A/N: All right, I don't know if this is my best work ever (it's probably not), but it's like emotional whiplash, writing this thing, so I can't edit it anymore. So here, have at it, my readers.

(And I'm sorry to hear your 2018 didn't start off so good, Midnight. I hope it's gotten better! Or will get better if it hasn't already.)

Asgardian palace, Quill's planet, 5037

Loki sat on the window seat, his normal black and green clothes contrasting sharply from the cushions' soft blues, book open and forgotten on his lap. He looked out over the sprawling fields around the palace, the idyllic view courtesy of a couple thousand years' of work by Peter Quill. But he focused on a different view, one of his and Val's making – their daughter, Frigga, practicing her swordsmanship with her own two children, while Loki's great-grandchildren watched in awe. Loki smiled down at them, the result of three thousand years of happiness.

A mumble pulled his gaze inwards. He blinked to adjust to the dimmer room. Its walls were baby blue, its plush carpet soft white. Off one wall were the walk-in closet and bathroom; the window Loki sat at was flanked by a couple bookshelves; the exit was opposite the wall. On the fourth wall was the bed, sitting beneath a display of Val's vitals. Some medical equipment sat against that wall, a couple of chairs on either side of the bed.

Val was sprawled out on her stomach on the bed, napping. She'd kicked half of the royal blue quilt off, and tucked her hands underneath the gold pillows. Her snow-white hair was falling free from the braid Loki had done this morning. She'd been snoring up until a few minutes ago, which typically meant she was close to waking, so Loki set his book aside, his silver-streaked hair swinging briefly into his view as he stood.

"Val?" he murmured. Please be lucid, he prayed futilely.

She stiffened, bolting upright as fast as her old bones would allow. Her hand went to her hip, her shoulder, even her ankle. Upon realizing she had no weapon holstered on her person, she just held her fists up. "Why the hell am I not on Sakaar?" she hissed.

Loki's shoulders slumped a little beneath a combination of disappointment and relief. At least she remembered her disastrous first battle with Hela this time – he hated explaining that one to her. He held his hands out. "Relax. No one's kidnapped you."

"Like hell-" She broke off, suddenly noticing her wrinkled hands. She held them out, examining them, then looked down at her grey pajamas. A lock of hair fell over her shoulder as she did so, and she grabbed it, staring at its whiteness.

"Val," he said, "you left Sakaar three thousand years ago."

Her eyes went wide, her fist clenching around the hair. "No. That's- I'm hallucinating-"

Loki pointed at the nightstand, cluttered with photos over the years. She looked at them, gingerly picking up one of her hugging Frigga. She was almost the spitting image of her mother – same skin, same hair, same height, same build – except her eyes. Those were electric blue, and even though she was smiling and cradling her newborn, they glinted with Loki's familiar mischief. Val squinted at her familiar features, glancing from the picture to Loki.

"I had a daughter with you?"

Loki dropped his hands, pursing his lips. "Why do you always seem so surprised by that? Yes, you had a child with me. Well, technically four," he amended, "but the other three were adopted."

Val eyed him before setting the photo down and looking at the others. "I'd tell you to go to hell, but those photos all seem familiar."

"That's good," Loki said. Thank the gods, this is one of her better days. He sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to make the next move.

She glanced at him, then dropped her gaze. "It's Aging Sickness, isn't it."

It was a statement, so Loki doesn't even nod to confirm it. "You've had it for about fifty years now."

"And I've had you for…?"

"About three thousand years," Loki replied. He told her about their first meeting, his weeks on Sakaar, Thor's appearance, the battle with Hela, and their weeks on the Ark. "And then we fought with the humans and some others to defeat Thanos. I joined this group called the Guardians of the Galaxy for a few years, and after I got back, we had a real wedding ceremony, and we've been helping our family rule Asgard ever since."

Val looked at her left hand, picking it up to look at the ring she wore. It was a simple silver band, dim green light pulsing down the middle in time with Loki's heartbeat; he had a matching one, blue light indicating her heartbeat. She twisted it around. "I have an entire family I don't remember."

Loki offered his hand to her. "Some of them are outside, if you want to look."

After a moment, she nodded, taking his hand. Loki's heart broke a little all over again, feeling her hesitance to hold him and be held by him. But he smiled through the pain, just like he always did, and helped her back to the seat.

Once she was settled, he started pointing. "The one in purple is Frigga. The other woman is Gamora – Frigga was close to her – and that's her older brother, Tyr. Those two girls, Erna and Freya, are his."

Val tried to smile, but her gaze was conflicted. She tore her gaze from their descendants, turning it to where his hand rested on her knee. He started to pull back, but she stopped him. "I wish I remembered this," she rasped.

Loki lifted his other hand. "I can show you."

She eyed him warily. "How?"

"I'm a sorcerer. I have limited telepathic abilities. It doesn't hurt, it just might be a little disorienting."

She considered his words, looking back out the window and at the collection of photos. Finally, she nodded, and he put his palm on her forehead. He dug through her mind a little, searching for the first of the memories she'd told him she never wanted to forget.

-MCU-

Avengers Compound, Earth, 2018

Val was in one of the smaller living rooms, furnished by some maroon recliners, a three-person couch, a glass coffee table, and a massive TV. She sat on the couch with Loki, braiding his hair to chase off memories of the brutal war against Thanos, while he read The Hunger Games, the book levitating in front of his face. Thor was in one of the recliners, chowing down on popped corn while watching Say Yes to the Dress and critiquing both the outfits (there were mentions of the gown he'd worn once, which Val made a mental note to ask about later) and the annoying bridal parties.

"Katniss needs to just murder her opponents already," Loki muttered, a flicker of green turning the page.

Val poked the back of his head. "No murder."

"They're trying to murder her!"

"Shh, this is a good argument," Thor cut in, eyes riveted to the screen.

"Well, this is some very manly stuff going on in here," a new voice remarked. Val turned to see Clint standing in the doorway, a package tucked under one arm.

"Thor likes to pretend he wore the best wedding dress in the galaxy," Loki said.

"Loki!" Thor cried. "You weren't supposed to mention that!"

"That's not what I- wait, Thor wore a wedding dress?"

"Uh, no, I've never done such a thing," Thor lied badly.

Clint watched his teammate with a new curiosity in his eyes, then looked at the other brother. "Anyway, I was referring to our former nemesis getting his hair braided. It's very nice, my daughter would be jealous."

Loki didn't even bat an eye. "My hair provides a healthy stress outlet for my wife. Who am I to deny her?"

"It gets in your face, doesn't it?" Clint asked.

"…Yes."

"You should copy your brother. Anyway," he moved on quickly, stepping forward to place the package on the coffee table, "I didn't come here just to mock you guys. Before everything went to hell, Wanda told me she'd always wanted to learn to ride, so I worked with Tony to arrange the surprise for her. I guess he didn't stop building the barn, even though Wanda couldn't use it, but he stopped at actually getting horses. Until you, Val, started asking questions."

Val abandoned Loki's hair, glancing at the archer before reaching for the package. She opened it, cursing silently at the stubborn Midgardian tape, and reached inside. Her fingers met boot leather and thick fabric, blues and white and black and greens greeting her eyes. Her eyes widened as she recognized riding clothes and her mind paired that with Clint's words.

"You guys got horses?" she breathed. Loki dropped his book, turning to the box and removing black jodhpurs that were clearly in his size.

"Technically Tony did, but basically, yeah," Clint replied, smiling. "Go get dressed, then I'll take you to the barn."

Val grabbed the box and hurried off, Loki jumping up to follow her. She caught Thor smiling after them, happy for his siblings, before Clint wiped off the expression with, "So, when exactly did you wear that wedding dress?"

Val donned knee-high white boots over navy jodhpurs, a long-sleeved ombre top that started navy and faded to a lighter royal blue up at the shoulders, and white gloves. Loki had black boots, the black jodhpurs, and a deep green top with short sleeves that beautifully exposed his wiry arm muscles. She took a moment to admire them while fixing her hair into its old ponytail.

Then they joined Clint in a golf cart. He drove them through the field, weaving along a path through the trees until they emerged in front of a sprawling horse-centric complex. There were two massive barns and a dozen pastures dotted by grazing horses. Val grinned, letting the familiar sounds of nickering and running hooves wash over her.

"I thought you said this was a horse for Wanda?" Loki exclaimed.

"Tony never does things small. I think he wants to make riding a stress-relief thing for the personnel here," he explained as he parked. "Knock yourselves out, royals. All the horses are ready to go, tack is in the barn, trails are wherever you want. Dinner's at six. Bye!"

He left them there, driving off to the compound. Val and Loki went into one of the pastures, picking out a long-legged, raven black gelding for Loki, and a sturdy, fleabitten grey mare for Val. Their names were woven into the nosebands of their rainbow halters – Sherwin and Opal. The two Asgardians led them back to the barn, saddled them up, and took them outside to mount.

For the first time in a thousand years, Val settled in the saddle. She grinned as muscle memory took over, fitting her feet into the stirrups and wrapping her fingers around the reins. She glanced at Loki, who looked equally at ease in the saddle, his back straight but relaxed. "Where shall we go, my prince?"

Loki nodded past the barn. "I think there's a lot of open field over there."

Val urged Opal forward, making her way over to the strip of trees in their way. They walked through them, opening up into a trot once they were clear. Muscle memory took over again as she posted, syncing up with Opal's strides. Soft green grass and gentle blue sky unrolled before them, and it wasn't long before they were cantering, then galloping over the hills. Wind streamed through her hair, and she couldn't hold back a whoop of joy, sharing a grin with Loki as they urged their mounts onward.

This was the closest she'd come to flying in a long time, and she couldn't imagine doing it with anyone else by her side.

-MCU-

Asgardian palace, Quill's planet, 5037

Loki retracted from Val's mind, giving her a chance to process. She was smiling, the residual ecstacy still filling her. Loki studied her, remembering, committing her glow to memory. He took her hand into his, and she let him, her previous tension gone.

"That was the first time we were really relaxed together," she murmured.

He nodded. "Most of our activities were tainted by something – stress, fear for the Asgardians' future, fear for my future, fear for the universe's future, grief… But in that moment, we were finally free."

"We slept like babies that night," she recalled, narrowing her eyes as the memory returned to her. "All curled up together."

"And then you made me clean off your boots," he added, chuckling. "I did a lot of cleaning for you."

"Well, magic is very helpful in that department," she retorted.

"True," Loki conceded.

Val pondered a moment more, then reached out to touch their rings together. They emitted little sparks of pink and gold, glowing at the contact. "What's the story behind these?" she asked.

Loki held up his hand, and after a slight hesitation, she leaned into it.

-MCU-

Avengers Compound, Earth, 2020

Val waited in the yard with Thor and the others, watching the Milano settle on the tarmac and unveil its passengers. She watched the five aliens disembark first, smiling at Gamora as she followed Peter out, but she was waiting for another and Gamora respected that, giving her a little wave before moving off to reunite with Tony and Natasha. Finally, Loki stepped from the Milano into New York's nippy December air; he dipped his head to Tony and Natasha, but he came for.

"Welcome back," Thor said, pulling him into a one-armed hug.

"It's good to see you two. Where's Jane?" Loki asked, wriggling free to greet Val with a kiss. She hugged him close, leaning into his familiar warmth for the first time in months.

"Ah, she's at a conference and couldn't make it," Thor replied, not quite managing to sound nonchalant. Val patted his elbow.

"Chop chop, folks," Tony called. "Some of us have been waiting all morning to open our presents."

"I'm sorry we were delayed by saving the galaxy again," Peter retorted, lightly slugging Tony's shoulder. "You know how little regard these guys have for Christmas."

With Val's hand in his and Thor's arm around his shoulder, Loki led the trio inside, rolling his eyes at Peter. "I'm from a different mythology entirely, remember?"

"All right Prince High and Mighty, I'm a god too-"

"Demigod."

Val sighed. "We're having this argument again?"

"It never stops," Gamora stated.

The large group made their way to the compound's largest sitting room, but even that needed an assortment of extra chairs and couches to fit all of them. Thor slipped off at one point, returning with a bag that he handed to Loki. A Christmas tree, decorated by a rather garish collection of ornaments (Val suspected Tony had been left in charge of decorating this year), sat in the corner, its base overflowing with presents. Thank the gods they'd done Secret Santa this year – everyone trying to buy presents for everyone was a nightmare – so it didn't take terribly long to get to Val's turn.

She plucked the badly-wrapped box off her lap and handed it to Thor to pass around. "Merry Christmas, Gamora."

The Zehoberei straightened up to open it, making quick work of the dark red paper and cardboard within. She grinned as she picked out a black thigh holster and the accompanying knife, a tiny space scene featuring the Milano painted on both sides of the hilt. "Thank you, Val."

"Any time, Gam."

"Here you go, Val," Loki said as Gamora started tucking the ripped paper back into the box.

"How fortunate that you got me," Val teased as she took the bag from him.

"There may have been some trading involved," Loki conceded, glancing at Scott.

Scott, who had already given his gift to Hope, just shrugged. "Hey, worked for me, too. But how exactly did you know I had Val?"

"…That's unimportant."

Val shook the bag at the two men. "Can I open this, or do you two want to keep talking?"

"Yeah, yup, go ahead," Scott said quickly, flashing a thumbs-up as he shifted to hide a little behind Hope. Loki cleared his throat and fixed his attention on her. Shaking her head, Val reached into the bag and pulled out a little jewelry box.

"Jewelry?"

"Just open it."

Curious, she opened the lid, and found two rings within. They both just looked like plain silver bands; one was larger. When she picked up the smaller one, he tapped it with one finger, and emerald light flickered to life on the band, flashing by in the ups and downs of-

"A heartbeat?" she asked, looking up at Loki.

He tapped his chest. "Mine. So even when I'm across the galaxy, you can look at that and know I'm all right."

"That's… perfect," she murmured, slipping it on. It fit like a glove, its slight weight settling on her finger like a tiny hug. She watched the light for a moment, then picked up the second ring. "And what's this one for?"

Loki tapped that one too, and this time the light was blue. He slipped that one onto his own finger. "Your heartbeat, for my reassurance. And they're vibranium, so they won't break if we punch someone repeatedly while wearing them."

"Perfect," she said, reaching out for a fistbump. He obliged, tapping their rings together and making a little lightshow of the gold they loved, and the traditional pink that symbolized love.

"Someone get the mistletoe," Tony teased, "these two need to kiss."

And kiss they did.

-MCU-

Asgardian palace, Quill's planet, 5037

Val twisted her ring around her finger. "How long were you with the Guardians?"

"Years," Loki answered. "As much as I love you and Thor, I was never really happy on Earth. I came back partially because I finally felt sure of myself, but mostly because we adopted our first child, and I didn't want to be like Odin. It wasn't long, though, in the grand scheme of Asgardian lives. I just…"

He broke off, but Val guessed anyway. "You wish you'd been there to savor those extra few years of lucidity."

Loki avoided her gaze and nodded. "I always knew, somewhere in the back of my mind, that you being over a thousand years older would take its toll one day. It just seemed… three thousand years is a long time."

"Hey," she said gently, squeezing his hand. "From what you've told me, it's been a bloody brilliant three thousand years. Remember those, not the handful you missed for your mental health. All right?"

Loki nodded. "I'll do my best, Princess."

"Speaking of, is Thor still king?"

"Nah. He retired a few decades ago to spend more quality time with our family. His granddaughter, Jane, is queen now."

"Jane… So he did marry the human?"

"Yes, and they had two kids."

"Are they…?"

"The younger is, but her brother passed shortly before Thor retired. That's the main reason he did it, because, well, nobody knows how much longer Sif's going to…" He trailed off, swallowing back his own grief. Their own eldest, Bruce, was also half human and resting in peace, but… Val didn't need to know that. Not right now. They held hands in silence for a minute.

Then Val asked, "What about your Jotun genetics? Did Frigga inherit anything?"

"She can control ice," Loki confirmed. "And she was born blue. Sort of."

Her eyebrow arched. "That could use some visual explanation."

Loki offered his hand, but pulled away as she reached for it. "I think I'll give you my perspective this time. Unless you'd like to relive labor?"

Val shuddered. "No, thank you. Your perspective is fine."

-MCU-

Wakandan-Asgardian palace, Earth, 2030

Loki sat in the Wakandan grass, acting out little Fandral's favorite story in colorful bursts of magic. The blond boy sat in Thor's lap, utterly enraptured by the display. Val was in a chair behind him, one hand resting on her round belly, the other toying with Bruce's hair as he assembled a set of LEGOs.

"…then your father vanquished the beast with a mighty bellow," Loki was finishing. Ruby light depicted Thor mid-leap, lightning surging around Mjolnir, ready to flatten the bilgesnipe beneath him.

"Awesome," Fandral exclaimed. "Why don't you have Mu- Ma- Mew-Mew anymore, Father?"

Thor chuckled at his firstborn's inability to pronounce it. "It was destroyed long ago, by another evil your aunt, uncle, and I vanquished together."

"Can I hear that story?"

"Perhaps when you're older," Thor said, glancing at Loki over the boy's head. Neither boy yet knew of the villainous side to their family, and Loki prayed it would stay that way for a bit longer. He wanted to enjoy the untainted love and admiration in their eyes for a little while yet.

Val gasped. Loki spun to look at her, his heart clenching at the pain on her face. She straightened up, gripping the chair for support, and looked at Loki. "I think I just went into labor."

Loki froze a little, but Thor pushed him forward. "Go; I'll take care of Bruce."

Loki scrambled upright, pausing only to kiss Bruce's hair and tell him he would see him later. Then he helped Val up, summoned a driver, and they were driven off to the hospital.

The next few hours involved a lot of cursing – Val was apparently proficient in multiple languages – and screaming. Loki did his best to be encouraging and supportive as she utterly annihilated his hand. There was also a strained "I… am never… doing this… again!" which Loki and his hand heartily agreed with.

But when that first thin wail pierced his ears, and they placed the tiny bundle in his hands… It was the purest magic he'd ever known. Love and protectiveness washed over him in equal measure, simultaneously gentle and fierce, filling him with warmth and fire.

"Hi, Frigga," he murmured. He tucked her more securely in his grip, reaching out to brush her forehead with one finger. But he paused, hesitant to touch something so fragile and precious.

Frigga touched him anyway. Part of her blanket fell away, freeing her little arm, and she grabbed his extended finger.

He had only a heartbeat to grin at her before she started turning blue.

"What the hell?" the doctor exclaimed, starting to take her from Loki as the coloring spread from her fist.

It was something Loki had thought about, of course. As much as Loki pretended to be otherwise, he was a full-blooded Frost Giant – it only made sense his child would inherit that. But to see it actually appear, actually change her… Fear clenched his heart.

"Wait," Val rasped. "Let her change."

Even Loki glanced at Val a little incredulously, but he carefully held her away from the doctor. The blue spread, overtaking her light brown skin. Delicate lines appeared on her forehead and hands, where Loki's own markings were, and her brown eyes turned to glowing red. She didn't seem fazed at all, just keeping her fist clenched around Loki's finger. His own body was changing to match the newborn, and for once, he didn't stop the transformation.

Soon, the doctors were looking more than a little nervous, but Val was just beaming at her family.

"She's just like her daddy," Val whispered.

Loki glanced at her, but there was no horror in her expression, no disgust. She wasn't staring at their blood red eyes, or flinching away from the icy blue skin. She was just… proud. Content. Reaching fearlessly, eagerly, for the monsters Loki had been raised to hate. He handed Frigga to her mother, and she melted back to brown.

Val noticed the emotions in his expression, and she took his hand into hers, guiding it back to Frigga's grip and wrapping her own finger around theirs. "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't care what you are, love?"

Loki looked at their joined hands – one brown, one brown and blue, one blue and white – and for the first time, he smiled at his coloring. "Never again," he realized. "Never again."

-MCU-

Asgardian palace, Quill's planet, 5037

"And was that true?" Val asked.

"Yeah," Loki answered, looking out at Frigga. She was three thousand years old now, but to him, she would always be that magical baby girl who finally convinced him he was truly loved. "She's special, that one."

"She is," Val agreed quietly. She shifted with a grunt, moving to lean against him. He froze, surprised at the sudden trust, but moved to hold her against him. "This is… nice."

"It is," he murmured, twining a lock of her hair around his finger. "You told me your favorite memory of us snuggling. Would you like to see that one?"

"Yes."

"Again, my perspective, because you were a little too drunk to get the whole thing…"

"Shocking. Just show me, you idjit."

-MCU-

Wakandan-Asgardian palace, Earth, 2025

Loki and Val swayed together, alone in one of the Wakandan palace's empty ballrooms. Two of the walls comprised of floor-to-ceiling windows. The grey tile floor shone in the moonlight, smooth and cool beneath their feet. Outside, stars sparkled above trees with leaves fluttering in a gentle breeze. Faint sounds of the ongoing party one floor below reached their ears, but they had eyes only for each other.

She wore a knee-length, faintly shimmering pale gold dress with thin, swirling lines of sky blue accents. It was sleeveless, but she had donned Loki's suit jacket a while ago, effectively hiding that fact. The jacket, black and etched with gold and green, was the fancy part of Loki's outfit; the rest was just a plain Midgardian tuxedo. Today was Val's turn to be the more elaborately-dressed of the newlyweds.

Loki was doing most of the moving. Val had kicked off her very high-heeled shoes and now stood on Loki's feet, wrapping her arms around him and resting her chin on his chest so she could look up at him. He smiled down at her, cradling her against him.

"Think they've noticed?" he asked. "I mean, we're the reason they're there."

She chuckled. "They're all too drunk."

"That is true," he said, shifting one hand up her back to play with her hair. "So, how does it feel to officially be Asgard's princess?"

"I'm sure I'll enjoy the extra authority to boss people around," she replied, "but right it now it just feels like I've been doing way too much eating and dancing."

Loki lifted her off her feet, slipping one arm beneath her. She was just drunk enough to giggle, leaning her arms against his shoulders as she moved in to kiss him. He savored the contact, the sweet taste of her against him. Val pulled away first, smiling softly.

"I should tell you me feet hurt more often."

Loki laughed. "Please. If you weren't drunk, tired, full of warm food, and already standing on my feet anyway, you wouldn't let me just scoop you up like this."

"That is also true," she conceded, interlacing her fingers around the back of his neck. "But you missed one thing: I'm cold."

"Ah," he said, glancing around for her shoes. "Care to grab those?"

She shot a glare at them. "If someone's desperate enough to steal those torture devices, they can keep them."

"But you can actually reach my lips when you're wearing them," he pointed out teasingly, turning towards the exit.

"I can kick your butt at any height, though," she retorted.

"I don't know," he mused. "I think you would have some problems if you were, say, an inch tall."

"Scott might disagree with that. If I were an inch tall in his suit…"

Loki winced at the thought – an all but invisible Val ready for murder. "I vote you stick to kissing me."

"Smart boy," she said, smirking.

He turned so she could open the door, then slipped into the hallway. The grey tile continued out, but the walls were a warm orange; combined with the soft lighting, it was fairly cozy, as palace hallways went. Val's jaws gaped in a yawn and she burrowed her face into his shoulder, her feet swinging lazily.

At the end of the hallway, an elevator door slid open. Thor was inside. He stumbled out of it, noticed Loki, and dramatically swung a finger up to point at him. He opened his mouth to speak. Loki conjured a duplicate to slap a hand over his mouth.

"I never get to carry her like this," he had the duplicate hiss. "If you disturb her, I will stab you."

Thor nodded and stepped aside, giving Loki a double thumbs-up. Loki stepped into the elevator, angled so his body hopefully blocked any view Val might have of Thor. It worked – the door slid shut behind him, and she was still half-snoozing in his arms. He pressed the button for their floor and spent the subsequent ride humming quietly.

He stopped when the door slid open, and she lifted a hand to poke his cheek. "Don't stop."

"If I keep going, you'll fall asleep, and then you'll get annoyed when I wake you up trying to put your pajamas on," he pointed out. "Unless you want to sleep in that dress."

"No," she moaned.

"That's what I thought," Loki said, meandering down the hall to their room. Once inside, he set Val on the bed, dropped her fluffy blue pajamas beside her, and started changing into his own black ones.

By the time he finished, Val was curled up under the golden covers, burrowed deeply into the pillows. Loki slid in behind her, tucking her against his chest. She let out a contented little sigh.

"I vote we skip the feasting tomorrow," she mumbled.

"It's our wedding."

"Don't care. Comfy."

"…Fair point."

"Mhm."

"We're going."

"Whateeeever you say, Loki."

They didn't go to tomorrow's feast.

-MCU-

Asgardian palace, Quill's planet, 5037

Val rested her head on Loki's shoulder, her forehead leaning against his neck. "We really love each other," she murmured.

Loki nodded, resting his cheek on her hair. "We do."

She took his hands into hers, their rings side-by-side, hearts beating together. "How about we just… talk for a while?"

And talk they did. He told her of their adventures, their human friends, moving to a new planet, raising their children and grandchildren. They had her favorite broth for lunch, her favorite sandwiches for dinner. They laughed a lot, cried a little, and stayed in each other's arms. He showed her a few more memories.

As the sun was setting, he tucked her in. "Stay with me," she requested.

"Always," he promised, wrapping around her like he had all those centuries ago. She slid into sleep, her breathing slow and steady.

Normally, he would slip away in the middle of the night, so she didn't risk waking up in the arms of a stranger. But tonight… he couldn't bring himself to leave. He just held her close, treasuring the sensation of her warmth against him.

He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he was awoken by Thor's gentle touch, his brother quietly saying, "She's gone, Loki. She's with her sisters."

It was a relief, really. Val wasn't suffering anymore. She would never again long to go out fighting, but be restricted by her weakened body. She would never again have to hear about the death of her sisters, or her friends, or her son. Loki would never again have to explain or watch her lose them all over again.

He still turned to his brother and cried, his enchanted ring dark and lifeless on his finger.

A/N: So... yeah, I had emotional problems writing this. But by the time I realized how much it hurt, I was too deep in to quit, so share my pain.