I own nothing. Just having fun.


Day 262

Sarah's place

"Not just a dream?'" Jane shifted on the double bed to face Loki more fully. "What does that mean?"

He shrugged. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with. Do you mind? I'd like to rest."

"We haven't finished our conversation."

"I am not in the habit of bowing to the wishes of—"

"Loki."

He fell silent.

Jane hesitated, absorbing the shock: Since when does Loki tolerate being shushed? "Let me help you. Really help you."

He took a deep breath, doing a good imitation of someone with patience. "And how, pray tell, do you propose to help me?"

"You're being held prisoner, somehow, in that place from the other night. Right?"

He ignored her. She took it as confirmation.

"I don't know what you're planning to do with the Tesseract. But I know that I have no chance of talking you out of those plans as long as you're being tortured."

"Again. How do you think that you could help me?"

"Maybe I could use my knowledge of the Tesseract to help you escape."

"How? Will you show up unannounced at that fortress and simply ask Erik Selvig to hand the Tesseract over to you?"

"No, but—"

"I think that would cause quite the stir, don't you? Particularly since I'm fairly certain he believes that you are dead."

"What? How..." Jane caught herself. "Dead? What are you talking about?"

"You aren't working on any kind of scientific project. There's no evidence that you have contact with anyone. You've disguised your appearance. You are obviously in hiding. I'm offended, actually, that you thought I wouldn't figure it out."

This was not how the conversation was supposed to go. Perhaps partial honesty was the best policy. "I'm on a leave of absence from my job. And I prefer that no one from that job knows where I am at the moment."

"Not even my dear brother?"

Jane didn't want this to escalate. Was it safer if Loki thought that Thor knew where she was, or if he thought that she was trying to get away from the god of thunder?

"Loki, please."

"Is this because of...?" Loki motioned to her belly. "You don't want everyone to know you're carrying a hybrid fetus?"

"That's part of it, yes. I'm not ashamed, but SHIELD would want to run a million tests on it and I'm not—"

"Her," Loki said.

"What?" Jane asked.

"You said 'it.' The child is a girl," he said.

Emotion caught in her throat. "Really? I mean, I've heard you say 'her' a few times, but I thought it was just, you know, personalizing an unborn child. Wait—how do you know that? Do you have x-ray vision or something?"

Loki blinked and looked away.

Jane poked his arm. "Hey. How do you know it's a girl? Are you just making fun of me?"

"She talks to me."

Her eyebrows shot up. "You said that before." During our last ugly fight. Before I almost died without you. "I thought you were just—you're serious?"

He nodded. "When I touch you, or rather, touch your bare skin, I feel a strong connection." Loki cleared his throat. "That is, between the child and me. Not..."

"Of course," Jane said quickly, waving her hand in dismissal. "So what do you mean that she talks to you? Like, literally talks? What does she say?"

"No, she doesn't speak like you or I can. She's obviously a genius, but she is still a developing fetus. She projects thoughts, feelings, colors, and the occasional word or two. She knows you. She calls you Mama, and she knows the name you call her." He frowned. "That isn't the name you intend to bestow upon that poor girl, is it? Alie. I hope it's short for a more dignified name."

Jane had the vague impression that Loki was attempting to get a rise out of her, but she was lost in the wonder of his revelation. Alie communicates with Loki. She knows her mama! She knows her name! Jane laughed in pure delight. She caressed her belly, reveling in the odd bumps formed by bony body parts. "Hi, Alie. Hi, sweet, smart girl. I love you."

Jane turned eagerly toward Loki. "What else has she—?"

The breath caught in Jane's throat. Loki was getting sloppy. He was slow to put that infernal mask over his true expression. And so, for a split second, she caught him staring at her with...interest? affection? But that was complete nonsense. Stupid hormones, playing stupid tricks on me.

And then the moment passed and his face returned to normal and Jane was desperate to not let it be awkward though it already was. So she plowed on with an artificial cheerfulness. "What else has she told you?"

"Nothing," he answered too quickly.

"She told you something embarrassing, didn't she?"

"No, she hasn't. Now, may I rest? I'll keep my hands to myself."

"Yeah, of course," Jane answered. After they were both settled, Alie pushed gently and Jane smiled. Deeper sleep swam up to claim her. As Jane allowed herself to be tugged into oblivion, a last thought came to her: Loki said Erik Selvig!

oooOOOooo

Albuquerque, New Mexico

"I'm going back to Culver. This is a dead end. What do you want me to do with Thunder boy?"

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"What did you find, Darcy?"

Darcy covered her phone and turned to Thor. "I hate him sometimes. I mean, I think I love him, but I hate him sometimes."

"I completely understand, Darcy."

"Darcy? Did I lose you?"

Darcy resumed the conversation. "I'm here. No, I didn't find any new information about Jane. Not in Denver, not at the hotels by the highway in Colorado Springs or Pueblo. Not in Puente Antiguo. Not in Albuquerque. I didn't find anyone who remembers talking to her. I got nothing. Thor and I drove all over the western United States for nothing. It was a stupid dead end."

"Did you find the people who sold Jane her car?"

"No. I literally just said that I learned nothing new. The guy who answered the door at that place said he just moved in two weeks ago. What about you? Did you find anything?"

"We ran a search on the vehicle history and found nothing suspicious at all. It was a 2008 Corolla with average mileage, no reported accidents, two previous owners. Completely normal stuff."

"Okay, but what about that previous owner?

"A woman in her 60s. Lives in Indiana. She wanted to help her nephew out so she let him register the car and use it in New Mexico. When he didn't need it anymore, he took care of selling it and she let him keep half the money."

"So where's this deadbeat nephew who needed his auntie to give him a car?"

"Africa. The reason he didn't need the car anymore is because he joined the Peace Corps and went to Africa."

"So...not a deadbeat, huh? Sorry, dude."

"Also not really available to answer a few casual questions about the woman he sold the car to."

"No..."

"I need to talk to Thor when we're done."

"You can talk to him now," Darcy said, and handed the phone to Thor. "This sucks."

oooOOOooo

Day 263

Sarah's Place

Jane was going to be angry with him, but she was sleeping so peacefully. He was loath to rouse her merely to announce himself. She was lounging in some sort of strange chair-bed in the sitting room of this cottage. Was she truly sleeping in the outer room, he wondered, or did she dream about this special chair?

He really should try to keep his end of that half-finished bargain. She said she wouldn't try to get into the Sanctuary again if he wouldn't sneak into her dreams. He had to keep Jane away from that place.

"Jane?" he whispered. "I'm here." For good measure, he patted her arm ever-so-softly. Jane snored gently, oblivious to his presence. "Well, I tried," he said, and sank onto the well-worn couch. The lumpy cushioning felt like a down mattress to his sore bones. A moment later, his muscles relaxed as what he'd begun thinking of as "The Foster Effect" hit him.

Sometimes the sense of relief was overwhelming, leaving him feeling drugged and unable to form coherent thoughts. Sometimes, as was the case tonight, it drained away his aches and pain and sharpened his thinking. He stretched full-length on the couch and stared at the oddly textured ceiling.

"Master wants to see you."

Loki gingerly pulled on his stinking tunic and limped behind the creature.

"My Lord." Loki bowed in submission. Could he avoid angering Thanos?

"Runt. There you are. Get up. Let me look at you."

Loki obeyed, straightening his spine but still dutifully averting his gaze.

"Well. You're not as pretty as you once were. But maybe that's not a bad thing."

Loki stayed silent.

"Are you ready, son of Laufey?"

"My Lord?"

"Have you had enough? Are you ready to be useful?"

There were very few right answers here. "Master, I am at your mercy and at your disposal."

Thanos laughed. "Yes, you are. Good. You'll be ready soon enough."

What was it about that short exchange, exactly, that had arrested his attention? It was like so many other interactions he'd had with Thanos: reminders of the Titan's immense power and his own relative impotence. But there had been something—a tone of voice? a brittle laugh? the casual flick of his finger as dismissal?—that had stunned him. He had been able to think of little else since then. He hadn't even had the heart to properly argue with Jane.

He had always been aware that his chances of surviving Thanos were slim. But slim chances, narrow margins, stacked odds—those were his specialty. He was the Trickster, after all, the god of mischief. From the moment he'd fallen onto that forsaken chunk of rock, he had been scheming and planning and assuming and calculating his chances. How to curry favor, where to apply pressure, when to concede, where to insist.

But in the middle of that unexpectedly benign tête-à-tête, of all places, Loki had an epiphany. His swirling schemes and illusions had abruptly drained away.

Thanos was toying with him.

Thanos had always been toying with him. His only value was in locating the Tesseract. Everything else—letting him train the Chitauri, allowing him to discuss strategy, hinting that Loki could rule Midgard—was to keep him distracted.

Thanos had stripped him of his powers and allowed him to be tortured. Twice. Thanos wasn't going to hand Midgard over. Or if he did, it would be a pathetically decimated planet after his legions had massacred most of the inhabitants.

Jane had offered to help him.

He smirked. It had been pitifully easy to distract her from that topic of conversation. He had ended up revealing a bit more than he planned—the smirk faded—but surely it had been worth it.

Still, she had asked him to let her help. What kept him from allowing her to do so?

The obvious answer was how could Jane Foster possibly help? What could anyone do against the purple Titan? He was immensely powerful, single-minded in his purpose, and ruthless. It was a lost cause.

Jane sighed and shifted her position in that half-bed. Loki sat up and studied her in the dim light of the moon. A small blanket was draped over her lap. A lock of hair fell over her forehead. One arm was curled on her chest, the other cradled her belly. She was small. And pregnant. And oddly appealing—which thought brought an instant storm of protest from the back of his mind.

He scowled. He knew his true objection to accepting Jane's offer of help, to accepting Jane herself, was this: She was Midgardian.

Mortal. Weak. Backwards. Beneath him.

Because she wasn't Aesir.

Because you are as poisoned and prejudiced as those who mistreated you.

Loki lay down again, propping his head up on his crossed arms, trying to think of something—anything—else, but the thoughts beat an insistent tattoo.

Jane had said he was maddening. She had called him a prick. That was—eh, he could not work up any outrage. He likely deserved those remarks. Jane had frequently been frustrated by what he did or said, but he could not think of a single time when she had ridiculed him for what he was. He hated the probing questions about the Frost Giant. It was evident, though, that her questions were fueled by her insatiable desire for knowledge, not by a wish to degrade him.

Both the Asgardian and the Jotun are you, Loki.

I'm the monster parents tell their children about at night!

Not my parents.

Loki blinked. Get your thoughts in order.

Thanos had no intention of honoring any agreement with him. He would be used as a tool to conquer Midgard and then he would be disposed of.

This realm wasn't so bad. It would be a pity to simply destroy it. He wouldn't mind trying his hand at ruling it, but Thanos's slash-and-burn technique wouldn't leave much worth ruling.

He could not stop Thanos, not alone.

Jane Foster was an accomplished scientist with an intimate knowledge of the Tesseract.

The Tesseract radiated useful energy and created pathways for traveling through space.

Was there a way to use the Tesseract to thwart Thanos?

Would Jane truly help him? She would want to know everything, of course. Could he stomach telling her the truth? Giving her that much power?

What were the risks in telling her? Where was he vulnerable? How could she hurt him?

Why would she help him? To save her planet. To save her child. Saving him certainly wouldn't be an incentive for her.

What other choice did he have? He had no other allies.

oooOOOooo

Albuquerque, New Mexico

"Are you sure about this, Thor?"

"I'm sure, Darcy Lewis." Thor reached into the trunk of the rental car and lifted out a small suitcase.

"Really really?" Darcy slid out the telescoping handle of the suitcase. She squinted up at the large demi-god. "You wanna get on a metal tube and hurtle through the air? What about Mew-Mew?"

Thor chuckled and slung a duffle bag over his shoulder. "Haul aboard."

"Carry-on?"

"Carry-on."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Good thing you're so cute, dude. You can't take that thing as a carry-on. There's no way." She checked her watch. "The shuttle's going to be here in about ten minutes. Come on. I've gotta turn these keys in."

They walked through the small parking lot toward the modular building that held the rental car office. At the door, Darcy turned towards him. "Um. You just stay here with the bags, 'kay? I'll be right back."

"Nonsense. A gentleman doesn't let a lady conduct business alone."

"Thor! Just—I can't do this right now. Park it right here. Please. This will take a very short time."

"Darcy, what has gotten —"

Darcy turned on her heel and walked away.

Thor shook his head. "Mortals." But he stayed put.

A few minutes later, Darcy emerged from the building. "All set. The guy said the shuttle was on its way."

Thor nodded. Darcy checked her phone. "Ugh. They delayed my flight. Bad weather in Chicago."

"I thought Culver was your destination."

"Roanoke. But I have to connect through Chicago."

"I see."

"Are you flying to Las Vegas?"

"I don't know."

Darcy stared at Thor, then shook her head, stepped toward the curb, and craned her neck. "That shuttle should be here by now."

"What is this shuttle?"

She sighed. "It's a van that will take us to the airport."

"And then we will get into the airplanes?"

"Well, first you have to check-in and then go through security...haven't you flown before?"

"Of course. Countless times."

"On an airplane. On this planet."

"Oh. Yes, I have. Once with Jane and once with Erik."

She squinted up at him. "On private SHIELD planes? You've never flown commercially before?"

"What does that mean?"

"Why did Malone do this to me?" Darcy asked the sky. "How is it possible that I'm the responsible one here?" She turned back to Thor. "Do you have any kind of ticket?"

"Why do I need a ticket? What is a ticket?"

"Seriously, dude. What did you and Malone talk about yesterday? Didn't he give you instructions at all?"

"Darcy Lewis, are you angry with me?"

A large white vehicle turned the corner down the street. "Here's our shuttle. Got all your stuff?"

Luggage stowed and seat belts buckled, Thor nudged his seatmate. "Darcy. Are you angry with me?"

Darcy glared at the Asgardian. "Keep your voice down," she hissed. "My best friend is pregnant by a homicidal egomaniac. Who happens to be your brother and who you all can't seem to keep contained to your own planet."

"It's technically a Realm, but —" Thor saw the look on Darcy's face and thought better of his intended remarks.

"Now she and her baby are missing. So is the aforementioned maniac. And you don't seem nearly as concerned about it as I do."

"Darcy, that's hardly—"

"And, just for fun, I get to be the one who drops you off at the airport for your first experience traveling the friendly skies. All by yourself. Not sure how that's going to end well. You don't even know what city you're flying to! You have no identification! I'm so tired of adulting!"

They rode in silence.

"Darcy."

"What?!"

"The vehicle has stopped. I think this gentleman would like us to disembark."

Muttering to herself about how the whole world had gone crazy, Darcy flounced out of the shuttle and grabbed her bag. "Come on, Thor."

Just inside the airport stood Malone and two other suits.

"Agent Malone!" Thor exclaimed. "There you are!"

"What are you doing here?" asked Darcy.

"Didn't Thor tell you? We're escorting him to JDEF."

"No, he didn't tell me." She glared at Thor again, then turned that look on Malone. "You didn't tell me either."

"You didn't give me a chance. Gentlemen?" Malone motioned to the other agents and they discreetly walked a few steps away. "I'd like you to come with us too, Darcy."

She crossed her arms. "Is that an order?"

"No, it's not. But we've been dealing with a delicate, difficult situation—"

"And you want to keep your beady little eyes on me."

"No. That's not what I meant." He glanced around, then put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm concerned about you."

Darcy pushed his hand off her shoulder. "I can take care of myself, Agent Malone."

He raised his eyebrows. "Agent Malone? Ouch. I know you can take care of yourself, Darcy. I like having you around."

"Okay, look, I like having you around too. But I'm super sick of being around all things SHIELD and I just need to breathe. To deal with my friend's...to deal with things. So I'm going back to school, to salvage what I can of this crazy year."

"Okay, Darcy. I understand."

"You're gonna take Thor off my hands?"

"Yeah, we'll take him back on a Quinjet. Don't need him going through TSA."

oooOOOooo

Asgard

"May I come in, Frigga? I don't want to be a bother."

Frigga looked up from her weaving. "Odin, dear, you are never a bother. Come in, please. I'm just trying to finish this one tricky part..." She bent her head in concentration.

Odin stood in the doorway of Frigga's private chambers and watched her at work. The golden light of Asgard filled the room, creating a halo around her fire-kissed hair. Her slender fingers nimbly worked the threads, conjuring order out of chaos. He sighed, thinking of the chaos he was about to unleash on this peaceful space.

"Come, sit, dear," she urged. At a murmured request from Frigga, one of the white-robed servants swept out of the room. "Hillevi will bring us tea." She glanced up. "You can stay for tea, can't you?"

"Yes, if you'd like me to, yes, of course I can." The All-Father sat in a sumptuous chair across from the loom.

"Good," she said, smiling warmly. "Now, what great disaster has befallen the realms?"

"Disaster? What makes you say that, my dear?"

"Odin, you took me as your wife partly for my intelligence. Or so you've led me to believe all these centuries. You never have the time to wander around the palace and indulge in idle chit-chat." Frigga set her threads down and laid her hands in her lap.

"You know me well."

The servant girl returned with a large tray filled with several shining metal dishes and steaming pots.

"Thank you, Hillevi." Frigga sorted and poured and offered. Then she sat back with her mug of fragrant hot tea and sighed. "You've spoken to Heimdall."

Odin nodded sharply. "Am I the last to know, then? What our...what Loki has done?"

"I hope you were not harsh with him."

"With Heimdall? No. Well, perhaps at first. But he had his reasons—wise ones—for waiting to tell me."

Frigga set the mug on the table. "But?"

"You should have told me." Odin fixed her with a glare that had brought kings to their knees.

But Frigga was made of stronger stuff than those men. "I considered doing so. But so many things have been done in haste. I took time to ponder what I had learned."

"What has been done in haste?"

"Casting Thor out, the destruction of the Rainbow Bridge, losing Loki."

"You learned that Loki set the prophecy in motion with Jane Foster. And you did not warn me."

"Yes. What could have been done a few days ago that cannot be done now? Travel between realms is very costly at this time. You had already sent Thor to Midgard. You already knew Loki had bonded with a human woman. I wanted time to think."

He regarded her silently for a long while. "And what, my queen, have you thought about?"

"Jane Foster is an intriguing Midgardian. It was partly her influence that brought about the changes we've seen in Thor. She believed in the existence of other realms long before her theories were proven and was willing to be ridiculed for it. She is brilliant. She is driven by position and power only insofar as they can give her access to the knowledge she truly craves."

"She made Thor soft."

Frigga frowned. "Soft? She helped inspire him to take responsibility for himself, to consider others. That made him worthy of Mjolnir once again. Perhaps..."

"You think she could change Loki."

Frigga held his gaze, but did not answer.

"She is a danger. To us, to the realms. She must be eliminated."

"Eliminated? Is that truly necessary?"

"Frigga, Jane Foster carries Loki's child."