Chapter 10

Jane spent the rest of the morning on the phone. First, to Erik. He was most distressed by this turn of events and concerned for her welfare. In fact there was a lot of yelling from his end of the phone followed by him hanging up. She called back and he answered a bit sheepishly.

The second time he managed to actually listen to her, although only thing she really had to say in Loki's defense was that he had saved her life, if he wanted to kill her why save her and now that they were linked he no longer could kill her.

Erik was still understandably not on board. He was more than happy to examine any results and samples she could send his way but not willing to be anywhere in the same vicinity as Loki. He made it clear that he was willing to help her get some answers, on the basis that he was hoping he could unlink them and get Loki out of Jane's life.

"Please don't tell SHIELD that he's here. He can't do anything and we will be gone again in a few days. I don't want the hassle and...I'm sort of dangerous when I'm angry now." She had begged him.

"Even if I told them, after the way I've been recently they wouldn't believe me." He replied. "I should tell them, I want to and I wish you would...but they wouldn't believe me. Send the samples over, if I can't go to anyone within S.H.I.E.L.D. I'll try and get Dr Banner to look at them without answering too many questions. If anyone understands losing it when you're angry it'd be him. I'm being watched a lot and mainly kept at Stark Tower now that everyone thinks I'm mental but it has its advantages."

"You're not mental, you're brilliant." She protested.

"Brilliant perhaps, mental absolutely." He muttered. "Send the samples over."

"I'll send them today. They probably won't be with you until the day after tomorrow so...I'm not sure how much you will be able to find out before I leave." She sighed. "But I will be back, I promise. Have you spoken to Darcy? She didn't answer her phone earlier."

"I haven't spoken to her since London."

"I guess I'll just try her again in a bit." Jane sighed. After saying her goodbyes, she hung up and put the kettle on.

"You will not be seeing your friends this visit?" Loki asked her.

"No." She sighed. "If I could visit during a college break next time, I might have more of a chance getting hold of Darcy…she didn't answer her phone when I called. She always answers her phone."

"College break?" He enquired.

"Um...it's when schools, universities and things stop for a week or more, so that students can go home to see their families." She explained.

"And Dr Selvig?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"You scrambled his brains and he won't come anywhere near you." She replied bluntly. Right now, that seemed to her the worst of all his transgressions, if for no other reason than that it was closest to her. Erik was the closest thing she had to family and the man responsible for nearly ruining his life was stood in her apartment. "The first time you got involved with us, your giant robot nearly killed him and the second time left him feeling scared of his own mind. He's not convinced that you haven't brainwashed me."

"Contrary to recent beliefs, I do not have that ability. The sceptor did." He said stiffly.

"Which you were using!" She snapped. For the first time in weeks, she truly felt horrified by something he had done in the past. While they bickered or played civil, it was sometimes easy to forget that he was the one responsible for the deaths of so many humans. "You used it to take over his mind for your own gain, you didn't care what happened to him afterwards and you aren't even sorry!" She felt heat fill her face and tears sting her eyes but it was nothing compared to the heat that filled her hands as a burning rush of power left them and flung paper and books everywhere. A mug from the table smashed against the wall and a lamp followed it.

Suddenly she felt a physical jerk, as if she had slammed into a wall. It wasn't her who hit the wall though, it was her magic. Loki's magic had flung up to counter hers and the two had smashed together before she felt it slowly smothering her, lowering her power into submission. She let out a deep breath and sucked in another, trying to contain the sobs that threatened her. She was trapped. With a monster, a murderer. Here on Earth she was reminded of all the things that he had done.

"I never said I wasn't sorry for anything I did, it isn't as simple as that and it would do me no good." He spoke carefully. She felt his hands on her arms and tried to snatch herself out of his reach. He didn't let go, he guided her to sit before releasing his grip.

For a few moments there was silence, only the sound of Jane's ragged breathing could be heard. Then she felt more than saw him move. He dropped to a crouch in front of her so that he could meet her eyes.

"He means a great deal to you." He said.

"He's like a father to me." She hissed angrily.

"Then I am sorry for my part in the pain you have both encountered." He nodded. He watched her brow furrow, as she obviously debated the possible meanings of his words and whether or not he was telling the truth. "There...there is a way to help him but he will not accept it from me."

"Help him how?" She asked, curious now that Loki, who caused all this trouble was willing to offer some form of help.

"The damage done to his mind was the fault of an Asgardian. I believe given the circumstances, the Allfather would allow him to visit the healers in the hill. I believe they can help repair the damage that was caused." He explained.

"You're right, he wouldn't come with you." She replied quietly, her words barely above a whisper.

"But will he follow Thor?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know, for the chance to see Asgard...probably." She nodded.

"Then on our return, we will make the request." He said, standing and stepping away from her.

"Loki?" She asked quietly. He froze. For some reason, hearing his name from her lips seemed to have that effect on him. He wondered for a moment, if the bond truly gave her power over him, beyond whether he lived or died. "Would you please tell me why you did it? The Destroyer, Thor, that part I get. Not that I think it's OK but I understand why you did it. Why New York?"

"The damage done to his mind was the fault of an Asgardian. I believe given the circumstances, the Allfather would allow him to visit the healers in the hill. I believe they can help repair the damage that was caused." He explained.

"You're right, he wouldn't come with you." She replied quietly, her words barely above a whisper.

"But will he follow Thor?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know, for the chance to see Asgard...probably." She nodded.

"Then on our return, we will make the request." He said, standing and stepping away from her.

"Loki?" She asked quietly. He froze. For some reason, hearing his name from her lips seemed to have that effect on him. He wondered for a moment, if the bond truly gave her power over him, beyond whether he lived or died. "Would you please tell me why you did it? The Destroyer, Thor, that part I get. Not that I think it's OK but I understand why you did it. Why New York?"

"Silence you foolish woman!" He snapped. "In the void, I encountered one named Thanos. He wanted the Tesseract and was willing to destroy earth to do it. He had planned to do so during the convergence, when the pathways opened but when I landed in his sights, he had a better idea. A way to get suit is means and get the results he desired sooner. I could go to Midgard and use the Tesseract's power to open the way for him. His armies would decimate the realm and he would get what he wanted. The question, what was in it for me? He had in his possession the mind stone. Using it he could see peoples memories, their thoughts, control them even. He used that to offer me what he thought I wanted most, a kingdom to rule. Midgard. It was an intriguing idea, although to be honest, I originally planned to simply take the Tesseract and return to Asgard truly powerful. Unfortunately, the mind stone did not just corrupt enemies. It is one of several infinity stones, only to be wielded by someone of great power. I was powerful enough to use it and save my mind but not enough to be totally unaffected."

"So you were brainwashed?" She asked. She couldn't help the childish part of her that was wishing that his answer would be yes, even though she knew not to get her hopes up yet again.

"No." He replied. "Not as you mean it. I was simply encouraged to be perhaps more ruthless than I would have been otherwise. Make no mistake, I would have killed to get the Tesseract but I would not have bothered opening a portal to practically destroy the realm."

"Why not?" She couldn't help but ask coldly.

"Why bother? Why waste time and energy on mere mortals once I had want I wanted?" He countered honestly.

"So...you would have killed us mere mortals to get your precious Tesseract?" She asked him bitterly, her nails now painfully dug into her palms.

"Only the ones that got in my way." He shrugged. "I would not enjoy it, I didn't enjoy killing them all Jane, I simply didn't care."

"Because us humans are nothing but inferior right?" She muttered, blinking away tears for the second time this morning. He paused for a moment before speaking, his hand reached out and skimmed the skin of her jaw. He seemed to be examining her, she met his eyes in surprise at the contact. She eyes froze on his, they were strange…sometimes they seemed green but now they were blue, very blue. Perhaps it was his magic that sometimes changed them, after all his magic was often accompanied but a trace of green light.

"I think perhaps not as inferior as I once believed. Certainly not comparable to the Aesir but not without merits all of their own either." He said curiously. "You humans are more interesting than I previously thought." She found herself unable to speak while he closely examined her, they had been in one another's personal space before but never like this. Not with him so silently assessing her, the intimacy of eye contact. It caused her heart to thud worrying, she blinked in an effort to break the tense feeling. He was gone.

She stood and turned to look around the room, he was gone. So much for watching her then…

"Agent Coulson, we've got some readings showing up for a massive energy surge in New Mexico, about two miles west of the first surge."

"The same as the first readings?" The older man asked.

"No, you see the first surge was the same as the readings previously accompanied by wormhole travel from Asgard, this surge was completely different. Look, it looks like two small waves, one straight after the second." The scientist pointed to his tablet. "And look where they are."

"Dr Foster's lab." Phil nodded, hitting his communicator with one hand. "Tell me we're ready to get going May."

"The repairs are complete, refueling should be finished within the next few minutes." Came the Agent's response.

"Good, we need to be in New Mexico yesterday." He replied, leaving the scientists in the lab and heading for the stairs.

"What do you think it is?" Darcy asked, once Coulson was gone.

"I don't know." Fitz replied. "These readings aren't specific enough to tell us anything for certain. When we get closer, I will be able to pick up readings on our own equipment, that'll give us a better idea what we're dealing with."

"So, it could just be Jane and Thor having some kind of godly sex right?" she asked, causing him to freeze and Simmons to laugh behind them.

"Even if Thor emitted some form of energy signature during…completion, that wouldn't explain the two energy surges, just one." Jemma told her. "It's very unlikely. Besides, we don't even know if Dr Foster is the one that has returned from Asgard."

"The fact that the surges are at her lab can't be co-incidence." Fitz protested.

"It could be any of the other Asgardian's that came to New Mexico the first time. After all, if it were Jane Foster, why wouldn't she have returned to London, where she was staying." She asked.

"Jane's here." Darcy said quietly. "I have a missed call from her."

"And you didn't tell Coulson?" Jemma asked in horror.

"You guys are trying to keep me off of this case, which means I don't know what your intentions for Jane are." She snapped back defensively. "I like Jane, I like Thor. If anything happens to them because S.H.I.E.L.D. goes storming in there…"

"All the more reason to tell Coulson what you know." The scientist pointed out gently. "If he knows that Jane is there, it's less likely to be a hostile. That's information they could use."

Author's note: sorry I know that was mainly dialogue but there was a lot that needed to be finally said.