A/N- Guys, I am so unbelievably sorry about leaving it this long between updates, I know it's the worst! I've been so busy recently and had so many stupid problems that I've neglected writing (and everything else), and I kinda fell out of the story (and life) for a bit… So again, sorry! It's also short, but I have juicy, long chapters coming up! :)

And I know I always say this, but thanks to everyone of you patient stars who have favourited, followed or reviewed this- I wouldn't keep updating if I didn't have you guys as encouragement! I haven't had time to get back to your reviews, too, but just making sure you know you're awesome and I love reading them!

Chapter 9

Loki walked back from Idunn's orchard in deep contemplation, his fingers curled around the vial of apple juice in his hand. Idunn had kindly transformed it into a substance that Darcy could consume in her state and left instructions on how it should be administered. The walk back had taken him around two hours on foot, and the sun had barely gone down when he had left the orchard. He liked the time to himself. It had always been like that. He had read the books, done the theory, whilst his brother had preferred a more physical method. In the past, anyway.

The walk from Idunn's was cathartic to say the least, and when he returned to the castle, he thought about confiding in his brother, maybe having a long talk to find some common ground between the two of them. The brother he had hated and left behind was an immature fool who had come back from Midgard wise and thoughtful. Maybe the change could trigger some sort of mutual interest between them. He wasn't overly repulsive at his wedding, and Loki began to be indifferent to his brother's presence.

He shook his thoughts away and made his way back to Darcy's bedside. He crept in like a thief, not wanting to be seen or heard. It didn't matter in the end, as Darcy's bedside was empty. Jane must've gone to sleep- it was quite late and the castle corridors were mostly empty. He scowled at the thought of Jane not staying with her, especially since she was vulnerable. He took care as he filled a syringe with the liquid (his books on Midgardian medicine came in useful with dealing with these foreign objects in the end) and injected it, watching it flow through the clear tubes.

He did this three times, until the vial was drained. Silently, he leant over her, staring as if confused by her closed eyes and relaxed expression. It wasn't the Darcy he had been told of, it wasn't the Darcy he'd experienced here. She'd always been on edge, ready to argue with a snarky attitude.

He hesitated slightly before he gently brushed back her hair and planted a small, cautious kiss on her forehead. He drew back, looking around the empty hall as if someone was watching. When he saw no one, he resumed his post by her bedside and took her hand, fighting heavy eyelids through lack of sleep. Her soft skin was cold, unlike the warmth of life he had felt when he had danced with her, or slept beside her. She practically radiated heat and life, but this Darcy was strangely cold.

"I hope this will work, for both our sakes." He mumbled under his breath, looking at her intently. Sat down beside her again, he waited.

Jane arrived in the early hours of the morning, unable to sleep for longer than a few hours and found Loki at Darcy's bedside. Again. She would have been annoyed if not for the fact he was fast asleep, his long fingers curled around Darcy's. She looked at Loki again, feeling a flower of confusion and curiosity unfurl. He shared Darcy's pillow, his slender body slumped sideways, his upper half curled up on Darcy's bed. She felt uneasy as she walked up to him, seeing his childlike expression, relaxed, without a hint of malice.

Maybe this was what Thor saw in his brother when he defended him; the naive innocence he displayed when he was vulnerable. Still, Jane made her footsteps heavy and loud as she approached, finding this version of Loki unsettling and confusing.

He woke with a start when he heard her footsteps. Jane saw his fingers tighten against Darcy's before he quickly let go and sat up. He looked at Darcy quickly with anticipation that slowly turned to a tired expression. Loki sighed. If she were to wake up, it would probably have happened by now. He wondered whether the deal would be void if it didn't awaken Darcy. Suddenly he felt angry at Idunn, and wanted nothing but to be alone, not in the presence of Jane of all people. If Darcy was truly lost, it was not worth him investing emotionally any more. A waste of his seemingly finite resources, apparently. Plus, Forseti would get what he wanted: grief over a mortal's passing and a set of suspicions to go with it. He thought it was about time he disconnected again.

"Lady Jane." He said, reluctantly charming, straightening himself up in the chair beside Darcy's bed.

"What are you doing here again?"

Loki glared at her. She was still rude, despite his best intention to stay pleasant. He didn't blame her, if he was truly honest. Which he would never be. "Leaving."

Jane scowled, finding nothing to say to him. She knew he wouldn't answer anyway. She wanted to ask him what was going on with Darcy- why did he hang around her, even going so far as to hold her hand and act like he cared? Was it a guilty conscience? But she knew she'd never get straight answers, and Loki would just get angry and defensive, as always. Still, she found herself calling his name.

"Loki!"

Loki disappeared in a second, ignoring her shout.

"Great." She sighed, looking at the back of the willowy figure leaving the room. She stared at the empty hall, and the door which had just closed behind Loki. With a resigned look, she sunk into the worn wooden chair by Darcy's bedside that Loki had just vacated.

Outside the hospital wing, Loki found himself faced with a wall of Asgardian soldiers, poised to attack, their golden spears pointed at his throat. Though he knew exactly why they were there, he wanted to use his voice whilst he still could. A panic rose in him when he thought of his dark cell, but he swallowed it down, regaining his calm and collected self.

"What is the meaning of this?" His voice echoed down the hallway as he looked across at the bright rays of sun between the stone columns. He realised it would probably be a long time until he saw the sun again, and wished he had stayed at Darcy's side a little longer.

The wall of soldiers parted, and a man he had never seen before stepped forward. He seemed unafraid under the menacing stare Loki was giving him. His voice didn't falter.

"Loki Laufeyson. You are required to return to your prison cell by order of the King of Asgard and his High Council immediately. Any attempt to fight or escape will result in your death. Do you understand?"

"Laufeyson." He scoffed quietly, a brief blanket of sadness covering his anger. He looked down at his crumpled clothing underneath golden armour, down at the stone beneath his feet. His sadness was gone in a second, and Loki met the gaze of the man before him with a dead stare. He knew he should ask for a trial, but after all he'd done in the past, he doubted he was entitled to one. Guilty until proven innocent in his case.

"I understand." He said tiredly.

Thor strode into the hospital wing for the fifth time this week to find his wife asleep by Darcy's side.

He noticed that Jane had barely slept in their new quarters, and when they talked, Jane's voice was coloured with a constant sadness. She didn't eat or drink as much as she used to (not that she needed to consume as much as she did). He sighed, striving to do something to make her happiness return again. He knew grief as well as the next person, and his thoughts flicked briefly to Loki and his silent journey to the dark cells below the castle, where he waited.

He had just been to the Allfather to plead for Loki's freedom alongside his mother's pleas, and launch some sort of investigation into Darcy's poisoning, but his father seemed preoccupied with 'trouble in other realms' that took priority. Thor loved his father dearly, but he couldn't help feel a little confused at his lack of compassion toward the matter. But he usually found these thoughts led to sympathy for Loki, which he tucked away cautiously, knowing it was dangerous territory.

Brushing away thoughts of his brother and father, he looked down at Jane's awkward sleeping position. Silently, he scooped Jane up effortlessly from the chair, feeling her stir in his arms. It was about time she slept in a real bed rather than hunching over a hospital bed, he thought. Jane eventually warmed to her place in his arms and brushed her cheek against the cold metal of his armour with what seemed like a happy sigh. He bowed his head, kissing the top of her head softly. His lips curved into a sad smile as he looked back at Darcy's empty bedside.

"Forgive me Darcy."

Darcy's eyelids flickered open with a start. She was alone. Her eyes widened in panic when she felt the foreign tubes in her body, the IV in her arm. She screwed her eyes shut again, the bright light stinging painfully. But it felt familiar, the mattress beneath her, the warm breeze rustling her bed sheets, much like the desert wind of Puente Antiguo. Maybe she was back home, she thought with relief. She felt someone come to her side, the soft patter of frantic footsteps at her right.

"There's no place like home," she managed to mutter before she felt a dizziness overcome her. She felt warm hands on her skin, then nothing at all.