Author's Note: I apologize for the lateness of this. It's been quite a while since I wrote a Marvel only fic and I've never written Lokane so I hope you enjoy this!

Thank you to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly! Any other mistakes are defntiely my own and I apologize for them. Much love, xxDustNight

Disclaimer: All non-original characters, plot points, quotes, and information belongs to Marvel and Marvel Studios, and anyone else that may own any part of it. The story plot and dialogue belongs to me. I do not write for profit.

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Redemption for the Wicked
Rated: T
Pairing: Loki/Jane Foster
Summary: In the aftermath of the Infinity War, Jane comes to pay her respects to Thor's memory. Loki begins to see her in a different light and it's possible that she sees him differently now too.

Written for iamartemisday as part of the Women of MCU St Valentine Exchange 2019 hosted by womenofmcu on tumblr! Happy *late* Valentine's Day!

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Redemption for the Wicked

Quietly, Loki watched as Jane placed a single rose on Thor's grave. They were back in Norway, the God of thunder bringing what remained of his people to this peaceful land. He'd died not long after, defending the world and reinstating it to what it was supposed to be. Only, it cost him his life in the process. Rolling his eyes, Loki thought it ridiculous that Thor had a grave. They'd sent his body out to sea, burning as it was meant to be to take his soul to Valhalla.

Nevertheless, the Avengers insisted on a place where people could come and grieve one of the many who had perished saving their world from Thanos. Of course, the first person to arrive would be Jane. She'd broken things off with Thor, and yet here she was, grieving his loss nonetheless. Sentiment. Such weakness. He'd mourned Thor's loss in his own way, weaving a piece of his hair into his own and then adding his helm symbol to the leather valances he wore upon his arms.

Sighing heavily, Loki watched as Jane finished paying her respects and turned to walk back the way she came. The wind blew her hair back from her face, revealing tear-stained cheeks. Frowning, Loki waited for her to come closer before speaking.

"He's not really there, you know," he quipped as she came by where he stood.

Jane rolled her eyes, not pausing but rather slowing down. Meeting Loki's emerald gaze, she said, "I know your traditions. No one bothered to wait for me to arrive. I was only a few hours out when I heard you all went and did the ceremony. Come on, you're buying me a drink." Then, she resumed her previous pace and headed to where she'd parked her rental car.

Loki stared after her in surprise. He had no idea what Jane had planned, but his curious nature forced him to follow after her. He quickly climbed inside the car and waited for her to say more. When she did not, he said, "I have no Midgardian currency with which to purchase a drink for you."

Jane shot him a glare as she started the engine. "Fine, then. I'll buy myself a drink, and you can sit and explain what the hell happened." As she began to drive off, she made a noise of surprise and added, "And you can also explain why you're still on this planet and not locked up in some fancy anti-magic compound."

Smirking, Loki relaxed into the comfort of the seats as she drove. "Fair enough, but that second part requires you to buy me a drink." He smirked when her eyes slid to stare angrily at him.

"Fine," Jane ground out, returning her gaze to the road before her. "But only one."

. . . .

A few hours later found Loki and Jane sitting comfortably in a pub. The other patrons seemed to be avoiding them, and for that, Loki was grateful. Jane was a few drinks deep while he was nursing his second. It hadn't been that hard to convince the woman to purchase him more than one. Conversation flowed smoothly between the two of them. He found her work far more interesting than he imagined and she was intrigued by the fact that the Avengers were allowing him to stay as long as he remained in Norway. Then again, he had helped save the universe from Thanos' destruction.

The longer they remained in the pub, the harder it was to remember why this woman irritated him in the past. She was intelligent and quick-witted. She laughed at his jokes and gave just as much as she took when it came to his teasing. Clearly, Thor had been a moron to allow her to slip out of his grasp. That was the thing about lovers though; sometimes they just grew apart. Staring into Jane's eyes as she told him a story about what she'd been up to during the last battle, Loki had to admit she was as beautiful as she was funny and smart.

"So that's why Darcy moved to New York, and I came back to London. Although, now that I'm in Norway, I wouldn't mind staying for a bit," Jane finished explaining as she accepted the shot she'd ordered from the barkeep.

Loki had declined the offer of a shot, not wanting to become overly intoxicated. It wasn't as is Midgardian liquor truly affected him anyway. It took far more than he was sure Jane was willing to pay. Watching as she downed her shot and ordered another, Loki smirked and decided to take the conversation in another direction. He was hoping to discern whether or not Jane was open to a new relationship or if she was still pining after Thor.

"So I take it that you have not seen anyone since you and my brother ended things," Loki began, watching her face for the slightest reaction. His smirk grew as she rolled her eyes.

"When Thor and I decided to end things-"

"Are you saying it really was a mutual break?" Loki cut in, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "I always thought he was lying to me when he said that."

"He wasn't lying," Jane said defensively. "Our separation was mutual. I will admit, he did say he would love me forever, and if ever I changed my mind he would be willing to reconsider, but we knew it had to end."

Loki's eyebrows threatened to disappear into his hairline at that statement. He sipped his drink as he considered his next words carefully. Setting aside his mug, he said, "My apologies. I never intended to upset you. I simply thought my brother was trying to downplay the situation so he would not seem insulted."

Jane shrugged and took another shot. Cringing slightly, she said, "Break-ups are complicated. We both wanted different things. I wanted to stay here on Earth, and he wanted me to travel all over the universe looking for clues about the Infinity Stones. It wasn't meant to be."

"I suppose not," Loki said quietly, ducking his eyes and watching as the tip of his finger traced the rim of his mug. "I apologise for interrupting."

"It's okay. Anyways," Jane said waving the barkeep away when he approached to refill her shot glass. "When we ended things, I knew he would be hard to replace."

"You're still in love with him," Loki pointed out, a single eyebrow quirking.

She shook her head, paused, and then shrugged. "Yes and no. I suppose I'll always love Thor in some ways, but I stopped being in love with him a while ago."

Loki nodded, fully understanding what she meant. Although he had never truly been in love, he understood enough about sentiment that he could empathise with her feelings. Taking in Jane's glassy eyes, Loki decided they'd had enough for one night. "Perhaps we should head back to the new settlement?"

When Jane nodded, he motioned for the barkeep to come over. They paid their tab and then Loki helped Jane from the booth and to the outside. She was far too intoxicated for the time to drive, so Loki settled her on a bench until she was sober enough to drive them back to the settlement.

"Loki," Jane said, hiccuping slightly as they sat on the bench in front of the pub waiting for her to sober up enough to drive. "Has anyone ever told you that you smell lovely? It's like freshly fallen snow and worn leather."

"Has anyone ever told you that you are quite talkative when inebriated?" Loki replied, smirking as he did so. She was also adorable, but he wasn't going to say that aloud. Not now. Not yet.

Jane merely smiled, pulled out her phone, and began swiping through some emails. Loki sat there in silence, wondering how long Jane would mourn his brother. He was intrigued by her simplistic beautiful and her intelligent mind. He wished to learn more about her and possibly see if there could be something between them like what she had with his brother. For now, though, Loki was satisfied to have a simple conversation with Jane. He did not want to press luck or cause Jane any reason to go back to hating him.

An hour or so later, Loki deemed Jane suitable to drive, and they began the journey back to the settlement. They got in the car and drove into the night, Jane talking quietly of her plans now that the world had returned to somewhat normalcy.

. . . .

It was far later than either of them intended when they arrived back at the new Asgardian settlement. Loki had insisted on waiting until she'd mostly sobered up before allowing her to get behind the wheel. He'd then used magic to place a protection spell around the vehicle to keep them and others safe. Most of the newly built houses were dark save for a few. Loki and Jane stood awkwardly by her car, their conversation from earlier weighing heavily on both their minds. Loki knew how he was feeling, but he had no idea how Jane was feeling nor what she was about to do.

Without warning, Jane leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. It took him entirely by surprise, but he did not complain. For a moment, Loki kissed her back, enjoying the taste of her mouth and the way she practically melted into his arms. When she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, Loki was reminded of the alcohol they'd consumed, and he gently withdrew.

"Look," Loki said, pulling away but keeping his hand firmly on the back of her head. "This is wrong. We shouldn't be doing this."

"You worry about what Thor would think," Jane said slowly, running a hand through her hair and looking a bit sheepish. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Read the signals wrong I guess."

"No. It's fine," Loki said honestly, smirking. "I heard you when you said that the two of you were through. He loved you, dearly, but he would never be angry at me for being with you. Especially after his death. Not if it meant I could be happy."

"Then what's stopping you then?"Jane inquired, swallowing back the rejection. Her disappointment was written all over her face.

"You are far too inebriated. I would feel as if i was taking advantage of the situation if I were to allow things to move further tonight," Loki informed jane as he released his hold on her and took a step backwards. He gestured toward the car they'd exited moments before and added, "Perhaps you will feel different in the morning. We can discuss whatever this is between us then."

"You know," Jane said with a smile as she opened the car door. "People don't give you enough credit. Maybe there's redemption for the wicked yet. Most men would have easily taken me to bed."

"I'm not most men," Loki pointed out with a quirk of his eyebrow. He also crossed his arms with disappointment. "Mortals disgust me. I was taught to respect women."

"Wow," Jane said with a large grin. "Okay. Definitely respect that. Thank you for going out with me tonight, and for letting me practically throw myself at you."

"The pleasure was all mine, Jane," Loki said, bowing his head slightly. "Be sure to drive safely."

"I will," she said, dropping her gaze briefly to hide a slight blush. When she glanced back up, she'd regained her composure. "See you around, Loki."

Loki merely nodded as she slid into the car and then eventually drove away into the night. He wasn't sure what it was, but there was definitely something intriguing about Jane that he'd not noticed thoroughly before. He still wasn't sure how Thor would feel about him being with Jane, but there was no denying the chemistry between them. Once the taillights had faded into nothingness, Loki finally turned away to return to his home amongst what remained of the Asgardian race.

Perhaps Jane was right- Maybe there was hope for him yet. Redemption. If there were, it would come in the form of love. Looking upward at the starry sky, Loki found himself grinning stupidly. He would undoubtedly be willing to give it a try. Then, with the taste of Jane still on his lips, Loki required for the night, grateful for once that someone believed there was still good inside of him. Tomorrow he would seek out Jane and see if she always felt the same in the light of day.