At long last, she comes.
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VVVVV
Unicus
Latin:
Only
Unique
One and No More
LJLJLJLJLJ
"Where now are the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing?
Where is the helm and the hauberk, and the bright hair flowing?
Where is the harp on the harpstring, and the red fire glowing?
Where is the spring and the harvest and the tall corn growing?
They have passed like rain on the mountain, like a wind in the meadow;
The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow.
Who shall gather the smoke of the deadwood burning,
Or behold the flowing years from the Sea returning?"
-J. R. R. Tolkien
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Thunder rumbled in the far off. Like the unsettling of deep rock—the shivering of ancient foundations. Clouds, black within their depths and blue as a winter sea upon their crowns, prowled over the frozen, icy backs of the western mountains, hunching their knotted shoulders, their breath draping in chilly fog down into the reaches of the valleys. Lightning winked from hidden windows in the slowly-rolling wall—and the deep voice of the storm muttered once again, slipping ever closer. The stars drew back uneasily, and hid themselves under a smooth, gray shroud. The sun had ducked away long ago, covering her face. A shadow seemed to well up from the earth itself, and cover the ground, while all light from the sky faded and withdrew.
Loki stood alone upon the highest point in Asgard, his booted feet just an inch from the plummeting marble edge of the tower. He listened to the wet, icy wind as it gusted through his long dark coat and hair, then turned to whip and whistle between the carven pillars that encircled the small platform.
He opened his mouth, drawing in a careful breath, then closed his eyes and licked his lips.
A very, very faint taste of magic—bitter and sharp—met his tongue.
He closed his mouth, swallowed, and opened his eyes.
He inched even closer to the edge, ignoring the staggering height at which he stood. He held out his left hand, palm up.
He shut his eyes again, and beckoned very slightly with his index finger.
Magic responded—flashing green against his closed lids. Though, all at once it felt a little tangled. He wound his hand around a single, thick cord of it. He shook it once. Its energy hummed through his whole frame, zapping and sparking, and then twisting uncomfortably. He frowned, his brow tensing. In his mind's eye, he searched for the termination of the vivid cord, following it out, out into the darkness. But he could not see.
He set his jaw and shook it again.
A light travelled out from him, rippled along the line and disappeared.
He waited.
Then, all at once, the light came back.
Before he could retreat and let go, it had struck his hand.
It bit into him and shot itself up through his arm, into his chest and all through his skull.
His jaws snapped together and his head kicked back.
Visions slapped into him.
Disorder. Noise—clamor of battle, armor rattling. Screaming, gnashing.
Swimming shadows, heavy clouds.
Slippery, dry earth, grey crags like dragon teeth. Pale faces.
Torn hair, wounded feet, ripped clothing, icy tears—his own. All his own.
Thunder. Lightning—too close!
A cold knife in his hand. Jane.
Jane beneath him, on the ground. Jane—he covered her. He watched elsewhere, his mind spinning. He could not see through the whirl of scarlet and shadow…
Darkness.
Nothing.
He gasped, and opened his eyes.
Frowned at the approaching storm. Cold settled across him.
For a long while he stood, that strand of warm magic clutched invisibly between his fingers.
He sat down, and hung his legs over the edge. And he gazed into the gathering storm.
"I cannot come to you, though I wish with all my heart that I could," he whispered earnestly. "Too many curtains divide us, and the stitches still hold." He gripped the cord harder, his heartbeat rising. "But something can. Something will. Look for it. Hold tight, and look for it."
He could think of no more to say—and trailed off, uncertain if the other could even hear him. He closed his eyes, and pressed the cord to his lips.
Then, he let it go.
It released, and shot back into the darkness.
Loki looked out across the city, across the fields and foothills…
And shivered. He winced uneasily, and got to his feet. Giving one last glance back at the snarling clouds, he found the doorway, and hurried back down into the palace.
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Loki carefully opened the door to his suite, trying not to make a sound. The second watch of the night had just started, so Jane ought to be asleep by now…
He frowned as gold light spilled out into the hallway. He blinked, adjusting his eyes. He quickly stepped inside, then shut the door.
Off to his left, a full-fledged fire burned in the hearth, brightening the whole room and filling it with warmth. He shot it a look, then glanced around the room at the two empty chairs, the windows (whose dark green drapes had been pulled), and the broad four-poster bed. The side curtains of the bed had been drawn shut, and those at the foot had been left open, to direct the heat from the fireplace into the little chamber. And inside that chamber, beneath several layers of blankets, lay his wife. Only her lovely head, with her doe-colored hair fanned out across the pillows, remained uncovered.
She opened her bright brown eyes, blinked a couple times, then sat up a little, reached an arm out from beneath the covers and urgently beckoned to him.
"Quick, quick! Hurry up and crawl into bed with me!"
"What is the matter with you, woman?" Loki lifted an eyebrow at her and peeled off his coat, tossing it down on the chair. He tugged at his collar. "It feels like a furnace in here."
"I am freezing to death," she said through chattering teeth, nuzzling frantically back down under the covers. Loki rolled his eyes.
"You are not freezing to death."
"Oh, yes I am," Jane shot back. "Get in here now. I need my personal heater."
Loki snorted, smirking. He moved around behind a dressing screen, got undressed and put on his night trousers and shirt, then crossed around in front of the fire to his side of the bed.
"No, no, no, don't open that!" Jane ordered from beyond the cloth barrier as he grasped it.
"What—how am I supposed to get into bed?" he demanded.
"Come around and get in this way. At the end here," Jane said. Loki heaved a sigh and searched the ceiling, then trudged around to the foot of the bed. He stopped, folded his arms and glared at her. She burrowed down further in the blankets. Gritting his teeth, Loki put his hands on the footboard and crawled over it onto the mattress—
And banged his knee on the wood.
He stopped.
"Ouch," he accused.
"You're such a baby," Jane teased, all muffled by the comforter.
His eyebrows shot up.
"Oh, am I? Really, that's that you think?" he cried.
"Big baby," she said, the blanket covering her face. "Big-time sissy."
"Oh, you…You have no idea who you are insulting," Loki growled, walking forward on his hands and knees, then grabbing the covers and yanking them back, revealing Jane's whole self, garbed in a soft, warm nightgown. She flinched, drawing her knees up against her pregnant belly.
"Aaah, don't!" she cried, giggling and burying her face in the pillow. "It's cold!"
"I'll show you cold," Loki purred, grinning and slipping underneath the covers. He tossed the blankets up over the both of them and instantly wrapped her all up in his arms, pushing her onto her back and laying down nearly on top of her—save for her burden pressed against his side.
"Hey, hey, hey!" He briefly saw her bright eyes flash before he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her and kissed her and kissed her and kissed her.
She giggled against his lips and wound her arms around his neck as their mouths tangled and moved in exciting, familiar ways—pressing deep as they breathed together, their hearts thundering, heat rising between them. His lips parted from hers, and he bent his head and began pressing kisses all down her neck. She shivered, and gasped.
"Hey, you," she suddenly scolded, winding her fingers through his hair and tugging.
"What?" he breathed, his lips moving against her skin.
"Quit that."
"Quit what?"
"That. Right now."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered, pulling her tighter against him, lifting his head to taste her mouth again and again. She sat up, deepening the kiss—but making him lift off of her. Then, she crisply broke away, and gave him a narrow pointed look.
"I mean it. Quit it," she warned—and gave him a smirk of her own.
"Ugh," he sighed, letting his forehead fall down onto her shoulder. "You are no fun at all."
"Yes, I am," she retorted. "I'm too much fun. Which is why we're in this mess."
He snorted again, laughing into her hair. She laughed too.
"Now calm down and just keep me warm," Jane commanded, turning to shove the pillows back into position and then laid down on them. Loki propped his elbow on a pillow and his head on his hand, gazing down at her soft, pretty face. She settled all in, then glanced sideways at him.
"What?"
"I am in love with you," he said.
"No, really. I had no idea," Jane teased.
"Don't be cute," he advised.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said lightly. He grinned.
Then, she shut her eyes, and a look of tight discomfort crossed her face. She let out a short groan.
"What is the matter, here?" Loki asked frankly, pressing himself up against her and brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
"I feel like I have a big block of ice inside my gut," she said, grunting as she shifted her shoulders. "A heavy, sharp piece of ice."
"Here, let me see," Loki slipped his hand up and rested it on her belly, laying his cheek down on her forehead. He pressed his fingers against her womb, running his hand across, prodding gently. He reached down to her left side and pressed…
"Ow, ow, ow!" Jane gasped, her head coming up. Loki halfway sat up.
"I'm sorry," he said, instantly releasing the pressure. "You do feel cold."
"Mhm," she nodded, lying back down.
"What can I do?" he asked.
"Just stay right here," she answered, leaning her head against him. "Stay right here. Keep me warm."
He lay down beside her, wrapping his right arm around her, laying a gentle kiss against her temple.
"I am your servant," he whispered.
"Of course you are," Jane said—he heard her smile. He kissed her forehead again.
"Go to sleep."
"Okay," she sighed absently, and Loki closed his eyes, rubbing his thumb back and forth against her side.
To be continued…
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