We make the lightspeed jumps through the night, but I can't sleep anyway and after a couple hours of attempting, I watch the jumps through my window. The thought of seeing Gamora again gives me chills, and I can't help remembering how, when I had left, we had both agreed to carry on with our lives, separate from one another.

But now we have a chance. Now, things can be different. If we only can run away...if we only can leave Asgard and Thanos and everything else behind....

But I'm haunted by the thought she may reject me, may not want to run even though she spoke about it so often before. So much has changed since then, so much has shattered since then, that I don't know if those conversations shattered as well. But if it is an illusion, I might as well dispel it forever, and if it is not...if it is not, there is still hope left.

Hope. What is hope? I find myself dwelling on that question for the rest of the journey home. I try to figure out what hope means to me, and what it is. Is it survival? Is it family? Is it something else, something else I can't define? Or is hope, itself, undefinable?

Morning comes and I still don't have an answer.

We reach Asgard and are ushered back up to the palace. Frigga hugs me tightly, her smile barely concealing worry. Odin looks like he's aged ten years since I left, his eyes weary and lined. But neither of them say anything to me about the Champion Tour, just tell me they're glad I'm home.

I need to ask them about what Laufey said, concerning my heritage.

A shudder runs through me at that reminder of me being a frost giant. I almost don't want to ask, but I know I shall have to, if I ever want them to affirm what I already know and fear to be true. Afterwards, I assure myself. I'll ask them later.

Selvig, MJ, Flash, and Ned make me spend the rest of the day preparing for the final event tonight. Selvig has brought out the golden armor I wore for the opening ceremonies back on Titan, before the Contest, traditional Asgardian armor. I slip it on, feeling odd to be looking so Asgardian again, when I know my skin tells me otherwise.

No. Tonight and forever, I am Asgardian. No matter what.

I stare at myself in the mirror as Selvig settles the helmet over my dark hair, MJ smoothing the ends down. It feels good, to be wearing the armor again. I allow a smile to play over my lips, but it looks just a bit deranged. Ned and Flash both give me wide berths for the rest of the day, after that, and end up spending a lot of time petting Goose, who doesn't eat them. My scientific curiosity is disappointed by that.

At last, it is time for the event. There is no speech, just the feast and the party. It is held in the throne room, and Veers, dressed in a gold and dark green variation on her Starforce uniform in order to match my dark green and golden armor, and I descend the stairs from the dais, Odin, Frigga, Thor, Hela, and Valkyrie all behind us. Then the music begins and the noise level shoots up and I am left to dance with Veers.

We dance two songs in a row and then Thor asks Veers for a dance. I know he does it to help me out, to allow me a moment to breathe alone, and I am grateful to him for that. I know I call him an oaf, but Thor really is considerate.

He's still an oaf, though.

As they dance, I scan the chamber, searching for one face that I haven't seen yet today. I've already seen Nebula earlier, who greeted me solemnly, but Gamora is the one person I haven't seen yet.

Then I feel an unexpected hand on my shoulder. "You lost something?"

I turn to face my best friend, a surge of emotion rushing through me. To see her again, after deciding to listen to her for once and run away with her, fills me with adrenaline and...other emotions I care not to name. Dressed in a figure-hugging black shirt and obsidian leather skirt that ends just over her knees, Gamora looks even more stunning than I remember. Her boots come up to her knees, and for once, she doesn't have her weapons on her. Of course she doesn't – this is a party, after all, and Gamora doesn't need blades to kill.

"Yes, I did," I say softly, my eyes trained on hers. "But I want to find it again."

The low light reflects off the silver implants above her eyes and I want to lift my hand to touch them, to run my fingers over their smooth surface, but know that is a good way to end up on the floor. Gamora hates it when beings, particularly males, go to touch her face. Fandral learned that the hard way, several years ago.

Gamora holds my gaze, her own eyes serious. "I thought we were starting new lives, apart from illusions."

"The thing about illusions," I tell her in a low voice. "Some have the ability to control them, to master the illusion. And I intend to do so." I extend my hand to her. "Care for a dance, Gamora?"

"I thought my father gave you a warning," she says quietly, lifting an eyebrow at me.

"I don't want to listen to him," I whisper. "Besides, if you saw the Champion Tour, you saw what happened. You know that I failed. What more can happen? I'm dead, anyway."

"Not yet," Gamora replies, taking my hand.

I lead her out onto the dance floor and turn to face her, clasping my arm across her lower back. Gamora places one hand on my shoulder, my fingers still curled around her other hand. We move slowly, taking small steps as we gently pivot in a circle, her eyes dropping from mine.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Gamora says quietly, but she doesn't move to end the dance.

"I don't care," I tell her honestly. "Besides, Veers is dancing with Thor. To everyone else, this is simply two friends sharing a dance."

"But not to Thanos," Gamora says. "This is rebellion, to him."

I pull her closer, lower my head until my lips are near her ear. When I whisper, the words barely leave my lips. "Remember, you are the one who wanted to run."

Gamora starts back, her eyes narrowing. "What are you saying?"

"Not here," I murmur, my voice so low I know she'll have to lip read in order to understand. I see in her eyes that she got the message.

The dance ends and Gamora and I both halt. I don't want to leave this moment, I want to stay with Gamora in my arms, however loosely I hold her, forever, but I know I can't. I remove my arms from around her and we both bow civilly to the other before Gamora slips away into the crowd.

When I turn away, toward the dais, I find Hela's eyes pinned on me, dark and unreadable. Beside her, Valkyrie drains a bottle of alcohol and tosses it aside, the empty bottle clattering as it knocks against several of its predecessors. By the glazed look in her eye, I can tell it's going to be a bad night for her.

Then Hela's eyes lift, looking over me, and I glance instinctively behind me to see Veers, standing by herself staring at me. There's an incredulous expression on her face, and then she realizes I'm looking at her and her gaze hardens.

She saw Gamora and I.

But before she can confront me or anything, I hear a thud from behind me and turn around to see Valkyrie falling down the stairs, drunk. Hela is merely watching with an amused expression as Frigga hurries over to Valkyrie's side.

"She's out cold," my mother murmurs. Her eyes flick up to find me. "Loki, dear, will you take Valkyrie back to her quarters so she can get some rest?"

Gratefully, I nod. "Yes, Mother, of course," I say, coming to Valkyrie's side. Together, we lift the champion, and I'm just settling her arm across my shoulders to better support her dead weight when Nebula approaches.

"Allow me to help," she requests, her husky voice quiet.

"Thank you, Nebula," Frigga says, smiling wearily at the Luphomoid cyborg. Nebula silently takes Valkyrie's other arm, and together, the two of us escort her from the chamber, leaving the music and the party and Veers' reproachful glare behind.