(Summary: Post Avengers. Phoenix has been left behind, alone again, but she refuses to let Loki stay away from her for long. Also, she plots revenge against those who took them away. Highly suggested that you read 'Second in Command' first. Loki/OC. Rated M for violence and sexual situations.)

Chapter One: Formula 18

Loki had only taught Phoenix very little magic; so, suffice it to say, she kind of sucked at it. The particular spell that he seemed to intend for her to use was a teleportation spell, powerful enough for her to pull someone from another world. The other books he had sent her were different. They were the myths and legends of Asgard. At first, she hadn't understood why he had sent them, but, as she read them, she had an idea. Instead of thinking on the repercussions for too long, she simply made a note of them and would ask him about them later. She had no time or patience to think of anything right now but getting her King back.

The books were actually his personal books. There were notes scrawled in the ledgers in what she had learned was his handwriting. They were mostly ideas for what the spells could be used for. Most of them were pranks, mainly on Thor, that made her smirk. There was even a transmutation one that might turn his hammer into a fluffy pink sheep, according to the notes.

Even though she lacked experience, she felt that, with the books and the notes, she could do this. She just didn't think it would take so many tries.

The first time she tried it, she blew a hole in her roof. That had taken a few days to repair, but even she realized that it was somewhat amusing.

The second time had been more successful, but she had only pulled in a cat. An earth cat, or Midgardian cat, as this planet was referred to in Loki's books. It was a black cat with white feet and, despite her frustration with it not being Loki, she was lonely and adopted it anyway. She named it Socks. At least now, she had someone to talk to and rant at, although the cat usually stared at her like she was insane when she ranted. Maybe she was going insane. All these failures were making her go insane.

The fifteenth time she tried, she ended up with something that was apparently called a bilchsteim. Something large, scaly, and with antlers that made a mess of her living room and scared Socks enough to make him run under her bed. The fact that it scared Sock was likely the reason that she shot it in the face. It took some research, but she learned that it was some animal that lived on Asgard, so she took heart that at least she was closer to her goal.

On her eighteenth time, she added something to the spell that would supposedly make it more powerful. She assumed that she wasn't quite succeeding because Loki likely had some sort of magical guard over him. It would be stupid of them not to do so, especially after he had sent her resources. However, another of the books she had on black magic said that blood could power a spell, and would be able to make up for lack of experience.

She had cut open a vein to get enough blood, letting it flow into a bowl so that she could use it to draw with. When she had enough, she tied a tourniquet on her arm to try to stop the flow. Dipping her fingers into the bowl, she started to draw on the floor. She normally drew the siegel in charcoal that Loki was supposed to appear in, but supposedly, the blood would make the spell more powerful.

Even as her head started to spin from the blood loss, she repeated the words out of the book, forcing herself to stay sitting up on her knees even though she kind of wanted to keel over. She had bled a little too much for her own good. She'd be alright eventually, and that was what helped her stay up. The other thing that helped her stay up was the hope that THIS time, Loki would appear.

When the siegel started to glow, this time red as it was glowing from the blood, she at least realized she had done it right enough to summon something. She hoped that it wasn't another bilchsteim, as she'd likely get her ass kicked by it this time, considering her weakness right now.

The blast from the siegel knocked her over, smoke filling the room and causing her to cough. As the smoke started to clear, she could see a familiar shape in it standing before her. Thank the gods.

Sputtering, she pushed herself up to her feet. "Is it you this time?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

He didn't answer, and, when the smoke cleared better, she could see why: he still had that damn muzzle on his face! Had they really left it on him for a month? She supposed they took it off long enough for him to eat, but otherwise?

She moved her hands behind his head, hoping to find some sort of clasp. His hands were
chained in front of him, so if there was one, he couldn't reach it himself. There might also be a spell on it to keep him from taking it off himself. When her fingers reached the clasp, she fiddled with it for a second before unsnapping it, letting it drop to the floor before angrily crushing it beneath her feet.

He gasped as if that were the first free breath he had taken in a while. He said a few words, and the chains fell off his wrist, and she kicked them and what remained of the muzzle away. His arms were on hers, and she realized that, if he wasn't holding her now, she'd likely crumble at his feet. She may have used a *touch* too much blood.

He looked at the floor. "Did you use blood?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's the eighteenth try. I had to do something different," she told him, picking her head up and looking back up at him. She could see the outline of the muzzle and where it had cut into his face. It would be healed soon, she was sure, but that did nothing to quell the anger in her at seeing him harmed.

"Only eighteen tries? I'm impressed," he remarked with a slight smirk.

"You...you didn't see the first seventeen," she joked, leaning her head against his chest. She felt his arms wrap around her, holding her, and she felt complete for the first time the long time that he had been gone.

"How long have I been gone?" he asked her, arms tightening around her as she dug her nails lightly into his jacket. He was actually still wearing the black leather that she had last seen him in.

"A month. A long tortuous month," she told him, biting back a sob of joy at having him back with her. "How did...how did they treat you?" she asked, trying to force the black spots at the edges of her vision to go away.

"They put the muzzle back on me when they realized some of my old books had disappeared from the library," he told her. "I think they thought I had them sent to my room, though. Obviously they didn't find anything."

"What else did they do?" she asked, shutting her eyes for a moment.

She felt him stiffen. "Another time," he said. She felt him brush a sweat soaked piece of hair from her face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said, even as she felt her legs go completely limp. He caught her, moving one of his arms underneath her knees and lifting her up, cradling her to his chest. By the time that she was even thinking to protest, he had found her bedroom, stretching her out on the bed.

"Not quite the homecoming I pictured," she remarked, opening her eyes up lazily at him, watching him as he lifted up her arm, removing the tourniquet that she had fastened around it.

"You bled too much," he told her, running his thumb up beside the cut. She grumbled when she felt it start to itch, reaching up to scratch at it absently, but Loki reached over and grabbed her hand to stop her. When he let both of her hands go she realized why. He had healed it.

"I didn't know you could do that," she said to him, grinning. She still felt light headed, but it wasn't as bad as before.

He grinned back at her. "Now I have the time to show you all that I can do," he said, pulling her back up quickly enough to make her dizzy again and smashing his lips against hers. He was filthy from likely being left in a cell for a month and she was covered with sweat and blood, but right now, she couldn't even begin to bring herself to care about such trivial things. She circled an arm around the back of his neck, pulling him even closer, pawing at his clothing and trying to figure out a way to get it off and away. She feels one of his hands move away from her and make an impatient, hurried motion and suddenly they're both deliciously and wonderfully naked, and she's certain that her skin is going to catch fire at any moment.

His mouth broke away from hers, but it didn't go far, staying on her skin and moving down toward her neck, and the mixture of his cold touch and her entirely too heated body is alone enough to drive her mad, much less what he's actually doing to her. His lips were sucking and his teeth were biting her neck and she was already moaning his name over and over again.

With a growl, she rolled them over, as she hated to sit in passivity for too long, pinning him down to the bed as she vied for dominance. She dipped her head down and dragged her tongue across his pulse point on his neck, grinning when she heard a stilted moan come from him, causing the skin to vibrate under her lips.

She moved quickly, her mouth drifting down lower, flicking her tongue over his nipple, her hand moving up to work the other nipple, grinning as she felt him start to move and squirm underneath her attentions. Her sharp teeth grazed him lightly, and she couldn't stop a chuckle escaping from her lips when she heard him hiss and then moan.

Before she realized what was happening, he was rolling them back over, pushing her arms above her head and her wrists together and, before she can think, she feels something snaking around her wrists, looking up just a touch too late to stop what looks like a green rope snake around her wrists. Giving a tug quickly reveals that they're strong, and a few more pulls that are experimental showed her she likely wasn't getting out of them herself.

She looked up at him and he grinned, and all she can do is what as he bent down and kissed her lips again. She arched up against him, her body arching for more than just kisses. She was sure that he knew that, as now his fingers were frustratingly light as they brushed down her side and rested on the curve of her hip.

She whined, tugging at her restraints again, and then growling in frustration when her wrists still didn't move. He laughed, fingers digging into her skin as he lifted her hips up, his cock now pressed just outside of her entrance. When she tried to move her hips up to take more of him inside of her, he moved back, keeping himself at bay from her with a smirk. "You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" she asked with an impatient groan.

He laughed, pushing himself fully inside of her, shutting his eyes in obvious enjoyment. "Just trying to savor the moment, you impatient creature," he said, slowly dragging his cock out of her before slamming it back inside.

She let out a ragged moan as she moved her hips up to meet his. "You can call me whatever you want as long as you don't stop doing that," she panted, cool blue eyes looking up to meet his when they opened up at her again.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied, already starting to move faster inside of her. Since her wrists were tied down, she could do little but writhe underneath him and moan as he fucked her. Her breath started to hitch and come out in quick gasps as she felt her body tense and tighten up.

She could see that he was getting close as well, his hips losing that insanity driven rhythm and now seemingly slamming into her as hard and fast as he could, which was what she needed now. She wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him in just a little bit deeper and that was enough to drive her over the edge, screaming his name as she climaxed.

She was barely aware of his fingers digging into her skin again, now hard enough to bruise, as he exploded inside of her, groaning out her name, the name he had given her, causing her to smile.

When he was finished, his body went limp, falling on top of her. At the same time, she felt her wrists come free, and she brought down her arms, stretching out her arms for a moment before wrapping them around his back. She had so much that she wanted to talk about, stuff she knew she'd wanted to ask and learn quickly, but right now all she wanted to do was sleep and have him hold her in his arms.

(Author's Note: I warned that Loki would be making a comeback in the first chapter! Hello again! *waves* The chapter title is a stupid joke on my part. The cleaner Formula 409's name is based on the fact that it took 409 attempts to make it. It took Phoenix 18 times to get Loki back.

A witty creature, I am not. *snorts* I am easily amused, though.)