(This fic is on hiatus. Chapter 5 is an author's note if you'd like to know why.)

A/N: This story might seem like a sequel to something, but it's more of a "spiritual successor" to a lot of the Loki h/c fics out there. You probably already know the type of story if you're reading this. This fic will probably get passed the 100k word mark, it's gonna be long.

Tags (they should steal that from AO3): No slash, gen, h/c, angst, sci-fi elements, action/adventure, some dark parts, features Loki, Thor, the Avengers, many others

Trigger warnings: torture, mentions of torture, non-con/rape* (If you want to skip it, it's obvious when it's about to happen, just look for the next break in the story, the "." which denotes passage of time).

Chapter warnings: non-con/rape, violence

Rated M for: aforementioned warnings, minimal language (one use of the F-word in a later chapter), action sequences/violence

*the rape is not very explicit, but I didn't skip over it either. I've always felt that skipping over such a dramatic scene cheapens it, somewhat (unless it happened in the past), and my own thinking is that reading about it is the equivalent of holding someone's hand while they go through something horrible. It makes it more visceral and forces the reader to experience it, too. I read (and write) to get into the heads of characters, I hope it doesn't drive you away from this fic. It does have a strong trigger possibility because of that, though. I urge you to at least finish the chapter before giving up on it because of the rape (also because of who commits it).

Disclaimer: you know the drill, none of the characters belong to me, bla bla, etc. These characters are so lucky they don't belong to me.

- Chapter 1 -

Shadows of the Past

The corridor was darker than usual. The golden pillars reached silently into the dim ceiling far overhead, spaced evenly and lining the candlelit stretch of hall. The sound of revelry had died down a while ago, and Loki was beginning to question whether he should have indeed waited for Thor. His brother had noticed Loki's discomfort amidst the sea of raucous laughter, something he would have never noticed before, and had put his arm around him with a blinding smile asking if Loki wanted to join him for a late night sparring session. It was obvious, at least to Loki, that Thor was attempting to save him from having to ask for help, so as to avoid going back to his room alone. The old Loki would have scoffed. The old Loki would have brushed the golden son's arm off and stalked away haughtily, but then, the old Loki wouldn't have wanted any help at all. He wasn't that Loki anymore.

He passed a high window that stretched into the blackened ceiling, its maw dotted with haphazardly thrown stars, pin pricks of white painted across a midnight sky. He turned left at the window without thinking, the path burned into his subconscious, now an instinct more than anything else. His own room, still waiting patiently where it had always been.

Loki shook his head at the corridor ahead, annoyed. When did the palace become so dark? Even in his memory, as tainted as it was, the palace was never this dark, even in the dead of a calmer, more ordinary night. But he kept his pace, his booted footfalls echoing silently across the white marbled floor, the golden walls whispered back his creaking leathers.

Loki missed the Avengers. He wondered if he would be able to admit it out loud. He remembered, vividly, the second time he had come to Midgard- Earth. Tony had chuckled and pointed out that Loki no longer referred to it as Midgard, but instead by its "true" name, or so the drunk had put it whilst tinkering with his metal suit. When did that happen? When did he start calling it Earth?

Thor had found him after months of searching. The nine realms were difficult to search, especially with the Bifrost still under repair, but Thor had finally found him. The Chitauri weren't what scared Loki; it was him, their master... What the Other had promised had been true, to the last grating word. Loki shuddered. He didn't want to remember, didn't want to hear his own thoughts, the echoes of screams he barely recognized even when it was still fresh and bloodied across his mind.

He shut his eyes a moment but continued walking, opening them only when the memories had faded. But Earth... Thor's path, after finding Loki, led him to Earth. No one understood how he had managed to find his way back to the nine realms, and even Thor seemed at a loss to fully explain what had happened. Loki had shut his eyes through the entire ordeal, unable and unwilling to believe in a hope that seemed so long lost. A dream, a dream, his mind had told him. A drop of phantom water in the vastness of an eternal desert. But it had been real; Thor had come for him. Six months, he had been told, but Loki knew it had been longer. The Avengers soon realized that time passed differently where he had been, faster, unfortunately for the trickster god. For Thor it had been something closer to a year, travelling throughout the nine, and then, somehow, out into the vast nothingness that was the Chitauri's home. Then suddenly, Loki's eyes had blinked in the atmosphere of Midgard, surrounded by his enemies- but he was truly there, his golden brother had come. Standing with arms wrapped under him, carrying, protecting. The months that followed found the eclectic group coming together for the former villain, a strange circumstance and sorrow that ate at each of them until they had embraced the god of mischief in turn; his past deeds not forgotten but forgiven. Even now, Loki can't understand it.

Yes, Earth, he mused, that is its name.

Loki's chambers were next to Thor's, nearest the large window at the end of the corridor. Thor's room, before the Chitauri- and everything else -used to be several corridors down from Loki's, the trickster having purposely chosen a room in a secluded corner of the palace to get away from his brother, away from the blinding arrogance and graceless minutia that constantly surrounded the thunder god; or so Loki had told himself. But when they had finally returned home, the Tesseract once again employed to that end, Thor, without a single word, had moved into the chambers beside Loki's, his belongings appearing on only the first day. Loki was secretly glad of it, but had said nothing.

'You are too quiet now, brother', Thor had said on the same day, his half sad smile betraying his attempt at humor. Loki had never been as boisterous as the blonde, nor as forceful, but his talent with words was renowned and frequently used to get them out of trouble- or at least some attempt was made to that purpose. Now... now his tongue seemed a lead weight, foreign and forgotten amidst the echoes shifting in his dreams- nightmares skimming at the edge of his memory, screams and pain he longed to forget. But the dead thing in his mouth now only reminded him of the past, shadows in every corner.

The door neared, its golden handles seemingly dulled in the dim light, different than what he remembered, the brightness hidden. A shift of wind and a soft sound like a footstep caught his ear several steps away from his closed door. Loki paused, looking around.

"Hello?" He almost laughed at himself. What, expecting monsters in the palace, are we? Thor warned about watching those films Tony insisted upon. He shook his head, amused, ignoring the dark stretches of shadows the line of pillars to his right created. Why must these pillars line every corridor? It suddenly seemed a terrible oversight on the designers' part, a perfect hiding place for any number of enemies to linger. Loki furrowed his brow but continued forward, the comfort of his room calling.

The wind shifted again, the burst of sudden movement reached his ears even before he felt his body being jerked backwards.

.

The strong hand over his mouth is what he felt first. Then the crushing weight of a titan arm around his waist holding his arms down from behind. Loki tried to struggle, tried to make a sound, but the surprised noise caught in his throat as nothing escaped his closed lips. The assailant gripped Loki tightly, moving backward into the shadows of the pillars, obscured from sight. Loki wanted to move, to at least see who it was, but the hand around his mouth and jaw held firm, his head pushed back to rest on the attacker's shoulder. Most likely a man, Loki thought- not that it helped any. He heard his attacker's breathing, somewhere near his left ear, and somehow, it was familiar. Do I know this man? Loki tried to struggle again, his legs still free but useless without something to kick at. He finally managed to find his words, a quiet mumble barely escaping into the cool night air. Loki breathed harshly through his nose, then attempted another muffled struggle, his attacker responding with a tighter grip with both arms.

Loki knew only a few moments had passed, but he began to wonder what purpose this man had. Does he mean to kill me? Retribution? Revenge? Ransom? Is this a kidnapping? Does he think he can escape the palace so easily? Even with the mostly emptied corridors, the guards still made their rounds throughout the palace, no one could get very far without running into them, much less with a hostage prince. Or perhaps he means to kill me here...then what does he wait for?

"Make a sound, and it will not end well for you," a whispered voice suddenly broke the silence near Loki's ear, too close for comfort. Is that..? It sounds like- he would have scolded himself with laughter if not for the fear crawling up his spine. The deep voice spoke again, although somewhat less whispered, "If you think the guards will hear you if you scream, I'm afraid I may have given them orders to stay away from your little corner here...Loki." The voice, it can't be... The last word, the way he said his name sent shivers through Loki's body. But his words finally sunk in. Orders? Why would they listen to him? "So, little one, now is not the time to fight back, hm?"

Then suddenly they were moving, the man half-dragging Loki across the short stretch between the pillars and Loki's closed door. The attacker's boots shuffled across the marble as Loki once again attempted to struggle, his room suddenly seeming like the last place he wanted to be- entering there with an unwelcome guest, somehow it seemed a sort of defilement, the quiet space, the sanctuary would be tainted by whatever this situation might be. Loki quickly jerked up both his legs, his feet planted determinedly on the golden doors, defiantly halting entrance. The man held fast with his arm unfaltering around Loki's waist, but the hand wrapped around his mouth let up suddenly. But before Loki could cry out, the hand had moved to the trickster's throat, crushing with an iron hold. Loki choked, but was determined to fight back, somehow, in any way he could, his legs shaky but planted with dark boots on golden designs.

"Now, now," the man growled, his words sounded almost amused but were still laced with irritation. Somewhere in the back of Loki's mind, he recognized that voice, but the conscious part of him wanted nothing to do with those thoughts so he ignored them, pushed them back.

His attacker moved backwards a step, the trickster's legs fell with a thud to the floor. Loki flinched back when the door before him opened unexpectedly, the sight before him more than he could believe.

.

The female eyes before him looked back in surprise, but only for a moment. What?! How can- Sif? What is happening?

"Out of the way!" the man grumbled, hauling Loki easily across the threshold, his bundle suddenly limp with surprise. Loki thought his eyes might be betraying him until he heard the familiar warrior goddess' voice behind him. And...why is her hair blonde? He was certain he was imagining it.

"What took you so long?" She circled around them and glared half-heartedly at the man still holding Loki. The trickster stared at her, still shocked. Not imagining it. When did Sif change her hair? What's going on?! His questions were muffled when the hand returned to his cover his mouth.

The man walked a few more steps forward, but still held onto Loki. "And what did you expect me to do, Sif? Go look for him? What if I had run into the other one?" His words did not mask his slightly amused tone. Loki knew the voice now. He knew it, didn't want to acknowledge it, but the woman's words crushed that wish.

"Thor...what if the guards hear him? Did you think-"

"Don't think me a fool, Sif. I know who I am here. I ordered the guards away, told them I had personal guards that were replacing them." He chuckled darkly. "They seemed somewhat displeased at the notion." He chuckled again.

Loki was frozen as his insides churned. No... No, not possible... He suddenly wanted to speak, wanted nothing more. He tried to force words out, tried to force them past the harsh hand pressing against his mouth. But the muffled sounds only served to amuse his captors. Let me speak! What is this!? He began struggling again, not to get away, but to reveal the man holding him. No. Not him... Loki suddenly felt his body freed, wrenched out of the strong grip. He crashed to the floor before him, his legs failing. The man continued laughing, the sound sickened Loki, like a corruption embracing the familiar and wonderful thing he had heard so many times over the course of his long life. No... His mind reeled as he turned around, half-sitting, half-lying on the ground, his body suddenly unwilling to move. Thor? How- But the man that he called brother now had his hand around Loki's throat again, pulling him to his feet. The face of his brother was still smiling, mirthless and sinister, a hidden secret behind the blue orbs that sent shivers across Loki's body.

The mischief god wanted to speak, but the hand still gripped his throat, air barely getting through. Sif had moved out of Loki's sight, somewhere behind him, nearer his bed. Sif...Thor... Loki's mind didn't want to think, didn't want to consider or answer anything.

The hand suddenly let up, releasing Loki. Immediately, he tried to run for the door, a foolish move, maybe, but his instincts screamed at him to run. Something other than confusion at his brother's betrayal driving him- something haunting that slipped the cracks of Thor's dark smile. But the same arm wrapped around Loki's waist again, but his hands were free, as well as his mouth.

"Thor!" Loki screamed, "Why are you doing this!? What's happened to you?" His voice cracked as he choked the words out. No, not possible. "If this is a trick, I will never forgive you-"

"Trick?" Thor laughed again, Loki felt violated by the sound. The arm let go, then suddenly gripped Loki around the jaw, forcing him to look into Thor's blue eyes. "This is not a trick, little god. But," he started walking, forcing Loki to take steps backward to match him, "perhaps there will be some sorcery here, instead." Loki furrowed his brow but continued staring at his brother. But is he still my brother? What is he doing? None of it made sense.

"What sorcery?" Loki found his voice shaking. He didn't care.

Sif's voice drifted toward them from behind.

"Thor. Here." Loki heard a clanking sound like metal flying through the air, just as Thor caught something in his free hand. Loki tried to wrench free of the other hand, still bruising his jaw, but to no avail. Without warning Loki was thrust to the ground, only one hand barely managing to break his fall. The next second he was on his stomach, both hands wrenched behind and gripped in one of Thor's hands, just as something cold clicked around Loki's neck. What-

"Thor-" Loki began, but was cut off by Thor leaning down, lips near his left ear.

"Quiet now." It was not a request. The low growled words sent shivers through Loki's entire body. What's become of him..? Loki wanted to disobey. He wanted to scream at him, force him to answer. His hands were suddenly free of Thor's grip, only to feel one hand resting casually on his back; not hindering, but it somehow felt dangerous, like a storm threatening on the horizon.

A sudden thought occurred to him and he wondered why he hadn't tried it before now- confusion and panic had been the only things on his mind. Loki felt for the familiar force, the essence from within, his constant companion. He felt the energy grow, whispering at the edges of his control, waiting for his command. One side of Loki's lips turned up slightly, yes... let's see you find me when I am-

"Ahh!" A burst of pain rippled its way through Loki's body just as he attempted to summon his magic. He curled in on himself and blinked through the tears welling in his clenched eyes. His breath was somewhere near, held hostage in his caged chest. There was laughter nearby; a man and a woman's. Loki forced his eyes open and found himself on his side, arms hugging his middle, lungs finally burning with air. He gasped and stared at the two. Thor still crouched over him, elbows resting casually on his knees, and Sif, sitting with legs wide and leaning back on a chair tilted on two back legs near the far wall.

She continued to laugh as Thor spoke, "Feel free to try that again, but I'm afraid the result will be the same." He laughed again then stood up slowly.

Loki glared at Sif for a moment, but looked up to Thor before speaking, "Thor, what have y-" Thor's face was suddenly near, threatening without even a word. The older god raised one finger slowly, wagging it.

"No, no," he sung slowly, "what did I say about being quiet?" Loki clamped his mouth shut and averted his eyes, this Thor was nothing like his brother. Even his casual gaze made Loki want to cringe and shrink into himself. His smile, the smile he was gracing Loki with now, wasn't like the one he remembered, had seen a million times. It wasn't what it was supposed to be: blinding and warm like a thousand suns. Instead, it was jagged like the blinding edge of a knife stabbed through the eye. Loki briefly wondered if it wasn't a mirror for himself from...before.

Thor stared at him for one long moment, Loki kept his gaze away from him.

Finally, Thor lifted himself slowly, then walked back toward Sif. "How much longer?" he heard Thor ask Sif from several steps away. It wasn't the voice Loki expected from an impatient Thor; it was quiet but firm, deliberate and calculated.

What do they mean to do with me? The thing around his neck, a collar, Loki now observed, was certainly metal and strangely shaped. He tried his best to discretely fumble with it with one hand, trying to find a latch or something to pry it open with. His fingers finally settled on a small hole, and Loki immediately recognized it as a keyhole.

"You'll not get anywhere without the key, sorcerer," said Thor in a dry tone. Loki wanted to shoot back with an 'obviously', but decided he liked his not-brother at his current distance, and Thor had already looked away, back at Sif, "Well?"

She shot him a glare, but answered, "Another hour, at least." Loki wondered why the time mattered, and he had noticed Sif looking at something cupped in her right hand, which she promptly put into a pocket in her armor the next moment.

"An hour," Thor said, mostly to himself.

"You never were very patient, Thor," Sif smirked. "Why not entertain yourself? You're always so creative in that respect." She eyed him for a moment with a smirk, then leaned the chair back again, the two front legs lifting as the back hit the wall behind.

"Hmm," Thor mused, "that is true." He leaned over her, an arm resting on the back wall. "Perhaps we could entertain each other." Loki could almost hear his not-brother's suggestive smile from across the room.

Sif rolled her eyes and looked away from him, toward the desk next to the chair. "I'm not quite that bored." She set the two front legs down, just as her gaze drifted toward their prisoner who had moved into a sitting position, arms resting on his drawn-up knees, fingers intertwined. Loki eyed her warily. "But," she continued, "maybe you could have some fun with our little prisoner, instead?"

Thor's left hand remained on the wall, but he craned his neck to look at Loki. Loki shifted his gaze to him, suddenly frightened of the look settling in the lightning blue eyes.

"Thor..?" Loki felt his breath catch in his throat.

Thor hummed in his throat and took a single step back, then looked at Sif, who shrugged and went back to balancing on the chair. His eyes returned to the trickster. Loki's gaze burned into Thor, trying to discern his intentions. "You think so?" came Thor's rhetorical question, his face bore a feigned look of contemplation.

Sif answered anyway. "Why are you asking, Thor." She had picked up a book and was now perusing through it, seemingly bored of the conversation. "You've always done whatever you please," she sighed, still ignoring the other two and leaning her chair against the wall once more.

Thor walked slowly toward Loki, their eyes locked. Loki wanted nothing more than to look away as the dark boots approached, but he couldn't, his eyes determined to find some answers somewhere in the blues of his brother's eyes. Brother... Loki found himself backing away on the floor, barely aware of his own movement.

"Thor-" Loki managed to whisper, but Thor was suddenly so near, his fingers curled into the bottom of the collar, jerking Loki halfway up, suddenly on his knees.

"Now, what did I say about being quiet, hm?" Loki stared wide-eyed at Thor, the thunderer's voice raised for the first time since the ordeal had begun. "Well?" The trickster winced and jerked back at the sound so near, too close. This face wasn't his brother's, it had never been his brother's. Never...

He felt the backhand through his entire frame, Thor's vambrace drawing blood on Loki's cheek. Thor laughed, amused but hollow. Sif said nothing. Her eyes continued to ignore the other two, casually lost in the book before her, the tap tap of the chair's back clicking on the white marble.

Another blow landed, although Loki didn't know from where, as his eyes began to water. Fingers had let go of his collar, but now squeezed his throat. They pulled him up only to throw him into a nearby wall to his left, near the door, a crack resounding through the steadfast stone. He was thrown against another wall, then the floor, then the wall again. His body broke a few chairs and a table, then something else he didn't recognize.

"Broth-" Loki croaked out, but Thor didn't seem to hear him. Dark spots swam across Loki's vision just as the older god grabbed the younger by the collar again with one hand, then dragged him across the floor as if he were made of air. Loki gagged and choked and tried to relieve the pressure by holding on to Thor's arm, without much success. His attempts at protest were stopped along with his breath, caught violently in his throat.

Loki suddenly felt himself being lifted, the one arm reaching up and suddenly letting go, just as Loki found the sense to brace for an impact with the floor. But none came, he landed on a soft surface. He blinked past his coughing and pain, trying to feel his way around. The bed? His own blood tickled his eyes, but he could see his dark green covers clearly enough. Loki lifted his head and slowly turned around, one hand nursing his sore throat.

"Thor," he choked out, but it barely sounded like the word it was meant to be. He continued anyway, "Thor...what are you-" he coughed several times, "what are you doing?" Thor neared, his legs touched the bed, his face expressionless.

"Well!" Thor suddenly burst out with one hand outstretched beside him, as if presenting to a crowd. "It is impossible to make him shut up!" A sneer crossed his face as he cocked his head at Loki. He bent closer, "Perhaps we could put those words to better use..." A smile slowly crawled across his face, blonde hair hanging down. Loki suddenly felt the urge to run, to spring off the bed and scream into the darkness of the corridors until they reached to the hearts in Valhalla.

No no no... It was impossible- Can't be. No. Impossible. But the look on Thor's face told him everything. Everything he needed to know before he felt a terrified scream escape his own lips.

"No! No no no!" He attempted to scramble away, toward the other end of the bed, anywhere, away from the look on his brother's tainted face. But harsh hands were already around his waist, holding him tightly in place. He was on his stomach now, the foreign face gone, replaced by green sheets. "Thor! What are you doing?! Let me go, you oaf!"

"Oh. Now there's name calling." The blonde's laugh sounded muffled to Loki, his panic hammering through his ears as he trembled. Loki clawed and grabbed at the covers, trying to get away; he only succeeded in messing up the covers, there was nowhere to go, nothing to stop it. He felt two strong hands push his shoulders down into the bed, then a voice in his right ear whispered, "Maybe you can scream for me..."

And Loki did. He screamed when he heard leather ripping, he screamed when he heard Thor laughing, and when an unimaginable pain crackled up his spine. He felt his own hands ripping at sheets and still trying to get away, a useless instinct. He felt the warm tears pooling on the bed, his choked sobs muffled beneath him.

His broken voice came without permission, "Brother, stop...please." His vision wouldn't focus, his voice a whimpered sob. The heat was stifling.

"Brother?" A confused voice surrounded him, went through him. The assault paused a moment, hung in the air like dust in a blinding light. Thor continued, "Did he say 'brother'?" He heard a female laugh from across the room. Sif. He had forgotten she was in the room. What is wrong with her? Why won't she stop this?

"Oh yes," came Sif's distant voice, "I did notice that particular detail in his journal." She laughed again. Thor's voice seemed so near by comparison.

"Are you saying I'm violating my own brother?" The words which should have been laced with disgust were instead hidden behind barely contained laughter. Sif said nothing, but Loki suddenly didn't care about her as vomit worked its way into his mouth and onto the covers of the tear-stained bed. "Oh," Thor said flatly, "that explains that." Loki was momentarily glad that he was able to direct it away from himself, but realized it meant nothing given what was happening. Even so, he hoped the short reprieve would allow him to somehow talk some sense into Thor.

"Brother," Loki cringed at the word but hoped it might have some effect on his attacker, "please, please stop. Have I done something to displease you?"

He hated his own words. Hated that begging now came so easily to him. The Chitauri had done far worse to him, but this outweighed everything they had done. That Thor, the man he called brother, could do something like this to him- Loki suddenly feared for his own sanity. Perhaps this is a delusion? Perhaps I'm still with the Chitauri...with...with him. Perhaps this is another illusion cast into my mind to make me break yet again... But no, he knew it wasn't true. And that, most of all, hurt. He suddenly wished he was still with those monsters, at least then he could cry out for his brother to save him. It never did anything, of course, he never came, but it was the one solace within that endless midnight. That is brother might come. No...it's not true, is it? Please be true! He wanted his brother back, he wanted the enemy he could understand on the other side of the fence where it belonged, not so near, not wearing his beloved brother's skin.

Thor didn't seem to hear him, or he was ignoring him; it didn't matter, Loki vomited again as the nightmare continued.

.

The god of mischief didn't know when he had lost consciousness. He also didn't remember being dragged to the floor. It was cold and Loki was at the foot of the bed. He lifted his eyes, the only part of him that didn't hurt, and found he was surrounded by splatters of blood, defiling the white marble and snaking its way up the once-clean sheets.

He blinked furiously, trying to clear his vision. Am I finally alone? No. The figure moved, still sitting with legs wide, balancing, up and down the chair went. Click click. A sinister tight-lipped grin crossed her face but she didn't lift her head from the black book. My journal, Loki now recognized. Her hair was still blonde; her gaze still distant- foreign. The room seemed quieter, darker.

"You have an interesting life, princeling." Her voice drifted toward him; Loki didn't feel like answering. Her eyes narrowed a dark but playful look at him. "Don't worry," she cooed softly, "I told Thor he's not really your brother, it seems you're adopted..." As if that mattered. Her voice trailed off and he didn't care what else she had to say, the mention of Thor had Loki looking around for him frantically despite the pain shooting through his body. Sif seemed to notice, "Oh don't fret your pretty little head, my prince, your big brother hasn't left. He's just in the washroom." She nodded toward the direction of the room, then smirked at the look of horror the prince couldn't hide. Loki knew he didn't have much time before he returned again; he trembled at even the thought of him being near, his eyes clenched shut.

"Sif," his throat was sore, but the word was steady. She glanced at him for a moment, then returned her attention to the small book. He opened his eyes to her.

"What is it, prince?" she sighed her boredom.

"Sif. Please help me. Whatever Thor has promised you," Loki found it hard to think of the right words since he didn't understand the situation in the first place. "I can give you...whatever you wish." His voice was shaky, but it didn't matter as long as she heard him. He suddenly wished he could push himself up, at least to a sitting position. His side was so very cold against the unyielding marble, and his lying on the ground didn't exactly encourage the thought that he had something worthwhile to give.

"Oh?" Her gaze still had not lifted. Her voice remained bored. "And what could you possibly have that I would want?" Loki honestly didn't know. He might have been able to convince a Sif that was acting rationally. One that he knew. But this one, she wasn't the Sif he grew up with. She was...different, disturbingly so. That same difference made him believe she might be willing to betray Thor, but he simply couldn't be sure.

"I..." His words were failing him. Where is that silvertongue now? "Whatever you wish. I-I am certain there is something," he swallowed hard. "With my magic, surely there is something-"

"As tempting as your offer might be, Loki, there is the simple problem of that collar," she poked a finger toward him for a moment. "And I'm afraid I don't have the key." She smiled mockingly at him. Damn my silvertongue! Why does it fail me now?! Nothing to say? There's nothing! Nothing! What do they intend to do with me? What do they wait for?

"Sif, please-"

"More begging!" She laughed as the chair cracked onto the floor. "And you do it very well, but you simply have nothing that I want. Nothing to convince me with." Her words echoed his, nothing. Nothing...

Suddenly Thor walked into the room, his boots moving across the floor toward them. "Sif? Why were you laughing?" He walked passed the still form of Loki and approached Sif casually.

"Oh nothing, your little brother was trying his hand at bribery. I'm afraid it didn't go over very well," she smirked.

Thor snorted, amused. "Stop calling him that; he's not my brother." He glanced toward Loki, but the trickster kept his face blank, staring straight ahead at nothing, head on the floor, curled in on himself. Thor looked back at Sif, shaking his head slightly at the mischief god. "How much time now?"

Sif once again raised something in her hand before it disappeared back into her armor. "Fifteen minutes."

"It's been over an hour now, Sif." He walked over to the center of the room, arms crossed over his chest.

She sighed. "You know how it shifts, I have no control over the thing," she crossed her arms as well, looking around. Thor smirked and shrugged. The warrioress cracked a smile and added, "So, I suppose we should begin?"

Thor scratched his beard, thinking. "Why are you asking me? You are in charge of that thing," he pointed in the general direction of Sif, then Loki.

Sif shook her head. "I just didn't want to interrupt if you were planning on playing with someone else..." She smiled widely at Thor as he returned the grin with a wagging finger and a barely contained smile of his own.

"Just...begin already." His smile disappeared as he put his back to the other two and stared at the door boredly. Sif continued smiling and stood up, moving toward Loki.

The trickster jumped at her sudden arrival, but otherwise remained still. She grabbed Loki with one hand wrapped around his right wrist, then dragged him away from the bed and across the floor toward Thor. Loki wanted nothing more than to struggle, but his body simply refused. The cold air stung at his wet exposed skin and Loki refused to look down at his own body.

She suddenly pushed him flat on his back, then stood up. Thor took several steps back, away from the other two, eyeing them with arms crossed. Loki eyed Sif as well, confusion etched across his face. What is she doing? She reached into a small pouch at her side, revealing an equally small green gem in-between two of her fingers. She then leaned down, one knee on the ground. Her upper body bent a little closer, Loki was going to try and move away but realized she was only trying to speak to him, her voice low.

"Now. If you be a good boy and don't move while I'm working, then I won't have to ask your big brother to repeat a certain earlier performance, yes?" She stared Loki in the eyes, face without a trace of humor. It unnerved Loki. "Answer, Loki." Thor had taken a step closer. The mischief god nodded fervently to Sif with fearful eyes. "Good boy." She straightened her back but remained on one knee beside him.

Thor lingered nearby, pacing slowly. He didn't seem nervous, perhaps impatient? That much was obvious from the beginning, but why? While staring at Thor, Loki hadn't noticed Sif, who was now doing something very strange. She still held the green gem with two fingers, which now appeared to be glowing, and had begun tracing small shapes down Loki's right arm. He wondered what she could be doing as she stepped over him and began doing the same to his other arm. Other than that, nothing was happening. Loki felt nothing except the pressure of the stone against his leather-covered arms. She moved again, toward his legs this time. He felt uncomfortable for a moment when she traced more shapes into his upper thigh- exposed as it was -but his embarrassment fell when she simply followed the same pattern that she did with his arms, making shapes all the way down to his ankle. She repeated with the other leg.

"Are you finished yet?" Thor's voice broke the air; both Loki and Sif jumped.

"Shhh," Sif protested without looking up. Thor sighed but remained silent. Next, she stood up and walked to Loki's side again. This time she traced shapes into his chest, then onto his forehead. Then she leaned down and kissed Loki's lips.

"What are you doing?" Thor whispered, as if she would shush him again. Loki didn't know what to do so he simply lay quietly. He felt her lips vibrating with suppressed laughter.

"What, Thor," she lifted her head, a wide grin plastered across her face, "are you jealous?" Loki stared at her, confused, as Thor just scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Or don't I get to play with your toys?"

"I am losing patience, Sif. Continue, please..." he motioned with an annoyed hand, then shook his head and chuckled slightly to himself, mumbling something about 'ridiculous harlot' under his breath.

Sif continued staring after him for a moment as Thor turned his back to them, then looked down at Loki. "Sorry about that, little god, but I wasn't leaving without the bragging rights to having kissed a prince."

Thor jerked around. "That's your reason?" he scoffed. "You kissed him because he's a prince?"

Sif smiled at Loki and winked, then to Thor said, "Says the man who violated said prince." She sighed, feigning disappointment. "Your own brother." She smiled mockingly at Thor. There was silence for a moment, as if Thor were thinking, then he chuckled with a wide grin and pointed a finger at the goddess.

"I thought I told you to stop calling him that. And, well, that was just a bit of fun, really." Loki tensed at those words, they seemed familiar, somehow. And if she wished to kiss a prince, why not simply kiss Thor? What is wrong with these two? The questions all seemed so ridiculous now, pointless. Why should he ask anything anymore. His brother was not his brother, and it seemed both he and Sif had lost their minds.

Sif's voice broke through his thoughts. "Hey, princeling?" Her voice was playful and casual, "Now there's just one more thing you must do for us." Her gaze bore down into the trickster, he felt his insides tightening, he couldn't find his words. The only thing he wanted to do was shrink away and hide, get away from the confusion and pain. She was still waiting, however, and Loki managed to give her a questioning look hoping that would suffice. She smiled widely, at what he wasn't certain. "Please cast just one spell."

Loki stared at her, brows furrowed. "What?" he croaked out.

"You heard me, cast a spell." She lifted one eyebrow, Thor was drawing near. Loki swallowed nervously.

"I...but...the collar..." His hand reached up slowly, but Thor's boot caught it and pushed it slowly back down to Loki's side. He shivered at the contact, brief though it was. He stared up at Sif. "Why do you wish me to-" Two hands suddenly slapped down on the floor flanking Loki's head as Sif leaned over him, her long blonde ponytail tickling his face. He would have jerked away if there were anywhere to go.

"Do it now, or dear big brother will be more than willing to play with you a second time, Loki..." Her voice was silky smooth, the contrast to her words sent a small panic through Loki, the air too stifling, the choices non-existent.

He felt a warm hand on his chest suddenly, holding down his harshly breathing chest. Sif's hands were still by his head. No no no... he suddenly realized they were Thor's hands. Loki couldn't control his breathing suddenly, his chest constricting and his heart felt like it would burst through his ribcage. His mind was spinning, he felt dizzy and shaky. Nothing made sense, no one to help, no one to care about him, come for him. No more Thor...no more brother. His instincts suddenly took hold, and he reached out to his magic, grabbing the first thing that came to mind- a simple fire spell -as he attempted to cast it into his open palm. The pain was immediate, ripping through his body. No fire came, however, as he lay helpless and gritting his teeth. Sif had backed away, and Thor as well, but Loki didn't notice- couldn't notice, as his mind and body were on fire. He screamed into the air, screamed at nothing and everything.

But just as it had begun, the pain suddenly subsided, nothing but the pain in his throat and a blue light left behind. Blue light? Loki ripped his eyes open. He panted heavily and couldn't move. He could still see, however, a blue light that hovered above him. It was an orb, small and beautiful, pure light. An arm suddenly grabbed his own, sliding him across the floor and away from the floating light. Sif, Loki observed. She didn't seem too surprised by the light as she stepped over him and joined Thor who stood next to it. Away from the glow, Loki suddenly noticed a faint glow coming from somewhere below his line of sight. Looking down, his breath caught as he saw his body. Fiery blue runes he didn't recognize burned brightly across his entire frame. What is this- He suddenly remembered what Sif was doing. Some kind of ritual? It wasn't like any magic he had ever seen. And when did Sif learn to do magic?

His mind was a flurry with questions so he didn't notice how the blue orb was growing with every moment that passed. Loki touched the glowing runes on his lifted hands, but he felt nothing. No heat, no magical energy, nothing. He briefly wondered if it was because of the collar, that it probably didn't just block his magic, but also his perception of others'.

The light was now blinding. Loki finally managed to look up, just as Thor met his confused gaze.

"Don't get into too much trouble, little brother." The smile that was wrong washed over Loki, just as the blue orb disappeared and the room was left in darkness. Loki looked around, but saw no one standing there. Thor was gone, so was Sif. Where..? But darkness was sweeping in, not a natural dark, but the dark of unconsciousness. Loki lay his head back, his exhaustion suddenly taking hold.

Somewhere near him he heard a knock on a door. A voice now echoed around him. What...sound... Loki found himself drowsily wondering. He couldn't make out the words, although they were familiar and sent a cold shiver down his spine. Then finally, mercifully, he fell into the silent embrace of sleep.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Thor was seeing something- something strange.

He had left the feasting hall despite his guests' and friends' insistence that he stay a while longer to drink with them, but he was worried for Loki. It had been nearly an hour and half since Loki had left, but Thor suspected he would still be awake. Loki was never one to sleep so early, and his brother's excuse of 'being tired' was clearly false, especially since he had awakened late this morning and done very little during the day. So Thor had approached his brother's room with a determined step. He'll protest, of course, but he must stop this self-imposed isolation-

There was a light. A blue light. It lingered under Loki's door. Doing magic are we, brother, at this hour? Loki never followed any rules, though, and the thunder god smiled at the notion that Loki was returning to his old habits.

He knocked on the door. No response. He knocked again.

"I saw the light, brother, I know you are awake," Thor teased.

Nothing. Silence.

"Loki?" Thor knocked again, harder this time. "Brother? Are you alright?" He suddenly felt panicked, something wasn't right. His instincts went on high alert, he was going to knock again but instead tried the door handle. It didn't budge. "Loki, open this door! Loki!" No response. "Brother! Stand away from the door!" Thor stepped back a few paces then crashed threw the door, hoping Loki was not standing on the other side. The door nearly flew off its hinges, its edge smashing into the wall.

Thor's eyes immediately fell on his brother, lying on his back on the floor at the center of the dark room.

"Loki!" Thor ran to him, grabbing him up into his arms. "Brother, what's happened?"

There was no response. Thor hoped against all hope that his brother was still alive. He was cold...colder than usual. Thor sat down on his knees and supported Loki with one hand, then reached out his other hand, shaking, not wanting to feel for a pulse if there wasn't one there. "Please..." He whispered under his breath. He let out a relieved sigh and a choked sob as he felt the heartbeat, however faint it was. "Loki?" He stroked his brother's short black hair and settled him onto his lap, holding him tighter.

Thor didn't notice the blood, or the metal around his brother's neck, or the state of the room, or anything else. He only held his brother tighter and tighter, waiting for him to wake through tear-stained eyes.

A/N: Obviously there's something weird going on here, you'll see what in the next few chapters- you might be able to guess already, though. If Loki seems OOC that's because he is, at least compared to the movies. Since this is a pseudo-sequel, a lot's happened to him since the films and he's very different now.

I hope the rape scene didn't put you guys off but it's the catalyst that carries the whole beginning of the story. I must admit I cringed through it while re-reading to check for mistakes. Yikes. Evil!Thor creeps me out.

(For all my Pray For Rain readers- I'll continue working on that fic as well, but as I mentioned in my profile it's my "background" story, I only work on it when I get the urge to and only when it doesn't interfere with my other fics. As for the sequel to Ex Nihilo, I'm aiming to upload that one around Halloween, but we'll see how that works out.)