Loki woke up in a cold sweat. "Jesus," He muttered.

He hopped out of bed and went to his private little kitchen to make a cup of bad instant coffee. He still needed to buy a coffee maker and a couple of other little luxuries. The image of the albino child made him think of his mother. She'd had the most amazing ice white hair and milky white skin. Her eyes had always been problematic. Loki remembered her always wearing different colored contact lenses. She always looked stunning with blue eyes.

He tried to shake off the nightmare. Though the events in the dream made no sense to Loki, he could tell it was all about his mother. He texted his friend Emily for comfort as he plopped down in front of his laptop to pull up familiar footage from his hard drive. The grainy crappy video made by rewinding and recording over the same VHS (in digital age no less!) over and over again was the worst quality surveillance possible. A hooded man, barely in frame walked up behind his parents as a train approached and shoved them in front of it. His blood pounded in his ears as the hooded man ran by an old man wearing coke bottle glasses and his hunched-back wife, who clung to a walker for support.

"God will give me justice," Loki's blood boiled in his veins.

He got up and forced himself to shower and dress. On days like this one, when he wanted to wallow and get drunk he tried to do the opposite. He could shut down if he let himself. It had been 5 years since the murders and Loki was only 22 years old. A whistle from Loki's phone alerted him to an incoming message.

Emily Text: {What's up?}

Loki Text: {Bad dream}

{Because of the house?}

{IDK. Probably. R u coming to my open house? Think I can have this place ready in about a month.}

{Hell yeah! I miss you.}

{Miss u 2. Text me your pic. Don't know what u look like anymore.}

{Nope, sorry. You have to wait.}

{Damn u! Do u really look that different?}

{I grew my hair out and dyed it, not that you'd notice!}

{Talk to u later}

{Talk to you later}

{Bi ;) }

{Bye }

Loki got up, feeling much better. He spent the remainder of his week teetering on flimsy ladders installing new smoke detectors, or on his hands and knees scrubbing something more than was necessary. Thanks to his education he constructed his business website without assistance. He sent out an email invitation to the Starks to come out to the country to visit him in his new home the following Saturday.

XxXxXxXxXx

The black town car came rolling up the driveway quietly. Daniel pressed the horn to declare his arrival. Daniel Stark, his sister Emily, and their parents Tony and Pepper Stark clambered out of the car after a five hour car ride from New York City. Loki's heart pounded in his chest as he rushed out the front door.

Daniel had grown, or perhaps he was standing taller? Gone was the zit faced, brace faced nerd. Before him stood a man, no longer scrawny but lithe. His thin arms possessed definition. His chest was broader, and his confident smile beamed at him. Loki's jaw dropped at the sight of him.

"Oh my God! Daniel!" Loki ran to his friend feeling excitement and sudden nervousness.

His hands grazed his toned back as his stomach pressed against his, feeling the hard definition beneath the cotton shirt. He smelled like sandalwood and spice. Loki pulled back from the embrace to look at him. His beautiful brown hair was longer than he remembered, coming to about his chin. Loki felt discomfort then as he gazed into the oblivious eyes of his heterosexual object of desire. He pulled away completely then.

Tony, Pepper, and Emily each leaned in for their hug, breaking the tension. "Well, come on in and look at the house!" Loki said.

"Oh wow, this place is amazing," Mr. Stark commented as he examined the exterior. "I'm glad to see you diversified your investments," his Wall Street colors showed.

"Loki honey, I'm so proud of you. This house is beautiful. How much did you say you paid for it?" Pepper asked.

"A little over half a million," Loki said.

"But how much is it worth? What did the appraiser say?" Mr. Stark asked.

"He said about $2.65 million if I was able to find the right buyer, but that could be tricky given the location. Maywood is not a big draw for city types unless they are looking for a vacation home in the country," Loki said.

"You mean Mayberry, not Maywood. I think I saw Opie fishing in a pond on the way here." Emily said as she sucked on her Blow-pop like a child.

"Maywood is not that bad." Loki defended.

"Yes it is." Emily retorted. She stopped still and looked up at the grand ceilings and opulent surroundings. "You lucky bitch!"

"Emily! Language!" Pepper admonished her daughter. Mr. Stark gave a low whistle as he examined the inside.

"If you like this you're going to love the library," Loki said to Daniel and Mr. Cooper.

"The library?" Daniel quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Trust me." He said. "Go. Scatter. Explore the house while I make dinner. I know your butts are sore from the drive."

Daniel and his father took off down the hall admiring the bannister and dark stained wainscoting.

"Dad! Look at this!" Daniel said, summoning his father into the library.

The men grinned at each other as they picked up and examined all the little trinkets in the room. Daniel spun a globe that was made of ivory, mother of pearl, and other rare materials. Mr. Stark ogled an African hunting spear that was mounted on the wall opposite the fire place. Daniel moved on to the stuffed lion and petted its head like it was a house cat. His grin fell from his face, however, when he noticed the urns on the mantle. Loki had placed his parent's ashes there. Mr. Stark's smile disappeared as well. They quickly looked away to find other things to admire.

"This is a strange looking paperweight." Mr. Stark picked up the glass object from off the desk to inspect it. It was a perfectly spherical orb, hollowed out with several items inside. A cap had been cut off and then reattached with gold. It was about the same size and weight of a medicine ball. The glass was full of imperfections and bubbles and looked reminiscent of a heavy homemade Christmas tree ornament. Mr. Stark held the orb up to his eye to better peer at its contents. Inside he could make out bits of silver, obsidian, a rusty nail, bits of broken mirror, herbs of some sort, and what appeared to be bones.

"Hey dad, you coming?" Daniel yanked Mr. Stark from his obsessive gazing. Mr. Stark palmed the item back and forth between hands as if he was hesitant to leave it behind.

"Ah…yeah. Sure." He put the item back on the desk with a longing expression before leaving.

After about 30 minutes of listening to footsteps all around the house the Starks reconvened back in the kitchen with Loki.

"Holy shit this place is cool!" Emily exclaimed. "I call dibs on the first bedroom!"

"It's official. I'm living here. I'm putting a cot in the library and never coming out." Mr. Stark said.

"Me too." Daniel said.

"Mmmm. Is that salmon?" Pepper asked.

"Yes." Loki said.

"Is anyone else coming?" Daniel asked.

"Unfortunately no. All of my college friends are busy either working or looking for work. None of them could make it out here this weekend. It's just us." He lied.

"Loki we are really proud of you. I think this bed and breakfast is a wonderful idea, but we worry about you. You don't know anybody in this town and you're going to be lonely. Why didn't you come back to live in the city?" Pepper asked.

"I'm afraid to ride the subway." Loki said quietly as his eyes glazed over with wetness. On instinct, Emily walked to him and pulled him to her chest. The anniversary of his parent's murders was in four days. Emily's breath hitched and her skin tingled. She'd never felt like this around Loki when he was living with the family. Somehow, Loki had managed to escape her friend zone. The air felt heavy in her lungs and she had to suppress her desire nuzzle his neck.

"Thank you Emily." He said shaking. They all took their seats and started eating their meal. After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, Mr. Stark broke it by broaching a business topic.

"Have you hired the cleaning crew for this place yet?" Mr. Stark asked.

"Not yet. After next week, and then I'll start taking reservations." He said.

"How are you managing your money? Do you need any advice?" Mr. Stark asked.

"It's doing fine. I have it in an unmanaged index fund," Loki said.

"Good boy. I know young people your age that would've spent all that already." Mr. Stark said.

"Like Emily." Daniel added.

"Shut up. I would not!" Emily said. "Just because I have a life and don't bury my head in books all the time doesn't mean I don't know how to manage money." Emily shot back.

"You blew $500 on a purse." Daniel said.

"So? It's New York City. I wouldn't be caught dead in a faux anything." Emily said. "And you. You and I are getting drunk tonight." She said to Loki.

"I don't need-"

"Yes you do. You never cut loose. Tonight you, me, and my $500 purse full of beauty shit are going to have some fucking fun." Emily announced. Pepper rolled her eyes at her daughter's filthy mouth.

"Emily!" Mr. Stark scowled. "I'm glad you don't cut loose Loki. Given everything you've suffered it would have been bad for you. Most of Emily's friends have had abortions, are addicted to drugs, and have dropped out of college and none of them have the excuse that you could've used." Mr. Stark gives Emily the evil eye. She's been getting C's and D's at school.

"Thank you Mr. Stark. I wasn't much better before my parents died. I was going to end up a drug addicted drop out too. My parents always had such high standards that I felt were impossible to meet. I just want to make them proud."

"You are. Your dad would be thrilled to see you now. He and I managed a lot of inheritance accounts over the years, and in many cases the money evaporated after just a few years." Tony said giving his daughter Emily a pointed look. She frowned back.

"I'm full." Pepper said. "Loki that was delicious. I am anxious to see which room you put us in."

"Well Emily called dibs on the blue room. I think I'll put you in the yellow room, and Daniel in the silver room." Loki said. After cleaning up the dinner dishes the entire group headed up stairs to take up residence in their assigned rooms.

"I think we'll be comfortable here," Pepper said with a smile.

"Very comfortable," Mr. Stark said as he wrapped his arms around Pepper's waist and nuzzled her neck. Pepper giggled.

"Ew," Emily and Daniel said in unison.

"Old people shouldn't have sex," Emily said.

"You'll be sharing a bathroom with Daniel, which joins both of your rooms together," Loki explained.

"Yeah so lock the bathroom door if you two plan on having sex in there," Daniel said. Mr. Stark chuckled.

"You know what, I think we might." Mr. Stark said hoping to further horrify his son. Daniel made a face.

"Come on Mrs. Crypt Keeper, time to rattle your bones." He tugged his wife into the bedroom and slammed the door.

"Anyway…Daniel, your room is over here." Loki guided him as Emily followed. Daniel's room was only one of two bedrooms that did not have one of the large mirrors and was not as large or deep in dimensions. Loki suspected this was due to whatever was hidden behind the wall.

"This room is cool. I'll take it." Daniel said, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Loki. Loki blushed yet again as undignified fantasies of begging Danny to ravish him flashed in his head.

"Well, good night."

"Night Loki." Daniel said with a warm smile. Loki made an abrupt turn and left.

"Night Danny….Oh Danny…please pop my black cherry!" Emily mocked Loki as they walked down to the Antoinette room. Loki's blush deepened. "Okay, where do you keep the booze?" Emily asked.

"I haven't bought any."

"God you suck! Thankfully, I had the foresight to pinch some of dad's private stash before we left. Come on. Let's get drunk and try to paint each other's nails."

"Paint my nails? You do realize I am of the male gender?"

"You're gay. Being gay covers a multitude of sins."

"I'm pretty sure you have that backwards." Loki chuckled.

"So are you really still a virgin, because you act like it." Emily asked.

"I'm not exactly a virgin. I mean I have done things, with girls." Loki said.

"Ah huh, and what about with boys?"

"I've kissed a few men."

"Christ Loki! Didn't you do any sexual exploration while you were in college?"

"I was busy working myself to death and avoiding all the drunken frat boys, but I did eventually figure out that I am gay."

"Yeah like two months ago! Wish you'd stayed clueless a little while longer. I'd very much like to pluck your flower." Emily said as she painted a crooked line on Loki's thumbnail in glittery black.

"But I have the feeling that you want to fuck someone else in this house." Loki's breath caught and his body flushed. "So why don't you try to meet someone? You keep making googley eyes at my brother, and you haven't got a chance there. He likes girls way too much. What's the hold up?" Emily asked.

"Timing mostly. I've spent the last few years in mourning, buried in books to escape. It was only this past year that I sat down and took the time to think about who I am and what I want. After my parent's deaths, I knew I couldn't ever return to the city. It is haunted for me now. He's still out there, the criminal that got away. He hasn't been punished and probably never will be. My sex life seems trivial by comparison, though my needs have been roaring to the surface of late. After masturbating over and over again to the mental image of Brad Pitt I had to admit to myself that I might be of the homosexual variety." Loki confessed. Emily got a wicked smile on her lips then and climbed up into Loki's lap to give him a lap dance. "What are you do-"

"Give it to me baby! Ah huh… ah huh! And all the guys say I'm pretty fly for a gay guy!" Emily sang as she shook her breasts in Loki's face. Loki chuckled as he tried to push his friend away. He can tell Emily has developed lustful feelings towards him. Though she is not what he finds attractive, he may at some point give in to a one time sex romp, just not tonight.

"Keep that up and I'll tuck a dollar in your underwear." Loki said.

"Only a dollar? I deserve at least a hundred. You can afford it money bags."

"Do you think Daniel knows I'm gay?" Loki asked.

"I don't think he does. He's not very observant."

"The night my parents died I almost gave it away to Penny Pooler." Loki whispered.

"EW! Penny Pooper! It's official, your parent's death was divine intervention." Emily said trying to lighten the mood. However Loki's laughter quickly turns to tears as he buries his face in his friend's lap. Emily strokes his hair awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

"Honey I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Emily said softly.

"I'm so lonely Emily. I lied when I said my college friends couldn't make it. I don't have any. I spent my four years at college with a big 'FUCK YOU' stenciled on my forehead. I want Daniel but he prefers females. I really just want to have sex with a man, but I'm nervous. It's getting to the point that I'm thinking about it all the time."

"If you're waiting for a fairytale fucking, forget it. My first time sucked. He didn't know what he was doing, I didn't know what I was doing, and it hurt."

"Did you love him?"

"What's that got to do with it? Just go down the hall and molest my brother." Emily said, not being serious. Loki laughed.

"With your parents in the next room? I don't think so."

"Oh come on, please! The look on their faces would be priceless."

"Yeah….No. There's something else you can help me with though."

"Hmmm?"

"Emily….I need you to help me throw my laptop away."

"Why? What's on it?" Emily asked.

"The footage of the subway." Loki said.

"Can't we just delete the file?"

"You know me. I'll just find a way to recover it again. I look at it every day. I feel like I'm rotting inside."

"Loki, are you sure you're really ready to take on the big hassle of running this place? You sound burnt out and ready to pop."

"Working makes me feel better. When I'm busy I don't have time to think about what happened. When I'm alone with nothing to do, that's when things get scary." Loki said. The wind picked up outside then and the sound of tree branches and rain tapping on the window broke them out of their melancholy. The sound of a gust of air and a squeaky hinge turning disturbed their sanctuary. They both looked and noticed the giant mirror on the wall was slightly off-kilter. Whistling wind could be heard pouring in through some unseen crack in the wall.