Nancy frowned as she watched the door shimmer green. He'd left her alone once again. When she needed him most, he left her. Not that it was his fault. He was king and needed to help his people. She understood that. But that never meant she had to like it. Nancy curled up on the bed and pulled the sheets tighter around her, feeling uncomfortable around these new people. These 'warriors'. A 'warrior' had hurt her. Why would these three be any different?

She glanced to the dark haired woman. The warrior sent to protect her. She looked so familiar. Where had she seen her before? All at once, Nancy remembered. New Mexico! This woman was Sif, one of Thor's friends!

"I remember you." Nancy moved closer, studying the woman in the light of a dim candle, "You fought alongside Thor in New Mexico, against the Destroyer."

"Yes." Sif settled properly onto the edge of a chair, her posture perfect. She was ever alert, always looking for any signs of something amiss.

"I was there, too." Nancy mumbled, glancing away. How awful, to have one so strong and brave before her, yet all she was herself was a pet. Nothing even resembling the warrior she once was.

She looked to Sif and watched her, noting her stiff posture and professional demeanor. This was only another mission to her. Another assignment. Get in, complete the task, get out. No matter the planet or realm, every mission was the same. Get in, complete the task, get out. Mindless obedience.

And yet she herself used to be one of those mindless soldiers. The government's lap dog. She did whatever S.H.I.E.L.D. told her whenever they told her.

Nancy looked to Sif again. "You look like a very brave warrior." And, of course, she did. Polished armor, strong confidence, lean body. She looked every bit a strong, brave warrior.

"Some have told me I am." She glanced around the familiar room, readjusting to everything she had ever wanted to forget. When her eyes landed on the woman on the bed, she gave a small smile. "One must be to endure..." a nod to the door. "...his mischief."

Nancy paled. Sif and Loki obviously had a past. She could hear it in the way Sif spoke. The emphasis on the pronoun. It was almost playful… reminiscent. Nancy could hear the memories behind the words. The affection. "Oh." she paused, "Are you another of his women?"

Sif coughed to cover her very obvious laugh, which made it sound more as if she was choking. She placed a hand to her chest. No one had asked her that. Ever. "No. I am not."

"Oh, good." Nancy sighed with relief. At least she wouldn't have to compete with Sif. But… a new thought dawned on her. This woman would have all the answers she'd ever sought. Answers to questions she would've never had the courage to ask Loki himself.

"What was Loki's last human like?" Surely, in all his thousands of years of life, he would've had at least one other human before herself. Possibly many. Maybe he just made a habit out of picking up women and keeping them until he became bored or they expired. "Did she…" Nancy swallowed. "Did she die? Or did he get rid of her?"

"He..." Sif finally studied her with an utterly bewildered look on her face. What had he done to her? What lies had he led her to believe? "You do not know?"

Nancy shook her head, confused. "I only want to know which number I am." She looked down and spoke quietly, almost to herself. "How much he really cares." She looked to Sif again. "Am I his sixth or six-hundredth?"

"Loki has never... never had a pet mortal. You are the first he has deigned to consider his." She shook her head slowly, obviously stunned that this mortal knew so little. How could she think a pet mortal on Asgard was normal? Then again, this was Loki they spoke of.

Nancy shrugged and looked down at her wrists, still bruised from the bindings. Her right wrist remained scarred from the shocks from the bracelet. "I guess he was tired of playing with snakes." She looked to the washroom door, remembering how he'd put her there when he was tired of her. How easily he could lock her away. "He treats me well, though… unless I misbehave." Nancy looked to Sif again, trying to explain herself. "I mean, I don't want to misbehave. I don't do it intentionally. But sometimes… things just happen. I have rotten luck, is all. But he thinks I'm doing it all intentionally. That I want to be a bad pet. But I don't. I've never wanted to be a bad pet. It just… happens." She rubbed her scarred wrist nervously. "But he does treat me well. Usually. If I behave."

"Yes. I am sure he does." Sif shifted position uncomfortably.

"You know, I was a warrior, too… once." Nancy rushed her words, trying to dispel the awkward tension in the air, only to drop off in silence. She'd choose now to bring up her past? To reveal who she once was, in comparison to who she'd become? But there was no going back now. She'd started it. She'd have to continue. "Have you ever heard of S.H.I.E.L.D.? We were there… in New Mexico."

"Yes. I have worked extensively with Agent Phillip, son of Coul." She nodded reassuringly, sure to add a smile to put the girl at ease. At least they had a common acquaintance to break the ice between them.

"He was my friend..." Nancy trailed off and stared into the distance. What would Coulson think of her now? She'd turned traitor. Fell in love with the man who'd killed him. Or, rather… supposedly killed him. He'd probably shun her, as the others did. As everyone did.

Nancy curled her knees tighter to her chest. The memories of Coulson brought with them memories of her other friends. A happier time, when the world made more sense. When things were black and white and steady. When every holiday brought her family together. When every mission drew her closer to her team. "I suppose I won't ever see any of my friends again." she stated with a hopeless sigh, her eyes still vacant. "I won't… ever see any of them again. My family. My friends. My team. I'll never see them again."

Sif sighed. That hadn't worked. She looked to the floor, more uncomfortable now than before. "I suppose not."

Tears poured down Nancy's cheeks, but she hardly felt them. She only stared ahead, as if she could see into some unknown realm. Some world where life was good and happy and at peace. Where her mistakes hadn't brought her to this. Where everything was as it should be.

Suddenly, a broken laugh pierced the air. Nancy gripped at her hair and laughed bitterly, through her tears. "Don't you see?" She spoke to the wall, no longer acknowledging Sif's presence. "Don't you see what he's done? I'm not like him. I'll never be like him! Why would I even try?!" Her sobs and laugh mingled together, creating a violent discord. As quickly as it all started, Nancy fell silent again. She looked to Sif, her eyes cold and unseeing. "Don't you see the irony? Don't you see what he's done? All this protection for a dog."

"I assure you, he thinks much more highly of you than that. Besides, Loki doesn't even like dogs. And he never shows his true feelings, not even to Thor." Loki never revealed his true feelings on anything. In fact, she still didn't know why he had turned her golden locks black. She had never gotten the full story from him, though she had long ago decided it went beyond his usual mischief.

"But don't you see, Sif?" Nancy was on the verge of hysteria. She leaned close, as if her proximity would make Sif understand. "Look at me! He made me into a pet! I'm an animal! A dog! No wonder that man did what he did. He kept calling me a fat animal. A pig! And I am. A little pig in a dress, with jewels!"

"Now I know Loki would never condone that." Sif shot to her feet, enraged. Even she was stunned at her reaction to this news. Was she... defending Loki? "Even if you do not believe me, I tell you he cares for you deeply. I would not be here otherwise."

Nancy blinked at her, startled by her reaction. She lay back and frowned at her. "Fine. Whatever you say." Her eyes moved to the door again, as vacant as ever. She watched for her master to return. He was the only one who truly understood.

Sif didn't back down, or sit, but she calmed a bit. Returning more to her normal, stoic self. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but the doors flew open at that exact instant. Sif spun, a knife suddenly in her hand and wielded to attack.

Loki laughed and put his hands up in surrender. Leave it to Sif the lady warrior to threaten to stab him. Again. Had they not understood the purpose of the spell on the doors? He could keep anyone out that he deigned unfit to enter, and only he could break it. Had they thought someone else would come through the door?

The instant Loki barged in, Nancy was off the bed and cowering behind Sif, using the smaller woman as a shield. When she heard Loki's laugh, she peeked out at him. "That wasn't funny." She emerged fully. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? After everything I've already been through!"

"No, no. I thought you understood no one could enter but me." He offered a soft smile to Nancy before he turned and studied Sif, who looked irate. He had seen the look many times before she attacked him, so he prepared for something of the sort now.

Sif grabbed his ear in one hand.

With lightning quick reflexes, Loki grabbed her wrist and held fast. Ever since Frigga's death, Sif had taken it on herself to keep him in line. If she grabbed his ear one more time, they would spar. And he would win, as he did every time. He raised an eyebrow, challenging her posture and attitude.

She snarled and yanked her hand away, out of his grip. "A minute?"

Loki sighed. He had heard that tone before, too. He glanced to his mortal. "I will return in sixty seconds, pet."

He and Sif stepped outside the door, and she pulled them shut behind them. The next sixty seconds Sif spent threatening his life and demanding he let the mortal know how much he cared for her, because she obviously couldn't see it. All this, she yelled in the quietness of a whisper. Her frantic gestures amused him, but Loki didn't move a muscle. He would allow her this one pleasure. This one long rant.

"...and how could you let her sit there and believe you such a monster? You, yourself, often enough chastise the use of the word. Why then have you spent so long proving to her that you are the monster you claim not to be? Why would you..." Loki tried to ignore the rest of her words, but they permeated deeply anyway.

Nancy, meanwhile, perched uneasily on the edge of the chaise. Her master had returned. He would surely want the bed to himself now.

She glanced down at the floor, her tears drying on her cheeks. Everything she spoke of still swirled around in her mind, one crashing into another. Who was she now? Would he even want her now? He had yet to tell her his plan for her. He could just as easily send her away or have her executed as keep her. What reason did he have to keep his disobedient pet? He had another woman now. And now… she was tainted. Surely Loki wouldn't want her now.

When Sif had finished her tirade, Loki easily dismissed all the warriors with a single nod and returned inside to his pet. After all that yelling, Sif really hadn't convinced him to say or do anything, but she seemed to feel better. He stopped when he saw the look of utter bewilderment on Nancy's face. It concerned him more than he liked to admit. "Did Sif upset you?"

"No." Nancy's voice came out too quiet and a bit hoarse from her tears. "Sif was kind. I'm just... still trying to deal with everything."

He nodded and continued across the room to settle onto the bed. Without really thinking about it, he pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes and rubbed. He was so tired. Exhausted, really, from all that had gone on. With relief came sorrow and happiness and much, much tiredness. Loki stifled a yawn and rubbed at his eyes again. All he wanted was sleep, for once in his life.

Nancy looked him over. How mortal he suddenly seemed, tired and exhausted from the events of the day. Her own body could relate. Exhausted and weak. But she'd never seen Loki this tired before. Not in all the days he'd returned from working. Or even after the feasts he was forced to attend. He'd never looked so… defeated.

"You should get some sleep." Nancy whispered, forcing a tired smile, "I bet you have a lot to deal with yourself."

He nodded at her. He hadn't meant to let it show. He supposed the eye rubbing and yawning would have tipped her off. He would have to do something about that. "I will. In a bit." He pulled his boots off and sent them sailing across the room, then quietly reclined against the headboard. He would just sit for a bit, with nothing to do. It would help. Eventually.

Slowly, Nancy stood and made her way toward him. She stopped and folded her hands neatly in front of her as she reached the side of his bed. "Master?" she waited until he looked at her. "May I join you?"

Loki furrowed his brow. "Do you feel well enough?" He was quite frankly surprised she had let him touch her earlier. Surely she would not let him touch her now, not after what she had been through.

Nancy bit her bottom lip, considering his question. If he was any other person, she would have slinked away. But he was Loki, her beloved and master. Her best friend. She didn't want to be anywhere else than in his arms. "Yes. I think so."

"If you are sure you feel up to it..." He shifted his position to leave more room for her to curl up beside him. He liked the feeling of her beside him, but he wouldn't stand for night terrors. If his closeness threw her over the edge, he would bodily remove himself before he let her be afraid.

As slowly and carefully as she could, Nancy crawled onto the bed. A dull pain, worsened by the movement, began in her side, forcing her to wrap an arm around herself in an attempt to control it. As if her holding her torso could somehow keep her wounds from aching. Finally, with a soft groan of pain, Nancy settled into the pillows next to him. She leaned against his shoulder, more for support than comfort. A forced smile graced her lips, her vain attempt to let him know she really was okay. She had to be okay. She must be.

She was in pain, he could tell. Despite what the healers had done to alleviate it, the bruises still remained. The obstinate women would only work their magical wonders on an immortal, and would have probably discarded Nancy altogether if she hadn't belonged to the king. And now, she sat here, trying to smile, but he could tell she was hurting. "Might I hold you as I have been?"

"Yes. I'd like that." Nancy moved a bit closer and nuzzled under his chin. His strong body next to hers brought her more comfort than she could have imagined. She knew she was safe in his arms. No matter what he'd done to her in the past, he would never do it now. Nancy knew that for a fact.

"No matter how much torture training you go through," she began, her voice a cold whisper, "It never prepares you for the real thing." What he'd done to her was nothing compared to what that guard had done. She was strong enough to survive floggings and starvation, but this… this was too much. She twined her fingers with Loki's, drawing him closer.

The tone she spoke in, the hurt whisper, let Loki know she did not mean what he had put her through. Rather, she meant the attack she had sustained. He tried not to tense at the thought of it, but he still involuntarily wrapped an arm around her to cradle her to him. He never should have left her alone. He should have been there, looked out for her.

"Well." Nancy's voice broke as she fought another bout of tears. She would not cry. She cleared her throat to regain her composure. "Did you ever get your thoughts sorted?" Anything to change the subject. To save her from her thoughts.

"I have." He would play along, despite how fatigued he felt. She needed his attention more than he needed to sleep. And they both needed to put their minds at ease. To know how this would play out. He had an answer for her, but she had yet to ask exactly what it was. He didn't wish to seem to eager to tell her. Even if he was.

"And what have you decided?" Nancy looked up at him, studying his eyes. His sincerity. Would he still have her, even after everything that had happened? No. Probably not. She never should've said anything. If she had ruined their relationship… if he planned to send her away… Her heart broke. She couldn't live without him. She just couldn't. "I'm sorry if I offended you with what I said. I shouldn't have said anything."

"I took no offense." He smiled wanly and tried not to close his eyes. If he closed them, he would drift to sleep. Preferably with her peacefully tucked beside him. He needed to know she was safe and on her way to recovery. "And if you don't mind, I would rather reveal my thoughts at a steady pace."

Nancy gave a short breath, somewhere between a sigh and a gasp. What did he think of her? Was it so bad he couldn't even speak of it?

"But you're going to keep me?" If he kept her only to shine his boots, she would be happy. There was no way she could go back to Earth now. Not after everything that had happened. Everything they'd been through together.

"Of course I'm going to keep you!" This woman! When would she ever learn her worth? He bent to kiss her head, slow and reverent. "Why would I not?"

Nancy half-shrugged, then winced from the motion. "I'm just not the 'keepable' type."

"Whoever told you that?" I'll have them flogged, he mentally added.

"Everyone, I guess." She looked down at their twined fingers and studied their hands. It was a loving, familiar gesture. A physical symbol of their closeness. "I only got into S.H.I.E.L.D. because no one else would take me." Nancy finally answered after a moment, her voice quiet. "And even then I was just a linguist. Some people don't even consider it a real science. We don't even get our own department. Just a back hallway in one of the S.H.I.E.L.D science buildings." She gave a short, humorless laugh. "I bet my own team with the FBI has given up looking for me. I'm just one of those 'disposables'."

"Look at me, love." He paused, waiting for her to obey before he continued. She would need to see the sincerity in his eyes. And, surprisingly, Loki found every word he spoke to her was indeed sincere. "All the coworkers who have taken you for granted, all the men who have shunned you socially, they are all fools. You are not disposable, and I will keep you until there is no breath left in my body."

No one had ever said something so kind to her. Something so loving. She could see it in his eyes. Hear it in his words. He loved her. Perhaps not as a lover or partner… but the feeling was still there. The reverence.

Nancy turned fully and wrapped her arms around him, touched by his words. She had never felt this way with anyone else. No one else had ever made her feel so safe, secure, and completely wanted.

She buried her face in the side of his neck and let her lips brush against his skin. Her words flowed of their own accord, hardly more than a breathless whisper. "I love you."

Loki returned the embrace, wrapping his arms gently around her. If it was up to him, he would hold her forever. Just like this. Well, maybe not just like this, but for now it would have to do. Until she was well. Until she realized her worth. Until she was his unabashedly and forever. Until then, he would hold her. And he would savor every second she was in his arms.