Working Title : Loki & Annie

Chapter Twenty-Six - Nightmare

Once he had closed the door, Thor laid down on the bed with his head on a pillow near Loki so he could quietly speak with him. Or at him. Laying on his side he held one of Loki's so very small hands in his to stop the fingers from pulling at the dry lips.

"Do you remember the tale I told Annie? Of the hunt on Vanaheim?" He stared into Loki's eyes while his fingers ran over the rough nails and nailbeds. He gave a gentle tug and made his voice just slightly more firmer. "Do you? Remember our hunt?" Now he spoke commanding. "Loki, answer me."

The eyes widened slightly, the green eyes moved back and forth as they studied Thor's face then ever so slowly Loki shook his head. Loki's lips parted as he took in several faster breaths, as though he had done something wrong and was waiting for Thor to punish him.

Punishment was the last thing on Thor's mind. He felt the joy of relief that Loki had finally shown that he understood him and made an answer. His brother was still there, still inside this tiny body. And yet Loki hadn't remembered the hunt. So what would he remember? Thor frowned slightly in thought then cleared his face when he saw the expression of fear begin to grow. Thor assumed that Loki was worried Thor was upset with him for some reason.

"I'm not angry with you, Brother. Perhaps your mind is too young. Let us test that.  I will think of a memory we can share, yes?" Thor looked to the ceiling as he thought that far back, he would have been only a few years older than Loki appeared now, both would still be in the nursery which Thor would have been chaffing at. His eyes lit up.

"Do you remember when we were hiding from Nurse in the linen closet and we climbed to the very top?" There was a hopeful note in his voice. "Loki?" Thor felt growing exasperation. "Loki. Answer me." His voice came out expectant. "Yes or no." There was a despondency growing in Thor that he needed to defeat, he hated this near unknown feeling. "Answer. Me." The voice gave an order.

Loki's eyes shifted to the side for just a moment then he looked back at Thor, it was clear he was thinking.  Slowly he nodded as his eyes slipped back down. His fingers poked at his palms, twisted and picked at his ragged nails.

Thor felt the deepest relief as a grin broke out on his face.  He felt the giddiness of a victory snatched from failure. He leaned forward and spoke with fondness. "Your legs were too short to reach the shelves to climb up so I had to push you as I climbed up below you. And you wanted to stop half way up but I made you keep going to the top. Do you remember?"

 Lifting his head just enough to be able to see Thor, Loki's eyes narrowed and he again nodded. And again he lowered his head, his face once more hidden from Thor's sight. He brought his hands together, grasping and squeezing them hard enough to make his skin pinch and turn white in places.

Thor's lips fought a grin at his remembering of Loki's childish distress. "I know, Brother. When we finally got to the top shelf you were crying and wanting Mother. However by then you couldn't get back down and I refused to leave you." Thor chuckled. "Then no one came looking for us and we were stuck up there for the entire afternoon while everyone was running through the Palace and grounds searching for us. Mother was on Vanaheim so when Father was finally told he sent a locating spell out to find us." Thor looked again to Loki. "Do you remember?"

Loki nodded his head, this time not so hesitantly. He didn't raise his head, just looking down towards his hands that were tightly bound together. His fingers roughly scratched at each other.

"He was furious we had wasted everyone's time." Thor sighed. "I hated spending the next day scrubbing that closet. The task was only bearable because you were there with me."

Green eyes lifted to gaze at Thor, moving across his face, studying him. For the first time there was a gleam of the familiar intelligence that Thor was used to seeing in his brothers eyes.  Excited, Thor turned his thoughts again to when he was young and tried to remember something else. He frowned, even though it was close to fifteen-hundred years ago, he shouldn't have such a struggle to recall memories from what he had always thought of as a shared childhood.