Loki didn't stop thinking of the kiss she had given him all morning. He dwelled on how it had made him feel and the way she had innocently pressed her lips to his. She deserved a reward for entrancing him so. Not just any woman could do it. He passed a guard, and suddenly an idea came to him.

He motioned to the guard and lifted a pile of papers to put in his arms. Then a pen. He shoved them at the guard with a single instruction. "Take these to the girl I keep. Tell her I will collect my favor at a later time." He sent the guard off with a wave of his hand. He would collect, all right. He just had to think of what it was that he wanted so desperately he would freely offer her paper and a pen.

/

Nancy sat twining one of her shoestrings around her fingers. She thought of all she could do with it. All she'd like to do. If she was stronger, and still the agent she once was, she'd ambush Loki during his next visit and wrap the thing around his throat. But he'd surely overpower her, especially with her in a weakened state, and punish her more severely for her outburst of rage.

Perhaps she could use it on her own throat. End this madness once and for all, while retaining what little dignity she had left. Little scraps and threads of control she had left. But she couldn't do it. She wasn't strong enough, physically or emotionally. Neither did she have a place from which to hang herself.

With an angry, frustrated growl, she wadded the string into a ball and threw it across the cell. It was no more than a weak string to her. Not the thread of salvation she'd hoped for.

There was no use in fighting anymore. She was so tired. So very tired. Of the madness. Of the pain. Of feeling herself fade away. She hardly knew who she even was anymore. Who was Nancy McAllister? I woman she'd met once in a dream. In a past life. Now, she was Pet. Little more than a three-letter syllable. Pet. Nameless Pet. Obedient Pet. Very, very mortal Pet.

A sudden thump jolted Nancy out of her gloom. A guard stood before her, a pile of papers at his feet. She stared at him and tilted her head slightly, the way a dog stares at a new dish.

"From the king. He will collect his favor at a later time." the guard announced, holding the pen out for her to take.

Nancy cautiously reached out and took the pen from him. She pulled it back and glanced it over. A beautiful, golden calligraphy pen, etched with swirls and knots, the common decorative features of Asgard.

When she looked up toward the guard again, he was gone. She'd been left alone. But… now she had something she loved. Something to pull her from the depths of her despair. Paper and ink had always been her best friends.

With a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, she moved closer to the stack and removed a sheet. Now… what to write about? As she sat there thinking, a story came to her mind. One of the old Norse myths. The story called Loki a doer or good as well as a doer of evil. That was exactly who he was. A doer of good and a doer of evil.

Nancy dropped the pen to the paper and began to write. The first page consisted of a list of all the deeds he'd done when she first met him. A T-chart separating the good from the bad. What had he done that was good? Well, he'd healed her. And spared her from his mind control. He'd allowed her to stand by his side as he attempted to rule the world… she supposed that was better than tying her and holding her hostage. Well, better than tying her up at least. And then he'd had his guards protect her. What had he done that was bad? That list was longer. He'd killed hundreds. No… he called the Chitauri down, who in turn killed hundreds. He'd kidnapped her and held her hostage. He'd tried to rule the world.

Next, she made a list of things he'd done when they next met, in Stark Tower. He'd threatened to come back for her, which he'd followed through with. But he had acted relatively civil, and never once tried to harm her. He'd… welcomed her visit. Welcomed her into his cell and even allowed her to have a conversation with him.

And when he'd come to kidnapped her, he'd played along with her game. Despite her fears, he only made her sleep. In her time in the cell, she'd muzzled her, starved her, flogged her, and stole her sleep, but he never did more than that. She'd worked cases where the captor had beat his victim day in and day out. She'd seen women torn to pieces. Loki would never do that to her. She knew that for a fact.

An hour later, she had a complete compiled list of all his good and bad deeds. Everything he'd done since their first meeting.

Doer of Good:

Our kisses

I'm his

Wants to know about me

Healed me

The salve

Was hurt by his actions

Regretful?

The sweet roll

The passionate kiss

Kind (sometimes)

The light

Says no harm will come to me

Gives me apples (if I earn them)

Sometimes I think he does truly care about me. On good days.

Doer of Evil:

The Chitauri

Holding me hostage

Studying me - Experiment?

Starving me

Flogged me

Stole my sleep

Made me grovel

'Pet'

Favor for favor

Yes, the list summed him up nicely. He was Loki, the doer of good and the doer of evil. If only she could reach the kind light within him. Maybe he would finally choose the good over the bad.

/

Loki took his precious time finishing his business, ending hours later. With a smile, he cloaked himself in invisibility and made his way down to the dungeons again. He would have to make a shorter path. He couldn't wait the time it took to march himself down.

Inside the cell, a green snake slithered its way up Nancy's leg.

As Nancy finished stacking her papers again, she felt something moving on her leg. She glanced down at it to find the head of a little green snake staring over the top of her knee. It flicked its tongue at her. She screamed.

Nancy jumped up immediately and shook her leg to get the loathsome creature off. She screamed again as it dropped to the floor and began to slither around. She moved into the far corner and stood there, cowering in fear. She hated snakes. Absolutely hated them.

The snake slithered to the opposite corner and coiled. Its eyes stared at her, almost through her, as it lay in wait for her to make a move.

Finally, once the two had calmed down a bit, Nancy looked the snake over. Another Norse myth came to her mind as she watched the snake. Loki was supposedly able to change his shape and shift into different creatures. With what she knew of his ability to turn invisible and create doppelgangers, she wouldn't put it past him.

Timidly, Nancy knelt to the floor and held her hand out toward the snake. "Loki? Is that you?" She beckoned the snake closer. "I hate snakes, but if it's you… I wanna know. Just… please don't bite me. Okay?"

The snake just flicked its tongue.

Loki stopped momentarily and smiled. He liked to watch her when she couldn't see him. He could see the real her, then. Not the woman she pretended to be in his presence, but the real Nancy McAllister under that skin. Besides, this experiment proved much more rewarding than he thought it would.

No reaction. It didn't even move. "You're… just a regular snake, aren't you?" Upon realizing she was trapped in a small cell with her worst fear, Nancy screamed again.

Loki stepped through the barrier, turning visible as he went. His first move was to stretch his hand toward the snake. It slithered over his fingers and wrapped itself around his wrist. He stood and brought it nearer his face to study it. To think his lovely pet was so frightened of his favorite animal.

Nancy panted softly as she tried to regain her composure. Her heart felt like it was in her throat. Her blood rushed through her veins and pounded in her ears. "Is it… poisonous?" she panted.

He chuckled, still studying the snake's pattern. "Would I allow anything to harm you, pet?"

"No." Nancy admitted, "I don't think so." She watched him closely. Every move, every twitch, every breath. She had no idea what he was planning to do with that snake. "Will it bite?"

"I've taken care of that." He held out his hand in her general direction, finally looking up at her. "Care to touch it?"

Nancy physically flinched and curled tighter into the corner. "No, thanks."

He shrugged and pulled it closer to his face. He made a face at it and watched it slither around his wrist. "Pity. He rather likes you."

Nancy's eyes widened momentarily. "You speak snake? Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." She glanced to the snake and watched it closely. Before, it was just an animal. A fearsome creature, too. But now, with this new information, it seemed entirely different. It had thoughts and feelings. It was a pet, Loki's pet. The same as she was. "Why does he like me?"

The snake coiled tighter and Loki tilted it to still see its face. "He doesn't say."

Nancy fidgeted as she watched the snake slither over his wrist. "Doesn't that feel weird? Having it move all over your hand like that?"

"It is not dissimilar to some Midgardian bangles." He leaned in closer to the snake and whispered a single command. The snake slithered up his arm and then down his torso and his leg, back to the hard floor.

Nancy squeaked and immediately pulled her knees to her chest. "What did you tell him?" she nearly shrieked.

Oh, yes, she was quite frightened of his littlest pet. He chuckled. "That he is free to roam." The snake slithered sideways, in her general direction.

"Just don't let it bite me!" she pleaded, desperate.

"He won't." Loki glanced to the pen and papers. His curiosity strangled him. He had to know what she had been writing. "I see my gift was delivered promptly."

"Yes. Thank you." Nancy whimpered, "I haven't used much, though. I was... interrupted." She curled tighter as the snake moved closer. There was nowhere for her to go. She was trapped.

The snake stopped inches from her foot and looked up at her. Loki reached to pick up the top paper from the pile. He couldn't resist. What went on in that beautiful head of hers? What did she think of and write down in her spare time?

Nancy's eyes widened as the snake stared up at her. It was so close. Too close. She was completely paralyzed with fear and too distracted to care about her papers. She didn't care what Loki did or said about them. She had bigger problems than his opinion on her scribbles. She had a deadly, poisonous, awful snake within striking distance of her feet. It was going to bite her. It was definitely going to bite her. She didn't even dare to breathe, lest she spook it.

Loki read through the lists he had snatched. 'Doer of Good' and 'Doer of Evil'. Interesting that she should categorize him as both. He scanned the bad, nodding in agreement with some, and moved on to the good. Just what did she think about him that was good? He smiled when he found mention of the kisses she had given. With a lighter heart, he set down the list and moved past it. An imperceptible twitch of his fingers sent the snake slithering away from her. He'd let her have a break. For now.

Nancy sighed with relief as the snake turned and slithered away. She glanced up at Loki, then went back to watching the snake. She was still on guard around it. "How much is that pile of papers going to cost me?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the snake.

"I have yet to decide. Would you care to offer anything?"

She shrugged and watched the snake coil in the opposite corner. "I have nothing to offer."

"You continue to say this. Surely you can think of something."

"You'll grow tired of my kisses if I give them too freely." This was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. She sat there, paralyzed with fear, over a common garden snake. And Loki had promised her that it was not poisonous and would not bite her. It had thoughts and feelings and claimed to like her. Well, if it liked her so much, it wouldn't hurt her… right?

Finally gathering her courage, Nancy held her hand down to the ground and beckoned the snake closer. She would conquer her fear and hold the snake. Loki was here and he would protect her from harm. She was sure of it.

Oh, so she would play at bravery now? Fine. As it amused him, he would humor her. Loki held back his smirk and leaned against the wall.

The snake slithered toward her hand, sidewinding at parts, and testing the waters, as it were. Soon, he would allow it to venture farther.

"Think of something else, then," Loki instructed. Perhaps, in fear, she would be honest.

Still refusing to remove her gaze from the snake, Nancy spoke without looking at her captor. "If I agree to be your pet, will you treat me as kindly as you treat your snake?" Within moments, the snake was at her hand. It slipped its head over her fingers and wrapped itself gently around her wrist. She whimpered softly, but allowed it. It was a sweet snake after all.

"I treat all my pets with the same respect." The snake slithered farther, winding up her arm. Loki watched it closely. "But you mustn't disobey. Pets who disobey are punished."

Nope. She couldn't do this. This was a mistake. A big mistake. She should've never let the snake get so close. Nancy sat paralyzed with fear again as the snake slithered up her arm and perilously close to her face. "Then… then that is my offer." she finally managed.

"To become my pet? I thought you already were." He allowed an amused smile. This would not be an easy transition for her. The snake nuzzled her chin gently. Then a little more forcefully.

Nancy gasped softly as she felt the snake rub its head against her chin. She could feel her body shaking and hoped her quivering form wouldn't spook the snake. She sat as still as a statue as the snake began to ram its head against her chin with more force. Her breaths came quickly and shallowly. She dared not move.

"I mean your actual pet." she whispered, finally looking up at Loki, "You let him roam freely, why not me?"

"He comes when I call. Does everything I say. Bends to my every whim. When I shall not know where he is, I lock him away."

Timidly, Nancy reached to stroke the snake's back. Maybe if she did something it liked, it wouldn't bite her. "But you give him affection." she protested, her voice remaining at a whisper, "And you feed him and allow him to sleep. Thus, he's loyal."

"I kept him securely locked away for months before he learned to bend to my will. Are you willing to undergo the same?"

"I don't want to be in here for months." She began to pet the snake with more confidence, now too distracted with her own predicament to worry about a harmless snake. "Did you muzzle him, too?"

"Unlike you, he does not speak aloud. I refused him food when he disobeyed and, pet, I am in his mind." The snake wound farther up her arm and nuzzled her chin one last time before it wound itself around her neck. It coiled there, sitting lightly.

Nancy gasped softly and closed her eyes. She'd stepped right into his trap. Like the idiotic mouse she was, she'd allowed him to charm her and lull her into a state of security. Now, she was trapped with a snake wrapped around her throat. Loki had just admitted that he was controlling the snake the entire time, as he'd controlled the agents before. If he willed it, the snake could strangle her to death. All he had to do was command it to do so. And she'd allowed it.

"Will you be in my mind?" her words were barely audible. She couldn't stand the thought of him being in her mind. She'd lost everything else. All she had left was her wit and her memories. If he took her mind, Nancy McAllister would be gone. Forever replaced with the mind of a sheep. She'd be one of the herd, as the other agents were. A zombie that followed her master's bidding. Unable to think or speak for herself. If he took her mind… he'd take her soul.

"As I said, you can speak aloud." Loki stepped closer, admiring his symbol encompassing her lovely neck. "I require absolute obedience. Should I summon you, you would come immediately. Silently."

"But you will be kind?" Nancy persisted, looking up at him once again. Tears flooded her eyes and threatened to spill over. "Give me everything I need, when I need it?"

"I will feed you, if that is what you mean by this." He paused, thinking through his next revelation. Something he had sorely wanted to hear since she came here. "There is another requirement."

"What is it?" She could only imagine what he'd require from her. "Not the muzzle again. I'll stay in here if you're going to muzzle me again."

"The muzzle is for punishment." He took another step closer, moving his attention to her frightened eyes. "As my pet, my speaking pet, you will not call me Loki."

"Then what'll I call you?" Nancy reached up and gently began trying to remove the snake from her neck.

The snake wound tighter at her touch, embracing her neck with renewed fervor. "You will refer to me as Master."

She gasped softly as the snake coiled tighter, as if in emphasis of Loki's revelation. He would be her master. And she would refer to him as such. Everything she was, everything she'd ever hoped to be, was quickly fading in this moment. If she accepted his terms, she'd lose herself entirely. All she'd have left is her mind. And even that was fading at times. "What if I slip? May I call you by your name when we're alone together?"

"If you are to be my pet, it would suit you better to call me master. I will be lenient while you learn." The snake shifted around her porcelain skin, revealing more of it. "But you must agree to all of these terms." Loki raised an eyebrow and waited for her response.

Again, the snake shifted for emphasis. If she didn't agree to the arrangement, the snake would surely strangle her. Every move, every twitch, was a threat. Still stunned with fear, Nancy glanced around her small cell. The cell with the too-bright lights and cold, hard floor. The cell that separated her from him and kept her locked away. The cell where she was starving to death and wasting away. "If I don't agree, how long will you keep me in this cell, living off of apples?"

He followed her gaze around the cell, paying special attention to every bit of it. She would agree to his terms one way or another, he was sure. "As long as it takes."

Nancy sighed heavily and looked up at Loki again. The words fell from her lips before she could stop them. "I agree to the terms."

The snake unwound from her neck and slithered back to Loki, who reached down a hand so the creature could coil around it. He had done his job, and done it well. Loki studied it, not bothering to look at Nancy anymore. "Someone will come for you," he promised. He couldn't grant her too much hope. He couldn't show her how enthused the prospect made him. He headed for the barrier.

"Wait. Please." She hoisted herself to her knees and reached out as if to stop him from leaving. "Will I see you again tonight?" There was so much more she needed from him. Food. Sleep. Comfort. She needed him. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed him.

"Perhaps, pet. Perhaps." He cooed at the snake as he walked away, talking to it in Asgardian and generally congratulating it for doing its job so well.

Nancy dropped her hands down to the floor as her tears finally began to flow freely. She dug her nails into the white-washed concrete as she knelt on her hands and knees. "What have I done?"