance in his tone.

"Circumstances change," came the curt utterance. "And I have a fool for a husband."

"What's he done now?"

"He invaded Earth, and now he has to face repercussions." She rose to her feet, and continued in the language that only three other people at that table understood. "But not from the humans. He's in trouble. The bloody fool."

Daniel and Elise's eyes widened, and Eva reached for a glass, pouring herself some juice and taking a large gulp, trying to calm her mind.

"I'm sorry," she said ruefully. "I really am."

"Never mind that now," Elise spoke gently. "Sit down and eat something. You're shaking."

Am I? Eva glanced down at her hands, and saw that her mother was speaking truth. She was trembling, and she set down the glass before juice could meet carpet in an assured tragedy. Hurriedly, she took her seat, and tried to settle in for breakfast, though her mind was elsewhere. Family events such as these seemed so mundane now, and she could barely focus.

Oh, Loki, what have you done?

She felt him arrive, felt his presence a second before the room fell silent, and his hand upon her back made her turn her head.

"Loki."

"Eva." His voice lacked the arrogance she was so used to, and she revolved to face him in surprise.

Strain pulled his features taut, haunted his eyes, and unthinkingly she leant up to kiss him, hands cupping his face. He froze, and then relaxed slightly, his hand moving to hold her waist. Pulling back, Eva blushed a little, but her voice was steady.

"Talk to me. What is going on?"

Loki glanced around, and then shook his head. "Somewhere more private."

"Come with me." Eva led him without another word up the stairs, and into her bedroom. She closed the door, and turned around to face him.

"What is it, Loki? What have you done?"

He made no reply, only unearthed something from inside his jacket. Something long, thin… and sheathed. Eva stared, her heart leaping into her throat. Loki withdrew a dagger from the leather scabbard, tossing the leather to the side. His eyes burned into hers, and without explanation, he uttered ancient, binding words in the language of his heritage.

"Flesh and bone. Life and death. Let this union be sealed in blood. Let us be bonded, body and soul. Let us be one."

Eva's eyes widened as he took hold of her hand, and he cut a shallow line in her palm, causing her to jolt. Outraged, she stared at him – but then realised that he meant for her to do the same.

The enormity of it dawned upon her, and it was a moment before she could take the proffered hilt. Grasping it, she felt the weight in her hand, balancing it. Her mind flew back to throwing knives with Natasha, to playing darts with her father as a child, honing her coordination. She could throw it now if she wished. End Loki. He had given her a weapon… and somehow trusted her not to use it against him.

And I can't. He is needed.

Gripping the knife, thumb atop the blade, feeling the unsharpened edge, she took Loki's hand in her, and slowly drew the sharpened side along his palm. A thin line of red formed, and Loki took the knife from her. He let it meet the scabbard upon the floor, and then, his eyes more intense than Eva had ever seen them, he took hold of her hand. Bringing it up, bending at the elbow, he clasped her hand in his, and Eva stared in amazement as their hands glowed gold. Her gaze flicked to Loki, and his other hand tilted her chin.

"Kona," he whispered. Wife.

"Maðr," she replied. Husband.

And they kissed.

When he broke the embrace, Eva looked up at him, and his fingertips brushed her jaw.

"Why?" she whispered. "What is going on?"

Loki gently turned her, and for the first time she registered the sound of waves crashing against a cliff – the one they currently stood upon. The horizon seemed unreachable, the depth of the seas immeasurable, and Loki walked to the edge of the cliff, staring out.

"You burnt the letter, I presume?"

Growing ever more confused, she murmured assent. "I did. But I –"

"And you told nobody of its contents?"

"Not one. Loki –"

"Say not another word." Still he had his back to her, and Eva swallowed her fear. He was troubled – any fool could see it. And it irritated her that she cared. Of course, there was still a part of her that screamed to push him off the cliff – but circumstances had changed. If Loki died, Earth wouldn't have a hope. What had been written in the letter, brief though it was, was unsettling, and Eva was trying very, very hard to remain steady.

"You must trust me, Eva. Trust me on this, if nothing else."

Eva looked at him, sadness lingering in her eyes.

"How can I, when you deceive at every turn?"

"Eva. Please. Trust me. I need you to trust me, just once. Let me do this. If I cannot, then the entire human race will be extinguished."

"And you care?"

His face – though unseen to her – was grim, but his tone was soft.

"I learn from past mistakes."

The steps to stand beside him were careful, measured, and her hand touched his arm. He showed no reaction to her proximity, only continued to gaze out at the horizon. His jaw, however, was taut, and his eyes were filled with a million unspoken things.

"I married you because I needed to form the bond. I needed to know that should you be met with trouble, I would be aware of it. We are linked, you and I. Can you not sense it?" His hand moved to take her own, and Eva inhaled in sudden shock.

"I feel you," she whispered. It was true. All his emotion, tangled and complex, hit her in that second, and it almost left her reeling, so much so that she pulled away, gasping, unable to bear it. A rush to her brain. An overload. She'd never felt anything like it, and it heightened and dulled things all at once.

"Eva. Eva." His hands rested on her face, and he was startled to see tears in her eyes. "Eva…?"

"You did care," she whispered, staring at him in open astonishment. "Our baby. You're grieving. And I thought –" Her voice broke as two tears slipped down her ashen skin, blotted by Loki's thumbs.

"You thought wrong," he said softly. "I am not one to openly show emotion. You know this. But the child was mine as well as yours. I would be a heartless man indeed if I felt nothing for my own flesh and blood."

It was then that it dawned upon her.

"Family," she breathed. "That was what the child meant to you. Your own flesh and blood. Oh, Loki…"

He said nothing, but that was as good as agreeing. Another tear fell, and her hand held his cheek.

"I'm so sorry," she choked. "I'm so sorry."

His hand found her head, and he kissed her forehead, closing his eyes, fighting his own sorrow as Eva expressed hers. Oh, if only Thor could see this. If Odin could see the grief, the pain. The union between god and mortal. He doubted Thor and Jane Foster would bond in such a way. Marrying was not taken lightly in Asgard, as it seemed to often be on Midgard. Rarely did divorce happen – matrimony was a sacred thing. No Asgardian had ever tickled his fancy enough – he certainly hadn't ever viewed the giggling ladies of the court as viable partners. Well, not life partners. Bedding them was an entirely different story. But Loki had never thought he would actually wed.

It seems I was wrong.

"Thanos is coming," Loki murmured as the two lay in her bed. "The being I made the deal with. He is coming, and I… I do not know for certain how to stop him."

Eva leaned on her elbow, the duvet shifting as she moved, and her eyes, for once, were serious, devoid of sarcasm.

"What did you do?"

Loki exhaled. "I bargained with him. I agreed that he should have the Tesseract, that he could advance across the Universe, and in return I would have Midgard to rule as my own."

"And you accepted?" Her voice was horrified. "I've seen the Tesseract. I know what it can do. Why on earth would you bargain that?"

"I never intended to give it to him," Loki said, slightly coldly. "But Thanos works with the mind. He is a stronger telepath than even I am. He has made creatures die, made them servile, tortured and manipulated – all with his thoughts."

She gave him a glance.

"He tortured you, didn't he?"

"Yes." Loki's voice was quiet. "Yes, he did."

"I'm sorry." The words felt ashy, dull, devoid of any substance, and his eyes flickered, before swivelling to meet hers.

"I never thought I would hear a mortal express sympathy for me," he mused. "Especially not the woman who professes to loathe me."

"Nobody should go through such things," Eva murmured. "Not even you."

She could not bring herself to correct his statement, however, and it did not go unnoticed by him. Still clinging to her desperate morality.

"What do we do?" she asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. His brow creased.

"We keep him away from Midgard."

"And how do we do that?"

He ran a finger along her jawline, eyes suddenly tightening.

"I cannot tell you. If Thanos were to breach your mind… I cannot risk his discovery of my plans. Do not look at me so; there is nothing you might say that would alter my decision on this matter."

"But he breached yours. How powerful is he, Loki?"

"You would consider me benevolent in comparison with Thanos," the god replied quietly. "He is known as the being who courts Death – and yes, I do mean the personification. I suspect he is trying to impress his love with these conquests of his."

Eva exhaled, trying to somehow equate Loki with benevolence. It was not very successful. It was akin to imagining Thor as evil. Low success rate indeed. Troubled now, she ran a hand through her hair.

"Shouldn't you be counter-plotting instead of lying in bed with your wife?"

"Perhaps. But as I have been ruminating for weeks now… One tends to desire a break."

"And I'm that break."

"You certainly are not displeasing to my eye, and you do not present a life or death issue." There it was, that certain wryness which Eva had learnt to recognise as a trademark of his, and it was with a quiet laugh that she closed her eyes and moved below the duvet a little more.

"Oh, I'm so glad I do not displease you," she murmured, lips curving. "My heart would wilt if I did."

He chuckled then, and noted to himself that his heart felt a little lighter. Of course, the problem still loomed, still hung over him and seemed ever growing – but for the moment, he did not give a damn. Thanos could go to Hel.

The Other bowed his head before his great master, his voice grating, harsh as it emanated from beneath the hood.

"He knows you are coming, master. What shall we do?"

From where the great titan stood, the universe could be seen in all its glory – and Thanos gave a faint smile.

"Of course he knows. He is no fool. You know what to do."

At this, the Other's mouth curved, and it was a grim, unnerving sight.

"Yes, master."

When he walked away, it was with purpose. The time had come. The wheels would turn. The paths would be taken.

And the princeling would be slaughtered.

The Other smiled, and gave the order.

A/N: Well, damn.

Lightning xoxo