Thanks for the reviews, guys! They mean a lot. :D Here's chapter two. A lot of it is stuff I have posted before, but I have embellished and made it a bit more involved. Plus I tried to rework the interactions between Anja and Loki. I think part of that was what was bugging me in the old version. Hope you guys like this better.


"And in the middle of the night

I may watch you go

There'll be no value in the strength

Of walls that I have grown

There'll be no comfort in the shade

Of the shadows thrown

But I'd be yours if you'd be mine"

~ 'Lovers of the Light' by Mumford and Sons


Loki left Anja a few minutes later, allowing her to get back to whatever work she had to do for her schooling. The afternoon had gotten hot under the wool of his uniform, and he could feel sweat begin to trail through his hair under his cap. The weight of Anja's money sat like lead in his satchel. He had never had to accept such a small amount from anyone.

But he needed a horse.

"Oy, Cap'n Nicholls is it?" a rather short stump of a man said to Loki as he made it within a few hundred feet of the horse.

He let out a huff of an annoyed breath, taking in the man that had come up to him. "Yes," he quipped.

"The name's Perkins, Sir. I was told you were in need of aid finding a horse."

Loki raised an eyebrow, looking at the little man. "I am indeed."

Perkins nodded understandingly. "'S alright there, Sir. Nothin' to be ashamed of. Lots of the men are in need of horses."

"Oh?" Loki- or James?- whoever he was at the moment -said.

Perkins nodded. "But if you got the money on ya, Sir, that one over there seems to be in tip top condition."

Loki turned back to where Perkins had indicated, sucking on the inside of his cheek. Sure enough, a great brown thoroughbred was standing over near the officer's table. "Right then," Loki said quietly. "Thank you."

"Don' mention it," Perkins said. "That horse is rumored to be one of the finest in Devon, maybe a little hard to handle, but that's not somethin' the army can't be curing sometin' of." Loki looked over at the older mortal standing in front of the horse. There was a tired and sad look about his eyes, even Loki, who probably lacked the most empathy in all of Asgard for another's suffering, could see that. "The farmer couldn't afford to keep up with his land so he's gone and brought the horse to sell."

Were the people of Midgard really so poor? Loki could not fathom such poverty. Even the poorest of the Aesir had been well off… but a horse was what he needed, preferably a horse that would get him through this little whim of the Allfather as safe as possible.

He had made a promise, after all. And Loki always kept his promise

*o*O*o*

There were few people that Loki could say he felt sorry for, and even fewer actual mortals. But as he finished the paper work for the brown thoroughbred named Joey, the trickster couldn't help but feel a slight pang of sympathy. He had been certain that this would be a most profitable deal… until a boy that could not have been sixteen ran up to him with tears in his eyes and begged him not to take the horse.

Perhaps it was the fact that Loki had been out and about for too long without his magical abilities, but he actually felt pity for the boy. He swallowed once as he faced the lad head on, easily slipping into the silver tongue's work as he tried to soothe the boy. He had had many an opportunity back in Asgard's courts to work around compromises and still come out on top.

"Well if Joey's goin', I'm comin' too." The boy had a thick accent, and Loki easily realized that he was a mere farm boy. He had no place in war. Not yet.

"I see, and what's your name, Lad?"

"Albert, Sir."

"And how old are you, Alber-"

"Nineteen, Sir." Albert responded far too quickly, the sign of a person who either wasn't used to lying or wasn't very good at it. Loki had seen Anja act in exactly the same fashion before… and the innocence of the lie struck him right in the heart.

"Is that the truth?" Loki said softly, waiting on the boy to come clean.

"No, Sir," Albert said through tears. "But I… I look nineteen and I'm bigger than most nineteen year olds and I'm not afraid of anything-"

"I don't doubt your qualifications, Albert, but the law was very clear about the proper age for soldiery." Loki spoke very quietly. He was familiar enough with the laws of Midgard to know that at least. Even in Asgard he had had to wait until he had fully reached manhood before he could join his father and brother on missions… But deep down, there was something about this boy that Loki could almost relate to. Despite the fact that he couldn't read mortal minds right now, he could see a boy that wanted desperately to be appreciated by his father, at the very least taken seriously. This situation was clear enough that while the horse had been Albert's, his father had brought the horse in to sell without so much as a glance at the boy who had trained it. In an abstract sense, Loki could see a younger version of himself in Albert.

Maybe that was why Loki almost had a hard time taking the side of the old man. Almost. He was quite certain that if the old man hadn't been the one willing to sell him the horse, he would have taken Albert's side.

"Now your father's done what he had to do. You know that. Thirty guineas isn't nearly enough to buy a horse as fine as your Joey, but it's all I've got." There. That was the silvertongue he knew so well. "Will you lease him to me, Albert? To be my own mount?" Loki reached up to remove his hat from where Anja had placed it on his head earlier, looking right into Albert's eyes. "I promise you man to man that I'll look after him as carefully and as respectfully as you have done. And If I can, I will return him to your care."

Albert was still upset, but Loki could tell that the lad felt a tad bit better about the situation, at the very least more at ease. But he still needed a horse, and despite the fact that he felt something akin to sympathy for the boy, he had no intention of allowing himself to suffer for it.

"Now," he said as he slipped his hat back on his head. "Say goodbye."

After Loki had spoken, he turned away from Albert. He had gotten what he had wanted, a horse to ride and a damn good one at that. After all, he was a god. Why in Valhalla should he care what he took from any mortal? But the essence of an unhappy son was still in heart… and Loki knew that even if he went home before the war was over that he would still ensure that the horse made it back to its rightful owner.

*o*O*o*

"Albert?"

Albert looked up from where he had gone to sit on the bridge that led out of town. His head had been in his hands, fingers wrapped in his hair as he stewed in his worry. He sniffled a bit when he looked up to see Anja Raeburn, the girl that had made sure he was alright when he had fallen off of Joey.

"Are you alright?" she asked, coming up to him. She looked down at him, realizing that he had been crying.

He stood up from his place on the ground, wiping his nose with the back of his shirt sleeve. "I'm fine," he said quickly, looking down as he composed himself. He hadn't meant to get this upset, but in truth he had never been more heartbroken.

Anja pursed her lips. She was able to skim a bit of this thoughts, realizing that Joey was not going to be with him for a time. She could see the back of a very tall officer speaking with him, felt the fear he had experienced… and his heartache now.

"Okay," she said after a moment. "Where's Joe-"

She stopped talking as he looked down at his feet. "He's fine. He'll be fine," Albert said quietly. Anja caught another stream of his thoughts… and the face of Loki's mortal form in his uniform flashed before her eyes. "A soldier bought him from my father… He's goin' to war today."

"Oh Loki," she murmured under her breath, realizing that Loki had been the one to buy the horse. Of course he would have gone for the best of the best.

Albert looked up at that. "What?"

Anja licked her lips, trying to cover up the slip. "I'm sorry," she said finally. Albert looked at her, biting his lower lip and nodding. "Can I help you at all?"

Albert looked down, shaking his head. "Thanks, Anja. But… I'll be fine. I'll be enlisting soon as I'm old enough. I'll find him. I know I will."

Anja smiled sadly, patting him on the arm. "I know he will."

Albert attempted to smile back at her. "Oh, who am I kidding," Albert said, falling back down to sit against the railing of the bridge. "The war's only going to get worse and Captain Nicholls'll be lucky if he makes it through. They don't respect horses in the army like we do here-"

"Albert . Don't think like that. I can promise you Joey will be alright."

And in that moment, she knew she had two lives to protect… and she knew exactly how she was going to do it.

In a snap decision, she left Albert, all but running to a point of cover so she would not be seen. She had been avoiding using her teleportation while in Midgard. It left her rather tired.

She made it back to her rooms, slipping through the corridors of the old building. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, running a hand through her braid in an effort to release it... and focusing all her energy on shortening her long curls to the style of a man.

She let out a smile as the white linen of her blouse turned to the rougher material of a soldier's collared shirt, and the green wool skirt she was wearing turned into pants.

*o*O*o*

"Ah, there's James now."

Loki's attention was caught by the sound of Charley's voice saying his mortal name. He was in a rather crowded restaurant and in truth he had been looking for Anja so he could say goodbye before the regiment left. Perkins had taken care of Joey, and at the moment Loki couldn't care less about the little mortal captain that had seemed to think they were best friends.

Until he saw the soldier that Charley had been talking to.

It was the silver eyes that gave her away, the soft curve of her lips that he had come to know far too well… but covering all of that was a very intricate and very convincing glamour spell that would fool any untrained eye. She still had an olive complexion and stood at the same height, but her face was slightly more chiseled… and her hair… her beautiful dark curls were gone, replaced with a style very similar to his current one. He wondered how she was hiding the more… obvious features that made it quite obvious that she was a woman. Glamour spells only went so far.

"James, meet Lieutenant Andrew Raeburn. He'll be moving out with us in the next hour or so. Just checked in, in fact!" Charley's voice was loud and happy over the noise of the restaurant as he clapped a hand down on "Andrew's" shoulder.

"Nice to meet you, Sir," she spoke with a voice that was only slightly deeper than her normal one. Anja reached out to shake Loki's hand, silver eyes dancing as she realized that he knew what she was up to. He had never shaken her hand before. He had always treated her like the lady she was, but he highly doubted that charley would take his kissing of a fellow officer's hand very well… This was all very, very strange.

"And you, Lieutenant," he responded wearily, merely for show. He was not sure at all how he felt about this. The Anja he had known in Asgard would never have been able to go through with such a strange act… let alone perform such a high level of sorcery.

"Major Stuart is just over there," Charley said cheerfully, indicating a rather tall and surly looking man. He looked to be in his late twenties, perhaps even his early thirties and was regarding everything around him with quite a critical eye. "He told me we'd be moving out within the hour and then I stumbled across Raeburn here. I was just telling him that I hoped you had found a horse by now."

Loki let out a laugh. "Well I did, Charley, and I will have you know that he is one of the finest beasts I have ever seen. I got him cheap too." He was saying that more so to Anja. Anja bit down on her lower lip at that, gazing back at Loki. He tilted his head in confusion ever so slightly.

Charley chuckled at that. "I am sure he is," he replied good-naturedly, looking over at "Andrew." "And how about you? Is your horse prepared to move out?" Loki looked back at Anja expectantly, waiting to hear her response to that.

Andrew smiled, and it was Anja's smile. "Yes," she said quietly. "We are ready."

Charley laughed again, patting her on the back once more. Loki had to fight the urge to strike the mortal for even putting a finger on his betrothed, but then he remembered that Charley had no idea that Lieutenant Raeburn wasn't a man.

"Well it certainly was good to meet all of you," Anja said in her man's voice. "I'll be needing to attend to another matter before we leave."

"Alright then, Raeburn!" Charley said. "We'll be seeing you soon!" Anja smiled once more at the mortal.

"Yes," Loki said pointedly as she tried to retreat. "We will be speaking very soon." He was still smiling, but Anja knew deep down that he was merely covering up the aggravation. The emerald of his eyes only hardened like that when he was aggravated.

*o*O*o*

Several minutes later, Anja slipped through the crowded restaurant, heading for the small water closet that was in the back of the room, slipping past several officers and even more enlisted men. All were happy and all were talking excitedly about the war effort. How on earth anyone could be happy about taking the life of another she had no idea.

She slipped into the bathroom, reaching up to pull on the chain that would turn on the light…. And inwardly smirking as she sensed Loki's presence behind her.

"I never realized how obvious you are without your powers, Loki," she said softly, stepping up to the counter and turning on the water of the sink. While she was on Midgard, she needed to keep in contact with water to ensure the glamour spell she had used didn't wear off. It was a tad bit more difficult for her to maintain such a difficult spell.

"And I never realized the gall you have, My Love." He stepped from his place, reaching towards the door and sliding the lock in place so they wouldn't be disturbed. The bathroom was small, just two stalls and a small sink and counter along the wall opposite of the green painted wooden stalls. The floors were tiled, grimy things after such a long day of soldiers putzing about in them.

She turned around, flicking water from her hands with her magic and drying them just as easily. "You do not like my new… style?" she asked, searching for the right Midgardian word. She was still in her uniform, her glamour spell still in place. She had gotten the appropriate feel for Loki's appearance when she had seen him earlier. The moment she had learned of his situation she had known she was going to do something to keep him safe. This just so happened to be the best course of action to stay close to him.

"You certainly have to be one of the most effeminate men I have ever seen in all my years," he chuckled as he stepped closer to her. "But in all honesty I believe this is madness."

Anja raised an eyebrow, lowering the spell on her face with ease… and then allowing her hair to return to its normal length. "Madness?" Anja said quietly. "I am coming to protect you."

"But you do not need to, Anja."

"I disagree." Her gaze flashed dangerously. "I will not let anything happen to you… or Joey."

Loki's eyes flashed at that. "You know the horse?"

Anja bit her lower lip nodding. "I was… out one day and I saw Joey and his owner."

Loki pressed his lips together in a fine line. "You were… out?"

Anja shrugged. "In an automobile. It was quite an experience-"

"You know how to drive those contraptions?" he said, stepping closer to her with a smirk.

Anja's eyes sparkled. "For your information I was with a rather silly mortal boy."

Was that jealousy that flashed through Loki's gaze? "You were with a boy?"

Anja rolled her eyes. "Yes. I wanted to take a ride for my report to the Academy."

"Oh," Loki said. The plane of his forehead was crinkling with a range of different expressions. Anja stepped closer to him, the two now toe to toe in the bathroom.

"Loki Odinson," she said with a smile, lacing her fingers with his. "Are you jealous?"

Loki let out a snort, shaking his head. "Hardly."

Anja smiled again, cupping his face in her hand. "Because you know that you are my all. Do you think I would be standing here in a mortal man's clothes to protect you if I didn't?"

He cut his eyes at her, before seamlessly changing the subject. Anja chewed her lower lip, arms crossed as he walked right up to her and took her chin in his long fingered hand. "Do you even know how to ride?"

Anja rolled her eyes, pulling her face from his grasp. "I know a fair amount. The Academy taught me many things."

"And do you know how to shoot? How to fight with a sword?" Out of nowhere, Loki reached down to pull out the small pistol she had in the holster at her hip. "Is this for show?" he said condescendingly.

Anja tilted her head to the side at that, looking up at him. "I will learn. Half of these men do not know how to do such things."

Loki chuckled again, laughing without humor. "You are such a rare woman," he said quietly. His green eyes flashed in the lighting of the bathroom. "I do not doubt you for a second. But you are staying here." He finished speaking as he placed the unloaded revolver back at Anja's hip.

She watched him put it back in place, securing the snap before he planted a gentle kiss to her forehead and turned away from her. She stared down at the gun a moment, letting him walk three steps away from her. "How will you stop me?" she asked suddenly.

"What?"

"How will you stop me?" she repeated. "If I want to go, I shall. I have the abilities to hide myself… and you are in no position to stop me."

Loki let out a huff of exasperation as he looked back in her eyes, stepping right back up to her. "You are going to be the death of me," he whispered as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Anja suppressed a shiver to feel him so close again… and let out a little shriek as the quiet, seductive tone he had taken with her turned to playfulness and he picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder as he carried her towards the small counter of the sink like a bag of feed.

"Loki!" she said deliberately, looking over his shoulder and pounding on his back with her fists. Her booted feet kicked out in an attempt to make him put her down. Despite her magic, she was no match for his strength. The wool of their uniforms rubbed against each other and she fought to remain coherent as he placed her between his body and the counter, placing his hands on either side of her. She crossed her arms, refusing to meet his gaze…

"Anja," he growled, leaning into her and tracing her nose with his own gently. It was oddly sensual, and he inhaled as he forced her to look at him. His lips never brushed hers, even when he took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. She ignored the hot feel of his breath cascading over her lips.

"I am coming with you," she stated simply, regaining her composure. "I have it all planned out." Loki licked his lower lip, pulling away to glance down at her lips. His eyes widened involuntarily as she subconsciously rubbed her belly against his already evident arousal… or perhaps it was not as subconscious as she wanted him to believe. The spark in her gaze certainly made him think otherwise.

"You will drive me to insanity and back won't you?" he whispered silkily, trying so very hard to retain the groan that was building up in his chest. "But how easily you forget…" he kissed her chastely on the lips before lifting her up on the counter of the sink in an effort to get as close to her body as possible, "I can play this game too…"

*o*O*o*

As soon as Loki had lifted Anja up, he had shot a leg in between her knees and forced her legs apart so he could step into her. He grinned into the tender skin just under her ear when she let out a small gasp at the feel of him against her. Despite the thick wool that shielded them from each other, he knew that his touch was making her come undone against him.

He pulled away from his place at her neck, looking down into her eyes as he tilted his head. He reached up to the neck tie she was wearing, the high collar of her uniform keeping him from gaining access to her throat.

"I'm sure I'll be growing tired of this often," he whispered hoarsely as he tugged on the dark green bit of fabric lightly to indicate what he was talking about.

"And I am sure you can make quick work of it, if you desire, Captain," she said mischievously, cupping his face in both of her hands and letting them slide down to his own high collar. He groaned again.

"Maybe I will show you how… restricting it can be one night, My Lady," he whispered seductively, smiling as she gasped at the feel of his teeth at her earlobe. A few moments later, he pulled away, looking back at her, serious now. "There is no changing your mind?" he whispered, meeting her gaze intently.

Anja smiled at that, licking her lips before replying with a shake of her head. "I am here on independent study, after all. This can be my project."

Loki rolled his eyes. "I am quite certain you will be the first female to go back and report of something so… male-oriented."

Anja shrugged, scooting a bit closer into his body. She was already putty in his hands and she knew he knew it too. Her pants would make it rather hard for them to… well…

"Then I shall be the first. Countless Midgardian females have disguised themselves to go to war. I see no difference between myself and them."

"You are everything they are not," Loki said quickly, wrapping a hand down to the small of her back and pulling her flush against him. Her back arched as he ground his hips into hers, rocking his arousal against her center with a roll of his hips. He hated that he couldn't feel the warmth between her thighs with this blasted uniform! "No one could ever measure up to you."

Anja chuckled again, pulling him in for a kiss. Their tongues danced, and Anja's fingers found their way to his shortened hair before winding into it and pulling him even closer.

His own hands were at the buttons of her outer coat, trying to undo them but not succeeding. She smiled into his kiss as she realized what he was trying to do. "We really should get back," she whispered as her hands went down to take his own and she pulled away from his lips. As much as she wanted to go further, she knew it would be highly impractical, let alone improper, to let him take her in a rundown bathroom with so much going on around them.

He smiled as his forehead came to rest on her own, eyes closed as he inhaled her scent. "You always knew best, didn't you?" he asked quietly.

Anja laughed again. "I'd like to think so," she whispered as she kissed his lips once more. "But we really… really…" she trailed off as his lips travelled to her jaw and her head dropped back again. How could he make her forget everything with a simple touch?!

She let out a small cry as his teeth came down on the sensitive patch of skin just above her collar. "Shh," he said quietly, his breath hot in her ear. He was so close to her. Her entire world consisted of him in that moment. "Have you any idea how much I want you right now?"

"The feeling- The feeling is mutual… but… we need to go," Anja sighed as he moved to the other side of her neck. The high collar of her uniform was becoming quite aggravating at this point and both the heat from the room they were in and the state he had driven her to were driving her mad. She wanted so very badly to be naked before him and she wondered if she would ever have enough of him.

*o*O*o*

He pulled away from her all too quickly, stepping back and helping her down from the counter. Her leather boots hit the ground softly, and she looked up at his appearance as he attempted to smooth his hair back to the pristine state he had had it in before her hands had found it.

She was readjusting her own uniform in the mirror while he attempted to right himself, and when she turned back around she had to fight to contain the giggle that erupted in her chest. Despite his attempts to smooth his hair over, it was still quite obvious that someone's hands had been in it. The part was neat, but from there it got quite messy. His golden hair fell from the part, slipping out into a sort of wavy mess sticking out in every direction. She walked back up to him in two steps, lifting her hands and smoothing it back to how it had been with a bit of her own magic.

"You rely on magic far too much, Loki," she whispered as she fixed his hair for him. "Whatever shall I do with you?"

Loki laughed at that, kissing her forehead. "Says the girl who plans on following me into battle disguised with a glamour spell."


In response to the anon. review I got:

Skywalker: Hey! Um, well, all the pictures I have of Anja can be found in the cover photos for the first two stories involving these two. The first is in Deep and Dark and Dangerous. It is just of her. The second is of her and Loki, and you can find that in Starless Skies' cover photo. I originally had a deviantart account, but I hardly go on it anymore. That's why the link is gone from my profile xD I guess I need to edit that bit of wherever you read it! Keep in mind they're just some sketches of mine that I did very quickly, but you get the idea :D Hope you like them!