"See you in hell, monster." Loki spits out and to Thor's astonishment, Kurse gets swallowed by the explosion of his own grenade that his…Loki mischievously attached to him.

Picking up the vestige of his remaining strength, the bloody God of Thunder pushes himself off the ground and starts running towards the Trickster. He saw that Kurse ran the sword through Loki's stomach. Thor's head is pounding with panic as he is approaching Loki's lying figure.

Surely he could start calling Loki his brother again. Yet Thor cannot bring himself to do it just yet. Too much has happened.

Crouching down next to his brother while trying to pick him up, Thor utters the first thing that comes to his mind.

"Ah…you fool. You didn't listen."

Loki wasn't supposed to fight the Kurse. The monster was too strong for someone who has spent all his time in the dungeons. If Loki got hurt in carrying out their revenge, mother would never forgive him. No matter Loki's deeds, she still kept telling Thor to look out for, as she worded it, his younger brother. Thor felt no need to comment it anyhow as Loki was going to spend the rest of his days in the dungeons.

Yet now he felt a stab of guilt in his stomach.

This was his fault.

His plan. And Loki got hurt in the process.

"I know. I am a fool. I am a fool." Loki hisses, his voice filled with pain and fatigue. It takes Thor only one look into the mischievous eyes to understand that Loki didn't mean only this situation.

"Stay with me, okay?" Thor gets out despite the lump in his throat.

"I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry." Loki tries to speak as clearly as possible, but each word is weaker than the previous one. It is as if he desperately needs Thor to understand what he is apologising for.

If Loki is trying to apologise, it means…

No.

"Shhh." Thor tries to soothe the God of Mischief. "It's okay." Thor has never been the most eloquent of Asgard, but his tone conveys what was needed. And what he was unable to say out loud.

Don't worry about it now, brother.

"It's alright." Thor feels the urge to continue speaking to keep Loki's attention because this was not happening. It couldn't be.

Yet it was. And suddenly, Thor knew what Loki needed to hear.

"I'll tell father what you did here today." Thor says and gives a nod of encouragement to both of them.

The look in Loki's eyes makes Thor understand that he never understood him. The Thunderer thought that the younger god sought the approval of the Allfather. Yet Loki's eyes gaze at him seriously and Thor knows immediately that even now, he managed to say the wrong thing.

"I didn't do it for him."

Loki closes his eyes.

And Thor screams.

The skies rumble and change their colour to a threateningly black one. The clouds are looming all around as the terrible, deafening sound of uncountable thunders roars through the inhospitable landscape of Svartalfheim. The lightnings start to dance all around the menacing skies that serve them as their stage.

No. This is not happening.

Loki has to be alright. Thor didn't mean it when he refused to see his brother in his dungeons. When he refused to visit him. When he refused to ask him why he actually attacked Midgard. When he refused to tell him how their mother died.

Frigga loved Loki. And Loki loves Frigga.

His brother, yes you oaf he is your brother, deserves to know how their mother died. Why didn't Thor tell him?

Why didn't Thor tell him that Odin didn't mean it when he told him that his birthright was to die cast out onto a frozen rock? Thor heard it. He heard Loki's condemnation, but he didn't have the stomach to make himself seen by his brother. Why didn't he tell him that their father's cruel words shocked him?

He can never tell him now.

He can never tell him that he also is sorry.

Loki told him. In the end he did apologize.

Why didn't Thor do the same.

He should have done the same.

"Thor." A voice rips Thor out of his desperate mind. He looks up to see Jane standing next to his brother. She is looking at him with her brilliant, bright eyes.

"Thor, the lightning. Hit him with the lightning." She says, her voice calm and controlled.

"What?" Thor doesn't understand. What is she saying? The monster ran the sword through his brother. What does lighting have to do with that?

"Take Mjolnir, summon the lighting and do it. We'll take care of his wound later." Jane repeats, her voice commanding.

Thor trusts her. And so he does so. He calls for Mjolnir, lifts it towards the menacing skies and absorbs the power of thunder and lighting into his weapon. Then, forbidding his mind from thinking about anything at all, he hits his brother's chest.

Loki's head shoots up and the God of Mischief opens his eyes. They are full of pain and confusion.

"Loki. Oh brother." Thor cries out. He doesn't know what to do. His mind is too slow to comprehend the situation that has been unfolding in front of him.

"Pull his tunic up." Jane commands again and Thor listens. He pulls the fabric up to reveal a nasty wound bubbling with blood.

Thor tears his cape with one quick move and hands it to his lover. Jane gently and skilfully bandages it around Loki's wound to stop the bleeding.

"Loki." Jane speaks addressing the Tricksters directly.

Loki looks at her with his brilliant, emerald eyes which mirror the utter confusion that has overcome his mind.

"Can you use your magic to at least partially repair the damage in your belly?" Jane asks.

Loki nods weakly and focuses. After a moment, he whispers.

"I have partially closed the wound. Together with your bandaging it should be enough to stabilise it." His voice is struck with hurt, but the meaning of his words is clear.

He will make it.

Loki closes his eyes and lets his head rest against the ground. He focuses all his energy to help him concentrate all his magic to restore his health and energy as much as possible.

Thor understood what Loki was doing. He stood up and went towards Jane. Now that he knew that his brother was to live, he didn't feel comfortable anymore calling the Trickster his brother again or showing too much affection towards him. This was still Loki. The trickster who attacked Midgard, who tried to enslave the innocent planet. The one who tried to wipe out an entire race. His own race. Yet also the one who deserved to know that their mother did not suffer. Now Thor had been given another chance to make it right. He should talk to Loki. He should make him feel safe. But this is not his brother. It is a trickster. No.

Thor shuts the emotions down and passionately kisses Jane. He wants to convey the gratefulness for saving Loki's life but mainly, he wants to stop thinking.

It works.

"Thor." Jane interrupts their kiss and looks at Thor intensely. "Malekith."

Of course. Malekith.

The skies are still rumbling, the momentum being kept since the moment when Thor was thinking the worst. The God of Thunder is aware that this is the biggest storm he has ever managed to summon. He wields Mjolnir and makes it absorb all the energy. Then he makes all the power go in the direction where the Dark Elf's spaceship should be.

The collision is too strong for the spaceship to bear. The mechanisms stop working. Thor and Jane are able to see the spaceship for a second before it explodes with all the elves on board being caught inside. Malekith included.

"It's over, Thor." Jane whispers, her voice filled with hope.

"Yes." Thor answers incredulously. They did it. The three of them truly managed to defeat Malekith and save the Nine Realms from chaos and bloodshed.

"Thor, I must go to Midgard. At once. I need to find Eric and tell all of them that I am alright." Jane says to Thor.

"Loki mentioned that there is a passage to Midgard in the nearby cave." He answers. He hates Jane to be going away so soon, but he is aware of the implications of her words. Jane needs some time alone to recover from what she has endured lately. She is a rational, logical person and she needs to comprehend and understand it for herself. Thor respects her space.

The God of Thunder leans to Jane and kisses her, this time lovingly and gently. Jane eagerly returns the kiss through which both lovers convey the affection they feel for each other.

They both need some time to sort themselves out. But they will wait for each other. They know they will.

Unwillingly, Thor lets go of the kiss. He rests his forehead against Jane's.

"Don't let me wait for so long again." She whispers, her voice trembling.

"You have my word." Thor answers as he is watching the brilliant mortal girl walking towards the cave and safely disappearing back in her realm.

The Thunderer takes a moment to compose himself.

He has to deal with Loki.

…

Loki has been lying on the ground. He was aware of his brother destroying the spaceship with the rest of the Dark Elves in it.

The lean god smiled to himself.

Mamma was avenged.

He then focused on what he knew Frigga would want him to do. He puts all his effort into healing his wound and restoring his energy.

Loki was a powerful enough sorcerer to understand that he would not be able to fully heal the wound, but he could make sure it wouldn't bleed much. He could also use his magic to replenish some of the energy he has lost.

He was doing precisely that when a shadow loomed over him.

The raven-haired god opened his eyes to see his brother standing over him with an unreadable expression.

Loki remembered what he told Thor when he thought that he was dying. The God of Mischief apologized for unspecified everything. He knew that Thor understood that, and he couldn't bring himself to regret the words he uttered in the moment of panic. If anything, Loki felt relieved that the situation finally forced him to do what he wanted to do for a long time. He prayed that hopefully, he and Thor could began building some sort of truce or reconciliation. In the end, Loki has been calling Thor his brother since the Thunderer approached him in the dungeons. He secretly hoped that Thor would return the favour.

Yet Thor's expression was unreadable, and Loki felt a shiver running through his spine. He may have healed most of his injury and replenished enough energy to stand up and walk, but he was far away from fighting state. If Thor wanted to hurt him, he could.

"Loki." Thor's word was controlled now, miles away from the vulnerable tone he used when he though that Loki was dying. "Can you stand up?"

Loki noted that Thor spoke in the exactly same way he did when he saw him in the dungeons. That surely meant something, but the deceptive god was too tired to analyse it now.

He knew he was at Thor's mercy now.

Loki nodded and tried to push himself of the ground. He sat up and breathed heavily. Then he used the strength of his arms to try pushing himself up. He winced when a pain shot from his belly and he might have fallen back to the ground if a pair of strong arms didn't catch him to help him up. Once standing on uncertain feet and trembling legs, Loki brought himself to glimpse insecurely at his brother. He didn't thank him for not letting him fall on the ground. Not before he knew what Thor's intentions for him were.

"Mother didn't suffer. She fought bravely, and her death was clean and quick. She died a warrior." Thor spoke, the same controlled tone that unnerved his brother.

Loki couldn't stop the hot tears flooding his eyes. He produced a sad, honest smile and tried to make sure the tears wouldn't split onto his cheeks. He knew he would be unsuccessful at this attempt before he began. Frigga has always managed to stir emotions in her little son, even when Loki tried to suppress them the most. Loki knew that he was completely defenceless when it came to his mum. He felt the hot tears making their way down his dirty face. With shame, he brought his gaze to Thor's. He hated crying in front of his older brother, but he knew he couldn't help it. He couldn't stop himself from destroying everything in his cell when the soldier told him about the Queen's death. He couldn't stop himself from mourning for her now.

"Thank you for telling me." Loki said with a shaking voice, trying to supress a sob.

Thor only nodded.

The God of Mischief dried his cheeks with his fingertips and drew a deep breath in and out to compose himself. Only when he was certain that he could speak without breaking down, he asked Thor the question that was burning him inside.

"What now?"

…

Thor has been asking himself the same question since Jane left. He tried to keep a façade in front of Loki, but his mind was screaming with possibilities.

What was he supposed to do?

Loki saved him. Without him, the Kurse would beat him to death and then kill Jane as well. He threw Jane out of the way of the grenade. He almost paid with his life for his selfless acts of bravery.

Yet this was the God of Mischief. What if he somehow planned all of this beforehand, hoping to escape in an unguarded moment or thinking that Thor would be lenient towards him and let him go?

No.

Thor couldn't let Loki go. What would he tell the Allfather? It wouldn't be right.

He must bring Loki back to Asgard.

I promise you vengeance…and afterwards this cell.

Yet that didn't seem right either. Loki had proven himself capable of redemption. Even more, Loki proved himself wanting the redemption and actively working towards it. He should be given a chance to prove himself.

But Thor couldn't take any chances. He had to keep himself focused so Loki wouldn't catch him off guard if he was truly faking the whole situation somehow.

Yes. The right thing was to take Loki back to Asgard. As he promised, he would tell father what Loki has done here today. Then, they could sit down and think about a proper way to alter Loki's sentence.

Thor connected his gaze with Loki. His determination was almost shattered by what he found inside them. Loki was scared, confused, in pain and mourning for Frigga.

But Thor wouldn't hesitate.

With determination, Thor took a step towards the younger god. He was taken back when Loki took a step back and flinched.

Surely Loki couldn't be afraid of him. That didn't sound right. Yet Thor understood that Loki's magic was spent on tending to his injury which left him utterly defenceless. Which, taking into account their incident on the spaceship when Thor roughly pushed Loki against the edge, didn't make Loki's careful demeanour that surprising.

Yet Thor didn't voice any of these words out. Instead, he spoke in his God of Thunder voice.

"Don't try to run away, Loki."

Loki's eyes portrayed even more fear.

"I am not trying to." The God of Mischief mumbled and unable to keep the eye contact anymore, he stared at his feet. He was so tired. He wanted to retort something sarcastic that would cut through Thor's controlled behaviour. Yet the whole incident and talk about Frigga drained him.

The sound of ringing metal made his gaze shoot straight back up.

Thor took out the manacles.

"Thor…" Loki began but his brother cut him off.

"I appreciate what you did here, Loki. I wish I could trust you, but I still cannot bring myself to do so fully. We are returning to Asgard. I promise I will talk with father about your sentence. Until then, you will remain in your cell."

Loki couldn't return to the cell. He was suffocating there; the space was getting smaller and smaller every day, the bright white walls screaming at him that he would never get away. He would never see the sunrise or sunset again. Never feel the gentle breeze caressing his cheek. Never experience what it meant to be free.

"Thor. Brother, please…" Yet Loki knew he chose the wrong words.

"You said it to me before, you know. Brother, please. I was fooled then. You asked me if I was always going to fall for it. Not anymore. We are going back to Asgard. Now."

And Thor quickly moved towards Loki and before the Trickster had any chance to move away, the God of Thunder roughly grabbed his arm.

"Thor, I will come with you. I won't try to run away. The…it is not necessary." Loki glanced at the manacles in Thor's hands nervously. He didn't like the idea of being bound again, even more helpless than he was now.

Thor seemed to be weighting his words.

"I am sorry, Loki. But it is necessary." Thor said finally and grabbed for Loki's wrist. Yet the emerald-eyed god wasn't to go without a fight. He made a quick move and Thor's hands grabbed nothing. The Trickster took two fast steps back, his gaze never leaving Thor.

"Loki." Thor said, the threat clearly audible in his voice. "Don't make me use force. You are injured, and I don't mean to make it worse. But if you resist, I will be forced to subdue you with force. And I will not hesitate."

Loki closed his eyes.

Thor didn't wait for anything and approached the lean god again.

Loki opened his eyes.

This time, they wore a resigned expression. Loki lifted his arms up and bent them in elbows. Thor took his wrists and quickly attached the manacles on them.

Immediately, Loki felt their weight and their restrictions. He let his arms fall down in front of himself. He wasn't free anymore. He couldn't move freely, he couldn't balance properly, and he couldn't fight back had someone tried to punch him.

And that was only the fragment of feelings that would hit him back in his cell.

Loki cast his eyes down in shame. He let his brother grab his elbow. The touch wasn't rough anymore, it was almost gentle, yet Loki couldn't help thinking that his brother turned into his jailor who was bringing him towards the white abyss. At least he didn't put on him the disgusting muzzle.

Both brothers approached their spaceship. Thor led Loki in and made him sit on the place where Jane had been resting on their way here.

"You should rest." Thor said, his tone without emotions.

Loki didn't feel strong enough to do anything and so he let himself be seated, rested his back against the edge of the spaceship and closed his eyes. He let the weariness overcome him and gladly let himself be brought into an unpeaceful slumber. He didn't want to think what would happen when they got back to Asgard.

He didn't want to think about seeing Odin's unforgiving eye again, telling him that everyone would be better off had he died as his Frost Giant parents left him to do. He didn't want to think about the dark dungeons full of demons. He didn't want to think about the last hope that died today; the hope that he could ever redeem himself in the eyes of his brother.

I am working on the next chapter for Grudge. It has been proving to be quite a challenge, but at least I am back to writing ;)