.Queen: Thanks for the guess... know that you are very warm.
Niki Farren: Haha, thank you :D You're welcome, I'm glad you liked it. I did, actually, thanks. I hope you had a good one too.
kittysayzmeow: Yes, it was. I'm sorry you feel it was a little impersonal, but I am getting a little stir crazy and need it to move on a little faster... and I really wanted to write this chapter. :3 sorry. I'm glad you liked it nevertheless. Well, don't judge too quickly... its not so ridiculous if you think about it. But out of curiosity, why do you find it ridiculous?
Spottedivy: Don't worry, Lizzie is safe. Soon, I promise...He's stubborn I think, and doesn't realize it all in the same breath. I was happy to get your review, I really liked it.
ladymoonscar: :D *Cyber high-five*
Katherine Winchester: I'm glad you liked it, I hope you enjoy this one as much. :D
Hannahuff: Well, unfortunately, you won't find out quite yet, but soon enough. :D I hope you like this one.
Guest 1: Not quite Bella. Haha, sorry but the suspense is going to go on a little longer in regards to the mystery woman. However, she will come out of the shadows soon enough :D
Guest 2: Haha, I'm so glad you like it :D Yes, Nell is Loki's mom, who has come to Earth to help out when Loki needs her. I have my reasons for her being there.
Overall, I'm glad you all liked the last chapter, and hope you enjoy this one just as equally. Finally we get some action, and I hope you view it well... if not, as usual, please let me know if you think that I should change anything. :) and I shall. Plenty of Lokizzie, or Lizzoki (whichever you prefer) action in here which was lacking in the last.
Avengers Tower was in chaos, the new knowledge of Chitauri infiltrating Asgard causing quite a ruckus with all the Asgardians present. Logan would not tell anyone where he got his information, but it was obvious to anyone that he was convinced that it had truly happened. Tony was happy for once that Pepper had taken Jane, Emma, Darcy and Justine out for the day as each person reacted.
Thor raged, a storm quickly forming outside to match his mood at the news. Loki watched him with interest as he stomped around, worry etched on his features about his realm, demanding answers on how Logan found this out – but the Mutant would not answer, and simply left the tower to inform Professor Xavier. The Warriors Three were less obvious in their fury, as their abilities were restricted to their immediate surroundings; still, their anger was there, and they were beginning to demand Thor take them back to Asgard to help protect it. It was decided then that Thor would go to Asgard to deliver the news to Odin, leaving his friends in case something happened on Midgard.
Natasha called Nick Fury, who had his own tantrum on why he had never been informed that the Chitauri were already infiltrating Midgard. The answer was too obscure for him, and he told her that he wanted to see the Avengers immediately and hung up. After passing on the message, the Avengers and their associates gathered to go to SHIELD.
The change was magnanimous as the apartments went from uproar to absolute silence. Loki sat there, pondering the news on his own, and knowing there was nothing he could do while he was trapped here without his powers.
Finally, Lizzie stepped out of the kitchen, looking around dramatically. "Are they gone?" she asked, and Loki turned in her direction, his gaze softening as he saw her looking somewhat skittish.
"For now." he replied, standing up and walking to the window. "They went to go see Fury, apparently they never told him that the Chitauri attacked you a few weeks ago." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lizzie come to his side. He turned his head, his eyes roving her neck where once bruises marred it. There were no bruises now, but Loki couldn't help but worry about her. Now there was no safe for her to go if something happened in New York. "How have your nightmares been?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
She smiled broadly. "Fabulous. I haven't had one since... well, since I told you all my troubles." She laughed, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at him. "So a week... and a half? It's a record."
"How long have you had your nightmares?" Loki inquired, wondering why he had never thought of it before.
"Well my parents death was since I was four... the rest cropped up last year after the invasion." she answered, he nodded and looked out the window. Silence followed for a few minutes as they simply observed the outside..."Are you worried?" she asked him suddenly. "About Asgard?"
Loki looked out the window. "Why should I be worried?" he replied flippantly, placing his hands behind his back.
"You know you have a tell when you lie." she muttered.
"What do you mean?" he inquired, looking back at her, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"You answer questions with questions." she answered him, sipping on her drink. "You have no reason to hide your thoughts from me." she said, trying to get him to talk.
He smiled every-so-slightly, then sobered as he looked out the window again. Nothing was said for a few moments, then Loki suddenly broke the silence. "I am... slightly concerned over the development in Asgard." he said quietly. "If Amora is bringing them into Asgard as Shaw is here, then we could have a definite problem."
"The problem of being worried about hitting your own troops." she added. "If you don't know what the fake ones look like, and they look just like your allies, then you would be killing your friends thinking that they're your enemies."
"Precisely." Loki replied. "He's looking to create confusion... it doesn't matter to him how many Chitauri die, as they are little more than slaves to him. But if he can get anyone to attack their own thinking they are Chitauri, then he won't have to battle at all. Everyone else will do his battling for him, thinking they're battling against him."
Lizzie nodded, looking out the window. "There's got to be a way to stop them from getting in." she said softly.
Loki laughed mirthlessly. "I could have done it." he said ruefully. "With my knowledge of portals, walking between the worlds, it wouldn't have been hard to close a few."
"You can't though." Lizzie said. "Your power is-"
"Held by Odin Allfather at present – yes I know, Elizabeth." he snapped.
"Can I ask you something?" Lizzie inquired.
"You just did." he replied snarkily, a smirk firmly planted on his face.
Lizzie rolled her eyes, shaking her head at his antics before continuing on with her question. "Why would Odin take your power from you and then send you down here with nothing to defend yourself?"
Loki's eyes hardened at the mention of the Allfather. "Because he enjoys tormenting me for being something which he despised." he answered. "Were I like other Asgardians, I would not depend on magic to protect myself, as I would be able to do so as Fandral, or Hogun, or Volstagg do. I would not be helpless because I would already have engrained within me a knowledge of fighting."
"Do you not?" she queried.
"Yes, I do." he replied. "But my ability to cause illusions and attack without truly being right in front of the person is what I trained myself for. I never thought I'd be in a position where my power was held from me, and I could only defend myself with a dagger."
Lizzie hummed to herself for a moment. "I understand that." she said. "When I learned how to defend myself I used my abilities in tandem, to a point where I'm not sure I could fight without them."
Loki's eyes snapped to hers. "You know how to defend yourself?" he asked.
"Yes." she replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "My paralysis is so haywire that I learned some basic self-defense during my time with Alex. Add that to the fact that I am able to slow time for my opponent... it makes for an interesting fight." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Would you like to see?"
Before Loki could respond, Elizabeth's form disappeared, reappeared behind him, and gave him a push forward. He spun around, surprise written in his eyes. "How did-"
"I slowed time for you," Lizzie replied easily. "Which meant that for you time seemed to go regularly, but because it was slower, I was able to move at a regular speed and get behind you without you really seeing what happened. It's a bit complex to explain, and I'm not sure I explained it right, but the general idea is that I look like I'm moving at super-speed, when really I just slowed you down and moved regularly."
Loki's brows furrowed. "And you have used this to fight before?"
She nodded. "Along with my paralysis – yes. They work quite well, actually. But I can't imagine how I would fight without either one of them." she said, running her fingers through her hair.
She didn't expect Loki to suddenly snatch the glass out of her hand, grabbing her arm and twisting it behind her before he placed the glass down on the table beside them. "Get out of this situation."
"Are you serious?" she asked, moving faster than he thought and twisting her arm out of his grasp before knocking him down with a kick to his legs. An Elizabeth-blur moved around him before she stood in front of him. "Are you okay?"
He looked up at her, a smile stretching his lips before he reached an arm out to grab her ankle and pull her down. She fell with a cry before she became a blur to his eyes, kicking his arm aside, and winding up on his back with her hand on his neck. "Perhaps we should finish this in the training room?"
Lizzie laughed, getting off of him and moving to the elevator. "I thought you'd never ask." she replied, and they entered the elevator. "Why this sudden interest in my self-defense?"
"You brought it up, not I." Loki pointed out.
Lizzie's brow furrowed. "I did?" she asked before Jarvis suddenly played the footage from the main room on the screen at the top of the elevator. "I did." The doors dinged open, and Lizzie walked out first, turning around to see Loki just as his arm swiped at her head. She ducked, grabbing his arm and flipping him over, him landing on the ground. "Don't you think we should wait until we get to the ring before you start attacking me again?"
Loki smiled from below her. "Perhaps we should. Slamming into the floor is something I don't like doing." he replied, getting up and following her to the ring.
"Well then, let's begin." she said, and once he stepped onto the blue pad, they began their spar.
Pepper held a i-pad in her hands, the device being connected to the Tower's monitoring systems, four heads crowded together to see the screen which had the training room's view on the screen. Loki was holding Lizzie's arm, his body behind her as he showed her something which would harm someone. He stopped, bending down to retrieve his dagger from underneath his pant leg before he put it in Lizzie's hand and showed her how the move worked with the dagger.
"Why does Loki have a dagger?" Emma asked, turning over to Pepper.
"I'd assume so that he can protect Lizzie." Justine replied. "After all, he's not allowed to have his magic, right?"
"Shh!" Darcy hushed. "We left them alone in the Tower so that they'd get a move-on – so shut up, Justine!"
Instantly, the two cousins silenced, glancing at each other for a moment before returning their attention to the screen. When Lizzie moved as a blur, the result was instantaneous as five voices exclaimed at once.
"Oh my god!"
"How did she do that?"
"Who is she? Flash!"
"What the hell?"
"Holy priceless collection of Etruscan snoods, Batman!"
The last, of course, emitted from Darcy's mouth, who was stared at for a moment before they returned their gaze to the screen just in time as they saw Loki laugh –
"Did he just laugh?"
"Loki laughs?"
"He Who Must Never Laugh."
"Darcy!"
"What?"
"Shut up!" the others shouted at once, and Darcy quietened. Pepper couldn't help but giggle at Darcy's kicked-puppy-face.
"C'mon, guys, this is like watching a soap opera." Emma complained. "They're not going to do anything."
"Never say never." Darcy replied as the waiter returned with their food and set it down before them. "Do you think they're ever going to kiss?" The rest of the table looked at her in supposed disbelief. "What? It's a valid question!"
"Of course they're going to kiss, the question is: when?" Justine replied.
"Hopefully before Ragnarok." Darcy retorted, earning yet another look from her companions. "What?"
Hours later, Loki and Lizzie lay on the boxing ring pad. They had practiced well, and Loki had taught Lizzie a few moves which would assist her in defending herself if the need came. They also practiced her fighting without her abilities, as Loki was now more sensitive to fighting with a lack. He had gone easy on her, but by the end, she was a panting, sweating mess and simply collapsed on the floor. After a few minutes of convincing, Loki joined her.
"I can't remember the last time I sparred with a guy." Lizzie said abruptly. "It seems ages ago... Tim was the last time I think, I nearly killed him."
"You nearly killed your lover?" Loki queried.
She sighed sadly. "Yeah." she answered. "He'd been winning, and I got a little upset. My power kicked in, and I couldn't stop it. He was unconscious before I actually found the strength to stop it." Loki turned his head to face her, the barely-whispered words causing him to wonder at just how much she feared herself. "I avoided him after that..."
"Why?" Loki asked her.
Her head turned. "Because I couldn't control it around a man I cared about, and it scared me." she said softly. "It scared me because if I couldn't control it around him, then that meant I was exactly what Alex created. He succeeded in creating a soulless monster, who couldn't even control herself around the people she loved."
"You are not a monster, you never were." Loki snapped. "I have seen the way you act, and I would say that that monster failed in making you like him. Andrew – do not look so surprised I know his name, the boy worked very hard to make me use it – he adores you. If you were a monster, I think you would have shown it by now."
"Do you honestly think I don't fear hurting anyone here?" she asked him. "I'm like Bruce! One slip of anger and my control is compromised – I've dropped you on your knees more times than I can count, including the morning in the kitchen when you weren't even trying to hurt me! The power has a mind of it's own, and it hurts those who touch me even when I'm not trying to defend myself." Her voice had risen a few octaves in her frustration.
Loki sighed. "I'm sure that you could control it, if you trusted enough. Your power hasn't harmed all of us, and it's not harmed me every time." he said.
"But it could. The last time I saw Tim I paralyzed him when he tried to kiss me..." she trailed off. "It's funny – I didn't remember any of it, but when I was in Middle School I kissed a boy and the power kicked in, his breathing stopped completely and he passed out, he nearly died. I was known as having the 'Kiss of Death' after that."
"I doubt that's true." he replied.
"Well, I haven't kissed anyone since because of it. I suppose you could say it's my one fear. Killing the guy I kiss."
Loki was silent.
"How did we get on this subject?" she continued. However, she did not receive an answer as Loki turned onto his side, his hand coming to the side of Lizzie's face. Her breath caught, her heart beating heavily in her chest as she looked into his eyes. "What – ahem – what are you doing?" she breathed.
"Showing you you're wrong." he said simply, his mouth lowering to her ear. "Trust me, Elizabeth. You won't hurt me."
Her heart beat even faster before he lifted his head once more, his lips ghosting over her own. She froze in shock, and his kisses became a little more insistent. Her eyes slid shut, and she responded, moving her lips against his as she allowed her arm to come up around his neck, pulling him closer. She vaguely thought how Tim had never kissed her in such a way that made her feel as she felt now; she felt elated, complete, safe. There was always something a bit off with Tim, he had been more comfort – but with Loki it felt so much more, and she felt herself giving herself over to his kiss readily, thoughts of her power completely forgotten.
Loki's hand moved from her face, his arm reaching beneath her back to pull her closer. It was intoxicating – she was intoxicating to him. Her scent in his nostrils, her small body in his arms so perfectly, as if she was made to fit into his arms just so. He could feel her vulnerability, her fear, yet he felt something which was foreign to him, something which puzzled him. Her hand tangled in his hair, and he groaned lightly at the sensation, pulling her closer to him as he flicked his tongue at her bottom lip and deepened the kiss.
She moaned, the sound seemed to reverberate in his brain until he realized what was happening. He reluctantly pulled away, breathing deeply for a moment as he tried to calm himself – to regain his reason for kissing her in the first place. He began the intimacy from a desire to help her, to make her believe she was not the monster she thought herself... but he had not counted on the feelings which the kiss stirred within him, which fogged his mind until all he could think of was her. He opened his eyes, looking down into her dark orbs, and he nearly lost his self-control once more.
As gently as he could, Loki forced himself from her grasp, rolling back to his original place lest he lose himself to her. His instinct was to continue, the feeling of her arms around his neck he now missed as much as the feeling of her in his arms. How had she done this? How had she bewitched him so that, even now, his mind could only think of her?
"Why did you do that?" she asked him, her voice barely above a whisper.
Loki swallowed, he didn't even know the answer to that question, how was he supposed to answer her? "I was showing you you weren't a monster." Was what he said. "That you don't have the 'kiss of death' as you thought."
She turned her head toward him. "Is that the only reason?"
"What other reason would I have?" Loki asked in turn.
Lizzie closed her eyes, facing the ceiling before she once more opened them and sat up. She chuckled. "We're all drowning, but don't say it out loud." she whispered to herself, standing up and leaving ring.
"What?" Loki questioned, sitting up himself. "What is wrong? Forgive me, I should have asked you first, I suppo-"
"Loki," She smiled, but he noticed it did not reach her eyes. "It's nothing. Thank you for trying to help me, I'm sure it must have taken quite a bit out of you to kiss a mortal." she said.
"I did not even consider your mortality." Loki replied with an edge to his tone as he crossed the expanse of the ring and stepped out of it. "I simply wanted to help, to prove to you that you wouldn't hurt me."
She shook her head. "My apologies. I must seem very confusing to you at this moment. I thank you for your help." she replied, walking toward the elevator. "I need a shower, so I'm heading back up to our floor."
Loki followed her, entering the elevator. "Elizabeth... if there is anything I have said, or done I-"
"Loki, please." Lizzie begged. "You were just being you..." she trailed off as the elevator opened and she stepped off, leaving Loki stunned in the elevator.
"WHAT DID SHE JUST DO?" Darcy exclaimed so loud that the tables around them stared.
"Darcy! Quiet!" Jane and Pepper said simultaneously.
"I have a right to be excited. She just had the best kiss of her life – obviously, I mean, did you see the way she was kissing him – and then she just walked away?!" Darcy replied.
"Hold on, my ears are still ringing." Justine teased, touching a hand to her head.
"In all fairness," Pepper interjected. "He did deny that he kissed her for any other reason than to prove to her that she 'wasn't a monster' – she has every right to walk away."
Darcy rolled her eyes. "Did you see his hesitation? He so obviously wanted to keep kissing her." she declared as if it were public knowledge.
"But he didn't." Emma pointed out.
"And he is Loki." Justine added, sipping her iced tea.
"At least he acknowledged the fact that he doesn't think of her in terms of 'mortal' anymore." Jane said.
A chorus of 'True' echoed around the table.
"But did you see that kiss?" Darcy interjected. "God I wish I were her... where's my dashing Asgardian guy to kiss me like that?" Pepper and Emma exchanged a glance. "What?"
"Nothing." they said in unison.
Darcy gave them a look then headed off to get herself another round of pink lemonade.
"Jane, I think you may have a few friends when you go to Asgard." Justine said, elbowing Jane in the ribs.
"What?" Jane asked, a confused look on her face.
"Darcy and Fandral." Emma replied as Pepper turned off her i-pad "Have you seen their interaction over the last few days? I mean Darcy-" Pepper cleared her throat, causing Emma to change her topic. "- is simply jealous of Lizzie."
"Stop talking about me behind my back, you two-faced bitches." Darcy teased.
Justine laughed, patting the brunette on the back. "Don't worry, your guy will come."
Darcy squealed in delight before they all decided to go back to the Tower.
While Lizzie was in the shower, she contemplated what had just happened and the ramifications. She had just kissed Loki, god of mischief – a man who had driven her crazy ever since she met him. Through his annoying antics he drove her to the brink of insanity with his irritatingly pompous manner, his smile, his ego, his protectiveness, his self-centered attitude, his caring... she closed her eyes, sighing once more at her newest thoughts on Loki. It was beginning to be a little bit disturbing just how much she thought of him before the kiss.
That thought on her mind, she got out of the shower.
Sure she thought of him with a painful reminiscence before... but now? Now it was a hundredfold worse. She couldn't help but revert her thoughts back to that kiss, wishing that she had exposed her feelings in that moment when he asked her what was wrong. She knew from the moment that she asked him and he lied that he had different motivations than he said for kissing her, knew that he didn't want to come to terms with the fact that he might find her to be someone he would want to kiss. But then she considered his stance on mortals, perhaps that's why he had stopped? He said he didn't care, but obviously that wasn't true.
Yet, even this she didn't concern herself over as she crossed the hallway from the bathroom to her room and shut the door. No, her mind was on another thought which made her eyes begin brimming with tears: the possibility that she might be falling for Loki. Broken, hurt, self-centered, egotistical Loki... who called her an 'irritating mortal', and she slapped on multiple occasions. After she got dressed, she climbed into bed, curling up on the covers before she allowed the tears to flow. She knew what he was saying when he limited their kiss to mere 'help', he was putting her back in her place – reminding her that she was the lower being who needed him to prove to her that she was not as horrible as he was.
Knowing that Loki was probably in the room next to hers, she pulled a pillow over her head to muffle her cries.
However, the sound of her muffled sobs did make their way through the pillow and the wall, and Loki was forced to hear her heartbreak. As it was, he was already pacing from his own inner turmoil from what had happened in the training room, his thoughts running a mile a minute in confusion. He had concluded that he knew three things –
One: Elizabeth Donovan was one of the most fascinating creatures he had ever come in contact with; to a point where, if he were forced to spend the rest of his life with a Midgardian, he would chose her. She was smart, that he knew, and tended to meet his verbal spars with equal ferocity, making her an interesting partner in conversation. That said, she could be slightly grating in her questioning, but a refreshing breath of air in certain situations – as much as a mortal could be.
Two: He could not deny the desire which rose up within him regarding her, their intimate moment in the boxing ring had proved that to him. Now that his mind thought of it, there were many times where he allowed the desires of his heart to overrule his head – but even then, he considered it absurd that he would ever consider a mortal woman worth his time. It had really been building for a while, and had peaked slightly when he was training with her, her small frame against his own as he showed her how to use a dagger. His rather inappropriate thoughts could be attributed to the fact that he hadn't been intimate with a female in quite some time, and his near-constant time with Elizabeth had forged something between them which he was mistaking as desire.
Third: Her strange control over him. He couldn't explain how it was that she seemed to make him do what he did not, and cause him to question that which he would originally wish. That confused him more than anything, even the fact that he had kissed her in his attempt to help her again proved to him that there was something about her which caused bewitchment. He looked toward the wall where he could hear her sniffling and once more contemplated her control over him – and why he felt the overwhelming desire to go to her, to apologize for whatever it was he had done to bring her to her current state.
"Obviously she's a bad influence." Loki mused to himself aloud. "Someone I should definitely separate myself from."
"Are you sure about that?" the new voice had him spinning around, his dagger in his hand in ready of defense before he saw who it was.
"Mo—Frigga." he greeted, placing his dagger back where it belonged. "I'm surprised the Allfather let you come here."
"He didn't." Frigga replied, walking over to where he stood. "Heimdall told me what happened."
Loki shook his head. "Of course you have Heimdall spying on me. Does the Allfather think I'm intending to slaughter the Avengers? Surely he knows that I would never go against such odds without my abilities, it's suicide." he said.
"We're just looking out for you, Loki." Frigga replied.
"Well I don't need looking after." Loki snapped.
"Is that so?" Frigga asked, her eyes moving to the wall where Elizabeth's room sat on the other side, the sounds coming out a little less than before. "She weeps for you, you know."
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Loki inquired. "She thinks me as the monster who tried to take over her city."
"Is that why she told you her past?" Frigga asked in return. "Why she trusted you more than she trusted her own friends?"
"Her foolish belief that I will change doesn't alter the fact that she believes that I will hurt her eventually." he replied.
Frigga scoffed. "You know that is not true. Why do you lie to yourself?"
"Why do you think I'm lying?" Loki retorted.
She shook her head, a smile on her face. "After all these years, you still haven't changed." she said. "When you lie, you answer questions with questions." Loki looked at the wall, remembering Elizabeth's statement from earlier.
"She understands you, doesn't she?" Frigga asked quietly. "She knows how to talk to you, to comfort you. She has become your confidant... you care for her."
"She is temporary." Loki replied. "When the Allfather calls me back to Asgard, she will remain here. I cannot care for her."
"Can you not?" Frigga asked. "Do you not?"
He sat down with a loud sigh. "I care not." he said, knowing that there was a portion of him which did care.
"I see..." Frigga trailed off quietly. "Is that why you kissed her?"
"I wanted to help." he replied.
"Help?" she repeated. "If you wanted to help, you would not have left her the way you did."
"She walked away from me." Loki hissed. "Not the other way around."
Frigga shook her head, sitting down beside him. "Oh, Loki... you know so much. The most intelligent boy I ever met, knowing more than any of your peers ever did; and yet, you are so ignorant of the female heart."
"What do you mean?" Loki asked her, confusion written on his face.
"Loki, women are not like men. They do not feel so indifferent to intimacy as men do, and when intimacy does occur... they tend to take it to heart." she said, looking at the wall again just as Elizabeth silenced – presumably falling asleep.
"Are you saying that Elizabeth has taken to heart my kiss, and is now heartbroken because I've somehow given her false hope?" Loki asked her, standing up and walking to the window. "I refuse to acknowledge such behavior. It's juvenile."
"Love is juvenile?" Frigga asked.
"Moth—I do not love her." Loki corrected.
Frigga nodded. "You know, she is good for you." she said softly. "Already you know this."
"I know she is damned confusing. I'm beginning to wonder if she has some enchantment in her blood, she certainly is bewitching enough." Loki admitted, wondering why it was he was revealing such things to Frigga. "She is constantly telling me how I should have never tried to take over Midgard. Apparently she likes to annoy me by comparing me to those who have tried world domination in the past."
"And she is right." Frigga chided. "To try to take over a world was not the smartest thing you've done."
"Thank you for making that so obvious, as if the stripping of my powers was not enough to inform me of that." Loki scoffed.
Shaking her head, Frigga got up from her place on the bed, moving to the bookshelf. "The books I sent, did they not interest you?"
"Is that how I am to wile away my time here? Reading?" Loki retorted.
"I did what was in my power to make you comfortable." she replied. "Heimdall said you'd been spending your time in the library, and I thought that you might want something from home."
"It's not my home." Loki countered. "I don't have a home."
"Nonsense." Frigga maintained. "Your home is with us, and always will be."
Loki walked back toward her, leaning against the bookshelf with a smirk on his face. "Does Odin share your sentiment? Your concern?" he asked in sarcasm. "It must be so inconvenient having him ask after me day and night. I'm sure Heimdall is beginning to contemplate quitting service because of it."
"You know full well it was your actions which stripped you of your power, and sent you to the Tower of Silence. You were brought here because of the threat at hand, but your actions have kept you where you are." Frigga answered.
"My actions?" Loki repeated. "I was merely giving truth to the lie that I've been fed my entire life. That I was born to be a king."
Frigga walked toward him. "A king? A true king admits his faults. What of the lives you took here on Earth?" she asked him.
"A mere handful compared to the number that Odin has taken himself." Loki replied, walking away.
"And what of Elizabeth? Hmm?" Frigga quipped. "What of the trauma that she was subjected to because of your actions?"
Loki turned on her, his eyes ablaze, "Leave Elizabeth out of this!" he snarled loudly. Frigga stayed silent for a moment, allowing Loki's rage to settle before she dared to continue. "I never gave her the pain she endured!Do not bring me into the same place as Shaw! I would not force her to witness the things which she did, force her to become what she became by holding those who she cared for over her head!"
Frigga strengthened the wards she had put up between Loki and Lizzie's room. Although it would be good for the girl to know just how Loki felt about her, it would not be good at this time. "Did you not?" Frigga countered. "Did you not hold Agent Barton's love over him? Threaten to kill her, and force him to do it?"
Loki stayed silent, his earlier rage cooled drastically. "Leave Elizabeth out of this." he repeated, turning around to look out the window. "We were speaking of Odin, not her. He has killed before, and he has killed many. I was simply becoming the prince he wanted me to be."
"Loki, your father-"
"He's not my father!" he shouted, turning around once more to face her.
"Then am I not your mother?" Frigga asked in turn.
Loki paused. "No, you are not." he said, the passion in his voice from before completely void.
Frigga smiled, allowing her mask to cover the pain she felt at his statement. "Always so perceptive, about everyone but yourself." she said, looking toward the wall once more.
Loki shook his head. "Mother..." he tried to reach for her, only to find that his hands went through her. She turned to him once again.
"She will need you, Loki. Do not allow yourself to distance her... she is your last hope." Frigga told him, her image fading out with a green hue, the last to go being her eyes – the pain and sorrow filling them, and leaving an imprint on Loki's mind.
He moved over to his bed, flopping down in guilt. It seemed there were two women in the universe who could always make him feel guilt, or care... Frigga and Elizabeth. Climbing up to the headboard, he prepared himself for a night of thinking.
Unfortunately for Elizabeth, the nightmares returned that night – the images of the hospital bed, the needles, the tortures, the horrors... everything causing her to shy away from any of the pain. Yet, in all her running from the memories, they always caught her, brought her back, and forced her to endure it all once more. She knew she was screaming, but she could not control what happened, her body betraying her.
For Loki, he had been shocked to hear her screams for the first time in a week, jolted from his contemplations about Frigga's metion of his love for Elizabeth. Although he initially hesitated, not sure that after the kiss that he should comfort her, he eventually gave into his instinct and ran to her room. He knew what to expect by now, and when he saw her arched on the bed he immediately went to her side, brushing her hair out of her face, trying to wake her as best he could - swearing to himself that if he ever met Alex Shaw, that he would murder him.
She was twisting on the hospital bed, trying to avoid the needle coming closer... but she could hear his voice, the soft baritone which called her from the terrors of her dreams, and banished the doctor and his needles away. "Elizabeth, wake up. It's only a dream, you're safe. Elizabeth... Elizabeth..." Eventually the horrors faded away, and she returned to the waking world to feel Loki's hand gently touching her face. "Another nightmare?" he questioned, but she could not respond, a small whimper coming out instead as she nodded. "There is nothing to fear, I am a room away. You are safe, and the rest of the Avengers are a call away." he replied, pulling away.
To his surprise, her hand shot out, grabbing onto his wrist with a stronger grip than he would have anticipated. "Please..." she begged. "Please stay here."
"I do not believe that after this afternoon that I should—"
"I don't care." she interrupted. "We can talk about that in the morning. Please, Loki, they don't bother me so much when you're here."
He considered it for a moment, the terror in her eyes something which he could not ignore, which caused his heart to clench. Against his better judgment, he gave in, crawling into bed next to her as she settled into his side, gripping him as if he were a lifeline. He stiffened at the contact, surprised that she would do such a thing. However, her tears on his shirt, and her arm wrapped around his waist caused him to give in, allowing his arms to engulf her as he began to whisper in her ear that she was safe, and that no one would hurt her.
Eventually they both fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.
I hope you all liked it, I'm looking forward to hearing what you think :D