"That wasn't beginner's luck. Even Steve Rogers couldn't have done that…" Selvig said, no longer attempting to hide his suspicion. "Who are you...really?" Selvig asked.

Loki was more than intelligent enough to realize when the jig was up. He had two choices. He could leave, retrieve his pack and the disguised Mjolnir and abandon his association with Selvig's party or he could come clean and request Selvig's continued assistance in his mission. He had come to the conclusion that it would be difficult to accomplish his mission without the aid of a mortal ally. Besides, it seemed as if fate had brought them together, that their meeting had been somehow preordained. What were the chances that the first mortal he would come across would be from the lands where his father had once held sway?

Selvig, still holding a pool cue in his right hand, his drink in his left, felt the texture of the smooth wood change, his grip expanding around it, now finding himself holding a snake which bent the upper portion of its body to stare into his face, flicking its forked tongue.

"Shit!" Selvig cried out, jumping back, as he swiftly released the snake, almost dropping his drink as well, the snake reverting back to a pool cue before striking the floor. A few heads turned in their direction at the disturbance before returning their attention to their drinks and conversation.

"Whatever mischief you wrought as a child was of your own volition. I had nothing to do with it. I'm quite sure I was much too busy fomenting my own." Loki told Selvig.

Loki walked towards Selvig to retrieve his drink from the small table behind him, Selvig shuffling aside and backing away at Loki's approach appearing gobsmacked as well as fearful, almost tripping over the pool cue that remained lying on the floor. Loki raised his mug, emptying it though it had been almost full.

"I'll tell you everything you wish to know..." Loki said, then peered down at his empty mug, "if you would be so kind as to provide me with another drink."

"Yes...yes, of course…" Selvig said, looking across the room and spying an empty booth in the corner, no one seated nearby. Selvig picked up the discarded pool cue and placed it in the rack, Loki handing the one in his hand off to him, Selvig replacing it as well then taking Loki's empty mug from him. "Follow me…" Selvig led Loki to the booth, setting his drink on the table, Loki seating himself. "I'll be right back." he said, heading to the bar, Loki's empty mug in hand.

Loki sat, awaiting Selvig's return, pondering whether he was making the right decision. There seemed to be no other option. Loki decided there was no cause for worry. If Selvig told others what he was about to tell him, knowing how closed minded Midgardians were known to be, they would never believe him, thinking his words to be the ravings of a lunatic, that he was delusional. He'd likely end up locked away in an institution.

Loki listened to the lyrics of the song that had just begun playing a few moments before. The tune sounded somewhat merry, the singer crooning about joy and fun and 'seasons in the sun' yet the words also spoke of the singer's approaching death, the contrast catching Loki's attention and putting him into a reflective mood. Living under Thor's great shadow and all that came with it, it had been easy for him to overlook and to forget that they had also shared good times together, had had their share of fun and laughs and moments of camaraderie.

Selvig returned with a small tray holding two more mugs of beer and two shot glasses of whiskey and sat it on the table before seating himself. He pushed the tray with the other mug and shot glass aside, grabbing hold of the handle of the still almost full mug he had brought with him to the table.

"I have a feeling I'm going to need it." Selvig said. He noticed that the expression on Loki's face had changed since he had left him to procure more drinks, Loki appearing sullen. "Are you alright?" Selvig asked.

"This composition...it recalls to me the past." Loki replied before pouring the shot of whiskey into the beer, rendering it palatable to him and taking a drink, emptying a third of the mug. Selvig appeared confused for a moment.

"You mean the song. Music can do that. You're speaking of your brother?"

"All that I told you before is true except for my identity."

"You're telling me I'm to believe that you're Loki...the Loki…"

"Yes. You're not yet convinced? Do you have need of another demonstration?"

"No! No..."

"Most, I dare say almost all of the stories you were told growing up are fictions, myths. However, we do exist...Asgard...my father, Odin, Frigga, my mother, myself of course, my brother Thor...at least he did. His soul now rests in Valhalla."

"How could a god be killed by something as simple as a sword?"

"We aren't gods. We are born, we live, and we die as do the mortals of Midgard, though our lifespans are far longer...five thousand years on average, give or take a few centuries, if we are not felled by means other than age. I myself am now nearly fifteen hundred years old. We are of course far stronger and resilient than mortals. There are few diseases to which we are susceptible and we have superior knowledge when it comes to healing the body. The sword that was used to kill Thor is believed to have been enchanted by magic. If it had not been, he would have almost certainly survived such a wound."

"You're saying that you're aliens...extraterrestrials. I suppose it would make sense that a far less advanced society long ago would have believed such beings to be gods. So the man 'mortals' called the God of Thunder is dead. But that wasn't supposed to happen until Ragnarok, the end of the universe or the world depending on how the story was interpreted."

"Another fiction. We know no more about what the future holds than mortals do, though some Asgardians are able to glimpse bits and pieces, but it's akin to reading one paragraph of an entire chapter of a book. My mother has this ability but chooses not to use it. It can be dangerous. A vision taken out of context can be misinterpreted."

"You had quite a part in that story yourself. You were to be the one to instigate it, Ragnarok, after you broke free from imprisonment. You were supposed to have pissed off the other gods and been chained to a rock, a serpent placed above you dripping venom." Selvig informed Loki. Loki gave Selvig a grin.

"I believe I know from whence that story originated. Thor and I were children. My father had brought us to Midgard for the first time to visit the people of those lands, your ancestors. I played one of many pranks that day, this time on my brother. I turned him into a frog. I'd been practicing and planning that particular trick for months. It's rather challenging to convert one from one form to another. Illusions are far simpler. It was quite an advanced trick for one my age at the time."

"You're right, my mother would have been wrong." Selvig responded in disbelief. There was still a part of him that couldn't bring itself to believe Loki's claim of his true identity, though he could at the moment think of no other explanation for what he had seen. Loki, still grinning, continued his story.

"When I returned him to his original form he was, shall we say, displeased. In retaliation, he chained me to a rock. My brother loved serpents, but myself, at least at that time, not so much. He located one and placed it in the branch of a tree that hung over the rock, knowing that I would fear it falling from the branch onto myself."

"How would S.H.I.E.L.D. have travelled to Asgard to kill your brother? Where would they have gotten a magic sword, and why would they?"

"I have no answers to those questions. That's why I'm here." Loki paused for a moment. "I've replayed those few moments in my mind countless times hoping to find a clue that would lead me to those answers. Perhaps it would be helpful if you could see what occurred for yourself. Maybe as a Midgardian and one of the more intelligent of your species, you may notice a clue I've missed."

"You have a video of it?" Selvig asked in surprise. "Like on television…" Selvig attempted to clarify, noticing Loki's confusion.

"Not exactly." Loki said. He reached out towards Selvig and before the man could react, placed his palm on Selvig's forehead. Within Selvig's mind, it was as if he stood in Loki's place in the forests of Asgard, vividly living all that Loki had seen and experienced only a few days before.

Loki removed his hand from Selvig's forehead and took hold of his mug, lifting it and taking another long drink before sitting it down and staring down into it, his shoulders slumped. As he had shared his memory with Selvig, he had himself been forced to relive it once again.

Selvig had no doubt whatsoever now that Loki was speaking the truth. He reached for his mug as well, finishing off what was left in it. Immediately afterwards he slid the empty mug aside and, his hands shaking, grabbed the full one from the tray, dumping the shot into it and chugging from it, emptying half of it before sitting it down. Loki looked up from his mug and stared at him in silent surprise.

"I've just had a god in my brain." Selvig said in explanation.

"As I've said, we're not gods." Loki reminded him.

"Close enough." Selvig responded.

The two men continued conversing, though there was not much more to be said regarding Loki's mission itself, except for one inquiry he made of Selvig that might assist him in that mission that Selvig said he would look into. Loki regaled Selvig with a few tales of his and his brother's adventures, Selvig having coaxed Loki into recalling happier times with his brother, noticing that Loki seemed to have slipped into a depressive state since sharing his memory of Thor's murder with him, knowing that was often beneficial to those in mourning.

Loki had eventually turned the conversation around to Selvig who by this time, having visited Rita once again for more drinks for himself and Loki, was more than happy to share his life story with the man he had once thought to be a myth. Loki did not at all come across to him as the dark, dishonest and evil troublemaker destined to initiate the destruction of the world and as near a figure to Lucifer as there was in Norse mythology that those tales had painted him to be.

Selvig was now clearly drunk while Loki, who had imbibed just as many, was only experiencing mild effects, though he had loosened up considerably since their arrival hours previously. He almost felt as if he were beginning to mesh with his surroundings, with the Midgardians in the bar, no longer feeling a sense of standing out among them.

"So...have you got a girl back there? I think Darcy might have eyes for you…" Selvig said, laughing drunkenly, "Wait...no…nevermind. I wouldn't even wish that on the Devil himself. Hopefully I don't end up taking him out for drinks next."

"I have no interest in your women." Loki stated.

"They aren't 'my' women. Jane is the daughter of an old colleague of mine and a former student. Darcy's...well….Darcy's Darcy. I suppose she has her uses, though I'm still waiting to discover them."

"I mean I have no interest in any women." Loki said, then realized how easily his statement could and likely would be misinterpreted. Perhaps the alcohol was affecting him more than he had believed.

"Oh, you're-" Selvig began, his drunken mind misinterpreting Loki once again, Loki quickly attempting to correct his mistake before Selvig could finish.

"No. Would it be an issue if I were?" Loki asked, knowing that many Midgardians were backwards and had not advanced past an immature and irrational inability to accept those of a different persuasion.

"Of course not. Not for me anyway. I have several friends and acquaintances...though if you were I would tell you in this section of the country some people are less accepting of that than in others."

"Not unlike many searching for their identity and their place in the universe, as a younger man, barely a man really, I had my...adventures, I suppose you could say...but what I meant was that I came here seeking my brother's killers. I have no interest in the women of Midgard. There would be many impediments, not the least of which would be our vastly different lifespans."

"Yes, I can see how that could put a wrench in things." Selvig replied.

"There is someone...I'm not sure where it will lead as of yet...it's rather recent...there are difficulties...she's a chambermaid in the palace...I secured the position for her…"

"She's thought to be unsuitable...beneath you?" Selvig asked.

"Station and status mean little. It's her family...rather one particular member's history. I'm certain however that in time any suspicions will be overcome...if things were to progress."

"Do you love her?" Selvig asked. Loki was silent for a moment, contemplating.

"I'm not sure I know what that means...love of that sort. Of course I loved my brother...my mother...I suppose I'm still figuring that out. I believe it's too soon to know. And you? You say that Jane was a student...so the two of you are not-"

"Oh! No..no...of course not. I'm a lifelong bachelor. Just never met the right person...and with my studies when I was younger and then my work, there just wasn't a lot of time left to devote to much else."

"Do you regret it?" Loki asked. Selvig's drunken smile and his convivial demeanor faded momentarily.

"Sometimes. But we all must live with the choices we've made. I'm not dead yet, perhaps someday…" Selvig answered, emptying the mug in front of him.

"I thought for a time it would be the same for me, though having the time was not the issue. Thor was the one who garnered the interest of women. Those few that showed any interest in myself I was to learn were only hoping to get to him through me or because they wanted something they believed due to my position I could grant them. I'm afraid it may be even more difficult now as I'm to be king. There are many who would wish to be queen….to know who is sincere in their affections…"

"Why do you believe this woman to be?" Selvig asked.

"My brother's death has opened my eyes to many things. I realize now that I've often pushed others away...I did so with her as well...yet unlike others she refused to yield. She's never asked anything of me...all I've granted her has been of my own volition. But more than that...something she said...that she would gladly give her life for my own. They're mere words, anyone could say them, it matters little that no one ever has...of all people I know how simple it is to say a thing and to believe and do the opposite. It was the way she said them."

"Well.. It sounds to me like you have what we on Midgard call 'a keeper.'" Selvig said, his words slurred, placing a hand heavily on Loki's shoulder, the drunken smile returning to his face.

"Perhaps..I suppose time will tell." Loki replied. "Speaking of time, the hour grows late. We should return."

"I suppose you're right," Selvig said, sliding out of the booth and standing unsteadily. "I'll go pay the tab." Selvig clumsily removed his wallet from his back pocket as he stood swaying from side to side, struggling to remain on his feet, seemingly having difficulty removing a card from it.. Loki stood from the booth, taking the wallet from his hand

"May I be of assistance?" Loki asked. Selvig pointed to a credit card, Loki removing it, handing Selvig back his wallet.

"Just give that to Rita and she'll ring it up." Selvig told him before sinking heavily down to seat himself on the end of the booth seat.

Loki approached the bar. Rita, seeing him coming, met him there, Loki handing her the card. She looked to her right across the room to the booth at Selvig.

"You two calling it a night? I don't think I've ever seen Erik tie one on like that before. Are you celebrating something? Some great discovery?"

"In a manner of speaking." Loki answered. Rita rang up the tab, charging it to the card.

"Have a good rest of your night. You sure he'll make it back ok? I know it's not far. You walked here, right?" Rita asked, concerned.

"Yes, we'll be fine." Loki answered.

"You certainly seem to be a fella who can hold his liquor. I wouldn't think you'd even been drinking. I'm impressed." Rita said with a smile. "I didn't catch your name…"

"Lucas...Lucas King." Loki answered.

"Well, Mr. King, I hope to see you again." Rita said, handing Loki back Selvig's card which he slipped into his pocket before returning to the booth to retrieve Selvig.

*********************

After returning to the old service station and getting the drunken Selvig settled into bed, Jane had found a set of lounge pants and an old T-shirt of Selvig's for Loki to sleep in. Stepping out of the RV after changing, he had heard the sound of music, tracing it to an old radio setting on the desk that held Jane's computer. Asking to borrow it, he had taken it with him up to the roof. It had taken him a few minutes to figure out how to operate it and to tune it to different stations, finally settling on one playing music similar to what he had heard in the tavern. He now lay on one of the lounge chairs on the roof under a blanket, looking up at the stars and listening.

I...I will be king and you...you will be queen. Though nothing will drive them away, we can beat them just for one day. We can be heroes just for one day…

"Bowie fan, huh?" Loki heard Jane's voice say. He had been so engrossed in the music he hadn't heard or noticed her approach. "Of course you are. You need anything else? More blankets? It can get a little chilly up here at night."

"No, I'm fine. Thank you."

"So what's up with Erik? I've never seen him that drunk before. Did he lose a bet or something? Did you challenge him to a contest? You don't seem any worse for wear." Jane asked.

"We were conversing. He must have simply lost track…"

"It must have been an interesting conversation. After what you've been through, I would have thought if either of you were to come back that wasted it would be you. You're stronger than you look." Jane commented, recalling Loki's entrance carrying the drunken Selvig over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "So...if you find who killed your brother, what do you plan to do?"

"They'll answer for their crime." Loki replied.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s a government agency. They usually protect their own. But you already know that, don't you? Are you one of them? Why are you really here?" Jane asked.

"I hadn't heard of S.H.I.E.L.D. until two days ago. All that I've told you about my brother is true. The strange thing is...if anyone had told me a week ago, a month ago...that I would mourn him as I do now, I would not have believed it possible. There were times I thought perhaps I would be capable of killing him myself."

"He wasn't a good man then?" Jane asked, walking over and sitting on the other lounge chair. "Is that why he was killed? Was he involved in something? Drugs? Organized crime?"

"No. Nothing of the sort. He was the best of men. He was loved so dearly by everyone that I'm afraid there was little left for me. That was most certainly the case with my father. It was only after my brother's death that I learned why. I was adopted. It had been kept a secret from me all these centur-years." Loki said, correcting himself.

"They waited until you were grown...and right after your brother's death to tell you?" Jane asked.

"My mother said they didn't want me to feel different, though I did...every day. My true father had abandoned me, left me to die as an infant."

"Oh my god." said Jane, aghast.

"It should have been me. I was marked for death long ago. My father believed he could defy fate and my brother paid the price."

"I don't believe that. I don't believe in luck or fate. We like for things to make sense, to feel like there's some sort of order to the universe, but the universe is a chaotic place. Erik would tell you the same thing."

"That's certainly true. My father has spent his life attempting to bring order to it. Soon it will fall to me to do the same. If I fail..."

"What do you mean?" Jane asked, puzzled.

"I'll explain another day, tomorrow perhaps."

"It's ok. I'll let you get some sleep." Jane said, rising.

"Thank you...for the kindness you've shown me. I didn't expect it here. I'm not sure why...but I have a feeling that my brother would have liked you very much." Loki said.

"From what you've said of your brother, I'll take that as a compliment." Jane said with a smile. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Loki said. Jane left the roof leaving Loki once again alone staring up at the stars, his eyelids grew heavy as another song began to play over the radio like a lullaby, the words seeming to fit nicely with what...or rather who...now came to mind as sleep began to overtake him.

Maybe I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time, maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you, Maybe I'm amazed at the way you pulled me out of time and hung me on a line, maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you...

*********************

It was one of the rare days when Phil Coulson found himself actually walking into his office in the morning. Sitting his coffee he held in one hand and the folder he held in the other down on his desk, he sat, sliding the folder in front of him and opening it.

"Good morning. Fancy seeing you here." a familiar voice to Coulson said, Coulson looking up to see Nick Fury standing by the door.

"I know, I shouldn't get used to it." Coulson said.

"How was Portland?" Fury asked.

"Lovely this time of year. It only rained for thirty five of the forty eight hours I was there." Coulson quipped.

"Considering why you were there, I'm thinking you didn't give a damn about the rain."

"Not really, no."

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Fury asked.

"Seeing as you're here I thought that you had something for me." Coulson said to Fury.

"I might. Not sure yet."

Coulson opened the folder, skimming the first page of the document inside, next examining what looked like satellite photographs on the page behind it.

"Some strange energy surge in New Mexico picked up by satellites….probably nothing…I'll likely end up passing it on to astrophysics."

"No word yet from our new friends?" Fury asked.

"Nothing yet. They might have gotten cold feet. I'll give them some more time. Sometimes it takes awhile to get past the jitters." Coulson answered. "If I hear anything you'll be the first to know."

"I should always be the first to know." Fury commented. "Word on the street is we might have another new friend and not a new head on the old one. In competition with them."

"What 'street' did you hear this on? No one tells me anything."

"I'll send you what I have so far. If it's true, you're going to be seeing this office even less often." Fury said stepping out and closing the door behind him. Coulson thumbed through the papers in the folder before going back to the satellite pictures, examining them more closely, an expression of puzzlement coming over his face. Opening his desk drawer, he pulled out a magnifying glass.