The morning light seeped through the blinds. Jane squinted and sat up, blinking away her exhaustion. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head, relieving her tense back muscles. She sighed and rubbed her eyes; her sleep had been interrupted by Loki's unexpected arrival, and she didn't sleep very well after she had wished him a good night.

Throwing the sheets back, Jane padded over to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. What if he's awake? What am I supposed to say to him?

Jane rinsed her mouth with mouthwash and spat it back in the sink. She inspected herself in the mirror and bit her lip. She looked as good as she had slept. Jane rolled her eyes; I don't have to look good for him. Not my job.

Jane pulled her hair up and reached for the robe that hung on the back of the bathroom door. She walked out of the bathroom back into her bedroom and checked her phone. She had a few messages from Pepper and Coulson. Scrolling through, she sighed.

Phil Coulson: Boss wanted me to tell you he's sorry about the timing of last night. He wants me to tell you if you need anything, just call him or visit him in the office.

Jane sighed and began typing out a quick response.

Thanks, Phil. It is what it is. I'll let you guys know what we need in a bit.

She continued on to the next message.

Pepper Potts: Hi Jane! Going to have to cancel lunch; Tony is having some trouble with the press back in Malibu and asked me to fly back as soon as possible. Can we reschedule? Sorry!

Jane bit her lip as her thumbs flew across they keyboard in reply.

No worries, Pepper. Take all the time you need. Just let me know what time is good for you.

Jane continued to scroll through her messages as she left her room and made her way toward the kitchen. She momentarily set her phone down and filled the coffee machine with grinds. She pulled down two mugs from the overhead cabinet and set them down next to the coffee maker.

As she waited for the coffee to brew, she walked back to her bedroom and returned with the suitcase that contained all her research and work. Jane took out a notebook and pen, carrying them with her back into the kitchen area. She hopped up on the counter and flipped the notebook open to a clean page. She bit the cap off of the pen and began to look over her notes she had made on the plane trip to New York. She pulled one leg up onto the counter, foot resting beneath her right thigh, and let the other leg swing lazily off of the countertop.

"Are you mortals always this informal?"

The sudden voice made Jane jump and nearly drop her notebook. Loki stood behind the couch in the living room, arms folded across his chest. From the way he stood, he still felt superior to her. Jane returned her gaze to her notes, ignoring his remark.

"Good morning to you too."

Jane could feel his eyes on her, but she tried not to acknowledge him. He studied her closely, from her messy ponytail to her bare feet. Pathetic.

"Quit staring," Jane said without looking up. Loki refused to recognize her wishes. He continued to stare until she looked up. The machine next to her began to beep, and Jane set aside her notebook before hopping down from the counter. She poured coffee in two mugs and replaced the pot.

"Milk and sugar?"

"Excuse me?"

"For your—oh, right," Jane said as she remembered that Asgard did not have coffee. She fixed his coffee they way she did hers and carried it over to him. She held it out for him, but he did not take it.

"At least try it. It won't kill you, I promise."

Loki continued to eye the steaming mug with the mysterious brown liquid before taking it from her hands. It instantly warmed his hands. Jane raised an eyebrow and shook her head, walking back to the kitchen. His eyes drifted back to Jane, who reclaimed her place on the countertop. The notebook returned to her lap, with her coffee mug in one hand and uncapped pen in the other. She continued to scribble notes, not bothering to engage in any conversation.

Might as well. Loki raised the mug to his lips and drank some of the liquid. He swallowed it with a grimace; the drink tasted unpleasant. He could not understand how a drink that smelled decent enough to drink tasted so entirely different.

Jane looked up and upon seeing the expression on his face, stopped writing.

"Well, at least you tried it. Is there something else I can get you? Water? Tea?"

"Tea, thank you."

Jane reached in the cabinet behind her and pulled down a small cardboard box, and fished out a packet of tea. She hopped down from the counter and reached for a clean mug. She rummaged around the cabinets for a teapot.

"I could swear I saw it here…" Jane muttered to herself. Loki rolled his eyes.

"Look up, mortal. It sits in front of you," Loki said, his tone a strange mix of irritation and amusement. Jane stood up straight and turned to glare at him, but her eyes landed on the stove. She rolled her eyes and picked up the kettle, filling it with water from the tap. She placed it on the stove and turned the fire on under it, then took her notepad and pen over to the living room and sat on the couch. Loki watched her suspiciously. This time, Jane felt as if she was being scrutinized, and she did not enjoy it.

"Please stop," she asked impatiently without looking up.

"Stop what, Lady Foster?" Loki asked with a smirk.

"Watching me. It's starting to get on my nerves."

"Very well." Silence ensued, and Jane felt relieved when she could no longer feel the burn of his glance on the back of her head.

The kettle began to whistle, making Jane jump mildly. Loki chuckled, and Jane threw down her notebook on the ottoman in front of her as she stood up to make his tea.

"Well, now that you're here, I think there should be some…ground rules."

"Oh?"

"Rule one: don't touch my stuff. It isn't yours, none of it belongs to you, so hands off." When he didn't respond, she continued.

"Rule two: you have almost free reign through the entire apartment, but stay out of my room. There isn't any reason why you should be in there at all. Rule three: no leaving the apartment."

"What?"

"You heard me. No running off. I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on you, and I can't really do that unless you stay here. If you need anything that isn't here, I've already talked with Director Fury and he said he'd be happy to lend us some agents to run errands."

"And what's to stop me from leaving?"

Jane shrugged. "Nothing, really, but I know it wouldn't take very long for SHIELD agents to find you. Even if they can't find you immediately, you stand out; the people you didn't manage to kill will recognize you." She paused to finish preparing his tea before continuing. "I dare you to find a face in this city that wouldn't sooner turn you in to the authorities than make an attempt on your life," she finished venomously. Her gaze was defiant. A malicious grin grew on his pale face.

"Oh, I see. This is something personal, is it not, Lady Foster?" She said nothing, so he stepped forward, slowly advancing on her. She pushed the mug across the island counter top toward him, not bothering to hand it to him this time. He ignored the tea and continued to get closer to Jane.

"Stay away from me," she warned.

"Why should I?" he asked. "I've been forced to stay here on this godforsaken realm, and the welcome I get is news that not only am I to be staying in SHIELD custody, but yours—"

"You almost killed me! More than once!" Jane shouted, interrupting him. He flinched, and she stepped closer to him, squaring her shoulders. "You think I wanted to have you here? To have to be under the same roof as the same person who not only attempted to kill me, but also attempted to wipe out an entire city filled with innocent people with the intent of ruling whoever was left! You think I wanted that?" Loki never broke apart from her gaze; the intensity of hers would not allow it.

"Then why would you do it?"

"Because your brother asked me to."

Loki narrowed his eyes. "Why would you do anything that insufferable idiot would ask of you?"

"Because he's my friend," she answered firmly.

"Your friend? Or your lover?" he spat.

"I don't see how that would be any of your business." The tension became almost tangible between the two; Jane had not realized how close she stood to him. They were nearly toe-to-toe, and there was not more than two feet between them.

"So he is your lover! Tell me, does it pain you to know he has moved on to other conquests? To know that the meager three days you spent with my dear brother means nothing to him now?"

Crack.

Loki reeled back, stunned, his cheek stinging where Jane had hit him.

"Don't you ever—" she snarled, "talk about Thor and me that way. I won't stand for it. Do it again, and I will move you from the guest bedroom to a SHIELD cell faster than you can tell a lie. Do you understand?"

Loki stood in front of her, seething. Jane took a step back, but by no means did she step down.

"Look, I've tried my hardest to be friendly to you. I welcomed you here at an ungodly hour of the night, I gave you a comfortable room to sleep in, your own space. I've tried making nice, but it seems I'm not getting through. So, let me make myself clear: I can be nice, or I can make your stay here a living hell. Don't believe me? Ask Director Fury. The minute you stepped through that door, you were under my care, my supervision. He has no control over what I do with you unless I say he does. So consider yourself lucky."

Jane scowled at him one last time before storming off to the back room, followed by the sound of a slamming door.

oOoOo

Jane, you've gone too far this time.

Jane leaned against the wall of the shower, letting the water run over her until it turned cold. Reaching up, she turned the handle until the water flow ceased. Standing slowly, she stepped out of the shower and reached for her towel.

Jane absentmindedly dried off as she replayed the events in the living room in her mind. She could not understand why she had reacted that way; it was not typical of her to lay a hand on anyone, even if it were someone she did not care for.

"Jane, you're an idiot," she mumbled to herself as she dried her hair.

oOoOo

For the majority of the day, Jane didn't see Loki. After their 'argument' that morning, he retreated and did not seek her out. Jane did not mind at all: the less she saw of him, the less risk of argument. She knew that he needed to be "rehabilitated", and arguing was the worst way of working anything out between them.

Although Jane enjoyed the lack of disruption from her guest, she began to worry about him the later the day became. She had knocked on his bedroom door once or twice, but he had not said a word to her. It almost made her feel remorseful for smacking him.

Jane looked up from her research and studied the wall clock. 10:54 PM. She sighed; he needed to eat or he would starve. One part of her cried out it doesn't matter what he does, all that matters is your job, but her reason cried out louder, reminding her that she had made a promise to Thor, and indirectly to Odin.

Standing up from the couch, Jane set her notebooks on the coffee table and padded toward the guest bedroom. Hesitation kept her from knocking, but her voice of reason cried out to her again, and before long, her knuckles met the wood of the door.

"Loki? It's getting pretty late; are you getting hungry yet?"

No response.

Jane tried again. "Loki, are you awake?" Again, no response. The silence began to worry her, and she opened the door. The room was dark, and she stepped inside. She flipped the lights on, only to find Loki gone.

oOoOo

"Pepper, what do I do?"

"Okay Jane, just calm down. He couldn't have gone very far."

"I know," Jane sighed in exasperation, "but I really don't want Fury finding out about this. I told him I could handle it. Oh and please don't mention this to Tony either. No one is supposed to know he's here." She ran a hand nervously through her hair.

"Don't worry Jane, I won't say a word." She paused. "Where do you think he would go? What do you know about him?"

Jane searched her mind for something, anything, that might help her find him.

"I mean, Thor always told me that he preferred solitude to crowds, so there's one thing." Jane bit her lip. You should have checked earlier, Jane, she mentally admonished.

"Well, what if you checked Central Park?"

Jane shook her head, but realized she was on the phone. "No, Pepper. Too many people there. I think he would want to be alone."

A pause. "What makes you think that?"

"Because..." Jane had tried to avoid telling Pepper about their spat that morning, but now she knew she would have to say why; there was no earthly reason why Loki would leave unless something had instigated it. She sighed.

"We got into an argument this morning."

"What? What about?" her friend asked, clearly more concerned. "He didn't try to hurt your or anything, right?"

"No, it was nothing like that. I was the one that hurt him. I slapped him."

"Seriously? Why?"

"Because he was saying some really offhanded things. I couldn't take it anymore, so I lashed out."

The other end of the line was silent, making Jane feel even worse.

"Jane, you'll find him. He has no idea where he is going, and Fury said that he was stripped of all magical power before arriving. Put yourself in his shoes. If you were on a foreign planet, what would be the first thing you would look for? I know you hate to hear it, but I think that you and Loki are like-minded; you prefer being alone, and so does he. What sort of familiarity would you look for if you were in an unfamiliar place?"

"Well, that's an easy one. I would look for a body of water or the st-" The realization hit her. From the many stories Thor had told her of his childhood with his brother, he constantly mentioned that Loki loved the stars and the night sky.

"I know where he might be."

"Well, get going, Miss Foster. You have a job to do," Pepper said. Jane could almost hear the smile in her voice.

oOoOo

The harbor carried the stench of fuel and city air.

Jane stepped out of the cab and handed the driver some cash.

"I'll just be a few minutes. Can you wait out here?" The cab driver sighed and nodded reluctantly, and Jane took off running toward the loading docks. She searched between the unloaded crates, eyes earnestly seeking the familiar shadow that often plagued her nightmares.

"Come on, don't be wrong this time, Jane," she muttered to herself. She further away she strayed from the street, the more hopeless she became.

When she reached the docks, Jane stopped running. There he stood, arms hanging limply at his sides with his face upturned toward the night sky. There was something strange about his body language, but Jane could not quite explain what it was. The only thing she knew for certain was that whatever emotion he was feeling, it was something he did not often allow people to witness in him.

Jane stepped forward, and Loki straightened up.

"Have you come to collect me, Lady Foster?" he asked softly.

"If that's what you want to call it, then I guess so."

"You've surprised me, Lady Foster. I was not entirely sure that you would find me."

She stepped closer. "This may be a big city, but there are only a few places that I could think of to find you. This was one of them."

"I wonder how you thought of it," he remarked, seemingly curious. Jane shrugged.

"As much as I may not like to admit it, you and I are pretty similar in some ways. At least," she added, "in the ways that Thor told me about before...everything."

"I see." Jane continued to walk closer, watching him closely, Despite the fact that she found him this time did not mean that she would be able to find him once again.

At one point, Loki flinched at her closeness. Initially, she was inclined to back up and give him some space, but she ultimately decided to stay put.

"I'm sorry for earlier. That was...uncalled for. I never hit anyone, especially out of anger. I didn't mean to hurt you," Jane said mildly. Her apology must have surprised him because he turned around to face her. His expression was unreadable; Jane felt a little uncomfortable as his gaze grew more intense. She looked down at her feet. Loki continued to study her, but did not say a word.

"Why...did you come out here? Why the harbor?"

"There was not a particular reason, Lady Foster."

"You're lying."

A ghost of a smile played on the corners of his mouth. "And you are catching on quickly, Lady Foster."

Jane moved to his side but did not look at him; she crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared out at the glassy obsidian bay.

"Miss home already?"

Loki did not answer. Jane sighed.

"Why did you really come out to the harbor?"

"To find the only thing I can rely on as of late," he replied vaguely.

"Is it safe to assume you're talking about the stars?"

He laughed mirthlessly. "Yes, Lady Foster, but this wretched planet does not seem to have any."

"We have stars," Jane said defensively. "You just can't see them very well in New York. But back in New Mexico, the night sky was so unbelievably clear, you could see stars for miles."

The both of them were silent for the next few moments. Jane checked her watch.

"We need to get back. It's getting late and I have a cab waiting to take us home," she explained tiredly. Loki nodded and looked up at the dark sky one more time before allowing Jane to lead him back.

oOoOo

"You know, I could show you some of the stars that I've studied in the past, if it would help with the homesickness," she offered as they reached the right floor of the building.

"I never said that I was homesick, Lady Foster."

"You didn't have to. I could see it in the way you looked up at the skies tonight." She pulled her key out of her pocket and stuck it in the lock, opening the door to the apartment. She walked in and hung the keys on a hook by the door, and waited until Loki was inside to lock it back up.

"Are you hungry or thirsty?" Loki shook his head.

"Seriously? You haven't eaten anything all day." Jane sighed. "Just because I was angry with you this morning doesn't mean that I can't still be hospitable.""

"If I told you I was hungry, would you cease to ask me?" he asked impatiently. Jane rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Then you have your answer, Lady Foster."

Jane set about putting some soup in a pot, and turned on the heat beneath it. Loki, as usual, watched her every move, making her want to squirm. She fought the urge and instead set about making tea. He continued to watch her closely as he took a seat on the chair next to the couch, and it continued to unnerve her.

"Why do you do that?" she finally asked.

"Do what, Lady Foster?"

"Watch me all the time. I don't get it." Jane took a seat on the edge of the couch, keeping some distance between the two of them.

"I am simply observing you. What is there to understand?"

"I just want to know why you do it. There's nothing too unusual about me. I'm just an ordinary human being."

"On the contrary, Lady Foster, you are anything but ordinary. An ordinary human being would not attempt the research that you have attempted, nor would an ordinary human being be involved with the people you do. Most importantly," he added, "an ordinary human being could not bring a god to his knees."

Jane looked away from him and played with her hands. Of course he talked about Thor. About his and Jane's brief romance, if one could even call it that. Loki did not know what had transpired just after Thor returned to Earth; he couldn't have.

"You're talking about Thor?" she asked quietly despite knowing the answer already. Loki confirmed with a slight nod.

"It isn't how you think it is. When he returned, when you...started the invasion with the Chitauri, Thor and I had a conversation about everything that was happening and we decided it wasn't a good idea to try and continue a romantic relationship. He couldn't afford the distraction, and I couldn't pretend I felt something that wasn't there."

Loki nodded slowly, yet his brow furrowed in confusion. "You mean to tell me that as soon as he returned, you no longer wished to be romantically involved with him?"

"Well, yes. There was too much time between when we had last seen each other. We agreed that it would be better if we stayed friends. I love Thor, but not in a romantic sense."

Just as Loki was about to reply, the kettle shrieked, making Jane jump.

"Just a second..." she said as she walked into the kitchen area. When she had finished with the tea, she stirred the soup and served it in two bowls. Putting the food and drinks on a tray, Jane walked back out into the living room and set the tray down on the coffee table. When he did not reach for the mug, she held it out to him and he took it absentmindedly.

"What made you change your mind?"

Jane shrugged. "Like I said, I didn't want to be involved with him that way. I didn't love him as I thought I did. Not really that much to tell about it."

Loki smiled smugly to himself and took a sip of the tea.

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Loki shook his head.

"Nothing to tell, Lady Foster." He took another sip of the tea and set the mug down on the coffee table. "If I recall correctly," he said, changing the subject, "you wanted to show me charts of the stars?"

Jane, glad for the change in topic, quickly stood up and walked over to a medical bag sitting by the island in the kitchen. Digging through it, Jane pulled out a stack of papers and a small black notebook. She brought them over, and Loki immediately picked up the notebook; he undid the elastic band that held it together and flipped through it, observing the stained and dog-eared pages Jane sat on the floor by his feet as she looked through various photographs. Loki flinched at the closeness, but Jane did not move.

"What is this?" he asked, pointing to a complicated-looking formula that filled up an entire page.

"Oh; that's one of the theorems I came up with a while ago when I was trying to explain a possible Einstein Rosenbridge," she explained. "That was back when I found your brother after he landed in New Mexico via the Bifrost."

"Thor is not my brother," Loki replied bitterly. Jane looked up and met his gaze, seeing nothing but resentment in his glassy eyes.

"What makes you say that? He loves you, you know."

"No. He loves the idea of having yet another person he can be superior to. I was nothing to him. Nothing but the shadow that trailed his every step."

"That's not how I remember him telling it. Thor always spoke highly of you. He loves you, and you're his family," Jane said adamantly.

Stubborn woman, Loki thought to himself with a scowl.

"You are insufferable. You have no idea what it was like; do not pretend as if you do. I have no family."

"If family isn't having people who always love you and have your best interest at heart, then I don't know what is."

"Best interest? My father only saw me as a piece in his political games. He did not have my best interest at heart. My mother stood by idly as he spun lies, as he kept the truth from me to benefit himself."

"If Odin didn't care about you, he wouldn't have sent Thor back to get you, to bring you back home," Jane reasoned as she flipped through glossy pictures of star clusters.

"I don't have a home. Odin only wanted me back so that I could face punishment for what I had done," he scoffed. Jane turned around, disbelief in her eyes.

"Why do you keep insisting that you don't have a family? That you don't have a home?" She shook her head. "No, you don't know what it's like not to have a family. You think you don't have a family or home because you're too blinded by your own jaded perspective of your childhood. No; I don't have a family. The closest thing I have to family is Erik Selvig; remember him? The scientist you brainwashed?"

Loki said nothing.

"When I heard you had taken him prisoner, I was terrified. I had never had panic attacks that bad since my parents died." Jane smiled ruefully. She looked up, but did not quite meet his eyes. "I guess I should thank you for not killing him. He's all I have left."

In that moment, Loki felt something wholly unfamiliar stir in his chest. The way that Jane was looking at him made him feel uncomfortable; he could not quite describe the tightness in his ribcage. He furrowed his brow as he recalled the sentiment that had not plagued him since he was a child: guilt.

Jane turned from him and resumed flipping through the images. It was silent as she spread them out across the floor and the coffee table. Selecting a few that she had sorted, Jane handed them to Loki.

"This is Ursa Minor here, and this is…"

oOoOo

An hour passed, then two, as Jane explained various constellations and clusters of Midgardian stars she had been studying. He listened patiently as she pointed out how each star cluster had relevance to what she was researching, and he asked her an occasional question, not wanting to seem disinterested. Truthfully, he was very interested in what she had to say; if her theory worked, then Loki would have a way to return to Asgard, and possibly other realms.

Jane finally stopped talking about the pictures in front of her when it became difficult for her to speak coherent thoughts; so instead, she turned his attention to the little black book that sat on his lap. Loki could see she was tired; she had to think harder to form sentences about her research.

"Lady Foster, you should rest," he suggested drily as she yawned. She shook her head as she watched him continued reading the pages, completely absorbed in her work. His eyes moved from the equations on the page to his host's face.

"I'm fine. It's nice to have someone as interested in my research as me," she explained sleepily, her head resting on her fist. His gaze lingered as she diligently waited for him return to the notebook in his hands. He reluctantly returned his attention to the notebook, and soon enough, he was lost in the equations and theorems that were scribbled on every page. He could not feign the interest he had in her work; it was amazing to him that a mortal could achieve such an in-depth understanding of information and knowledge of this caliber.

Loki had only moved to the next page when he felt a sudden weight on his thigh. His brow furrowed as he slowly lowered the notebook; Jane's head had slipped from where it balanced on her fist and now gently rested on his leg.

Shutting the notebook and setting it on the table, Loki moved so that her head no longer rested on his thigh but on the chair. Once he was clear of her, he stood up quietly and observed her. She slept soundly, clearly not bothered by the movement. He debated whether or not to leave her there, and strangely enough, kindness overpowered the indifference he had toward her. He knelt down in front of her and carefully lifted her into his arms. Surprisingly, she did not stir; she remained deeply asleep as he walked back toward the bedrooms.

As he approached her bedroom, he whispered a small incantation and the door opened. He pushed past it and gingerly placed Jane on her bed. He pulled the sheets over her as an afterthought before leaving the room and heading toward his own.

As he lay down to sleep, his mind returned to what she had said earlier:

"I guess I should thank you. He's all I have left."

Loki turned on his side as he wrestled with the guilt that Jane had elicited with such a simple statement.

He sighed in frustration and conceded that he would receive no amount of sleep.


A/N: Heh. Hey guys. Sorry i haven't updated in a long time. I hadn't quite finished this one before I left for my choir trip, so I worked on it while I was on the plane. I just got back two days ago, and I wanted to make sure it was good enough to publish. Thank you guys for being so patient; I will definitely not take this long to update unless I have a very good reason :] I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you review! ^^