***Loki***
3 hours earlier.....
I stand and watch as the Avengers gather around Claire. Pamela is sobbing softly and clinging to Clint, who stands there resolutely.
"There is nothing that can be done?" Steve asks, coming over to me.
"No, there isn't. Trust me, I have looked." I say shaking my head. He nods and goes back to the bed, looking down at her with sad eyes. For every time Claire thought she wasn't important, here is solid proof of the opposite. Every person in the room, from Rika to Clint, has been affected by Claire's simple glow. I feel emotion overcoming me and I quickly walk out onto the balcony, putting my head in my hands as I lean on the rail. Clint walks next to me and stares out at the horizon.
"You know for such powerful gods you would think they would have had a cure." He says while studying the golden buildings.
"I know." There is a pause.
"I'm sorry I failed. I was supposed to heal her, and now she is laying on the bed dying." I clench my fists in frustration.
"Hey, you did all you could. If anyone is to blame it is me. I should never have left her alone, then she wouldn't have gotten sick in the first place." He says, his own voice filled with frustration.
"But I am one of the smartest Asgardians in the realm. I should have found a cure." I say-
"And I am her brother. I should have taken better care of her in the first place!" Clint retorts, and I smirk.
"If she were awake she would be scolding us both for blaming ourselves." I say, looking at the thin figure in bed.
"She would." He says, and we both watch the others in the room. I feel an empathy for all these people, all of us in the middle of losing something incredibly dear to us. Claire, the most beautiful and kind woman in the world.
"You really care for her." Clint remarks, and I quickly compose myself.
"I-"
"Don't bother denying it, its alright." He says softly, making me turn to him in surprise.
"She is my light." I say, and he looks at me curiously.
"Go on." He says, crossing his arms and leaning against the rail.
"You know when it seems as if you are stuck in the darkness and there is no way out? You are drowning and you are ready to give up, because life has no meaning. You are ready to take your last breath, but then you see a light. Not a bright gold like the sun, but a soft white like a star. You follow that light, and it leads you out of the darkness and once again you are happy. Claire is my light, my star. She took me by the hand and brought joy into my life again. Her love is all I need in this world, without her I have nothing left." I say, and Clint raises an eyebrow.
"Her love huh?" He says, and I curse inwardly.
"Yes??" I say hesitantly, not wanting him to get mad.
"I should have realized she would fall in love with you. From the time she could walk she was always bringing lost kittens and stray dogs home. Anything that was hurt or broken she would try to fix and boy would she get angry if we didn't help. " He says, and I breath a sigh of relief.
"You guys okay out here?" Natasha says, sticking her head out the door."
"Fine." Clint and I say in unison, and she looks at us weirdly.
"Okay... Clint we only have a few more minutes if you want to say goodbye." She says, and he nods.
"Be there in a bit." He says and she leaves. He turns to me.
"Don't beat yourself up about this." He says, and sticks his hand out.
"You either." I say, taking it and shaking it. And as cliche as it sounds, at that moment we both understood how the other was feeling. Walking in, I watch as he kisses her forehead and whispers something in her ear.
Now.....
I stare at Claire, stroking her hair and studying her face. Her breath is slightly ragged, and her skin has a strange blue undertone. I feel despair crawl into my heart as I imagine her dying. I can't lose her, I cannot lose my star.
"You know all the times I told you you are important to me. Please don't die." I say, taking her hand and running my thumb over it. Her chest continues to rise and fall, and I smile.
"But you never believed me did you? You would just blush and look away, smiling. You make me so happy, you saved me from myself. And you didn't even know you were doing it. You just followed your nature and fixed what was broken. And I was so broken, cracked all over. I believed no one could do what you did, given up as a lost cause." I bring her hand up and kiss it, holding it in both of mine.
"But these hands..." I trail off as emotion causes my voice to disappear.
"These little, soft, gentle hands picked those pieces up. Glueing them back together, from the bottom to the top once again whole. I love you, Claire Barton, and no other woman will ever be enough after you." I finish, and Skuggad walks in.
"You are wanted in the throne room." He says, and I look back at Claire.
"I'll watch over her, don't worry." He says, and I laugh.
"As if I trust you." My tone is bitter, but all he does is smile.
"It is urgent." He says, and I turn and go out the door. I walk down the corridors, a foreboding feeling filling me. I enter the throne room and see Odin and Mother talking.
"Loki, what a surprise! Is Claire okay? Why are you here?" Mother says, and I stop.
"I was told I was needed in the throne room..." I say, and Odin frowns.
"I didn't call for you." I look at Mother, who shakes her head. A whirring sound comes from outside and we all rush to the window.
"Skuggad." I snarl, seeing the bifrost open and running. I teleport to the entrance, and make it in just in time to get in.
"Oh Loki, once again you are too late." Skuggad says, turning to face me. Claire is in his arms, limp.
"Give her back!" I shout and run towards him, but an invisible wall stops me.
"You are so naive, little brother. In my exile I have grown more powerful than I ever was. With the energy inside the mortal woman I will become unstoppable and then, oh and then, Asgard will experience the fiercest storm it will ever know." He cackles, and then disappears. I fall to my knees and the bifrost slows. My tears stop and I get up, my entire body stiff with rage. I walk to back to the castle, rage seething through my veins.
"Where is he? What has happened?" Frigga runs to me, putting her hand on my arm and I shrug it off.
"Skuggad has taken the mortal." Odin says and I turn to him. I grab him by the throat and shove him against the wall.
"How would you know? Did you help him? Arrange the convenient distraction so I would leave Claire for him to steal? You probably told Heimdal to come to, so Skuggad had free entrance to the bifrost." I tighten my grip and he chokes.
"Loki, control yourself." I feel a firm hand on my shoulder and Thor pulls me off Odin. Odin gasps and sits on the floor, regaining his breath.
"Leave me alone." I say, pulling myself out of Thor's grasp.
"He has taken her, and he will kill her and use her for his own purposes. What friends she has, blind to the treachery of their father." I spit, and Odin stands.
"I had nothing to do with Claire's abduction." He says, and I scoff.
"Why should I believe you? Give me one good reason I should not strangle you right now." I say, and Thor puts his hand on my chest as I step forward.
"I saw the love you have for her. As much as you believe the contrary, I would not take love like that away from anyone." He says, and I sneer at him.
"Her name is Claire, and you know nothing of love." I say, turning and going into the garden.
"Loki-" Frigga says.
"Leave him be, he will come back." I hear Odin say softly, and I teleport to the lake. The peace calms me slightly, and I just sit there. Hours later I hear footsteps behind me, but I do not move from staring out at the lake.
"Odin has gathered the council for a meeting." Hogan says, and I turn to him in surprise.
"I thought they would send Rika or Frigga." I say, and he smiles slightly.
"I know." He says, and I realize he was sent to bring me, whether I want to go or not. I stand and we both go to the council room. We go to our seats and I slouch, showing my obvious lack of want to be here.
"I have called this council together for two purposes. The first and most important is the recovery of the mortal Claire Barton." I almost fall out of my chair at these words, and stare at him in astonishment. I look to the others, who look as surprised as I am. Odin continues, not aware of the bewilderment of the council.
"The second is that we prepare our city for the attack of Skuggad. A recovery team will be lead by Loki and retrieve Miss Barton. Loki will pick them and the rest will focus on protecting the city. Any further questions will be answered at a later date. Council dismissed." He says, and the rest of them stand and leave. I continue to sit in my seat, staring suspiciously at Odin.
"Yes Loki?" He asks, standing.
"Why would you care more about retrieving Claire than protecting the city? You have never cared for mortals." I say bluntly, and he sighs.
"Loki I can see that you love her, and while I have yet to understand it, I can see enough to know that if you lose her you will lose all will to live. I know you do not believe that I care for you, and I have made less than wise decisions in the past so I will not try to convince you of that fact, but to lose you would devastate your mother in ways you could not ever imagine. Believe that I love her enough to be doing this for her instead of you if you want to." He says and walks out. I walk out the door and start in surprise as I see Thor, Fandril, Rika, Sif, Volgstagg, and Hogan all standing in front of me.
"When do we start?" Rika says, and I smile.
"Who wants to find and rescue Claire?" I ask, smirking.