Prologue

Jane closed her eyes briefly, inhaling sharply. The scent of the pines wafted through the air, strong and crisp. She always did love that scent. It was deep and woodsy, but most of all, it reminded her of home, of safety and comfort. A quick glance upwards at the darkening skies clarified her suspicions. It was about to rain. Jane sighed. She hadn't brought a raincoat, or an umbrella, thinking she did not need it, but her short walk ended up turning into a long hike through the woods surrounding her temporary residence. She had been able to ditch New Mexico for a small respite. After all of her hard work, Jane was finally allowed a vacation, and although hesitant to take it, was eventually persuaded to go.

It had been two years since he had left with the promise of return lingering between them, two years since she had been searching for him, or moreover a way to get to him. SHIELD was more than happy to fund that project. They wanted to find Thor just as much as she did, especially after the New York incident. Jane closed her eyes, feeling the misty spray of water clinging to her skin. Somehow she wound up at the bottom of a waterfall. She sat down at the edge and dipped a finger into the water, pushing it around. The sky began to rumble, but Jane seemed to not notice.

It just so happened to be that on that particular day, the weather had started off in the mid eighties. Jane, feeling a little spontaneous, decided to wear a dress. For a woman who generally wore pants and shirts, a dress was quite unusual. It was a white dress, cinched at the waist with a soft silver toned piece of metal. The skirts of the dress flowed out from the waist down to just above her knees in the front, and nearly to her feet in the back. What made the dress interesting though was the soft mixture of strips of deep emerald green fabric sewn in underneath the top skirt. The fabric looked black upon first sight, but once examined closely, it turned green.

With each gust of wind the strips of fabric flew back in the wind, leaving the simple white skirt for a short period before returning into their previous positions, or close enough to them. The top layer of the skirts consisted of thin silvery thread that glittered prettily, sewn just as the pieces of emerald fabric. It was the same thread which was used to embroider the neckline of the dress. Thus with her honey colored hair fluttering in the breeze, Jane looked ethereal, as though a cross between a wood nymph and an angel.

After she tired of playing with the water, Jane sat back, drawing her knees to her chest, and wrapping her arms around them to keep them in place. Her bare feet dangled into the small lake around the waterfall, while a soft drizzle had begun to descend. Slowly, steadily, the rain began to thicken, and poured down in heavy sheets. This tore Jane out of her comatose state. It would not do to catch pneumonia, despite the fact that the rain was warm. Standing up, Jane picked up her sandals with two fingers, and walked off in the direction of her home.

-xxx-

Loki did not speak a word, but followed quietly alongside his brother. He was not repenting as one would think, but moreover calculating-calculating his next move. His face was blank, void of emotions, as it had been since as long as anyone could remember. It had taken much practice, and time for him to master that look, despite his inner turmoil which tended to follow him around no matter where he went. Thor was speaking, saying something, but Loki found it of little import, and thus ignored it. Loki kept up appearances before, throughout, and after his trial. He was placed in a cell in the dungeons for the rest of his days.

The cell was a blinding white color, with an invisible force field, which glowed golden at the edges if you looked hard enough. Despite his misdeeds, his mother tried her best to make him comfortable in his cell. Loki had furniture and books, things that the other prisoners weren't allowed. Loki seemed to be keeping a calm demeanor during his imprisonment. He simply sat, flipping through his book, reading. It was as though he had much else to do. When he grew tired of reading, he tried to work out a plan to escape from the cell, and when he tired of both, he slept, or vandalized the things in the cell. OF course, no one ever noticed, no one could. Under his illusions everything lay broken and scattered, but on the outside, everything was perfect.

Loki was slowly driving himself mad with boredom, and solitude. He stared listlessly at the force field from underneath his illusion. There was a hollowness in the emerald of his eyes. They lacked their usual luster and spark. His spirit was fading, softly, slowly.

-xxx—

Little did they know that their lives were about to change drastically, and their worlds would come crashing together, their paths entwining eternally.