(A/N: Please note that the 'THEN' portions of this story, aka the flashbacks, are NOT in chronological order, while the 'NOW' sections, aka the present, are.)
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CHAPTER TWO: Dance With the Devil
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NOW
Jenna sat at her desk, staring mindlessly at the constantly repeating surveillance footage from the previous night.
It couldn't be him.
There was no way possible that the madman whom had brainwashed Barton and Selvig, killed two S.H.I.E.L.D agents and stolen the Tesseract could have been Loki.
He couldn't have changed so much...
She wanted to know what had happened to him. What had happened to the gentle, kind Loki she had first met in Asgard...
She was suddenly driven out of her reverie by a familiar voice.
"Agent Campbell?" Coulson said, catching her attention. "I've got Agent Romanoff on the line."
That woke Jenna up.
Natasha Romanoff was a superior S.H.I.E.L.D agent, and more or less Jenna's closest friend. The two of them had gradually befriended each other shortly after Jenna had started her internship, and now that she had been promoted, the two of them were almost as close as sisters; despite the fact that Natasha still terrified her from time to time.
Jenna leaped to her feet and snatched the phone from Coulson.
"Tasha?" she asked into the phone, using her nickname for Natasha; who only let the people closest to her call her that.
"Jen, thank God," said the voice of the older woman. "Somebody sane to talk to."
"Are you in the middle of an interrogation?" Jenna asked worriedly.
"Yeah," Natasha said. "Relax. This moron is giving me everything."
"Coulson called you, didn't he?" Jenna said, giving Coulson a reprehenisive look.
"Of course he did," Natasha replied. "Look, tell him that he can't pull me out of this right now."
"Tasha..." Jenna said. "There's something important I should tell you."
She took a deep breath and told her.
"It's Clint. He's been compromised."
Natasha was silent, but Jenna could tell that, for once, she was affected. She knew that she would be. Jenna and Natasha were close, to be sure; but there was no one in the world that Natasha was closer to than Clint Barton, and Jenna knew it.
"Give the phone to Coulson," Natasha said. "Tell him I'm putting him on hold."
Jenna sighed as the hold music came on.
She clearly recognized Natasha's 'time-to-kick-some-ass' voice.
"She had to put you on hold," Jenna told Coulson flatly, holding the phone out to him.
She sauntered back to her desk, leaving Coulson standing there, jamming to the upbeat pop music that was now pouring out of the cell phone.
No sooner had she sat down at her desk that her own cell phone buzzed. She picked it up and checked the I.D.
UNCLE MICHAEL
She rolled her eyes and answered it.
"Hello?" she said, sounding exasperated.
"Jenna," Michael said on the other end. "Are you on the Helicarrier right now?"
"No, Michael, I'm on Mars," Jenna replied sarcastically. "Where else would I be?!"
"Alright, alright, no need to get touchy," Michael said. "Listen. I'm calling because I just got an invitation to a museum opening in Stuttgart, Germany, addressed to both of us. It's tonight."
"Tonight?!" Jenna said incredulously. "That's impossible! How are we supposed to get halfway around the world in one day?"
"You'd be surprised..." Michael said.
Jenna groaned in frustration.
"Fine..." she muttered. "But I have nothing to wear!"
~.~
THEN
Jenna gasped as two servants laced her into the Asgardian garment.
"How is everything, Jenna?" Lady Sif asked her from the other side of the scrim.
"It's...hard to say..." Jenna choked out. "Is this what all Asgardian women wear?"
"Well, not all of them..." Sif replied. "Wait a minute. Can you breathe at all?"
"It's...growing difficult..." Jenna wheezed.
Sif rolled her eyes.
"Hretha!" she chastised the servant. "I thought I told you to leave the corset. She's mortal; if you lace it up all the way, it'll shatter her ribcage."
"Terribly sorry, milady," the maid said as she hurriedly loosened Jenna's corset.
Jenna gulped in a deep breath of air, relieved.
"Thank you," she said.
"Don't mention it," Sif replied, with a rare smile.
Days earlier, Thor had introduced Jenna to his closest friends, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three.
The Warriors Three consisted of Volstagg the Valiant, a rather large, jovial man with red hair and a long beard to match, who was almost always eating something; Fandral the Dashing, a self-proclaimed "ladies man" of the court who sported blond hair, and a matching goatee and mustache, and was often seen cavorting with the ladies of the court; and Hogun the Grim, a strong, silent warrior with dark hair and somewhat Mongolian features.
All three of them were kind and just, and friendly to Jenna, but none of Thor's companions had befriended Jenna as quickly as Lady Sif.
Sif was the only female warrior in Asgard, and had been inducted when she was a year younger than Jenna (eighteen, in Asgardian years). She was often stoic, but highly intelligent, skilled with a blade and as beautiful as a sunset; with her light, distinctly Asgardian complexion, piercing hazel eyes and long, shining golden hair.
Sif was famous throughout the nine realms for her golden hair.
She had sensed that Jenna was out of sorts in Asgard, and, in a rare show of kindness, reached out to the young Midgardian. Shortly thereafter, the two of them grew as thick as thieves as Sif taught Jenna how to defend herself...and Jenna taught Sif about all of the great things on Midgard.
"Okay...I think I'm ready," Jenna said once she had been properly put into the dress, corset-less.
"Come on out, then," Sif said, and Jenna slowly stepped out from behind the scrim.
Queen Frigga had sent the traditional Asgardian gown for Jenna to wear to the ball that was being held that night. It was floor-length and elegant, with long sleeves that ended in smooth silk bells around her lower arms. It was low-cut and off-the-shoulder, but had two thin, almost transparent swatches of gold silk covering her shoulders, almost like a wrap. The fabric of the dress shone gold under the lights. The handmaidens had brushed out her hair, so that it fell in chestnut brown waves down to the middle of her back. Around the crown of her head was nestled a gold coronet that was engraved with laurel leaves. It circled the back of her head, but ended at her temples in fancy little curls, leaving what of her forehead that wasn't covered by her hair exposed.
"How do I look?" Jenna asked, a little self-conscious in the elegant garment.
Sif smiled at her.
"Beautiful," she replied. "Like an Asgardian princess."
Jenna smiled and gave a small laugh.
"You're just saying that..." she said.
"No, not at all," Sif interjected, shaking her head. "I mean it."
She smiled again and added, "Everyone at court is going to love you, Jenna."
Jenna couldn't help but smile back.
"Thank you, Sif," she said gratefully.
Turning slightly, Jenna caught her reflection in one of the tall mirrors that hung on the walls of the dressing chamber. She really did look beautiful...more beautiful than she suspected she had ever looked in her life up until then.
However...it was hard for her to really feel beautiful standing next to Sif.
Sif was wearing an Asgardian dress that had a more red-carpet feel to it than Jenna's formal gown. Sif's dress was silver, floor-length, and no sleeves but a swatch of silver fabric that wrapped around her shoulders. It seemed to glitter under the lights. To top it all off, she wore a silver headpiece engraved with entwining ribbons that adorned and complimented her golden hair perfectly.
She was stunning.
Sif seemed to sense Jenna's insecurity, and shot her an encouraging smile.
"Come on," she said, taking Jenna's hand. "It's just about time."
Jenna nodded, and let the lady warrior lead her out of the dressing chamber and toward the grand hall.
~.~
NOW
Jenna rustled hopelessly through her cabinet, trying in vain to find something suitable to wear to the museum opening before the private jet arrived to take her and Michael to Germany.
It was fruitless.
Jenna let out a groan of exasperation and put her head in her hands.
For the hundredth time that day, she wished Natasha were with her.
She would know exactly what to do in this sticky fashion situation.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Jenna opened it and was greeted by the ever-emotionless face of Phil Coulson.
"Hi, Coulson," Jenna sighed, underwhelmed. "What is it?"
"A package just arrived for you," Coulson replied emotionlessly.
Jenna raised an eyebrow at the large white box that Coulson held in his hands, before she deftly took it from him.
"Thank you," she told him simply with a nod before closing the door behind her.
She put the box down on her bed and lifted the lid.
In that moment, she could have sworn her heart stopped for a full second.
Inside the box was a beautiful, semi-formal dark blue dress. It was knee-length, had no sleeves, and seemed as if it had been made for Jenna.
She was completely spellbound as she slowly lifted the dress out of the box. It was as if fate had answered her desperate plea for help.
With a devilish grin, she turned and practically danced behind her scrim.
~.~
One surprisingly short trip by jet later, Jenna and Michael arrived at the museum in Stuttgart, Germany; Michael in a slick, well-tailored suit, and Jenna in the blue dress, with some jewelery here and there.
"Stuttgart, huh?" Jenna said to her uncle as they approached the extravagant building. "I knew there was a reason I took German as an elective."
Michael chuckled.
"Trust me," he told his niece with a grin. "I do believe that this will be a night to remember."
"So do I," Jenna responded. "By the way, who was it that sent you that invitation?"
"No idea," Michael said. "But, I suspect that your aunt was involved."
They both shuddered.
"Good call," Jenna said.
If Michael had assumed that his wife, Cassandra, had sent the invitation, no wonder he had been so gung-ho to go on such short notice.
The two of them walked into the museum, which was full of people and was decorated with several ancient-looking artifacts, among them old relics and marble statues. There was waltzing, champagne, even a string quartet.
"Wow," Jenna said in awe. "They really pulled out all the stops with this one."
"Indeed," Michael said as he snagged a glass of champagne from a passing waiter's tray and took a gulp.
Jenna rolled her eyes and laughed. Just a typical night out for Michael Linden.
"Well," Michael went on, "I'm going to take a look around. But I'll be keeping an eye on you."
"No problem," Jenna said.
And with that, Michael swept off with his champagne to examine the relics.
As he left, Jenna headed toward a particularly striking painting in a brass frame that hung on the wall, close to an elegant marble staircase that led up to the balcony of the top level of the museum.
She had only stood alone in front of the painting for a few moments when suddenly a silvery voice caught her attention.
"Enjoying the evening?"
Jenna turned to look at the man standing behind her and instantly froze as she recognized him.
She found herself staring into the face of a tall man with pale skin and shoulder-length black hair, dressed in an immaculate tailored black suit and trench coat, with a pale yellow and green patterned scarf draped about his neck. Eyes like chips of ice stared out at her from a chiselled face.
Loki.
"It's you..." Jenna breathed, just loud enough for him to hear.
He smirked, a smirk that was both unsettling and familiar to her.
"Care to dance?" he asked smoothly, offering her his hand in a gentlemanly fashion.
"Do I have a choice?" Jenna shot back, glaring at him coldly.
Loki chuckled, a sinister sound.
"If you did..." he said, "...would I be leading?"
And just like that, suddenly she was dancing with him; her hand at his shoulder as he gently held her free hand in his, the other at her waist as they waltzed across the floor with captivating grace.
Jenna felt the breath leave her lungs.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him softly as she caught it again.
"Isn't it obvious?" Loki replied, spinning her under his arm before pulling her back to him. "I came here to see you."
Jenna felt his eyes scan her quickly before he smirked and added, "Glad you like the dress. It suits you."
It hit her like a freight train.
"It was you, wasn't it?" she accused him coldly. "You sent the invitation. You sent me this dress."
Loki simply nodded indifferently.
"You wanted me to come here," Jenna finished icily.
"To be honest, I'm shocked you didn't figure it out sooner," Loki quipped, waltzing her a little faster across the floor in a manner that bordered on dizzying.
Completing a turn, he suddenly pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her there and making her press her hands against his chest to catch herself.
"You know me, don't you?" Loki crooned into her ear.
Chills ran down Jenna's spine.
"Yes, I do..." she whispered, lifting her head to look him in the eyes.
"And I know that you always have a plan," she added.
She paused before asking, "What are you really doing here?"
Loki raised an eyebrow at her.
"You wanted me to come here," Jenna went on, "because you were here anyway. Now what are you planning?"
A wicked grin slowly spread across the trickster's face.
"Ah..." he said, impressed. "Now that's my Jenna."
Goosebumps stood up on Jenna's arms as Loki said her name. The response was almost involuntary now.
Then, all at once, she realized that they had stopped dancing.
And Loki held what appeared to be an Asgardian walking stick in one hand.
Seeing the blue handle, Jenna realized in horror what it was.
The staff.
Before she could cry out or protest, Loki turned on his heel and struck the guard standing nearest to them across the face with the end of the staff.
Jenna screamed, covering her mouth with both hands to stifle it.
Everyone in the crowd screamed, too.
Due to her lack of weapons, Jenna could only stand and watch, horrified, as Loki seized an older man from the crowd and threw him down onto a marble slab in the middle of the ballroom floor.
Loki reached into his coat and pulled out a small, mechanical handheld object. A thin needle extended from the end of it, which Loki swiftly jabbed into the man's eye.
Everyone in the crowd screamed in horror, and started fleeing for the doors.
Michael came careening down the staircase and found Jenna.
"Run!" he told her. "Go! Now!"
Jenna nodded and followed the terrified museum-goers, sprinting in three-inch heels.
Out of nowhere, a hand suddenly seized Jenna's arm, pulling her to an abrupt halt and causing her to gasp in shock and fear.
She knew without turning around that it was Loki.
"You're not going anywhere, darling," he said softly into her ear. "At least...not without me."
So saying, he pulled her back to stand beside him, her hand still locked in his grip, holding her arm across his chest the way a king would when escorting his queen; his other arm moving to the small of her back.
She walked alongside him, with no other choice, toward the open double doors that led out onto the streets of Stuttgart.
As they walked, Loki's tailored suit and coat melded away into his trademark Asgardian armour and horned helmet, using magic.
At the same time, Jenna became aware that her blue dress had transformed into an entirely different garment; one that she recognized as soon as it materialized around her.
The dress from that first ball...
~.~
THEN
Sif and Jenna entered the main hall to find it teaming with people; all drinking, dancing or feasting in overall merriment.
And Thor was in the centre of it all; as usual.
Of course, that was the way he liked it.
Jenna could also see Volstagg animatedly telling one of his famous battle tales while desecrating a roast boar, with Hogun listening intently, and Fandral sweet-talking a group of young ladies.
Odin and Frigga sat side-by-side at the head of the table, smiling happily.
And on the other side of the table, Michael was laughing and drinking with some Asgardian warriors.
Jenna sighed and rolled her eyes with a half-smile.
Her uncle was clearly enjoying himself.
"I feel so out of place..." Jenna said softly.
Sif smiled encouragingly.
"You'll get used to it, trust me," she told her. "Now, I should go and keep an eye on Thor. And you should find Loki."
Jenna smiled, almost involuntarily.
Sif, like most of Thor's companions, had noticed how close Jenna had grown to Loki in the mere weeks she and her uncle had spent in Asgard.
It had all started the day after Jenna and Michael had first come to Asgard. Jenna had wandered into the castle's library and inadvertently found Loki practicing magic there. She was fascinated by his abilities, and they spoke about his Aesir gifts, and how he and his fellow deities were perceived by Midgardians. Ever since then, there had been something between them that no one could really define.
Often, the two of them would spend their afternoons just sitting out on the terrace of the castle together, conversing about everything from the differences between Asgard and Midgard to their taste in literature. Sif may have befriended Jenna, but there was no one in Asgard she was closer to than Loki.
As Sif walked away from her, Jenna scanned the room with her eyes looking for Loki.
Her eyes drew over the crowd of merry-makers on the dance floor and at the banquet table, going directly to the side of the room, away from all the excitement.
Sure enough, within moments those recognizable horns came into view.
Jenna smiled with endearment at the sight of them, and started across the room toward him.
As she walked, Volstagg, Fandral and Thor all shot smiles and greetings to her. In response, she smiled at each of them and gave them a small wave.
When she reached the other side of the room, Loki stood with his back to her, his gaze fixated on the window.
To her surprise, he started slightly when she placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
"There you are," she said with a smile.
Loki chuckled and smiled back.
"Miss Jenna," he said. "I'm impressed. Not many have the ability to sneak up on me."
Jenna laughed.
"Well, you know I take pride in being able to sneak up on people," she replied.
"That, you do," Loki said with a grin.
Jenna grinned back at him.
"And how many times have I reminded you to just call me Jenna?" she added playfully.
Loki chuckled in response.
Both of them glanced over to where Thor was enjoying his position as the centre of attention, and the life of the party.
Loki rolled his eyes.
"Behold," he told Jenna, aside. "The wild animals heralding the upcoming celebration. How very primitive."
Jenna smothered a laugh and gave him a playful shove; which did little against his armour.
"Stop it," she said. "He's your brother. And he deserves a little limelight. He is going to become king soon."
"Don't remind me..." Loki muttered.
"Loki," Jenna said. "I know that Thor can be a brute at times, but...perhaps once he's king, he'll...clean up his act."
"I shall believe that when I see it," Loki replied.
Jenna nodded in agreement.
Glancing over at him, she felt a smile creep onto her face.
"You know," she said, "you should really get out of this corner and talk to somebody. Otherwise you might go mad."
"I do talk to someone," he said matter-of-factly.
She gave him an incredulous smile.
"Someone besides me," she said. "Like Thor, or one of the Warriors..."
Loki raised an eyebrow at her.
Jenna caught the unspoken message almost instantly and sighed in defeat.
"I know, but it's the best I can do," she conceded.
Loki smirked at her.
"I believe you can do better than that," he told her; and there was something in his voice that captured Jenna's full attention.
It was her turn to raise an eyebrow.
Much to her surprise, Loki raised his hand with a flourish and offered it to her in a gentlemanly fashion.
"May I have this dance...Jenna?" he asked her with a coy glint in his eyes.
Jenna smiled at him to mask the fact that she was clearly flustered.
"Absolutely," she said as she took his hand.
He led her out onto the floor, still holding her hand in his. His free hand moved to her waist, and hers went to his shoulder as they began to waltz.
After a silent moment, Loki smirked at her.
"You look as if you're thinking something," he said softly; just loud enough for her to hear.
Jenna managed a shy little smile.
"I'm thinking that...I've never danced before," she responded quietly.
Loki raised one eyebrow and smiled back at her.
"Just follow my lead," he whispered into her ear as the dance drew them closer together.
And she did.
They danced for what felt like all night, with nothing in the world to them, but each other; her chocolate brown eyes never leaving his ice blue ones, and vice versa.
"I can't imagine a night where you could look more beautiful..." Loki told her softly as they waltzed.
Jenna couldn't reply. The motion of the dance, the blue of his eyes and his arms around her was enough to leave her breathless.
Before long, almost everyone had noticed them dancing together.
Neither of them cared.
~.
