A/N: I hate to say this after getting everyone's hopes up, but I'm probably going to switch back to an every-other-week update schedule for a while. Personal issues and real world responsibilities are doing a fantastic job at sucking up all of my spare time. I promise I'm not going to abandon this story, though. I'll still be writing, just not as often as I've been able to.
As always, thank you to my fabulous beta Hr'awkryn!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with Marvel Comics or any of its creations. I can only appreciate the characters they've given us to work with.
Chapter Eight
"She's mad, but she's magic. There's no lie in her fire."
1869: England
Sprawled across the bed and propped up on her elbows, Jane leisurely scanned the page before turning it. The quiet rustling of the pages was lost beneath the noise of daily life in London drifting through the open window. She heard a woman soothe a wailing baby, a shopkeeper yelling at someone from the slums, and the distant sound of Big Ben's chimes.
Jane turned another page. "I have a theory."
"Is it better than your last?"
Pursing her lips, she peeked through her lashes to where Loki sat on the window seat. Even though he appeared to be watching something outside, she knew he wasn't interested in anything the city had to offer. He couldn't fool her with his blithe attitude and responses. It was obvious he wanted to know her thoughts on the subject as badly as she wanted answers.
Unfortunately, Loki was the only party ever satisfied.
Jane couldn't help but voice all her theories or speculations on what might be happening with the fire giants even though he remained consistently quiet on the matter. No confirmations, no hints that she was on the right track. The only thing she ever received was rejection of an idea. Then again, who knew if he was genuinely telling her she was wrong or simply lying to throw her off the right trail. And as usual, anything that involved thinking too much about Loki and his motives gave her a headache.
"All these years, you've come to this realm to make sure I stay safe from the fire giants."
"Wrong."
That one had, admittedly, been a long shot. Resting her chin in her hand, she tried again. "You come here because you're constantly on the run from them."
"Wrong again."
"Then it's because you're lonely and you enjoy having someone such as me to talk with."
The fingers that had been systematically folding and unfolding a scrap of parchment stilled, and his entire body seemed to stiffen as he sharply turned to her. However, they resumed their task at the sight of her teasing grin. "Still wrong." He relaxed and returned to watching the activity in the street.
"One day, Loki…" Chuckling softly, Jane marked her page, closed the book, and rolled over until she lay on her back. "One of these days, I'll figure you out."
"That would be an impressive feat. Be sure to inform me when you do." The sound of leather moving over itself was the only thing in the silence following his words. That, and the muffled thud of his boots on the hardwood floor. He entered the edges of her sight, his hand reaching down beside her. "What are you reading?"
"The Prose Edda."
The majority of her belongings had been destroyed in Moscow. It had taken her a while to recoup, but the people of Hawaii had been wonderfully accommodating. It was while she was rebuilding her life – and searching for another copy of the elusive Poetic Edda – that she came across its sister novel.
Like the first, it contained all manner of tales regarding Yggdrasil's various realms and the beings they contained, but it was different in the fact that the stanzas had been replaced with more detailed stories. She'd always been partial to narratives rather than poetry, so where the Poetic Edda had snagged her attention, the Prose Edda consumed it. Still, she knew better than to believe anything they depicted.
"It's a collection of tales about the Nordic gods." Turning onto her side, Jane looked at Loki. He stood at the edge of the bed, studying the contents of the open book in his hands, and she stared at the crease that had developed between his brows. "You're in there. Not just you, of course, but you're in quite a few." She absentmindedly picked at a loose thread in the quilt. "They're very entertaining. It's a shame they aren't real."
Their eyes met over the top of the book. "What makes you certain they're false?"
"Did you ever have a second brother named Baldr that you managed to kill with a piece of mistletoe?"
His brow crinkled again. "No." Rising up until she was kneeling on the bed in front of him, she flipped to the story.
Jane waited until he'd reached the bottom of the page before turning to another chapter. "Were you responsible for the Lady Sif losing her golden hair?"
"She's had dark hair her entire life." Grey-green eyes rapidly scanned the story, darting from line to line.
"And what about Sleipnir?"
He blinked, eyes stopping their movement. "The All-Father's mount?" Then he looked up.
Hiding her grin, Jane nodded. The story had become her favorite if only because she'd laughed so hard she'd developed a stitch in her side. "Did you ever have…" The pages rustled as she leaned forward, tilting her head to the side to read the passage. "Such dealings with a stallion that you gave birth to him?"
"What?"
"It also claims you gave birth to a wolf and a snake."
He closed the book with a snap and held it out, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at his disgusted expression. "I have never and will never do such a thing."
"That's why I told you it wasn't real." She took the book, but slipped off the bed to follow Loki when he retreated back to his seat at the window. "They're not all bizarre, though." Leaning back against the wall beside where he sat, she rifled through the pages. "There's one that talks about the end of the realms and how all the gods perish—"
"Ragnarök."
Her focus snapped away from the story she'd just located. "You've heard of it?"
"Bedtime stories." The piece of parchment from before was suddenly in his fingers again, folding and unfolding and refolding repeatedly. "A tale told alongside those of the jötnar to unruly children to make them behave."
"Were you also a part of the version told in Asgard?"
"I can't say I was. Interesting, though…" But Loki didn't elaborate on what was so interesting. He only exhaled a single laugh. Recalling the way he'd reacted when learning how well humans remembered Thor, it was natural to assume his comment had something to do with how humans thought of him. Then again, who knew with Loki? "Tell me, what role do I play in Midgard's account?"
"You're the primary harbinger."
Fingers tracing the raised pattern on the book's spine, she waited for an answer, a laugh, a dismissal. But there was nothing. Nothing except the hand he held out, silently requesting the book. For one long moment, Jane stared at his long, slender fingers. For the next, she wished she could see his face. Though with him sitting on the window seat, legs stretched out across the rest of it, and her standing behind him, all she could see was the crown of his head. Making sure to keep the book on the correct page, she placed it in his hand.
"Our story claims you will be secured within Jötunheim, held captive beneath a great, venomous snake with only your wife to help you, until the beginning of Ragnarök. Once it begins, you will break free and help lead the fire giants through the passageways between realms and into the final battle."
While Jane talked, Loki studied the story. Only once he'd finished reading did he surprise her by laughing.
"How utterly ridiculous." A green haze surrounded the book as it was relocated to the bedside table. "As if I could ever be held captive by the jötnar or would align myself with the sons of Muspel."
She knew that. The second part, at least. After Moscow, there was no doubting where he stood regarding the fire giants. He'd fought the one who had attacked them, supposedly killed it. As for the frost giants… well, how different could the two elementals be? Between Loki's magic and general skill in battle, she imagined any opponent would have to be more than proficient to even come close.
Jane straightened and crossed to the wall on the opposite side of the window, ignoring the way Loki's laugh died off when she boldly pushed his feet closer to the window and sat down beside them. She also ignored the pointed look he gave her. A challenge to his princely authority now and then would do him good.
Instead, she leaned back, stretched her feet out, and smoothed the fabric of her dress. They were mirror images – both relaxed against the wall, both with their legs stretched out to each other's side – but since Jane was significantly shorter, she was the only one that had to rearrange her arms so her elbow wouldn't rest on the toes of his boots.
Deciding to lay her hands in her lap instead of trying to dodge his feet – it was only slightly better because she could still feel the boot against the back of her arm – she finally stopped ignoring him.
"What's the version your people tell like?"
"More dramatic. More…" His head tilted to the side, eyes shifting to the street below. "Violent. Children are more inclined to behave if their parents tell them Surtur will snatch them from their beds if not."
Jane frowned. What happened to tales of adventure and heroics, princes and princesses? "That would be a horrible bedtime story." She'd never had the privilege of hearing fairytales as a child, but they'd been incorporated quickly during her first go as a nanny. She certainly never would've thought of frightening her charges into good behavior.
However, Loki just shrugged. "If you ever had children of your own, you might think differently."
"Is that your approach to parenting?"
When his attention flicked back to her, she grinned. "Are you alluding to something, Jane?" She shook her head in denial, adopting an innocent expression, but they both knew the truth. Even so, Loki apparently wasn't willing to acknowledge the subject, choosing to side-step it instead and return to a prior thought. "I must admit… I'm curious as to how the author came about that story. There are too many similarities for him to have concocted it himself."
"Maybe someone from Asgard came here and told him a different version."
"Perhaps."
His tone inferred he wasn't convinced, though, which wasn't much of a shock considering she wasn't either. There seemed little point in a god spreading false tales around her realm when it wouldn't have any real effect. The only outcome would be the individual's knowledge that humans had the story wrong. A completely pointless endeavor. And a little uninspiring, even for a God of Mischief.
Still, the Prose Edda was filled with so many ridiculous stories that she had no problem writing off a single contrasting one. Far more interesting was the idea of other Asgardians coming to Earth because that was exactly what Loki's brooding perhaps had implied.
"Do your people come to this realm often?"
He blinked, brow furrowing slightly at the change in topic. "Not any longer. It was more common to appear to mortals in the past. Thor would summon a little thunder and lightning, I would perform a few feats of magic." His eyes grew distant, unfocused. "They worshipped us as gods."
"As if your ego needs stroking." The quip earned her a sharp look that she avoided by glancing down to the street below. "If the Asgardians wanted our worship, why are you the only one I've ever seen?" If they had been more of a presence, all the horrible acts she'd witnessed over the years in the name of other gods might not have happened.
"There are other issues amongst the realms that draw our attention now."
"But you still find time to come here."
"Yes." The boot still lightly touching her arm shifted marginally, and slowly, her eyes made their way back to his.
"What else do you do when you're in… Midgard?" Even though she'd heard him say it hundreds of times, the word felt strange on her tongue. Then again, there were a great many strange words she'd learned in his company. Midgard, Asgard, Jötunheim, Muspelheim, jötnar, Æsir.
He paused for a moment. "I thought we were discussing the differing tales of Ragnarök."
"There were plenty of stories my parents used to tell of the gods of old that ended up not being true, which is likely what happened with this one. The author probably compiled information and fabricated his own version." Her foot twitched, bumping playfully against his hip since she couldn't quite reach his elbow. "It's just a story. I'd rather know what other things you do."
She stared at him expectantly, waiting for a response. But as the minutes dragged out, she realized he had no intention of answering and bit back a sigh. There were entirely too many secrets where Loki was involved. Still, that didn't prevent her from trying other routes.
"Do you ever visit anyone else?"
The seriousness of his expression faded long enough to flash a smirk her way. "Envy is not a color you wear well, Jane."
Heat crept up her neck at the implication. "I am not jealous." Just saying it made her blanch.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Go visit a thousand other girls. I wouldn't care one bit."
"You believe I only visit women?"
Her mouth worked, but only stuttered responses came out as she floundered to cover the fact that she had assumed that. "No… I just…" The tension building in her shoulders was giving her a familiar headache. "You know what, I was just curious. That's all."
"And you're certain about that?" His grin was pure confidence. Smug, knowing, annoying confidence.
In the face of it, she squared her jaw and lifted her chin. "Quite."
The rest of London carried on like normal while they descended into silence, Loki watching her with thinly-veiled amusement while Jane silently dared him to refute her claim. Not even a bird landing on the ledge outside the window garnered their attention. And even though it was probably only a few seconds, it seemed like much longer before he spoke.
"It's a good thing you have nothing of great importance to hide because you're an atrocious liar." A retort was on the tip of her tongue – something along the lines of how not everyone could be as good at hiding things as he was – but it was cut off when he continued. "You are the only human I frequent."
A large part of her treated the revelation as inconsequential, carelessly tossing it aside.
A smaller part of her filed the information away thinking it might be useful someday.
A miniscule part of her couldn't help but feel pleased.
However, none of that was anything Loki needed to know so she covered up her thoughts by fidgeting, slouching down against the window frame and uncrossing her ankles before crossing them the other way. She was still looking everywhere except at Loki when she felt him rearrange the hem of her dress. Her first instinct was to jerk away, but she fought it in favor of observing his actions.
"What are you doing?"
The fabric settled, brushing the tops of her boots. "A portion of your legs were revealed after you moved."
Jane looked back and forth between Loki and the bottom portion of her dress. "And?"
"Asgard certainly doesn't hold to that type of nonsense, but isn't it considered improper in Midgard for women to display any part of their body in such a way?"
He was right. It was considered improper. Growing up in ancient Norway where the women were allowed to wear trousers for better movement in battle had been a blessing she hadn't appreciated at the time. Acclimating to the rest of the world's standard of dress – all stifling corsets and high stockings and long sleeves – had been difficult, to say the least, which was why she didn't always abide by those rules.
"It's no more improper than having a man in my room. We're unsupervised and unmarried…" Jane sighed dramatically. "I can only imagine the rumors that will start if we're seen." Gossip was a favorite pastime of almost every woman in London. Thankfully, none of the people below appeared to have noticed them yet.
"Humans have a penchant for the dramatic. No doubt they would assume the worst."
"No, they would assume you were my lover."
Incredulity was thick in his voice. "That isn't the worst?"
"I don't know… they could always believe us to be married." Loki had followed her line of sight to the street, but when his gaze snapped back to her, she laughed. "I'm only joking. Not about the gossip, of course, or the assumption of our relationship, but a sudden marriage is far from the worst thing they could say. Although you could always use your magic to make them forget they ever saw us."
Jane had no idea if his magic even worked that way, but it sounded sensible. Or as sensible as magic could ever sound considering everything else she'd seen him do.
"That would be a waste of good magic. It could be used on far better things than playing mind-tricks on mortals."
It would have been a reasonable excuse had her thoughts not been effectively sidetracked. "You know, I have yet to see you play an actual trick on someone." Sitting up a little straighter, she crossed her arms, not caring anymore that her elbow nudged his boots. "For the God of Mischief, you're awfully careful in dealing them out."
He leveled her with a weighty stare. "I am plenty mischievous."
But Jane just grinned. Apparently, she'd found a way to press his buttons, and she wasn't above taking advantage of the little offering he'd given her. "Prove it."
"I don't have to prove anything. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean—"
"Prove it." A muscle in his jaw jumped and his eyes narrowed, which only made her grin widen. "Unless playfulness is beneath a Prince of Asgard."
"Is it not a requirement for mischief?"
Coyly, she let her attention drift. "You tell me." From the corner of her eye, she watched his shoulders rise and fall in a deep breath, heard the slight rush of his exhale.
All in all, it was rounding out to be a very unique day. Since Russia, things had been different between them. Nothing too extreme, just… different. Their time together was still filled with awkward silences and halting discussions and so many secrets, but on some days – like today – they were able to let all that go. It was nice to know that, when the weight of everything else was gone, what remained were banter, laughter, and fun.
Meeting his eyes, she arched a brow. "So are you going to prove it?"
"I've finally discovered the eventual effects of immortality on a human: common sense gives way to foolishness." With a laugh, Jane shook her head and stood, taking a few steps back when he also rose. "Is this how humans attempt to get their way?"
Thoughtfully, she nodded, tapping a finger to her chin. "It's like using psychology, only backwards."
Loki obviously didn't know what psychology meant, but he hid it well, following the steps she'd just taken in a meandering path. "So you want proof of mischief…" He let the question trail off.
There was a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his face when he turned that made her nervous, but it was too late to back down now. She'd issued the challenge, and he'd never let her live it down if she didn't go through with the consequences. So instead of obeying the common sense that insisted she step away, Jane stepped towards him.
"Yes."
If possible, his smirk grew even more. "Very well." He held out his hand in what little space there was between them.
She saw the motion without looking at it, and hesitated for only a second before slipping her hand into his. Immediately, his fingers folded around hers as he pulled her towards him. Their joined hands pressed to each of their abdomens – his against the smooth fabric of her dress, hers against the firm armor beneath his surcoat – while his other hand settled on her hip.
There was a brief moment where her breath hitched at the feel of his fingers.
Then her breath was stolen entirely as darkness surrounded them.
It was the third time she'd moved through the fabric of space, but it was no less unsettling than the first. If anything, it was more so. Her ears popped under the pressure, the dark void crushed the air from her lungs. And it was all so much that the only thing she could do was screw her eyes closed – or were they already shut because everything was so dark? – and wait for the sensation to pass.
As quickly as the compression began, it ended.
The sudden loss of pressure left Jane gasping for air as she sagged against Loki's chest. At some point, he had released her hand without her knowing. Now both of his hands tightened on her hips to hold her steady while hers curled around the edges of his surcoat.
"That…" The air burned her lungs as if she'd just sprinted around the entirety of London, but she tried to push away the discomfort in favor of reminding her legs what it took to stand on their own. "That was…"
"More intense than the first?"
Forehead still pressed to his chest, she felt the vibration of his words as much as she heard them and simply nodded, not trusting herself to speak just yet after the first failed attempt.
While she waited for the explanation she knew would come, she tried to ignore their inappropriate position. There continued to be the issue of her feet not wanting to support her weight, which left her leaning against him. As mortifying as it was to not be in control of her body, the thought of falling to the ground in an undignified heap was even more embarrassing. It was also the only thing that kept her from pushing away the hands at her waist.
"The longer the path, the more intense the transition. Travelling from one side of an island to another was not far enough to significantly affect you. Your second trip would've been the worst, but you spent it unconscious. This one, though, was… considerably farther than the one you remember."
Letting her head fall to the side, she heard his words with one ear and his heartbeat with the other and took in the snow-covered trees and buildings of her past home. Finland hadn't changed much in three years, but it looked better than it had when she'd left.
Thousands of people had lined the streets of Rovaniemi back then, drawn out to beg by the famine spreading through the land. Jane could distinctly remember the aching, hollow feel of a stomach that had been empty for days and just how unsatisfactory pine bark was as a food source. However, Finland appeared to be rebounding. The people she spied in the distance still had that gaunt look about them – the sunken cheeks and knobby joints – but they weren't dying in the streets anymore.
Gradually, her muscles caught up to the rest of her body and tensed beneath her, and she straightened, pulling away from Loki. He offered no resistance, hands easily falling away as she stepped back. Her legs trembled a bit, still a little unsteady, but she held firm. When she finally got a better look at Loki, though, the loss of concentration almost made her collapse all over again.
"What are you wearing?" Jane glanced down. "What am I wearing?"
It wasn't that she needed to ask so much as the words tumbled out before she could stop them. She recognized the clothing. She'd just never expected to see it on him. Or herself again, for that matter.
Loki was clothed in a pair of black boots, dark pants, and a red and blue patterned tunic while she wore a similarly colored dress. Both of them wore the traditional garb of Finland, for which Jane was thankful considering the six inches of snow in which her boots were currently buried. Still, she was shocked at the loss of her English dress and of seeing Loki in something other than black and green.
"I don't believe Midgardian fashions have advanced to the point of accepting Asgardian ones."
"Well, no, but—"
"And from the look of things, your attire wouldn't have blended well either."
"No, it wouldn't have, but—"
"So what is the issue?"
Jane fixed Loki with a glare and crossed her arms. "I didn't give you permission to use your magic to change my clothes."
Unperturbed, he met her glare with a wide grin. "But you did give me permission to prove I am mischievous." The fact that he always appeared to be happiest when he was getting the better of someone else couldn't be a good sign.
She turned to drink in the familiar sights of Rovaniemi's outskirts. Thankfully enough, everyone went about their daily business, no one having noticed the two individuals who had just appeared from thin air. "Since when is transferring me from one country to another an act of mischief?"
"That wasn't proof enough?"
"Frankly… no." With the initial shock wearing off, her pride returned full force to continue instigating him. "I expected much better from the God of Mischief, himself."
"Hm."
Trembling legs and an awkward moment of closeness hadn't been enough to dissuade her, but his indistinct noise was. She whipped around to find him regarding her thoughtfully. Instantly, she felt tendrils of unease work their way through her, the kind that made her feel as if she'd inadvertently stumbled into a trap. His gaze remained open and amused even as hers narrowed in suspicion. But before she could say or ask anything, a voice came from the direction of the town behind her.
"Kaisa?"
The words stuck in her throat, and nothing but a soft exhale came from her slack mouth as she rotated to see a fair-haired man trudging through the snow towards them. "Mikael."
The dead air only made it easier for the man to hear his name, and at her acknowledgement, he sped up his pace. When he stumbled in a deep patch of snow and his attention was elsewhere, she shot an uncertain look over her shoulder. Loki's self-satisfied expression only made the knot in her stomach worse.
Turning back, she cast a tense smile to the man who had almost been her fiancé. Famine might not have been the sole reason for her leaving Finland. Having to turn down his proposal in front of so many people had been beyond embarrassing.
"I can't believe it's you, Kaisa." The last few feet between them disappeared as he enveloped her in a suffocating hug. "I never thought I'd see you again."
Jane struggled for air over the thick muscles of his shoulder. The large and burly Mikael was the complete opposite of Loki, a fact that was obvious enough on its own but even more so when she could compare how different it felt to be trapped in each of their arms.
Mikael liked to wear his strength on his sleeve for all to see, showing it off in feats of strength and power.
Loki liked to keep his concealed, even though she could feel his natural power brimming beneath the surface.
"How have you been? Where have you been?" His beard scratched at her cheek uncomfortably. "I didn't know you were planning to return. You disappeared in such a hurry." He pulled away, hands remaining heavy on her shoulders and face split wide in a beaming grin. "Not that it matters. You're more than welcome to stay in the spare room."
In the brief gap before he could continue came the sound of Loki clearing his throat. It was quiet but might as well have been a gunshot for how quickly Mikael's attention snapped to his. The smile froze, turned stiff. And as the two men stared each other down, Jane slipped out of Mikael's grasp and stepped back.
Though she intentionally stopped partway between them to appear neutral, Mikael looked back and forth from her to Loki, confused. "Who is this?"
That was an excellent question. "Oh… um…" And one she'd been completely unprepared to answer. "He's my…"
Besides being a Prince of Asgard and an immortal God of Mischief, what was Loki? More importantly, what was he to her? He was more than just some overarching figure in the perpetuity of her life. He'd saved her. Twice. There was a purpose to the first time. She still maintained that he'd given her the apple as part of some hidden agenda he had. But the second time…
I was safeguarding my investment.
She didn't know if by investment he meant the time he'd spent observing her through the years or some larger reason. Based on his expression when she'd questioned him on the beach, she suspected his response was only a cover-up and that he'd acted for no other reason than he wanted to, which was just as confusing.
Regardless, he'd chosen to save her. An act like that changed things, changed the dynamic between them. Time had helped them move past being awkward acquaintances, and deepening conversations had helped them move past being comrades.
So what were they now?
Who was Loki to her now?
"This is…" In the middle of her inarticulate floundering, snow crunched in the background, and she felt Loki's presence behind her even before his left arm brushed the back of her right. "My…"
"Husband."
Abruptly, her stammering cut off, teeth clicking together when her jaw snapped closed. She took back all the good things she'd ever thought or said about him in the past eight hundred years. It didn't matter that she'd challenged him to prove his title. Well, technically it did, she just never imagined she'd be a direct part of whatever trick he executed.
"Or soon to be." Loki took another step forward and slipped his arm easily across her shoulders, drawing her to his side. "We're to be married in just a few weeks."
Jane's mind lagged. Her ears functioned much quicker than her thoughts, filing away the words while her brain attempted to process what was happening. And when she glanced down to see a ring on her finger she was absolutely sure hadn't been there thirty seconds ago, she gaped at Loki. He merely smiled down at her.
"You… are…" Swaying, Mikael took a couple steps to steady himself. "Engaged?"
"She wanted to be discreet about the wedding, but her beauty has captivated me and I'm unable resist. What man could keep a secret such as her to himself?" Loki smoothly disregarded the way her mouth tightened into a thin line in displeasure and looked back to their guest. "Surely you would agree with me, good sir?"
Mikael, looking just as stunned as Jane felt, nodded silently.
"Initially, we decided to get married in London, but Kaisa was convinced I would want to wed in Finland if I only got the chance to see its beauty. I must say, I'm impressed. That chapel over there, does it overlook the forest? It would make a charming venue."
Loki had once told her that people also called him the God of Lies. It made sense. The skill with which he crafted words was unparalleled, not to mention he was a brilliant actor. If she wasn't so shocked, she would've been impressed with how effortlessly he shifted personas, taking on an easy air that brought to mind any man she'd ever met in London. But she wasn't shocked enough to not be upset at herself for even bringing up the subject of marriage earlier because that must have been where he'd adopted the idea.
Eventually, she realized Loki had stopped his rambling conversation and both he and Mikael were staring expectantly at her. "What?"
Loki's laugh held none of its usual darker edge. "She's a dreamer, this one. Always staring at the stars or with her head in the clouds. I find it to be one of her most endearing traits."
The arm around her shoulders fell until his hand rested on her lower back as he turned to face her. Again, her expression – this time it was more apprehension than displeasure because they were entirely too close – went unnoticed. Earlier, she'd rationalized the nearness by attributing it to their travelling. Now, there was no excuse, no reason for it.
Other than Loki's mischief, of course.
"I asked if you would be pleased to marry here."
If Loki's carefree disposition wasn't enough to throw her, hearing him say that combination of words while holding her in his arms was. But as much as she wanted to refute the question, Mikael was still watching them. If she wanted to avoid making a scene, she didn't have a choice. Loki had concocted this game and was now forcing her to play along.
So instead of frowning or pushing him away, she smiled back. "Very much so."
"Excellent."
Jane anticipated that would be the end of their ruse. At that point, she didn't even care what Mikael would think if they simply disappeared into thin air. Even if he told the rest of Rovaniemi, no one would believe him.
She stood there, patiently waiting for Loki to take them back to London
But when he leaned forward to press his lips to hers, the world went still.
It was no more than a split-second, but the chaste kiss felt like an eternity. And yet, for something so long as eternity, there wasn't enough time for her to close her eyes. There wasn't enough time to even consider closing her eyes. There was only enough time for her to breathe in his exhale, warm and cool all at once, and feel the slight touch of his fingertips against her chin.
As quickly as they touched, they separated. However, she knew that moment – the feeling of his lips, soft against hers; the image of his pale eyelids, lowered and lined with dark lashes; the tingling taste of something that could only be magic on her tongue as it darted out to wet her lips when he pulled away – would be imprinted in her mind for the rest of her life.
In a daze, she stared at Loki's profile as he stepped away. She vaguely registered him asking Mikael if he could arrange housing for them during their stay, and she could barely muster a soft thank you when Mikael began to shuffle back into town. Only once they were alone did she speak.
"What was that?"
It was no small wonder how he managed to lie so well when he could craft such a carefully blank expression. "What was what?"
"That." She motioned towards the retreating Mikael. "This." She gestured between them. "Everything." She flung her hands wide in exasperation.
"That, Jane, was the proof you demanded." With a crooked smirk, he echoed her words from before. "Did it meet your expectations?"
She promptly decided that Loki was referring to his overall trick and not the kiss. If she didn't make that assumption, she wasn't sure she'd be able to answer.
Snow slipped over the tops of her boots and melted into her wool socks as she trudged over to him. "Yes." And because things hadn't gone at all like she'd planned, she growled it again. "Yes. You are, indeed, the God of Mischief. Now take me home before we have to go through with an actual wedding."
His hands were barely felt through the thick material of her coat, but she wished earmuffs would've been provided with her new outfit. That way she wouldn't have had to listen to him chuckle.
She peered up around furrowed brows. "You could've claimed to be my brother, you know."
And in the moment before he stepped through space back to London, her brows furrowed doubly at his continued chuckling. "But that wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining."
A month later found them in almost identical positions as the last time he'd visited: Jane sprawled across the bed reading a book and Loki sitting on the window seat. The only changes were that the book in her hands was no longer the Prose Edda due to it having magically disappeared upon their return from Finland – she couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but she figured Loki was to blame – and the window was no longer open due to the crisp air outside.
Oh, and there was the fact that Loki had kissed her thirty days ago.
It was the elephant in the room, the subject neither of them was willing to bring up. Her initial thoughts were to chalk it up to his act for Mikael, but while it had only solidified Loki's claim that they were engaged, it hadn't been necessary by any means.
In no way did Jane pretend to be a blushing virgin. Eight hundred years, several trysts, and the Caribbean as a whole had ruined her for any idealistic visions she might have had regarding the relationship between men and women. But that didn't mean she was unaffected by what happened. And just because they'd agreed – it was a mutual and silent agreement since they were not talking about it – to push the incident aside, that didn't mean she didn't think about it.
Because she did.
More than she cared to admit.
Hidden behind the book, she touched a finger to her lips. It had been unexpected. It had been unanticipated. It had been unforeseen. But she couldn't say it had been unpleasant. Not completely. Which made it that much more confusing and was why they were not talking about it and was why she shouldn't be thinking about it and was why she was changing the non-verbal subject right now.
"Will you ever take me somewhere again?"
"Possibly."
"Would you ever take me to another realm?"
"No."
The book in her hands tilted so she could see him over the top. He hadn't even hesitated, didn't even pause to ponder the decision. It wasn't even an option. Quick answer. Quick rejection.
"Why not?"
Loki's eyes met hers across the room. "If you think the effects of travel within this realm to be unsettling, those that accompany inter-realm travel would be significantly worse. Trust me when I say you wouldn't enjoy it."
The effects of the way Loki travelled weren't the easiest to withstand – she'd collapsed against him when they went to Finland and passed out against him when they'd returned to London – but he'd said they would lessen the more often she experienced them. Jane was completely willing to undergo the pain and embarrassment if it meant she could one day go to another realm. However, it appeared she would be receiving no passage to Asgard or Vanaheim or even Muspelheim in the future.
That only left one option.
"Then I'll just figure it out for myself."
As expected, Loki's partial attention shifted to his full attention. "That's not feasible."
"It's called science." She held up the book in her hands as an example. "I know you think magic is the only way to traverse the realms—"
"It is the only way. Magic cannot be explained by your numbers and figures."
"—but I think, given enough time, I could discover another way."
Loki spun on the window seat to face her, feet lowering to the floor. "It took the greatest masters of magic the realms have ever known to create the Bi-Frost. Even I would be unable to create something similar to it. And yet, you think yourself capable of doing the same thing with science." Hands resting on his knees, he leaned forward. "How?"
According to her book, natural selection was described as the process by which traits become more or less common based on their effect on subsequent generations. Survival of the fittest. Jane couldn't help but wonder about the phrase. Had a sense of superiority benefited Loki's ancestors so much that they were the reason for his arrogance or was it all him, plain and simple?
"I've no idea. But I'll eventually figure it out." She'd been tossing around the idea of attending a university anyway. Rumor had it that one in Switzerland had recently begun to admit women, and having a goal in mind would help give her some direction. "I might as well put some use to the endless amounts of time I possess."
"So now you have three goals: to learn why I chose to grant you with immortality, to discover my supposed association with the sons of Muspel, and to concoct some way to travel between realms."
It sounded even better stated so clearly. She'd spent years trying to figure out why Loki gave her the apple, but it was impossible to find the intention when he was the only one that held the answers. For the same reason, she couldn't determine what had happened between him and the fire giants. Not when he was unwilling to explain anything.
But inter-realm travel… that was something that only depended on her.
That was something she could do.
Invigorated by her newfound objective, she tossed the book aside, relocated to the desk, and began to scribble down her thoughts. Half the page was already full of observations and ideas when Loki slipped into the chair opposite her.
"You are a strange person, Jane Foster."
She'd been in the middle of writing everything she could remember of the few times he'd taken her through the seams of space and had every intention of ignoring him. But then she paused. And her mouth fell open. And she looked at him.
Obviously, it was not the reaction he'd anticipated. "What?" His forehead crinkled, and his head turned to the side even though his eyes remained on hers.
"Nothing…" Jane smiled and returned to her work, her answer coming almost conversationally. "That's just the first time you've referred to me as a person instead of only a human."
A/N2: Quick-fire history facts for this chapter – the University of Zurich in Switzerland allowed women to attend lectures beginning in 1847, and it was the first university in Europe to allow women to attend for a degree starting in 1865. The book Jane's reading in the last section is meant to be the 1869 publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, which was also the first version to include the term 'survival of the fittest'. And speaking of terms, 'reverse psychology' wasn't technically coined until 1920, so Jane could only think of her efforts as 'psychology, but backwards'.
Please review!
