Just as Samantha got inside her car after the most boring lecture she had ever heard her professor drone on for, her phone started ringing away.
"I swear to God if she asks me for my notes one more time..." Sam muttered digging through her purse for the phone. After three more rings she quickly answered, not bothering with looking at who was calling her in the first place. "Hello?" Her voice sounded a little irritable but the voice on the other end quickly dissipated all of her negative energy.
"Hey! I hope I'm not interrupting you right now." Sam's cousin, Jane Foster, chirped. It had been awhile since the cousins could talk. With Sam going back to school part time and Jane busy as ever doing her Astrophysics thing with Dr Selvig and Darcy, bonding time had come to an almost complete halt.
"Oh, no. I just got out of a really boring lecture and was about to just go home." Sam began her quest to digging out her keys from her bag. I really need to clean out this thing, or use a smaller bag... She thought, finally producing a larger than life key chain with various toys and souvenirs she collected over her years. Jamming it into the ignition, Sam leaned back into her seat, driving home had to wait a wee bit longer.
"I wanted to call and remind you of tomorrow morning."
Ah yes, how could Sam ever forget? She was to house a war-criminal until she sought him fit to return to wherever he is supposed to return to. She only agreed because the only other option was to let some government agency take him and probably torture him until kingdom come. Now, she was all for paying your dues but she certainly is not for torture. She doesn't care who you are or what you've done, torture was never to be used. And she only agreed because Jane's beau, Thor, himself asked her. And after a hefty talk with the man himself, Sam agreed knowing his powers and immortality were being stripped before his arrival. Why, you may ask, is he coming back to Earth of all places? Strangely enough, Odin, thought it would be a lesson for Loki to learn. Don't know what he's supposed to learn, apparently only Loki knows that answer.
"You don't have to remind me. I promise to be on my absolute worst behaviour." Sam teased and she swore she could feel the heated glare coming from Jane.
"You and I both know he did terrible things, inexcusable things, but that however does not give us the right to be absolutely horrendous to him. He's going to probably be negative anyways, and if you start off being negative, it won't help his rehabilitation." Jane explained as if she were talking to a child. It wasn't only Sam who held all the weight, so did Jane to some extent.
"Oh, I'm only joking. So what time am I to be expecting the dark prince?" Sam's stomach started to protest the lack of food it currently had. With how late it was, a quick microwave dinner would have to suffice.
"Well I was told any time between noon and one pm. That should be enough time for you, right?" Guess that meant no sleeping in for Sam.
Groaning into the phone, Sam and Jane finished up their call. Tossing her phone into the passenger's seat, Sam turned her key and drove home in silence, nothing at the moment could distract her from tomorrows guest.
The alarm clock on Sam's bedside table went off, playing the only good radio station at full blast. After trying to swat at the snooze bar she remembered that she had moved it to her dresser... on the other side of the room... Rolling out of bed, Sam took two steps across her room and turned the bloody thing off. And now that she was in the standing position she couldn't go back to sleep. It may only be 8 a.m. but she had to prepare the guest room and buy clothes and basic necessities for him. She didn't have to worry about paying for his expenses, Thor gave her a chunk of money that he earned playing his role as a hero with his Avenger bretheren.
Getting dressed in just a simple jeans, v-neck, and combat boots, Sam pulled her hair into a messy bun and headed out the door with her wallet, phone and keys in one hand and a packet of pop-tarts in the other she got into her car and drove to the closest Macy's.
By the time Sam got home, it was pushing 10 am. And within the remaining two to three hours, Sam set to washing all the clothes and bedding. She only bought him enough clothes for two weeks and hopefully by then he was compliant enough for her to teach him how to use the washer and dryer. While the washing machine and dryer did their thang, Sam used that time to clean the thin layer of dust that acclimated itself after several months of non-use. The guest room was hardly used as she lived by herself and the last guests she had was Jane back in January. After cleaning, Sam grabbed the fresh bedding from the dryer, switching over the clothing and set out to making the bed. Sam took it to herself to bring some semblance of normality by buying dark green sheets and pillow cases. That hefty talk with Thor was more than just talking about his punishment, it also consisted of him telling Sam about Loki's character. From what colour he liked to what conversation topics could get her in trouble.
Another hour passed before a few knocks at her door pulled Sam from her living room. Getting up, she quickly unlocked her door and ushered Thor carrying an unconscious Loki inside. Closing and locking the door, Sam moved around Thor and walked to the guest room. She only stood at the doorway and watched as Thor gently placed Loki ontop of the covers to which Loki immediately reacted to the comfort, pulling a pillow to himself. Surprise would have to wait until the shock wore off.
The man asleep before her looked nothing of the menace that sought to destroy New York only five months prior. His features looked sunken and extra sharp as if it were from malnutrition. His hair had lost any kind of natural shine and his body looked extremely fragile.
Looking up to Thor, who had sad eyes, nodded and they walked to the living room, she took the small recliner while he settled himself onto the couch. Sam was the first to speak after a couple minutes in silence.
"How long will he be unconscious?" Thor's eyes jumped straight to hers, sadness still there. It must kill him to see his bother in that condition. Sam knew she'd have the same sadness if it were Jane in that bed.
"A day or two at most. His body needs to adjust to living without immortality and magic. You don't need to be in there with him, just check on him every so often. I was told he may briefly wake up here and there, just give him some water and just tend to him as if he were a sick child." Thor didn't say any of that to her but while looking out the window. The sun was shining and warm today.
"He's in the best hands with me. I give you my word." This made a smile, albeit small, plant itself on Thor. He may not be blood brothers with Loki but in a roundabout way Sam could relate, her bond with Jane went above just being cousins and nothing could make her feel differently.
"I can't thank you enough, Lady Samantha. You are doing something nobody would dare do. Loki may have done some cruel things but he's still my brother and I love him dearly. Hopefully by the next time we meet again, he'll have changed a bit." He stood, hand out, calling the Mjolinr.
Sam followed him outside, standing by the door as he kept walking and stood in the grassy field. With a slight bow and smile from him and a nod from her, Thor looked up, muttered and then with a flash of blinding light he was gone. Sighing, Samantha returned inside and used the rest of the day to finish papers due next week.
A/N: So I'm just testing out the waters with this fic and I think I'm gonna leave it here and you guys can tell me if you want to read more. I already have a few chapters already written and it will seem a little OOC but I'm taking things a little differently. My one and only disclaimer is in the summary: All things Thor, Avengers, and Thor The Dark World belong to Marvel/Disney. All Norse myths and deities belong to Northern Europe.
