A/N: Nothing belongs to me. :) Thanks for your reviews! And thanks to the lovely dristi5683, as always, for her help. She has a great multi-chapter story over on her page. Check it out if you haven't already.
Day 211
Puente Antiguo, New Mexico
Jane abruptly stopped pacing and turned to Thor. "How does Loki travel without using the Bifrost?"
"Oh, Jane. I don't know. You might as well ask me to explain how Mjolnir returns to me." Thor moved a pile of textbooks and sat on the couch, which caused another pile of books to fall on him.
She stifled a sigh and helped him pick the books up. "Okay. Did you even know that he had this ability?"
Thor handed her three markers before answering. "Yes...well, I had long suspected that Loki had alternate ways of traveling. I didn't know for certain, though, until after he had fallen into the Void. Do you recall that when I was confined by SHIELD, Loki visited me and told me Father was dead?"
The scientist nodded her head. Thor continued, "Heimdall confirmed that he did not activate the Bifrost, so Loki must have used other methods."
Jane snagged one of the markers and wrote "Without Bifrost" on the whiteboard. "I just want to try to figure this out. If we know how he does it, we might be able to prevent him from transporting or at least disrupt the process. Do you think Heimdall knows? Or your mother? You said she also can do magic. Maybe she could help."
"It's possible, but I don't know how we could communicate with them. With the Rainbow Bridge destroyed..."
Plopping down on her desk chair, she took a long drink from a water bottle. "Did Heimdall tell you anything about how it looked when Loki transported himself or whatever it is that he does? That could give us a clue."
Thor rubbed his brow. "No. I was more interested in the fact of it than in the mechanics of it. I'm afraid I'm not much use to you."
Twisting her hair into a bun, she jabbed a pencil through it. She had to keep her hands off her hair; another hair-braiding session with Thor would make her brain explode. "No, no, this is good stuff." Her tone of voice didn't match her words, but she couldn't help it.
"Jane. You've been interrogating me for three days about Loki." Thor didn't seem to be able to help his tone of voice, either. "I've truly told you everything I know about him. I've never heard of anyone else who can travel the realms as Loki can, and I highly doubt he would have shared his technique with anyone." He stood, causing an avalanche of spiral notebooks onto the floor. "Excuse me, will you? I need some fresh air."
Jane watched him leave the lab, the pale glow of winter sunlight flashing as the door opened. She let loose the sigh she'd swallowed earlier. Darcy, where are you? I need you!
She had tried to persuade Thor to return to JDEF, to help Erik, but he refused to leave her alone in Puente Antiguo. It was a double-edged sword having him stay. On the one hand, she did feel safer knowing he was sleeping just a few yards away. And he had known Loki his whole life, so he could help in her research. On the other hand, he didn't know any of the stuff she really needed to know, like how anything—magic, the Bifrost, Mjolnir, Gungnir—worked. And while he was behaving like a perfect gentleman, she'd caught him gazing at her soulfully a couple of times.
No, she told herself, Darcy needs this time away. I've put her under so much stress. Put your big-girl pants on, Jane.
Her chair creaked as she took another drink of water. The morning nausea had eased but coffee was still off limits. The smell of it turned her stomach, plus she knew the caffeine wasn't great for Alie. So she kept a bottle of water with her to lessen the withdrawal symptoms and boost hydration. But the downside was how often she needed to visit the toilet. Which she needed to do now.
While she was washing her hands, Jane remembered the "Eureka!" moment she'd had two months earlier in that room: black holes. Funny how sometimes when you stop thinking so hard, the solution comes to you. Wait—black holes! Could that work?
Jane hastily shut the water off and rushed out to the main room of the lab. Where were those notes? She knelt down and reached for the top notebook on the pile, then realized her hands were still dripping. Unceremoniously, she wiped them on her flannel shirt and grabbed the notebook. After thumbing through a few pages, she tossed it aside.
"Not that one...was it blue or red? Dang it, which one was it? No...yes!" Jane scanned her notes, a fledgling theory taking root. "This might work!" she exclaimed.
"What might work?"
Jane's pulse skyrocketed and she jumped, dropping the notebook. "Sweet mother of Abraham Lincoln! Thor, don't sneak up on a person like that."
"I apologize," he said courteously, as he retrieved the notebook. The crinkle at the corner of his blue eyes gave him away, though. Jane didn't mind too badly, as his mood seemed to be lighter. "But, truly—what might work?"
She picked up her marker and turned to the whiteboard. "I think I know how we can capture Loki."
oooOOOooo
Day 211
Asgard
Galaxies sprawled across the stretch of the midnight blue sky. At the broken edge of the Rainbow Bridge the Guardian stood, gazing into the heart of each of these worlds in turn. Birth, life, love, laughter, tragedy, betrayal, death: they continuously played out before him.
Heavy, measured footsteps broke the silence. Without turning from his post, Heimdall called, "Good evening, All-Father." The footsteps drew even with the golden-eyed Watcher.
"The ravens delivered your message. What's this about? I'm not accustomed to being summoned."
Heimdall calmly stepped back from his observation post. Odin's clipped, authoritative tones had long ago ceased to intimidate him. He regarded the monarch solemnly, noting the deepened lines on his brow, the completely snow-white hair.
Inclining his head out of respect for his king, Heimdall said, "Loki's rune mark has been found on Midgard."
Odin's massive shoulders slumped nearly imperceptibly before he answered, "Where was it found?"
Carefully, Heimdall answered, "According to what I heard, Prince Thor is not certain. The scientist Jane Foster stumbled upon the symbol during her research. She did not understand its significance until Thor explained it to her."
"The prophecy," Odin muttered.
Heimdall was one of the few Asgardians to know of the ancient prediction. He nodded slowly, adding, "Yes, that is what Thor fears."
His robes swirling behind him, Odin pivoted to stare at the night sky. "Who is she, Heimdall? Who is the woman bonded to Loki?"
The guardian shut his amber eyes and answered with deceitful truth: "I witnessed no bonding ritual, my liege. I'm afraid Loki has become quite skilled at cloaking not only himself, but also others from my view."
"Where will this end?"
Both men stood searching the spangled skies, the unsaid answer jagged and ugly in the air between them. Odin finally spoke, the weight of the monarchy in his words. "I have no choice, Heimdall. The threat must be eliminated."
"Your Majesty, allow me to remind you that Loki still possesses the Casket of Ancient Winters. If he dies..."
oooOOOooo
Day 211
Chitauri Space: The Sanctuary
"If you die, runt, that matters not to me!" Putrid breath enveloped Loki. He resisted the temptation to turn his head away, and instead focused on the raw, broken rock formation beyond The Other's twisted figure.
In a tightly measured voice, he said, "I understand that. I am not bargaining for my life. I am endeavoring to ensure the success of Thanos' plans."
The Other hissed in anger. "You sabotage his plans!" His bony, six-fingered hand latched onto Loki's shoulder, digging cruelly even through leather.
Rage swelled into an audible pounding in Loki's head. Control yourself. It was increasingly difficult to maintain a calm demeanor. Physical hunger, exhaustion, and pain took their toll, but the strange dreams and visions were straining him to the breaking point.
Shoving The Other's claw off his body, Loki snapped, "You refuse to listen to me. The hive mind of the Chitauri will be our undoing. Don't let his pride seal your downfall."
"You go too far, No-One's-Son. I will not warn you again."
oooOOOooo
Day 214
Puente Antiguo, New Mexico
"Happy New Year, Jane." Erik's image pixelated briefly. He looked terrible, Jane thought.
"Happy New Year to you as well." They stared at each other for a few seconds. "Uh, did you take any time off to celebrate?"
Erik rubbed his face, leaving his hair sticking up, then squinted at the camera. "Did you?" At Jane's silence, he chuckled dryly. "I didn't think so."
Jane shook her head. "Old habits die hard, you know."
"So tell me, how are you doing, Jane? Has being in Puente Antiguo been beneficial for you?"
"We don't have to do this small talk stuff, Erik," Jane said, pushing her hair behind her ear.
"I find that I still care about you. Old habits die hard, you know. Where's Thor?"
Jane shook her head. "Thor's not part of this conversation. This is a professional conference between you and me."
From the kitchen table behind her, a deep voice boomed, "Greetings, Erik Selvig. Jane seems healthier!"
"Thor!" Jane waved him off.
Thor again bellowed, "She's not drinking as much coffee!"
The younger physicist rolled her eyes. "Are you done?"
He was not. "I think she's fatter, too!"
"Thor! For Pete's sake! Enough!" Jane yanked her office chair around and glared at the Asgardian.
Thor winked at her. "You said I had to sit at this table. You didn't say I couldn't talk with Erik."
"It's none of your business whether or not I've gained weight. Shut up, both of you." Jane turned back to the computer screen in time to catch Erik laughing. "Can we please focus on business, Dr. Selvig?"
"Oh, loosen up, Jane. We could all use a laugh or two. And let Thor sit at the big kids' desk. None of this should be a secret from him, and he can hear us anyway."
Huffing her exasperation, Jane muttered, "Fine." She waited while Thor pulled up a chair next to her, then raised her eyebrows and said, "Now can we get to work?"
"Of course. In your message, you said you had an idea to catch Loki. Let's hear it." Erik leaned closer to the camera.
Jane cleared her throat. "It's a long shot, I know. But I don't think anyone else has come up with anything better yet." Erik nodded, and she continued, "We could ambush Loki in mid-transport."
Rubbing his chin, Erik said, "Go on."
Jane glanced at both of them, then referred to the notebook laying beside her computer. "I think we could trap Loki while he is traveling by using the Tesseract to re-direct the gravity field. Of course, we would have to know that he is transporting himself and be able to reasonably accurately predict where he intends to land."
Erik hmmmm'd, and made some notes, then sat back in his chair. "How do you control the Tesseract like that? And what do we do with him if we succeed?"
Thor answered him, "I can answer your second question. I brought instruments with me that can restrain Loki. They immobilize his hands and muzzle his mouth so he cannot use his magic to escape. I would then return him to Asgard to face judgment."
"All right. Fury might have something to say about that part, but that's not my concern," Erik said. "We know Loki intends to steal the Tesseract, so we know where he will try to travel. The big variable, of course, is when. He already showed up in the laboratory once. I'll request all the reports I can think of from that date from civil and governmental agencies. Perhaps we can find some clues to help us predict when he might show up again."
Jane sat pen in hand, staring at her notebook. Erik prompted, "Jane? Any thoughts on directing where we want Loki to land?"
"I'll work on some ideas for you to try out."
"Circumstances have changed. Wouldn't it be better for you to come here and do it yourself? I think the Tesseract misses you."
The truth was, she missed the Tesseract, too. She missed the excitement, the awe of working so closely with such a powerful artifact. Now that she understood that the Tesseract was not the cause of either her physical illness nor her debilitating dream flashbacks, she wished she could return to JDEF. But she could not risk the medical exams.
"Erik, please don't start this again. I can't work in that environment."
oooOOOooo
A path had been worn through the thick underbrush of the forest. Jane easily followed it, though the night was moonless. Towering trees stretched high above her. Evergreens of some sort, she thought. The path gently sloped upward until it broke free of the trees. She stopped to gain her bearings, and stumbled back a step, startled by the tall figure standing only an arm's-length away. He was cloaked in black, a hood obscuring his features, but Jane had no doubt who it was.
"You," she hissed.
The figure slowly turned to face her. "I thought it was you. Why are you in my dreams? Who has sent you?"
"What?" she said. "This is my dream."
"Oh, my dear Miss Foster, I'm afraid you're mistaken." The velvet growl of his voice did all sorts of things to her insides. He pushed back the hood of his cloak and she stared into his pale, drawn face. Dark circles ringed his emerald eyes, and bruises, both old and new, stained his temple and jawline. Where had he been? Who had done this to him?
Jane mentally shook herself. Are you nuts, woman? He ruined your life! Humiliation dripped acid over her words. "It's Doctor Foster. And you are in my dream. Again."
"My, such venom. So sure of yourself," he said, equally caustically. "Tell me then, Doctor Foster, where are we?"
Jane surveyed her surroundings. Behind her was the evergreen forest. In front of her the incline of the path led to a flat clearing. Above her—the myriad of sparkling stars stole her breath away. Eager for an unrestricted view, Jane followed the path to a plateau. Mountain peaks ringed the horizon, spearing the night sky, but nothing obscured the view overhead. More stars than she had ever seen before sprawled across an infinite backdrop, gathered in constellations she did not recognize. And where was the moon? It wasn't the new moon phase, but the moon was invisible.
Her fingers itched to sketch the magnificence. This had to be another Dark Sky park, but which one? She tore her gaze from the show above and looked for clues at ground level. A green groundcover—clover, perhaps—spread lushly across the plateau. To the left in the near distance the ground sparkled and shone. Curious, Jane walked toward the lights and sighed in delight. A still obsidian lake mirrored the breathtaking display in the sky. She balanced on the very edge of the water and frowned in concentration at the unfamiliar stars.
"Well, what is this place?" The low-pitched purr at her ear startled her. She had forgotten about him, so enthralled she was by the beauty around her. Jane gasped as her foot slipped. Swiftly, Loki grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the water.
A second stretched into two...three...eternity while he held her back against his tall frame. "Careful," he mocked, "that lake is much deeper than it appears. I imagine drowning is fairly stressful even in a dream."
"Let me go."
"Not just yet, I think. What's the verdict, Doctor Foster?"
With a concerted effort, she blocked the sensation of his breath on her neck and tried to think. The stars were unfamiliar. The moon phase was off. She knew she'd never seen a lake so still. "I don't know," she said finally. She twisted as far as his grip would allow, trying to see his face. "Where are we? Where has your dream taken us?"
Loki must have been satisfied with her capitulation, for he answered without further argument. And just as he answered, she remembered, and breathed the name along with him. "Gullfjellet."
"You know it?" he asked.
Jane answered simply, "I've heard of it." It didn't seem wise to admit that Thor had told her about the Gold Mountains. "Now will you release me?"
His grip tightened instead. "First tell me how you got into my dreams."
"I don't know."
"Who taught you the incantation?" He shook her impatiently.
"Incantation? The only incantation I know is to stop the Destroyer."
She jumped at his derisive bark of laughter. "Nothing, save Gungnir, can stop the Destroyer."
"You taught me, in my dreams."
"What possible reason would I have to enter your dreams? Why would I waste my energy on Thor's weak-minded mortal? Please."
Hurt stole her breath. Anger sent her blood pressure soaring. Please let me wake up. This couldn't be good for Alie, even if this was a dream. She cradled her belly with her free hand, instinctively protecting her unborn baby.
Loki whispered harshly in her ear, "Tell Thor this pathetic ploy for sympathy won't work." And he slid his hand over her pregnant middle, insolent and unwelcome.
Enough! "I don't know what you're talking about. Get your hands off me!" Recalling her self-defense training, Jane elbowed him and twisted. She broke loose, but before she could run, Loki seized her wrists. No! The bond mark! Desperately she struggled, but it was too late—Loki quirked an eyebrow and looked at their joined hands. "What do we have here?" he asked.
"Nothing. Let me go," she said, trying and failing to stay calm. Undeterred, he ran his fingers over the raised scar on her wrist.
Jane had fallen into the habit of tracing the mark when she was alone. It soothed her and made her feel safe. Loki's touch—his slow, deliberate tracing of the curves and lines seared into the tender skin—had the opposite impact. Jane slammed her eyes shut, rocked by the onslaught of sensation. She didn't want this. He wasn't Kai. Against her will, her heart soared; her body remembered him and responded eagerly, overruling her mind. All resistance gone, she swayed towards him, reveling in the feel of his hand on her skin.
"This is my rune mark." Loki's voice was strangled, raw.
"Yes," she answered, not yet daring to meet his eyes.
"Do you know what this brand signifies?"
Jane nodded mutely. Hands still clasped in a mockery of an embrace, they stood silent. She worked up the courage to peek at him. He was already staring at her, eyes wide and haunted, his face paler than usual, his hair in disarray.
Her pulse still beat in several places, but her mind reasserted itself. Was this her chance? Could she get through to him? Perhaps she could somehow change his mind, neutralize the threat.
Carefully, quietly, she said, "You taught me how to get over my nightmares about the Destroyer. And you helped me so much in my work with the Tesseract. Do you remember?"
"The Tesseract," Loki repeated slowly.
Encouraged, Jane continued, "Yes. The Tesseract. Amazing artifact. I really like it. And you and I—well, we liked each other, too, and so, you know..."
"So we decided to bond ourselves to each other?" His voice was hushed.
"Yes," she answered. It wasn't nearly that simple, but this was no time for splitting hairs. "I didn't remember at first, but I do now."
"And the baby?" Was that a hopeful note in his voice?
"It's yours. Well, ours." He nodded, eyes still locked with hers. "You once asked me to run away with you. I said no, but it was a mistake. Let's go somewhere far away."
A sudden breeze cracked the mirror of the lake. "You'd really go away with me?" He spoke softly and unhurriedly.
Reminding herself that this was for the greater good of humankind, Jane nodded. "Yes. What do you think?"
"I think you've been played for an utter fool."
"What?"
Loki dropped her hands and bared his teeth in a parody of a smile. "The Tesseract likes you, doesn't it, mortal?" He snarled the words, his calm facade shattered.
"Yes," she choked out. No, you do not show weakness to Loki. "Yes," she repeated, clearly and strongly. "But what does that have to do with—"
"Did this mark appear after you met the Tesseract?"
"Yes, but—"
With a barrage of what had to be Asgardian curse words, Loki cut her off again. "I said to wait, that we would soon be together. So impatient." He was no longer talking to her, or at least not about her. "Now it's ruining everything. Her? This is what you think I want?"
"This mark is real!" Jane interjected. In the recesses of her mind, she registered the absurdity. Why was she arguing?
Loki yanked up his sleeves and showed her his wrists. "Do you see a mark on me?"
"No."
"No. Because it's unthinkable that I would bind myself to you. This," he said, pointing to her wrist, "is a hoax. A misguided attempt by the Tesseract, no doubt, to lure me to return. It likes me, it likes you, so it believes we must want each other. But let me be clear: I do not want you. Who would? A pathetic, homely, barely literate Midgardian."
Oh.
This isn't real, Jane. This is a dream.
But the heartbreak felt genuine. Mortified, she stood frozen.
"And this," Loki continued, pointing now at her swollen belly, "is just insulting. I don't know if it's another part of the fraud, or if the idiotic Thor has outdone himself this time. You should hope that it's fake."
"Why are you saying these things?" Jane managed to ask.
"Because you'd never be accepted in Asgard—Odin would sooner allow a goat at his banquet table. And your half-breed bastard? Thor can't have little mistakes running around, ruining his chances to be king."
Unwanted tears pressed on her eyes and throat. Do. Not. Cry. He isn't worth it.
"Stay out of my dreams, Doctor Foster, and stay out of my way. If you get between me and what I want, you'll pay dearly."
oooOOOooo
Jane gasped awake, pressing her hand to her mouth to keep the scream in. Wild-eyed, she scanned her trailer to make sure she was truly alone.
Fury and grief surged. Tears ran freely. What evil deity had concocted this torture for her? Would she always be torn in two by the battle between her memories of Kai and her knowledge of Loki?
"I can't do this, Alie. I can't."
oooOOOooo
The cloaked figure stared dead-eyed into the emptiness. He should be rid of her now.
