The good news was that I was far enough from the bomb, the bad news was that I ended up in the middle of a group of Dark Elves.

"Son of a bi-" I had to duck to avoid a pollaxe to the face. Malekith had a bigger army than the movie showed, much bigger.

I teleported too late and got the sharp point of a mace embedded into my shoulder. The same shoulder that Eir had healed the day before. I grimaced in pain as I sent my dagger into the back of the Dark Elves skull. I didn't have time to stop and assess the wound as I was quickly surrounded again. I sighed tiredly and stood up straighter.

"Could we maybe do this in an orderly fashion?" I asked out loud. When three of the eight surrounding me stepped up, I groaned. "Guess not."

I threw Eldr into the chest of the closest enemy and teleported to the furthest, Íss sinking into its temple. I didn't waste any time as I teleported Eldr back to me and turned to the Dark Elves trying to sneak up on me from behind. I slashed my blade out to get them to back up and give me room. The blade cut through their armor and into their chests. Not enough to stop them, though.

A huge bolt of lightning distracted me and I glanced up to see Thor destroy their airship. My attention was brought back to the fight when a sharp pain ripped through my left thigh. I screamed and dropped to my knee. The end of a spike was sticking through my leg from behind. I looked forward to see the Dark Elves advancing on me.

"Sammee!" Loki's panicked voice yelled to me. I looked toward him to see him barreling through Dark Elves with his Seidr to get to me. "Teleport!" He yelled. I tried but my body was too exhausted. "Teleport to me, damnit!"

I gave him a small smile as I turned to face my enemy once again. The enemy's weapon was raised and aimed for my chest. Moments away from having, yet another, hole in my chest, a radiating heat spread through my body and a large blast of dark purple energy exploded from me. The enemies around me were thrown back, but froze in the air.

No... that was wrong. They didn't freeze. They were just moving at an incredibly slow pace. The weapon sticking out of my thigh somehow turned to liquid and just... melted away. I stopped feeling the pain of my wounds and slowly stood up. As I walked through the jumble of floating bodies they moved out of the way for me. I looked down to my arms to see my veins flashing purple with every drum of my heartbeat. I looked around again to realize that this was the power of the Aether, the Reality stone in effect.

"Sammee...?" Loki asked questioningly. He approached me slowly, like someone would a wild animal. I looked at him for a second before looking back to the floating army.

"It's the Reality stone." I told him softly. "Why can I do this? I shouldn't be able to do this..." I almost whispered. Looking back into Loki's green eyes, anxiety started to fill me. "W-what do I... do I do with them?" I asked, tears starting to form in my eyes. Loki walked to me a bit faster after seeing my tears. He reached his hand out automatically to comfort me with his touch, but when he meet my skin he hissed in pain and immediately retracted his hand. I gasped when I saw the burns covering his fingers. "Oh god, I'm so sorry!" I told him and took a few steps away from him.

"Kitten," Loki said calmly. "It's ok, I will heal. But, we need to get the Aether out of you, now." He told me sternly.

"Th-this wasn't supposed to happen." I told him as the tears finally spilled over. "There weren't this many in the movie." I explained as I looked around me. There had to be close to 150 soldiers levitating. When I looked through them all I felt anger flash through me. In the next second, they all turned to sand and fell to the ground below. I blinked in shock and turned back to Loki. "What did I do wrong?" I sobbed.

"Sammee!" Thor called as he landed next to Loki. Thor tried to move closer to me, but Loki stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. "Brother, she's hurt!" Thor exclaimed, not understanding why Loki wasn't helping me. I looked down to see what remained of my dress covered in blood. My shoulder wound was bleeding down my arm and back, soaking my dress, but the most concerning was my thigh. Blood was trickling from the wound at an alarming pace.

"We can't touch her as long as the Aether is still sending power through her veins." Loki said. I looked back up to him as a sudden wave of nausea and dizziness swept through me. I swayed on my feet and my vision started to fill with black spots.

"I- I don't... feel so good." I slurred as my knees buckled. Before I could hit the ground, cool arms wrapped around me. They soothed the burning of my skin and I relaxed into them. I opened my eyes to see Loki carrying me, but not in his Asgardian form. He was in his Jotun form. "Oh, hey." I smiled weakly at him. He let out a sigh of relief and smiled back down to me.

"I should have know you wouldn't be afraid of my monstrous form." He told me. I frowned at his words.

"You don't have a monstrous form, Loki." I slurred. "It's just you, both you." My eyes wanted to stay closed every time I blinked them. "But, why-?" I didn't know why he had changed forms. He hated the fact that he was a Frost Giant by birth. He wouldn't just choose to take that form unless there was a reason. Not that I minded his Jotun form. His eyes were a deep red that contrasted against the bright blue of his skin.

"Your skin was too hot for Thor or me to carry you. At least, not without me in this form. I figured with your body temperature being so high, you wouldn't become frostbitten from my touch." He explained as he sat on a rock with me in his lap. "As soon as you cool down enough, I will change back. I also stopped your bleeding."

I hummed and nodded.

"Thor called for Heimdall, but I'm guessing Odin is keeping him from opening the bifrost right away."

I was trying to listen to him, but I kept getting distracted by the intricate ridges over his skin.

"You're beautiful." I smiled through the haze of blood loss. Loki faltered and looked back down to me. He looked over my features in shock until he sighed and smiled softly.

"I think the loss of blood is making you delusional, Kitten." He told me. I pouted like a child and shook my head at him. He laughed at my reaction and I could feel the vibration in his chest. He looked back down to me and his smile fell gradually. "You really don't find this form repulsive?" He asked after a few seconds. I sighed. I knew I couldn't change his mind so easily. He had been taught since birth that Frost Giants were horrible creatures that did nothing but cause destruction and death. Then to find out he was one...

A lazy smile broke out on my face as I thought of an idea.

"Loki?" I asked. He looked down to me and hummed in response. "What do you feel for me?"

Loki froze. He was never good at expressing things. He probably didn't even know himself. "It's ok, you don't have to tell me." I assured. "Just... hold on to that feeling, Ok?" I told him. Loki furrowed his brow, but nodded.

I took a deep breath and called for the Aether's power once more. I could still feel it thrumming through my veins, so it wasn't hard, but I didn't know if I could do what I wanted to. I knew the Reality stone could change the reality of the world around it, but didn't know if it could change my reality. I didn't need to wonder very long. A few seconds of concentration and my skin turned blue with slightly different markings on my skin. I couldn't see them, but I was pretty sure my eyes were also red based on Loki's shocked reaction. His arms tightened around me as he looked at me.

"Now, do you feel any different about me simply because of this form?" I asked softly. He was speechless for a minute, or two. He then reached up and traced the lines on my face in awe.

"How-" He started to say.

"Reality stone. I'm changing my reality." I smiled gently at him. "So?" I asked. "Do you feel any different about me because of this form? Are you suddenly repulsed by me?"

"No." He said with a small smile. "Quite the opposite actually."

After a few minutes of Loki and me just talking, my body stopped being an oven and I cooled down. Loki definitely helped with that. His cold skin against me gave me so much relief from the heat. When I had cooled down enough, he went back to his Æsir form. The blue faded away and left pale white skin behind. The red in his eyes disappeared and only the green irises were staring back at me.

"Someone needs to tell Heimdal that we need the Asgardian guard." I said softly, still weak from blood loss. Loki furrowed his brows.

"Why would we need the guard?" He asked. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, cuddling into the cool leather of his armor. I was too tired to continue keeping my eyes open.

"Without the other stones, the reality stones effects won't last." I mumbled into his chest. "The Dark Elves are only temporarily turned to sand, or...ash? They'll come back as soon as I leave." I explained.

"Good to know." Loki hummed. "Get some rest. We'll be home soon, Kitten."

I nodded and turned my body into his arms more. "When we get back, you're apologizing to your mother." I told him. It was a weak demand, but a demand nonetheless. I felt Loki's body stiffen and heard him sigh loudly.

"Kitten..." he started, but I wouldn't let him get away with what he had said to her.

"No!" I said sternly, still with my eyes closed. "This isn't up for negotiation. I can and will end this courtship. I can forgive a lot of things, but that is not one of them." Loki groaned softly in annoyance, but I could tell that he knew he needed to apologize.

"Alright, Kitten. We'll talk more back on Asgard." He gave in.

Just before drifting off to sleep, I could hear Loki call Thor over and explain what I had told him about the Dark Elves. Thor let Heimdal know and, I assumed, in return Heimdal told Odin. I heard the crack of the Bifrost opening before falling into a deep sleep.

I was back in the dark void. I looked around, but , like last time, I saw nothing around me. I started walking forward through the darkness, looking for some kind of light source. I walked for around fifteen minutes before I saw a familiar blue glow in the distance. I ran toward the bright blue light, only to find that this time it was accompanied by a faint red one.

The red glow became brighter the closer I got to it. Again, both lights were coming from stones. The blue stone shone bright and steady, but the red stone started pulsating light and the stone itself started to vibrate as I neared it. Soon, it out shone the blue light admitting from the stone next to it.

I didn't dare make the mistake of reaching out to it again. I had learned my lesson the first time, no matter how much my body screamed for me to. Apparently, it didn't matter if I reached for it or not. Red tendrils of energy shot from the stone and connected to my body. I yelped at the sharp shot of pain that flooded my body and collapsed to the ground. It was over in less than a second and I opened my eyes breathing heavily to see that I was back on Asgard, Frigga's quarters to be specific. I was sitting on the floor to the far left of the door. When I got to my feet, the sound of the door opening caused me to turn my head. Malekith walked in.

He didn't say a word, just walked passed me and deeper into the room. I followed him with my eyes, not being able to move my body. A dagger dropped from his sleeve as he advanced quickly on someone. When my eyes locked on Frigga, I snapped out of my fear frozen state. I tried to run to her, scream for her to get away, but it was useless. She tried to fight him, but he got the best of her. Tears clouded my vision as I watched the dagger be directed toward her chest.

The tears fell down my cheeks and I tried to blink them away form my vision, but as soon as I blinked I felt a sharp pain rip through my chest.

When I opened my eyes I was staring into the cold, dark eyes of Malekith.

"Kitten!"

My breath came short as I looked down to see the blade he held into my chest.

I gasped a harsh breath in when Malekith tore the dagger from my chest and let me fall to the ground.

"Damn it, Kitten. Please, wake up!"

Wait... this had happened before... hadn't it?

I was alone... why was I alone?

"Thor, lay her on the table."

I was sure I wasn't alone when this happened, was I wrong?

...Did I die alone?

A forceful shock racked through my body and I gasped awake, sitting up immediately. Strong arms went around me as I clawed at the clothing covering my chest in search for a wound that was no longer there. Everything was muffled in my panic, but the firm hold around my body was slowly anchoring me.

I heard soft cooing when my senses started returning to me. I blinked away the tears clouding my vision and saw Loki holding me to him. I grasped for him and wrapped my arms around his waist tightly. I buried my face in his chest and started sobbing as my body shook. His soft shushing and words of praise combined with his gentle touch comforted me enough to stop crying. I was still shaking quite a bit though.

"Was it the boy, again?" Loki asked after I was silent for a while. I sniffed and shook my head, turning my face to bury it back into his chest. He was silent for a minute, running his fingers through my hair and letting me calm back down. "Can you tell me what this one was about?" He asked. I shook my head again. "Kitten-" Loki started to protest, but I cut him off.

"Later." I said in a small voice. "Please."

Loki took a deep breath and released it before answering. "Alright, Kitten, but we will talk of this later. I won't forget." He assured. I nodded and continued to hug him to me. The door slamming open finally drew my attention from my situation.

"Brother, I got Eir." Thor said as he and the healer came through the door. It was then that I looked around to see I was in the infirmary, sitting on the metal table of the soul forge.

"What did you do now, child?" Eir asked as she made her way to me. I reluctantly let go of my security blanket and turned to face her.

"I'm just testing how far my mortality gets me." I replied with a small smile, wiping my tears away. She clicked her tongue at me in a disapproving way.

"Alright, come on. You know what to do next." Eir told me and gestured to my bloody dress. I nodded and started trying to undo the knot holding the front of the dress together. A large hand stopped me from continuing on the knot.

"Thor, out!" Loki growled at his brother. Loki watched Thor intently until he was out in the hallway, with the door shut. After he was gone, Loki relaxed a little and turned back to me.

"Possessive god." I teased with a fake pout. Loki rolled his eyes at me and leaned down to give me a slow, sweet kiss. As he did this, I felt the tingle of magic over my body. When Loki pulled away from me, his eyes gradually roamed my, now naked, body before grabbing a thin sheet and wrapping it around me. "I'll remember that you can take my clothes off with magic for the future." I smiled at him.

"It is useful," he smiled before leaning down to whisper something only I could hear, "but I'd much rather take my time making you squirm." My cheeks turned bright red and, when he saw, his smile only grew.

...Smug bastard...

It took Eir a while to get my wounds cleaned and healed enough to wrap. Loki stood next to me the entire time. He was constantly touching me in some way. I didn't know if it was to comfort me, or himself, but I didn't mind. Once Eir finished wrapping my thigh, she sighed and sat back in her chair.

"That should hold up until we do another healing treatment, if it's needed." She told me. "I'm going to give you some herbal remedies for pain and to fight infection. After your energy is restored, we'll see if we need to do another healing session." She nodded in agreement with her words. I smiled gratefully at her.

"Thank you, Eir. I truly hope this is the last time I will be seeing you as a patient." I said. She raised her eyebrow skeptically.

"I don't believe for a moment that this is that last you will be my patient." She told me. I chuckled and looked away from her gaze.

"If I could," Loki spoke up, "could you check the Aethers effect over her? You would be doing me a great favor, Lady Eir."

"You do not deserve a favor from me, Loki," Eir told him sternly. Loki tensed beside me. "But, since I just spent too long keeping her well, I will do it." She continued. Loki looked to her and nodded his thanks. "Make no mistakes, this is by no means a favor for you." She said, not unkindly, just stating fact. Loki immediately looked down, a saddened expression on his face. I placed my hand over his, which was currently rubbing circles into my uninjured thigh. If it was anyone else, besides Frigga, I would stick up for him, but what she said was not unjustified. Frigga and Eir taught Loki magic. She helped raise him and he hadn't exactly been an ally to Asgard as of late.

"Well, I am grateful nonetheless." Loki told her. I moved back on the table and laid down. Eir powered up the soul forge and took another molecular scan of my body. She looked over the image intensely. Loki couldn't touch me while she scanned me, but he was directly by my side.

"Everything looks good. Other than her wounds, her body isn't under any stress." Eir said after a few minutes of looking over the scan.

"What?" Loki asked and moved around the table to look and the image. "There's no way a mortal can-" his words fell flat when he looked at the soul forge. "That's not... possible..." Loki murmured.

"What? What's not?" I asked, getting worried. Eir touched something and the soul forge powered down. I immediately sat up to look at them. Loki was still zoned out in his own thoughts.

"The Aether seems to have taken a liking to you. Your life energy levels are stronger than the first time I scanned you." Eir explained.

"It should be very much the opposite." Loki murmured before turning completely to me. "The Aether drains those of their life force, it doesn't rebuild it. It should be impossible, especially for a mortal." Loki told me.

"Right..." I sighed. "That is weird. Maybe it's because I'm from another reality?" I asked. Loki's brows furrowed as he thought.

"I don't know." He finally admitted, shaking his head. We were all silent for a moment before I remembered something important.