Hello readers! Here comes the new chapter!

Thank you to all my readers who have left me reviews and messages. I read every single one of them. I don't really have much to say about this chapter other than the fact that it starts off the next arc. Well, no use delaying it. Here's Chapter 25!

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or any of its characters. Only the OC's belong to me.

Loki P.O.V.

I carried the still unconscious Mandy back to her room with the intention of letting her rest there but after seeing the mess from her kidnapping, I decided against it. The place looked so violated that even the blind girl in my arms would have felt uncomfortable being inside so soon after the incident.

Instead, I opted to bring her to my own bed. There she could remain for as long as she needed with someone watching over her.

The sun had not yet risen but it seemed evident that it would soon. That was fine. The light would not bother Mandy and I no longer had plans to sleep anyway. Someone had to stay awake with Mandy in case something went wrong.

I remained beside her, sitting on the floor next to the bed and busied myself healing each cut and bruise I could find on her skin.

The image of Mandy with her neck slashed open and struggling to breathe remained fresh in my mind. Her blood was still all over my clothes, showing me just how much she had lost before I cast the spell. I almost lost her today and it terrified me more than I ever thought possible.

I had not allowed myself to dwell on the idea that Mandy could die or disappear from my life since it was mentioned but the incident had finally forced me to face the possibility.

The way I reacted explained just how much Mandy mattered to me. There was no denying it any further. I needed her.

Having been abandoned and thought dead, there was no one and nowhere else to go to. Mandy was all I had. Being with her was the best thing that could have happened to me since I had left my previous life behind. With her, I did not need to hide nor act differently. I could be myself with her and not fear rejection. Despite how horrible I was, she saw something in me that was worthwhile. She made me feel welcome and accepted.

Caressing her pale cheek, I whispered a wish for her to wake up. I wanted to be sure that she was going to be alright. I did not want to be alone again.

Mandy continued to sleep, forcing me to worriedly wait. Hours passed without me noticing. The sun had already risen but Mandy still had not. My body was getting tired, but I could not allow myself to rest just yet. I had to keep watch.

Mandy P.O.V.

I knew that I was waking, or at the very least, conscious. There was a difference between sleep and seeing darkness; although during my nightmares, I found it hard to tell. This time however, I knew I was no longer asleep and that was why I was confused. I could not sense anything else. I felt numb, paralyzed and isolated. I could not even open my eyes just to be sure that I was indeed up.

Frightened and unsure, I began to wonder where I was and what was going on. I tried to recall what could have caused it, hoping that it could lead me to a way out.

Slowly the memories of my kidnapping resurfaced. I remembered being held against my will and threatened with beatings. I had called for Loki's help when I knew that there was no other way I could escape their grasp. There was a man who was a friend of those thieves from town. He was merciless and harsh. He insulted Loki with such terrible words. He hurt me too. I could still recall the feeling of the sharp blade cutting through my throat as if it was still there. He tried to kill me.

Had he succeeded?

I did not know what had occurred afterwards. The state I was presently in could not provide me with answers either. None of my senses were working and I felt all alone.

It seemed like there was only one explanation: I had died.

Loki P.O.V.

Mandy's breathing suddenly sped up before turning into sobbing. I looked up and saw tears spilling out of her closed eyes.

"Mandy?" I called out to her gently.

She continued to cry but I managed to catch her mumbling, "I'm sorry."

"Mandy, are you awake?" I asked her but she did not reply or even seem to have noticed me. Perhaps she was still dreaming or having another nightmare.

"I'm so sorry, Loki." She said again.

Her words confused me for she had no reason to apologize to me. If anything, it was I who needed to ask her forgiveness. I had endangered her and taken too long to save her.

Even so, I tried to follow suit with her train of thought. "Mandy, it's alright."

"I'm sorry I let this happen." She went on to say.

Needing to give her some consolation, I told her, "It was all my fault. Don't blame yourself."

She continued to insist. "I left you alone."

"Mandy, I am right here with you." I informed her, not knowing what it was she was trying to imply.

"Are you dead too? Did they kill you too?" She asked with a worried tone.

At that, I finally made sense of what Mandy was going on about. She thought that she was dead.

I decided clarify the situation to her and ease her mind. "Mandy, listen to me. You are alive and so am I. You are safe at home."

It seemed that she was still unconvinced. "I can't feel pain." She reasoned out.

"I healed your injuries." I told her, not bothering to mention that my magic had returned.

"Why can't I move?" She went on to ask.

Patiently, I explained. "The healing spell leaves you exhausted. Your body is merely tired."

It seemed that she had accepted the explanation and stopped questioning me.

Her silence lasted about a minute before she began to cry once again. "I'm scared."

"So am I." I admitted, as I wiped her cheek with my thumb. "Just relax and soon you will feel normal again."

"Can you hold me?" She requested in a tiny voice.

I could not help but pity her, knowing that she would normally not ask for that. To see her lower her pride to ask for some comfort was heartbreaking. It meant that she was truly in need.

Without hesitation, I slipped my hand into hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I am here." I told her.

"Hold me, please." Mandy said again, sounding more desperate.

She seemed to want something other than what I had given her. I thought hard to determine what it could be without forcing Mandy to have to explain.

Suddenly an idea came to mind: during those times when Mandy was terribly distraught, she would be calmed and consoled by an embrace.

Conceding to her request, I gently crept onto the couch. I scooped her up where she could rest her head on my chest while I wrapped my arms around her.

Mandy did not complain, proving that I was doing the right thing. I settled in and made myself comfortable, knowing that we were going to be in that position for a while.

I could feel her heart pounding, letting me sense for myself, the fear that she was experiencing. I rubbed her shoulder to try to ease her although I knew it would do little for her current state. My uselessness further increased my guilt.

"Are you okay?" Mandy asked after a while of being quiet.

"I am alright." I replied, petting her head. It was not the time to bother her with my own worries.

Mandy was not convinced. "You can stop acting like everything's fine."

I held back a grunt, realizing I should have known better than to fool her when my emotions were discussed.

"How could you tell?" I decided to ask.

"I can feel you trembling." She revealed.

I sighed. She may have been traumatized but she was still very keen.

"Can you blame me? I almost lost you." I confessed, not noticing the lack of shame in being honest with her.

Mandy's fingers weakly grasped my blood-stained shirt as she muttered. "I'm sorry."

Once again, she apologized for what was not her fault. "Mandy, you were a victim. Stop saying that you are sorry."

"I just wish I could stop attracting trouble so you wouldn't have to deal with things like this." She complained.

I shook my head and told her, "They were after me, Mandy."

She refused to accept it. "But I started it all. It was my fault things got ugly when we first met those guys."

"They would have gone after anyone who got in their way." I countered.

Frustrated still, Mandy went on to say, "I wish I could have done something at least. All I did was sit there be a hostage. I was so weak."

Her words upset me. She looked down on herself too much.

"I saw you fighting back there. You were being anything but weak." I firmly stated.

She made no response, probably still unwilling to accept what I had just told her.

"Anyway, it is in the past now. Build up your strength and let us pretend it never happened." I consoled.

Mandy's voice shifted to a more careful tone when she asked, "Loki, what happened after?"

"After?" I repeated, unsure of what she meant.

Appearing to have more courage, she clarified her question. "Why are we both okay? What happened to those guys?"

I did not know how to reply. Mandy did not agree with my methods and I knew she would not be happy to know I killed once again. I honestly did not regret my actions but Mandy had a moral code that would not allow the taking of lives, regardless of the reason.

"Mandy, I don't think this is the right time to discuss it. You are still recovering." I said, avoiding the topic altogether. I did not wish to lie to her.

Of course, Mandy still asserted her desire for an answer. "Loki, it's going to bother me until I know."

"Just trust me. I have taken care of the problem and you won't have to worry about that man ever again." I stated with confidence.

Finally conceding to me, she said, "I hope so."

I squeezed her shoulder and told her, "I made sure of it."

"Thank you." Mandy breathed. "I know you could've spared yourself the trouble by not coming to my rescue."

"I couldn't let them hurt you." I said but in my mind, I knew I had not done enough. They were able to harm her and almost took her away.

"They were so cruel." She said in a whimper.

I cringed, agreeing with her. "I know."

"They said such horrible things to you too." Mandy added.

Not as bothered by it, I told her, "It does not matter anymore. They were fools to cross paths with me."

"Still, they had no right." She insisted

I waived off the topic. "You need not worry about me. Your recovery is what is important now."

"Was it tough to heal me?" She asked innocently.

"Healing wounds is not difficult but an injury like yours provided a different problem." I informed her.

Not fully grasping what I meant, she inquired. "What do you mean?"

I gave a pained sigh, wishing I did not have to think of the horrifying possibility again.

"You could have died even if I managed to close the wound. If your body had given up before I could finish, I would have lost you."

"You asked me to fight." Mandy cut in.

I looked down at her, surprised that she was aware of what I had told her. "I did but how did you know?"

Though sounding nervous, she confessed, "I heard you. I knew I was going to die but I heard you calling."

The revelation shocked me for there was an implication in her words that I found difficult to fathom.

"Are you saying that you came back for me?" I said in stutters.

Mandy wasted no time to respond. "Of course. I couldn't leave you."

My chest welled up with a feeling that was hard to describe. A part of me was touched by her gesture while the other could not believe that she would do such a thing.

I kissed her forehead in gratitude. If she was not perfect already, she was now. This brave, non-judgmental and selfless young woman was far too good to me. She could have spared herself the suffering of living as a lost invalid yet had chosen to stay for me.

"What was that for?" Mandy asked in a tone I could not read.

Suddenly a spark of worry flashed in my mind. I had not considered how she would take the gesture or if she even understood what it implied.

I opted to act unaware. "What do you mean?"

"You just kissed my head. I felt it." She explained but I still could not read anything from her.

Deciding that a direct approach was needed, I asked her, "Does it bother you that I did?"

Mandy P.O.V.

Loki's question caught me off guard. I honestly did not know how I felt about it. Such a move from him seemed a little out of character. He liked to tease but he was never so affectionate.

Or was he?

My mind was slowly filling up with memories of his kind acts towards me. He had helped me through my nightmares and cared for me when I was ill. He had even saved my life not too long ago.

Does he care for me more than just a companion? No, it's probably because he's trying to pay me back for letting him stay. Or maybe he felt sorry for me. He's just grateful. He can't be in love with me. But then why would he treat me so well and say things like he would 'remember me.' Why would he risk his life and his secret to save me?

And how do I feel about him?

The ramblings and questions in my head started to cause me physical pain. I was not well enough or even ready to deal with such a difficult problem just yet. I did not want to worry myself more just after another traumatizing experience. I just wanted things to be peaceful for now.

"I'm dizzy." I blurted out.

I felt Loki shift his position before suggesting. "Would you like me to numb the pain away?"

Finally able to move a little more, I shook my head saying, "No, that's fine. You've done enough for me already. You must be tired."

"I am a little." He confessed with his voice showing his exhaustion.

"You should get some rest too." I told him.

He politely refused. "You need company. I'm sure you do not wish to be alone."

Unfortunately, Loki was right. There was still the looming fear left behind by the terrible experience I had just gone through and in all honesty, I would have preferred to stay with him despite how confusing things between us were becoming. The only thing I was certain of right now was that I needed him with me.

Loki P.O.V.

Mandy took a brief moment of silence after I spoke. It worried me a little that she was still feeling unwell both physically and emotionally.

I realized that should have been more careful in the way I acted. She had enough to deal with as it was and I could have only made it worse.

When Mandy finally spoke, however, I was calmed down. "We can stay like this, for now. You can take a nap like this, can't you?"

I tried not to appear too surprised when I said, "You would not mind?"

"I owe you my life." She stated with no hesitation.

At that, my mind was at ease for the moment. Perhaps Mandy had not taken my gesture earlier the wrong way or at the very least put the whole thing aside temporarily.

Finally allowing my exhausted body to rest, I leaned back and closed my eyes. Just before sleep could take hold of me though, I realized that I had not told to the girl in my arms what I wanted to say.

'No, I owe you mine.'

End of Chapter 25

I have done it! Oh my goodness I have finally reached this part! This whole chapter had no generalized plot that I had to create it as I was going along.

Yes, there's fluff and finally, some (obvious) romantic hints. A lot of you had been asking for it so I hope you were satisfied.

Guys, I wanna hear from you, so tell me if you liked it or not, if the characters are getting too OOC or if the plot is getting terrible and cheesy. What was your favorite part/line? What do you suggest will happen next? Let me know.

See you guys in the next one~