Disclaimer: I posses no rights to Loki, Odin, or any other Marvel product. All that I do is merely for the sake of enjoyment...I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS! WHY CAN THEY NOT BE MIIIIIIIINE!?


Chapter 2: Not What She Wanted


Darcy Lewis had never really considered herself to be a very special or unusual woman. Eager, excited, air headed yet cleverer than some. She didn't have an IQ in the stratosphere like Jane and Erik, or the commanding presence of Mr. Fury, the sheer badassery of Clint, Steve, or Natasha, or the unique eccentric brilliance of Tony Stark.

And yet, here she was, an intern in SHIELD's Science and Research Division, on a first name basis with several of those same amazing people she had mentioned, and rooming with the God of Thunder and his human girlfriend (who was also her best and possibly only friend).

A lot of things had changed for Darcy since Thor had returned. The first thing that the God of Thunder had wanted to do when all the commotion had gone down and he had properly greeted Jane and promised to never leave her again, was to find his 'brothers in arms' at SHIELD and create a home for himself on Midgard. Turns out, SHIELD hadn't been far behind. Tony and Steve had been less than an hour away when Thor had defeated those crazy WoW knock-offs and their boss, and both were happy to see Thor again (especially the good Captain. Tony seemed a little preoccupied with wanting to know what the hell was going on and why he wasn't invited sooner).

After that, everything had been a bit of a blur. Thor was invited to be an ally of SHIELD and an official defender of the planet earth (which Darcy suspected was done in no small part because Nick Fury had insisted that it was much better to be on Thor's good side than not), Jane had been taken on as a part of a science team dedicated to better understanding the nature of Asgardians, (They had also wanted to involve Erik, but he had failed the psych evaluation, although Darcy had heard that he was doing much better in that regard and would try again in a month or so).

Darcy herself had followed Jane. She hadn't thought that a place like SHIELD, the single most powerful organization in the world, dedicated to the protection of all man-kind, would have really cared about someone like her. And yet, she had experience. She had been there in New Mexico, although she hadn't done a whole lot, and then she had been in Greenwich, where she had actually done something to help save the whole freaking world, and maybe more! I mean, sure, she had shoved a few stakes in the ground, but according to SHIELD, doing so had shown 'Great courage in the face of adversity and excellent initiative' and Jane had vouched for her 'unique mindset'. And they had wanted her.

And now here she was, Darcy Lewis, Agent of SHIELD.

Okay, that last bit was a lie. She was still an intern, she was still Jane's intern, filing stuff and occasionally getting coffee. But hey, it was an internship with SHIELD, and that was still freaking awesome.

And there were a lot of perks. She spent most of her time with Jane, helping in whatever way she could, and it just so happened that Thor ALSO spent most of his time with Jane. And the rest of the Avengers would often come by to talk to Thor, either to inform him of something or just to chat. No less than 3 Avengers knew her by name, and she fancied that Steve Rogers, Captain Freaking America, even considered her to be something of a friend.

And yet...Darcy Lewis didn't feel like she was content with her life. Maybe that was selfish of her. She had done and seen so much. And yet, she was still JUST an intern. For having freaking saved the world, done more than 99% of the suits who passed by with their intense stares and strange infatuation with sunglasses, she was still just the girl who got coffee and whose lack of any sort of filter served as amusement to the people who actually did stuff. She just...wished she was more important.

And then there was Ian. Oh, by Odin's beard, Ian... He hadn't qualified to join SHIELD, but he had followed them to New York and had taken up an apartment nearby to the one that Darcy and Jane shared. And...while she had been happy about it at first, she had become steadily less and less sure of the relationship since then. He followed her around like a puppy, save when she was at SHIELD headquarters doing intern stuff, and always did everything she asked without question and doted on her hand and foot...

And she was getting sort of fed up with it! She felt that she could probably ask him to punch himself in the face and he would put on boxing gloves. She could steamroll over the poor boy! He didn't...challenge her at all. He didn't bring out anything great it her. He was a good person, and a nice guy, and for a while she had been caught up in the whole romanticism of his having saved her back in England, but she didn't want a guy who was totally submissive to everything she did. Not that she wanted a guy who would control or try and tell her what to do either, because she would take none of that shit, but she wanted someone whom she could feel like she was on equal ground with. Someone who would care about her, but also wouldn't let her get away with everything.

She didn't have the heart to tell the poor boy she wanted to dump him. He'd probably curl into a ball on the ground and cry. But she also knew that she didn't want to lead him on. Maybe she should just do it quick like a bandaid...

The sound of approaching footsteps brought Darcy out of her rumination and she looked up from the papers that she was supposed to be documenting to see a familiar hunk in a star spangled combat suit.

Darcy smiled as she quietly tried to slip the paper under the desk, "Hey Cap! What's up?"

Steve Rogers smiled at her, "Hello Ms. Lewis. Do you know if Thor is around?"

Since his return from Asgard, Cap had become quite possibly Thor's closest friend. It wasn't hard to see why. Both noble and honorable men who were about as good-natured as you could get, but still natural warriors.

Darcy smiled ruefully, only slightly upset that he wasn't here to talk to her. "Sure, he's up on the third floor smashing place."

Steve gave her an odd look, "You mean the training room?"

Darcy smirked, "For Goldilocks? It's a smashing place."

The star spangled hero contemplated that for a moment, and then gave her a half shrug, "I suppose. Thank you Ms. Lewis. Have a nice afternoon."

"YOU CAN CALL ME DARCY!" She called after him as he left to find the Thunder God. He turned and gave her a friendly smile before he left, but otherwise didn't respond. He was probably too much a gentleman to feel comfortable with that.

Darcy was certainly not too much of a lady not to feel comfortable staring as his tight ass as he walked away. Yeah, she had a bit of a girl-crush, but hey, it's freaking Captain America! She felt she was entitled to that. Not that she'd actually want it to go anywhere. She was fine admiring the goods from afar.

Darcy sighed and stood up. She was bored and wasn't getting anywhere. She'd finish cataloging Jane's data tomorrow. Sweeping up her security card (awesome) and her iPod, she began to make for home.


Steve ducked under another swipe from his sparring partner and landed two quick punches into Thor's abdomen before pulling back and again out of his reach. Thor chuckled, hardly even feeling the blows, and shifted his stance into a more defensive posture.

"You know, even without my God-strength, I was still capable of taking down an entire squadron of your finest warriors back in New Mexico, and yet I cannot lay a hand on you Captain. Truly you are the greatest warrior I have ever known. Had you the strength of the Aesir I believe you could single-handedly strike down the entire royal guard of my father's palace."

Steve shrugged, as he attacked again, feigning left, then somehow slipping through Thor's attempt at a grab and landing a heavy uppercut to Thor's jaw with enough force likely to rip a normal man's head from his shoulders, "I don't know about that Thor. But I do know that you're telegraphing your attacks too much."

Thor blinked in surprise and held his fists closer to his chest. The pair circled around each other like wolves waiting for an opening, neither giving one. Thor lost his patience first and lashed out with a strike angled at Steve's shoulder. Captain America let out a surprised shout and was only just barely able to slide with the momentum of the punch to avoid taking the hit. At the last possible moment, he grabbed onto Thor's arm and used his shoulder as leverage to lift the Thunder God off the ground and flip him hard onto the metal floor.

Thor landed on his back with a heavy thud, the force of the landing enough to send an echoing crash throughout the entire building. Thor looked up, unharmed, and let out a bark of laughter, "Very good Captain. You have bested me."

Cap smiled and helped pull his friend up, "You fixed that telegraphing problem instantly. I didn't see that last one coming."

Thor shrugged, "It is something that I had thought I had overcome a long time ago. I am glad that you made me aware of the fault in my combat prowess."

The two of them turned to leave the training room, Thor picking up Mjolnir on the way and Steve his shield. They walked through SHIELD headquarters for a while, discussing all manner of things. Every so often, Thor noted, Steve would open his mouth as if to say something and then seemed to think better of it and go back to whatever they were discussing.

For a while, Thor didn't question this, deciding that if his friend wanted to talk, he would, but finally his curiosity got the best of him, "Is there something you wish to say to me Captain? I would not have you afraid to speak."

The two stopped walking, and Captain America stood still for a moment, a look almost of concern on his face, "It's just...you've been back for a while now and you haven't mentioned anything about your Brother. Now I know that you told Director Fury that he died, and nobody has wanted to talk to you about that, but I just figured I wanted to see how you were holding up."

Thor turned his head away, "My capacity to lift has not been impeded by my brother's death. I assure you I am as capable a warrior as I have always been. If you are inquiring as to my personal well-being, I am coping well enough."

Steve nodded, "I'm sorry. I know that despite everything, you still cared about him. How did he die?" His eyebrows raised inquisitively and even Thor, dense as he could be, could not fail to recognize the implied question, 'did your father execute him?'

Thor shook his head, "He died saving my life and the life of Jane Foster. For all his evil, were it not for this act, I would not be here today."

Steve was quiet for a moment, and then nodded, "I can't say that I can forgive him for what he did on Earth, but it sounds like he went out a hero."

Thor nodded, "In his own way."


It was dark...darker than night...darker than death...

The Jotun Prince looked around and saw nothing. Not a floor beneath his feet nor the walls of a cage. Only himself, almost glowing against the sheer blackness around him, naked, beaten, and bloody. He could see no chains constraining him, yet some force held his arms above his head. He didn't know where he was. He couldn't remember how he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered was falling. Falling for weeks, through the space between realms, dark but not dark like this.

He pulled against the force that bound his hands, but there was no give, only a burning pain that shot through his bones and into his spine. He cried out in agony, but continued to struggle. He had to get out of this. He had to find his way back to...back to what? His mind flicked to the man whom he had called father...the man who had rejected everything he had ever done and let him fall into darkness. He thought of the Warriors Three and Sif, who never wanted him along even when he was the one who saved them so often, only tolerating his presence because Thor insisted on bringing him along. He thought of Thor, who never saw him as a comrade or equal, but rather as his baby brother whom he protected out of some notion of familial duty.

Even if he escaped from this haunted prison, where would he go? He had no home left. Nothing but the void.

"Loki, of Asgard." A raspy voice spoke whispered in his ear. He twisted his head around, trying to find the source of the voice, but there was nothing. Suddenly, he felt the sensation of fingers on his face, "You have failed us, frost child. You had promised us a trophy and what do we get? A defeated squadron. How disappointing..."

Failed? Had he failed them? How had that happened? Had he been here before? Yes...now that he thought about it, he had. This place. This empty realm of torture. He had been here before, and met the Other here. His fall from the Bifrost had been years ago, not days as he had at first thought. He had taken the Chitauri army and waged war against Midgard, his brother Thor, and the Avengers. And he had failed. Why was he here again? What was this?

A light appeared from out of the darkness, but it was not a comforting sort of light. Rather, it was a tendril of fire and pain, glowing with heat that would have evoked the jealousy of Muspelheim. Loki struggled, despite the pain it caused, against his invisible bonds, but it was for nothing. The tendril of fire pressed itself into his bare stomach and Loki screamed, his entire body convulsing in agony. After the barest moment, it retreated, and the pain ebbed away, leaving only throbbing echoes behind. His reprieve was short lived however, as the tongue of fire lashed at him again.

"You truly thought you could escape from him? Even as a sham King sitting upon another's throne, you cannot hide."


Loki's eyes shot open and he lurched off of his bed, his breathing labored. His nightmares had been getting worse, ever since Odin had left. He barely had them at all in his cell, but by now he was suffering from them every night, and they were getting worse. The Other was not a being that he feared, but the memories of those torturous days plagued him still.

He stood up from his bed, which was Odin's and looked into a nearby mirror, the familiar angled face and black hair looking back at him. He flexed the tiniest degree of his magic and the face changed, widening, hair turning white and an eye disappearing only for the hole to be covered up by a golden eye patch.

The disguised Loki walked to the enormous golden doorway which was the entrance to Odin's room and exited into a large antechamber. It was still the middle of the night, but there were two guards stationed outside the doorway.

"My King Odin. Are you unwell."

Loki turned to the guard, and gave a gruff, rueful smile, "My kingdom is being repaired but it is still in disarray. My wife is gone, and my son has chosen the realm of mortals before his own family. I find myself troubled, and I wish for the reprieve of a simple stroll. I am not in need of an escort. You may go."

The guards glanced at each other, nodded, and left down a small pathway off to the side. Loki smirked at the simplicity of deceiving such lesser minds, and departed.

He looked out the window at the cities of Asgard, and smiled. Despite his words, the reconstructions were going excellently. Most of the city was repaired, and under his command, the defenses had been refortified and strengthened with greater magic than they had ever had before. The composition of the walls had been reforged and re-tempered so as that they would be able to stand significantly more force, all with his own guidance and direction. Some had questioned the King's personal involvement, but he had written it off as something he needed to do to keep his mind off of his recent personal troubles. Either way, the Kingdom would soon be stronger than ever under his rule.

Truly, it was Odin's folly for casting him away and not giving to him his rightful place as king. He was clearly far better suited to the job than Thor.

But that wasn't his purpose right now. He had more important things to do.

Odin's palace was vast, and traversing it took a great deal of time, but Loki knew all of the shortcuts that neither Thor nor Odin, nor even the kings of old knew. It wasn't long before he found himself in a very deep part of the fortress, where the guards never ventured. He walked down a spiral staircase of stone, which ended in what anyone else would have seen as dead end but Loki simply walked through it without hesitation.

Behind the false wall of stone was a wooden door, upon which was carved a single rune, eihwaz. Loki placed a hand on the door and spoke, "Open"

He waited for a moment, but there was no reaction.

He spoke more forcefully, "I am the King of Asgard, Odin All-Father, and you will open for me!"

Still nothing happened.

Loki scoffed. He didn't really think it would work. The door was enchanted with a very old magic, and would only open for the rightful king of Asgard. A simple illusion would not suffice to confuse it.

But no matter. He had time.


Reviews:

First off, thanks all for your kind words! I appreciate them all.

silverspetz: HEY! Good to hear from you again as well. The idea of Odin's plan all came from just the simplest of ideas, all coming from just the short scene where Loki goes back to Asgard, disguised as a royal guard. He mentions having found a body and Odin replies "Loki?" and he gives that famous devilish grin. I just couldn't see how Odin could have NOT recognized that grin, and when he asks "Loki?" we are supposed to think "You found Loki's body" but it could just as easily be identifying the guard. Either way, I presumed that Odin HAD to be in on it.

As for Odin's old man disguise, yeah, I am a big fan of the classical Norse tales, and I will be incorporating a lot of them into this story. Or at least a lot of the themes. Odin just being a big, hard-headed bully never struck me as right, and I don't think that's what they are really going for. Remember that Frigga says that everything he does has a purpose, so even if he comes across as more of a typical viking, I do believe he's just as much a schemer and mastermind as Loki.

scarletwitch0: I'm glad you approve. Yeah, I don't know what's going to happen with Anthony Hopkins, but I refuse to believe they would kill Odin off without even showing it. That's nuts. He deserves more respect than that. And I was really digging the redemption that Loki seemed to be going towards (although I don't think he's there yet).

IAmCommonSense: It is my running theory for what happened, which is why I am writing it :) I'm glad you approve, and I hope you enjoy the tasertricks. My personal favorite Marvel pairing.