Loki had awakened, throwing off the blanket covering him, the morning sunlight rapidly raising the temperature on the rooftop so that it was quickly becoming uncomfortable. Returning the blanket, pillow, and radio to Jane who was already up and working at her computer, thanking her again for the use of them, he stepped into the service station's former office to change so as not to disturb Selvig who he was sure would not be rising for some time, Loki certain he would regret doing so when he finally did. Reluctantly, he returned his clothing to the white and khaki shades. Loki informed Jane, who had turned her attention from the computer to a device in her hands, that he was going off on another 'excursion' and would return. She had nodded but he wasn't at all sure that she had processed what he had said, so intensely was she studying whatever it was she was viewing.

Loki arrived at his destination, Darcy having pointed it out to him the day before, just as a man Loki assumed to be the proprietor of the business was putting his key in the door. Though not yet officially open, he had invited Loki inside. The transaction had not taken long and after being instructed on how to use it and producing Selvig's card he had pocketed the night before, Loki walked out with a phone in his possession.

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

Phil Coulson continued to study the photographs, holding the magnifying glass over one and then another, disbelieving what he appeared to be seeing when a call came in on the cellphone he had placed on his desk nearby. Reaching for it, Coulson put the phone to his ear.

"Coulson." he answered.

"Coulson. Phil Coulson? Of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division?" a voice Coulson didn't recognize said through the phone.

"Yes. Speaking." Coulson answered curiously as he sat up straight in his chair.

"I have your card..." the voice informed him.

"In the bottom right hand corner…what's the number?" Coulson said to the caller.

"Three hundred twenty five."

"Thank you. What's your location?" Coulson asked.

"New Mexico. It's a small city by the name of Puente Antiguo." Coulson turned to the computer on his desk, entering the information.

"I can be there by six. Is there a place you'd like to meet?" Coulson asked.

"The Bridge Bar."

"Alright. Six o'clock. The Bridge Bar." Coulson repeated before the call disconnected.

Coulson sat the phone down, running the short conversation through his mind again before picking up the phone once more.

Loki looked down at the phone in his hand as he put Coulson's card back into his pocket. That had been too easy. The elaborate story Loki had concocted had not been necessary. No matter, Loki thought, he would soon have Coulson and the answers he sought. He found himself once again passing the clothing store. He peered through the window at the mannequin. He would sleep in his own bed that night and he did not plan on doing so alone.

Passing the business next to the clothing store, a woman appearing to be in her 40's wearing a gray skirt suit had just unlocked the door and turned the sign to display the word "open." Loki's eyes perused the baubles in the window, gold and gemstones glittering. The phone call had been far shorter than he expected. He had time. Unable to resist, he stepped inside.

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

Loki had returned to Selvig and Jane's base to find Selvig awake, or at least a simulation of it, obviously nursing a hangover, a glass of water that appeared to be fizzing in his hand as he sat at the table where Loki and Darcy had eaten the day before.

"That's the last time I drink with a god." Selvig told him.

"I'm not a-"

"I know, I know...you're not a god, but you sure as hell drink like one."

"I've contacted Coulson. We're to meet at the tavern at six o'clock."

"Six….today?" Selvig asked, shocked.

"Yes.."

"I have an idea...what you said you needed. But we can't check in until 2:30. Will that be enough time?" Selvig said.

"That should be sufficient." Loki told him. "I neglected to return this to you." Loki said, taking Selvig's credit card from his pocket and handing it to him.

"Oh, yes. Thank you." Selvig said, placing it back in his wallet. As he did so, his phone rang. Putting his wallet back into his pocket, he reached into his other for his phone and answered the call. "Hank...I was just about to call you…"

Loki turned away from Selvig, walking back outside. Holding out his hand, the leather bag appeared in his palm once again. Loki emptied its contents into his hand. The sunlight from above enhanced the rainbow effect within their center. He stood staring at the stones as if in a trance.

"Do you truly wish to see what they will show you? I warn you brother, it can only bring you pain." Loki heard Thor's voice speaking to him. .

Loki looked up from the stones only to realize that his surroundings had changed. He was now standing in a forest, a familiar one. Before him, a few feet away, stood Thor.

"I have to know."

"What is seen cannot be unseen."

"Something has changed." said Loki.

"What is done cannot be undone. This is who you are, who you always were." Thor said.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Loki looked up from the stones, the vision having ended as Darcy's voice broke the trance, once again finding himself standing outside the old service station. Darcy stood in front of him waving her hand in front of his eyes. "What are those? Are they like those fortune telling stones?" she asked.

"You could say that." Loki said, putting the stones back into the bag and slipping them into his pocket.

"Maybe you can tell mine later. I had a reading done about a year ago, just for fun. Of course Jane and Erik say it's bullshit. But she did tell me I was going to meet a British guy and here you are so I guess she was right. We're going to get breakfast. You coming?"

"I have yet to obtain any currency." Loki replied.

"Don't sweat it. I'm sure Erik will cover you. Not like we'd let you starve or anything." Darcy told him. Loki hadn't eaten since the sandwich the day before and realized he was indeed quite hungry. "You sure you're alright? You're kinda spacey."

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine." Loki said, though he knew he was not. Seeing Thor again alive though only in a vision, even if it hadn't actually been him and was only a trick of the stones or his own mind, had affected him. He played the short conversation over again.

"Let's go." Darcy said as Jane and Selvig exited the building.

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

The young woman with the copper hued hair dressed in a long ankle length skirt, blouse and sweater listened in silence to the sound of the sea, feeling the slight chill of the wind coming off of it on her skin. She stood before the cairn of large, smooth stones that had been constructed on the seashore that served as a memorial and place of mourning.

There was much and many to mourn. There was Asgard itself, after that were those who had not survived Hela's wrath and Ragnarok. Of those that had survived, nearly half had fallen as a result of Thanos' unprovoked attack, a true case of "kicking someone when they're down" if there ever was one. Finally there were those who had recently been rendered dust, also at the instigation of the Mad Titan, as he was known.

The woman held in one hand a bouquet of flowers she had collected, in the other what appeared to be a crown featuring long, bending horns, sculpted of clay that had then been fired and afterwards painted gold by her own hand.

Kneeling before the cairn, the woman leaned the crown against it, placing the flowers in front of it and bowed her head.

"Guardian of souls, as Loki has come to you, know that he was loved. He was a soaring spirit and a brave warrior. Watch over him and welcome him with honor and glory. Loki, son of Odin, I bid you to take your place in the halls of Valhalla-"

"Where the brave live forever." both the woman and the man whose voice she heard from a few feet behind her said, finishing the blessing. Verda turned as she rose to see Thor.

"My king…" Verda said in surprise. "I did not know you had returned to us."

"I arrived only a short time ago. Thanos is dead. I return now to stand with Asgard. You have come to pay tribute to my brother?"

"Yes. I do so each day."

"You knew him?"

"No...though I owe my life to him twice over."

"How so?" Thor asked, curious.

"When I was a young girl, I had run away from my sister. She had threatened to do me harm. I ended up in the forest but became lost. One tree looked as any other, the paths seemed to go in circles. I heard a boy crying. I thought perhaps he was lost like me. If I could find him, maybe we could find our way out together, or at least we wouldn't be alone. I was walking in the direction I thought he may be when the ground opened beneath me and I fell into it. I feared no one would find me. I would die there. Your brother heard my cries and helped me out of the pit and to find my way out of the forest. I didn't then know who he was. I had been so frightened I didn't ask his name and he never told me. It was only much later that I realized it had been Loki who had saved me. I was sure he had forgotten me. He'd probably forgotten all about it by the next day. I never did, but I was too afraid to speak to him. I didn't feel as if I were worthy. Then after what my sister wrought, I was certain I would not be welcome to do so." Verda explained, telling her story.

"It was likely one of his own traps he had set for me that you fell into. I believe I remember him speaking of your rescue. He returned home quite pleased with himself. If I recall correctly he remained so for at least a week. Who is your sister?" Thor asked, puzzled.

"Lorelei, the criminal...she was sentenced by your father to life in the dungeon. People were afraid of me. I was sure a son of Odin would be warned against me."

"Knowing Loki as I did, if he had thought it would have vexed our father he would not have been able to help himself and would have been more than happy to speak to you as well as to be seen with you, though I doubt that my father would have held your sister's crimes against you." Thor said, unable to help grinning, though it quickly faded as he looked to the cairn, recalling why they had both come to that place.

"You came here to be alone. I should go." Verda said. Thor approached the cairn, bending down and picking up the crown Verda had left there.

"You crafted this?"

"Yes."

"It is beautifully done. Would you mind...?" Thor asked.

"It is yours."

"Thank you...for honoring him." Thor said.

"I will do so again tomorrow." replied Verda before walking away, leaving Thor staring mournfully down at the crown in his hands.

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

Selvig, still appearing a bit ragged around the edges after the night before, slipped the key into the lock of the old motel room's door. It was an older establishment from the days of the motor inns, two stories, all the rooms accessible from outside. There being few points of interest within or around Puente Antiguo to attract vacationers and tourists, there were only a couple such places in town.

Opening the door, Selvig stepped aside, Loki, carrying his pack, entering and perusing the room. It was slightly outdated, its last refurbishment having been a few years prior, though it was in good repair and clean. A queen sized bed was located against the wall to the right, a television sitting on top of a chest of drawers on the opposite wall along with an armchair in the corner and a desk and chair. Selvig followed Loki inside, closing the door behind him.

"This way…" Selvig said, walking past Loki towards the far side of the room, Loki following. Selvig opened another door and flipped the light switch, revealing a bathroom with a tub and shower combination as well as a sink and a toilet. "Will this do?" he asked. Loki walked into the bathroom and to the tub, looking down into it.

"Yes, I believe so."

"Alright." Selvig said, moving past Loki and showing him how to stop the drain and run the water and adjust the temperature. "Well then, I'll leave you to it...whatever 'it' is. I'll be right outside."

"Thank you." Loki said as Selvig exited the room, closing the door behind him. Loki opened his pack, pulling out a small votive candle he had taken from among a few others Jane had at the service station. He sat it on the vanity before sitting his pack on the closed lid of the toilet and then seated himself on the edge of the tub, turning on the water once again and adjusting the temperature to a level he found comfortable. Standing, he began to undress.

Folding his clothing, he sat it on the toilet with his pack. He had no need of matches or a lighter for the candle, as a flame burst into life on the wick. The tub sufficiently filled, Loki turned off the faucet and held out his palm, producing once again the bag of stones. Removing the stones from it, putting the bag on top of his clothing, he held them in his hand as he used the other to turn off the light, leaving the room bathed in the glow of the candlelight.

Loki entered the tub, sliding his body under the warm water, his muscles relaxing. He looked to the stones in his hand once more before lowering the hand in which they rested under the water and closed his eyes, slipping down farther into the tub until his head was under the water as well.

Behind his closed eyelids, Loki saw only darkness...then a flash of blinding light. Loki found himself standing in what appeared to be a completely white room, though he could see no corners or walls. A woman stood before him in a long, powder blue gown, her wavy snow white hair flowing far past her waist, her eyelashes white as well, her eyes a piercing deep blue.

"You have come to us believing your path to have been altered. You wish to see what was but is not, what would be but will be no longer?" she asked.

"Yes…" Loki answered.

"Are you certain you wish to know? Once you have seen you cannot unsee. Once you know, you cannot unknow."

"There are questions I must have answered."

"Take my hand." The woman said, reaching out. As he took hold of her hand, Loki was jolted by a barrage of images flashing through his consciousness. Images of Thor, his father, Laufey, einherjar lying frozen to death within Odin's vault, he looking up at Thor and Odin, hanging over the edge of a decimated Bifrost, the void of space below him….

Selvig sat with his upper half resting against the headboard of the bed holding the remote to the television in his hand, having switched it on, and flipped through the channels, stopping on a twenty four hour news station, purposely keeping the volume low as to not disturb Loki. He had little need to hear what the newscasters were speaking about as the images of chaos, death and destruction spoke for themselves. Selvig thought of Loki's appointment later that afternoon and couldn't help but wonder if S.H.I.E.L.D had been involved in any way with what he was now viewing. What had Pym meant when he'd said that he'd suspected for some time that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been compromised?

He had done his best to assure Hank Pym that Loki had turned out to be on the level and that there was no cause for concern. He had not disclosed Loki's true identity and that of his deceased brother or his origin to Pym. He had also yet to disclose it to Jane and Darcy. For the moment at least, the fewer that knew the better, Selvig believed. Before they had come to the motel, to pass the time after breakfast until the motel opened for check ins of new guests, he had taken Loki to the library, Loki perusing their offerings on Norse mythology. As he'd read the stories, he had vacillated between laughter, horror, and disgust. For a few he had related what had actually occurred that he believed could be the seed of truth behind them. Selvig had equated it to being somewhat like the old game of telephone. It had left him wondering what other ancient myths and legends of various cultures had begun from a seed of truth and how different that truth was from what had finally made it to paper after centuries of retelling, embellishments and imagination.

In the bathroom, Loki suddenly shot up from under the water with a loud roaring cry, clumsily pulling himself from the tub, slipping over the side to sprawl on the hard, cold tiled floor, his body shaking as if he were in a deep freeze, drawing himself up into a a fetal position, the water running off his hair and body collecting in a pool under and around him.

Selvig, hearing Loki's cry, jumped from the bed, rushing to the bathroom door. Throwing it open, he spied Loki on the floor in the candlelight and flipped the light switch.

"Lok-" Selvig began to say before a hand came from behind him, covering his mouth, an arm wrapping itself around his body, dragging him away from the doorway, back into the motel room.

"Here!" Verda said, holding out a pair of Asgardian shackles.

"Why do you...no, I don't want to know." Sif said, removing her hand from Selvig's mouth and pulling his arms behind him, taking the shackles and placing them around Selvig's wrists before grabbing the back of his shirt, hauling him over to the armchair in the corner of the room and pushing him down into it. "Are you Coulson?" Sif asked as Verda rushed to the bathroom.

"No! I'm not Coulson." Selvig said.

"Sif!" Verda called from the bathroom. Sif left Selvig in the chair, returning to the bathroom as Verda attempted to lift Loki's torso off the floor. "Help me get him to the bed!" Verda exclaimed as Loki continued to shake, now babbling words and phrases that made no sense to either Sif or Verda. Sif looked at Loki's nude form with an expression of disgust before reluctantly bending over and grabbing hold of his legs, Verda his upper half. Reaching the bed, Verda pulled the blankets aside with one hand as she laid Loki's upper half into the bed, his head on the pillow, the water still dripping from his hair soaking into it. Sif moved the rest of Loki into the bed.

"Yes...please...thank you…" Sif said as Verda quickly covered him with the blankets and comforter.

"An ant has no quarrel with a boot…..freedom is life's great lie….you will know peace…." Loki babbled, his eyes remaining closed as if he were talking in his sleep.

"What's wrong with him?" Sif asked Verda before turning to Selvig. "What did you do to him?"

"You must be truly desperate…was that her last expression? Trust? While you let her die?!...Who put me there?!" Loki babbled and raved, angrily crying out the last.

"Nothing! I only brought him here! He said he needed water, a pool…."

" I have to bring him out of it or we'll lose him, he will lose himself. Take him and go. Wait outside."

"I'm a friend. I know who he is. He told me. I'm trying to help him." Selvig said to Sif.

"He's telling the truth." Verda said to Sif. Sif grabbed Selvig's arm, raising him from the chair and removed the shackles before leading him to the door and with a hand on his back, moved him through it, closing it behind her.

"Your savior is here!" Loki cried from the bed, his body still shaking.

"Yes...yes you are...you saved me, you saved Asgard.. Loki…it's me...it's Verda...I'm here. Come back to me." Verda pleaded, her eyes becoming teary.

"I, Loki, prince of Asgard….Odinson…. the rightful king of the Jotunheim...god of mischief...do hereby pledge to you my undying...undying…"

"Loki!"

"Undying fidelity….dying….I'm dying….." Loki said, his voice growing strained, hoarse, as if he were being choked.

"No! Loki! You are not dying! I won't let you die! Not again! Listen to me! You have to come back!."

"Dying…."

Desperate, not knowing what else to do, Verda slapped Loki hard across the face, then as if wracked by guilt after the assault, quickly pressed her lips against his. After a few moments, Loki began to return her kiss, his arms raising from under the blankets, his fingers sliding into her hair. His body still shaking slightly, he opened his eyes to look into hers as she ended the kiss.

"Verda? Where…..what are you doing here? I was….how did I..."

"I'll explain later. Sif is with me. She's outside with your friend. She helped me get you into bed. " Verda told him. Loki now recalling where he was and what he had been there to do, undressing, getting into the tub, putting the stones into the water….realizing he was nude under the blankets, a grin spread across his face.

"I'm sure that made her century." Loki said. Verda smiled, breaking into a laugh.

"She's scarred for life." Verda's expression changed, her eyes again becoming tearful. "I was afraid you wouldn't come back...I was going to lose you…" Loki took Verda's face between his hands.

"You believe it's that easy to be rid of me? It would be at least as difficult as ridding myself of you...obviously I have yet to succeed."

"Do you wish to?" Verda asked.

"No…." he said, shaking his head.

"I'll get your clothes and let them know you're alright."

"They can wait." Loki told Verda, "I have something for you."

"Let me guess. It's under the blankets." Verda said with a grin.

"I'll save that particular gift for later. I don't intend to leave them waiting quite that long." Loki said, returning a grin of his own.

"You certainly do like to flatter yourself." Verda responded with a smirk.

"Why shouldn't I? If you could bring me my bag."

Verda slid off the bed and returned to the bathroom, grabbing Loki's pack from the toilet along with his clothing. Returning to the bed, she found Loki sitting up. After handing him the pack, he opened it, pulling out a flat rectangular box and handing it to Verda.

"What is it?" Verda said, opening the box, her eyes falling on a necklace, the gold pendant a circle and within the circle a many branched tree, tiny leaves of gold dangling from the branches, catching the light. "It's beautiful…"

"I believe it to be fit for a queen."