Falling Is Like This

Seren fumbled in her pocket for her keys. She'd just inserted it into the lock just as the door was thrown open. Cody stared back at her in disbelief. He was unshaven and his hair was messy. His clothes were wrinkled as if he'd slept in them, but the dark circles under his eyes proved otherwise.

"Hi." She said meekly.

Cody's mouth dropped. "Hi? Three days without a word. Three days I've been looking for you, calling everyone we know! The cops have-"

"You called the cops?!" She shoved past him. "Jeez Cody!"

Cody slammed the door and followed her back to her room. "What the hell was I supposed to do? Jimmy called and said you never showed up for work. I came here and waited, but you never came home. You weren't answering your phone."

"You act like this is the first time I've done this." She opened her closet and pulled out her suitcase.

"That's bullshit Seren. We're not kids anymore!" He cried. "Where were you? I have a right to know."

She grabbed a handful of clothes from the dresser. "It's none of your business."

"What? Of course it's my business!" He walked around the bed and grabbed her by her arms. "Look at me!"

"I WAS WITH JACK ALRIGHT!" She shouted.

Cody let her arms go. "What?"

"You heard me." She said a bit quieter.

"I don't believe you."

"I think you do. I was about to open the bar and Jack found me. I've been with him since."

"Jack? As in your cousin Jack that you haven't seen since our senior year in high school?" He asked, completely confused.

Seren pulled some clothes from the hangers in the closet.and began folding them. "I think we both know he isn't my cousin." She said quietly.

"So what is this? What are you doing?" He gestured to the suitcase.

"I'm packing."

"I see that. Why?" He asked.

Seren sighed and let her arms drop to her side. "Cody..."

"Tell me. I have a right to know."

"I'm leaving with L-Jack. He's asked me to go with him and I said yes."

"Seven years. I've given you everything. Been there for you when he wasn't. And suddenly he reappears and that's it?"

"Cody-"

"I get it." He looked down and lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. He laughed bitterly and looked yup at the ceiling. "I've spent the past ten years loving someone who will never love me back."

"But I-"

"No! You don't, don't try to tell me you do." He stood quickly. "I've got some calls to make." He snapped.

"Cody please! You're my best friend, I don't want things to end like this." She felt her throat tighten.

He walked to the door. "Yea well you should have thought about that before you jumped ship with Jack. Have a nice life."

Her arms dropped heavily to her sides and she jumped as the slamming of the door startled her. In that moment she felt as if maybe she'd made a mistake. Her hand went to the necklace around her throat and she quickly pushed the thought to the back of her mind and resumed packing. She would cry later.

OoOoOo

"THOR WE MUST GO!" Loki cried as hundreds of frost giants began closing in on them.

Thor glanced over his shoulder at his brother. "Then go!"

Loki grit his teeth in frustration. "Let's go." He said to Hogun. They all began to run back to the mountain side they'd landed on. Loki felt the heat from the lightning from Mjolnir on his back, followed by the deafening rumble of thunder.

The ground beneath them began to quake and break apart as they ran. "What's Thor done?!" Volstagg cried, holding tightly to Fandral who was hanging over his shoulder.

"Likely killed us all!" Loki cried, leading over a large crevice that opened in the ground before him. Without warning a thick, blinding mist surrounded the five Asgardians, bringing them to a halt. There was a loud crack and the sound of the ground giving way echoed through the air. Hogun took a step back and nearly fell to his death. Loki reached out quickly, grabbing him by the collar of his armor and pulled him to his feet. He nodded his silent thanks.

Thor landed beside them. "Loki, we have to see."

Loki nodded, holding his hands out. He closed his eyes and concentrated, conjuring up a strong gust of wind that blew the mists away. They found themselves face to face with hundreds of war hungry frost giants. Thor began twirling Mjolnir and look Loki removed two daggers from his coat. The six friends braced themselves for a fight.

A nearby giant lunged and Thor swung his hammer. There was a deafening roar and blinding flash of light as the Bifrost opened, planting Odin on the back of his war horse before them all. He was clad in full armor, Gungnir in hand.

The giants parted way as Laufey emerged. He slammed his fists into the ground, causing a platform of ice to raise him up to where Odin was perched on the cliff.

"Laufey, end this." The Allfather demanded.

"Your boy sought this out." Laufey growled.

"You're right. These are the actions of a boy. Treat them as such. You and I can stop this before there's further bloodshed."

"We are beyond diplomacy now, Allfather. He'll get what he came for. War and death."

Odin looked grim. "So be it."

Without warning, Laufey lunged at Odin, wielding an ice blade. Odin slammed gungnir into the ground, emitting a forceful shockwave that sent the king of the frost giants flying through the air. The other frost giants began to retreat.

"Now!" Thor cried. "We'll finish them together!"

"Silence!" Odin hissed angrily. He raised his staff into the air. The Bifrost opened, sucking the group into the air. They entered the Observatory, the warmth washing over them. Odin ripped Heimdall's sword from the ignition and tossed it to him.

"Do you realize what you've done? What you've started?" Odin bellowed.

Loki stood by the opening of the Bifrost. None of this was supposed to happen. It was supposed to be a prank. No prank had ever failed so miserably. He clenched his hands behind his back as Odin and Thor yelled at one another. He should have feared his father's wrath, but all he could think of was his left hand.

"I was a fool to thin you were ready." Odin said, defeated.

He had to put a stop to this, Thor couldn't take the blame for it all. "Father-" he implored.

Odin glared at him and growled angrily, silencing Loki. Loki was taken aback. He bit his tongue until he tasted blood. 'So be it.' He thought angrily.

"Thor Odinson... You have disobeyed the express command of your King. Through your arrogance and stupidity, you have opened these peaceful Realms and innocent live to the horrors of war!" Odin plunged gungnir into the ignition and the Bifrost began to roar to life.

Loki watched with pity as Odin began to rip apart Thor's armor. He stated in confusion as Mjolnir flew into the Allfather's hand.

"In the name of my father, and his father before," Loki watched in horror and sudden realization as the remainder of Thor's armor disintegrated. "I cast you out!"

Loki watched as a bolt of lightning struck Thor, knocking him into the portal. In anger, Odin hurls Mjolnir into the portal just before it closed. Loki turned an accusatory gaze to Odin, who appeared suddenly very sad and old. "What have you done?"

Odin released gungnir and descended the platform. "I'll not hear another word, Loki. This had to be done."

Loki struggled to find the meaning in it all, but could not.

"Return to the castle at once, I've a few things to discuss with the gatekeeper." Odin said.

Loki gave a slight bow of his head and took his leave without another word.

OoOoOo

Loki sat next to Sif before a fire in the center of the room.

"How bad is it?" Sif asked. "I've never seen the Allfather so angry."

Loki exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's bad."

"What do you know?" Sif asked, sitting up straight.

He stood up, rubbing his wrist absentmindedly. "Thor has been banished to Midgard."

"What?" Sif and Fandral asked in unison.

"We should never have let him go."

Sif eased back down into the cushion of the settee. "There was no stopping him." She mumbled.

"At least he's only banished, not dead. Which is what we'd all be if that guard hadn't told Odin where we'd gone." Fandral said, wincing as Hogan crushed two healing stones and rubbed the dust over the wound on his chest. He laid his head back as the flesh began to heal.

"How did the guard even know?" Volstagg rubbed his wrist, blackened by the frost giant's touch.

Loki stared down at his own arm. The arm that should have matched Volstagg's. Instead, it was it's usual tone, no evidence of frostbite whatsoever. The image of his hand turning blue flashed in his mind. "I told him." He said without thinking.

Fandral sat up. "What?"

Loki gripped his wrist, silently cursing himself for admitting it. "I told him to go to Odin after we'd left. Though he should be flogged for taking so long."

Volstagg looked up from his wound. "You told the guard?"

Loki bristled at the accusatory looks he received. "I saved our lives! And Thor's. I had no idea Father would banish him for what he did."

Sif stood and faced Loki. "Loki, you're the only one who can help Thor now. You must go to the Allfather and convince him to change his mind!" She begged.

Loki all but rolled his eyes. Sif's feelings for Thor went far beyond that of friendship, it was known by all, but never spoken of for fear of a good beating from her.

"And if I do, then what? I love Thor more dearly than any of you, but you know what he is. He's arrogant. He's reckless. He's dangerous. You saw how he was today. Is that what Asgard needs from its King?" He said the words before he'd thought them through, but from the looks the others gave him, he could tell it was something that had crossed ask of their minds. Before they could say another word, Loki walked out.

Loki gave a curt nod to two einherjar who stood at the entrance of the throne room. It was his first thought to go and speak with his father, but he remembered the incident with the jotun. He glanced over his shoulder and took a quick left, descending the drafty stairwell that lead to the weapons vault.

"Halt." Two guards barred the entrance to the vault with their staffs.

Loki stepped out of the shadows. "I have business here."

"Prince Loki, forgive us. The Allfather has ordered us to allow no one passage."

"Even your Prince?" Loki asked, his suspicions growing.

"Yes, my Prince, even you."

Loki clicked his tongue as he wracked his brain for a way inside. "Is that so?" He reached into the minds of the guards, closing his eyes for concentration. 'Close your eyes. The Allfather will never know.' He opened his eyes and smirked. The guards' eyes became cloudy and their eyelids began to close. In a matter of seconds, the two of them slid to the floor, unconscious. He stepped over their bodies and shoved the massive golden doors open with his shoulder. The room was cool and damp as it was several hundred feet under the throne room. He swallowed hard and descended the stairs. All around him were Odin's prized spoils of war. Trinkets and treasures from all the Nine Realms, locked away for safe keeping-and to keep them away from those who would use them for less than honorable means.

Looking ahead, he saw the one thing that struck an unknown sense of fear in him, where once it was just a box. The ice casket say atop its pedestal. He stared at the swirls of blue that seemed to dance on the inside, hypnotic him. Before he realized it, he stood inches away from it. He reached out, brushing his fingers against its freezing, smooth surface. The energy emanating from it, suddenly lashed out at him. He watched in horror as his hand suddenly began to turn blue. The same huge as the jotun who attacked him.

Loki jerked his hand away with a yelp. Stumbling backwards, he landed on his hip with a thud. Gasping, he stared at his blue hand, willing it with all his might to turn back to the pale flesh it once was. He watched as it did just that. He stared at his hand, and then up at the casket. Slowly getting to his feet and mustering all his courage, he reached out and took the casket in both of his hands, allowing the tingling coolness to wash over him. He closed his eyes at the strange, familiar feeling.

"STOP!"

Loki froze, opening his eyes. His breath bellowed out before him in a fog. "Am I cursed?"

"No. Put the casket down, Loki." Odin said.

Loki set the casket back down, turning slowly. His skin slowly faded back to its normal state. He stared up at Odin. "What am I?"

"You're my son." Odin replied, staring at him.

Loki felt his heart begin to race. "What more than that?!"

Odin's face betrayed him as he frowned, not answering the question.

Loki's breath hitched with sudden realization. "The casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?" He asked.

Odin exhaled. "No." He watched as Loki's face fell. "In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the Temple, and I found a baby. Small for a giant's offspring-abandoned, suffering, left to die. Laufey's son."

Loki felt as if the air had been sucked out of his lungs. "Laufey's son...?" He whispered. His mind raced add he tried to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. "W-why? You were knee deep in Jotun blood. Why would you take me?" He asked.

"You were an innocent child-" Odin tried to explain. It was not the answer Loki desired.

"No. You took Mr for a purpose. What was it?!" Loki demanded. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he waited for Odin's responsebut it didn't come fast enough. "TELL ME!!" Loki screamed.

"I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about an alliance, bring about a permanent peace... through you. But those plans no longer matter." Odin replied calmly.

"So I am no more than another stolen relic, locked up here until you might have use of me?" He asked.

"Why do you twist my words?"

"You could have told me what I was from the beginning! Why didn't you?" He fought back the tears that threatened.

"You are my son. My blood. I wanted only to protect you from the truth."

"Because I am the monster parents tell their children about at night?"

"Don't-" Odin reached out for Loki, but he jerked out of his reach.

"It all makes sense now, why you favored Thor all these years." Loki began walking closer to Odin, suddenly blind with rage. "Because no matter how much you claim to "love" me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the Throne of Asgard!" He screamed. He watched as if in slow motion, a Odin fell to the ground, his body trembling. Shocked at the unexpected turn of events, he knelt next to him, carefully taking his hand in his own. It was clammy and so unlike Odin that it struck fear in him worse than the casket

"Gaurds!! Please help!!" Loki cried, scooping Odin into his arms.

The doors burst open and several guards entered. "Get him to a healer!" Loki ordered. He watched as the guards lifted Odin and carried him out.

OoOoOo

Loki waited outside of Odin's chambers, his arms folded across his chest. Their previous conversation replayed over and over in his mind. Every time he tried desperately to make sense of it, but he couldn't. The food gates of reality had opened. He wasn't really a Prince. He held no claim to the throne. His entire life was not his own. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He leaned against one of the massive golden columns that made up the door frame and sunk to the floor, raking his hands through his hair.

He gave a violent start when a pair of soft, warm hands enveloped his. Frigga knelt before him, her eyes loving and her smile soft. "Come Loki.." She said quietly, pulling him to his feet. She nodded to the guards and led Loki into their chambers.

The tall giant windows were all blacked out. Not an ounce of light was able to break through. A few candles were lit on the walls. In the center of the room lay Odin in a large bed, a glowing shield enveloped him.. His color was pale and he seemed lifeless save for the faint rise and fall of his chest. Loki walked over to him and looked to Frigga, swallowing hard..

Frigga sat on the opposite side of her husband and looked down at him. "I asked him to be honest with you from the beginning. There should be no secrets in a family."

Loki looked down at him. "So why did he lie?"

Frigga looked over at him. "He kept the truth from you so that you would never feel different. I may not have carried you in my womb, but you are in every way our son, Loki, and we your family. You must know that." She whispered.

Loki stared down at Odin as if in a trance.

"You can speak to him. He can see and hear us, even now." She said.

Loki sniffed. "How long will it last?"

"I don't know. This time is different. We were unprepared."

Loki felt his heart flutter with anxiety. "I never get used to seeing him like this. The most powerful being in the Nine Realms lying helpless until his body is restored." He said quietly. He watched painfully as tears fell down his mother's cheeks.

"But he's put it off for so long now, I fear he may never..." She swiped a tear away with her hand before resting it over Odin's chest. Loki reached over and took her hand in his. She smiled slightly. "You're a good son, Loki. You're our son." She whispered. "We mustn't lose hope that your father will return to us. And your brother."

Loki looked over at her. "What hope is there for Thor?"

"There's always a purpose to everything your father does. Thor may yet find a way home."

Loki took in a slow, deep breath. Exhaustion was setting in quickly. He stood. "I need to go lie down." He kissed the top of Frigga's hand and began to make his way towards the exit. The sudden march of approaching soldiers echoed in the room and the doors swung open. The guards poured in as if prepared for battle. Loki tensed and in a brief moment felt that his mother had betrayed him, turned him over to the palace. He looked over his shoulder at her, searching for an answer.

"Thor is banished. The line of succession falls to you." She looked down at Odin. "Until he awakens, Asgard is yours."

He watched as a portly magistrate entered behind the einherjar carrying Gungnir. The magistrate keeled before him, bowed his head and offered the golden spear up for him. He felt his throat tighten and his eyes burn with unshed tears. He slowly reached out, grasping the spear carefully. He felt a spark of power ignite in his chest.

"Make your father proud."

OoOoOo

"How many suns does Asgard have?" Seren asked, shielding her eyes with her hand. She and Loki lay in the grassy fields on the outskirts of the the city. She was 14. Her hair was spread out in golden waves beneath her.

"Two." Loki replied. He lay next to her, his arms folded under his head.

She turned to him. "Truly?"

His eyes were closed as they basked in the warmth of the suns. "Yes. Two suns, two moons."

"That's so cool..." She whispered. "Does it ever rain here?"

Loki laughed. "Of course it does. How else would our trees and crops grow?"

"I just figured it was all magic. Everything here seems to be magic." She said, rubbing her fingers through the grass. She turned to sneek a glance at Loki only to find him staring at her.

"Stay here with me." He said suddenly, rolling over on his stomach. He lifted a few strand of her hair into his hand, twirling it between his fingers.

"I am here with you." She answered.

"I mean forever." He said.

She giggled. "I can't stay here forever. What would happen to my family?" The look in his eyes had made her stomach flutter.

Things had seemed so much more simpler then.

Seren sat starting out at the city below, her three suitcases by her feet. The sun was setting and there was no sign of Loki. She pinched the necklace he'd given her between her fingers, rolling the chain back and forth between her thumb and index finger. "Loki...where are you?"

She turned and looked into the mirror of her vanity, searching for any sign of him, but only her disappointed reflection stared back at her. "Loki, come on." She whispered, taking the glass. For a crazy moment she actually thought that would work. After ten minutes, she grabbed the remote and turned the television on to one of the national news channels, the sunk down into her large, very empty bed.