A/N: We are back in business with four more chapters to go!

Odin had been on the phone for twenty minutes. He paced outside Loki's room, his shadow passing over the bed and Jane's joined hands more times than she could be bothered to count. If she looked up, she'd see the same thing every time: Odin at the window, talking or yelling or barking at whatever poor soul was on the other end.

Not that Jane looked up very much. Her attentions shifted between her white, sweaty palms and Loki. Though he had yet to wake up, he was looking much better. More like his usual self, like she could just tap him on the shoulder and whisper in his ear, and then he'd open his eyes and everything would be normal again.

Not that anything had been all that normal before.

She glanced at Thor on Loki's other side. He seemed to have forgotten she was there, just like he had forgotten everything else save for what was right in front of him. He smoothed the thin white bed sheets, removing every fold and crease with an almost obsessive precision. With his other hand, he gripped the side railing, hard enough that Jane thought he'd rip it off. For a time, she had considered breaking the silence- and therefore the tension- but then her throat would close up, and she'd think maybe that was Loki squeezing her hand back that she felt, and she'd remember that she didn't have anything to say. The silence had become a comfort.

The door swung open on squeaky hinges. Odin stood at the threshold.

"Thor, come here a moment."

Jane looked from him to Thor, who kept his head down and removed a fold in Loki's blanket that he may well have caused himself.

"Thor!"

Jane jumped, and though it had not been her snapped at like that, she felt the sting of Odin's ire like a slap in the face. So strong it was, that even Thor, in all his need to be the protective older brother and watch over the younger, got to his feet and left with one last, lingering look at Loki's face.

"Ms. Foster, if you could come, too," Odin said, much more gently.

Though she probably wanted to leave even less than Thor did, Jane pulled her hand free of Loki's and followed him.

"How goes the arrangements?" Thor asked. They huddled close together, away from anyone who could overhear.

"The penthouse will be under constant surveillance and all of our remaining staff will be vetted for connections with Malekith," Odin said, pocketing his cell phone. "I put a call in to Heimdall. He's sending his best men."

Thor nodded. Jane had no idea who this Heimdall guy was, but he must have been good news if hearing his name made Thor relax.

"What about the estate at the Hampton's?"

"Also on lock down. The summer home and the Long Island mansion as well. We are not cutting any corners when it comes to Malekith. Anything we can think of, he will think of."

"And what of our lodgings for the night?"

"Your mother has reserved rooms at the Affinia. She knows people there who will keep quiet. Hopefully, Malekith will focus on the more high class establishments first when looking for us. Until then, there will be one room for your mother and I, and one for you, Sif, and Ms. Foster several doors down and across."

Thor nodded again. "Keeping our rooms a fair distance apart might also throw Malekith off."

"That's the idea."

"Wait a second."

Both men looked at Jane.

"I'm sorry, did I hear my name somewhere in that?"

They blinked at her.

"Of course," Thor said without missing a beat.

"Ms. Foster, you said it yourself that Malekith most likely knows who you are. I have no trouble believing he has people infiltrating the police and emergency services, and if you have been targeted with the rest of us, it is our responsibility to see to your safety."

He spoke as if she'd just placed an enormous burden on his shoulders by getting a big red target that matched his own painted on her forehead. If this was Odin Borson's natural state of being, she had to wonder if Thor wasn't really the adopted one.

"Okay, but... I still can't impose on you guys like this. I'm not even family."

"Don't say that."

Frigga appeared from the waiting room with Sif close behind, watching carefully her future mother-in-law and everyone else who came close. Loki's mother had dried her tears, and where before she had looked more than her age, now Jane could see the confident matriarch she'd first been introduced to at the engagement dinner.

"Ms. Foster, I know we are not well acquainted," Frigga said, "but my son is alive tonight because of you. We have him back because of you. If that doesn't make you family, then I don't know what does."

She had been wrong that Frigga would not cry anymore. Tears had welled up in the corners of her eyes, not yet shed, but speaking of more than sadness. She reminded Jane of her own mother, so many years ago, the way she had comforted Jane after a bad nightmare or when a bully pushed her in the dirt. Holding her when she cried and singing her to sleep. She could see this woman doing all of that and more for her sons, and she thought, not for the first time, how hard it must have been for Loki to leave it all behind.

Over Frigga's shoulder, Thor joined hands with his fiancee, and the two of them met Jane's gaze with warm smiles that belayed the fear and anxiety permeating in the air. For just one second, there was a peace among them, in this tight family circle that she'd somehow found acceptance in, and Jane realized Frigga wasn't the only one about to cry.

"I... thank you. Thank you so much."

They stayed at the hospital until night fell. No one felt safe enough to go farther than the waiting room. When they did, it was with Thor or Sif close behind, watching for anyone or anything even the slightest bit suspicious. If some poor unsuspecting nurse came into view with a tray of scalpels or a syringe, they were subjected to one of Thor's very impressive death glares, until they either ran or Thor realized his mistake and apologized (and they usually ran anyway).

Jane and Sif returned late in the afternoon from a bathroom run to find Odin and Frigga, leaning shoulder to shoulder, fast asleep. Thor kept a close watch on them, slumped over with his jacket off at his feet. He didn't see them coming and jumped up when Sif sat down beside him. He blindly raised a fist and Jane had to stifle a scream, but Sif was unperturbed.

"You haven't slept in ages, love," she said, bringing his knuckles to her lips. "It does you no good. You should try and rest."

"How can I when Malekith could be anywhere?"

But Jane agreed with Sif. Thor was a big guy and he liked everyone to know how tough he was, but he wasn't a god. He had his limits. He knew it, too. He showed it in the way he let Sif fold up his coat and place between his head and the wall, with only a grumble as his meager protest before exhaustion set in and his head lolled onto his shoulder. Soft snores emitted from his parted lips, eased when Sif slid under his arm and rested on his shoulder. In his sleep, the arm tightened around her.

"You should get some rest, too, Jane," she said.

"I'm fine," Jane said, and at Sif's skeptical look, "really, I am. I've been known to stay up pretty late."

"It's still not good to wear yourself out. I will be up to keep watch for now, so you have nothing to worry about."

"I know I don't." After everything Jane had seen, she was pretty sure she could trust Sif and Thor both with her life. "I just don't think I'd be able to make myself sleep even if I wanted to."

Sif smiled. "That's the burden of a heavy heart."

Jane didn't know exactly what was meant by that, but she wouldn't know how to ask if she wanted to. Minutes dragged on with only the swirl of hospital activity and Thor's hard breathing meeting her ears. Jane crossed her legs under the chair, staring awkwardly at the ground.

"Look, uh... about what I told you before," Jane said, pausing to cough, "about me and Loki, and how we met..."

"If you wish to apologize, then don't. There is nothing for you to be sorry for," Sif spoke with such conviction. She had to be taking a page out of Frigga's book. "It's like Thor said, you brought Loki back to us, and while I can't imagine why he'd allow Malekith to make a prostitute out of him, I'm not terribly surprised that he wound up in that situation."

Jane's head snapped up. "What?"

Sif shrugged. "It's just that Loki always had... a certain way with women, let's say. I myself always thought he was a complete ass-"

"He is a complete ass," Jane muttered, and Sif's smile widened.

"Yes, but," her voice became soft, wistful even, "it seems there's more to Loki than I gave him credit for. He's a fool to leave his family behind, but to risk his very life for them, even after learning the truth..."

Jane nodded. Sif didn't need to finish, she understood perfectly.

At a quarter after nine, Jane took to staring at the wall clock, watching the time tick away until ten. Every now and then, she looked for Loki's doctor or one of the nurses, come to let them know that Loki had opened his eyes at last and they could all take a deep breath and prepare for a tearful reunion. It didn't look like that would be happening today. The doctors couldn't say what was taking so long for Loki to wake up. All his vitals were normal and there had been no problems during his surgery. He was in perfect health, strong as an ox; he could probably just get up and walk out as soon as he was awake. The last time anyone came to give them news was five hours ago, just to let them know that Loki was still unconscious and not at risk of anything greater than some nasty bed sores.

Thor had been beside himself. It had taken the combined efforts of Frigga and Sif to calm him down before he punched the poor doctor's lights out. Odin had been making another call to that Heimdall guy and wasn't there to scare his son into submission. Afterwards, Thor had fumed for hours, staying with Loki as much as he could during visiting hours and eating only when food was brought to him. It was really no wonder that he'd lost steam at the rate he was going. Jane felt for him, only child she may have been. If she were in his place, they would have to drag her away from Loki's side. She was a hair's breath away from that point as it was.

The hour hand's painful creep down had ended at six. Jane stood and shook her legs to get the blood flow back. Multiple hours sitting in the same spot wasn't new to her, but the added stress was a nightmare on her bones, and she needed to get up and move.

"I'm going to go check on him," she told Sif.

"Visiting hours are over."

"I just want to look in real quick."

If Sif wanted to object, she thought better of it. She returned to the task of drawing circles into Thor's arm and watched carefully for trouble as Jane stepped into the hall and out of view. Turning a corner, Jane's eyes darted up and down. Odin had said Malekith's men could be anywhere, but so could the people working for him that would protect them. How to tell which was which was another matter entirely, but there was no obvious danger and (from what Jane could see) few places anyone threatening could be hiding.

Loki's room was up ahead and the lights were all off. As day turned to night, shift changes came, and the area was mostly barren. Jane stepped into Loki's room through the unlocked door, neither fearing nor caring that she might be stopped. She needed to see Loki at least one more time before they left or it would gnaw at her until he woke up.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The screens and glowing numbers were all that kept the room from pitch black. Dimly, Jane could see something dark sitting at the foot of the bed. Brow furrowed, she got a little closer, and it stared back at her. Jane's next breath caught in her throat.

"You're awake!" She covered her mouth. She hadn't meant to scream. "I was starting to think you'd be asleep forever."

He might have smiled, but it was too dark to tell. His entire face was in shadow, his expression a mystery. Closing the door, Jane walked to the bed and stopped short of sitting next to him. Something about it didn't feel right to her, like it would be too intimate. His mother had said she was part of the family now, but there was only one way Jane would really feel like she belonged with the Odinsons, and that was not a thought she should be entertaining here.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked. He hadn't spoken yet, and it was getting to her fast. Since when did Loki not adore the sound of his own voice?

'Since he almost died and realized his entire family could be going with him, genius.'

"I've been worse," he said, with a scratchy quality befitting of someone who'd had nothing to drink for hours.

"Worse than getting shot?"

"Did I ever tell you the story of how I learned I was adopted?"

Jane blinked, the oddness of the question outweighed only by how out of place it was.

"I... I don't understand."

"It's a simple question," he said, "though, admittedly, not a very good one. You couldn't possibly know. Not unless someone else told you."

He wasn't looking at her, and his words weren't even accusatory. Jane's face heated up regardless.

"I called them," she said quickly, before she lost the nerve, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause more trouble-"

"I think you've averted far more than you've caused."

"-it's just that after what you told me, I couldn't leave them all alone with that nutjob running around and-"

"Jane, calm down."

It felt like a command, though Jane knew logically that it wasn't. He had just woken up after a day and a half on the tightrope between life and death. He was probably hungry and thirsty and still in pain, and here she was babbling like an idiot and not letting him breathe. She should have been searching the room for a water pitcher or calling for a doctor or something more productive than flashing back to their second encounter, when he'd 'jokingly' suggested they try a Master/slave roleplay and Jane had just about choked on the coffee she was drinking.

"It was five years ago," he said. "I was... bitter about a holiday dinner party that ended in disaster when Thor decided he would challenge our friends to a snowball fight. He tried to get me involved, but I stopped going along with his games back in high school. I wasn't about to start again now."

He chuckled, a sad sound. Regretful, even.

"In the end, I was right about what a bad idea it was. Thor threw a wad of ice he'd mistaken for snow. His aim was off, and instead of hitting Fandral, he broke a window and our mother's favorite centerpiece that she'd taken out for the party. I couldn't believe how foolish he had been. Surely, he could have taken a moment to ensure that the snow he was about to lob at someone's head really was snow."

He clenched a fist.

"I assisted him in cleaning up. Our Aunt Freyja happened to be nearby. She was a bit tipsy as was common for family get-togethers, and that day, I learned that she is a talkative sort of drunk. Very loose lipped. It happened when I made the mistake of mentioning my disbelief that Thor and I were related within her earshot. She looked up at me from her drink and said, 'It's a good thing you really aren't, dear.'"

His infliction didn't change, nor did his pitch, but Jane had to wonder how many times he had heard those words, in his aunt's voice, repeated eternally long after the fact.

"Naturally, I thought it just the typical ramblings of a drunk, but then, a few days later, I related Freyja's strange remark to my mother over afternoon tea. I thought it would be something we could have a good laugh about before moving on to idle conversation. Jane... the look on my mother's face is something I will never forget. She didn't laugh, she didn't smile, she just stared at me, like she didn't want to see me anymore. That was when I knew. At first, I didn't want to admit it, and for months after I tried to forget it, but in the end, I knew couldn't hide from it. I investigated, and it wasn't long before I found the truth. The truth about my life, about the lie that I lived."

Jane had a sudden urge to grab his hand, to rub his knuckles the way Sif did for Thor, to comfort him through the pain, to bring peace back. Just to give the illusion that everything was all right.

"Loki," she whispered.

"Jane," he answered, looking down at her. "Do you have any idea the sort of monster my true father was?"

For a moment, Jane saw Farbauti again, the woman's mass of uncombed hair and wide, crazy eyes that rolled around in her head, and she cringed.

"A little," she said, softly. "What are you going to do now?"

"I have some work to do," he said. "It's very important that I finish it soon."

"Shouldn't you rest a little longer?" Jane patted the bed. "You just had two bullets removed, and your family wants to see you. You're not going to leave them again, are you?"

This time, when he laughed, there was humor to it, and Jane's heart skipped a beat.

"I didn't realize you cared so much about their feelings."

Jane looked at him, deep into his eyes. "I care about you."

Something changed in his stance that she couldn't quite place. His body tensed, the muscles in his jaw flexing as his back went straight. He looked down at her, face hidden in the dark now that he faced away from the light. Jane could see nothing at all except his hands moving. They closed around her cheeks. They were so big...

"Jane," he said thickly. "Just in case, there is something that I must do."

"Just it case... what...?"

Her question was lost along with her cares as his lips pressed into hers. He was soft at first, not pushing or prodding, but then as seconds passed, he became more bold. He brushed his tongue over her lips. Jane opened her mouth in a haze and put everything she had learned from high school games of Seven Minutes in Heaven to work trying to keep up with him. She was fighting an uphill battle and she hadn't a prayer.

If this was how he kissed, she was lucky he never wanted to do it on the job. She would've fallen in love with him ages ago if he had.

"Jane..." he pulled away an inch, holding her close to bring her in when he wanted to.

"You know," Jane said, licking her lips. "I like the way you say my name, too."

He looked like he wanted to kiss her again. She hoped to God he would, and that he'd never stop.

"I think you should get some sleep, Jane."

He disentangled himself from her, getting to his feet with his hands still wrapped around her wrists. He led her to the vacant chair and sat her down, and now that Jane thought about it, it was a comfortable chair, and her eyes were a little heavy.

"I'm not that tired," she said, fighting against it.

"I believe you are."

Jane shook her head, and she was met with a grin as he kissed her one more time. It was on the forehead this time, to her disappointment.

He stood over her as she rested her head on the wall, caring not for the lack of softness. She would have to make due with her hair for a pillow. She just wished she could be a little warmer. She'd been fine before when he was touching her.

"Sleep now, my Jane. You need it."

"Then stay with me."

There was a long silence.

"I will," he finally said, and Jane let her heavy eyes close and knew no more.

"What is going on here?"

Jane shot up, groaning at a wave of pain from the cricks in her neck, pounding at sore bones and rousing almost as well as that voice did.

It came from a doctor, a different one from before, standing at the door next to the switch he'd just flipped on. Jane covered her eyes from the sting of the light. She reached around at air for something to grab and found nothing.

"Wha' happened?"

She forced herself to look around and get used to the illumination. Hospital lights were far too severe, and if she ever had to stay in one overnight, she was going to insist that...

Wait.

Jane looked around at her surroundings, at the bed and the monitors and the curtains drawn over all the windows. The new doctor had gone to talk to a nurse in the hall, who held a large stack of files, the topmost of which the doctor removed from the pile. They spoke in hushed tones, Loki's name spoken several times in a context Jane couldn't understand. She watched them walk slowly to the waiting room, forgetting all about her there in that empty room.