BY THE TIME they reach Heimdall, Anna's tears have slowed to a trickle, and she wipes them away before taking one last look behind her at Asgard. The sky is a brilliant blue, and the palace is framed with mountains in the distance. Part of her wishes she could've explored the city more, gone with Loki to the wilderness, retraced the steps of his childhood. Anything more than this. She knew Odin wanted her gone, but this is excessive. A nagging thought tells her that something is wrong, and she definitely isn't the type to sit by and let it happen.

Hogun dismounts the horse first before offering a hand to assist Anna, which she promptly ignores. Hopping down, she earns a look of respect from Sif, amusement from Volstagg, and...a wink. Fandral winked at her. Ignoring him, she strides into the golden chamber where she arrived a little over a week ago with Loki.

"Lady Anna," A booming voice hits her eardrums the second she steps inside, and she is shocked to see Thor standing in front of her in all his glory. He grips Mjölnir in one hand, and his red cape billows behind him as he crosses the room to engulf her in a hug. A single cut mars his face, and she frowns into his shoulder.

"Thor--" she starts to speak, confused as she attempts - and fails - to pull out of his hug.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lady Sif's voice cuts through, interrupting her and causing Thor to drop Anna and beam at his friends. "How are you here?"

"My friends!" Thor bellows. Anna winces, taking a step away from him.

Lady Sif frowns, "The Allfather informed us that you were imprisoned. We were to come free you and your Midgardian companions."

"There is no need," Thor smiles. "Stark succeeded in removing the technology in both Jane and Lady Potts that prevented our escape."

Technology? What technology? Anna looks baffled. Come to think of it, how did Restitution manage to hold Thor, the God of Thunder, against his will? Surely those magic-restricting shackles wouldn't have been enough to hold him.

Heimdall steps up, "I told the King of Thor's imminent return not two hours ago. When did you speak to him?"

"Just now," Fandral replies. "We met Loki and this lovely lady in the corridor. The Allfather approached us and sent us on our way. Loki was led away by guards."

Thor's smile disappears, and Anna's look of confusion gradually transitions into one of recognition. Odin called Loki to appear before him in the throne room, which was the opposite direction from whence he came. Granted, she doesn't know Asgard at all, so there could always be a back route, but why would Odin come find Loki when he refused to even visit him when he was unconscious?

"Loki and I were on our way to meet Odin, I mean - the King - when we saw them," Anna adds. "I fell, and when I stood up Loki was acting strange, and Odin appeared. It all happened so quickly."

"Did you see him?" Thor grabs Anna's arm, shaking it lightly. "Did you see Loki as you fell?"

Anna shakes her head, "No. I don't know. What do you mean?"

"We must go," Thor instructs, leading the way from the chamber with Anna in tow. His grip on her arm smarts, his strength more than he realizes it to be, and she realizes how gentle Odin had been when he led her through the castle.

Odin. That look in his eyes when she told him how Loki needed to know how much Odin loves him, how much Anna loves him. She wasn't able to read it then, but now she recognizes it. It's the same look Loki gave her when she told him she loved him. Baffled. Lost. Afraid to say more. Longing to do so.

"Can Loki change his appearance?" Anna mumbles to herself as Thor leads them down the Bifrost back into Asgard.

"What did you say?" Thor demands, his blue eyes stormy.

Anna looks up at him, "Can Loki change his appearance? With his magic?"

"Yes," the God of Thunder replies. "That and so much more. He can also create duplicates of himself - illusions that would fool even the wisest observer."

Fool. He fooled Anna. When she fell, he was pushing her backward. He pushed her into that guard, so she fell and broke her sight of him, which would give him the opportunity to replace his physical appearance - the one she had been clinging to - with a duplicate and disguise himself as Odin. But why? Why send her away? Why do all of this?

She glances around her at the others, eyes slowly widening. He wanted to remove any potential barriers. Anna. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. With them gone, who would stop him from anything he has planned?

"Lady Sif, take Volstagg and Hogun to the throne room," Thor instructs. "Find my father and mother. Ensure their safety and alert the guards. Remember - Loki could be disguised as anyone. Do what you must to verify identities."

She nods, beckoning for Volstagg and Hogun to follow her. Thor motions for Fandral to come forward, dropping Anna's arm with a sigh.

"My friend, take Lady Anna to her chambers and lock the door," he tells Fandral. "Do not open it for anyo--"

"Wait, what?" Anna interrupts. "No, I'm going with you. I'm not getting locked in a room to do nothing."

Thor shakes his head, "It is not safe, my lady. We do not know what mischief Loki has planned, nor do we know what part you might play."

She crosses her arms in front of her body, jerking her shoulder away from Fandral's hand.

"I'm not a traitor," she says, her voice low and soft. Anna's blue eyes are earnest, aching from the memory of Rifat and those she injured from her involvement with Restitution. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen, Thor, I swear. Please, let me help."

Fandral shrugs, and Thor rolls his eyes, "Fine, but stay behind me."

He takes off in a fast walk, causing Anna to jog to keep up with him, before speeding up into a run. The corridors move by in a blur as they weave deeper and deeper into the castle, until they arrive at a set of large doors watched by two guards. Thor nods, and the guards move to open the doors for them.

A burst of blue light erupts through the space, hitting Thor in the chest and sending him flying backward. Fandral rushes to him and helps him sit up, both watching with wide eyes as Loki steps forward with the Casket of Ancient Winters - the weapon from the realm of the Frost Giants - and directs it toward them once again.

"Where is it?!" Loki roars, taking a step toward them. "The Tesseract in the vault - it was an illusion. It's not here." 

Anna rushes toward him, tackling him to the ground. His helmet clatters to the floor along with the Casket, and she rolls on top of Loki before looking down at him. She gasps at the sight of him, his blue skin covered with intricate markings and his green eyes now glowing red.

"Now you know the monster that I truly am," he spits out, careful not to touch her in his Jotunn form. "Do you still love me? Do you still believe Odin loves me?"

Anna reaches out to stroke his cheek, but Loki knocks away her hand and flips her so she is on her back beneath him. His knees trap her arms to her sides, and she can do little to fight him. Breathing heavily, she struggles in vain against his weight.

"You don't have to do this, Loki," Thor's voice draws their attention from the doorway. He stands supported by Fandral, whose sword is drawn and held out toward them.

"You know nothing," Loki spits at Thor. "Always the favored son, you know not of the sacrifices I have made - the sacrifices I continue to make. I must return the Tesseract to its rightful owners. I have no choice. If I do not..."

He looks down at Anna, tenderness in his eyes. His fingers ache for her skin, to feel the softness of her lips beneath his, to sweep the curling locks of brown hair away from her eyes, but he restrains himself.

"I love you," she whispers, and his eyes widen in shock at the words. "I still love you. Don't do this."

Loki's skin ripples back to his Asgardian form, and he brushes his thumb across her lips. His green eyes are filled with sadness, anger, and something she cannot quite identify. He can feel Anna's heartbeat racing, every touch of his skin against hers sparking an electricity between the two of them that sends him wild with desire. 

He smiles down at her, afraid of the words he's about to say - words he's been too terrified to admit to himself, let alone to the blue-eyed brunette staring up at him.

"I do this because I love you." 

Now Playing: "Even If It's A Lie" by Matt Maltese.