A/N:

This is a short chapter and I hope it's not too confusing. I didn't write it in italic, because it all happens in the present. I hope you enjoy it and please leave a review =)

I wish you all a happy New Year!

Sylvie woke up with a start, sitting up in bed straight away.

Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it would jump out of her chest, her eyes wide open.

"Fuck"

Sylvie buried her head in her hands for a moment, closing her eyes, cursing everything. She was frustrated and energized and confused and sad and happy..all at the same time.

She tried to hold onto the dream, onto the picture, onto..him..

But it was already fading away before her mind.

Damn it!

She balled her hands into fists and sighed in pure frustration while kicking away the blanket.

The enchantress opened her eyes again and looked around. She was in her bedroom, laying in her queensize bed, the window in front of her half open.

She stood up, went to the window and let the cool breeze of the night in, forcing herself to breathe, closing her eyes once more.

Slowly her nerves settled down.

What on earth had happened? She had been there, at the end of time..or maybe the beginning..was this even real?

It hadn't been like the dreams she usually had..it was all so clear before her eyes..

The green lights..

Yggdrasil..

Loki..

She couldn't stop herself from smiling when she thought of him. Looking into his eyes, hearing his voice again, talking to him.

If this wasn't real it was a very convincing mirage..

A cruel mirage.

But it couldn't be real..

It was just a dream.

Tears started to well up in her eyes.

From the distance she heard a noise and realized it was a message on her phone. She took another deep breath and went to pick it up from her nightstand.

Every distraction was welcome.

It was a message from Chad.

"Hi, I just watched a movie you would like. A lot of action and drama and great fighting scenes..oh sorry, spoilerfree version. How 'bout you and me, 8 p.m. Sheridan Ave..drinks and snacks are on me."

She smiled, thought about it for a moment and texted him back.

"Great idea, hadn't watched a good one in months. When it's shitty, the whole thing's on you."

He was online now and read the message, so she waited a moment for his reply. When he didn't immediately text back, she raised an eyebrow and read her message again.

It was a bit snarky..yes..that's just how she was.

After a pause he wrote back, "Okay, I'll pick you up at 7:30 p.m. Looking forward to see you."

She nodded to herself and put the phone away.

With the distraction gone, her thoughts immediately returned to the dream..and the lights..and the tree..and him..

The enchantress shook her head forcefully.

It didn't matter..

None of this mattered..

It was just a dream, no more, no less..

Time to wake up.

Time to go to work.

Time to forget about the past and move on with the present.

Time to forget..

"Hey, wanna eat all the Popcorn alone?"

Sylvie jumped at Chads voice. She hadn't even noticed she had drifted off. She smiled at him and handed him the snack.

"Did I pick the wrong movie?"

She shook her head and looked at him.

"No, just remembered I forgot to do something at work. I'm here now, promise."

She touched his hand on the armrest. It felt kinda good, yet somehow strange at the same time. He smiled at her touch.

"Nevermind, that was worth it."

He caressed her hand for a moment, before Sylvie pulled hers away to grab some Popcorn.

"I usually don't share mine at all, you know," she smirked.

"So, I can feel honored?"

"You betcha."

Sylvie looked at the screen and had to admit to herself, that she remembered nothing from the past half an hour. The enchantress nudged the man beside her, who seemed very involved in the movie, although it was the second time he watched it.

"Umm..Chad..could you give me a short update on the last..um..half an hour?"

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and Sylvie just grinned at him apologetic.

He leaned over and whispered to her, "She's a streetfighter, he's a detective and they somehow get involved in a mysterious conspiracy that threaten the world and now they're forced to work together."

He made a pause.

"And I don't want to spoil everything.. but they kinda like each other."

Sylvie choked on her coke.

The enchantress coughed loud and hard, which attracted attention from the other people near them and made her sink deep into her seat.

"So what do you think about the movie?"

They were in her favourite bar, sitting opposite each other and Sylvie took a sip from her Whisky.

"Not the best I've ever seen but I liked Sophia. I think it was smart that she was the one who discovered the source of the conspiracy. She was a good fighter, too. Just the right combination of smooth and sharp moves."

"You think so? I don't quite understand why she didn't give him a shot? He was clearly into her."

Sylvie looked at him with doubt.

"I don't think so."

He smiled at her, "Of course he was. Didn't you see how he looked at her?"

Sylvie started to feel uncomfortable.

Why was he talking about that now?

When she answered her voice was sharper than intended.

"Why should she? She was there for the mission and didn't plan to fall in love."

Chad chuckled at that and touched her hand slightly, looking deep into her eyes.

"You never plan to fall in love, Sylvie. That's the magic of it."

The enchantress sighed and pulled away her hand to take a deep sip of her whisky and because the touch suddenly felt wrong.

"There's so much more that happened in this movie. Why are we talking about that now?"

She sounded annoyed, almost angry. Chad looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Why do I get the impression that I hit a nerve?"

Sylvie wanted to leave it at that but the man watched her closely like he wouldn't want to drop the subject.

"Listen, here's what I have to say about that: Love is just a distraction. It confuses you and you lose your path. And when you're not careful it makes you bleed."

"..until it makes you bleed"

When Sylvie recognized what she just said she drew a sharp breath and closed her eyes to calm herself down. She realized how loud she had been because everyone around them looked at her now.

Chad tried to touch her hand again but she pulled it away.

"I'm sorry Sylvie. Obviously there is an old wound and I didn't want to rub salt into it."

The blonde woman shook her head, put money on the table and stood. She felt embarrassed and upset.

She had to get out of the situation.

Now.

"I have to go, early shift tomorrow. Keep the change."

When she was out of the door, the enchantress closed her eyes, leaned at the wall and tried to calm herself down.

"..until it makes you bleed"