A/N: This chapter has been such a painful process of grinding out a few sentences here and there before the cogs in my brain freeze up once more, that I somehow tricked myself into thinking it was a really really long chapter. Unfortunately, the word count has informed me that it is not, in fact, a really really long chapter. Or even a long chapter, for that matter. In fact, it only vaguely passes as a chapter at all. Sorry bout that folks! Figure I may as well get it posted now before another few months slide by...

Thanks to the lovely reviewers who have helped inspire me to open my file and clunk away at those sentences!


This Burden I Bear

- Chapter Nine -

"Darkness returns, Jotun runt." Malekith's voice booms overtop of his ship's thrumming engine as he strides across the broken landscape. "Have you come to witness the end of your universe?"

"Runt?" Loki growls beneath his breath, then louder, "I've come to accept your surrender."

The Dark Elf chuckles. "You think you can stop this? The Aether cannot be destroyed."

"But you can." The confidence of Loki's words is briefly undermined by the small hand that grabs hold of his coat sleeve, preventing him from stepping forward. He turns to meet the wide-eyed gaze of his mortal companion. The concern etched so stark upon her face could have been astonishing, were it intended for him. A flicker of emotion spears his chest. He pulls his arm free to press against the imagined spot. "Don't worry," he hisses, "I'll save your precious world."

"I was going to say…" Jane snaps her jaw shut, swallowing the sentence. "Good." She begins again, voice terse. "Make sure you do."

With a nod, Loki turns back towards Malekith, who has already stretched his arms towards the sky; head thrown back as red-black tendrils of Aether coil around his body and funnel up towards the great realm of Vanaheim that has aligned itself above them.

"Well, he wastes no time," Loki mutters, striding forward.

He glances to the Dark Elves who have moved to intercept him and withdraws his dagger from a concealed pocket of his coat. He has no plan. Nothing at all. Except to start with slaughtering this lot, and see where it unfolds from there.

Jane has never seen Loki move so fast. Every spin, feint and strike is carried out with grim precision. The Dark Elves may as well be mannequins; they collapse so easily. But there are so many more than he can stop. Pouring from the ship like rats. Ready to die in defence of the one who rules them. Surely, Jane thinks, Loki will never dispatch them in time. Even though their bodies are mounting around him, he has yet to gain any ground upon Malekith, who is now near encompassed by a vicious funnel of Aether.

A quick glance at her ancient Rolex shows less than four minutes until the Convergence is in full effect. Already, a massive spout of red-black gas is feeding up into the sky. Jane can see how one thin strand is, even now, reaching through the rift where Vanheim lies.

"Hurry, Loki!" She screams, though she knows there's little more he can do while that damn army of Dark Elves throw themselves upon him.

And then she sees it. The lazy swirl of a portal forming just a dozen feet to his left. Already it drifts towards the sky like a slow-rising bubble. Within it, a world of flame comes into view. She opens her mouth to bellow a warning, but a large cold hand clamps around her mouth, smothering the words. She throws her body against this unexpected assault. An arm like chiselled stone reaches around her, immobilizing her as it tugs her behind a pillar.

"Midgardian scum." A granite voice rumbles in her ear. "And Loki's whore at that. What a prize we've stumbled across."

A cold chill sweeps the nape of Jane's neck and skitters down her spine. With it, the memory of ice shackles and the threat of being fed to frost beasts. Helblindi.

She fights to tear herself free of the blue-skinned vice that holds her tight. The hand releases her mouth, and she bellows for Loki. Not to help her, but to see that damn portal still oscillating the air nearby him.

It takes only seconds for Loki to spare a glance to his left, and push the entire wave of Dark Elves into the vortex with the same teleportation trick he used on his Jotun kin. Jane almost can't believe her eyes as she sees Malekith's remaining army blink so efficiently out of sight.

The guttural threats from the Jotun that holds her, fall on deaf ears. Her focus is purely on Loki as she watches his fierce expression falter in her direction for just one moment before he turns back towards Malekith.

"Coward." Helblindi rumbles as he spins his prisoner towards him; great hand still firm upon her forearm. "He would sooner let us take you than come to your defence."

Jane laughs. "Oh, you thought taking me hostage would draw Loki to you?"

"Did he not destroy Utgardhall for you?"

Her protests dry in her mouth. He's right. For reasons beyond her ability to comprehend, Loki had tricked Odin into sending his army to Jotunheim to rescue her. An army that should be here right now, fighting Malekith.

She shrugs. The nonchalance only half-feigned. Maybe he did it for her. Maybe he just saw an opportunity to wreck a bit of havoc. 'There's really no sense in trying to understand why Loki does anything." She mutters finally.

The Aether is now stretching its web-like tendrils into Vanaheim as yet another realm aligns above it. She inclines her head towards the fracas. "Anyway, Loki's kinda busy with stopping Malekith from destroying the entire nine realms right now. Yours included."

"Traitor to all," Býleistr mutters at his brother's side. "He will destroy your realm as easily, once he's saved his own."

"Maybe." Jane shoots the one she previously called 'Sword Arm' a sidelong look. No wonder his features seem so familiar. He shares the same chisel-cheeked facial structure as Loki. "Or maybe your brother's looking to redeem himself for past mistakes."

She doesn't believe it. Not for one second. But she's hoping they will. At least long enough to keep out of the way and let Loki finish Malekith off. What they do with him afterwards, is not her problem.

"What would you know of Loki?" Helblindi seethes. This bitter anger, Jane thinks, must also run in the family.

"I know he made a promise to Thor, to stop Malekith." She lies. "And I know that he's honourable enough to keep that promise." Another lie. She's really warming to this.

"He murdered our father!" Býleistr growls. "He tried to destroy our world!"

"I don't doubt it for a moment." Jane winces as the grip upon her arm tightens. "He tried to destroy my world once too. But..." she glances up. The sky is darkening. Urgency is rushing like adrenalin through her veins. "You can hold Loki accountable for his actions afterwards. Right now, he's -"

A brilliant red light flares from within the swirling mass of Aether, cutting off Jane's words as the ground rocks beneath her. The earth groans and cracks, and suddenly the Jotun's grip is released. Something dark flies through the air towards them and she flinches as the backdraft of its flight sweeps her cheek. The object strikes the ground with an audible oomph! She pushes past the Jotnar as she recognises the figure curled upon the broken earth.

"Loki!" Jane touches his shoulder, concern mounting as his form remains still. "Hey! Now's not the time to be playing dea-"

"Whelp!" Helblindi strides forward and hauls him to his feet. At once the Trickster's awake and throwing up his arms in defence.

"Look to the sky, you great idiot!" Loki cries, pale fingers prising at the great blue ham-fist that holds him by the collar. "Already Jotunheim joins the alignment!"

"Brother, he speaks true." This from Býleistr, whose gaze is upon three realms now converging above them. "The lives of our people are in peril."

With a guttural curse, Helblindi flings Loki to one side and turns his attention to Jane. "How much time?"

Before Jane can open her mouth to answer, Loki is at her side. Surprising her as his cool slender fingers turn her wrist towards him. They both unanimously notice the deep blue hue to his fingertips. Though Loki is the one to pull away in horror.

"Two-" Jane stops to clear her suddenly-dry throat. "Two minutes until the convergence is in full effect."

"Niflheim and Muspelheim join the alignment."

The group look to where Býleistr points. Through the shimmer of another two portals, Jane sees the world of fire Loki sent Malekith's army into, followed by one mist. Already the tendrils of Aether stretch out towards them.

"What the hell do we do now?" She breathes.

"We open the Casket of Winters." Loki turns to the Jotnar, his eyes emploring as he neatly shelves his self-disgust. "Help me, brothers. Help me, and I will return to you the means to restore your world."

"You made such a promise once before, trickster." Helblindi folds his arms across his chest. "And broke it as easy."

"Of course, I can give you no reason to trust me," Loki concurs without remorse. Then a smirk alights his face, "except, what other choice do you have?"

Jane looks between the two factions. The Jotnar, silent and distrustful. Loki, smug and completely full of shit, she bets.

"Well, whatever you're gonna do, do it right now," she urges, "and save the family group conference for later!"

Above, a seventh realm joins the succession. Even as an eighth portal slides across the sky.

"The Casket of Winters, you say?" Helblindi asks tersely.

"Just give me twenty seconds to tell you my plan." Loki grins in his Cheshire way.


TBC...