Greetings, my readers! Sorry for the delay…again. I'm making a habit of this aren't I? Anyway, I don't want to waste your time with my words since you probably just want the story. I just want to thank you guys for being patient readers and reviewers. And now, here's chapter 10!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OC, Mandy. Loki and any other Marvel characters I add later on belong to Marvel or wherever they truly belong to.

Loki P.O.V.

While Mandy slept, I lay awake on my own bed, pondering about her story and the words she spoke. They lingered in my mind long after they were said but I could not understand them at all.

Could there truly be a being who could feel love for a monster?

It was madness to even conceive such an idea. Beasts were feared and hated. That was the truth and all beings knew it. Why create an elaborate lie in a tale only to give false hope to monsters that there is redemption for them? Nothing could save worthless, horrible creatures like me.

Realizing it was worthless to waste time troubling myself with such an unrealistic concept, I decided it would be more productive to get some sleep.

Throwing the blanket over me, I let the darkness of nothingness take me.

…

…

…

"NOOOO!"

A terrible scream pulled me out of the sweet embrace of sleep. I sat up and looked around in search of danger but there was none. Everything was still and silent. Night had still ruled the sky.

Assuming what I heard was just my imagination, I lay my head back on my pillow.

"PLEASE NO!"

Upon hearing it again, I realized that something was indeed wrong. There was fear in that voice.

I left the bed immediately to search of the source of the sound. I thought I could perhaps help silence it and return to sleep.

NO!"

I recognized the voice to belong to Mandy. I ran to her room but found it locked. She continued to yell from the inside and did not respond to my knocking and calling.

"DON'T DO THIS, PLEASE!"

I inferred that someone or something was attacking her from within the room, based on the things she said and the way she was speaking.

I attempted to open the door with force but it would not budge at all. Using my magic to unlock the door was out of the question. It had not yet returned to me at full strength. I had to find another way to enter the room.

After giving it some thought, I had an idea. I ran outside and found the window to Mandy's room. I had hoped that it was unlocked but unfortunately for me, it was not. Going outside was not pointless though. There was still one more option.

I looked around to find something solid enough to use. Once I came across a medium-sized stone, I knew I found what I needed. Aiming for the window pane, I threw the rock and shattered the glass.

I had already considered the possibility that Mandy would get angry at me for what I did, but I knew she would understand if it meant saving her life.

With the window now open, I entered the room, and braced myself to face whatever threat was inside.

Strangely enough, there was no one there, except for Mandy who was thrashing around on her bed.

Upon closer inspection, tears were seeping through her tightly shut eyes. Her face was twisted in fear and drained of all color. Her arms were moving about, either hitting the air or fisting the sheets. She was not having a mere nightmare. This was far worse.

I began to call her in an attempt to wake her up but she did not respond the way I hoped. She threw her hands around trying to fight away invisible monsters, injuring herself in the process. I grabbed her wrists to avoid being hit by her movements and to keep her from worsening her own condition.

She retaliated and began to yell, "No! Let go! Let go!" I ignored her and continued holding her down. Mandy started to kick me while screaming, "Please don't hurt me! Please!"

Realizing my actions were only aggravating the situation, I released her wrists and gently held her by the shoulders. "Mandy, calm yourself. You are just having a nightmare." I said, trying to sooth her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she spoke between sobs. "Don't hurt me."

She could no longer distinguish between dreams and reality. Her eyes were open but she could not tell if she was awake or not. Her blindness blurred the line and I had to help her find the difference.

"Mandy, it is me, Loki. Try to remember. You are not in any danger." I told her. She continued to cry at first, probably because she did not believe me. A few seconds passed before she let my words sink in. She then tried to reach for me. Once her hands made contact on my chest, she whispered, "Loki?"

"Yes. I am here." I replied in confirmation. Mandy pulled me closer to her and began to cry into my shirt. "Don't let them take me." She begged in a broken voice.

She was still trapped by her nightmare so I continued to remind her that she was safe. "No one will take you where you do not wish." I informed her.

It seemed she was still not convinced. I could feel her trembling while trying to hold on to me. She looked desperate. Almost as if I was her only hope. I wrapped my arms around her to keep her from shaking but I could not tell if it was in any way effective.

"They'll get me." She mumbled. I held her tighter and whispered, "No, they shall not. I will not let anyone hurt you. Now, calm yourself."

Her crying began to soften and so I slowly released her. In response, Mandy pulled me back into place if not even closer. She then choked out, "Don't leave."

The awkwardness of my position forced me to sit on the edge of her bed to make things easier for the both of us. I leaned on the bed post while she rested her head on my chest. Her grip on my shirt was still quite tight and it seemed she would not let go anytime soon.

Eventually, Mandy relaxed and drifted back to sleep. Seeing it as an opportunity, I tried to remove her from me so that I may return to my own bed. Unfortunately, no matter how gentle I was, she would still wake up and hold on to me once again.

It became futile for me to leave so I had to remain.

I had to admit, however, that I did not dislike being this close to Mandy. Her faint warmth and now calmer breathing was soothing to me. Her need of me was comforting. I liked knowing that she considered me as her pillar of support. It was strange to experience that someone felt that way about me. Nobody trusted the God of Mischief.

At times, I would gaze down at the sleeping figure on my chest and stroke her hair or her back. She was like an injured pet that needed as much attention and comfort as possible.

I had never seen Mandy in such a state of fear before. Now that I thought about it, I had never seen her in emotions other than happy and embarrassed. It made me wonder where such pain had come from.

I was certain that she had experienced or at the very least seen all that she had dreamt about. She knew exactly what those invisible monsters were and what they were going to do. Her actions proved as much.

It disgusted me to think that someone would dare hurt Mandy, who seemed she could do no harm and had a disability. She could not possibly deserve such a thing that would continue to haunt her even in her sleep.

What had they done to her?

Mandy stirred once again, but this time, she was not crying or thrashing around. She was calm. Through still slumped against me, she asked softly, "Are they still after me?"

"No one is after you. You are safe at home." I assured her. She was relaxed now, but to her, she was still within her dream.

I found it better that her outlet now was vocal rather than physical. At least no one would get hurt this time. So, I let her talk out her emotions.

"Are you sure? They might find me." She said.

"I'm here. If ever they come, I'll keep you from them." I told her, though I was certain no one would really arrive.

"Don't let them take me. They've blinded me and next they'll kill me." She then said with a hint of fear in her voice.

Her last sentence stunned me. That was what the nightmares were about. She was reliving the memory of how she lost her sight. She did not simply turn blind. It was forced upon her.

Anger began to build up in my system. Internally, I wanted to murder whoever the culprit was.

"Mandy, who blinded you? Why did they do it?" I asked, trying to keep my composure.

She did not respond well to the question. "They…they…No! No more! No! No!" She began react violently before pulling herself into a fetal position, while clutching her head.

I cursed myself for bringing up such a sensitive topic while she was still quite unstable. "Mandy, Mandy, relax. I just asked a question. No one else is here but us. No one is after you." I told her while trying to pull her out from her position. I was beginning to realize I was terrible at comforting someone.

Remembering how I calmed her down the first time, I scooped her back into my arms and let her lay once again, against me. She continued to tremble and her skin was getting cold. I stroked her back while whispering to her again and again, "You are safe. You are safe."

The trauma of the incident was still fresh in her mind. I could not blame her. To experience something like that, it could break the spirit. And I knew that feeling.

The loss of something valued greatly, whether it was sight or the truth, would always be devastating. The memory, the experience, and the aftermath would eat one away from the inside.

Mandy was broken, just like I was. It was a terrible thing to share and as long as the pain remained, we would forever be haunted.

End of chapter 10

Well guys, I hope you liked it! Finally, something interesting and thrilling…I think. What could have happened to Mandy? Keep reading to find out.

Also, I'm really hoping you can give a comment on the chapter. Just anything at all. I just want to hear from you and to know if people are still reading this.