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AN: This story is on the assumption that Thor had visited Jane at some point between the events of Thor and Avengers. Semantics...which I cannot be bothered to account. Just go with it ^_^ Thank you to everyone who has alerted/favourited this story – you can review, you know, I don't bite!
Also, helluva lot of talking in this chapter. I'm sorry for that, but not sorry enough to change it.
Travelling across the universe with no form of protection was something I did NOT really want to experience again, thank you very much. I suppose it was alright for gods, who were all godlike and badass, but for a human? Bleugh. It felt like I was being squashed into a tiny ball while being stretched out to be a mile long (I want to be taller, but not that tall), and simultaneous being fried and frozen. Hardly pleasant.
We landed and I dropped to my knees, coughing as the air returned to my lungs. I think I now knew what it was like to be microwaved. That, or tortured. There was a ringing in my ears, and it took a while for that to subside enough for me to be able to hear Thor's rumbling voice.
"Who are you? Why did you follow us?" I looked up, still breathing heavily, to see Loki being escorted away by some guards who looked incredibly buff...damn, that was distracting. I blinked a couple of times and looked back at the confused and furious God of Thunder. Comprehension dawned on his face and a hand grasped the top of my arm (I'm sure he thought he was being gentle, but gentle to a giant like him, and gentle to girl like me are two completely different things. Ow). "Lizzie?"
"Lily." I corrected, wincing at the gargled sound of my voice and coughing again.
"Jane's friend?" I nodded. "Why are you here? Where is Jane?"
"I'm here because there isn't anything for me on Earth, and I wanted to do something different. Jane's not with me, I haven't spoken to her in months. We were never that close to start off with." I let Thor help me to my feet, all the while berating myself for being so conscious of his incredible hotness. Why are there so many good looking men? Just why? "Please, I have thought this through. Let me talk before you send me back." Thor looked pensive, but eventually nodded. He sent away some guards (who I hadn't noticed, but apparently they were all pointing sharp things at me, fully prepared to shish kebab me if I made a wrong move) and led me down a long corridor. I was completely awed by my surroundings – I could only assume that it was a palace of some kind. I received many strange looks from the people of Asgard who were also there; they looked like normal humans if you ignore the strange (but awesome) clothes.
Thor opened a door and ushered me inside, and I found myself in what could only be his bedroom. He pulled out a chair for me while slyly kicking some clothes under the dresser and picking up a plate of half-eaten food and dropping it in a drawer. Men. Whether they're gods or humans, they're all the same. He found a clean glass and poured me some water, which I gladly accepted, sighing as the soothing liquid dripped down my throat. Travelling across realms is thirsty work. He dragged another chair over in front of me and sat down, his eyes looking all intense and pretty as they studied me.
"That was very dangerous, you know. I imagine that most humans would have passed out after being exposed to that sort of power, perhaps even have been killed. You are either very brave, or very foolish." I smiled sheepishly.
"Probably a bit of both, if I'm honest." He shook his head, trying (and failing) to disguise a grin as disapproval.
"I hope that you have a good reason for your actions, and I hope you are prepared for disappointment if you want to stay in Asgard, Lily. I cannot be lenient just because you are a friend of Jane's." I bit my lip.
"Promise you'll let me finish? And that if you do decide I can't stay, you don't send me back today? That travelling thing was nasty, and I really don't want to experience it twice in one day."
"You have my word." I nodded gratefully, taking another mouthful of water before beginning.
"When I was 12 years old, my parents were killed by S.H.I.E.L.D. Natasha Romanoff was the one to carry out the assassination, but Fury ordered it. Mom and Dad were criminals, specialising mainly in drug and arms export and importation, but they kept me out of it completely. S.H.I.E.L.D didn't even know I existed when they sent Black Widow. She offered to vouch for me to S.H.I.E.L.D, so they could train me up or something, but I ran. I didn't want the person responsible for my parents' death to be responsible for me. I wasn't even a teenager, but I was left to make my own way through the world.
"It was hard, especially in the first few months, but without my knowing, my parents had prepared me for this my whole life. When other kids were learning their ABCs, I was learning how to hack into cashpoints to get money. While everyone else was going to school, I was being taught how to break into empty houses and cook with the bare minimum of equipment and ingredients. As I got older, we progressed onto martial arts, and serious computer hacking. I'd go to piano and ballet lessons at the local academy, and then learn dirty kickboxing when I got home, or how to fire a gun. They made it seem perfectly innocent, a bit of fun, but I realise now that they were training me to follow in their footsteps. At the very least, it's what kept me alive in the years after they died.
"I managed to get my own place when I was 15, and no one questioned why I wasn't in school, because my parents had left me lists of people to get in touch with to ensure I didn't need to worry about it. I spent most of my time on the computer, learning how to programme and hack into pretty much anything I wanted."
"Programme? Hack? I'm sorry, I do not understand." I smiled at Thor.
"No, sorry, I should have realised. You know what computers are, right?" He nodded, though uncertainly. "Well, basically, programming and hacking are manipulating what computers can do and looking at the information they store, to put it simply. I could write a programme that contains codes to go around any security an organisation might have in place, and then hack into their computer mainframe...like, the big database...and see what they're hiding, or what plans they have. I didn't do it as a criminal activity, but simply because I was bored. It gave me something to do, and later, it gave me a job. I'd hack into an organisation's security, and then contact them offering to fix it. It paid well, and it was easy to live off a couple of jobs a year.
"When I saw the Chitauri invasion on the news, I went straight in to S.H.I.E.L.D's database to find out all I could. I'd seen you on there, and I was curious, to say the least. The footage of you lot was great – totally worth the hack. I got more information than what was shown on the news, and at the same time I could read up on the Avengers, and the Tesseract, and Loki, and the Chitauri. For someone like me, it was as if all my birthdays had come at once.
"But it made me think about what it is I do with my life. Or rather, what I don't do. I barely exist in the physical world – everything I do revolves around a computer screen, a virtual reality if you like. I realised that I wanted to do something for the good of other people, rather than just staving off boredom my entire life. So I thought I'd follow you. See if I could do something useful on a world without computers and hacking and stuff like that." I exhaled. I never spoke that much at once. Well, I did, but that was on the internet, and didn't require my mouth moving.
"I'm sorry, my Lady, but I cannot think of any place on Asgard where your skill set would be appreciated. You could do more worthwhile things that work with your talents if you go home, perhaps offer your services to S.H.I.E.L.D." I sighed in exasperation.
"That's exactly it. I still don't want to be in the care, or even on the payroll of the organisation that ordered my parents' death, even if it was justified. I don't have a home. Not on Earth. There's no one for me there, and I just waste my life away."
"What about Jane?"
"The world hardly revolves around her, Thor." I smile. "We were never the best of friends, we just hung out because there was nowhere better to go, and no one better to stay with. I really have no ties to Earth that would seriously pain me to severe, and I'm prepared to. That's why I followed you."
"But what could you expect to do here on Asgard? You're an intelligent woman, surely you had more of a plan than to simply hope that you would be accepted." I looked at my hands.
"Well...I had half an idea. I know it might not work out, but I suppose I should at least tell you..." I coughed nervously. "What is to be Loki's fate?"
"Loki?" Thor looked confused. "What has my brother to do with this?"
"Just humour me. What's going to happen to him?"
"Well, he'll be put on trial...many would want him executed for his crimes, but I will try to sway the court against that fate. I imagine he will either be imprisoned or exiled. If he is exiled, I doubt it would be to Midgard, for he has caused too much trouble there already. Possibly to another realm. Imprisonment would be my favoured option for him." I nodded.
"Where would he be imprisoned? The local jail?" Thor scoffed.
"We would not want him imprisoned with other criminals to plot with. There are dungeons below the castle, away from the vault, that would be converted. His imprisonment would be solitary and lengthy. There wouldn't be any need for guards, the dungeons are very well protected. He would be on his own, save for any visitors he might have. I doubt many people beyond myself would visit him, and he would not welcome my presence very much." I could tell that Thor wasn't really comfortable with the idea of his (adoptive) brother being completely alone, but knew that there was little hope for a better fate for him. This could work in my favour.
"So...it would basically be solitary confinement?" Thor nodded. "Well...what I'm proposing is...well, my idea was that...I could possibly...it could be organised so that..."
"Speak, Lily. Do not worry about offending or angering me. I swore I would listen to your plans before passing judgement." Thor smiled at me, kindness radiating from his eyes and I squirmed. He was so GOOD LOOKING and it was really quite off putting.
"I thought that maybe I couldbecompanyforLoki." Thor quirked his eyebrows. Clearly, he didn't understand what I said. I sighed. "I thought...that I could be company for Loki. Not guard him or anything-" Thor stood and started pacing angrily. I followed him and put a hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "I'm not saying that I would guard him, because I know he wouldn't need that, and even if he did, I would hardly be appropriate for the job. I'm just saying that he will need someone to talk to, someone who isn't going to keep bringing up his wrongdoings." Thor shook his head.
"No. Absolutely not. For one, it is too dangerous. Loki is the God of Mischief and Lies, and he would lead you astray within a week. Secondly, he would welcome the presence of a human like a Chitauri attack on himself, and attack you before we could do anything to stop it. I cannot allow it, Lily."
"You said you'd hear me out!" I accused.
"Yes, but I hadn't realised that your reasons would be such madness. Loki must be left alone. I cannot be too merciful to him, or the people will think I am weak. You must go back to Midgard, Lily. I will speak to S.H.I.E.L.D on your behalf." He brushed past me and I ran after him, sliding between him and the door and resting a hand on his chest.
"Think about it, Thor. Loki is mad anyway. Do you really want to confine him, with no company other than his own, for him to go even more insane through loneliness? Don't you think that if that happened, his plans for world domination would be even more ruthless and reckless and even more difficult to stop? I'm not saying that I'd be his ally. I'm just saying that he should have some company to prevent him going even madder than he already is, and I'm volunteering for the job. I doubt you'll have many other takers." I held Thor's gaze for what seemed like hours. I could almost see the internal battle going on inside his mind – send me home, and leave Loki to his own company (bearing in mind that the best person Loki could scheme with is his even more insane self), or assign me the duty of Loki's companion, and leave me susceptible to his charms and mood swings. He sighed.
"If I was to agree...and I'm not saying that I will...what would your terms be?" I smiled.
"I'd spend a couple of hours with Loki every day, maybe with a day off each week or something. In my spare time, I'd help you use the Tesseract to give Asgard power, and be able to run machinery and suchlike, which would mean you could do so much more, and even perhaps get equipment from Earth to work here. I'd want some access to the Tesseract to use it to charge up my phone and laptop etcetera, and my own room. The room wouldn't have to be big or anything, I'm not hugely fussy. I brought clothes with me-" I nodded towards the holdall I'd dropped in the corner of the room. "-and I wouldn't even ask for payment if I could stay here, and be fed." I surreptitiously crossed my fingers behind my back. Thor rubbed his hand across his face, and he suddenly looked a lot older than his years, and at the same time, a lot younger and more vulnerable. I waited anxiously for his answer. He stepped back with a sigh.
"If Loki is sentenced to imprisonment, and if he is agreeable to your company after your first visit...then yes. But only then, and if he manipulates or hurts you in anyway, the deal is off. Your first visits would be supervised, and we would have to install some sort of alarm for you to trigger if something went wrong..." I grinned and impulsively hugged him. He seemed surprised, but returned my embrace. I pulled back, beaming up at the God of Thunder (who really was very buff...mmmm...yum...NO, STOP IT LILY, HE IS JANE'S!). He smiled down at me. "You seem very happy at the thought of spending your time with the person who spearheaded the attack on Midgard."
"It's not that, I just...I feel like I could be doing something worthwhile here, which is more than can be said of my time on Earth."
"You would still undoubtedly be better off there. Now, I must go attend Loki's trial. You stay here. I will explain your presence to the court while I'm gone." Thor left the room and I sat down on his bed. I was now Loki's...companion? I don't know. Whatever I was, and whatever I'm to do, it must be better than hacking into the White House's security for the shits and giggles.
Reviewers get (metaphorical) cake. And PS. I know jackshit about hacking etc. and have never, and will never hack into the White House to find out what the security guards there like to do in their spare time. All that stuff came purely from my imagination. Just so we're clear.
