Alice was pulled out of sleep when something tickled her arm. She opened her eyes and was nose-to-antennae with a huge cockroach. Screeching, she bounded out of the bed with agility usually reserved for when she was using Myrkr. And then she realized that the room she was in now was not the one she fell asleep in. When she started swearing like a seasoned Asgard warrior, Loki couldn't help it. He scurried on top of the comforters and changed from bug to man. He sat primly in the fluffy mess and allowed himself a gigantic smirk. What he didn't account for was how deadly Alice was with a pillow. Soon, it was snowing feathers and Alice had escaped the room. He prowled after her and caught her just as she was about to grab a steak knife from the block on the kitchen counter. When he swept the house last night, he'd left that little gift. He hoped she would try something like this. Throwing her over his shoulder, he marched out into the cold and through the small copse of trees at the edge of the lawn. She started pleading when the water came into view, but Loki just continued down the small path between the snowy grounds and dock. Without ceremony, he tossed her into the freezing water. He used his magic to push her down a few feet for good measure and then headed back inside.

As soon as he settled before a cheerily crackling fire in the living room, she came sopping in.

"I thought we had a truce." She said that like she'd always known he wouldn't keep his word. Smart girl.

"Yes. We do. I won't try to kill you as long as you don't try to kill me. This means that without murderous intent, I can push you as close to death as I want." He had the gall to pick up a paper and snap it open.

She started towards him.

"By all means, try. It's only fair." The fire in the grate froze, her clothes freeze dried, and her dripping blonde head solidified into haircicles.

Alice changed course and aimed for the bedroom. After a very long and very hot shower she braved another confrontation. He was still sitting in front of the fire, which was back to normal, but the paper was gone. She sat down in the armchair next to him and scooted as close as she could towards the warmth.

"Where are we?"

"North."

"Loki." She prodded him with her magic.

"In the middle of Lake Erie."

"What the...? I'm not going to get an explanation, am I?"

"No."

She sighed and snagged his cape.

Loki let her have her small victory. He was still on edge from her magic. It was distressing how much it liked trying latch onto him when Alice wasn't hurling attacks in his direction. Which were all still clumsy forces of power. She was like a toddler that had been given a bazooka. Aware enough to fire, but completely ignorant of the power and the implications. Karnilla was as close as he could come to a comparison. Her magic didn't do this. Before now, he'd be hard pressed to consider magic as something that could be this responsive on its own. He was almost certain that this was the only case he'd find.

More of his cape was tugged free of his back. Shaking his head, he unclasped it and draped the whole length of wool over Alice snugly. She was so ignorant. He could trick her into turning herself into a matchbox, or a jewel, or some such, and this annoyance would be dealt with. Slap some barriers around her and slip her into his magical 'storage area' and a decade or two would wear her down nicely. But...

He wanted to use her, craved wielding all that potential.

She had dubious ties to Myrkr. He shouldn't like that, but he did. She had dubious ties to his brother. He didn't like that at all. She had dubious ties to the Avengers. Negligible. At least for now. And she had definite ties to Asgard. That was just...depressing.

But what fun it would be to shape the chaos, mold her power into his own image of strength. Getting to torment her was just a perk of the job.

He would teach her.

It was the biggest mistake he could make with this situation, but he would teach her.

~#~

Lessons started abruptly for Alice. The cape was snatched away and the chair dragged so that she was facing Loki.

"I'm just gonna..." before she could make a break for it, his booted foot came to rest securely on her stomach. As an afterthought, he tossed the other one across the arm of her chair. She was effectively pinned down and boxed in. He then started a rambling lecture on the fundamental principals of magic and energy work. At the end of Loki's two-hour rant she was informed that there would be a quiz on the material the next day. If she didn't pass, she would get dumped in the lake again.

The test, of course, was rigged. It took her a month of ice baths and a hefty amount of theory and practical application before she finally started using her magic to cheat. Amazingly, it took her teacher a week to catch on (more like he gave her a week's reprieve) but then he cracked down with a vengeance. After two months, she was practically immune to the cold and comprehending teachings that it took the Asgardian prince years to master.

He was green with envy, a tad bit irritated, and downright addicted.

In between lessons, he often flew off for more mischief. The Avengers had quieted down. When they were on missions they no longer stuck to the strange schedule they did before.

He had a very solid theory about this.

After a minor incident that resulted in him having to retrieve Alice from the breakwater off of Cleveland, she stopped trying to flee the island. Maybe it was because of her own free will, maybe it was because of the gigantic squid monster he added to the shallows. Who knew?

Still, he kept her in the dark about most things going on outside of her little prison. Which was why, when he came crashing through the roof of their charming cottage, she was prepared. In a stroke of cosmic justice, he landed right in front of her chair. With a nonchalance Loki would have approved of, had he not been used for the footstool, she kicked her legs across his chest and went back to her sudoku.

He shrieked in fury and yanked her down onto his chest. Her mouth was pried open and an apple shoved in. He pinned her relentlessly until she ate the entire thing - seeds and all - and then hurled her at the wall. She hit a window and flew straight through the glass. As she bounced across the snow, a familiar feeling tingled through her body. That was an apple from Asgard!

Loki was still lying on the floor when she made it back inside, calmly eating his own apple.

"Did you say hello to your father, at least?" A fire poker was flung with meticulous precision. It missed, but just barely.

"Okay." She hightailed it to her room. A few hours later, he kicked the door in, shoved her off the bed, and covered himself in blankets. She rose up to strike back in retaliation, but was cowed by the hellion look in his green eyes. She didn't like letting this go. The daily dunking she put up with only because it got her a magic lesson, but this...this was far beyond their normal slapstick banter.

He had gone back to Asgard, his home, his prison. Alice blamed him for this spoilt attitude, but also understood. The door was slammed in her face when she tried to tactfully withdraw, so in frustration she slumped to the floor as far away from him as she could get. In the morning, she awoke wrapped in blankets. The bed was empty. The prince was at his usual place before the fire, staring pensively into the flames.

~#~

After that, Loki's attitude changed, and not for the better. It was becoming more obvious to Alice how possessive he was getting over her or, more specifically, her power.

Things finally came to a head one evening when he enchanted all of her belongings to smell like him. It was really just a harmless trick for Loki. She was able to handle this type of magic now and he knew that it would irk her to no end to have to change it all back. Especially if she was reminded of him.

Her roar was so loud that it shook the windows. He couldn't resist. He made his way to her en-suite bathroom. A shampoo bottle was flung at him so hard it cracked through the plasterboard and cemented itself in the wall.

"Change it back, you bastard!"

"You're more than capable of doing that yourself."

"You did it. You FIX IT." A muttered, 'sadistic little fucker' followed.

'Sadistic, eh?' He mused, then did his absolute worst. He knew it was a low blow to climb into the tub, but he did it anyway.

When Alice realized that Loki was leaning rakishly against the tiles, fully clothed and eyes glued above her shoulders, she froze. He flourished his hand out expectantly.

"See, I'm fixing it."

With Steve's help, she was breaking punching bags in one hit. Loki was not a punching bag. He crunched more satisfactorily and flew much farther. He soared into her bedroom, spurting blood. She snaked her hand out and slammed the door, tided the shower curtain, and proceeded to clean her hair. With the damn Loki-smelling conditioner.

She had just got it rinsed out when he hurtled back in. Yanking down the shower curtain and slamming the tap off, he dragged her out. He looked positively demonic with his eyes twinkling crazily and a swath of red covering his face and shirt.

They both paused, unsure if they wanted to continue this particular battle. Finally, Alice slowly tried to slip her arm out of his grasp. He shook his head.

"Oh no. You started this." He slid his hands up her ribcage and then tossed her into the bedroom. "You FINISH IT."

The house shook as they punched, kicked, and magicked their way across the tiny space. By the time they destroyed the kitchen island, Loki had realized that Alice was still fighting buck nude. And that he had an erection. Ever one to press his advantage when it suited him, he damned the consequences and shoved her up against the wall.

The kiss Alice received was savage and dominating and thrilling. It was a horrible first kiss. She whacked him over the head but he wouldn't let go. It didn't take long for his fingers to start doing...things...and then, against her better judgment (and in total agreement with the little devil on her shoulder), she was on board with the happenings one hundred percent. For the next few hours, the poor cottage took even more damage as they flung each other over furniture, beds, ceilings, and any other available surface.

The first light of dawn saw them collapsed on his bed. As he drifted off, Loki kissed her shoulder and breathed with earnest possessiveness,

"Mine."

Alice could feel his smile on her skin as he fell asleep. She frowned.

She could definitely say the sex had been mind-blowing (if a little a painful). And it was worry free - he had used protection. But she couldn't stifle the fact that had been made clear to her: Loki was becoming dangerously obsessed with her power. And she was convinced that her body might be added to that statement, too, if this continued. She was not some sappy romance-novel heroine. She did not love him. There might be potential, but he had so many issues, she really didn't want to let herself fall. But this wasn't what scared her.

She knew he could go full-out bonkers if he got possessive enough. She was strong enough to fight. She just didn't know if at this point in time she was strong enough to win. And to be his property, a pet kept for his amusement and whims was not something she wanted. What absolutely, thoroughly, utterly terrified her was the chaos and relentless pursuit that he would drag after her like a furious tornado if the tether between them became stable.

She had to go before it was too late.

It was time to call Myrkr.

Once Loki was sound asleep, she tenderly stumbled out of bed, slipped back to her bedroom and put on the very same outfit she was wearing when she came to the island - the S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform and tactical gear.

The weather was nice for early April. Accompanied by a mild breeze, she walked down to the dock. As she neared the shore, she raised her hand to the fiery morning sky.

~#~

The S.H.I.E.L.D. barge was still floating over Myrkr, a token of the hope that Fury and the Avengers were keeping alive. On an early spring morning, something rocketed through its hull and leapt into the air.

As the Director received a report on the sinking boat, he called a meeting. Alice was somewhere out in the world, away from Loki's influence, and they were going to find her.

~#~

Alice crossed the country like a shooting star. Nearing New York, she aimed Myrkr towards the ostentatious Stark Tower. Clumsily alighting on the Iron Man landing pad, she was met by Jarvis. Having been introduced during training, he recognized her clearance and welcomed her inside. She gratefully sank into the first chair she came across. Minutes later, a hidden monitor turned on and Tony's face popped up, looking concerned and relieved.

She was safe.

"Tony?" she questioned.

"Alice! Where the..."

"TONY!"

"Er...yes?" He pulled his patented puppy dog look.

"As soon as I get back to base, we are playing a game of poker."

"Anything you want, babe."

"And the jackpot is going to be a shit load of Snickers." Loki wouldn't let her have Snickers. In general, junk food made a rare appearance on the island.

Stark didn't have time to answer as Fury shoved him out of the way.

"Miss Ward, welcome back to active duty. Now, exactly where have you been?"

~#~

Loki was content. He curled further into the covers and ran through a mental replay of last night. Alice had been...astounding. More than that, he had been her first. She was thoroughly his, in magical might and now in body, and he intended to keep it that way. Grinning into his pillow, he quested an arm out in order to snag her for another round.

And was met with an empty bed.

He was going to kill her for going to get breakfast instead of sticking around for a morning fuck. And then he'd drag her sorry hide right back to the mattress.

He forced himself out from under the sheets and stalked into the kitchen. It, too, was empty. Where...?

"Allfather, no."

He sent out as many doubles as he could to search the island. She was gone.

Loki's scream of rage was so violent that seagulls floating half a mile offshore skedaddled.

Why did she...?

How did she...?

He stormed into her room. The closet was open and her uniform was gone. She was fleeing back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Laughter bubbled up and flowed through the room. Silly girl. It was too late. Even Loki himself realized that there was no way he was going to let her go.

If Alice had been privy to his fit of insane cackling, her very soul would have trembled in fear.