Author's Note: This chapter is Ozhawk's original chapter from chapter 23 of her Soulmate Shorts series. If you've never read them, I highly recommend you do. I have continued everything after this chapter with her express permission and with her as my beta.
This story will be AU from Thor: The Dark World. You will see how as the story progresses but here's a hint: Loki's not 'bad'. Personally, I just think he's misguided in the films, but that's for another time. ^-^ Also, neither I nor Ozhawk have any claims to these characters. Unfortunately.
Prologue
Everywhere she walked, the earth shook beneath her feet. Terrified, she begged Coulson for answers, but he could only shake his head helplessly. And she would not, would not, seek out that butcher who called himself her father.
"Someone must be able to help!" she said a bit frantically to May. They were aloft in the Bus, where at least the small quakes weren't following. "Someone must have learned to control these sort of powers, be able to teach me!"
May hesitated. "The only one we knew is Donnie Gill, and he drowned in Marrakech."
"What about the Avengers?" Jemma said helpfully.
"None of them have those sort of powers – except – but Coulson wouldn't," May said thoughtfully.
"What? Who?" Skye begged.
"She means Loki," Phil said from the doorway of the lab, where they were all standing around the examination table where Skye was sitting. "And ordinarily I wouldn't want you within a million miles of him, but – he has changed. According to Agents Barton and Romanoff, who I do trust to know."
"Let me get this straight." May crossed her arms and stared at him. "You're planning to give Skye to the man – the Asgardian – who killed you."
"I'm not giving Skye to anyone! But the fact is that Loki might be the only person who can help, right now. And he wasn't in his right mind when he stabbed me. It's up to Skye, anyway – what do you want to do?"
Given the choice of Loki or her father, Skye picked the one she didn't know for sure was evil. "Loki."
"I'll make the call."
Loki arrived an hour later, in a quinjet piloted by Agent Barton, who seemed on surprisingly good terms with the man who once brainwashed him. The very first thing Loki did was turn to Coulson and deliver a surprisingly heartfelt apology for stabbing him.
"I – uh – well, I survived," Coulson stuttered, surprised.
"Still, I owe you a debt."
"You can repay it by helping Skye," Coulson felt on safer ground there.
"Ah yes, your young agent who has been affected by the Kree Terrigen device. Anything I can do, Son of Coul, I shall do."
"Well, then," flustered by Loki's unexpected charm, Phil looked at Clint, who shrugged. "All right then. Please follow me and I will introduce you to Skye."
Loki was wearing his battle armour, but not his helmet or cloak. He walked silently behind Coulson, occasionally ducking through low doorways. On entering the lab, his eyes went immediately to Skye, still sitting on the exam table.
Coulson waved everyone else out. He stationed himself by the door to watch, aware of Clint taking up a position on the other side of the door as guard.
"Lady Skye," Loki swept her an elegant bow. "I understand that you may require my assistance."
"Can you make it stop?" Skye stared up at him. He was so tall; far taller than she'd expected, he must be a good six foot five, and all of it looked lean and whip-hard. His black hair was a stark contrast to the pale beauty of his face, his green eyes standing out sharply as he stared at her. "It hurts. Inside my head, it feels like there's an extra part there, and it hurts."
"May I examine you?" Loki held up his hands, a faint emerald-green glow shimmering around them. "It will not hurt," he reassured gently. "It may even feel a little soothing."
Skye glanced at Coulson. He nodded after a moment, and she nodded at Loki. Gently, he brought his hands to either side of her head, the green glow seeming to sink into her scalp.
For a moment, it did feel soothing, cool and soothing. And then, as Loki's hands touched the sides of her head, there was pain, cold and brittle, tingling down Skye's back. She let out a squeal, even as he cried out in surprise and stumbled back from her.
"What the…" Phil pulled his gun and pointed it at Loki, sensing Clint at his side, bow drawn. "What did you do to her?"
Loki was the one who seemed to be in pain now though, his skin turning a mottled, deep blue. He went to his knees with a low cry.
"Loki!" Skye scrambled off the table and crouched before him, reaching out to touch him. He held up a hand to ward her off, but she grabbed it, and even as she did, his skin stabilised back to its usual pale colour.
"It is you," he whispered, amazed, gazing at her. "Oh, my heart, I have searched so long for you!"
"I felt you," Skye gasped back, "in here!" she touched her head. "You're my soulmate!"
"Oh, fuck," Clint and Phil said in unison. And then they looked at each other and beat it hastily out through the lab doors.
"I never had words," Skye said, still staring at Loki in wonderment, "I thought I had no soulmate…"
"Do you have marks on your back, like a row of circles down your spine?"
"Yes," she nodded, and he helped her to her feet and drew her over to a mirror on the wall, turning her around and lifting her shirt up. She saw, to her amazement, that the four small circles at the small of her back were now a series of what appeared to be runes.
"My name," Loki traced his fingers down the runes gently. "They spell my name, in the Jotun tongue." This small, Midgardian woman, with her dark hair and darker eyes, was his mate, the other half of his soul, the one he had searched for all these dark, lonely years. She stared up at him, a smile beginning to curve her lips, and he vowed silently to himself that he would protect her. No matter what the Terrigenesis did to her, he would take care of his mate.
"Skye," he said quietly, and she leaned against him, smiling.
"Loki."
And here is where I continue!
Next time: Frigga should be given the Mother of the Universe award and Loki sees what he can do to help Skye. 66
