“We lie together, then, warm in the chill of the night. Outside, in the amber glow of the streetlights, it begins to snow. Gwen’s breathing slips into the slow rhythm of sleep. I glance at the door. I know I should go back to my own bedroom, but…just a little while longer, Gwen feels so good in my arms, like a puzzle piece clicking into place.”

“As we look at each other, something inside me is trying to click, trying to fall into place. I feel it in my mind and in my chest, like a puzzle piece you know has to go somewhere so you keep trying to push it in from all different angles. And then, just like that, it fits. So perfect and complete that you can't imagine how it was without it there, even seconds ago.”

“I can click my heels together all I want, but there's just no place to go.”

“And for one second, it was like I could feel the timing clicking together, finally pieces falling into place.”

“I have lost my spark, I'm told, and should seek to rekindle it.  Respecting the messenger, I wonder if this is true.  I feel as if my spark endures, but having opened up to the world so bright, perhaps it no longer shines by comparison.  So, without a word, I slip back into seclusion to nurture my beautiful inner glow.”

“I paused outside your door to see if you were awake, and you clearly were, so I came in." "You still can't just barge in." I crossed my arms over my chest."Would you like me to go back out and knock?" Loki gestured to the doors behind him. "Would that make you feel better?”