Transgress

The oven's timer gives a jaunty ding and Jane reaches for her pig-snout potholder. The little ramekin fits snug and hot in the palm of one hand and she rests it on Darcy's decorative octopus trivet to let it cool. Steam rises from the bubbling crust and the smell of apple pie is rich, mouthwatering. Jane knows how to cook very few things—her crust, for example, is store-bought and very badly crimpedbut she knows a trick or two about seasoning.

For apple, a tablespoon of lemon juice and an extra dash of nutmeg makes all the difference.

"Why didn't you just eat it, dude?" Darcy comes sniffing out of the living room, resting her elbows on the kitchen island. "Doesn't baking, like, dilute the magic or something?"

"I don't think so," Jane says, reaching for a fork. Her stomach is growling and she feels ravenous for more than just pie. The rest of her life—and it will be a very long life, now—is waiting for her. She lifts a corner of the crust and dips at the bubbling filling. "Loki just said I had to eat the whole thing."

"Hmm," Darcy watches as Jane burns her tongue on the first taste. "I take it he's out distracting everyone?"

"Mmm," Jane nods, taking another tiny bite. Maybe she should have waited; she can't tell if the eternal-life-giving apple tastes any better than a Red Delicious at this point, her mouth is so seared by heat. "Thor especially. When he heard the apple had been stolen, I thought he was gonna make Loki strip to prove he didn't have it."

"That would've been something to see," Jane nods her agreement. A naked Loki is a wonder of Yggdrasil, and having seen more than a few of the latter, she feels justified in making that judgment. "But I can't believe Thor didn't suspect you," Darcy grins, "after all the time you two have spent together, you're practically as bad as Loki."

Jane just shrugs, uncomfortable still at the idea of lying to Thor. Thankfully, the pie has cooled enough and ah, there's the flavor. Idunn's apple is tart, so tart it almost cuts through the syrupy sweetness of cinnamon and sugar. It tickles her tongue and fills her mouth with sparkling effervescence, like a good dry cider. Jane rolls the bite over her tongue for a long moment before swallowing. "That's really good."

"Can't I just—" Darcy's finger edges towards a drip of syrup, intercepted by Jane's brandished fork.

"Sorry," she shrugs. "Rules are rules."

"People like you have no imagination," Darcy sits back onto a stool and watches Jane nibble. "Sure, you're gonna be as immortal as your boyfriend, but just think about how scattered you're both gonna be after the first...fifty years, say. You'll want someone to keep you organized, and who better than me, who knows exactly the lunatic way you like to organize your star charts?"

Jane stares at her pie, half-eaten now, crust and baked apples swimming together in a steaming bath of sauce. It's impossible not to feel the apple's effects now; her muscles are tightening, elastic, and her senses are sharpening almost painfully. Fear and doubt suddenly sour in her stomach, and she puts her fork down.

She wishes Loki were there. To do what he does best. To push her through her lingering sense of transgression. To take from the universe whatever she can.

"Dude, don't listen to me," Darcy can read her face as well as Loki, "you're gonna be awesome at this whole immortality thing. Just think about it—wandering through space with your hot space boyfriend, figuring out how everything works, looking into every nook and cranny of the galaxy," she trails off, smiling, "You'll be fine."

Jane looks up through her lashes. Darcy's mood is catching, and she finds herself grinning too.

"You're right," she takes a stab at the pie and digs up a huge bite. "I am gonna be amazing at this whole immortality thing."

She shoves the fork into her mouth and immediately regrets it. Darcy flies for a glass of water as her erstwhile boss chokes, whimpers, and fans frantically at her open mouth.