"Alo? Is zis Jane Foster?"

"Yes," Jane answered to the voice she knew to be Madame Durand, her daughter's dance teacher, "This is Jane. Is something wrong?"

"You should probably just come to the studio. I'm not sure if I can explain over the phone."

"Is Tova alright? The class was supposed to have ended half an hour ago, right?"

"Tova… Tova is fine. Well, she has a bruise on her arm from where Cindy hit her with a sippy cup, but Cindy has a bigger bruise and a baboon head so… like I said you ought to get down here."

Jane's brow furrowed and she glanced at Darcy, who was a little trippy from the pain medication she had been given. The intern was babbling on about how she wished she were a cat because cats have all the fun. The doctors had told Jane that her friend was fine and Darcy's grandmother was by her side so Jane didn't feel terrible when she all but ran from the hospital.

When she arrived at the dance studio she gasped in horror when she saw from outside that there was an enormous hole in the building where the window to Tova's classroom was supposed to be. Steeling herself for whatever she would find in said classroom, Jane entered the building. Before she could open the door all the way something huge smashed into her and knocked her to the pavement.

When she looked up she almost screamed. One of the other dancer's mothers was standing there with the legs of some sort of cow and downward curving horns growing out of her human temples. Jane slowly scooched away from the other mother and toward the door.

"You!" The hybrid woman snorted, steam actually coming out of her nose, "This is your fault!"

"Now Cheri, calm down," Jane stopped moving, "I'm here to help fix whatever is going on."

"My beautiful daughter is a monkey because of you!"

"Okay, let's talk about this. Did Loki do something?" Jane thought this was the most likely explanation, though she didn't know how it was possible. According to Thor there was no way for Loki to get the cuff off so there should be no way for him to have turned Cheri and Cindy into bizarre half human half animal creatures.

"I'm going to kill him if he ever shows up again!" Cheri bellowed, sounding very cow like. She was momentarily distracted and trotted over to a parked car and began kicking it.

Jane took the opportunity to run inside and up to Madame Durand's classroom. Once inside she found that all of the mothers who normally looked down their noses at her were being questioned by police officers. A disturbing half baboon, half little girl swung from the ballet bar and hooted loudly. The teacher was sitting in a chair and staring at the chaos with blank eyes. The mirror that ran the length of the far wall was cracked. In the middle of everything Tova sat by her diaper bag calmly munching on animal crackers.

Ignoring the rest of the room, the princess' mother ran to her and scooped her up. Tova giggled at her sudden rising off the floor.

"Mommy!"

"Ah, Jane. You've come."

"Madame Durand, what happened?" Jane asked as a police officer approached.

"Eyewitnesses say that your little girl threw the monkey kid into the mirror because her chaperone - the freaking alien who tried to take over the world back in twenty-twelve - told her to and then he escaped after her turned that kid over there into a monkey and her mother into an ox," The officer said, reading off his notepad, "Any insight you could provide would be an enormous help, ma'am."

"Tova would never hurt anyone!"

"Well," One of the dance moms had made her way over, "Cindy provoked her and then Tova was just trying to push her away. I guess she didn't know how strong she was. Then Loki and Cheri started having an argument and he turned them into animals. He said he didn't mean to and started to turn them back into humans, but a huge beam of light came and took him away before he could finish."

"That explains the hole in the roof," Jane noted, glancing up, "But there is no way he could have turned them into animals. See he has to wear this…" And then she saw the broken pieces of the cuff in Tova's diaper bag, "Oh. Okay then."

For all the time Jane had known Loki it had always seemed to her that he was silently planning something. The crafty look in his eyes never seemed to fade, even when he was actually being sincere. It was just astonishing to her that he would have found a way to remove his cuff and then immediately disrupt a ballet class. Surely he had bigger plans than that if this was truly a nefarious plot of his. He would have known that Heimdall would have taken him to Asgard the moment he did something out of line and he would have gone out with a much bigger bang than this.

So either Jane's brother-in-law had some other plan that was currently in motion or this wasn't something that was his fault. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, she felt convinced that it was some sort of misunderstanding.

The only problem now was figuring out what had caused all this chaos.


"Uh… Thor?"

"Yes Stark?" Thor replied, hitting a large mutated cockroach and sending it into the Nile River with a swing of his hammer. The bugs were more of a workout than a real threat to humanity, but they were disgusting and taking some time to dispatch.

"FRIDAY just alerted me to something going on back in New York. Looks there are alerts in the SHIELD database because there are weird things happening at a place one of us frequents."

"What does that mean, Stark?"

"I'm not really sure, but from what I can gather there is something weird happening at the studio where Tova takes dance lessons," Iron Man flew down and finished off three roaches with one spinning blast, "Oh, and this is new, SHIELD records say there was an energy blast a lot like the Bifrost that hit the same place."

"What in the nine realms?" Thor grunted, destroying another insect, "Is everyone alright?"

"Not sure, that's all I'm finding on it," Tony paused for a moment and then opened his face mask, "But FRIDAY just found that Darcy Lewis was in a car accident this morning."

Thor clenched his fist.

"Something is going on with your family, that's for sure. You want me to wake up Hulk or you good till we finish..." Tony heard a bellow of rage and saw a flash of green, "Oh, or you could go wake up the Hulk. That works too."

"I shall meet you at the Tower for debriefing when I find out what is going on and get it sorted." Thor took off, worry clouding his thoughts.

He had just begun to trust his brother again. Loki could certainly take care of Jane and Tova if the need arose. However, Thor wasn't entirely sure that whatever was happening back in New York wasn't Loki's fault in the first place. Since there were very few details on what was happening, Thor only knew that he needed to get back as soon as he could. So he flew on.


Thoroughly shackled, gagged, and given another magic inhibiting cuff, Loki was dragged off to the Asgardian throne room where he was tossed onto the floor like a sack of yesterday's garbage. Though he'd seen Odin when he'd first arrived, the king had turned his back with a majestic swish of his cloak and strode off. Loki hadn't even had a chance to explain and now he feared he was to be thrown back in his cell with one quick judging by Odin.

Normally, he would have been fine with that. Afterall, Thor would find him eventually and the truth would get out sooner or later. Then Odin would feel stupid and everything could go back to the way it was. Yes, normally this would be an inconvenience at most, but Loki was currently worried sick that he'd left his niece unattended in a dance studio full of crazy women.

So, he humbled himself to the indignity of squirming in his bonds and shouted muffled words through the metal gag. He made quite the sight on the polished floor, he was sure. The guards hadn't even had the decency to set him up properly and he was wiggling around like a worm on his side.

"Do stop it!" The voice was not one he'd been expecting, "You are making a fool out of yourself!"

Frigga.

His mother sounded close to tears as she strode over to him but her face showed no sign of weakness. Her eyebrows were furrowed deeply in anger and her arms were crossed. A scowl slashed across her pretty face and said scowl was directed at the dark haired man on the floor.

"Mmm! Hmm hmm hmm, mmm, rrrrmm!" Loki said as loudly as he could.

"Your father will be here in a moment and then you can tell me whatever lie you've crafted this time," She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Honestly, did you have to try something? You were doing so well!"

"Hmmmmm," He rolled his eyes at her and she clenched her fists.

"We have given you so many second chances that I am not sure I see the point of even addressing you before I sentence you to the dungeon," Odin declared, sweeping regally into the room, "Nor do I see the sense in letting you lie to me with whatever excuses you've come up with. It greatly saddens me to- stop rolling around on the floor when I am speaking to you!"

"I believe he has something he wishes to say." Frigga commented.

"Must he get our attention is such a silly way?"

"He must be very desperate indeed to lower himself in such a way."

"Very well," Odin sighed.

Loki stopped moving and Frigga took the gag off.

"Thank you!" He snapped, "Odin, do what you will with me, but please send someone to take care of Tova! I was the only one caring for her when you pulled me away; she is too young to be left alone."

"Did you steal the child away from Thor?" Odin asked, stepping closer and tightening his grip on his spear.

"No, Jane had to attend to something so she asked me to take Tova to her dance class. Please, just send someone to make sure she is alright!"

"How do we know that you are not lying?" Frigga asked, worry evident on her face for her only grandchild.

"For Norn's sake! Just ask Heimdall why don't you? He obviously saw what happened so he can vouch for me." Loki was getting more and more worried about Tova and he was beginning to wonder if he could move things along faster by running to the Bifrost and forcing Heimdall to send him back to collect the little girl.

"Heimdall did not have his vision trained on you at the time. He was only alerted to the problem when he became aware that your cuff was off." Odin scoffed.

"Does it matter whether I'm right or not? Your granddaughter is on the line! Do you not care for Thor's offspring?"

"Do not," Odin snarled, "Question if I care for her. My wonder is why you would think I'd believe that you care about her or her safety. If this is a lie, it is not a very convincing one."

"And while you waste your breath," Loki quieted his voice, making eye contact and practically pleading with the man he once called father, "Wondering why her Guardian would be concerned with what happens to her, she could already have been harmed. Please, Odin, I don't ask this for me, I ask it for Tova. Send someone to ensure her safety."

"I will go," Frigga announced, and without waiting for objection, she kissed Odin on the cheek, squeezed her son's shoulder, and briskly walked off.

"This had best not be a scheme to wound whomever steps out of the Bifrost or-"

"If it was a trap, would I not stop the last person who loves me from walking into it?" Loki asked softly, looking in the direction his mother had just left from.

Odin didn't bother to answer, but instead waved at a guard to take Loki to his cell. The younger man looked ready to protest, but his once-father silenced him with a look.

"Once we know all is well and the queen has returned we will discuss your actions on Midgard and find a fitting punishment."

Loki nodded and allowed himself to be dragged off. He didn't know how long it would take to get this hearing with Odin, but he didn't mind so much now that he knew Tova would be alright.

At this thought he rolled his eyes. He was going soft.


It was a week before Loki was pulled from his cell - right in the middle of his nap - and hauled into the throne room. He was unceremoniously dropped on the floor at Odin's feet.

Groaning, Loki struggled to his own feet and looked his adoptive father in the eye. Exactly twenty-three scathing remarks came to mind, all of them rude and sarcastic. Exactly zero of those remarks exited his mouth. Instead he kept eye contact until things became quite awkward and Odin finally spoke.

"The queen has returned."

"Glad to hear it."

"She arrived yesterday with Thor, Jane, and Tova accompanying her," Odin's grip tightened on his spear, "All would like to hear your version of the events which transpired in young Tova's dance studio."

"Has it taken them this long to sort everything out?"

"The Midgardian authorities were not soothed by Thor's presence at the scene of the event and many questions ensued. The rest of the Avengers did not make it back from Egypt until yesterday and they vouched for Thor."

"And now I would like the truth, brother." Thor's overloud voice echoed through the chamber as the blond prince strode in. Jane was carrying Tova behind him and Frigga swept in after her. All eyes were focused on Loki.

"You will have it. I have done nothing wrong and will withhold no details." Loki nodded.

"Green!" Tova screamed excitedly. She wiggled in her mother's arms until Jane put her down. The toddler attempted to run to her uncle, but tripped several times on the Asgardian dress she wore. When she finally made it to him she hugged his leg and beamed up at him.

"Well hello, princess!" He smiled back, "Don't you look pretty?"

Rather than respond verbally, she stuffed a handful of her skirt in her mouth and gnawed on it, happily gurgling whatever babble she felt like.

"Explain yourself." Odin ordered, bending down and picking up Tova. She frowned and looked as if she were about to start crying. Loki almost snickered to see the king of Asgard causing a baby to cry. But he contained his amusement and instead calmly explained all that had occurred in the dance studio. When his story was finished Thor, Jane, and Frigga seemed convinced, but Odin was dubious.

"I do not believe that one so small could break your cuff."

Loki raised an eyebrow, but stooped down to where Odin had set Tova on the floor (he'd put her there right after she'd ripped off his eyepatch and put it in her mouth). The trickster held out his chained hands to the toddler and she gleefully took hold of them. She began to yank repeatedly on the chains and finally broke one of the links… and stuck that in her mouth.

"I see."

"Father, I do not believe Loki to be lying. You have not seen how he is with my daughter. He would never put her in harm's way." Thor said.

"If it's anyone's fault it's mine," Jane offered, "I asked him to take her to her lesson because my friend was hurt."

"Come now, Odin, it is obviously not his fault." Frigga added.

"Alright! Alright, I see that now," Odin snapped, "Loki, you may continue your probation, but you will do so here in the palace where incidents shall be less of a problem should they occur."

Thor looked about ready to protest, and Jane with him, but Loki nodded sadly, accepting the decision. His chains were removed fully and he left the room.

It was a better punishment than he'd been expecting, but it still stung. After a month on Midgard, he was rather beginning to enjoy living with his brother and taking care of Tova. Of course, he would never admit this out loud. If he acted like he preferred being on Asgard then there was a small chance that Odin would "punish" him by sentencing him to live on Midgard.

He could only hope.

A/N: Oh no! Loki's stuck in Asgard! If only there had been someway to prevent this *author smirks evilly*! It might be a little bit before I update again because... well plot. Anywho, it should be great when we come back. Or terrible. Depending on how you feel about certain things that I don't want to spoil. Lol, spoilers in a fanfiction story, what next?

Anyway, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy lives to read my little story. I greatly appreciate it! :)