"Jane, wake up!" Loki nudged her as he spoke.

"What?" Jane awoke with a start, almost leaping off the sofa where she had fallen asleep, "What is it?"

"We have a rather large problem," He paused, "Actually, for you, it's probably two large problems but I am only concerned with the one."

"What are you talking about?" She focused on him and settled back against the sofa cushions.

"The Sakaaran wedding ritual is very old magic," His lips flattened in tension.

"And?" She led him, "If that should upset me, I probably wouldn't know because magic doesn't exist in my world."

"It does. You just don't understand it," He shook his head, "The wedding ritual is meant for two people who have complete trust in one another. It is a binding of minds."

"Like telepathy?"

Loki sat down on the sofa beside her, "More than that. From what I understand, we will not be able to turn it on or off. We will have no private thoughts. Everything either of us experience, feel or even think will be shared with the other. All of our memories will be instantly shared. Nothing is left for either one of us to hold private."

"So," Jane took in this latest piece of information, "We will be really a part of each other."

"Yes," He answered simply.

"Wow," She inhaled a full breath trying to will herself to relax, "You said I would probably think there were two problems."

Loki nodded, "The marriage must be publicly consummated."

"Oh..." Jane swallowed the information but redirected her thoughts, "Back to the actual wedding," She shifted focus, "If we do this, can it be undone?"

"Perhaps," He seemed to be considering the possibility, "But we would need to get off this planet to find someone with the knowledge of how to break such a powerful spell."

"Do we have an alternative at this point?"

"No," He exhaled slowly, "We do not have the time to find passage off this planet."

"Okay then," She declared before trying to lighten the situation, "Be prepared to hear me thinking about weird shit."

The corner of Loki's mouth raised slightly, indicative of his amusement, "And I was afraid your Human brain wouldn't be able to withstand a millennia's worth of my memories."

She stopped suddenly, "Wait. You mean this could actually be dangerous?"

"In more ways than one," He spoke quietly, "But not in that way. The magic involved in the spell will protect you from any physical side effects."

"But psychologically it could totally screw me up," Jane stood and crossed the room, "Well, it could be worse."

"How?" Loki asked, watching as she stood at the window and looked across the Sakaaran skyline, "I don't really like the idea of someone being in my head."

She only managed a half smile at the irony as she thought of Erik, "Rather be in someone else's?"

Loki did not answer. Instead, he decided a change of topic was in order, "About our other problem..."

"Yeah, about that," She turned back to him accepting the shift in conversation, "It would just be you and me having sex, right? It's not some medieval "king gets the bride first" bull shit The Grandmaster is trying to pull, is it?"

He couldn't help the grin, "You lost me after the 'just you and me having sex' bit."

Jane steeled herself to continue this dangerous conversation. She could do this. It was just sex. A simple bodily function, a means to an end, a way to escape.

"I mean," She stated firmly as she began once again, "We are the only participants, right? He's not going to claim the right of a king or ruler or something to take one or both of us himself, is he?"

"Just us. There is a bridal room, I'm told. They can see in. We will not be able to see out."

"Oh," She shrugged, "Then, that's not so bad."

"Having been on Earth in recent years, I am aware of the social norms for your world. You took that bit of news remarkably well."

"Yeah well," She sighed as she turned back around to face him, "It's no different than having sex somewhere and you didn't know there was a camera around."

"Except you do know there will be others watching," He stood, "And judging."

"What?"

Loki closed the space between them to deliver the rest of his news, "A marriage on Sakaar is judged by the duration of the wedding night festivities. The longer the couple stays engaged in their pleasures the stronger the marriage will be."

"Meaning it can't be a quickie," Jane nodded as she thought of the mess she found herself in. She met his eyes and grinned only slightly, "You don't seem like the type anyway."

Loki grinned, "If we give the Grandmaster a good show, he may never proposition us again. Or it could make matters worse and only make him want us more."

"So what do you think we should do?" She asked as if they were conducting a business transaction.

Loki pulled Jane into his arms in a swift but firm movement, "Practice," He answered as he claimed her lips with his own.