Day One; "I've Missed You Too, Sif"

Having left his apartment which lay south of the river Thames, Loki had swiftly made his way to the nearest underground station.

She was here. Sif, of all people.

How smart of Odin to send Asgard's most famed lady warrior to hunt him down.

The sly old goat.

And whilst she didn't know his exact location, the fact that she'd arrived in London proved she was much smarter than those incompetent fools at S.H.I.E.L.D.

But it wouldn't take long for their tracking devices to detect her presence here, so he desperately needed to reach her as soon as possible.

He hadn't been able to believe his luck when he'd realised the portal had opened on Hampstead Heath.

He'd actually laughed out loud, and had to resist the urge to punch the air in victory. Damn, he'd obviously spent too much time amongst the mortals.

Hampstead Heath was one of the largest, most rambling green spaces in the city.

He was confident that he'd reach her before she managed to find her way off it.

No sooner had the doors opened at Hampstead station when he practically leapt from the train, pushing his way passed the throng of commuters on the platform, ignoring their protests.

Once on the street he broke into a run, taking the steps up a wide passageway which led to the Heath, two at a time.

Meanwhile, after having made her way through a shallow valley and picked her way through the woods, Sif had found an earthen path which she was now following.

As it twisted around, she came to a gate, which was locked.

Damn.

She was just contemplating whether or not to hack through the chain with her sword, when the sound of approaching footsteps pounding the ground, startled her.

With classic timing, just as she drew her sword, suddenly the trickster himself came tearing around the bend in the path as if Surter himself was hot on his heels.

Well at least, it certainly looked like the trickster.

As well as being startled by his sudden presence, she was momentarily stunned by his change in appearance;

Dressed smartly in a dark suit, complete with a crisp white shirt and black tie, she wouldn't have recognised him at first glance had it not been for his trademark black shoulder-length hair and slim, pale face with its high arched cheekbones and dignified nose.

He skidded to an abrupt halt, his polished shoes sliding on the loose gravel.

For a moment neither of them spoke. They merely surveyed each other silently, whilst waiting for the other to be the first to speak.

He was slightly out of breath she noted, as he placed a large hand on the iron railings as if to steady himself.

"I see you were in great haste to find me."

She spoke finally.

"I was merely eager to see you again, Sif."

He retorted, his pale blue-green eyes boring into her.

She'd forgotten just how intense his gaze could be. She stared back at him, her stern expression unfaltering.

"You're out of condition, Loki."

She pointed out, hoping to irk him.

But a smile tugged at the corner of his lips,

"No, it's the sight of you that makes me breathless, Sif."

Choosing to ignore his remark, she slowly moved forwards, her sword inclined towards him.

"I have orders to bring you back."

Much to her irritation, he reacted by rudely rolling his eyes at her.

"Must you always follow orders? It makes you incredibly dull. Wouldn't you rather have a bit of fun for a change? It would do you the world of good."

"Taunt me all you like sly one, but I'm taking you back by whatever means necessary!"

She snapped, advancing upon him quickly, which caused him to raise his arms in mock surrender.

"I know..."

He spoke hurriedly,

"...admittedly that was a strategic move on Odin's part, sending you to apprehend me. Now had it been Thor, I wouldn't be willing to come quietly. But being as its you Sif, he must've known that I'd surrender."

Sif narrowed her eyes in suspicion, as she reached for the wrist shackles that hung from her belt. You could never trust a trickster.

"You expect me to believe that you sought me out in order to hand yourself over to me willingly?!"

"Why would I put up any resistance? I'm more than willing to be in your capable hands."

He replied, with a flirtatious wink.

At that she lost her temper and gripped him roughly by the front of his jacket,

"I think you'll find it is the very last place you'll want to be if you continue to mock me!"

She snarled, shoving him back hard, pinning him against the railings with all her strength.

Incredulously, his devilish grin merely widened further, and his beguiling eyes brimmed with mischief.

"Hmmm, I definitely won't put up any resistance. I'm not opposed to a bit of fighting as foreplay."

His less than subtle sexual innuendo caused her to falter for a moment, and she suddenly became painfully aware of the closeness of their bodies, which made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.

She was able to feel the lean muscles of his thighs through the material of his trousers, pressing against her own, and the hardness of his torso felt like solid rock. Warm rock.

What in the worlds was happening here?

She ought to be clamping his restraints on, not allowing her mind to wander to his physique. In all the years she had known him, this had never happened before.

But then again, she'd never found herself in such close proximity to him before, and she didn't like it.

The unexpected affect it was having on her, unsettled her greatly.

Perhaps it was due to the sweet smell of his cologne. He smelled utterly divine.

Or perhaps it was the full moon here on Midgard. Darkness was falling now, and the moon had risen high in the sky.

Yes, she'd heard of people being 'moonstruck' before.

That had to be it, and maybe he was too.

His face was mere inches away from hers now, and she saw the way his eyes darted downwards, scanning her lips.

Was he actually contemplating...kissing her?!

"Loki, what...what are you doing?"

Was all she managed to get out, finally breaking the loaded silence.

Her pulse had inexplicably quickened.

She knew she should move away, but her feet had turned to lead. It was as if her brain could not engage her body to move.

He slowly tilted his head towards her, as if angling his mouth in preparation, and all she could hear was the sound of her own blood thumping loudly in her ears.

He was going to kiss her, she was sure of it. And to her own disgust, she even found herself leaning in, holding her breath in anticipation.

Like a magnet, she was powerless to the pull.

She felt his long, cool fingers brush against her hand, which alarmingly made her skin tingle.

She didn't consciously intend to loosen her grip on his jacket, but a momentary lapse of concentration, was all that he needed.

Before she realised what was happening, he grasped her firmly by the wrist and in one quick motion, twisted her arm up behind her back.

She let out a shriek and in retaliation struck him hard on the left side of his face.

His head snapped back with the force of her strike, but he quickly grasped her free arm and spun her around. Rendering her temporarily helpless.

"Unhand me this instant!"

She yelled, and back-heeled him hard in the shin, causing him to loosen his grip for a moment. But he soon recovered, and shoved her forwards, forcing her face-down onto the ground.

"It appears I'm not so out of condition after all!"

He hissed, his full weight bearing down upon her, trapping her beneath him.

He was considerably heavier than he looked.

She struggled against him as he grappled with her, pressing a knee into her back in order to free his hands.

She felt him slip something around her neck, and panic gripped her.

Was he attempting to strangle her?

In vain, she resorted to trying to bite him, but he somehow managed to avoid her gnashing teeth.

"Hush, Sif...don't struggle...it'll do you no good."

He whispered menacingly into her ear.

And much to her alarm she suddenly felt extremely weak, her ability to move becoming extremely impaired.

"What are you doing to me?!"

She rasped, now virtually helpless.

Since she'd ceased struggling and he had no need to restrain her, he placed his hands on the ground either side of her in order to alleviate some of his weight.

"I'm terribly sorry about this Sif, I truly am."

He said gently, sounding almost convincingly sincere.

She attempted to move again, but she was too lethargic, and he was too strong.

"Go to Hell, monster!"

She retaliated angrily, although she was more furious at herself for having been distracted by him in the first place.

"Now now Sif, you didn't appear to be so hostile a few moments ago. In fact if I didn't know better, I'd say you seemed to find me quite appealing, for a monster!"

Her words had clearly hit a nerve, because as he spoke he crushed himself against her again, and all at once she became aware of a hardness pressing into her rear.

Was that what she thought it was?!

Eyes widening in shock, she bucked against him in a desperate attempt to get him off her. Then she halted in alarm, realising that her bucking against his groin might only stir his arousal further.

Did he intend to violate her right then and there? Was he actually capable of such a vile thing, to force himself upon someone against their will?

Swallowing down a pitiful wail, she channelled her feeling of hopelessness and converted it to rage.

"I could never find you appealing, hypocrite! It is you who are clearly enjoying this situation. The indication of your excitement betrays you. Having power over a hapless woman excites you doesn't it? You disgusting wretch!"

For a moment Loki remained silent, then as the realisation dawned on him, of what she was implying, he threw his head back and laughed.

In the next instant he was on his feet, his laughter ringing out across the deserted heath. He laughed so hard his shoulders shook and he was now clutching his sides.

It took every last ounce of energy she had to roll over and look at him. Needless to say, she was deeply confused.

"Don't flatter yourself lady, it was merely my dagger you felt poking you in the back!" He chuckled, though his tone was tinged with indignation.

She watched him reach into the waistband of his trousers and sure enough he produced the small ornate dagger, which she recognised as his.

"This is the only 'weapon' of mine you'll be feeling, or seeing for that matter...and believe me, it's far less deadly than what you mistook it to be."

Had she been more coherent, she would've perhaps been relieved and embarrassed by her faux pas. But she wasn't inclined to feel either at present.

"Honestly Sif..."

He continued, concealing the dagger once more within his clothing,

"...I don't know whether I should be amused or insulted that you could mistake something as small as that, for my-"

"What have you done to me Loki?"

She demanded abruptly, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"I've prevented you from being tracked by those cretins at S.H.I. . No need to thank me, you're welcome. Seriously though Sif, you really ought to be more selective about the company you keep. I'm disappointed in you."

"How? How have you done that?"

She asked, choosing not to be drawn by his slights.

He shot her a crooked smile, and indicated towards her neck,

"I gave you a gift, pretty isn't it? I apologise again for having to wrestle with you in order to put it on, but I knew you wouldn't have accepted it willingly."

Looking down at her chest, it was only then she noticed the small blue crystal pendant that hung around her neck on a beautiful silver chain. Lifting a trembling hand, she attempted to snap it from her neck, but he chain would not yield.

"I wouldn't bother wasting what little energy you have, it isn't removable. And what you're feeling is the initial effects of the mind gem, like all the infinity stones, it's incredibly powerful. That pendant has been crafted from a shard of the original stone, as has this..."

He held up his hand and on one of his slender fingers sat a small signet ring, set with a tiny blue stone.

"...this, along with your pendant, has been enchanted in order to avoid any detection."

"I knew you were choosing to be seen and using trickery in order to confuse the S.H.I. agents."

"Yes, my illusions...you'd think people wouldn't keep continuously falling for that, but the mortals are staggeringly gullible. They're almost as stupid as that oaf, Thor."

"I knew you were playing games Loki, you didn't have me fooled!"

Sif snapped, glaring up at his smug face.

"Ah, well you're different Sif, you're quite intelligent for an Asgardian and I knew you would work out the formulation to my little game of 'catch the trickster'"

He was right about that. She had sensed that he'd be in London, due to it being one of the last places that Thor had visited whilst on Midgard.

New Mexico, Germany, and Iceland...were all locations that either Thor or Loki had been to in the past. Wisely he had steered clear of America, after all the destruction he had caused there,

"You wanted to be caught, but you had no intention of surrendering. What do you intend to do with me Loki?"

She knew that if he had planned to kill her, then he would've done so by now.

Dusting himself down he edged closer.

She felt incredibly small in comparison, lay on the ground with him looming above her oppressively. His angular features emphasised by the moonlight, and his face half cast in shadow gave him a sinister countenance.

"You my lady, are now my prisoner. Ironic that isn't it?"

He leaned down, his arms outstretched towards her.

She tried to skirt backwards out of his grasp but she was utterly drained of energy.

He scooped her up with alarming ease, as if she weighed no more than a handful of feathers and she wasn't able to do a damn thing about it. Much to her irritation.

She couldn't even muster enough strength to lash out at him in protest.

"Where are you taking me?!"

"To your new place of residence."

He replied nonchalantly.

"You cannot carry me through the streets, people will see."

He began walking back along the path the way he had came, cradling her in his strong arms,

"I can and I will. And should anyone dare to ask, then I'll simply tell them that you can't hold your liquor."

"I shall scream, and call out for assistance!"

She threatened triumphantly.

His eyes flicked down to look at her. They looked cold and calculating now and had a glint of deviousness in them.

"Oh, I think you'll find that you won't. That pendant is cut from the mind gem, remember?"

She swallowed hard, digesting this information thoroughly.

The mind gem could be used in order to control people. It was that which had been in Loki's sceptre, given to him by Thanos himself, prior to the attack on New York.

Loki smirked as he registered her look of recognition and horror.

"That's right Sif, you will obey me now."

"I despise you!"

She spat out, impaling him with her glare.

If looks could kill then he would've dropped dead on the spot.

Incredibly, his own expression softened in comparison, and there was a genuine hint of fondness in his voice when he spoke,

"Oh I've missed you too, Sif."