Hello my faithful readers! I hope you guys don't hate me for taking forever again. By the way, thanks to those who faved, followed and reviewed!

I also hope you'll like this chapter. Many of you have been asking about the great reveal so here it is, Chapter 13!

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.

Mandy P.O.V.

The two of us calmed down for a while. I could have sworn I was releasing heat earlier which probably meant I was more pissed off than I thought. We both needed to cool our heads.

Just as I was getting used to the silence, Loki decided to speak and unfortunately, it was about the one topic I wanted to avoid.

"May I now ask you to share what it was that you dreamt about the other night?"

I cringed at the mere mention of my nightmare. "I still don't know how I can tell you that." I told him honestly. I was not ready and did not know how to begin.

He did not get mad again, but he did not sound happy when he tried to say, "I thought you said…"

"I know, but I wished we didn't have to start with that." I said, cutting him off. "It's not something I like to talk about."

"How long do you intend to hide it?" he asked, sounding like he was trying to hold back his anger.

I bit my lip before replying. "As long as I can. Can't we just let it slide for now? There's nothing there to make you not trust me."

It was true. What happened back then only affected me and hopefully no one else. I was keeping it to avoid dragging Loki into my problems. He had to understand.

His next statement, however, shocked me. "No, but it had something to do with how you lost your sight, right?"

My body froze while I tried to contemplate of ways how Loki could have known. "How did you…?"

"You mentioned it while half-asleep." He informed me bluntly.

I scanned my memories to confirm that he was telling the truth but everything was a blur.

"Did I say anything else?" I asked while my nervous breathing began to become audible.

"You said people were after you." He told me in the same tone he had used earlier.

I was not at all happy that he knew so much. More so, I was mad at myself for letting such things slip from my mouth, even if I was asleep.

"It sounds like you know enough, why do I have to tell you now?" I tried to hide my irritation as I spoke.

Unlike me, he was calm when he responded. "It aroused my interest. I wish to understand it completely. What led to such a thing and why did they want to kill you?"

I was not prepared for this, nor did I even want to talk about it. Unfortunately, there was no escaping it now. I had to tell him.

Feeling defeated, I took a deep breath and began.

"Some years ago, I was involved with a group of thieves; not by my choice of course." I added, just to make sure he did not get the wrong idea.

"They sort of took me and forced me though blackmail and death threats."

"You became a thief then?" He asked with a tone that meant he was curious but not accusing.

"Not exactly." I told him. "They made me their decoy and look out. Ironic right?"

A bitter and sarcastic laugh escaped my lips before I continued. "I would act like some innocent customer who'd distract the owners while the rest robbed the place."

I paused, waiting for Loki's reaction. He did speak, but not with the expected response.

"That does not explain why you are blind."

I cringed. He really wanted to hear the worst parts of the story. The bits that I never wanted to remember again.

Forced to move on to more pressing matters, I readied myself to tell him.

"On one specific heist, they almost got caught. They blamed it on me. They thought I let it happen." I closed my useless eyes as I spoke.

"They tried to punish you." He stated, not even making it sound like a question but I confirmed it anyway.

"They did. I was tortured for days, I think. I was locked up in a room with no windows, light or food. They beat me with pipes until I passed out. Finally, they put some chemical in my eyes and…"I shook my head, not wanting to finish it anymore.

I could almost feel myself being pulled back into the moment when it happened. I could smell the rust and dried blood. I could feel my body getting weak and sore. I hated the memory.

"No more…please…" My words were barely audible and even if they were, he would not have stopped. He just continued slamming that metal rod or pipe on my already bruised body.

The darkness of the room prevented me from identifying what it was he used and somehow, I preferred not knowing.

My tears had long run out and I had lost count of how many days I had been trapped. I was starved, dehydrated and exhausted. I knew I would not be able to last if this continued. It was exactly what they wanted.

"All right guys, who's next? My arms are getting tired and there's no fun when she's stopped moving." said the one who had been hitting me. I had hoped that they would get bored of me and let me go. Unfortunately, they did not.

In between the snickers of the other men, I heard one voice say, "If battering her isn't enough anymore, I got a better idea."

I dreaded his return. I did not want to think of what he was planning. I just wanted the agony to end.

My dulled senses did not allow me to detect his presence when he came back. All I knew was that I was being yanked by the hair to face the opened door, the only source of light. To avoid the brightness, I shut my eyes.

"Aw, is it too bright? That's ok. We'll make sure you won't have to worry about that ever again." I could hear his voice turn sadistic at those last words.

He forced my eyelids apart which made me see his twisted grin. That was the last thing I saw before he dumped liquid into my eyes.

It stung if not burned. I screamed in pain while they laughed. No matter how hard I tried to avoid it, he would keep pouring it on.

Once he was done he threw me on the ground and closed the door, leaving me to suffer alone.

Loki P.O.V.

I watched Mandy as she told her tale. The more she spoke, the more her blind eyes watered. By the time she had reached the part of the about her torture, there was fear and pain in her face that began to wrack her whole body. She was trembling. It could not have been caused by the cold for the earlier argument had heated us both. No, it was obviously due to the dark memory I had made her resurface.

It was reminiscent of the other night and I hated it. I disliked seeing her this way, breaking apart at the remembrance of the past, as if she was still within that moment. Mandy was not normally so weak.

She pulled my vest tighter around her body, almost like she wanted it to hug her; like she wanted me to embrace her. I had the urge to do so but I held back. I was not the one she needed.

Mandy finally broke down after she had refused to continue the story. She brought her hands to her face and began to cry like she had the other night, with her body shaking and her sobs loud.

It compelled me to move closer, to try and stop her from acting so pitiful.

"I'm such an idiot!" She yelled out while she wept.

"Don't you dare call yourself that. You had done nothing wrong. Those men are to blame. You were a mere victim." I firmly stated, but she continued to cry.

"No matter what I do, I always mess up. I'm a failure. I don't belong anywhere. Thieves hate me; my own father was ashamed of me." Mandy added.

What she said struck a nerve. Her thoughts perfectly fitted how I viewed myself.

I was always second if not last in my father's eye. I was never good enough or strong enough to equal the other Aesir. I tried many times to prove them wrong but they backfired on me. Everyone despised me.

Mandy was more like me than I originally thought. There was, however, a glaring difference: she was no monster.

Without thinking, I wrapped her in my arms and held her close, like how I did when she was within her nightmare. She did not reject me nor did she try to put up walls of false pride. She wanted, no, needed this.

I hugged her like I wished someone did to my younger self, both casualties of disappointment and hatred. Both of us desired attention if not love from others because we were deprived of it. The irony was that we never received any of it. It went to those who were already well-loved. It was not fair.

"I'm sorry you had to get stuck with someone as terrible as me." Mandy mumbled.

I knew how she felt. That feeling of self-hate coupled with external torment was destructive. I would know. No one should ever feel that; at least Mandy should not. There were many others who deserved that pain, not her. She was a poor victim of fate and was now suffering for punishments that were not meant for her.

"There is nothing to apologize for."

She did not respond, as if she was tired of fighting. I let her warm body continue to lean against my own. We remained in that position for a long time. It seemed that Mandy had found comfort with me that she no longer desired to move away. I too felt relaxed just by her presence.

After a while, I felt a rise in temperature where Mandy was. I looked down and realized that she had fallen asleep in my arms. Initially, I found it amusing how she easily dozed off after crying. It was only when I brushed her hair out of her face that I realized that something was wrong.

Her skin was heating up abnormally. Mandy had also begun to sweat in contrast to the cold weather. Even her breathing pattern had changed. It was raspy and irregular.

She was ill.

End of Chapter 13

Well there you have it! Mandy's nightmare and past finally revealed. I had mixed reviews with some saying they want to know her past, and others complimenting me for delaying it. I hope I made you guys happy.

I'm still welcoming constructive criticisms and please review so I'll know what you guys think.