Thanos raised his hand. The ship erupted with purple fire, then he was gone with his servants. Jadis scrambled away from the fires, over to Loki's body as the leftover Asgardians screamed.

Thor managed to crawl over to his brother as well, laying a hand across his brother's chest. "No... Loki..." He rested his head on Loki's shoulder as Jadis cupped the black-haired prince's face with a sob.

"Loki..." she whispered. His distant green eyes refused to look into hers as her tears fell on his face. She burst into heavy cries, laying her forehead on his as the ship groaned with the effort of staying together.

"The golden ship!" one of the remaining Asgardians shouted. "Go! This one is about to give!" She could hear the rush of Asgardians fleeing for their lives but felt no pull to join them. Without Loki, she had nothing. She could never return to Sakaar and her father, he would lock her up again, without mercy this time. Asgard wasn't her home—it was never going to be. Loki had imagined the two of them in a city full of life, with a variety of people to keep them entertained. That city had never become her home. There was nowhere for her to go, no one for her to live for.

Where better to die than with Loki? She shuddered as the ship growled again, bracing herself against Loki for the fire to wash over her or the ship to explode.

The heat disappeared, as did the feeling of Loki's skin against her palms and forehead.

When Jadis looked up, she found herself staring at a cool white wall, still kneeling on the ground. "What in the..."

"Surprise," a casual, familiar voice drawled.

Jadis spun around and almost broke her spine when she glued herself to the wall behind her. I'm going insane.

Loki was standing at the front of the small room where there was a window and a deck of buttons and levers. He was adjusting everything but paused long enough to glance at her with his handsome green eyes and jerk her a smirk.

She froze. Ghost. I'm seeing a ghost. Or a hallucination. Am I dead? I must be dead, and Loki's spirit is guiding me to the afterlife. Are we in a ship?

"What, has my beauty stunned you?" Loki said with a wink.

"L-Loki..." she stammered, unable to tear her eyes away from him.

"Yes, I know, quite a shock. Hang on." He hit a button and the small ship jolted into motion. As soon as it stabilized into a quick pace, Loki approached her, crouching down to her level. "Hello, darling."

Jadis reached a trembling hand out and brushed her fingers across his cheek. He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm, smiling as he looked into her purple eyes. She gasped a little, then grabbed his neck and kissed him with tears of relief raining down her face. He wrapped his arm around her body, holding her close as they embraced.

"You're alive," she whispered, gently kissing his lips. "You're alive."

He tucked his face into her neck. "I'm sorry I scared you," he said. "I had to let him think I was dead."

She didn't even bother to wipe away the hot tears. "How are you alive?"

Loki chuckled slightly. "You have to let me keep some secrets, darling." He kissed her again. "Now, we're headed towards a big planet full of big cities. I'm sure we'll find one to settle down in."

She smiled. "Just like we wanted." Her smile suddenly fell. "What about Thor?! Did you leave him there?!"

Loki was quiet for a moment. "Thor can take care of himself. He'll be fine."

"Don't you want to let him know you're alive though?"

"I..." He hesitated, then shook his head. "I've given Thor enough grief through the years. Let him be at peace with my death for once. He doesn't need any more surprise resurrections." He stood, walking over to the window. Jadis joined them, and they stood quietly for a minute, watching the stars fly by.

"Where did you get this ship?" she asked.

He put his arm around her waist, smiling at her. "Thanos. It's one of the pods from his larger ship. We'll have to send it off after we land since he's likely tracking it."

Her lips parted. "You stole this from Thanos?"

He shrugged. "We'll have to stay in an inn while we look for a house. Hopefully we'll find something we can purchase quickly."

"With what money?" scoffed Jadis.

He grinned at her. "Whatever currency the city accepts." He waved his hand and gold coins filled his palm.

Jadis picked one up in awe, then laughed. "You truly are a man of many talents."

The coins disappeared as Loki pulled her close. "You don't know the half of it."

It didn't take very long to get to the planet. Loki skillfully landed the pod and assisted Jadis onto the grassy surface just outside a city. They both stood there for a moment, inhaling the warm air and staring at their new home.

"This is it," said Jadis softly. She glanced up at him. "Just you and me."

"Always," he said with a smile, taking her hand. "Let's see what we can find."

After Loki sent the pod back into space with a random destination, the two of them wandered into the city. It was full of diverse people, cultures and languages blending into a delicious mixture. They stopped at the first inn they found, which was a very clean, bright place that seemed safe. Loki got them a room using conjured money, then asked the innkeeper where they might begin looking for homes. They were recommended an agency that could assist them, then wished luck as good real estate was expensive and rare in such a busy place.

Their room wasn't as small as Jadis was expecting. There were two small beds and a dresser, as well as a small bathroom. The door had a secure lock on it, and everything was clean.

"Would you like to change into something a bit more comfortable and then tour the city?" asked Loki after inspecting the room.

"I don't have anything else," said Jadis, strolling over to the window. There wasn't much to see, just an alleyway and the side of another building. It didn't look like there was much out there, just a dumpster and some crates.

When Loki didn't say anything, she turned around. "Oh!" He was holding a lovely fawn-colored dress out to her with a smile. "Where did you get this?"

"I told you," he said, "you have to let me keep some of my secrets." He laughed and handed it to her. "Get changed and then we'll look into our new home."

When she returned, dress on and hair combed, he smiled and held out an arm. They stopped by the housing agent's building first, reserved an appointment, then began their walk around the city. Most of the city was beautiful, full of fountains, gorgeous architecture, and fashionable beings. Like any place, there were rough patches, but Jadis felt no fear walking through them. Loki was with her. He would never allow anything troublesome to befall them.

He held her hand as they walked along, chatting casually, until they found a mural that he stopped to admire. It had the city skyline in the background, with a row of various people holding hands in front of it. They were all colors, all shapes, male, female, young, old, but they were all smiling and tightly clenching their neighbor's hand.

"This city is perfect," Jadis sighed, studying the wall of color.

"Yes," Loki agreed. "Perfect for us." He seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, then turned to her and held both her hands. "Jadis... I know we've been through a lot in the past few days. I know it's been terrifying and difficult. I know we haven't even known each other very long. But... there's no one else I would rather be with than you. I've known many people, but none have brought me the same joy and contentment you do. Being in this city with you... it's all I'll ever want." His green eyes were shining with a light Jadis had never seen in him before. He seemed truly happy. "Will you be with me forever as my wife?"

Jadis smiled, even as tears pricked her eyes. She had been in love once before, and it had ended in her heart being ripped away from her. But her father wasn't here to ruin this for her. There was nothing standing between her and what she wanted. She wanted Loki.

"Yes." There was nothing more she wanted to say. There was nothing more that needed to be said.

Loki took her face in his hands and kissed her ardently, gratefulness and joy in every motion. She put her hands on his shoulders, kissing him back and allowing him to consume her thoughts. Despite the destruction they had left behind, their messy pasts that were tangled like a string of thoughts, they only felt ecstasy and excitement for the future.

Their future together.