"It wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to be the rightful King. Thor was always the brash, arrogant one, but I wanted to be like him. I wanted Father to be as proud of me as he was of my brother, but that would never happen, and now I know why. I am a Jötunn, a Frost Giant, a monster that all Asgardian mothers warn their children about. I will make them pay; I will make them all pay"

Groaning, Sasha opened her eyes and looked at her alarm clock. Noticing the time, she sat up quickly.

"Shit" she muttered. She knew that she would be late to work…again, and she knew that her boss would tear a strip off her….again. The fact that she hadn't been sleeping very well recently wasn't going to cut it this time. She'd taken a couple of sleeping pills last night, and apparently they'd worked better than expected. Jumping out of bed, she ran into the shower and turned it on. Ignoring the scalding of her skin, she washed quickly and wrapped a towel round her as she set about getting ready for work as quick as she could.

"I've wandered these realms it seems like forever since my "brother" destroyed the Bi-Frost, and I went with it. I wonder if they mourn for me, or does my Father breathe a sigh of relief that his secret will never be revealed, that his second son was really a Jötunn. I am Loki Laufeyson, rightful King of Jötunnheim, and I will have my vengeance. But I grow weary from roaming these realms; Thor and All-Father were obsessed with the protection of Earth and its Mortals. Perhaps, before I destroy them, I should study them and find their weaknesses"

At exactly 9.04am, Sasha entered the office and made a beeline for her desk, hoping that she wasn't spotted by Abi, boss.

"Sasha, can you come in here please?" The voice emanating from the open door of the office proved she had been spotted, and now was the time for bollocking to begin.

"Abi, I can…." Abi looked at her, a withering look designed to cut her off. It was successful.

"Shut the door Sasha", Abi dropped her specs onto the desk and pinched the bridge of her nose. Sasha complied and shut the door, turning to stand at the desk, awaiting the inevitable with bated breath.

"What time do we start work Sasha?" Abi looked at her.

"9am Abi." She replied, looking at her shoes.

"Which means that you should be at your desk no later than 8.55am" Abi sat back and folded her arms. "This is the second time this week you've been late Sasha. I need to know that my reporters are happy and that everything is OK. Is everything OK?" Abi sat forward with a look of genuine concern on her face.

"I'm just not sleeping well Abi. I thought I was too old for nightmares by now" Sasha smiled ruefully. "The breakup with Alan was harder than I thought it would be. I still don't think I'm fully used to being in that apartment on my own" she ran a hand through her thick brown hair.

"You need to get back in the saddle, so to speak" Abi smiled "A night out, take a guy home, have some fun. Finally get over Alan" she stood and walked out from behind her desk. "Take a few days off, get some space, we can handle everything here. It's a pretty slow news week. In fact I have a cabin up by the lake." She rummaged around in her handbag, finally pulling out a set of keys. "It'll do you the world of good, somewhere different. Let you get everything into perspective" Abi dropped the keys into Sasha's hand, fixing her a big smile. "Have fun and I'll see you back here Monday OK?"

"Absolutely, thanks for this Abi. I think it'll be just what I need" Sasha quickly hugged Abi, before letting go, feeling awkward. She opened the door and walked out, snagging her bag from her desk on the way out. Suddenly the day didn't seem so bad…