(Author's note: So the first half is Loki's POV. Then I'll switch to Jane's and then go back to combining. Happy reading! :) )

Songs: "All That I'm Living For" by Evanescence, "The Arena" by Lindsey Stirling.

Everything was in place, he mused, as the sounds of violins and other string instruments coming from downstairs greeted his ears; the large group of people mingling during the event for Heinrich Schafer also drawing his attention to what he needed to do. Still, as he leaned against a wall hidden from the crowd, his thoughts drifted toward her. While he and the others were growing closer to accomplishing the plan, knowing that he would be doing so without Jane by his side made Loki's heart ache with the grief that he was still struggling to deal with. His Jane, his beautiful Jane, was gone and he had failed to keep both her and their unborn chlid alive. Thanos had come to him after a long, pain filled torture session to tell him the news: that because he had been unwilling to listen to the Titan's demand of complete obedience, he had gone to Midgard and ended her life; subsequently ending the life of their unborn child as well. When he had learned what had happened, he recalled letting out one of the most pain filled screams that he had ever formed in his lifespan; his source of happiness and love snuffed out as easily as one would blow out a candle. After that moment, he had chosen to obey because in his mind, what other choice did he have? The woman who had made him believe he was deserving of happiness and love was dead; out of his reach.

Nimble fingers reached under the collar of the crisp white shirt; a chain caressing his fingers as he drew it up. A band of gold greeted him as he drew the simple chain from its hiding spot; the simple ring one of his most important possessions. Before he had arrived on Midgard, he had been able to procure the chain as he wanted to keep his wedding band safe from being lost or damaged. While he knew that with Jane's passing, there really was no point in keeping the ring, he needed it; needed the reminder of who he had been before this madness descended upon him. Drawing the band to his lips, he kissed it softly as he felt hot tears spill down his cheeks; the memory of when he had slid the ring's twin onto her finger visiting him. She had been so surprised by the sight of the matching rings that she had kissed him before he had been able to slide the ring onto her finger; the crowd of people witnessing their wedding chuckling with mirth at the affectionate display.

"We're here, sir," Barton's voice echoed in the black earpiece that adorned Loki's left ear; the agent of S.H.I.E.L.D startling him from his grief.

Tucking the ring back in its hiding place and smoothing his palms over his face in an attempt to rid himself of the tears that had escaped, he felt his thoughts cloud over only to be replaced with the mission details. "Proceed, then. I will be off to create some fun." Yanking the earpiece from his ear and depositing it in a pocket of the dark long coat that covered his broad shoulders, Loki forced himself from the wall; the sceptre's power coursing throughout his body as he stepped lightly from the wall toward the grand staircase.

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**

"So how did you manage to get wrangled into all of this, Bruce? I mean, I'm here for Loki, and Thor is also here for his brother so.. where does that leave you?" Thor had suggested that she and Bruce spend time together as he had learned Bruce was also in the science community; the blonde craving time to himself. Needing something to do, Jane had agreed to go to where Bruce had been working. Of all the people she had come across so far, Bruce's personality had been the one to put her at ease; his easygoing mannerisms a welcoming sight.

"Well, I had planned on staying away from civilization, in all honesty, but even in the most remote areas on Earth, someone like me was still found. So, after learning what's going on with.. your husband from Tony and Natasha, I figured I'd help before I get out of here. Jane, I can't imagine how hard this is for you. I mean, you were in the dark for almost three months only to now find out your husband is not himself. If it was me, I don't know what I would do."

Her lips quirked humorlessly as her shoulders drew up in a slight shrug; her arms coming up to wrap themselves around her waist as she stepped away from the salt-and-peppered haired scientist. "Honestly - I don't know how I'm doing it either. One minute, I think I've got it all figured out with understanding why I wasn't told what was going on; next minute I find out that my husband is in danger." She shook her head at the mess of the current situation; the movement causing the gleam of the gold band that adorned her left hand to be noticed. Raising her left hand up to her eyes, she could feel the familiar sting of tears as the fear of being unable to help Loki overtake her. "I just want him back, Bruce. Doesn't matter the state he's in; I just want him back."

Sympathy for her caused Bruce to step away from the table covered in various gadgets; a hand reaching out to rub at a shoulder soothingly. "We will do our best, Jane, I promise. With you here, I can only imagine he'll be all the more willing to talk with. Steve and the others are well known for being successful. After all, they found me," a faint, amused smirk adorned his face as he gazed at the small astrophysicist who offered him an equally faint smile.

"You're right, Bruce, you're right." Once she knew he was stable, she had dozens and dozens of questions to ask him; particularly the ones concerning why he had chosen to go with the invader and why he had taken Erik hostage. The latter still did not add up as she knew he and Erik had grown close over time so the idea of him choosing her father's close friend as a hostage confused her.

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**

He had to give credit where credit was due, he mused to himself, as he took in the well built aircraft. The Midgardians had made quite a few advancements in technology and if he wasn't here for another reason, he would have stopped to congratulate the builder of the machine. Instead as he walked with soldiers surrounding him, he offered the builder a nonverbal recognition.

Closing his eyes briefly, he smirked to himself as he felt the presence of Thor; the God of Thunder's aura easily recognizable given they had known each other since childhood. He was about to open his eyes when an equally familiar presence registered in the back of his head; one that he had not felt in months. It was close, too, from what he could feel. But, how? Frowning to himself as confusion filled his thoughts, the dark haired Prince turned his head in the direction of the familiar aura and opened his eyes; large windows greeting his curious gaze as well as the sight of machinery and laboratory equipment. Continuing to walk with the soldiers, his eyes took in the sight of Dr. Bruce Banner: the man who had the ability to turn into a larger than life creature. There was another person in the room with the doctor; the person whose presence was making his heart squeeze tightly with each step. Watching as the person turned to face the windows, the world around him seemed to end as his eyelids widened in utter disbelief. It wasn't possible, his mind screamed at him as he found that he was unable to take another step; his eyes locked on the love of his life. Her face was even more beautiful than what his mind conjured up; the sight of her causing every nerve of his body to scream as his mind demanded to understand why Jane was here. Thanos had told him she had been killed; that he had personally seen to her execution. "Jane..," he uttered; pain and vulnerability flooding his senses as he felt hot tears spill down his face as his eyes roamed over her body.

The sensation of being pushed forward pulled the dark haired Prince from his confused state; his heart skipping a beat as he watched Jane walk to the window and tearfully gaze at him. He longed to hold her; to make sense of the confusion residing in his thoughts. Was this all an illusion? Had he died and somehow managed to go to Valhalla despite all that he had done? If so, why was he being escorted away from Jane? Dozens upon dozens of questions presented themselves simulatenously in his head as he felt himself being towed away from his Jane; his eyes remaining on her as long as was possible as he could not imagine looking anywhere else.

***

*

Watching as the guards led Loki away, Jane let out a shuddering sigh as the shocked expression that had found its way on her husband's face presented itself in her mind. He looked so confused, she mused to herself, as she tried to make sense of his reaction. She had been expecting him to look ashamed for what he had gotten involved in, but what she had just witnessed gave her reason to believe there was far more than what Thor had seen.

"Where are they taking him, Bruce?" The sound of her voice cracking with the weight of emotion echoed in her ears. In all of the time she had known Loki, she had never seen him look as he did. Thor had been correct in saying that Loki looked sickly. Whatever he had gone through has caused him to lose several pounds; the weight loss giving him the appearance of someone near death.

"To a cell. Ja-"

"Which one? I need to see him," She demanded as she turned; tears falling freely down her face. "Please, Bruce. I - he's -" she looked frantically around the room as she struggled to find the best way to express the emotions overwhelming her mind.

"Jane.." Bruce murmured gently as he took the frantic woman's hands in his in an attempt to calm her. "You need to calm down, ok? While I can't imagine what it was like to see your husband like that, you won't do him any good being like this. I am certain Fury will let you see him, but for now you need to relax."

Drawing in a shaky breath as she tried to focus on what Bruce was asking of her, she knew she needed to calm down; for both Loki as well as their baby. The poor unborn child had struggled silently with their mother's stress and she had promised herself to do a better job for the baby. Feeling cool air fill her nostrils and travel down to her lungs, Jane pulled her hands free from Bruce's soothing grip and used them to wipe at her face. "You're right. God, he looked so thin; thinner than before. I should go fi-" the sight of a tall blonde man rushing into the lab greeted her.

"He's here, Jane." Worry and pain for his younger brother filled his voice as he stopped himself before he crashed into both Bruce and Jane.

Stepping away from Bruce, Jane made her way over to Thor who watched her as she moved. "I know, I saw him when he was taken away. Thor, I need help getting to see him. He looks so terrible that I thought it was a twisted figment of my imagination. Please, Thor. You've helped me come this far and I just need to see him." She knew she probably sounded foolish, but she didn't care. Far too much time had passed between herself and Loki and she truly felt that if she wasn't given the opportunity to hug him in the near future, she would lose her mind.

Instinct caused the muscular blonde to wrap his arms around his friend; the sight of her in such mental anguish tore at his heart. Pulling her close to him, he gently rocked the two of them side to side as he used to often do during their relationship; the gesture one that had been successful in calming Jane down whenever she was upset over a project. The feeling of the tension leaving her body greeted Thor as he mentally congratulated himself for remembering the particular gesture. "I've already spoken to Nick Fury about the request; asked him when I learned that Loki was being brought here. He said that you are allowed in the cell, but if anything happens, you are to leave immediately. That's all I could manage, Jane. I can only imagine you want to take him home with you, but Director Fury is unsure of Loki's well being and does not want him roaming around freely yet."

The beginnings of a smile formed on her face as she thought of the chance to be able to hold Loki; to caress his face as she had often done thousands of times in the past. Gratitude filled the small astrophysicist as she looked up at Thor; the man whose designated spot in her life had changed over time. "Thank you, Thor; for everything. I'm ready to go see him now."

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**

Slumping onto the solid flooring and closing his eyes as he leaned his head back, Loki took in a slow breath while his mind tried to make sense of what he had witnessed. If that was indeed Jane that was standing in that laboratory, Thanos had lied to him; lied to him about one of the most painful moments in his lifetime just to trick him into obeying. Misery welled up within him as he thought of how Thanos had described, in detail, how Jane had died: he broke her neck. But, when he had seen her earlier, she appeared very much alive. He had even been able to sense her presence; a spell that would not be possible if the individual one was searching for was dead. Was she alive? Had he foolishly believed the Titan?

Overwhelmed with the maddening combination of questions that lacked answers as well as emotions that demanded to be felt, he couldn't take the fact that he did not know what was going on any longer. He needed to let it out; to escape the control of The Other and Thanos as well as to know if his wife was still alive. Feeling the beginnings of a scream form in the pit of his stomach, he tried to suppress it; to push away the need to cry out the anguish and misery that had created a permanent home in the back of his head. But, he couldn't; he couldn't hold back any longer. Leaning forward to draw a breath, the threat of a scream became a reality as his rage; his anguish filled the room. His entire body shook with the force of the scream; its volume alone echoing loudly throughout the space. His anguish, his grief for Jane's death, all of it came out as he screamed. Falling backward, his exhale spilled from his lips as he looked at the floor; the thought of the floor beneath him taking away the pain he had released.

As he had leaned forward only to fall back, the simple chain that kept his wedding band safe slipped from his shirt; the symbol of marriage gazing up at him as he looked down at the piece of jewelry. Drawing a hand up to clasp gently at the ring, he twisted the ring to the right; the inscription greeting his emotion filled eyes. "Jane.."

"I'm here, Loki."

(WOO! Ok, see you all at Chapter 24! :) )