Loki's Pain

Chapter Three- Mental Scars

Author's Note: Okay, here is the revised chapter edit that I promised. Hopefully, those of you that have already read it, don't mind the changes in the story. For those who have not, ....there's nothing to see here....go on....shoo! Lol. The rest of the chapters will have more minor changes, unless I notice a more major issue.

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As he eased back towards Loki, Ash was shocked to watch him drop to his knees while clutching his head in his hands. Loki then released a soft yet pained cry before falling over completely, passed out cold in the middle of the cave floor. Ash didn't know what to do. His medical knowledge extended to the most basic of first aid and not much more than that. 'Besides, is Jotun physiology even like a humans? Our medicine could hurt him as easily as help him....' Ash thought to himself as he pondered what to do.

Eventually he settled on dragging his limp body over to the bedroll he had prepared for him, and covering him up with a blanket to keep him warm. Ash was surprised by how cool Loki's hands felt, so he made sure to pull the blanket over them. Loki had remained unresponsive thru-out the move, only leaving Ash even more worried. Even a small moan of discomfort would have been better than that utter silence. He couldn't help but feel apprehensive about it, feeling as if it did not bode well for when Loki woke up.... if he woke up.

Ash kept watch over him all night, moving around only to tend to his own basic needs before returning to his spot next to Loki. The following day was more of the same, Loki never even shifting, laying as still as a corpse. If it hadn't been for his shallow breathing Ash might have even wondered if he was dead. By the third day, Ash had become frantic with worry, then passed frantic and entered 'quiet terror'. He knew Loki could not stay like this, that he would begin to weaken from lack of food. 'How long can he endure like this?' Ash wondered, even his mind's voice exhausted from his overloaded emotions, 'Even a god must eat, right? Jotun's have bodies, and bodies need fuel....so he must eat something, right?' Ash let loose a slightly hysterical sounding chuckle at the mental image of Loki eating a cream puff and getting cream on his nose, but it morphed into a sad sigh halfway thru. He felt utterly useless in that second, impotent to do anything to help him. His guilt for being unable to repay the debt he owed to Loki for saving him was only icing on the cake.

'I...I don't really have a choice, do I?' Ash asked himself, his guilt only growing at the thought of what he would need to do, 'If I explain what I know...will it make a difference to them? I hope so. If not.....' Ash looked at the statue-like stillness of Loki's body, 'If not, I'll just have to go save him on my own then, won't I...'

With his choices made, he leaned over Loki and grabbed one of his hands from under the blanket before closing his eyes and concentrating as hard as possible on his next destination. The image formed slowly in his head, and he was careful to include as much detail as possible, since he had never been there before, and only seen bits and pieces in photographs. He could feel the energy begin to swirl around him as the air shifted and pressure pressed into his skin. He could even feel the pressure in his head as he fought to keep the image clear, the energy fighting to move itself off-course. Until, all at once, the energy snapped into place. He felt it connect to the location he wanted, and then stretch and pull out of him like a million little threads, only for them to drag them both along a second later. Even with his eyes closed he could not miss the flash of dark purple energy in front of his closed eyelids, and a moment more allowed him to feel the new, thickly plush carpet now solidly underneath them. He had made it. It had worked. They were here.

Opening his eyes to the sound of frantic movements and harsh shouts, he was not at all surprised to see some of the Avengers scrambling to respond to their sudden appearance. He had just teleported into the highly-secure Avengers Tower while they were having breakfast, after all. Specifically, onto the middle of the living room floor in their private quarters.