A/N - Thanks for all the follows, favourites and reviews! You guys make my day! Chapter 3, as promised... And finally, Loki's on the scene! A longer chapter this time. Finally decided which way this story is going too!

This is my first published story- Let me know what you think! Improvements, etc are more than welcomed!

Chapter 3.

She didn't need to go far. As soon as she was out of the door, a beautiful Asgardian woman with a dark brown braid and a kindly soft face stopped her. Her face was familiar, but not immediately recognisable. "Lady Darcy." She did a bit of a curtsey.

"Just Darcy," she said, her face reddening at the formality. Hardly a Lady, she thought, looking down at herself with a hidden snigger.

"Then I am 'just' Sif," she smiled. Her face lit up, and her chocolate brown eyes glinted. Darcy had been through an experimenting stage in her younger days. Had she still been at that stage, she'd have definitely made a move on this woman. Sif was otherworldly beautiful, her hair shiny and her body was slim and lean. She felt a pang in her stomach when she thought of her ordinary reflection in the mirror. Asgard was definitely a place for the beautiful species. With a jolt, she remembered why her face was familiar. She'd seen her once, when Sif travelled with the warriors to rescue Thor in New Mexico. It had been a while since then, and naturally, Darcy had forgotten.

"Where are Jane and Thor?" She asked.

"They're in a meeting with the King and Queen, and Mr and Mrs Forster." Her voice changed whilst trying to pronounce Mister and Missus like it was a foreign word (which, to her, it must've been). They called people 'Lady' or 'Lord' here, straight out of a British period drama like Downton Abbey or something.

"Oh. Of course." Of course. Darcy had known she was coming here as a third wheel. Or a guest of honour. Either one, depending which way she looked at it. "I am so sorry." She gushed, typical Darcy style, words falling out of her mouth with no filters. "I felt a little bit spaced out when we were travelling and then –BAM- I hit Asgard turf and I blacked out in front of everyone. I'm so stupid."

Sif laughed musically. "Oh, Darcy. Do not worry. The first time Thor travelled by Bifrost, he had unintentionally hit himself with Mjolnir when we journeyed, and when we landed, he could not stand straight!"

Darcy burst out laughing. "Thor? Seriously?" She sighed. "So I didn't make too much of a fool of myself? I heard arguing."

Sif's smile wiped off her face in a flash. "It wasn't you, Darcy. We had not anticipated your arrival, as Jane had told us only her parents were attending. So naturally, the castle's rooms are full with wedding guests coming from all branches of Yggdrasil for the union."

"Oh. Well, if that's a problem, I can always haul ass back to Midgard. Honestly." Darcy looked back at the room she woke up in. "So is this your room? It's really pretty."

Sif's eyes blazed, and for a split second, she looked furious. "It's not my room." Darcy took a cautious step backwards.

"Um. Sorry? What?"

"Even you may encounter a problem with the room if I told you it is Loki's old chambers."

Darcy's jaw dropped open for the second time in two days. "Oh… Loki's?" He must've been locked up somewhere, his stuff gathering dust for 2 years. She suddenly felt sick about how beautiful she found it when she woke up. Loki had lived in this room, he had decorated it with the things she had found stunning and magnificent. Sif noted her step back and smiled reassuringly.

"Darcy. If you have a problem with living here for the duration of the wedding, there are still rooms outside the castle, though inconvenient."

"No," she found herself saying. "It's not the room that decided to trash New York, attempt to enslave a race and fratricide. Besides, I don't want to be a problem." Further problem, she thought, annoyed. Why had Jane forgotten to mention she was on the guestlist? She did seem a bit bogged under lately, with SHIELD on her ass all the time, not to mention zapping from Asgard to Midgard every two seconds to visit the in-laws.

Sif smiled, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You have an excellent point." Sif went to walk away when Darcy called her back. "Wait! What am I supposed to do now?"

"I have my duty now. Feel free to explore the castle to your hearts delight. You'll know where you're not permitted entry, but the castle is relatively open." She turned to leave again and paused, remembering something. "Oh. Here. I almost forgot. If you get lost, use this to take you back. You need only think of your destination inside the castle grounds and it will transport you there." She pressed a cold object into Darcy's hand, smiled knowingly and vanished down the corridor, leaving Darcy by herself, surrounded by Loki's belongings.

And the strange gem in her hand attached to a silver chain. It was a beautiful colour. Well, colours. The same colours as the Asgardian sky, like they'd condensed into a crystal. It was a small pebble-type thing; smooth and circular, glittering. She moved it through the light, and admired it as the fog inside it seemed to move as if it were alive. She automatically put it around her neck, admiring it in the reflection of a mirror as it sparkled. There were too many mirrors here- but Darcy realised that if she was as stunning as these Asgardians, they wouldn't be able to tear herself from her reflection.

She looked back into the room with a shiver and felt curiosity pull her in again. Instead of swiping her fingers across the leather books, she looked at the titles with unrestrained curiosity. Most of them were history, some of them magic and some of them had no title at all. The monster that had devastated New York had been here, touched and read those books, looked out of the same window and slept in the same bed. She shuddered again, feeling strangely conflicted.

Wanting to get away from the books and magic of the room, she held the strange gem on her necklace. "How the hell is this supposed to work?" She muttered to herself. "Could've done with an instruction manual or something."

Feeling a burst of childish inspiration, she held it tight and thought her hardest, like she was in a movie. She felt lame and silly with her eyes screwed shut, squeezing on the gem as if she were trying to burst it. Garden? The request was more like a question in her mind, and she opened her eyes to the soft wind rustling her hair. "Woah. Cool. Very 'Harry Potter,'" she giggled to herself.

It had worked. She looked around herself, immersed in what must've been the Palace gardens. It was beautiful, like everything here.

Suddenly, she felt an urge to explore more. Being naturally inquisitive (and unashamedly intrusive), Darcy went into all parts of the castle, sometimes coming across people who looked at her in confusion and shooed her away when she went into places she shouldn't have been in. She stopped in the dining room, laughing at how much fun invading people's privacy was. After spending the remainder of the day transporting and exploring, Darcy felt herself drained and sluggish. Nobody had told her how the gem worked. Hell, no one had told her that it would work. She figured Jane was busy, and the chances of her making a friend that wouldn't get offended by something she'd say here was less than zero. Her friends on Midgard cringed at the stuff she said- here in Asgard it would be twice as offensive.

As night fell, she felt the (sickening) desire to snuggle up to those silky sheets in her (Loki's) room and fall into a deep sleep. Sighing, she got ready to transport again, feeling a little ashamed that she found Loki's tastes akin to her own. Well aside from murder and world domination. She squeezed her eyes shut and thought hard. Loki's room.

What? She thought as she opened her eyes. She thought she'd gone blind, and scuffled about in a panic, until her eyes adjusted to the light (or lack of). She heard a muffled cough, and followed the sound. She shouldn't be here. She knew it, but her curiosity got the better of her and she found her feet dragging her toward the noise, and the light. The cold stone floor echoed as her boots took step after step.

She halted when she heard a door slam, and a woman's voice. She hid herself in the shadows and held her breath. Her feet were planted to the floor and she froze, terrified.

The woman moved into the candlelight, and Darcy stifled a gasp at the familiar face of Frigga, her beautiful blonde hair spiralling up into an elaborate bun. She squinted, wishing she'd picked up her glasses before she left.

"Son." She said, her dress making an eerie sweeping noise every time she took a step. "Oh, Loki. You look worse."

Loki? Shit. She'd thought of Loki's room, and ended up being literally in the room that Loki was in. She knew she shouldn't be here, but her eyes adjusted enough to make out Loki's pallor, pain-drawn face and held her curiosity. His cheekbones were more prominent than the pictures she'd seen in New York, and his skin seemed too tight on his face, as if he had been malnourished. He was sat in the very corner of the room, his slender body scrunched up in a protective position. Darcy looked on in confusion as she saw the face of Loki transform from a scared but defiant five year old into a look of relief and relaxation. What had come through that door in the past that caused Loki of all people, to fear? His clothes were torn and wrinkled, his face slashed and dirty. His sunken green eyes tracked Frigga from across the room.

"Mother." He said. His voice was full of affection, though his face was unreadable.

Frigga knelt down next to her son and cradled him in her arms. Darcy watched in confusion as he closed his eyes and nestled into his mother's embrace. This definitely wasn't the same Loki Darcy had seen on TV, blowing up New York. He looked fragile, well past breaking point. How broken must he have been to actually accept affection?

"Loki, I can't see you like this anymore." Frigga's voice shook.

"It's all part of father's plan." He whispered, contempt in his voice. "I am a used up relic, a trophy from the war."

"You know that your father does everything for a reason."

He took this silently- only a sigh escaped from his chapped lips.

Darcy felt rude intruding on this obviously private moment, but too engrossed to leave. She liked watching the God who had wreaked such terror on Earth to be reduced to a whispering wreck. Part of her felt pity, but only a small part. Loki had deserved this pain. 2 years here was not enough to acquit him of his crimes. She thought of Erik, and how he shuddered to remember his time under the influence of this monster, even after two whole years."

Frigga sighed and let go of her son, gently pulling away. "Your actions have put you here, Loki."

"… I know."

With that, Frigga got up, and with one last painful look at her ragged son, she pulled open the door and left.

Darcy felt like it was time to go.

"Who's there?" Loki's demanding voice had her feet frozen to the spot. She should've transported the hell out of there that second, but instead she stepped into the half-light.

"Darcy. Darcy Lewis."

Loki leant back into the corner with a sigh. "A mortal in Asgard. How quaint."

Darcy narrowed her eyes. "A God in a prison cell. How uninspiring."

Loki looked mildly amused, as he usually did when insults were thrown his way. He didn't have the strength to move his body, but his facial expression conveyed the message.

"A little lost are we?"

"You think I came here on purpose? I could think of other places where I'd like to be other than here."

"Yet you're still here. Remind me how that came to be?"

Darcy's hand went to touch the gem around her neck.

"Ah." Loki said in understanding. "Mortals and magic."

"You…" Darcy took a step forward. "You look like shit." She finished, wishing she had said something intellectual. Even half-dead, Loki still managed to remain eloquent and witty.

"I think 730 days in an Asgardian cell would have you looking rather… drab."

He'd even counted the days. She was surprised that there weren't tally marks on the walls. "Are they torturing you?" She blurted out.

"Would you like that?" Loki leered.

Darcy took a step back. "Not into that sort of thing, thanks." She knew he meant differently.

There was a moment of silence as Loki looked on, unimpressed and unfazed by her nervous joke.

"I had friends in New York." She said quietly, breaking the silence. It wasn't exactly a lie- they weren't her friends- more acquaintances than anything, but human life meant exactly the same. She walked up to him, feigning confidence, and knelt down where his mother had just knelt, looking at his broken form close up. Even his hair hung limp about his face, some of the strands looking as if they were seared off with heat. Darcy, even in this moment, couldn't help admiring his amazing bone structure.

"Ohhhh." He drew it out, an echoing hiss and leant toward her, invading her personal space. She stood her ground, knowing he was powerless. "That. Let me tell you something, Darcy." His voice twisted around her name like a poisonous snake. "The quarrel you seek is with the Chitauri, not with myself."

"Huh. So you didn't murder anyone?" She said sarcastically.

"I don't deny the act. Just the responsibility. But someone has to play the villain." He got quieter as he reached the end of the sentence. His narrow shoulders slumped, looking tired and dejected as he leant back again, into the corner. "I should have never underestimated influence." He muttered to himself.

"I saw how you acted with your mother. You have some compassion left, right?"

"It seems so." He answered immediately, shocking Darcy. She thought he'd deny it.

"So you actually love her? It's not a trick?" She was overstepping her boundaries now, and Loki must've thought it, too.

"Does everything I do have to reek of mischief and hate?"

"You're the God of Mischief."

"And there you have your answer."

Suddenly she found herself annoyed. Annoyed at the fact people put him down, called him a monster and he didn't even stick up for himself, even though he seemed to think himself not entirely guilty.

"That's my answer though. Why don't you stand up for yourself? You're acting like nothing ever touches you! You're so… calm and collected. It's creepy."

Her voice rose to a half-shout, still cautious of who may be listening outside. After Loki looked at her blankly, she stood up and turned to leave. There would be no point talking sense into someone who has lost all will to live. She felt long, paper thin fingers grip her hand as she got up, pulling her back down again.

"Will you return?" His voice had gone back to the whisper he had used with his mother. It lacked compassion and feeling, but Darcy felt her heart tighten when she looked into his blank, dull green eyes framed by dark, thick lashes. She found herself nodding as something changed inside of her. The thin, frail fingers released their grasp on her arm, trailing down to her wrist and away from her.

She touched the gem again and thought Loki's former room. She knew it had worked when she felt the air grow warmer, and the environment less sinister. She opened her eyes to Loki's room, and felt herself grow cold again. She was supposed to hate him. Hell, she did hate him. But she still felt compelled to go back to that bleak room to talk nonsense with a man who had no feelings or conscience or any desire to explain himself. Cryptic bastard, she thought bitterly.

It didn't stop her from going back the next day, when everything had died down, and Jane was busy in sorting the final touches for the wedding with the family. She'd taken a shower, brushed her teeth and hair. She dug through her things to find a pair of jeans. Damn Jane, she thought. She'd packed anything but jeans. Flinging on a button-down checked jersey dress and some leggings, she picked up her glasses and her hand went to the gem around her neck.

It had been a short and sweet conversation- mostly arguing on Darcy's half, and amused sarcastic replies on his half. She felt as though she was psychoanalysing him, asking him questions to do with his 'bag full of cats' brain. When she had arrived, he looked up in what she thought was eagerness, but a blink later, and his face was unreadable again. She admitted he was more open with her than she had anticipated. Maybe he wanted to talk.

"Your brother is getting married tomorrow." She said, sitting on the hard floor next to him, cross legged. She played with her hair, still wet from the shower. "To my friend, Jane."

"He's not my brother." He muttered, before looking up. "That's why my mother was here yesterday. She wanted to invite me."

"To the wedding? Ha, looking like you do, you could probably be a zombie extra."

"I do not understand your stupid jokes," he said flatly, as if he was thoroughly pissed off.

"Hm. So are you actually coming?"

"They're cleaning me up tomorrow to make me look presentable," he spat.

Darcy shrugged. "Of course they will. All the worlds-"

"Realms."

"All the realms will want to know where you've been these past 2 years. Whether you're a new man."

"I am the same I as ever was, just more tired." He admitted, then slunk back as if he'd said too much.

Darcy scoffed. "Tired? So you don't feel bad for what you did?"

"Will 'feeling bad' erase all of what I have done in the past?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Then I do not need to feel remorse. I just need to be a part of these people's retribution."

"So you're just taking the punishment?"

"What else can I do?"

"You can feel bad for what you've done. I dunno, maybe atone for your actions, or try making it right. Explain yourself."

"The moment I came back, I knew exactly where they were going to put me, and I did not fight it. There is no point in fighting once you've lost. Besides, I am not taking responsibility for New York."

"Not taking responsibility?" She looked at him hard.

He looked back, and she felt as if she needed to look away – those eyes, though dead and dull now, still felt piercing. "It is hard to be in control of your actions when your fate is decided for you by others. A helpless puppet on a string."

"Quit the riddles, Loki, tell it straight."

"Why should I? No one believes me except my mother, and even she is repulsed by my true nature. You know what I am. You've accepted that truth, as has everyone else. Me being a monster is just a bonus."

Darcy sighed, feeling a little sorry for him and his labels. She shook her head and tried to forget that last thought. She could never feel sorry for a murderer, not even one that looked like a sad, lost puppy. But even then, the puppy you trusted could grow up and maul you to death. Nice and dark, Darce. She gladly pulled herself out of her thoughts.

"I'm leaving. Jane is probably wondering where I am." She stood up. "A little advice to you though. If you really want people to change their views about you, number one: stop murdering people. Number two: if they get it wrong, correct them- don't hold back on details. They all think you're who you are now because you haven't bothered to correct them."

"A bit late now." Loki said with a scoff.

"Hmm."

"Will you be here tomorrow?" He said, not looking up.

"Do you want me to be?" She looked hard at the pile of skinny rags in the corner.

It took him a while, but he managed a nod. Her lips pulled up into a small, sad smile and she found herself in her room again.

It was only minutes later when Darcy heard a quiet knock on the door. She flung it open to find Jane beaming from ear to ear. Darcy was thankful she came back just in time- she wasn't about to tell Jane about her pet villain. "How are you feeling?"

Darcy smiled back the best she could. "Super. When do we eat? I'm starving" It felt like she'd been here years. One thing she missed was snacking in between meals, not used to this set breakfast, lunch and tea lark. However, having servants to do stuff for her was a redeeming feature.

"I was just about to grab you and get you ready for dinner. Apparently everyone will be having dinner in the grand hall tonight. Oh, Darcy, I've met loads of legendary people these past two days. Gods, I mean. Actually talking to me like I'm important. And tomorrow…"

Darcy leant against the doorframe, grinning. "Tomorrow you get to be part of all this, right?"

Jane let out a quivering sigh. "I don't know Darce. I'm not ready for this."

"You love Thor, right?"

"Of course I do."

"Then you're ready. You'll be fine."

Jane gave Darcy an unexpected hug. "Thank you."

"Also..." She looked behind her into Darcy's room. Darcy moved out of the way and let her in, watching her as she took in her surroundings. "Are you sure you're fine in here?"

"It's just a room, Jane. Don't sweat it."

"It's just… It's creepy in here."

Darcy looked around her, feeling a familiar shiver up her spine. It was beautiful in here, she had thought before. Non-threatening. She found herself frowning.

"Creepy?"

Jane nodded. "You don't think so?"

Darcy shrugged. "I don't care. The bed is more than comfy, the shower works like a dream. Everything is hunky-dory. Now take me to food, woman." She dragged Jane out of the room, laughing, trying to forget the image of a broken Loki in the prison cell just minutes before.