Brooding in his dark thoughts, Loki lied on the cushioned bench, staring up at the boring ceiling, his hands behind his head, being as comfortable as he could on a bed a bit too short for him. He had grown tired of pacing around in his cage after Thor had left.
If there was a personal hell for him waiting somewhere, this must have been the closest thing to it. No idea of the passing time, nothing to do but to soak in his misery, no connection to the surrounding world except his little telepathic link with Emma and his visits to her with his projection. That had been his lift-raft, though. She had gotten under his skin, in a good way, and he couldn't stop thinking about her. Even they both being caught, she had kept believing in him and caring for him above anything else. And that's why he was going to do all in his powers to return the favour and set her free, somehow. And if nothing else would work, as a last resort he was going to talk Thor over to take her into Asgard with them.
But they were separated from each other and soon even more so as the agents were going to relocate her somewhere far away. And he feared for her safety, feeling he had failed her time and time again. He stroked his lips as he used to do when he was thinking, and he was thinking about her. When he concentrated he felt her presence and it was changing.
So it was happening! They were moving her away right now, he realized and closed his eyes feeling hopeless.
What if he would create a distraction to draw the guards after his projections? That could give her a small chance to escape, he thought, because he couldn't just stay there doing nothing. But then what? She would still be alone and would probably try to come to him and getting herself killed.
Loki groaned in frustration covering his face with both of his palms taking a deep breath.
"I'm telling you, you are making a terribly big mistake!"
A distant male's voice, carrying from the door, pulled Loki back on earth from the depth of his mind. He recognized the owner of that voice; Coulson! Loki rolled up from his bunk gracefully like a big cat and moved with curious, slow steps at the glass wall.
Bewilderment would have been too mild expression to use when he noticed Emma running towards his cell and opening her handcuffs with a key.
Loki moved closer to the wall, his puzzled gaze locking with hers. "Emma?" he breathed, a questioning smile settling on his face.
No claws! And thankfully no bullet wounds! How had she gotten down there to him? he pondered, amazed.
"You just cannot keep away from me, can you?" he asked playfully, unsure what was going on. But seeing her couldn't make him happier.
Emma gave a big smile to her god of mischief, stopping in front of a small control panel on the sidewall of the cell. "What would I do without you, big guy?" she said and input a code (she had gotten from Coulson with a minor extortion) to open Loki's cell.
To his worry Loki noticed Coulson and one armed soldier entering the room after her. "Emma, look out!" he told to her a rush of anxiety sweeping over him, wishing that the damn door would open already.
"No! Ms. Morgan, don't do it!" Coulson growled at her, but simply too late; the heavily sealed door was unbolting.
When his way was clear Loki walked out from his cell with just three hasty steps straight into Emma's embrace. She looked up at him with her bright blue eyes, whispering his name when he cradled her face in his palm as though making sure it was really she before closing her gently in his arms.
On that moment Emma knew everything was going to be alright, being close to him again, feeling his strong arms around her, hearing his heart beating and smelling his scent. She would have kissed him like crazy if Logan wouldn't have been there to see it.
Loki had wanted to hold her and touch her so badly that now when he had her he wouldn't have wanted to let go. But seeing the two men coming forth, he pulled Emma behind him protectively, preparing to run them through. "Stay behind me!"
"No, no! Loki, it's alright!" Emma told him hastily, holding on to his right forearm, trying to stop him doing something regrettable. "We came to get you out!"
"Not all of us!" agent Coulson remarked, looking unhappy as he was brought there by the soldier wearing black uniform and a helmet. In a normal situation he would have fought back till the end but with Logan he knew the fight was over before it had begun. And when Logan had told that he would start slicing and dicing anyone who should try to stop them Coulson had decided to keep the casualties in minimum and go along with them.
"We? Who are we?" Loki asked and gave Emma a confused glance, returning his eyes at the soldier and Coulson.
"Loki, you won't believe this! I want you to meet my father," Emma said sounding excited, stepping next to Loki pointing her hand at the strange man in a black uniform. "Logan, this is Loki who I told you about. Loki, this is Logan, my father."
The situation and timing couldn't have been worse to introduce your father to your companion, but there wasn't really anything normal about any of them. So, why not doing it while busting out from prison?
"Your father?" He had definitely missed something here, Loki thought and looked even more astonished, casting a long gaze at the soldier who removed his helmet unveiling some thick, dark hair and mighty sideburns. All right! They looked nothing alike! "I am very honoured to…?" he started offering his hand.
Logan's forehead furrowed and his nose wrinkled like an angry dog's. It was the same fucking clown he had seen on TV in the morning, the damn annoying Prettyboy. "No way in hell!" he growled, staring at Loki and pointing his helmet at him, holding on Coulson with other hand. "You've got to be fucking kidding me! Don't tell me it's this asshat!"
Loki scowled at the man, taking a defensive stand. "I am sorry?" he grunted and gave a glance at Emma. "What did he just call me?"
"Emma, you're better throw him back in and let Coulson keep this bastard!"
"What? No!" Emma protested her eyes sparkling in anger. "He's coming with us! Logan, you don't have to be so rude, you know?" Her gaze bounced between the men confused, thinking was Logan like Loki's Midgardian little cousin or something. "You two know each other? Please tell me you're not relatives, are you?" she asked cautiously.
Loki resented the shorter man's attitude towards him already. "I have never seen this man in my life."
"Well, I've seen his ugly face every time I've turned on TV for a couple of days now," Logan told.
"Oh, but I do hope you enjoyed the show," Loki said with a tiny, cheeky grin.
"Is there something is should know about?" Emma asked from Loki with a whisper.
"Have you not been listening what I've told you, Ms. Morgan? Loki's videos are all over the internet. He has literally taken over the Net and we were forced to shut down the whole world wide web," Coulson filled in, annoyed.
"Huh? Why?"
It seemed his little time spent with the teenagers in England had proven to be more than fruitful. Loki gave Emma a short, uneasy smile, folding his arm around her shoulders. "I will explain everything to you later, my dear," he promised, just hoping that this insane conversation would come to an end. "Now, I can see where you have gotten your cheerful attitude."
Logan turned back at Loki, frowning, recalling those video clips he had seen on TV. "You're an alien, huh? And I was expecting someone like Yoda. At least you don't have that stupid, fucking helmet on! What's the bloody deal with your horns? You've got some serious size issues, bub?"
Loki didn't even bother to answer that. Why was everybody so damn interested about his horns?
But Emma couldn't stop herself. "I assure you he does not," she smirked quietly.
"Oh, shut up, kid! You've been making out with a fucking alien? Jesus!" Logan grunted, giving her a scolding look, taking his newly found fatherhood seriously. Then he shook his head in a disapprovance and dragged the agent into the cell.
Emma and Loki stepped out of the way, and Emma gawped at Logan feeling like an idiot, being awkward enough by the whole situation, even without being questioned about her sex-life by her newly found father.
"You told your father about us?" Loki asked whispering, and she just managed to shrug, shaking her head.
Loki took a quick look up at the camera in the ceiling. "What about the guards? They will see us," he took note a bit worried.
"Don't worry. We told to the guards that this is our last connubial visit. The camera is turned off for our convenience."
Loki dropped his hand on her waist and he pulled her closer, giving her an amused grin. "Oh really? The prisoners have that kind of indulgences here in Midgard? Maybe we should stay," he teased with a whisper and she answered that with a shyish grin hushing him down.
"Hey, you, E.T.-boy! Don't touch her like that!" Logan grunted to Loki who stricken bemused and reluctantly let go of her.
"Who is he calling a boy?" Loki snorted sulkily, offended by the man's continuous and unjustified insults.
"Look, sorry to do this, Phil. Especially as it was you who told me about my daughter. But I bet you would have done the same," Logan said to Phil Coulson who stood now inside the cell, the door closing in front of him, locking him inside.
Coulson frowned, glancing at Loki and Emma. "No, if I'd have a daughter I'd sure keep her away from him," he said talking to Logan. "This was not what I had in mind when I brought you to see her. You don't know what Loki is capable of. You're jeopardizing a lot of people by letting him out."
"Hey! Loki is not a bad guy!" Emma defended her favourite guy, exchanging fond glances with him.
Logan heaved a sigh, not feeling so good about this anymore while watching at the tall E.T.-boy. "Well, I think I have to trust my daughter's word for that."
Coulson crossed his arms. "What comes to him, I'm afraid, she is a poor judge of character."
"Stop talking as if we are not here!" Emma raised her voice at the men feeling like being a kid. "For God's sake! I do what I want with who I want, Logan, even if it would a guy from another planet. I appreciate your help more than I can tell you but I'm not a kid, alright?" She sighed, turning at the imprisoned agent, looking sorry. "Agent Coulson, I'm very sorry it came to this. You are not bad for a guy working for a faceless organization. If things would have been different I might have joined you. I really hope they won't keep you caged here too long."
"You locked me in there for days so if you would ask me I hope you will never walk out from that damn cage again," Loki told to the man resentfully.
"He didn't mean that," Emma said with an apologetically grimace.
"Yes I did."
"It's not too late to make a different call, Ms. Morgan," Coulson assured her, staying calm and steady as always, his last attempts to reason with her. "Don't throw your life away because of him."
Emma shook her head. "I'm not. I'm taking it back." She took a hold of Loki's hand, giving him an affectionate look, her eyes smiling to him. "Would you do your little trick, so we can walk out from here in peace this time?"
Loki returned the smile, stroking her cheek softly with the back of his fingers. He would have so wanted to kiss her. "You read my mind, my dear," he said and transformed himself looking like agent Coulson, the golden flow of his magic changing his whole appearance.
"That is still so weird, but I love it," Emma sighed watching his transformation.
The real Coulson didn't share her enthusiasm, realizing that they were truly able to walk out without anyone stopping to question them.
Logan stared at the god of mischief mouth open and slightly suspiciously. "Well, I'll be damned! You're sure his not a shape-sifting mutant bitch with blue skin?"
Loki, looking and sounding like Coulson now, let out a snort, his jaw drawing back in irritation. "You have got something against blue skin, Furball?" he snapped back at the man abruptly.
"Oh, you don't want to start that game with me, Fancy-pants!"
"Why? Are you afraid to loose?"
Logan and Loki stared at each other grimly and Emma stepped between the men to keep them separated, lifting her hand against Loki's chest feeling his heart beating against her palm, making sure he won't go vanishing and casting illusions now. And she didn't want Logan go shoving out his claws either. She was getting strong vibes that they were heading for a battle of the alpha male status. "Oh wow! Look at the time. We've really got to go now! Alright, guys?"
Loki dropped his gaze on her. "Why do I get this funny feeling that your father is not very fond of me? You did tell him that I was a king…?"
"Sorry, buddy, but I don't give a shit about some fancy titles!" Logan grunted.
Emma tried to count to ten but quit before reaching to six while noticing the real Coulson's amused expression about the situation. He looked pretty certain that none of them would walk out from there today. And it only made her angry.
"Oh, for fuck's sake! You two have five seconds to grow up!" she cried out to the men next to her. "Loki, this is my father who dropped everything else when he heard that I existed and came to see me. Hell! He is even helping me to escape this place," she told to Loki in a pleading tone and then turned at her father. "And Logan… no matter what you may thing of Loki, I love him. So… could you please try to get along for now. We need to work together to get out of here."
Loki smiled at her gently with an approving nod. "Of course. This should be fun."
"Fine!" Logan murmured but hated the whole thing already. For his kid he could have done anything, but that prick alien-boyfriend of hers got under his skin in a nasty way. And the boy smelled strange like not from this planet. Logan didn't like that. "But you're better start to clean up your language, young lady, or you're forcing me to wash your mouth with soap!"
Emma frowned at first amused but then bit her lips slightly concerned. She didn't know much about her father yet, really. Who knows, he could have been some sort of psychopath. "You serious?"
"Damn right!"
Loki smirked. "She does use some terribly vulgar language for such a sweet creature. I cannot imagine where she had gotten that from."
Logan glowered at the E.T.-boy and picked up the handcuffs (Emma had dropped) from the floor. "You do know that she's got claws, right?" he asked and put the cuffs back on her to make things looking more plausible.
"Well, yes…"
"Those she's gotten from me. So, zip it, Pretty-boy, or I'll make you a new asshole!"
Loki gave Emma a questioning look and she closed her eyes with a suffering grimace. "Oh, god. No one's getting physical here! No claws! No illusions! No killing! Can we just go now, please!" she begged.
"Let's go then. It's show time," Logan said and put his helmet back on.
"We'll find you. You may escape now but we will catch you again and the next time, I'm afraid, we won't be so understanding," Coulson promised, watching them leaving.
Emma gave him a sad smile over her shoulder. "Then you're better find that new job, agent Coulson, because I don't want to fight you, but be sure that we won't surrender that damn easy anymore."
… …
The three of them left, walking out from the prison room. But as soon as the door shut close behind them, Loki (looking like himself again) emerged in front of the cell out of nowhere like a ghost, staring at Coulson through the glass wall with a confident and wicked smile.
"Oh, I almost forgot. The Tesseract? Where is it?" Loki asked in a dark voice, taking a step closer, clasping his hands behind his back. Their parts were changed; he was asking the questions now and being in control.
"I don't know," Coulson said shortly. His hunch of that creature had served him right. In his opinion Ms. Morgan thought too highly of that Asgardian deity. The Tesseract in Loki's hands could have been serious trouble, even they weren't really sure of all what that thing does. "My superiors haven't shared that information with me," Coulson lied.
Loki scorned at the agent's attempt to lie to him, circling the transparent wall like a predator stalking on its prey, casting a mean glower at the agent inside and inputting the code he had seen Emma using.
"Do not waste my precious time by telling me lies, agent Coulson! Tesseract does not belong to your people. Tell me where it is?" he asked and stepped over the threshold of his former cell when the door opened.
Coulson took a few nervous steps back, preparing to put up a good fight. "So, you already abandoned Emma Morgan, after she so relentlessly defended you? Or, do you simply like to keep her in the dark of your evil crusades?"
Loki shook his head a bit, annoyed of the man talking about her. He didn't have much time to argue, he needed to return to Emma as soon as possible. "What she does not know won't hurt her," he stated simply.
"Sounds like a key to a perfectly happy and healthy relationship."
Loki snorted and narrowed his eyes at the man. And before Coulson realized, he was pushed up against the wall of the cell, Loki's hand on his throat lifting him a foot high off the floor. With a furious grimace Loki held his victim in his grip, and he was taking a small pleasure of tormenting the man who had kept Emma chained, caged and away from him all this time. "I do not share her humanity towards you. This is your last chance! The Tesseract, please?"
All what Coulson had been taught about self-defence in all his years of training was slipping off his mind, Loki being too strong to fight off. He was choking, his vision turning blurry and black. All he saw was a dark silhouette against the lights on the other side of the cell as someone walked in.
"Loki? What do you think you're doing?" Emma's voice cried out with a deploring tone behind the god of mischief. "Don't hurt him. Let him go!"
Loki dropped the agent back on the floor, keeping the man in his grip as he glanced at her over his shoulder. He gave her a small apologetically grin like a little rascal who had just being caught his hand in a cookie jar. "Emma, I shall be right with you. Please, wait me outside that door," he spoke to her softly and as if slightly out of breath.
Coulson gasped for air as he finally could, unable to form words for a while, gazing at Emma, being still in Loki's grasp.
Emma stood on the doorway frowning, glancing at red-faced Coulson worried. She had quickly known something was wrong when she discovered she had been talking to only Loki's illusion on their way out of the room. "No, I will not let you hurt him. Let him go! I'm serious. I thought we were going to get out of here together!"
Loki swallowed hard. "We are. Of course we are leaving together."
"It doesn't look like that. Please, don't do anything crazy now. Not now! You do realize if Logan and I would have continued without you through the security checkpoint we would have gotten caught. Your illusion wasn't very chatty. What the hell are you playing, Loki? We need to go now!"
With mixed up feelings Loki's eyes bounced between her and the agent; he wanting so much leaving with her without ever looking back and then again eagerly seeking to find the Tesseract that could have given him the much needed advantage to carry out his plans but even more than that keeping the Infinity Stone away from Thor so they couldn't leave Midgard.
Loki was angry for her trying to stop him achieving his goal, but he treasured her for everything she had done for his sake on so far. And he fought back hard for not to say anything he would regret, his emerald eyes flaring in frustration in a mad-kind of way. "Emma, I need to do this. I need to find the Tesseract," he explained his voice nearly shivering in anxiety.
Coulson stared at Emma with begging look. "Close the door! Now! Please!" he rasped out to her with a hoarse voice, hoping to trap Loki there with him.
Loki gave the man a shove against the wall to shut him up, knocking the wind out of him.
"Stop hurting him! I mean it!" Emma screamed at Loki, moving inside the cage closer to him.
It felt like Asgard once again! That moment when Thor had returned to Asgard, showing up into the Allfather's champers right after Loki had saved Odin's life. When Frigga had left him the moment she'd seen her own son returning and leaving Loki standing there alone.
"Do you grow fond of your every capturer? Would you choose him over me now?" Loki sneered at her in a heated tone and tightened his grip on the agent.
His irrational questioning stupefied Emma as she went to him. That same capricious behaviour had confused and scared her earlier in the beginning of their journey. And there is was again, that dark side of his, unpredictable and angry like a tornado.
"If you have to ask that then you don't really know me very well. What is wrong with you?" Emma asked in a small voice, pondering was it simply just jealousy. "I can't put anyone above you. I'm not giving up on you, Loki. How could I? I have given up on everything else in my life for you. Which wasn't much, but it was all I had." She glanced at Coulson who still seemed to be in one piece and returned her gaze at Loki. "I wish you won't hurt him because he is the only one here who has not wanted us dead. He's the only one who had treated me with respect and I wish we could do the same to him. Now please, just come with me. We are free to go, Loki," Emma pleaded with him to take their chance for freedom and leave agent Coulson unharmed.
Loki forced a smile even there was pain in his eyes. "Not without the Tesseract," he stated, his tone becoming softer.
"W-what is it?"
"An ancient artefact that belonged to Asgard, containing unlimited energy, capable of creating portals… These people have it in their possession..."
"Damn it, Loki! Is that what you would have been seeking out from New Mexico?"
The god of mischief let out a small nervous laugh, shaking his head. Another secret he wouldn't have wanted her to know was about to reveal. "Not really. There, I would say, would have been a bit more personal matter to attend to."
"Let me guess; Jane Foster?" Coulson gave a wild guess with a grimace, rubbing his sore throat, leaning against the wall where Loki held him. "So, Thor was right; you would have gone after her?"
Damn loudmouth! Loki shot a fiery look at the interfering agent. "Does your life have no value to you at all?"
Jane Foster? The name sounded familiar. Emma tried to recall where she had heard that name before. Then she remembered, to her dismay, her first encounter with Loki in the darkness of the glacier.
She was staring at Loki, gaping in great concern. "Who… who is she? Your Net-date who never showed up? No, wait! I don't want to know! You would have dragged me all the way from Greenland to New Mexico to kill some woman?" she cried out in a huff.
Loki bit his tongue between his lips, slightly irritated. "When you put it like that, you make is sound so very awful." He could tell by her expression that she was being very upset, not appreciating his gentle raillery. "Maybe we could talk about this later? Emma, my dear, it was you who got me to relinquish those plans in the first place. They no longer matter to me."
Emma looked shocked her gaze dropping down. "Yeah, we've got some serious talking to do, Loki… I don't even…"
"Hey, what's keeping you, you two? The fellows here are getting suspicious. We've got to go! Now!" Logan shouted at them from the door.
"The Tesseract," Loki sighed, watching at Emma, his fist clenched holding Coulson firmly on his place. "If Thor would obtain it before we do, he will use its powers to open the Bifrost once again and nothing would stop him taking me back to Asgard," he explained, the gaze of his eyes turning softer as he beheld her, "And I can think at least one good reason above everything else why I would not want to leave Earth; that is you, my love," he said gently, and Emma lifted her gaze at him again.
Coulson frowned for the dark, sweet-talking deity, pondering would Emma actually believe that. "Or, then Loki would use its powers to subjugate the whole human race. I'd place my bets to the second option."
"Shut up!" Loki and Emma both cried out at the agent in unison, and the man saw it wiser to obey.
A Trickster, the god of mischief and 'a talented liar'. She knew he was all those things but none of it mattered to her at the moment. "I too want to keep you here with me. If Thor should try to stand on our way then we'll deal with that problem if and when it comes. But now, Loki, please, we have to go!" Emma said, reaching out her chained hands to him.
Loki nodded with a delicate, approving smile and he let out a small "hm" while thinking, letting go of Coulson's collar. "My apologies. No hard feelings, right, my friend?" he said to the man, tidying a bit Coulson's wrinkled jacket, straightening his tie and padding his arm friendly, leaving the agent gawping after him.
Then Loki moved to Emma, taking her hands on his. "No more crazy-ass stunts," he promised with a mild smile.
Emma chuckled a bit for his choice of words that sounded more like something she would have said. "That would be great," she agreed. "Thank you."
Loki pressed a kiss on her knuckles and saw that small flicker of love returning into her eyes. "Let us go then."
As they walked out from the cell together, Coulson cautiously moved after them but then stopped when found himself changing his appearance and even growing in height, a strange flow of magic transforming him looking like Loki. Coulson stared down at himself, his changed form and his odd black/green clothing, and slowly lifted his confused gaze at the two of them behind the glass wall where Loki took back his fake Coulson's form.
The cell's door closed in front of the agent. "Wait! How… how long this will last?" Phil Coulson asked, his tone getting a bit worried.
"I don't know," Loki said simply, also sounding like Coulson, giving the agent a smirk that looked wicked on 'Coulson's' face. "But, please, do send my regards to the Allfather once Thor gets you to Asgard."
"Loki, I don't want Coulson getting in trouble because of this," Emma said, hesitatingly walking away with Loki.
"I am sure he will be alright," Loki assured calmly, taking his new role as the agent Coulson with great dedication. "Come along now, Ms. Morgan, your freedom waits," he said putting his arm around her back, escorting her out.
"Was there a problem?" Logan asked opening up his helmet's vizier when Emma and Loki finally got to him at the door.
"No problems. We are ready to go," Loki stated, looking more than satisfied, glancing at Emma by his side. No matter how terribly wrong their first attempt of escape had gone, she had returned to him, harnessing her every possibility to help him out and persistently showing overwhelming loyalty and faith in him. He couldn't tell how she did that but she had become a clarifying flame, his sun, a bright light illuminating the darkness of his mind. And he wished not to let her down anymore.
… …
It had been ridiculously easy to get over the prison section's checkpoint in a disguise; Loki looking like agent Coulson, Logan dressed from head to toes as a STRIKE soldier and Emma just being herself in handcuffs. They hadn't done much of talking until they reached into the last long corridor leading to the elevator. The bullet holes on the walls gave Loki some nasty memories of that place and he took a step closer to Emma while walking with her, putting his hand protectively on her lower back.
Emma flinched at his touch, staring at him in confusion and frowning for a few seconds, her mouth gaping as if ready to tell him to back off.
Loki gave her a subtle smile. "It is alright, my Valkyrie," he whispered.
Emma heaved a sigh, a tiny smile with blush creeping on her face. "Jeez, for a moment there I forgot it was you. You were this close of getting a black eye," Emma said showing an inch with her fingers at him.
"Nice to see that you have not lost your fighting spirit," Loki chuckled mildly.
Then he gazed at the mysterious Logan, Emma's father, who had appeared as though from nowhere to their rescue. Loki was curious to know how had they met and why had he decided to help her (and him too) without even really knowing her. He pondered did the mortals' affection towards their family grow deeper in their hearts what he had thought. It made him thinking about his own true father who had abandoned him to die on a cold rock when he hadn't been eligible in the eyes of the Frost Giants.
He shook those negative thoughts off from his mind, keeping up a casual tone as he spoke to the man. "So, Logan. I am getting this warm and fuzzy feeling about us. Now when we all assumingly will become a one big happy family, what should I call you? Father? Old man? Daddy?"
Logan glanced at him but Loki couldn't read his expression that was hidden behind the vizier. "Don't push it, Fancy-pants! It's Logan. Mr. Logan to you," Logan growled at him in an annoyed voice. "Emma, once we'll get out of here, you tell this E.T. to call home!"
Loki frowned. "And what was that supposed to mean?"
"Maybe I haven't expressed myself clearly enough. I don't like you!"
"Well, luckily the feeling is mutual."
Walking between them two, Emma tried to remain normal as they were passing by the last surveillance camera on the corridor. "Could you two please just try to get alone?"
"Fine, but no more of that wiseass bullshit, bub, or I'll give you a back scratch with my claws!"
Emma could tell from the curves on Loki's forehead that he had something cleaver to say back at Logan and she hurried change the subject: "Um… Coulson was going to move me away from here today but I don't know their procedures and it could include some paper work. That's why I'm guessing I will be the only one of us who can't walk out from this building looking like this. So, if you don't mind, Loki?" she suggested as they stopped waiting for the elevator, being in the dead zone of the cameras. "Anything but a sheep, please."
"Leave it to me," Loki grinned, touching her shoulder lightly. She had given him a free hand to change her appearance and he was going to enjoy of it a bit.
As the elevator's doors opened, Emma stared at herself from a reflecting surface on the wall. "Okay, who was this guy again?" she asked in a bewilderment, her voice being her own but her reflection showing a tall, bald, black-skinned man with an eye patch. In slight of a shock she fingered her crotch over the black trousers. "Oh my god, do I actually have a penis down here?" she squealed, looking like Nick Fury.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Logan grunted at the trickstering alien, taking off her handcuffs while Emma looked like Fury. "No-one's turning my girl into a freaking guy! You change her back or I'll swear I'll…!"
"It's okay, Logan!" Emma tried to calm him down, which was a bit freaky when she looked like a big black guy with a girl's voice.
With Coulson's face Loki grinned as they stepped into the elevator, changing again her appearance. "Now, how about this one?" he asked and watched at Emma who walked next to him in a female form with red, shorter hair, wearing a tight dark jumpsuit, looking like Natasha Romanoff.
"I hate that shape-sifting shit. How do you put up with this guy?" Logan asked staring at Emma in her completely different outlooks.
"He's not so bad." Emma glanced at her reflection again with a relieved sigh, at least recognizing the face she now had. It was creepy when her reflection showed a strange face but it was a hell of a better than being an animal. "Well, this is much better. It's not that I liked her, but it's better than the first one."
The doors closed and the lift was in motion. Emma and Loki glanced at each other, both recalling their previous time in that same elevator that hadn't ended well, tension and concern flickering across their faces. At least now they were much further already.
"I swear to you it is going to be alright now, my dear," Loki assured to her again in a gentle voice, his own.
"I know. I have you with me."
Logan rolled his eyes under his helmet to that sentimental slush.
"So, we are going to walk out through the main hall. I've got a car parked in the parking garage. And so does this Coulson guy. It's a black Acura in the second park hall not very far from mine," Logan told handing Phil Coulson's car keys to Emma. "We should keep up the appearance and leave with separate cars until we are beyond the bridge."
As Logan kept explaining his plan, Emma felt a hand sliding down on her arse and she shot a questioning glare at Loki.
"Hm, definitely better," the trickster god took note murmuring in a small voice, his hand finding the cosiness of her tight butt.
It was not that she wouldn't have liked Loki's touch, she had been craving for it and wanting him, but the timing and the situation was awful, Logan there with them. And Loki was looking like Coulson. It made it even worse.
She elbowed him in stomach in embarrassment. "Quit it!"
Loki couldn't hide his grin giving her a sideways glance. "I thought you liked agent Coulson," he teased.
"Not that much!" Emma hissed. "Besides, I don't appreciate you go grabbing other women when you are with me."
They exchange looks, the corners of their mouths twitching, both holding back laughter. If it would have been just the two of them Loki would have stopped the elevator between the floors and showed her how much he had missed her; kissing her, lifting her in his arms and making love to her against the wall, making her forget every hardship she had ever faced. But that might have been the most stupid thing to do in the whole millennium. He had missed her so much that it was hard to keep his hands off her.
"Start behaving, you two! And, buddy, you are seriously cruising for bruising!" Logan said, not appreciating the alien guy making advances at his daughter, not in any form.
Loki pulled on his serious face, at least he tried. "You are absolutely right, sir. Please, do accept my most humble apology."
"Wiseass prick!" Logan snorted and turned at Emma. "Yeah, I can see now why you like him so much."
Emma wiped a corner of her eye, her smile fading slowly away as the elevator reached the zero floor and the doors opened. It was show time!
"Give us a break, will you. Logan, you saw those bullet holes on the walls. The last time we tried to escape we didn't get as much as this far. At least they had cleaned my brains from the walls," she said in a sad, ironic way and Logan turned at her with a frown. "A shot in the head slows me down in a nasty way. Loki could have managed out of here without me," she explained and then gazed at Loki only then realizing it. "Why didn't you run? You could have left me and gotten away on your own."
Loki gave her a pained look, wanting to touch her and hug her. That memory still haunted him. "And left you here alone on their mercy? To die? Never, my love! I failed you then but I swear I will never fail you again," he said and let their fingers brush as if to tell her in the most simple way that he was there with her now, and she squeezed his hand gently.
Emma returned his fond expression with a small loving smile. He was there under that fake face. "That is why I love him so much, Logan. And before you get even started, he has saved my life more than twice already."
Then she slipped into her role as the mean, red-head agent Romanoff as she stepped out from the elevator with the Coulson-lookalike, letting go of Loki's hand. The bustle in the main hall was getting her nervous, the people, all assumingly some kind of agents, going by here and there.
Loki, Logan and Emma glanced at each other, teaming up to get out from that place.
"So, which way to go?"
Logan stared at them two for a moment, taking a look at the bullet holes on the elevator's walls. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't that bad idea she was being with the alien guy who could sneak her out from troubles. It surely seemed they cared about each other a lot. They must have known each other for years.
"Alright, let's do this. Follow me!" Logan said and took the lead. "I need to get rid off these gears first."
… …
Well, it wasn't actually love at first sight with Logan and Loki. Thank you for this year for sharing this story with me. We'll continue this in the next year. And the next chapter after 2 to 3 weeks. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!