"Apologies," the guard continued, clearing his throat nervously, "but the prisoner is not fit to be seen by the eyes of a woman." He nodded toward Nancy, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

"What is he saying? Something worthwhile?" Loki didn't care what the puny little guard thought. She deserved to be a part of this, after all she'd been through. He glanced toward his lover with a wry smile. "Are you prepared to look on him?"

Nancy nodded. How bad could it be? She'd told them to cut away pieces of his fingers and toes. She'd seen worse in the S.H.I.E.L.D. med bay. "I passed the sentence. I'll look at him."

The guard bowed to both of them, acknowledging their acceptance of the prisoner. "He has admitted to taking money in exchange for harming Lady Maija."

Loki nodded, the rage boiling just below the surface. He never meant to harm Maija, not in any way. "Bring him forth. Let us hear this tale of woe."

The figure the guards threw before the throne barely looked Asgardian. So disfigured was he that even Loki had a hard time making out what he used to be. Though he knew the extent of the punishment Nancy put upon the man, he had not quite expected to see him so bloody and open. Without certain appendages and unable to see due to the lack of one eye, this man seemed closer to death than confession.

Nancy inhaled sharply as the guards dragged the bloody remains of the man's body into the throne room. Her hand rose to her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes. Never in a million years had she expected them to actually skin the man alive. They were Asgardians. They had rules and laws and morals. She only meant to scare him. Never this.

Loki tossed a quick look over to his beloved. She was too gentle a woman for this kind of torture. "Are you alright? You did order this."

She swallowed thickly, her mouth dry. The room spun as the gore imprinted itself forever into her mind. Slowly, remembering her position and clinging to the threads of her training, Nancy gave a slight nod. Her voice came out quiet, quivering over her words. "I'm fine. Question him."

Loki nodded at her and turned his full ferocity back on Kjell. "Speak."

The lips that moved did so with much agony, and Kjell's words were soft and broken when they did come out. "I do not know his name. I was paid a great sum of money to teach the girl a lesson in trusting strange men. The failed plan was mine alone."

Nancy forced her eyes away from him in an attempt to keep from vomiting. "What did the man look like? Can you describe him?" Her whole body shook as the gravity of the situation sunk in. Kjell was still alive.

"I do not know his name. I was paid a great sum of money to teach the girl a lesson in trusting strange men."

Loki lowered his voice and turned his head so Nancy alone could hear his words. He saw how she shook, and the pain in her eyes. He wanted nothing more than to erase this from her beautiful memory, but he knew he could not. "I do not think he will say much else. Perhaps our time has been wasted."

All of this, and he didn't even have any real information. She made him suffer… for nothing. Nancy immediately turned to the guards, a look of pure desperation crossing her features. "Kill him. Quickly!" She waved them away, her hand trembling more violently from the motion.

The guards dragged him back out. The doors slammed shut behind them in a deafening echo of finality.

The room continued to spin as bile rose up in the back of Nancy's throat. She tried to focus on her breathing, but nothing helped. What had she done? She was a monster. A murderer. The same as all the rebels, if not worse. All color drained from her face as she sat there, staring at the bloody streak across the golden floor.

Loki closed his eyes in desperate pain and pressed his fingers into his palms. He never meant this for her, not once. He never meant all this death and destruction and guilt. He knelt beside Nancy and looked her over. "Are you alright? Please tell me the truth."

Nancy leaned her head back, numb and broken. How could she do that to another person? How could she cause so much suffering? Her words came out in a quiet, automatic whisper, "I'm fine."

Loki reached out to stroke her hair, every fiber of him wanted to comfort her, make her feel whole again. He didn't know how. "He has upset you. Hasn't he?"

How dare Loki pin all the blame for this on Kjell?! Kjell was the one who upset her? No. She was upset by her own monstrous actions. "Just stop talking!" Nancy snapped, lashing out at Loki. He could never understand her pain.

Loki jolted backwards as if she had stung or slapped him. He had never seen such pure rage from her, not even when she threatened him at the beginning of their relationship. Not when he had her locked in the dungeons. Not even when she was his pet. The pure agony that radiated from her clenched around his heart and stole his breath.

He sprang to his feet and moved back to his throne. Was any of this worth it? Should he have protected her as such, only to have her fall apart at his feet? Loki kept a pensive, cautious eye on her. He didn't want to leave her alone.

"Please…" she calmed a bit and leaned her head back, wanting nothing more than to simply disappear, "Just leave me be." After a moment, Nancy whimpered and looked toward her beloved. "I want to go lie down. Will you carry me?"

"Yes." Loki didn't say more, lest he upset her again. He didn't like her upset, and he hated that he made her this way yet again. He swept her into his arms and held her close, wishing anything but this upon her.

The cool leather of Loki's armor and his strong arms around her comforted her. Nancy closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder, finally allowing her tears to come to the surface.

The soft shake of her shoulders and the warmth of her tears distressed Loki greatly. He never should have taken her to the sentencing. He should have taken care of it all himself. At least he could live with the guilt. He wasn't sure she could. On impulse, he nestled a soft kiss in her hair. He would not speak lest he push his luck, but she must know he was there, whatever she needed.

Unable to hold back any longer, Nancy let the full weight of her guilt pour out. She sobbed violently, her body trembling harder than it ever had before.

It was around the time they made it to his chamber doors that Loki could no longer take her anguish. He wrapped his arms more tightly around her as he pushed through the door. "Please, love, tell me what is wrong."

"I'm a monster!" Nancy sobbed, "I'm no better than he is."

"No, love, no!" How could she believe that of herself? Of all the woman and men, Asgardian and human, that he knew, she was the most pure. The most beautiful inside and out. Loki gently settled her on the side of the bed and knelt before her. "You were far easier on him than I would have been. What does that make me?"

Nancy blinked back her tears and gazed up into Loki's face. She had to make him understand. "I had him skinned alive... I was just trying to get him to talk. They weren't supposed to actually do it."

"I've done worse." Loki dropped his gaze to his feet. He could tell her, but it would only scar her further. He could no sooner let her think him so monstrous as he could renounce her. "You wouldn't want to know about it. Kjell is a villain. A terrible man. You cannot blame yourself."

Nancy took a breath and let the end of her tears fall. No matter how she felt, she had to remind herself why she went to such drastic measures. "I suppose you're right. He violated Maija and forced me to watch. He deserved his punishment." Her guilt would do nothing now. He was dead and released from his torment. And he had deserved it. With a sniffle, Nancy wiped her hand over her eyes to clear away the tears. She looked up at Loki again, this time curious. "And what worse did you do?"

"Oh, many things. If it's all the same, I'd rather not say. I wouldn't want your opinion of me to change."

Nancy sat up straight and softly kissed Loki's lips. "My opinion of you will never change."

"Good." Now that she'd started it, he was more than happy to kiss her again. "I do love you, you know."

Nancy's joy quickly replaced her guilt and shame. He loved her. She would never get tired of hearing him say that. With a smile, Nancy wrapped her arms around her former captor and hugged him tenderly. "Why don't you take off that armor and lay beside me?" she whispered against him.

"I'd be more than happy." Loki stood and flicked his fingers, stripping down to just his trousers before he crawled into the bed beside her. He would never get over how perfectly she nestled against his chest.

As Loki snuggled against her, Nancy wrapped an arm around his waist and slid her hand up into his thick, black locks. She studied him for a moment, memorizing every feature. His emerald eyes, full of light and love; the windows to his soul. His hair, which always looked best in the morning when it still hung in wild strands around his face and shoulders. His pale skin, concealing chiseled muscles just beneath the surface. He was so handsome… and all hers for the taking.

But, in all her time here, he'd never once explained their differences. Not just biologically, but culturally. Asgardians and humans could be so similar… yet so different. "Why do you call my kind 'mortals' if your kind dies, too?"

"I do not know. It is ingrained in our culture, I suppose." Loki cuddled her closer to his chest. Why did the confounded woman always want to know such mundane things when they should be discussing only each other when wrapped together like this. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering." Nancy shrugged, "Months ago, you told me we'd speak of the differences between our kinds, but we still haven't. We look the same but... we're different."

"Yes. But we are similar in many ways." Loki grinned down at her. Please, for the love of all the gods, let her change the subject.

"Yeah… but Asgardians are still regal. This whole culture is regal. You've said it yourself, you're gods."

"Can one not aspire to be brought to that level?" As the idea hit him, Loki raised an eyebrow at her. His green eyes glittered with unrestrained mischief as he stroked a hand over her hair.

Nancy raised her own eyebrow in return in a 'seriously?' look that told him she was not amused. "It's a level you're born into. You can't just raise yourself up to it."

"I can raise others." He said it quietly, testing the waters. He didn't know how she would react to such news, and he did not mean her any more distress. He only wanted to do right by her, no matter the cost.

And there it was again. The reminder that he was king of a planet. No matter how badly she wanted to be his equal, she couldn't be. "Yes. Others." Asgardian nobility, guards even. Nancy glanced away. Never her.

Loki sighed and gripped her chin gently to turn her head back to him. He wanted to see her eyes when he told her the possibilities. "You." How could she still think herself so lowly that she couldn't aspire to remain by his side forever?

"And how do you plan to do that?" He could never make her fully his equal without turning her into an Asgardian. There was simply no way around it. She could be his consort, yes. His pet. His friend. But never, ever, an Asgardian.

Loki grinned. She wouldn't like the answer, but it was truth. "Would you believe magic?"

Nancy gave a soft disbelieving laugh. "That'd be the only way. You can't turn me into an Asgardian, master. It's impossible. And what would your subjects think? They're already revolting."

"At this point, I hardly care. And, love, nothing is impossible." Loki rolled his eyes melodramatically. She was such a pessimist sometimes. For once, she should let him have his fun since it benefited her, as well.

Nancy chuckled softly and kissed him. If he wanted this and had the means to do it, then more power to him. If she could live by his side forever… it would be a dream come true. "Then do it. If you're sure this is what you want, I'm yours."

Loki caressed her cheek with his fingers. She would always be the most beautiful to him. Strong and yet submissive. And all his. "Sleep, then. When you wake, know that you are not only loved by a god..." he kissed her temple. "You are immortal."

Nancy smiled brightly and snuggled closer to him. "Will you stay with me? Or do you have more business to attend to?"

"I am yours." He held her tightly. At this point, he would not leave her side if Ragnarok began. She had been through much, and half of it because he thought he could leave her on her own. He knew better now.

Nancy nodded and buried her face in his chest. Oh, how she wanted to stay like this forever. "When I become immortal, will you remove my collar? I won't be mortal anymore."

"If I may give you another token so I may keep a watchful eye on you."

"Of course. You can even put the bracelet back on me if you disable the shock-when-removed feature." Deep down, Nancy knew the collar was the only reason Loki had found her in the traitors' den. With all these rebels planning who-knows-what, a security device made her feel more comfortable and at-ease.

Loki chuckled at the reminder. "Good. Then, yes. I will remove the collar."

Nancy sighed with relief. Maybe their talk this afternoon had finally shown him the truth. He was ready to make her Asgardian and bring her up to his status. And, most importantly, she was finally getting rid of the last aspect of being his pet… her collar. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."

Loki did know. He always knew what distressed her and what made her happy. This, becoming his equal, would make her happy. He kissed her softly. "Then show me."

Nancy grinned and turned over until she was on top of him. Still careful of her broken ankle, she positioned herself until she was straddling his waist. Then she leaned down and kissed him with all the love and desire she had for him. He wouldn't be her master anymore… but rather solely her lover and friend.

Loki grinned. As the god of mischief, he knew exactly what he wanted, and this was what he had wanted her to show him. That she could, in fact, be the one to start their lovely little interludes. Unfortunately, he knew it wouldn't go far past this. Not tonight.

Nancy slowly pulled away, reluctant to end their passion, but eager to become like him. "My ankle should heal within minutes after I'm immortal. We could dance together again. Tonight, in the garden."

Loki easily lifted her and pressed her back down against the pillows. She was such a manipulator sometimes. "Perhaps. For now, nap." He smiled at her, trying to reassure her that all would be well.

Nancy nodded and curled up into Loki's side, completely happy and content. Soon, she fell asleep, her dreams peaceful, secure in his arms.

Loki watched her closely, studying every feature until he was sure she slept deeply. Only then could he safely take the time to weave his magic around her so fully.

Green light burst from his hands and skin and coiled around her like vines. Each bright tendril wove around her, dancing across her porcelain skin and lifting tendrils of her silken hair from her face and shoulders. It paraded over her form and pierced her skin to crawl beneath.

Loki muttered the words his mother had taught him so long ago as he stroked her hair, watching each miniscule atom of his own genetic makeup merge with hers. He pressed his fingers to her scalp as he continued with the words. The light burst from his fingertips and dove inside her head. It assaulted each brainwave, each single brain cell, until the brightness engulfed both of them and sprinkled green flecks through her beautiful eyes.

By the time Loki finished, the words and the runes had melded them together, changing her into someone who would forever remain with him, not wither and die like her people. Green tendrils broke from his skin and caressed hers with a gentle intensity, until all that remained was a dull glow.

When the last beautiful word slipped from his lips, the light receded into her cells, melding all that she was to all Loki held. His life, his emotions, his passion. All hers, save the use of his magic. He didn't quite trust her to play fair if he gave her that.

Exhausted, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and breathed in her unique scent, now his for eternity. "Sleep well, my beautiful lover," Loki whispered to her. Then, with a great sigh, he slept to replenish his strength.

Nancy continued sleeping soundly, never once aware of what had gone on around her or the change that had happened within her.