Holly wiped a tear away as she tied her hair up into a ponytail and slowly rolled it into a perfect bun. She missed him more than anything. There was no way for her to cope, minus the sobbing and staring up at the sky for hours on end. She truly believed that he would come for her and whisk her back to Asgard with him.
Slowly, she brushed green eye shadow onto her eyelids followed by black eyeliner that swooped down to the corner of each eye. She looked beautiful, but she had lost the glow that Loki supplied her with. It was as if he was her lifeline now.
Biting her bottom lip, she slowly finished her makeup with a bit of mascara on each eye. She missed him. So much that it was beginning to hurt her. At night, she dreamt of their legs tangled together, her head on his chest, his calloused hand running up and down her bare side, caressing her skin. In the morning, she remembered what it was like to wake up next to him, to kiss him good morning, roll around in the sheets for an hour before anyone came looking for them.
She felt as though she didn't belong on Earth without him.
"Loki, if you can hear me…" she sighed.
Loki strained to hear what his love was saying, yearning for her against the cold iron bars of his prison cell.
"I love you." She whispered through her tears, biting her bottom lip. "I need you back." He could hear a small sob escape her lips, and then she was gone. "No," he pleaded, struggling against the bars. "No, no, no, no! Holly!" he yelled, pounding his fists against the prison cell. Letting out a frustrated yell, he beat the bars, hoping that anything would loosen them. He needed to get to her. He needed her back.
It had been six months since she left. Six months since she set once last longing glance on the Asgardian prince, his eyes begging her not to leave him.
She shouldn't have left in the first place. It was all her fault. S.H.I.E.L.D. kept her contained, as not to bring any communication between the agent and her newfound love. She still had her job, which she considered a positive light in a dark time, but Dr. Fury had been tough on her. She wasn't allowed to go anywhere without an agent, typically Agent Hill. She wasn't allowed to engage in any of the Avengers Initiative meetings. She was left doing busy work in her office and going on smaller missions, usually weapons busts.
Thor told her a bit about Loki in the two-day span that he had spent on Earth, updating S.H.I.E.L.D. on Loki's situation.
He had relapsed.
It broke her heart just thinking about it. They had worked so hard and Loki had put so much effort into becoming a better man… for her.
Now she was gone. He felt as if he had no reason to be good, happy, sweet Loki. Instead, he was angry, hurt, and upset with everyone around him- mostly Thor for allowing The Avengers to take her away… for bringing them in the first place.
She needed to get to him before it was too late. There was no way that he was going to get to Midgard. Not under the surveillance of every Asgardian guard.
Thor had been sweet enough to let her in on what information he could give her, against the wishes of Dr. Fury and her fellow agents at S.H.I.E.L.D. Perhaps he would be willing to convince Dr. Fury to let her go back… Or she could send for Odin, who would surely force Fury to comply.
Holly's hands shook as she sat her desk, turning her computer on and pulling up her email. The crying and stress had taken a toll on her body. The shaking had become part of her morning routine.
"Killigrew," she heard Agent Hill say from the doorway, making her jump and spill her coffee into her lap. The hot liquid scalded her thighs beneath her uniform. Tears came to her eyes for the second time that morning, out of pain both emotionally and physically. Her coffee-laden hands moved to cover her face; tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "Oh, Holly." Maria sighed, closing the door and kneeling beside her long-time friend. "What can I do?"
"Get me back to Asgard?" Holly laughed humorlessly, accepting a tissue.
"You know that Fury would have both our hides if we were to come up with a plan for that." She said quietly, her hand squeezing the distraught woman's shoulder.
"I have to get back to him, Maria. He needs me. I need him." She whispered, pulling her hands away from her face to look into her friend's eyes. Maria watched her, eyes worried. She had never seen Holly like this in the 10 years that she knew her. Gone was the strong woman that had saved seven S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in Budapest. There was a trace of her hidden beneath Holly's skin, but there was a new cause to be fought for and that was of Holly's new project: turning the evil demigod into a suitable husband and king.
"Perhaps…" Maria trailed off, looking away. "We could strike a deal with Thor?" Holly's eyes widened.
"You think…?"
"Thor wants nothing but the best for Loki… and the best for him is you." She whispered. "He knows that."
"Is there anyway that I could talk to him in private?" Holly asked in a whisper.
"I will make sure that I'm the agent that goes with you. Thor is supposed to be here tomorrow to check in on the Initiative." Maria paused, standing. "In the meantime, pack your things. You're going to Asgard whether Fury likes it our not."
"But your job-"
"At this point, I just want to see you happy and you're not happy here. I'll deal with Fury later." Maria said quietly, giving Holly a small smile before leaving the office.