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was in no way prepared for a fight like the one they were about to face. Alex didn't say much on their journey back, except for a 'good luck' right before they departed for the Bifrost.

She walked alone down the corridor of the castle, trying to process all of her thoughts.

She first thought of Thor, who must've been struggling way more than her. He had lost his mother and his brother in the span of a few days, and his father was basically dead. At least, however, he had Jane.

Alex was starting to realize she had no one.

In this castle, she was alone. Sure, there were the Einherjar guards that filled the castle, but no one she could talk to. She had to process all on her own.

But what exactly was she processing? She was beyond confused. When she watched Loki die, something inside her screamed out. She had no idea where it came from, but her best guess was her heart. Watching him sacrifice himself for his brother, fight for her, defend someone Thor loved--it all spoke volumes. It made her realize that what she prayed for was really inside him: light. It also made her realize the one thing she was too scared to admit.

"Holy fucking shit." She spoke out loud when she reached her chamber.

She had feelings for him.

No, no, no, she thought. It wasn't possible. He literally killed hundreds of people, she kept thinking. How could she feel anything but hatred for him?

Because of the way he made her feel. He made her feel like she was unstoppable, like she was powerful. And who doesn't want to feel powerful? In his eyes, he didn't doubt her power. Tony and Bruce always let her know the limitations of what she could do, and in a way, held her back. She thought briefly back to when Tony wouldn't let her fight in the battle of New York, and how she felt. She felt small.

With Loki, she felt....strong.

She was the only one strong enough to defy him, where others cowered in his presence. Shit, she thought. A small pang of regret tugged at her heart, upset she didn't realize sooner. Now, he was gone.

She should be relieved. She should be happy that Thor will return, and he'll be able to take her back to Earth, where she belonged. But, since being in Asgard, she had the itching feeling that wasn't where she belonged. Maybe, it wasn't a place where she belonged, but a person.

The door opened, and her head snapped to it.

It was her favorite guard, walking in with a tray of food like he always did. Part of her was hoping that it would be Loki walking through the door to torment her like he did everyday.

She spent the day reading the remainder of the books he left her. She was awestruck at his taste in literature, surprised at the depth of some of them. The books told tales of love, trust, and betrayal. She realized, if Loki had a Spotify playlist, it would be these books. They made up his personality quite well. Her favorite, however, was the one she had read a while ago about the enchantress and the sorcerer.

The door opened again. She kept her eyes on the book, immersed in the pages. "You can place it on the table, thank you."

"Do I look like a servant?"

The book fell out of her hands as she saw who it was.

"L-L," She struggled to form the name.

"Loki, yes, good job. I was worried you went mad."

She stood up. "I thought you were dead."

"In a way, I was."

"What?!"

He chuckled. "Have you really forgotten my magic?"

He waved his hand, and his dying body was laying on the ground. Alex winced at the sight, as reliving the scene brought back the sadness she had felt. He waved his hand again, and the illusion faded.

"I can't believe you."

"I can live with that."

"Why would you do that?" She demanded. "Thor thinks you're dead now. He's gone off to Earth to fight Malekith when you could've helped!"

"Why didn't you go?" Loki rose an eyebrow.

She straightened herself. "Unimportant."

"Right, well, I was quite bored of being good."

"You are something else, Loki."

"That is what they say about me. Now, let's discuss yesterday,"

"What about yesterday?" She wondered if he was going to question her feelings, or talk about his in any way.

"You should've passed out right after freezing the Einherjar to save Sif. But, you didn't."

"I still grew tired,"

"Yes, but you didn't fall unconscious,"

"I don't know, Loki. If I knew, I'd do it more often."

He waved her off, pacing toward the window. He looked over the gardens, then toward his bed. He examined the now-decaying vines, and walked over to them. He felt them in his hand, and they crunched between his fingers.

"The vines," He whispered.

"I thought we were over that."

"You consumed the vines' energy,"

"Okay, and?"

He rolled his eyes at her not understanding. "The vines, they can make one immortal. But only if you consume them directly. You consumed their energy, and it gave you immortal energy, but I'm assuming only temporarily. Unless,"

He looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"What?"

He slowly walked toward her, so menacing that she felt a drop in her stomach.

"Loki, stop it."

He took out his dagger, and kept advancing on her.

"This isn't funny,"

He got closer, and raised the dagger over his head. It occurred to her that he was not joking, and she quickly acted. She clenched her fists, freezing him in place right before he could strike her.

Stuck in place, he grinned. "You seem fine,"

"I feel fine,"

"Now, un-stick me."

"I can't. I don't know how to give your energy back to you. I only know how to take it."

"How convenient," His eyes darted around, being the only thing he could really move. "Figure it out,"

"I really can't."

"Can't, or won't?"

"That's," She grew drowsy. "Up to your discretion."

He watched as she collapsed onto the ground. He groaned, still stuck in place. All he could do was stand in his statue-like position, and watch her. She looked quite peaceful when she was unconscious and not pissing him off.

He sighed. If he wasn't stuck, he would at least get her off the stone floor.

Loki wondered how she reacted after he 'died'. Was she sad? Or, was she triumphant? Was she relieved that the monster who was holding her was finally gone? He was baffled when she deflected after he asked why she didn't go to fight Malekith.

Why would she willingly stay here? He thought.

Maybe she thought it unsafe to go back when Malekith was doing who knows what on Earth. Maybe she would wait in Asgard, and Thor would collect her and bring her back to her life. She'd go back to Stark, and forget every moment they shared on Asgard.

The thoughts he was having made Loki grow upset. He wasn't sure what it was about her that was so enticing. It may have been the fact that she had no problem standing up to him, because he'd never experienced that before. Her resistance lured him in.

Alex stirred, looking around.

"You're still stuck?" She rubbed her eyes.

It then occurred to Loki he wasn't stuck anymore, and hadn't been for a couple minutes.

He was so enveloped in his thoughts he had stayed right there, looking at her. He didn't answer, but just held out his hand. For once, she took it, and he lifted her off the ground.

"Tomorrow, we're going to train. You must learn how to control your powers more, or you'll be quite useless."

His words weren't exactly nice, but as he left the room, both Alex and Loki were smiling.

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𝚆𝙾𝚆 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚛𝚢