I own Vielae. I do not own Thor or any affiliated characters.

Somehow, Loki managed to land the now-broken skiff. By then, Jane had passed out in Vielae's arms. Thor gently placed a cover over her. Loki looked at her, almost wistfully.

"What I could do with the power in those veins," he mused. Vielae snapped her head toward him, looking at him severely.

"Loki, did I not already tell you?" she asked.

"It would consume you," Thor added.

"She's hold up alright. For now," Loki said, nodding at Jane. Vielae had to admit she was surprised that Jane was holding up as well as she did.

"She is strong in ways you'd never even know," Thor replied, still kneeling next to her.

"Something in her drew the Aether to her," Vielae said. "It may have been desperate for a host, but it is still choosy."

"Say goodbye," Loki said to Thor. Vielae sighed. He was still taunting his brother.

"Not this day," Thor challenged, rising and facing Loki.

"This day, the next, a hundred years, it's nothing," Loki replied. "It's a heartbeat. You'll never be ready. The only woman whose love you prized will be snatched from you."

"Will that satisfy you?" Thor asked, getting angry.

"Satisfaction is not in my nature," Loki answered, his tone cool and collected.

"Surrender is not in mine," Thor said. As the two argued, Vielae observed them closely. Thor had obviously been raised far differently than Loki.

"Both of you, stop," Vielae ordered from her spot by Jane's side. They stopped mid argument and looked at Vielae, both surprised by her authoritative call. "We have more pressing matters, don't you think?" The boys looked at each other, and made a silent resolution to finish this later.

They got the skiff moving again, and before long, Vielae could see Malekith in the distance. As they got closer, Jane sat up.

"Jane?" Thor asked, concerned. Vielae could sense the Aether within her. It had temporarily gained control.

"Malekith," she said, her voice less lively than it normally was. Vielae maneuvered the skiff to land on a nearby ridge. When they landed, they observed the gathered Dark Elves for a few minutes, gauging their odds.

"Are you ready?" Thor asked Loki, the Aether having released itself from her once again.

"I am," Loki said as they all rose. "You know this plan of yours is going to get us killed," he pointed out.

"Yeah, possibly," Thor agreed.

"You still don't trust me, brother?" Loki asked, holding up his shackled hands.

"Would you?" Thor asked as he unlocked the shackles.

"No, I wouldn't," Loki answered. Suddenly, he stabbed Thor and threw him down the hill.

"Thor, no!" Jane shouted, moving to roll down the hill. Vielae, however, grabbed her arm. "Let me go!" Vielae was stoic, her eyes focused on her father.

"You really think I cared about Frigga, or anybody?" Loki spat as he kicked Thor around. "All I ever wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet!" Thor raised his hand to summon Mjolnir, but with a swipe of his dagger, Loki cut it off. Vielae then allowed Jane to rush to him, only to see her run right into Loki's arms. Vielae then slid down the hill and watched from a distance, waiting for her chance. "Malekith, I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I bring you a gift!" He threw Jane down in front of him. "I ask only one thing in return: a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn."

Uk zhah biu ogglin d'Asgard. Uk zhahus natha kul'gobuss wun nind ragrubahn," (He is an enemy of Asgard. He was in their dungeons.) Algrim said. Malekith watched Loki for a moment, and Loki watched Malekith. Malekith then walked over to Thor and stood over him, nudging him onto his back. He then held out his hand, and everyone watched as Jane was levitated into the air as Malekith called the Aether. It slithered out of her and hovered in the air between the two figures.

"Loki, now!" Thor called, and stuck out his stump. Loki ended the illusion and Mjolnir flew to Thor's newly-revealed hand. At the same time, Vielae leaped from her hiding place and called the Aether herself. Thor tried to destroy the Aether with lightning, but was not successful, as Vielae thought he may. The Aether ignored her again, possessing Malekith. His skin went from alabaster white to a dark gray. When he finished, Malekith turned for the Ark, but froze as he made eye contact with Vielae. His jaw dropped, and his eyes grew wide.

"Vielae?" he asked quietly. Vielae glared at her father.

"Senger Malekith," (Lord Malekith) she replied, putting a very audible amount of hate on the word 'senger'. Malekith was surprised, as if expecting Vielae to call him father. He was about to say something, but Thor and Loki's attack distracted him. Algrim threw a black hole grenade at the attackers, but caught Jane in the process. To everyone's surprise, Loki dove into the blast and pushed Jane out, only to be saved by Thor. Algrim and Thor began to fight as Vielae watched Malekith return to the Ark and leave. She decided to grab Jane and keep her safe, leaving the small group of Dark Elves to Loki. He defeated them easily, and looked at Thor, who was having a problem with Algrim. Jane clung to Vielae as she watched the fight. Suddenly, Loki came up from behind and ran Algrim through with a sword from a fallen Dark Elf. Algrim, seeming to be unaffected, turned around and pulled Loki into him, impaling him through the chest.

"NO!" Thor screamed. Vielae's heart stopped in her chest. She couldn't even speak. Loki collapsed to the ground, but he was smiling as Algrim approached him.

"See you in Hel, monster," he choked out. Algrim looked down in enough time to noticed that the black hole grenade on his belt was active. Algrim was sucked into the black hole as the grenade exploded. Once he was gone, Vielae and Thor ran to Loki's side. Vielae slid next to him, grabbing his hand. Thor started gathering Loki into his arms.

"You fool," he said. "You didn't listen."

"I know," Loki almost whispered. "I'm a fool. I'm a fool." He then looked into Vielae's eyes, and his eyes began to tear. A storm began to kick up, and the black sand started turning Loki's face an ashy color.

"Stay with me," Thor urged him, starting to tear up himself. Vielae couldn't say anything. The pain she was feeling was too much.

"I'm sorry," Loki said, coughing. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Vielae's eyes started to tear. Loki stopped shaking and his face grew calm.

"I'll tell Father what you did here today," Thor said. Loki gave a small laugh.

"I didn't do it for him," he said. He then looked back at Vielae, and tugged on her hand slightly. She leaned in closer, until her face was inches from his. With a small grunt of effort, Loki simultaneously pulled Vielae to him, and lifted his head to her. The kiss itself was physically weak, but the passion and emotion was stronger than the energy of the universe itself. Vielae closed her eyes and enjoyed what she could. Then, slowly, she felt his lips separate from hers as Loki's head fell back, and he died. As he fell back, Vielae let out a choking sob and the tears fall freely. Thor let out a scream of anguish, causing the storm to gain strength.

"You two need to get out of here," Vielae called over the storm.

"Come with us," Thor urged, taking Vielae's forearm in his hand. She merely shook her head.

"I can't leave him," she said. "Don't worry. I've been in storms worse than this one." Thor, understanding the look in her eyes, merely nodded and went to get up. Vielae grabbed his arm, and he looked back at her. "Give him Hel," she said, her voice rough with the anger and sadness that she felt.

"I will. For both of you," he promised, and he and Jane walked off through the storm.

Vielae grabbed Loki's arm and pulled his body over her shoulders. Standing, she headed for the ruins of the city. There were still some standing buildings that would offer shelter. Turning only for a minute to see where Jane and Thor were headed, she pressed on through the winds, ignoring the sand cutting her face. Finally, she made it into a building, and closed the door. There was very little light inside, but it was enough for Vielae to see. She carefully set Loki down on the ground and just looked at him. After a few solid minutes of just listening to the wind rushing outside, Vielae pulled a small flask out of her belt, opened it, and poured the contents into Loki's wound. There was a bright blue glow, and the wound sealed itself quickly.

"I wish you hadn't done that for real," she said bluntly. Vielae watched as Loki took a heaving breath of air and opened his eyes. He panted for a few moments, and looked at his woman.

"I wish you hadn't waited so long," he retorted. Vielae helped him sit up slowly as he grunted in pain.

"Give it a few moments. This wasn't meant to work instantly. It will still take some time for you to be back at full health," she cautioned.

"How much time?" Loki asked.

"An hour or so," Vielae replied. "You should be well enough to travel before then."

"Good," Loki said, and immediately reached over and pulled Vielae into a searing kiss. Vielae gave a small cry as she was pulled in. Her eyes were still wide open with surprise as they broke apart. Loki had a glint in his green eyes that could only mean one thing, and that both excited and terrified her. "You have no idea how long I have been wanting to do that," he growled. "I want to give you something, but only if you are willing." Vielae was confused.

"Give me what?" she asked. He took her hand and placed it over his heart.

"Me," he said simply. Vielae's heart skipped a beat. He wanted to give himself to her? She did, of course, know what that meant, but she was concerned for the future.

"What about Odin?" she asked. "And Thor?"

"Let me worry about the Allfather," Loki said. "Right now, I want an answer." Vielae thought hard. She loved Loki, it was true, but this was the first time anyone had ever confessed that they wanted to be with her for the rest of their lives. Searching her heart, she found a desire that she had only felt once before. Now, no one could take this from her, like it was in the past. This was her decision...and she knew the answer. Vielae reached up with her free hand, placed it on Loki's jawline, and pulled him into a kiss. It was chaste, but powerful, and contained only the purest love she could muster. When they pulled apart again, Vielae was smiling.

"Yes."