A/N:
I am back from NOLA, purchased my copy of Thor:TDW,
and have viewed it a solid 6 times this week.
I've missed you.
And it's so on.

~
Hope is just a ray of what everyone should see
alone is the street where you found me
Scared of what's behind you
and scared of what's in front
Live with what you have now
and make the best of what's to come
~

Jane had grown much sicklier than the last time he'd seen her. There were deep shadows beneath her eyes and the darkness they took on was new and disconcerting as they peered widely at him from just over Loki's shoulder. Thor knew from the moment he saw her there that his brother was not as far gone as all else believed him to be. Every being, be it human, or god, or race unknown had a spot of what Midguardians referred to as 'humanity', and he was sure that the determined Jane could find it in even the solidest of stone.

When she stepped to his brother's side, he could see that dirt coated her light colored shirt in burgundy and smudged in unkempt patterns along her skin. Still, she was paler than he remembered and so terribly thin.

He'd never meant to add to her plights but it seemed he always did so.

If there had been any fear in her eyes, he would have acted much differently but there was none to be found. Jane had always been a brave human but her perseverance never failed to impress him. As a matter of fact, he had discovered her in much better condition than he'd expected to, considering the circumstances, leading him to believe she had been well taken care of.

Loki had always favored their mother but moments ago as Thor watched him shuffle Jane out of potential harm's way, he wondered if his brother was aware of just how like her he'd grown to become. Loki would never admit it, Thor knew, and no one else would ever take the time to see it for themselves, but he wasn't so oblivious as Loki liked to believe him to be. Just as it had to be in order to hold onto any peace there was left between them.

Though in his quest for power, Loki differed so greatly from her as well. Where she was a gentle ruler he was not. He'd never seen his brother so strung out as during his attack on Earth. It was not all him. That was so plain to someone who had watched each of his changes as he grew into adulthood alongside him. But convincing the others of that fact was just another impossible feat for even the greatest warrior.

Something had changed within Loki after his fall; gears ground instead of turning smoothly, green eyes grew wild instead of the usual calculation they once casted over all he looked upon. It had slowly faded over time, but it still made its presence known every so often. And it would remain forever etched into Thor's mind.

The look of sheer terror.

The same expression would pale his face every time Thor asked him about what happened, conquering his features and disappearing so fast that he was sure most would miss it; a practiced trick. Thor would persistently try to explain that a valid explanation for his actions to Odin would rid him of the severest punishments. That whoever tarnished him so deeply would pay with their lives. That he would see to it himself… And every time, he would be dismissed without a single word in answer.

Where Loki would pick at wounds, Thor would not, and he knew that with the anger he had shown when Loki had left him laying along the dirt of Svartalfheim that he would be well prepared for another round of verbal lashings. And Thor was not as steady as he thought when it came to the loss of their mother. So when the pointed edge of a boot was sent repeatedly into his rib cage, he was almost thankful for the surprising change in method of attack.

This was every bit him. Why couldn't she see that by now?

Loki did not miss the glimpse of hope wash over her features as he made his way to pass just beyond her reach, as if her words would close the distance for her. The fact that he'd been the one to trap her there pushed the idea of any of it being for him just beyond his own. He would not allow her to see the way it almost made him cringe.

It wasn't like he could explain it to her. Her mind would not be able to wrap around his reasoning or make any logical sense of it. He knew because his own struggled. The motives were plentiful, but he had chosen his words carefully, using the same ones he had heard Thor utter to her moments before he had tainted her world ever darker with his own. She had even admitted their hurt. But they were both a reminder and honest.

Loki could neither be sure what trickery Malekith conjured beyond the cave's barrier or what he himself was capable of, should she throw herself between him and Thor in some kind of misguided act of martyrdom. She held a record for doing so after all. But this time he wasn't so sure what reaction it would draw.

Moons ago, he had watched her sprawl her small body across an unconscious Thor from the eyes of the Destroyer. Then, he'd held nothing but baffling disgust for a creature so tragically misled.

Now he knew her patterns. How she fought more within herself than any of her actual enemies. How her mind raced through philosophies and theorems as fast as her pulse when she got into passion fueled frenzies. And the stubbornness that was so prominent, she believed it effectively hid her true heart. But she had slipped up just as many times as he. Even before she knew he was watching.

Now he wasn't sure if he could handle the sight for other reasons. Ones that would distract him from his true task; reasons that pulled to slacken the flaming knot with in his sternum and fed it all at once… Ones that could not be focused on at a time like this because there was no stopping now.

And as the dust stirred around his feet, he released the thought with it over to the winds.

They grew harsher beyond the cave walls, whipping sand and wisps of raven hair along the sides of his face. He watched with thin eyes through the hazy sheets as Thor pushed his fists against the soft dirt and struggled to stand a few feet away. Loki half expected him to call to Mjölnir, but his hands remained as empty as his expression.

"Defeated already?" Loki asked, casting deep shadows of disappointment over the pair. "That was no fun at all."

"I will not fight you."

The placid declaration from Thor only twisted him tighter. He watched with stark dejection as the Thunder God brushed copper dust from silver plate armor. His hand fell to rest over his right set of ribs.

Loki's eyes tightened in deliberation. He closed the distance between them and shoved Thor backwards. He stepped back to keep his balance but otherwise did not falter.

"You really have changed haven't you?"

The question wrinkled Thor's brow.

"No, but you have."

"Something has gotten under your skin…" He continued accusingly as if Thor hadn't even spoken. "Made you soft… Maybe father was right about her after all." Loki's spine curled at the words but they were pointed with punishing purpose. He took another measured step forward. "You long to be the hero in her eyes… to save her from all of this… but even a creature as rash as you must realize that this is every bit your doing. Judging by her reaction to your arrival, she has not failed to notice for herself."

He watched his words nip at Thor, creasing deep lines within his massive forehead and flashing hotly in his eyes. He'd found the nerve he sought so desperately though a part of him almost wish he hadn't. He knew firsthand how hard depths so low were to come up from but his brother was never one to give up without a fight. He was still in control of himself, so Loki pushed further.

"She holds more power than she knows." He mumbled darkly, his voice lilting through the wind just enough to reach his brother's ear.

Thor's eyes flicked up to him from the ground, overtly interested by the change of focus.

"More than she can handle," He growled.

Loki blinked in feigned disinterest.

"If that is so, then how do you intend to rescue your damsel in distress, oh white knight?" His lips curled in spite. "There are no healers for what ails her. And I am sure you know better than I what awaits her back home should you again make the foolish decision to bring her there…" Loki's eyes thinned to slits. "Or have you been so brainwashed by the Allfather as to believe there really is a happy ending to all of this?"

Thor bristled.

Loki braced himself.

But the assault never came.

Instead, Thor's frame relaxed with a defeated exhale.

"What is there, if not hope?" He asked so sincerely that it swept the pending words of damnation from Loki's tongue.

As if he could provide his brother an answer to such a question. It sent needles along his skin.

Loki blinked, using the small fraction of time to collect himself. He swallowed dust as the silence stretched.

"Hope is the stories mothers tell to their children to get them to sleep while the monsters wait patiently within the shadows." he paused and averted his gaze. "She will die in your protection without doubt."

He had taken a second too long.

Thor's head tilted a fraction. His eyes honed in on Loki's. And with the look he'd seen a thousand times over growing up alongside the blonde behemoth, he knew that he had chosen the wrong words and had been caught.

Thor took a drawn breath.

"And what is her fate in yours?"

Loki froze, his jaw locking shut. He blinked slowly. Twice.

"I cannot offer her protection from what is already done," he replied hollowly.

Thor shifted his weight.

"She still lives," he returned gently, taking a renewed step forward to stand a single pace from the paling god. His expression livened. "That in itself is a wonder with the dark ore she carries. What are you doing if not offering her your aid?"

Thor was answered only by tenacious silence but it must have been enough. He rested a hand over Loki's shoulder and did so a second time after it was halfheartedly shaken off.

"Malekith has taken so much from us already, brother. I understand that you do not accept my services but allow me to help you help Jane."

Loki blinked rapidly for a moment and cocked his head in disbelief over what he was hearing. Rage built within him at the constant reminder of his loss. It very nearly consumed him when he thought of the possibility of losing anything else to the vile cretin. His fingers clenched to fists at his sides.

"We can keep her alive," Thor urged further, breaking the heavy silence. "And you can reap the vengeance you seek."

Loki jerked his shoulder out from under Thor's hold. His eyes scrutinized harshly. He had to tread carefully here. While his brother's offer was more than appealing, he still had trouble deciding if he'd truly lost his mind.

"After all the things I have done… all the times I rejected your intervention and betrayed your trust, why in the name of Valhalla would you make the same idiotic mistakes again?! Do you not learn?"

Thor crossed his arms over his chest and straightened.

"I never said I trusted you, and I doubt I ever will again." he offered flatly with a slight shake of his head. "But Jane does."

Loki inhaled sharply.

No matter how hard he fought back against it, he could feel his eyes widening in aching disbelief. He knew that the further they slid open, the more they would show. Suspecting it was one thing. Hearing it aloud was something else entirely.

He watched numbly as Thor finally called to his hammer. It appeared in his hand in the blink of an eye.

Loki had dropped from the cliff expecting a fight but with a much different opponent. Never had he imagined it would be with his own heart. It ached now in a way that reminded him it was still in working order, though tainted and bruised beyond recognition. He had been so focused on keeping Jane's beating that he'd missed the bit of vigor that had returned to his own in the process. Now he was left to question why. The power she contained seemed so unreachable though it had been right in front of him for so long now. He could have easily taken it from her with nothing more than a well placed hand had he the desire to. But she had healed him with more than just her own…

To even consider carrying her trust…

Thor drew him from his maddening reverie by looking in the direction of the cave for a long while before returning to face him.

"She was every bit right. And you know it."

Jane had stilled and strained to listen but could hear nothing over the wail of the winds and boiling Aether drumming in her ears. Anger coursed through her in a way she was growing accustomed to. She wasn't a naturally angry person but it was to be expected when the substance that fueled her fed on it.

An hour crept past and somewhere during, she had settled herself upon the ground at the cave entrance. Her gaze never left the horizon. And she breathed and breathed.

If she was completely honest with herself, she would admit to being somewhat surprised as Thor's stature rose from over the cliff edge and came into view first. Relief ebbed at her when he showed no signs of major injury other than some scuffs though he faintly favored his right leg as he neared. Loki had lunged with spiteful intent but his objectives seemed to change faster than she could keep up. At that moment, she was thankful for that.

She stifled her questions, remaining silent when his eyes found hers and were unreadable.

Only when something dark stirred just past him did she look away, her attention shifting to focus on it.

She watched as Loki eased himself up next, being careful as to not put too much of his weight on his injured shoulder. The one she had gone far beyond her comfort zone to help heal. She grit her teeth. When their eyes met, her silence turned defiant. She could feel her expression harden with the pit in her stomach.

"Jane," Thor called gently to her. She blinked and looked at him. "Are you alright?"

The amount of frustration that bubbled within her was unreasonable and she fought to remember that as she spoke.

"Why do you keep asking me that?" Trembling fingertips slid down the invisible barrier to fall in her lap. "Do I seem alright to you?" Her eyes questioned Thor first before they flicked in Loki's direction, who remained quiet, a solemn expression dragging along his features. She returned to the lighter god. "What's going on?"

Thor glanced over at Loki before he spoke. His eyes turned heavy on Jane. He huffed.

"We both owe you apologies beyond words, Jane, but I fear that they would not be enough to fix what is broken."

For a moment, she stared past the pair of unmoving brothers. She was never one to collect what was owed to her. Had that been the case, then hundreds of her colleges and even a few professors would owe her apologies as well after all the things she'd seen as of late. But they had only denied her perspective of the universe. The men before her had successfully turned it all upside down.

"You'd be right," she whispered, nodding shallowly.

Thor's expression turned pained.

"The Aether will cause no further harm to you…"

"Believe it or not, it's the least of my worries right now," she cut him off, taking a moment to look up and gauge each of their expressions. "I'm more concerned about what will happen if I'm around the two of you much longer."

Thor's brow furrowed.

Loki grunted at her condemnation, effectively reminding her of just how betrayed he'd left her feeling. It was a special kind of sting, sharpened to a glistening point and aimed directly at where it would hurt the most, leaving her trapped in a way she'd hoped he of all people would understand.

She collect every ounce of it in her glare at him.

"And you," she pressed a single dirtied finger against the glass in his direction. "You owe me more than just an apology, and you go and turn your back on me just like that?"

Thor's attention met Jane's on the stolid figure, his eyes filled with silent questions.

Loki's jaw muscles flexed with her words. His lips pulled into a thin line. His fingers fiddled idly with one another. For a fleeting moment, Jane wondered if he even realized it. Then she decided she didn't care.

"I sought only one adversary this morning," he spoke quietly before slipping back over to stoic silence.

Jane shook her head at that but she couldn't help to consider his words. What would she have done had she been freed from the cave's confines? She wasn't sure now that she thought about it, but it would have been much better than not knowing what was going on at all. Instead she had been left alone to fight back the bitter anger that she tried so hard to control for the sake of men she couldn't even be sure would do the same for her.

Her fingertips pressed against her temple.

"No more secrets. I'm not sure what you two did down there but the mountain's still standing so I can only hope it was something more productive than the show you put on up here," Jane eyed them both with added fervor. "What are we going to do now?"

"We do nothing," Loki's eyes found Jane's as he spoke again. They held a softness that reminded her of the night before though it already seemed ages away.

She watched from her seat on the ground as he eased his hand forward, pressing it flat against the invisible wall between them. It hummed with static, blinked blue, and vanished from sight.

Jane tested it for herself and softly smiled when her hand passed through unhindered.

"And you're sure he will come here?" She asked up to him. Her heart rate picked up with her own question as the grin fell from her lips. The idea of being face to face with Malekith was one she'd already had too much experience with for her liking.

Loki nodded to her.

"You are now a beacon to all who seek your power, Jane."

If she hadn't known of his capabilities and lack thereof, she would have labeled his tone as concerned.

"But you are not vulnerable," Thor added. "We both will be here when Malekith arrives. He will not get his hands on the Aether."

Jane had heard the claims but struggled to believe a few of them. As ironic as it was, she was so tired of being left in the dark. Of not knowing whether or not she was going to wake up unscathed the next morning… if at all. She was beyond done with the impudence and the lies and the crossed intentions and mixed signals. And she damn sure was over not knowing who to trust with her own fate.

"You say that, but how can you be so sure, Thor?" The words were dry in her mouth. She swallowed and turned to Loki. "And what if you decide to change your mind?" Her attention flicked back and forth between the pair in a desperate search for answers. "How do I know if I can believe anything that comes from either of your mouths?"

She shifted on the ground to get up but stilled when Thor stepped forward.

"Give me a final chance to prove it to you," he spoke softly, holding a hand down to assist her.

Her focus twitched over to Loki when he moved. She could only manage to gape up at him as he did the same.

For a long moment, she eyed the pair of them as if they were an unsolved challenge on the chalk-board.

"Trust our rage, Jane."

And with that, she rose.

Epigraph: Tell Me A Story - Phillip Phillips