Falling Is Like This

Four years later...

Seren opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling as the night's dream sat fresh on her mind. Outside the sky was cloudy and the tree branches scratched at her window. It had been nearly two months since she'd last been to Asgard and the dreams were constantly reminding her of it. She glanced at the alarm clock just as her grandmother called for her to wake up and sighed, pushing the blankets off of her.

She stood and looked down at her pink and light green pajama bottoms, not wanting to change out of them. She put on her fuzzy brown boots and slid her oversized tan sweater over her white tank top.

"Good morning ducky."

Seren smiled as her grandmother kissed her cheek. "Morning Mimi. How's Pop Pop?"

Her grandmother brushed a gray strand of hair from her face and sighed. "He's no different than yesterday I'm afraid. I'm going up to the hospital as soon as I take you to school."

Seren's smile faded as she thought about her grandfather. He'd always had a heart condition but he never let it stop him from doing what he loved which was farming. "Mimi, go ahead to the hospital. I took a shower last night. I can jog down to the bus stop and catch a ride to school from there."

Mimi set down the basket of folded laundry she'd been carrying. "Seren, you promise that you'll go to school? I don't want another call from them saying that you didn't show for class."

Seren shook her head as she piled her long blonde hair into a bun on top of her head, securing it blindly with Bobby pins. "I promise. Please go, I will have Cody or Kyra drop me off at the hospital after class."

Her grandmother rested her hands on her hips as she watched Seren dust some light pink blush over her cheeks. "Alright ducky. If you need me, call me. And please be careful. The news is calling for snow. Your scarf is hanging by the door." She kissed her forehead and walked out, closing the door behind her.

Seren stared at the door for a moment until she heard the door downstairs close. She then flopped back onto the bed wishing for just a few more hours of sleep and closed her eyes.

"Now now ducky. You don't want to be late for your lessons."

Seren sat up at the sound of his voice. "Loki?"

"Well who else would it be?"

She looked around the very empty room. "But where-?" She glanced around.

"Look in your mirror, ducky." He said.

Seren walked over to her vanity table and gasped. Loki stared back at her from her mirror. She plopped down into the chair. "How...Are you doing that?" She asked, flipping the large mirror over and back.

"A little spell I've learned." He replied. "Why does she call you ducky?"

"It's just a nickname." Seren smiled and began to apply the rest of her make up. "Are you still coming today?"

Loki smiled. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. The same place?"

"Yea unless you found a closer one."

Loki shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

"Ok well what time will you be here?" She asked.

"By the time your lessons are complete for the day." He answered.

"Well, they say it's supposed to snow tonight so if we're going to go, we need to do it soon-oh man." Seren winced. "I've got to go to the hospital after class."

"Pop Pop?" Loki said.

"Yea. He's not any worse, but he's not any better." She replied,

"Is your grandmother there now?"

Seren nodded, applying a thin layer of cherry chap stick to her lips. "Yea. She's been there every day for two months."

"Are you ok?"

Seren pulled her cap on over her head and grabbed her book bag. "I'll be better once you're here. Unless you don't mind going to the hospital with me."

Loki shrugged. "I don't mind in the slightest."

She smiled and threw her bag over her shoulder. "Ok. I've got to go, I'm going to be late getting to school if I don't."

Loki held up his hands. "Ok, ok. I'll see you soon."

OoOoOo

Seren stared out at the darkening skies as her teacher rambled on about the importance of algebra.

"Eyes on the front, Seren." The instructor snapped.

"Sorry..." Seren said quietly. When the teacher turned her attention back to the lesson, she reached into her book bag and fished out her chap stick and compact mirror. Opening it, she let out a loud gasp which she was thankfully able to pass off as a sneeze. Loki stared at her from the small mirror and was about to speak when Seren quickly brought a finger to her lips.

"Mrs. Deacon, I need to go to the restroom, please." Seren said.

Mrs. Deacon sighed and nodded towards the door. Taking that as her answer, Seren gathered her bag and hurried out of the room towards the girl's bathroom. She took a quick look around,  pushing each stall open with her foot. When she was certain she was alone she placed the mirror on the sink.

"Loki what are you doing?" She asked.

"I wanted to let you know that I have arrived." He said, suddenly appearing in the mirror above the sink. Seren gave a slight start and Loki laughed.

She smiled. "I get out of school in about fifteen minutes, where are you?"

"In the courtyard waiting patiently." He replied.

"What? Loki, please tell me you are in normal clothes."

"If by normal you mean am I dressed in Midgardian clothes, then yes. I am in normal clothes."

"Alright. Wait for me. I'll meet you by the parking lot." She said.

"I will be waiting, my lady."

OoOoOo

As soon as the bell rang, Seren bolted from the girl's bathroom, making a beeline for the exit to the student courtyard. A few students were already making their way outside. She hurried around them and pushed through the heavy doors. Her eyes scanned the yard for her friend but she didn't see him. Then a group of students moved and she could see him standing by the flagpole talking to Jessica Sanders, her arch nemesis. Her eyes narrowed and she marched over to them. Loki glanced over at her and it was as if Jessica were suddenly invisible. He smiled at Seren.

"My Lady." He said, taking her hand. He brought her knuckles up to his lips and planted a warm, gentle kids on them.

Jessica said nothing, just rolled her eyes and walked off with a loud huff.

"Wow Loki. You really do look normal..." Seren said. He wore a dark green and black plaid dress shirt under a denim jacket, a pair of dark blue jeans with a pair of brown boots and a dark green knit cap. A black scarf was wrapped around his neck and he had on black gloves. He looked like a college student. To anyone looking, he'd appear to be around twenty.

Loki looked down at himself and smiled. "Thank you. I've been studying Midgardian wear ever since that last fiasco."

Seren snorted as the image of him walking into the library with her, dressed in a pair of black leather pants and his favorite green and gold leather coat that stopped at his ankles, popped into her head. Everyone stopped to stare at them, causing Seren to drag him out of the building. "Well, good job. Maybe we'll get less stares this time." She said. "How was your trip?"

"Pleasantly uneventful." Loki said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Oh! I almost forgot." He pulled his hands out revealing a small pouch. "Fresh from the market."

Seren beamed. "Sticky rolls!"

"With extra julep." He said, handing it to her.

"Loki, thank you!" She said, clutching them as if they would fade away.

Cody pulled up in his blue Honda Accord, music blasting. "Seren! You ready?"

Seren grabbed Loki's arm and they walked to the car. "Hey Cody. Do you mind if he rides with us?"

"You both going to the hospital?" Cody asked.

"Yea. This is Jack, my cousin." Seren lied.

Cody popped the door open and she and Loki crawled into the back seat. "Thanks Cody."

He looked at her in the rearview mirror. "Don't mention it."

OoOoOo

Seren pushed the button for the tenth floor and the elevator doors closed. She sighed and leaned against the wall, pulling her hat off. "We won't stay long, I just need to let him know I was here." She said quietly. It had started to sleet by the time Cody dropped them off at the hospital.

Loki leaned against the wall across from her. "I'm sure there will be other nights to see it. If it is supposed to snow, it most likely won't be visible."

"But I'd hate for you to miss it. You came all this way."

Loki laughed as they stepped off the elevator. "Yes, I came a very long way, but it only took mere seconds for me to arrive."

"True. How's Thor?" She asked, stepping aside for some nurses.

"He's Thor. Ever since he figured out how to use that hammer, he has been using it. Last night he and the warriors three and Sif returned from a battle on Alfheim. Something to do with some dark elves attacking the village of a light elf elder." Loki said.

Seren raised her eyebrows. "Wow. I'm assuming they were they winners?"

"Of course. No battle is to difficult Thor the mighty God of Thunder." Loki said dryly.

Seren snorted. "God of Thunder?"

"My father and his sense of humor." He said. Together they rounded the corner of her grandfather's floor.

"Hang out here for me? I'll only be a few minutes." She said. Loki nodded and sat in the waiting room.

Seren pushed the door open to his room. It was completely dark except for the glow of the monitors. "Mimi?"

Mimi sat by the hospital bed, the newspaper draped across her chest as she slept. Seren walked over to where Pop Pop lay. A large tube was tape to his mouth. Wires decorated his chest and iv's hung from his arms. The ventilator to her left wooshed mechanically, causing his chest to rise. Seren swallowed hard and her eyes prickled with tears.

"Hey Pop Pop." She said quietly, looking down at his hands.

"You can touch him dear. It won't hurt him." Mimi said, sitting up in her seat.

"I don't know what to say..." She cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. Mimi stood and wrapped her arms around her.

"Tell him that you love him and that you know he's going to get better. Tell him you'll see him soon." Mimi said, brushing her hair out of her face.

Seren buried her face in her shirt as she cried. "Mimi, I'm so sorry. It's my fault that he's here. If...If I'd never run off, he'd never have come looking for me."

Mimi lifted her chin, forcing her to look up at her. "You listen to me Layla Seren. This was an act of God. The clot was there before you left. The doctors said it would have happened regardless of the circumstances. This was not your fault." Mimi brushed the tears from her face. "Just talk to him."

Seren nodded and bent over him. "I love you Pop Pop. I'm so sorry..." She whispered, laying her head on his chest. "Please wake up..."

OoOoOo

Loki sat watching the small television in the dimly lit waiting room, waiting patiently for Seren. From what he could understand of the news, the small town was in for some bad weather. He sat leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. She'd been in that room for over an hour. Finally, the door opened and she stepped out. He stood and meet her in the hall.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Her eyes were red and her face was wet with tears.

"Yea...um.." Her voice shook slightly and he could tell she was trying hard not to cry. "Mimi is going to drive me home. She needs to rest. You can come but you have to do that invisibility thing."

Loki nodded. "Of course."

"Come on, we'll go wait in the parking deck for her." She said.

Together they made their way back to the elevator. They stood side by side staring at the elevator door. Loki slid his arm around her shoulders as he could tell she needed comforting. As soon as he did, she rested her head against his chest and began to cry.

OoOoOo

By the time Seren and Mimi started the trip home, the sky was black and starless and the roads were slick with a layer of ice. Seren sat in the front seat watching the trees pass by in a blur. She rested her head against the window as her eyelids became heavy with exhaustion from crying.

Loki sat invisible in the backseat, observing the scenery in silence. He had only closed his eyes for a moment when the car gave a violent jerk. His eyes shot open as he was thrown across the back seat. Screams from the two women were barely audible over the screeching of tires. He looked up just in time to see a pair of bright headlights seconds from impact. Instinctively, he lunged forward and wrapped Seren in his arms. He felt his entire body tingle with unfamiliar power.

The breath was knocked out of Seren as she and Loki landed in the mud. She could hear nothing but ringing in her ears as she struggled to roll on to her stomach.

"Seren!" Loki cried.

She pushed herself up to her knees and began to scream at the carnage on the road before her. "Mimi!"

A large 18-wheeler had collided with her grandmother's tiny white Toyota which was now on fire. Seren struggled to her feet and began to run towards the wreckage.

"Seren no!" Loki jumped to his feet and tackled her to the ground, covering her body with his just as the car exploded.

Seren rolled onto her side, sobbing.

"Are you kids alright?!" A man asked.

Loki gave Seren a shake. "Seren! Are you hurt?" Loki cried.

She watched in a daze as people began to gather around the wreck, looking at one another and shaking their heads. Covering their mouths with their hands in shock. Someone wrapped a coat around her shoulders. And then she blacked out.

OoOoOo

"When will this winter end?
The snow’s been falling for months..."

"...th was instant, thank heavens..."

"They say she was thrown out of the car. She only had a few cuts and bruises..."

"How is Ralph?"

"He's still hanging on, but it doesn't look good..."

Seren lay in her bed trying to ignore the voices outside of her bedroom door. Heavy rain pelted the large window by her bed, lulling her to sleep.

"The town all dressed in white
And my skin is burning from the wind..."

Loki sat in a chair in the corner of the room by her bed. Her back was to him but he could tell she was awake. She'd barely said three words to him since the accident four days earlier. He rested his face against his hand as he watched her breathing.

"What happened, Loki?" She asked quietly.

Loki sat up straight in the chair. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"You know what I mean..." She rolled over to face him. "How did we get out alive? We both should be dead."

Loki shook his head slowly, collapsing back into the chair. "I don't know Seren."

"How do you not know? You were the one who did it."

"I don't know. It was a reaction based on panic." He replied.

She pushed herself up on her elbows. "Why did you grab only me? Why didn't you grab Mimi too?"

"Seren I-couldn't get to her in time. You are the only one I could reach."

Seren's face twisted into a look of disgust and she laid back down. She stared up at the ceiling, fighting back tears. "Go home, Loki."

"Wha? Seren, no-"

"GET OUT! GO HOME!" Seren screamed.

The sudden outburst startled him and he stood, making his way to the door. He turned to look at her. "I'm sorry Seren."

"Just leave, please..." She sobbed, covering her face with her hands. When she finally removed them, Loki was gone.

OoOoOo

For two days Seren slept, refusing to eat and only coming out of her bed to use the bathroom and shower. Everything she did, she did as if in a daze. Nothing seemed real. Everything seemed like a nightmare.

Four days after the accident, Seren stood at the graveside as the preacher spoke the words of her grandmother's eulogy. Snow had begun to fall quite heavily by the time the funeral was over and everyone began to make their way back to their cars.

Once everyone had cleared away, Seren tore her gaze from the casket and looked up. The preacher was making his way back towards her, a somber look on his face.

"Seren..." He said.

Seren pulled the furry collar of her dark brown coast tight around her neck. "Yes sir?"

He sighed. "I've just been in contact with the hospital-"

Seren shook her head slowly. "No...No please..."

"I'm so sorry Seren. He succumbed about fifteen minutes ago." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Seren ran her hands through her damp hair, breathing deeply to the point of hyperventilation.

"Sweetheart, let's get you inside-"

"NO!" Seren screamed. She wrenched her arm free and took off running towards the forest. She sobbed her way past branches and through thorns that scraped and sliced at her exposed flesh. "Loki!!" She screamed, running faster. "Loki I'm sorry!! Come back!!" She screamed.
 
The snow was now whipping around in the wind, almost totally obscuring her view. She had no idea where she was running to, only that she had to get away.

"Please come back Loki!" She looked up as she came out into a field. She could make out a tall figure running towards her.

"Loki!" She screamed, throwing herself into his arms. Together they collapsed to the ground, Seren sobbing against his chest. "Loki I can't...I can't breathe!" She sobbed.

 Loki smoothed her hair back. "It's alright Seren...Just breathe." He whispered. He stood and lifted her into his arms, carrying her back into the woods. "Hold on tight." He said, before jumping down the ravine and into their portal.