This chapter was tough to write. Feedback would be great. Thanks! And Happy New Year!

Alex spent the morning in bed waiting for Loki to seek her out, but he never came. She thought about her mother, reminiscing on her euphonic laugh, warm hugs, and great advice. Her mother was her best friend, always open to talk about anything and everything. Alex cried softly into her pillow, wishing she could be where ever her mother was.

That afternoon, Alex finally became hungry and went looking for food in the kitchen. As Alex had suspected the night before, Loki was nowhere to be found. She thought for a moment about running. Alex walked to the front of the house and peeked through the heavy, brown curtains. Nothing but farmland for miles in each direction but a city loomed far off on the horizon. Could she run that distance?

She looked down at her bare feet and wiggled her toes. Alex turned suddenly and took the steps two at a time to her room where she slipped on her sneakers and ran back downstairs. She had made her decision. She reached the door, ripped it open, and leapt outside onto the porch where she hit something hard and fell back.

"To where might you be going today, Alexandra?" Loki asked, hands behind his back and looking down at her, amused. The collision did not faze him at all, but Alex still hadn't recovered. The breath knocked from her lungs, she lay in a heap at his feet gasping for air.

"Just going for a run right quick," she struggled to squeak out once she regained composure. "Gotta stay fit." Alex knew her excuse was extremely flimsy.

"You believe me to be a fool, girl?" Loki grabbed her by the collar of her dress and lifted her onto her feet. Expecting to be physically reprimanded, Alex prepared for the worst, but Loki took a very deep breath and turned her around gently, ushering her back into the house. He kept one hand on her lower back until they reached the living room where both of them sat down on opposite couches. Alex never made eye contact with him, nervous for the punishment she would receive.

But none came. They sat there in silence until Alex felt a pang in her stomach, realizing that she never ate anything. She rose slowly from the couch and went to the kitchen perusing the pantry. She grabbed a handful of carrot sticks she had chopped the day before and returned to the living room. Loki watched her intently. Something about his demeanor was different but Alex couldn't put her finger on it.

"So," she began bravely, dying to fill the silence, "what's up?" Loki looked confused and glanced upwards.

"Is this some kind of bizarre mortal witticism?" he asked her. She furrowed her brow and gave a sort of half grin at his confusion.

"Um, no. It's a kind of a way to say 'how are you' I guess."

"You care for my well-being?" He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his fingers together. She hadn't seen him so relaxed, but his question raised the hair on her arms. Did she care about his well-being? She hesitated.

"No," she turned away from him. "I just… What I was trying to say was-"

"It seems our time together has forged a bond between us," Loki interrupted. He leaned back again, placing his ankle on the opposite knee and resting his chin in his hand, smirking at her. His arrogance made her angry. "I realize I have not been entirely hospitable to you, Dear." He watched her from under his furrowed brow, a tiny smirk playing on his lips. Alex sat rigidly upright, silent, confused, angry. He continued, "If we are to work cohesively together, we should be friends. Do you agree?" Loki cocked his head to the left as he asked his question.

Alex, extremely taken aback by Loki's offer of peace, simply sat staring back at him. She knew he was up to something. He could never be trusted.

"What are you getting at?" she asked with a hiss of aggression. "I'm not stupid."

"No, of course not, Dear," he replied kindly. "I simply realize that you deserve better." Loki reached across the space between them and caressed her hand gently. "And I know you care for me as well."

"Let's get one thing straight," Alex began confidently, pulling her hand away. "We are not working together. I am being held here against my will and you are a psychopath."

Loki, leaned back into his seat, smirking, and nodded his head in agreement. "Perceptive. I like you."

"Ew, stop."

"You have heart and a certain boldness about you which I never expected." His gaze bore into hers but she didn't break eye contact.

"You're damn right." Alex rose up and made her way to the stairs, waving her hand angrily behind her towards the fireplace. The small fire suddenly raged and intense heat licked her cheek, but as she left the room, the fire returned to its more humble flame.

She slammed the door of her bedroom, angry at his audacity to offer some sort of twisted companionship. She lay in bed for a few hours pondering questions about friendship, Loki's intentions, and how much longer she would have to endure his mind games.

The sun was just beginning to set with the most miraculous pink hue to the sky as Alex crept downstairs to find something for dinner but was met with a shortage of food in the kitchen.

"Hungry, Darling?" Alex nearly leapt out of her skin as Loki spoke far too closely to her ear.

"Please don't sneak up on me like that!" she yelled.

"I'll be sure to tread with heavier footsteps from now on." Loki stepped back, sensing her apprehension. "I can provide more to eat if necessary."

"Yeah, kind of necessary," she replied, grabbing the last old carrot and hesitantly taking a small, rubbery bite. "Oh, what I would give for French fries." She was starving but didn't want Loki to know just how hungry she really was.

Loki followed her into the living room and quickly stepped into her path before Alex could retreat back to her bedroom.

"Can I help you?" Alex asked with far too much attitude. She noticed Loki's jaw clench as he took a long deep breath through his nose, closing his eyes momentarily.

"Alexandra, you are quite rude."

"Oh, I'm rude? You haven't been a Georgia peach either." Her metaphor went over his head but he ignored it.

"What can I do to make your stay here more comfortable for you?" The question shocked her.

"Take me home," she said with a mouth full of old carrot. "That's what you can do."

"Eventually, I will," he replied calmly as Alex choked.

"So you're just going to let me go when we're done here?" she asked through a mouthful of old carrot. "Yeah, right. If that's true, you're the worst kidnapper ever."

"I resent that term. I simply want to help you unlock your true potential," he replied with a smirk. "Like a teacher of sorts."

"I had perfectly adequate teachers at S.H.I.E.L.D."

"No, Darling." Loki spoke calmly, leaning towards her just slightly. "They wanted to train you, turn you into some kind of secret agent. Is that what you truly desire? To be hidden away from the world, always working for someone else? You'll never have the life you so desire. A partner, a family, a career. Do you even know what the S.H.I.E.L.D organization stands for? Do you know what they do? Let me enlighten you." His tone suddenly became dark. "Your Avengers are nothing more than scientific anomalies and average humans with guns. Your man of iron is nothing without his suit. Your Agent Romanoff? Do you know how much blood she's spilled with her own bare hands? And your green monster. An aberration."

"And your brother, the God of Thunder," Alex interrupted. Loki tensed marginally. "In case you forgot, they won the Battle of New York."

"I let them!" Loki shouted, but quickly regained his composure.

"That's what the loser always says." Alex tried to step around him, but he stepped with her.

"I did not lead an attack on Midgard for my benefit," Loki began calmly. "I have little care for your meaningless realm."

"Then what was the point?!" Alex threw her arms up in frustration.

"I did what had to be done. There are forces in this universe more powerful than your small mind can fathom. Your world may think me a villain, but I saved your realm from a fate worse than my rule."

"You are not making any sense to me," Alex admitted quietly, fearfully.

"My actions were not solely my own." Loki finally broke his intense eye contact and stepped around her back into the living room. Alex followed, curious now. "A being not from any of the nine realms had influence through an object called the tesseract."

"Yeah, I've heard of it," she replied as she nestled onto the couch. Loki paced in front of her.

"I made a deal with a powerful force that wanted the tesseract. That kind of power in the wrong hands would be devastating to the entire universe. I could not let that happen."

"How heroic…" she replied quite sarcastically under her breath.

"I was never going to allow the tesseract to fall into the hands of Than-," Loki choked on the name. "To fall into the wrong hands. But I had to appear to put forth some effort to obtain it. I could have simply fallen to Midgard, taken the tesseract, and returned to him, but I bargained to use the power of the tesseract to bring Midgard under my rule, at which point I was to give the tesseract to the one who desired it. I allowed myself to be defeated purposely so as to be sure the tesseract found its way safely to Asgard rather than to him. I saved your realm from certain eventual destruction. Knocking your precious Avengers around in the process was just a bit of fun really."

"Sounds kind of like your scared of this guy."

"Not scared. No. Aware. I am aware of his desires and his plans for us all." Loki's shoulders were tense and his brow furrowed as he finally sat down in the chair across from Alex, still not making eye contact.

"So I'm supposed to believe you killed hundreds of people and destroyed one of the most powerful cities in the world to save us all?"

"Well, when you say it like that-"

"How am I supposed to trust anything you say at all?" Alex was on her feet now.

"I suppose your better judgment suggests you should not," he replied quietly.

"So what's the big plan this time? Why are we here?"

Loki sighed deeply. "We are here to prevent Thor, God of Sheer Idiocy, from letting the tesseract or any of the other relics fall into the hands of this powerful force. And you, Darling, are my secret weapon."

"What do you mean?"

"I believe I've divulged enough for now," Loki said as he rose from his chair.

"No, what do you mean I'm a secret weapon?"

"Now if I told you everything, what leverage would I have then?" Loki closed the gap between them in two long strides. Alex tensed under his penetrating gaze. "I assure you, the things I've told you here tonight are true, and I need your help to save our universe." He grazed his fingers gently down her jawline but she didn't flinch away. Instead, she stared up into his eyes searching for signs that he was being truthful. "You have greater potential than you know," he whispered. With that, he retreated upstairs to his small bedroom.

"Cool, no pressure," she said to herself under her breath after he was gone.