When Loki finally woke up, he found he was lying on the floor by Bishop's table, her hand still gripped in his. Groggily, he sat up, shaking his head. He hadn't been able to get much out of Odin about the power that had taken refuge inside of him, just that he would be told later, after his father had looked more into it.

Gibbs was already awake, standing by the doorway as if he was keeping watch. Thor had already left and Loki stood, releasing Bishop's hand after checking her pulse again. It was still there and he felt some measure of relief flow through him at the sign of life.

I will not lose her.

"Morning, Loki," Gibbs said, glancing over at him.

"Good morning, Gibbs," Loki returned.

The head healer bustled into the room and checked Bishop. "She's healing nicely," the healer observed. "She will awaken soon."

"Good," Loki sighed. "Thank you for tending to her."

"It was my pleasure, Prince Loki."

Thor strode into the room, Frigga behind him. "Good, you're awake, brother. Father wishes to see you, now. Both of you."

"Why?" Gibbs asked, although Loki had a feeling he knew what this was about.

Thor spread his hands out. "He didn't tell me, but it's important. I can tell that much just by his face. Come, brother, Agent Gibbs. He's waiting for us and we shouldn't keep him."

"I will remain here with Agent Bishop," Frigga said when Loki glanced down at her, reluctant to leave. "Loki, you need to go." Her tone was quiet but insistent and there was a grim look in her eyes.

"All right," Loki agreed, following Thor and Gibbs out of the chamber. How serious is this?

It was still early and Asgard was just beginning to rise. Loki took a deep breath of the fresh morning air as they crossed an open walkway to Odin's study wing of the palace, closing his eyes for just a moment. The cool air was enlivening and he felt refreshed, despite his visions and the awkward sleep slumped against a table.

Odin was waiting in his study, standing by his desk with an old book in his hand. He glanced up at them as they walked toward him, his face weary.

"You're here," he greeted simply. "Loki, I have been looking through the library, trying to find anything to tell me that the power inside of you isn't what I believe it to be. But it was a fruitless search. Unfortunately, my fear is right." He set the book down on the desk, keeping it open. Loki looked at the pages, saw the image of a cloud of ruby red tendrils floating above the hand of a creature.

He frowned. The creature had ivory skin, edged with ebony, and long, pointed ears. I should know what that is. But the knowledge wouldn't come to him, just prickled at the back of his mind.

"Long ago, my father, Bor, fought against a race known as the Dark Elves," Odin said, glancing at Loki, Thor, and Gibbs. That's it. "They were creatures of darkness, seeking to destroy the light. One of their weapons was an ancient relic, the Aether, forged out of an essence of universal power. It was liquid, a mass of violent red."

Loki got the feeling he knew where Odin was going with this.

"When we destroyed the Dark Elves, the Aether was banished," Odin said. "I thought it was destroyed as well, but I see now it wasn't. It now lives in Loki, having taken him as its new host."

Gibbs looked at Loki, his eyes narrowed. Thor looked perplexed. "What?"

"When I fell through that portal on Midgard," Loki explained. "Agent Sniper and I landed in a chamber. The Aether emerged from a rock pillar and entered us, some into her, some into me."

"Wait," Odin said. "The Aether is in someone else as well?"

Loki nodded. "To all appearances, yes."

"This is worse than I thought," Odin murmured. "For the relic to take one host is normal, but two? To divide itself and take two hosts? This is unprecedented. This...this...." He shook his head, his expression grave. "I fear what the end of this shall be."

"What do we do?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"I don't know," Odin said. "I do not know. These relics are not meant to be divided, are not meant to be split. The others...well, they are stones, and as such division is near impossible. But due to the Aether's liquid state, I suppose the separation is easier. But it does not bode well." He looked at Loki, his face troubled. "I'm sorry, my son."

Loki wasn't sure which part of that statement was stranger, the apology or Odin referring to him as his son again.

"What about the Dark Elves?" Thor asked. "Are they still a threat?"

"They are dead," Odin said.

"All of them?" Loki asked with a frown. Last time he had checked, complete annihilation of a species was frowned upon by the Allfather. After all, that had been one of his actions leading to his falling from Asgard.

"We killed them all, at the time of the last Convergence. We do not need to worry about them, only about the Aether."

Gibbs cocked his head. "The Convergence?"

"Yes," Odin said. "The event that connects all the Nine Realms together, opening portals between the worlds. They are aligned, for a short space of time, and the boundaries dissolve, leaving the worlds open to both attack and wonder. It only happens every five thousand years, and the next one approaches swiftly. It will appear this year, within a month, if my predictions are correct. But the Convergence will occur soon."

Loki glanced at Gibbs and saw that the agent was deep in thought. The Aether...the Dark Elves...the Convergence....The last time they had appeared had been all together. Now the Aether and the Convergence coincide again? What were the odds?

And were the Dark Elves truly gone?

****

Bishop opened her eyes to see soft light filtering through the skylight high above her head. As she shifted on the surface beneath her, a spasm of pain raced through her chest and she gasped.

"What is it?" The voice asking was soft and familiar and Bishop glanced over to see Frigga approaching her from a bench against the wall.

"Where am I?" Bishop asked, trying to raise up on her elbows only to be met by pain again. She pushed through it and ended up propping herself up, gazing around the chamber. It looked almost like she was in Asgard again, but how could that be? She had been in D.C. last, hadn't she?

Fighting Halo and her partner...the blast of light...pain, horrible pain...Loki, begging me to stay with him....

"What happened?" she demanded, glancing at Frigga. "Why am I here? Where's Loki? Where's the team?"

Frigga held up her hands soothingly. "Agent Bishop, you were severely injured and Loki had you brought here for healing. He is currently speaking with his father. With the exception of Agent Gibbs, your team has remained behind on Midgard."

Bishop glanced down, saw the bandages on her chest, the soft blue Asgardian dress she now wore. Furrowing her brow, she shoved herself up into a sitting position and instantly felt dizzy. Frigga grabbed her shoulder as she started to sway. "Now, now, Eleanor Bishop, take it slow. You were very near death."

"Ellie!"

Loki's voice echoed in the chamber as he raced toward her, relief cascading over his face. Bishop suddenly flashed back to five months ago, when he had arrived on the International Space Station to free her from the Space Walker. When he had staggered into her cell, she had never been happier to see anyone in her entire life, and the Asgardian himself had been relieved to find her unhurt. That was what his expression reminded her of now.

"Ellie, are you all right?" Loki asked, running his hand through her hair as he sank down onto the table beside her, his gorgeous eyes searching hers. Bishop grasped his hand in hers, squeezing it, wishing she could reply to his earlier pleas for her to stay with him with a resounding always, but felt self-conscious with his mother standing there. So she just gripped his hand as hard as she could, hoping to convey the message.

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered, as he cupped his hand to her face. A soft smile broke across his face and his features softened somewhat as he gently shook his head.

"You don't know how afraid I was," Loki confessed, his voice a whisper. Then he was leaning in and Bishop's arms were twining around his neck as he kissed her.

The pain, the fear within her, the confusion, the world around them all vanished as Bishop returned Loki's kiss. She still had no idea how she had fallen in love with a Norse god, an alien, even, but she didn't care. All she knew was that she loved him, loved Loki more than she had ever loved anyone else, and felt grateful for his arms around her, holding her close to him. She felt safe in his arms, safe and protected and loved.

A throat being cleared drew the couple out of their kiss and Bishop looked up to see Gibbs standing there, Thor behind him. "Gibbs!" she called. "Thor." Then a thought struck her. "Who were those people we fought?"

"We don't know," Gibbs said. "Hopefully DiNozzo and McGee will have something when we return to NCIS."

"Which won't be for another day yet," the head healer said, stepping forward, her expression resolute. "Agent Bishop needs her rest. I know you're a fan of fast results, Agent Gibbs, but she will need to remain in Asgard for another day, so we can keep an eye on her wound and make sure she continues to heal."

"Okay," Gibbs said and the healer looked surprised, like she'd expected an argument. "Then we'll stay for another day."