Late that night, after the bar had been not-quite emptied, Grace staggered back to her apartment, leaning heavily on Loki. She desperately needed to sleep and Loki knew from her behaviour that she would likely regret her decision to drink so much come morning. For the moment, however, she alternated between morose and amused at the smallest things. When they reached the apartment, he had to help her unlock the door. He let it latch closed behind him and hoped she would sleep quickly, he also exhausted from the long day. She stumbled against him and giggled as he caught her, keeping her from tipping over sideways.

"You know, right about now, I'm up for anything." She winked and ran her hands across his chest.

"I hardly think that is a level-headed assessment. The only thing you need to be up for is getting some rest before our journey tomorrow."

"Yeah, but you could wear me out."

"Miss Grace, now is not the time to discuss this."

She draped her arms around his neck, "Oh, come on...I'm fine!"

"That you may be, but in the midst of grief is not the time to make these kinds of decisions." Grace dragged him to the couch and knocked him onto it, landing on his lap and kissing him aggressively. Loki gently pushed her away. "No, Miss Grace. No. Not like this."

She pouted, "Come on, play with me!"

"No. You are my friend. We will discuss this in the morning. It is time for rest."

"Then come to bed with me."

"No. I need some time to think tonight. Please take time to do the same."

Grace grew angry, "Fine. Some friend you are...I just want a little fun." She stormed to her bedroom and slammed the door. She tossed herself on the bed and was asleep in minutes.

Loki sat down on the couch, his head in his hands, wondering if he had done the right thing. He went to the kitchen and found some of the leftover stew, reheating it for dinner. He sat at the table alone, slowly eating as he was lost in thought, attempting to figure out just what he would say in the morning. He hoped she had not meant her final words, that it was the anger and grief speaking combined with the alcohol. This kind of conflict was one of the main reasons he had avoided ever availing himself to those who could possibly be his friend in Asgard. He simply did not know how to fix things when they broke and either steadfastly believed he was right and the other person should bend or he pretended the conflict had never happened in the first place, thus leaving the other person angry or confused. He had done this with Thor's friends a few times before he simply distanced himself from them and stayed close to his brother. His brother. The only one he could completely mess up with and still find himself talking to the next day. The one who understood he had no idea how to make things right. Who was unafraid to argue with him, to tell him how wrong he had been, to say the words others were afraid to tell him. The only one who never let a conflict rest and fester, insisting even after sleep that it needed to be resolved one way or another so they could move on.

It was in these ponderings that Loki realised that Thor was still doing those things, even as the mistakes grew, even as they escalated and spiralled out of his control. Every time Thor came to retrieve him, he was bringing back the argument, hoping they could finish it and solve it. Every time he tried to drag him back to Asgard, he was trying to show Loki just how wrong he had been, how harmful his actions had been, and to find a way to fix everything so they could go back to being brothers. After Jotunheim and the fall from the Bifrost, after New York, and after Asgard, Thor still did the same things, just on a greater scale and would likely continue to do so even when he was completely unworthy of the forgiveness. And at that moment, sitting in Grace's kitchen, Loki realised that this was what his dear friend had just lost. For all the times he had pushed Thor away, Loki had always known he was there, searching for him, looking for a way to save him, believing that there was something in him worth saving. Always. He had never doubted that Thor would be somewhere in the nine realms or beyond, waiting. He tried to imagine what it would be like to suddenly know that Thor was not coming for him and would never, could never, come for him. The sadness he felt was sharp and stinging and yet he knew that it was nothing but imagined, that for Grace, it was accute and would not go away when she decided to stop thinking of the worst.

He called to JARVIS, "Hello? JARVIS? Might you take a message to Thor?"

The voice answered, "Of course. What is it you would like me to relay?"

"Tell him that I think I might understand what he and Odin have been trying to teach me."

"Is there anything else you wish me to say?"

"No, thank you."

The room was once again silent. Loki washed the dishes and set them on the drainboard, making sure the stove was off and turning out the lights. He turned off the lights in the rest of the apartment and undressed. He laid down on the couch and pulled the thin afghan hanging on the back of it over his bare skin, curling up under it the best he could. He tried to quiet his thoughts, his mind still racing from the train of thought he had discovered while sitting in the kitchen.

Late the next morning, Grace readied herself for the day and immediately sought out a cup of strong coffee to deal with the hangover she had from the night before. She popped a coffee pod into her brewer and stuck her favourite cup under it, wandering out to the living room while she waited. She then noticed Loki curled up on her couch, huddled under the blanket in the chill. She went to her bedroom and pulled one of the quilts off the bed, tucking it around him when she returned to the living room. She gently kissed his forehead and returned for her coffee. She wondered why he had not come to cuddle up with her and tried to remember what had happened the night before. She started cooking breakfast.

Loki woke to the sound of lightly clattering pans in the kitchen and realised he was wearing a blanket that was unfamiliar yet smelled of Grace. He tugged it up close to his chin and watched her as she moved around the kitchen, slowly remembering the events of the night before as his still-tired mind woke up. He wondered whether he should bring up what she had done or pretend it had not happened until she brought it up. Of course, he then had to consider what to do if she simply did not bring up the subject, for one reason or another. He quietly slipped out from under the blanket and went to bathe.

Grace stopped in the middle of moving a pan from the drainboard to the rack on the wall as she abruptly remembered what she had done, "Sweet fucking hell, did I really do that?" She glanced out to the couch and found it empty. She listened for the shower and then put the pan away that she still held in her hand. Grace continued working on breakfast, thinking about what she was going to say when she actually stood face to face with Loki. She heard the shower turn off and sighed, setting the table as she tried to figure out just what words were appropriate for this kind of situation.

He returned to the living room and dressed, folding the blankets and neatly draping them over the back of the couch. He brushed back his hair and headed to the kitchen. Grace met him just outside the kitchen entryway. They stood awkwardly facing each other for a moment before Grace held out her hands and he took them, stepping closer and bringing her arms around his waist.

"Miss Grace-"

She put her fingers to his lips, "No. Me first. I was...well, stupid last night. I'm so sorry. And thank you. Thank you so much for being the gentleman and shooting me down over and over again." She kissed his cheek lightly and rested her head on his shoulder.

He rested his head against hers, "Grief does strange things to us all, Miss Grace."

"Grief and far too much alcohol. I drank myself to stupidity."

"Then it is quite fortunate that I did not."

"Yeah. Really. Is it even possible for you to get drunk here? Tony always said that Thor drank like a fish and seemed sober even after Tony was well past being coherent."

"It takes quite a lot. If you are ever permitted to visit Asgard during a feast, I recommend you do not drink our ale. It would likely take very little to bring you to where you were last night."

Grace smiled, "I hope I get to someday see one of them. For now, though, come on out to breakfast- I've made pancakes and eggs."

Loki nodded and followed her to the kitchen. They ate breakfast quietly and then went about packing for a few days away. JARVIS confirmed that the public memorial and the after-party were in three days and also arranged for the private jet to meet them at the airport. Two hours after breakfast, they sped out of the parking garage.