"What are you playing at?"

Loki didn't stop in his retreat from the hall, instead he came to a slow stop and finally turned. "I play at a lot of things," he said with a slow smile, which Thor didn't return.

"You know what I speak of," Thor said gruffly and closed the distance between them. With only a foot to separate them he stopped. "Jane."

"Ah," Loki said with feigned understanding. "Your former Midgardin lover. Well former Midgardian I mean. The lover part never actually happened. Did it?"

Thor ground his jaw and glared at Loki. "My affairs are-."

"I have no interest in your affairs," Loki interrupted with a bored sigh. "They bore me."

"Then pray tell why is it you have favored Jane with so much of your attention."

"Have I?" Loki asked, eyebrows raised and green eyes wide with ignorance.

"Don't toy with me brother," Thor warned.

"When I decide to toy with you," Loki snapped, "you won't know what hit you, brother." Tense silence stretched between them and finally Loki sighed and rolled his eyes. "I mean her no ill will. I like her."

Thor stared at him speculatively, eyes narrowing as he tried to figure Loki out. "You seek her out," Thor said plainly. "Don't pretend you do not. Such as tonight-."

"That?" Loki snorted lightly. "Is it so wrong to escort a lady to dinner? I figured since my brother couldn't be there..." Loki didn't finish the sentence, only met his brother's eyes and left the rest hanging.

"She laughed," Thor said and even to his own ears it sounded stupid and petulant. By the amused raise of Loki's brow he assumed his brother thought so too. Except it wasn't, it really wasn't. Jane should hate Loki. Yet slowly, without Thor seeing, Loki formed some kind of friendship with her. It was when Thor had asked Jane that night, after seeing her enter the hall on Loki's arm, laughing, that Thor realized he had been blind. She told him, after a moment of awkward silence, about Loki's efforts to befriend her. Jane said he'd been nice. Except Thor knew better, and even Jane's brow creased in concern as if she didn't understand it either. After that Thor had resolved to get to the bottom of his brother's attentions.

"Laughed?" Loki made of show of looking horrified. "How terrible. Cast her out of Asgard immediately!"

"Stop!" Thor bellowed. "No games Loki. There is not a person in this realm who could say they have received the same attentions as Jane since your return. What do you want of her?"

"What do you want?" Loki asked instead and inched forward. "A queen?" Loki asked bluntly. "A former Midgardian the queen of Asgard." Loki shook his head. "What does father say?" Thor tensed at the question and Loki let himself smile knowingly. "Ah, not so keen on the idea is he? That's what happens when your that ancient. Very old world ideals. I'm sure he considers her far from suitable to sit on the throne. He can't see through his prejudices to see her merits can he?"

"Don't speak of prejudices," Thor interrupted. "You, who considered the people of Midgard beneath you also, only to be proven wrong."

"Well I learned that lesson didn't I?" Loki snapped angrily, hating the reminder that he had underestimated them. "But we're talking about your love life," Loki smiled slowly, "or the lack there of. What stops you Thor? Father, the unveiled hatred of her by some of those that you would one day rule." Loki paused, and Thor's lack of response only confirmed that he was aware of the discontent over Jane. Loki leaned in further, turning his head to whisper into his ear. "Or is it Sif? Your warrior queen who looks on you with such longing. Who the people would look up to with awe and love without question. Do those questions haunt you at night brother?"

Thor growled and shoved him away. "I won't have you questioning my love for Jane."

"No? Then perhaps you should," Loki said pointedly. "Ask yourself why even now when she is immortal that you still aren't ready?"

"What is it to you Loki? Why do you all of a sudden take and interest in my relationship with Jane?" Thor asked, preferring to return to his previous questions instead of dwell on Loki's. The problem was Loki's questions weren't without merit, and Thor hated to admit so.

"I have no interest in your relationship with Jane. I can assure you," Loki drawled.

"Then what is your interest in her? Don't deny it and stop playing your games. Speak plainly for once." Thor demanded, tension coiling his body in response to Loki.

"I told you," Loki said with a non committal shrug, "I like her."

"Like her." Thor repeated. "She isn't here to amuse or entertain you. This isn't a game."

"Everything is a game," Loki said in disgust. "Everything. The goals aren't always for entertainment though. Perhaps you need to start realizing that." Loki leaned in and smirked as he whispered into his brother's ear. "I think you are foolishly underestimating how much I really do like her."

The words sunk in, falling with the weight of Mjolnir to the pit of his stomach. Thor slowly turned his head to stare into his brother's serious gaze. "You couldn't care for her."

"Why?" Loki asked and stepped back. "Why is it only the mighty Thor is capable of affections?"

"You don't care for anyone but yourself," Thor said angrily. "You don't want to love her. You want to possess her to spite me just because you can. And then you'd tire of her because there would be no game left to play."

"Because my black heart is incapable of even that emotion?" Loki snarled. "Because I'm a monster?"

"Because your actions speak louder then words!" Thor boomed. "Because you've always been selfish and incapable of putting anyone before yourself."

Loki felt the truth of the words and resisted the urge to flinch. It was his turn to feel doubt bloom in his gut.

"If you actually do care for her then leave her be. You'd poison her with your evil words." Thor said pointedly, unrepentant over his brutal statement.

Again Thor's words slipped through the walls he built around himself, shaking his confidence, making him wonder if he was indeed incapable of being good to even one person. He could recall only his mother and even in the end he had been cruel to her. Internally, he flinched at the thought of Frigga, at the tears in her eyes. For a moment he considered not pursuing Jane, if perhaps that was the action necessary to prove there was something good left in him. The thought left an emptiness in his gut and Loki knew that was out of the question. He needed to see this through, hope that Thor was wrong about him. "What if I don't?" Loki challenged. "What if your wrong?"

"She'll never forgive you," Thor said without doubt and shook his head. "Not for all the pain you've caused. She'll never forget."

Loki clenched his jaw against Thor's words and forced himself to relax. "I have maybe another 4,000 years of my life to find out."

"You would do this to me?" Thor asked, slightly taken aback.

"You've had everything," Loki snapped. "Everything. This isn't about you though, it's only a bonus that your the man in my way. When you're trying to appease father and the close minded fools around you, when you are trying to ignore the thought of Sif at your side, I'll be there Thor, without such limitations." Loki hated speaking so forcefully, with such conviction, because it revealed to much of the depth of his feelings.

"You can't love her," Thor said without a second thought.

"You've always underestimated me," Loki said finally, knowing that there was no point in convincing his brother. It wasn't Thor he needed to convince. "Warn her Thor, do your worst. But when the day comes where she realizes that your heart isn't free to give I'll be right there, waiting, and you'll realize how wrong you were."

Thor watched his brother spin on the heal of his boot and walk purposely away from him. It took Thor only moments to convince himself that Loki wasn't serious, couldn't be. Even if he was, there was no way Jane would love Loki, ever.