The car ride to the temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was foggy for Jane; she remembered being hit hard on the head, and Loki breaking free from the grasp of the two guards that restrained him.

Jane touched the back of her head gingerly; it was tender, but not bleeding. She looked around in the car. The windows had been tinted almost completely black, preventing her from seeing where she was going.

Rubbing her head, Jane sat up straight. The car turned several times, and finally lurched to a stop. The driver stepped out and walked quickly to her car door and opened it. Nick Fury had already made it to the S.H.I.E.L.D. compound before she had. When the man opened the door, he reached in and held onto her arm tightly, ensuring she would not try to escape as he guided her out of the vehicle.

When Jane was pulled out of her seat, she had to use her free hand to shield her eyes from the bright fluorescent lights. Once her eyes adjusted, she noticed that Tony was looking at her with sympathy, while Nick Fury glared at her disdainfully. She sighed.

Fury nodded at the man holding her arm, and Jane was suddenly being led somewhere else. The part of the temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters that she passed through was unfamiliar to her. The man led her through several corridors with bustling scientists and security personnel. The man stopped at a large metal door and slid a key card through a lock on the wall next to it. It opened with a hiss, and the man continued to lead her down a hallway.

As they continued to walk, Jane began to recognize their surroundings. The hallway and door to the labs she had worked in long ago appeared briefly on her right. She was able to glance at the scientists she had worked with, and she bit her lip.

Finally, the man led her into a small room off to the side of the hallway; it had nothing in it but a table and two chairs. At seeing this, Jane came to the realization she was here no longer as a guest, but as a prisoner.

oOoOo

When Loki arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D., he was roughly pulled from the car and made to stand in front of the one they called Nick Fury. Tony Stark stood behind him, arms crossed in front of his chest. At his full height, Fury was much shorter than Loki, and much less intimidating. Loki smirked.

Without breaking his gaze, Fury gestured behind him to a group of armed guards. They quickly fell into place, completely surrounding Loki. The smirk that played at his mouth was now gone; instead, his lips twisted into a scowl.

"Where is Jane Foster?" Loki snarled.

"That's none of your concern. Your main concern, however, should be answering every last one of my questions," Fury responded coldly.

"If that is the way you wish to answer, then so be it. But, I advise you to listen carefully, Nick Fury. If I find that any harm befalls her, expect to encounter a wrath so devastating, the only thing you will have left to ask for is mercy," Loki snarled. Something flickered in Fury's gaze, but his facial expression revealed nothing.

The group of armed guards escorted Loki through the headquarters and down several winding hallways. He could sense Jane was already here; as they proceeded forward, a mirrored window appeared to his right. He turned and faced it as they passed, letting a small smile come to his lips. Jane was nearby, and his magic was able to confirm that she had not been harmed any further than when they were arrested. A wave of relief washed over him. She was safe: for now, at least.

oOoOo

Jane sunk down in the metal chair and waited. For someone, or something, she didn't know. She waited for nearly fifteen minutes, and nothing happened. Jane stood up and paced the small space, unable to handle the silence. She wrapped her arms around her sides, hugging herself. She wondered where Loki was and whether or not he was okay; she hoped Fury, or anyone else for that matter, hadn't hurt him.

The thought made Jane feel sick. If only I had come clean about this sooner, maybe things would have been better. Or maybe I wouldn't be so attached. Why are you so stupid, Jane Foster? Jane mentally berated herself.

Jane heard the distant metal access door down the hallway open and shut. Her head snapped up. She froze, waiting to see who would approach. As she looked out of the window, she gasped. Loki was being escorted down the hall, surrounded by large black-clad guards. Her hand went to her mouth and the guilt rose up inside her.

As she tried to think of possible things she could say to convince Fury of Loki's change of heart, Loki turned his head to face her. Jane's eyes widened for a moment, and their eyes locked. He gave her a small, almost reassuring smile and continued down the hallway. Jane hadn't realized how tense she was until she let her arms fall to her sides. She let out the breath that she had been holding, and walked around to the other side of the table, taking a seat in the metal chair.

Jane waited another ten minutes, and she heard the slide of the metal access door down the hall. Within a minute, Nick Fury strode down the hallway and into the room Jane was held in. The door clicked open, and Fury walked in, a serious expression set in his features. Her heart sank as he stood in front of her across the table. She was in for it now.

"Evening, Miss Foster. Before we begin, do you know why you're here?" Fury inquired expectantly. Jane wasn't sure she wanted to bother with an answer, so she didn't. Fury laced his hands behind his back and shifted his stance.

"Miss Foster, you're here because you knowingly harbored a wanted federal criminal and said nothing about it. I'm sure you recall the damage Loki caused several months ago. You have also interfered with government action and have been brought back here. I'm here because I think you and I need to have a little chat," Fury said.

"About what?" Jane asked nervously. She already knew the answer; she just didn't want to acknowledge it.

"Loki." Jane sighed.

"Well…what do you want to know?" If there was a way to divulge as little as possible, then she would try her best to use it.

"Anything and everything, Miss Foster."

Jane paused, thinking of where to start. After taking a deep breath, she told Fury everything she could think of; everything except the shared moments on the roof and in the desert. She had spent nearly thirty minutes explaining everything that she could think of, and she put more emphasis on the events that revealed Loki's better, finer side. When she had finished, Fury had said nothing. His expression had not changed, but his silence revealed that he was analyzing everything Jane had said.

"Anything else?" He asked pensively. Jane hesitated, but shook her head.

"What happens now? What are you going to do?" she asked softly, afraid of the answer.

"We will have to see. I will consider the account you've just given to me, and we will go from there," Fury replied, walking toward the door. Jane panicked and stood abruptly.

"Wait! Please, wait. Is there any way that I can prove to you that he's on our side? That he's good?" Jane asked desperately. Just as Fury was about to answer her, a suited man burst into the holding room, clearly out of breath.

"Sir, we have a situation," he said breathlessly, looking between Fury and Jane. Fury walked out of the room and into the hallway, leaving Jane without an answer. She balled her fists and tried not to cry out in anguish. She felt as if she were back to square one; trying to exhaust all of her resources and not getting any answers. As Jane was beginning to feel hopeless, Nick Fury walked back into the room. The expression on his face suggested that something had seriously gone wrong.

"Are you ready to redeem yourself, Miss Foster?"

oOoOo

Jane hurriedly followed Nick, trying to keep up with his stride.

"What's going on?" Jane asked.

"The Cube was en route to New York, our primary base, but it has been stolen. We suspect Johann Schmidt is responsible, and we need to get it back as soon as possible," he said simply.

"Well, wait; I'm not exactly sure how I would be able to help—" Jane started, but Fury quickly interrupted her.

"Miss Foster, when Schmidt stole the Cube, he was instantly transported elsewhere. Any sort of trace he may have left behind doesn't exist. If you think you can figure out how the hell he did that, and where he may have gone, consider yourself a free woman," Fury stated bluntly. Jane didn't immediately respond.

Fury continued to lead them down the hallway, when Jane stopped in her tracks. Nick turned around to face her.

"Miss Foster, time is of the essence. We need to hurry."

"Loki can help us. He can help us recover the Cube," Jane said.

"We've already discussed this; this doesn't involve him." Fury said, waving her off. Jane stood her ground.

"You don't get it, though; he knows the device better than any of the scientists here combined. He knows the kind of power it has and what it does," Jane reasoned. Fury narrowed his gaze.

"And how exactly does he know this?" he asked sharply.

"Doesn't matter. What does matter, however, is that if you want to get the Cube back, you're going to need his help, whether you like it or not."

oOoOo

Loki was brought to a small holding cell, where he remained for nearly an hour. Naturally, no one had come to question him, not yet. The quick glimpse at Jane in her holding cell made him hope that they wouldn't use her to get at him. He scowled. I will not let that happen.

Suddenly, he heard raised voices approaching his room. His brows furrowed and he listened carefully.

"Miss Foster—"

"Nick, he's my charge! He's my responsibility! Well, before you all showed up," Jane bit out. Fury was silent. Neither spoke.

"Trust me, Nick. I'll be responsible for him. Please. Just give him a chance," Jane pleaded. From the lack of response, Loki could tell that Fury was going to agree with her, against his better judgement.

The door to Loki's holding cell swung open, and Jane walked in. A smile crept up on her face, and she walked toward him. He stood.

"Are you okay? They haven't done anything to you, have they?" she blurted out. Loki shook his head.

"No. Not yet, anyway. Is everything all right? They have not harmed you?" he asked, repeating her question.

"No. Other than my head, which is starting to feel better, I'm fine." Almost on impulse, Jane hugged him tightly. The action genuinely shocked him and he threw his arms up in surprise. Fury had walked in a few minutes later, and immediately sized him up. Slowly, he relaxed and put his arms around her small figure. Loki hadn't realized how much smaller she was until he held her in his arms. Fury cleared his throat, and Jane quickly pulled away.

"Right. Well, there's been a development with the Cube," Jane paused before continuing. "It's been stolen." Loki's eyebrows quirked upward in disbelief, and Jane let out the breath she was holding in. Jane was about to continue when Fury approached the both of them and interrupted.

"What Miss Foster is trying to say is, the Cube is in very dangerous hands; it has come to my understanding that you are very familiar with the level of…technology that is involved. It's also come to my attention that the Cube is not something from this realm, as your brother put it." Jane furrowed her brow.

"I didn't tell you that; I only said he's familiar with it." She turned to face Loki. "Did you say anything to Erik?" Loki shook his head.

"Neither of you told me; he did." Fury replied flatly, and nodded toward the door.

When he walked in, Jane felt as if she had been punched in the stomach; the air had gone completely from her lungs. Loki stiffened, and his mouth pulled into a tight line.

"Hello, brother. Hello, Jane."