Resurgam
Waking had become a particularly unpleasant experience for Jane. Really, she was making a bad habit of this, getting herself into situations where she woke up from them sore, confused and still host to a parasitic primordial energy hitchhiking in her veins.
She could feel the Aether in her blood, pulsing underneath the surface of her skin with metronomic intensity. However, it didn't feel especially agitated as Jane whimpered, the smooth skin over her forehead puckering as she frowned. With a certain amount of satisfaction, she realised that her mental walls hadn't dropped while she'd been unconscious. Her magic had held and the Aether was contained, back on its leash after her attempt at stopping Hela. For a moment, Jane let herself bask in the satisfaction that, while she'd ultimately failed to stop Hela, she had succeeded in channelling the Aether and reining it back in. Just a pity it hadn't worked.
Speaking of which…
What the hell happened? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what happened after she'd all but blacked out from using the Aether. She'd known there was a risk she could, she had very little control over it and harnessing a primordial energy weapon really took it out of a girl. Someone had caught her, she was pretty sure of that. Thor must have done it but then…an image came to mind, blurry around the edges like a mirage in the desert. A scarlet cape, fluttering in the wind as its owner stepped in front of her. And a desperate cry…. "Loki! Jane!"
Jane was abruptly pulled from her memories by the sudden, unexpected sensation of something small and hard, with dull edges, hitting her below the eye. She flinched, still refusing to open her eyes until she was sure she wouldn't regret it.
"Oh do hurry up, Doctor Foster. I know you're awake," a smooth, urbane voice drawled from somewhere to her left. Another projectile hit her, directly on the eye this time and Jane couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Cut it out, already!" she snapped, opening her eyes with a growl. She swiped at her face, wiping what looked to be pomegranate seeds from her cheek, except they were bright blue and dried out like a raisin. She sat upright, slowly, eyes scanning her surroundings. Immediately, they landed on the creature sat beside her bed, long legs stretched out, feet resting on the edge, encased in dark boots and breeches. Her gaze travelled up those long legs, across an equally long and toned torso, and to her tormentor's face, pale, handsome as sin, his green eyes laughing at her. He was plucking the seeds from the core of some half-eaten fruit, its flesh an azure blue. Well, that explained the seeds. "Nice, Loki. Real mature," she grumbled pointedly, dodging another seed thrown nonchalantly her way.
"Well, it would appear I am now the baby of my family, hence it's my prerogative, Jane," Loki chuckled, rolling his eyes. "You would not believe how boring it was, sitting here watching you sleep. Not to mention loud; do all women on Midgard make such horrendous noises when they sleep?"
"I. Do. Not. Snore," Jane retorted, through narrowed eyes. Loki flicked another seed at her. To prove a point, she leant back and plucked it from the air, flicking it back at his annoyingly perfect face. "I said cut it out!"
Loki appeared faintly shocked at her display of reflexes surely too honed for the average astrophysicist, a wicked grin spreading across his lips. "Well, well Doctor Foster. You are full of surprises. First the Aether, then your Midgardian sorcery, now this. You have changed."
Jane rolled her eyes, swinging her legs around and off the bed. Loki was there in a flash, arms pulling her upright as she swayed and gasped with the sudden vertigo. "Hey!" she protested weakly, her head spinning. "I don't need a babysitter."
"Oh absolutely, Doctor Foster," Loki replied sarcastically. "Clearly you weren't about to collapse back onto the bed, no doubt following that graceful display with the truly impressive sight of you emptying your stomach onto the floor. You even turned the right colour for it: a most unflattering shade of green. Perhaps I'll cast a spell and make the colour change permanent."
"You're such an ass," Jane muttered, leaning heavily on Loki's chest and hating herself for it. To be fair, it was a very strong chest despite not being quite so impressive as Thor's. "Where are we? Where's Thor?"
"What do you remember?" he asked in turn, brows furrowed.
"Norway. Hela. The Aether…" she trailed off, risking a glance upwards to meet Loki's sudden sharp eyes, a sinking feeling in her stomach. Unfortunately, Loki wasn't suffering from the same ailment she was.
"Yes, Jane I do recall that rather impressive display. And unlike you, I am not suffering from any lapse in memory," he said, confirming her fear. Glancing at her face, he sighed, his features softening slightly. "But that's a discussion for another time. You don't recall anything that happened…afterwards?"
"No," Jane admitted, frowning. Her head was slowly clearing, but her memory wasn't. She was still leaning heavily on Loki, his strong arms holding her upright. Fighting to focus through the nausea, slowly receding but still there, Jane raised her head and took in her surroundings for the first time.
The chamber they were in was large and ornate, ostentatiously so with lurid colours and what looked like gilt covering most of the ceiling and furniture. Two archways branched off from the main room, which spread out from a dais on which the bed stood, down a small set of three steps to a large seating area, with comfortable-looking sofas and what looked like a mini-bar set against the wall. It reminded Jane of a particularly tacky hotel room she'd once had the misfortune to stay in for a conference in Las Vegas. What was more, everything looked mismatched, like it didn't quite belong together. Directly beside the bed she'd been lying on was a large window that looked out over towering skyscrapers, flashing in the sun while strange vehicles zipped through the air. On the other side of the bed was another archway leading out to a small balcony that overlooked the city.
"Loki," Jane began, slowly. "Where the hell are we? Because I'm pretty sure we're not on Asgard."
"Astute as ever, Doctor Foster," the reprobate holding her up replied, with a cocky smile. "And I'll answer, provided you do as I tell you for the next twenty-four hours."
Jane paused, staring at Loki as if he'd grown a second head. "You have got to be kidding!"
"Unfortunately for you, I am not," Loki said, smirking. "Come, Doctor Foster. It's almost as if you don't trust me…"
"I wonder where you got that impression?" Jane retorted, glaring weakly. "Loki, what the hell-"
"You need to trust me on this. It could very well make the difference between life and death," Loki interrupted her, his voice and face suddenly deadly serious, the mockery of earlier gone. Jane searched his eyes, trying to discern what he was up to and if…she could really trust him.
With a shudder, she nodded. "Fine. 24 hours, Loki. That's your lot," she said warningly, as Loki seemed to breathe a deep sigh of relief. "Now spill."
"In a moment. First, you need to drink something and get dressed," he said, eying her attire critically.
For the first time, Jane realised her comfortable plaid blouse and jeans were gone, replaced by a silken steel-blue nightgown. Looking narrowly at Loki, she growled, "Loki, how the hell did I get into this…!?"
"Not by my doing, I assure you," he snapped, as if affronted. "I'm the God of Mischief, not uninvited perversion no matter how fetching you appear. Now, can you stand?"
Slightly mollified by Loki's sincerely insulted reply, Jane nodded. "I think so. And sorry," she added grudgingly. Loki didn't bother to reply, just slowly stepping back until Jane was standing unaided. Her legs felt shaky, but stable enough and her head wasn't swimming anymore. The Aether was still dormant underneath her skin.
"There's a bathing chamber through there," Loki pointed to one of the archways. "I'm sure you'll find something more appropriate to wear. Our…host is eager to meet you."
"Loki…" Jane's voice trailed off warningly, a frown growing on her brow.
"Twenty-four hours, remember?" Loki sighed exasperatedly, rolling his eyes. Meeting her worried gaze, he shocked her as he reached out and awkwardly clasped her arm.
"I promise all your questions will be answered soon, Jane. Now, hurry."
Feeling strangely mollified and berating herself for it, Jane turned away and shakily negotiated her way towards the bathing chamber as Loki had called it.
Loki watched her go, his hand flexing unconsciously as he considered the mortal he was currently stuck with. Since awakening on this strange world, he'd barely let himself relax for even a moment and with the mortal woman awake, he wouldn't be able to in the foreseeable future either. Why he had to be stuck there with Thor's ticking time bomb of a former lover….fate had a strange sense of irony. With their precarious situation, he really didn't need another person to worry about. The only reason he was taking responsibility for her was the power running through her veins; as controlled as she might be, it was dangerous and he really didn't fancy having to explain why the woman he'd crash-landed on this forsaken rock with had destroyed a city block. No, better to keep her close where he could use his own magic to control hers if need be, and her power might be useful if he ever needed a bit of brute force in the future. With a weary sigh, he turned and walked to the tantalus, pouring himself a measure of what passed for alcohol on Sakaar. He had a feeling he'd need it to fortify himself for what was coming next.
Taking a sip of the burning liquid, Loki begrudgingly admitted to himself he was also curious about the mortal. Jane's limited explanation of how she had come to discover her…talents had done little to satisfy him. There was more there, he was sure of it. A darkness in Jane Foster's eyes that had not been there when last they met. He also hadn't missed how elusive, how conveniently succinct and simple her story had been. A half-truth, an evasion, one Thor didn't possess the subtlety to detect but Loki was a purveyor of deception as well as mischief…he could smell a lie garnished with truth; evasions were even easier to detect, like red flags against cloudy skies. Foster may not have lied outright, but she hadn't told them her final secret. He would discover it, discover what secrets she was still hiding, one way or another.
He gulped down the last of his drink just as he heard a shocked cry from Jane's bathing chamber. Contrary to what her appearance and race might suggest, Jane was no mouse as she shouted at the top of her lungs, "WHAT. THE. BLOODY. HELL!?"
Loki sighed, exasperation replacing the sting of the alcohol as he placed his glass down, and turned to beard the lioness in her den.
Jane hadn't meant to shriek quite so loudly, she really hadn't. She'd walked in to find what was essentially a large bathroom combined with a walk-in wardrobe. The type of bath she'd only seen in tacky Las Vegas hotel rooms was set into the floor. A large screen stood by the window, a sheath of royal blue material draped over it. The cold stone under her bare feet felt like marble, as Jane gaped. But it was the sudden appearance of a young woman in pale grey robes that startled her, especially as she had just appeared from behind without warning and started to pull at Jane's nightgown. The Aether had leapt in her veins, eager to get out, but she'd held it back with gritted teeth.
The woman had immediately fallen to her knees, horror etched on her features, fear in her eyes. Jane felt it like she'd been dowsed with ice water, frantically checking her hands to make sure the Aether hadn't manifested as it usually did. "No, no I'm sorry. You just startled me, please it's ok!" she gasped, rushing towards the woman on the floor. "It's ok, please don't be scared."
"She's not just 'scared', Jane. She's absolutely terrified," an irritatingly familiar voice drawled from the doorway. Loki leant there, shoulder propped nonchalantly against the door jamb watching the scene.
Jane shoved down the urge to blast him with the Aether just for that. "Yes, thank you Loki. I hadn't noticed," she deadpanned, still desperately trying to comfort the frightened woman.
She was taller than Jane, with pretty features and dark skin, hair set in a low-slung knot against the nape of her neck. Frightened grey eyes watched Jane warily, waiting for either chastisement or punishment, Jane didn't know. "It's okay," Jane tried again, but there was no comprehension in the other woman's eyes.
"She can't understand you, Jane. Despite the arrogance of your race, English is not in fact a universal language," Loki called over from the doorway. He said something to her, a series of words that had Jane frowning. It wasn't like any language she'd ever heard before, but clearly the woman understood as she stood from the floor and backed away, hands clasped in front of her and head down. Loki stepped forward, holding out his hand to Jane commandingly as she glanced up at him. "Stand, Jane."
She narrowed her eyes but did she was told, albeit without taking Loki's outstretched hand. "Clearly you can, though. Can you speak her language?" Jane asked, curious despite herself. "Speaking of which, how can you speak English too? I doubt it was high on Odin's list of academic pursuits."
She noticed Loki barely suppressed a wince at her reference to his newly deceased father, his features bland and cool as her considered her. "Indeed it wasn't," he conceded. "Not out of any notion of cultural superiority, but rather because those raised on Asgard possess the AllSpeak. When we speak, our words are translated to anyone listening in their own language and vice versa. Unless we wish otherwise, of course."
Jane gaped. It made sense that Aesir had the equivalent of a universal translator, since she'd never seen or heard Thor use any other language but English even when talking to people from other countries. "Can you tell her it's okay? What is she doing here?" Jane asked, in quick succession.
"I already did," Loki sighed in exasperation. "As for what she'd doing here, she's your new body slave."
Jane's head snapped around faster than Volstagg when he smelt a side of roast boar, eyes wide with growing outrage and shock. "What!?" she hissed.
"A gift from our most gracious host," Loki continued in a bored tone, as if he hadn't heard her outburst. Jane's eyes snapped back to the young woman, still stood quiet and unmoving against the far wall.
"I don't want her. I don't want a slave," Jane choked out, anger burning inside her as she looked at the woman. She began to turn aside, to storm out so she could get herself under control again as the Aether leapt and juddered inside her, eager for release.
Loki reached out with one hand and hauled her back to his side before she could take more than a step, the warmth of her mortal flesh pressing against his hip. He looked down into her burning amber eyes, flashing with scarlet flecks as the Aether raged inside her and had to push down a sudden surge of…something. Something he'd never considered in respect to a mortal before, and definitely didn't have time for. "And if you refuse her, she will be beaten for displeasing you and sent to a pleasure house, or the gladiator arena. And our host will just send another, and another, until you accept this," he hissed down at her, his grip tight around her arm. "Why the moral outrage, Jane? Your own race once practiced slavery and still do in some parts of your pathetic little world."
"And the whole point of history is to ensure we don't make the same mistakes and commit the same crimes as our ancestors," Jane fired back, her voice deadly and cold. "It doesn't take moral outrage to see that slavery is wrong and shouldn't be tolerated by anyone," with that last statement, her voice turned fragile, her words shaking as the Aether scrabbled at the walls of her control. Loki saw it, and with a sigh, relented.
"Jane, there is nothing you can do about this. Refusing her will just make her lot worse. Is that what you want?" he asked, gently, coaxingly. Jane sent him a swift glare, one which told him she knew exactly which buttons he was trying to push but couldn't see another way around it.
"No, you manipulative bastard." she conceded. She looked down where Loki still held her arm, his grip tight but not crushing, his long fingers curved around her elbow. She really hoped he couldn't feel how much her heart was thundering right then. She looked up at him with raised brows, wordlessly asking him to let go.
Loki's mouth quirked into a one-sided grin, as he let her arm go and stepped back, hands slightly raised as if in surrender. "Careful, Jane. You might hurt my feelings. Bathe and get dressed. Our most gracious host has commanded our presence once you awakened," he said as he left the room.
Jane sighed, taking a moment to take a deep breath and get herself back under control. When she opened her eyes, the young woman was watching her warily from the wall. With a forced smile, Jane cautiously moved to stand in front of her. Pointing to herself, she said "Jane. My name is Jane."
The young woman seemed to understand what she was getting at, as she smiled slightly and pointed to herself. "Zuri."
"Nice to meet you, Zuri," Jane's smile turned genuine. Zuri pointed to the bath, then looked questioningly at Jane. With a deep breath, Jane nodded as she disappeared around the screen to take her nightgown off, the sound of running water soothing her frayed temper.
In the main living area, Loki paced back and forth, inwardly planning exactly how the next few moments would go. It had been an hour since he left Jane to the tender mercies of her new handmaiden, and he was growing impatient. The Grandmaster was a changeable being; it wouldn't do to keep him waiting if they wanted to stay in his good graces.
As he paced, he readjusted the long vambraces that covered his forearms, making sure the knives he had conjured from their hiding places between realms were secure and still hidden. After awakening, it hadn't taken him long to realise just how precarious their position was, for all the amicability of their host. Loki was a past master at seeing beneath the masks people wore to hide their true faces; the Grandmaster's was one he would never forget.
Pulling his mind from dark memories, Loki turned at the sound of distant, halting footsteps. "About time, Doctor Foster. Did your new slave try to drown you in the ba-…" he began to say acerbically, before trailing off in shock at the woman stood before him.
When she'd awoken, Jane had looked pale and somewhat green from magical exertion and the effects of falling from the Bifrost, her hair mussed and nightgown, however fetching, utterly wrinkled. He had never truly understood what Thor had seen in her, physically. She'd certainly never fulfilled Asgardian standards of beauty.
But then, neither do you. No need to be so judgemental…a censorious voice, which sounded alarmingly like his mother, whispered in the back of his mind. Loki only fleetingly acknowledged it, too taken aback by the vision in front of him.
Jane's hair had been washed and dried in loose waves, held back from her face by bands of platinum filigree, intricately woven. Her lithe body was abruptly shown to advantage in a royal blue gown, great swathes of the finest shimmer weave draping her from shoulder to hip, the bodice seemingly constructed of finely outlined leaves laid over sheer fabric, so Jane appeared to be wearing nothing but sapphire blue leaves to conceal her body. A high split revealed the soft curve of her left leg, the skin looking soft and golden in the artificial lights of their rooms. Her face was lightly dusted with cosmetics, but not enough to overwhelm her features. Certainly not enough to hide the growing frown in her eyes, suspicion and unease glinting there like embers.
"You have got a lot of explaining to do," she snarled direfully. "I have two questions."
"Of course you do," Loki breathed, frantically trying to regain the reins of his calm, nonplussed by his own reaction to her.
"One: what the hell is this? Two: where are my clothes? And three: just…what the hell, Loki!?" she rattled off heatedly, gesturing to her new attire with disgust.
"This is yet another gift from our illustrious host, those…garments you dare to call clothes were beyond repair, apart from your boots which are over there, and no I don't think they'll go with that dress. And that was three questions, not two," he told her, with as much patience as he could muster.
Jane just huffed, crossing her arms, glaring at him narrowly. "Easy for you to say, you're not wearing heels. And my sling ring?" she demanded. At Loki's blank look, she rolled her eyes and gestured impatiently. "My sling ring. Long brass rectangle, helps me create portals through space and time which might just help us get back to Earth? Ring any bells in that head of yours?"
Realisation dawned, and Loki shook his head. "There was no trace of it when we arrived here. It must have slipped off your hand when you collapsed after trying to stop Hela. You won't be conjuring any portals any time soon, I'm afraid," he replied curtly. He watched as her face fell, her proud shoulders slumping a little. "A neat little parlour trick. A step above the quaint child's play your so-called sorcerers dabble in. Something we will discuss later."
Jane's eyes sparked, that ember of spirit in her flaring back to life as her nostrils flared and she drew herself up. "I promised I'd do as you said for 24 hours, not spill my guts for your amusement. And you still haven't answered my question, not really. What is this, Loki?"
"Walk with me, and I'll tell you. Our host isn't the patient type," he said, holding out his arm gallantly. Jane's eyes narrowed, then she very correctly and primly extended her arm until her hand curled around Loki's bicep.
Jane listened intently as Loki led her out of their chambers, down a short hallway and into an elevator of all things. As they walked, Loki talked and Jane tried not to let it show how much her head spun as her heart sank.
They were on an alien planet. They were on an alien planet across the other side of the galaxy, and she no longer had her sling ring. Not that she knew if she was even capable of conjuring a portal that crossed such a mind boggling distance, not to mention the temporal factor. Thor was MIA, they were stranded and she was being forced to wear this ridiculous dress that she could barely move in and felt as substantial as cling-film.
"So let me get this straight: we're stranded on a planet called Sakaar, in the ass-end of nowhere on the edge of the known galaxy, and it's ruled by someone who calls himself the Grandmaster?" she repeated, slowly. At Loki's nod, she snorted derisively. "With a name like that, you have to wonder what he's compensating for."
Loki laughed, short and sharp, shocking Jane. "I wouldn't make such insinuations whilst in his presence, Jane," he warned her coolly.
"Oh, so an ego and sensitive as hell. No wonder you've got on well," Jane replied curtly.
"As much as I'm finding your sudden flair for both rhyme and insulting me amusing, might I suggest you start taking this seriously, Jane?" Loki suddenly snapped, turning to face her and clasping her upper arms tightly. Jane stared up at him defiantly. "An egotistical fool he might be, but he's also an extremely unstable, unpredictable one. He could kill you on a whim, so try not to piss him off too much hm?"
"I didn't know you cared," she muttered sarcastically.
"I don't. But if he gets pissed off at you, I could end up being collateral damage," Loki sighed, letting her go and stepping back. "I'd hate to see that lovely new gown of yours vaporised."
Jane felt a sudden chill, but brushed it off. "Fine," she said, as nonchalantly as she could. She met his stare, but felt suddenly uncomfortably hot and reluctant to match it for long. In all honesty, she was surprised that the Aether hadn't started acting up the moment he got too close and started looming over her, but there it was, still dozing away in her bloodstream. Typical. She glanced sideways, just as she felt the elevator judder to an abrupt halt. "Is there anything else I should know before we meet this guy?"
"Yes," Loki sighed, stepping into her space once more. He reached for her hand and wrapped it back around his arm as the doors opened. "He thinks you're my wife."
Sheer, unmitigated shock flashed through Jane, her eyes all but bugging out of her head. Grimly satisfied by her silence, Loki pulled her out of the elevator and into the crowd that awaited them outside.
They stepped out into a cavernous chamber, filled with beings: some humanoid like Loki and Jane, and others everything but. They milled around, some standing, some on low-slung sofas while being served drinks by what she could guess were slaves like Zuri. The room was an explosion of colour and sound, as her eyes flashed from vibrant purple robes to what looked like precious stones draped around someone's neck. In the background, over the loud hum of conversation, played what sounded like someone's amateur attempt at making their own music on a synth, jarring Jane's senses.
Jane's mind whirled, as she stared around her. Loki's statement, delivered in his usual bored, drawling tones, reverberated in her head like a pinball machine. 'He thinks you're my wife. He thinks you're my wife. He thinks you're my wife…'
The Aether responded to her unease, the shock of the past few minutes and the sudden sensory overload she was experiencing, coiling and pulsing in her blood as she frantically scrabbled for control. Panic spiked, then spread, as she realised Loki was pulling her towards a sofa set above the others on a dais, a group of scantily clad men and women clustered and fawned over a man in golden robes, hair streaked with grey, who watched their approach with a disconcerting amount of eagerness. Her breath caught, and she stopped moving, hesitating.
Loki's guiding arm almost turned to a tug, before she sensed his swift glance and then his hand cupped hers where it lay on his arm, tight and oddly reassuring. "Breathe, Jane. Come, let's get this over with," he whispered to her softly, as she swung to face him, eyes wide and tinged with scarlet, she was sure of it. His green eyes were soft and almost kind, as he stared down at her. "It's alright."
"I am so going to rip your head off when we're no longer in public, Loki," Jane hissed, regaining some of her fight as the panic ebbed and then eased altogether, caught as she was in Loki's reassuring, hypnotic gaze. Taking a deep breath, shackling the urge to just blow them all to hell with the Aether with a death grip, Jane turned away from Loki's eyes and resumed their slow walk towards their mysterious host.
"That's my girl," she dimly heard Loki whisper beside her, but she was forced to forego replying with as much vitriol as she could muster by their sudden arrival at the feet of the dais, their host all but jumping to his feet with an enthusiastic exclamation.
"At last, at last! It's so good to see you awake!" he exclaimed. "And looking ever so fetching. How are you feeling, my dear?"
As the phalanx of fawning flatterers dispersed, Jane got her first good look at the so-called Grandmaster. Her first impression was somewhat…underwhelming. He looked decidedly ordinary, with his greying hair and spindly figure draped in ornate robes, disappointingly brown eyes outlined with turquoise blue eyeliner. He looked exactly like she'd first suspected him to be: someone hiding behind a grand title, using it to compensate for whatever weaknesses they might be hiding.
But the Aether whispered a warning in her blood. Despite his thoroughly nondescript appearance, there was something more to him. And it was making Jane's skin crawl as his eyes trailed lasciviously over her body.
The flirtatious lust in his eyes didn't dim as they jumped from Jane to Loki, as the latter spoke again. "My wife is still fatigued from our…arrival, but -" he began, voice smooth and unctuous, as Jane bristled, the last of her shock ebbing away, replaced by annoyance.
"Your wife is perfectly capable of speaking for herself," she interjected forcefully.
"Oooh, she's feisty. I like her," the Grandmaster giggled, clapping his hands. Jane could feel Loki's annoyance with her grow, the comforting weight of his hand on hers changing to a warning squeeze.
"That she is, my friend," Loki chuckled, giving Jane's hand one last warning squeeze before he let go. "Jane, might I present our most benevolent host and benefactor: the Grandmaster."
"And how are you feeling, my dear? That was quite a fall you took," the Grandmaster turned his attention back to Jane, his eyes skimming over her body again. The Aether leapt in response, rattling against its cage. Jane held on with gritted teeth.
Suddenly, she spotted an opportunity. "I've felt better, Grandmaster. Still a little tired," she admitted weakly, wilting back into Loki's side as if needing his support. Loki, perhaps sensing her intention, played along as the dutiful husband. The thought made Jane want to grind her teeth together. "But we thank you for your generosity in taking us in," she forced herself to say.
"And Sakaar welcomes you, my beauty," the Grandmaster smiled unctuously, opening his arms wide as if to embrace her. The look in his eyes was anything but paternal. "Go now and rest. You and your delightful husband will join me for dinner once you are fully recovered."
"Thank you, my friend. We look forward to it. By your leave?" Loki inclined his head, twining an arm around Jane's waist and seemingly helping her to move away at the Grandmaster's nod, returning to his drinks and his harem as the pair left as quickly as they could.
As they walked, Jane seethed. Her nerves abraded by Loki's manipulation and the Grandmaster's uncomfortable attention, she felt the uncompromising strength in the arm under her hand, letting her know in no uncertain terms Loki wasn't about to let her take him to task until he allowed it.
Jane had no intention of waiting that long. She was done dancing to Loki's tune.
Inwardly, she tested her strength, hoping she had recovered enough for this. And that her ridiculously high heels wouldn't trip her up. Literally.
As they exited the elevator, and Jane saw the door to their rooms approaching, she moved. With her free hand, she conjured a shimmering rope of energy and while with the other hand tucked into Loki's arm, she dragged it back behind him. She looped the energy rope around Loki's arm, darting behind him to snare the other one and pulled it tight. With a twist of her fingers, the rope tightened and morphed into an unbreakable knot while she shoved him against the nearest wall with her forearm pressed tight against his collarbone. As his back collided with the wall, she stepped into the 'V' of his hips, jamming hers between them and pressing her knee warningly against his groin.
"Sweetheart, I know we're newlyweds but I hardly think this is the time-" Loki breathed, his voice a husky, warning growl.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do," she snarled, taking in Loki's stunned face with a certain amount of satisfaction. She was slightly bemused to note that the Aether was still largely dormant in her blood, when she'd expected it to rise up and be all too willing to blast Loki into next week. "What. The. Hell. Was. That!?"
"The only way to stop you from being shipped off to one of the pleasure houses, or the Grandmaster's personal harem. You're welcome by the way," Loki snapped, through gritted teeth.
"For what? Trapping me into it with your bullshit promise or springing it on me without warning? Christ, Loki! Do you have any idea what could have happened if I'd lost it!" Jane growled, as the Aether finally flared inside her, turning her irises to scarlet and flickering around her outline like bloody flames.
"One would hope your so-called Sorcerer Supreme would have made sure you were in control, before he let his pet weapon of mass destruction out of her cage," Loki snapped. "And do you have any idea what would have happened if I hadn't? This is Sakaar. The only reason the Grandmaster didn't claim you as his personal property is because I claimed you as mine first. You can't afford this moral outrage if you want to survive, Jane."
"Fine, I get that," she hissed, reluctantly. "But you should have told me first, Loki. You should have trusted me to agree on my own, once you explained the situation."
"Very well, I apologise," Loki huffed. "Now while I appreciate your annoyance with me, sweetheart, might I suggest we continue this discussion in a more appropriate venue? One without the possibility of someone overhearing us."
"Oh, is poor little Loki too tied up to get out of this himself? Because of me, the poor, inferior Midgardian sorcerer?" Jane snorted derisively. Loki's darkling glare almost made her smile.
"Hmm, quite possibly. But just as I clearly underestimated you, Doctor Foster, you've underestimated me," he replied hoarsely, eyes intent on hers. She barely had any warning as he hooked one of his legs around hers, pulling up and behind her knees until she overbalanced and toppled backwards. Jane felt herself caught against a hard chest, arms coming around her and holding her arms pinned. Once she was clear of him, Loki pushed away from the wall and in a move that made Jane wince, brought his legs through the circle of his arms so they were now in front. With a smug smile in Jane's direction, he flicked his fingers upwards.
Nothing happened.
Jane's own smirk grew as Loki's frustration did, as with increasingly frantic hand movements and muttered incantations under his breath, he tried and failed to magically undo the shimmering rope of energy around his wrists.
"Need a hand?" she asked.
"Not from you, thank you very much," he hissed, with a vicious glare at her. The arms holding Jane tightened warningly.
"Sure about that? Wouldn't do for the Grandmaster to see us like this…" Jane trailed off pointedly, glancing over her shoulder at the double holding her imprisoned. It was preferable to being so close to the real thing; at least the double wasn't painfully aroused by her tying him up. She wasn't about to mention it though.
Loki eyed her, standing infuriatingly unconcerned and nonchalant in his double's arms, head nestled just under it's chin. The sight was arresting and could have been misconstrued as a tender embrace if it weren't for the flashing scarlet of Jane's irises. "Very well. Release me, witch," he snarled ungraciously.
Jane cleared her throat and glanced at the double holding her, as Loki sighed. Unfortunately, whatever spell she'd used wasn't one he was familiar with and none of his Aesir counter spells were working. He flicked his hand, with some difficulty, and the double dissipated, freeing Jane. "Your turn, sweetling."
"Before I do, let's get a few things straight," Jane stated, taking a step towards him, and then another as he backed up to the wall again. Letting her think she had the upper hand over him. "I don't like you, I don't trust you and if you ever try to manipulate me like that again…I'll blow your fricking head off and take my chances alone. Understand?"
"Inescapably," Loki breathed, trying very hard not to show how strained his breathing had become, or how hard every single muscle in his body was growing at her proximity, or her show of strength. With a flick of Jane's fingers, the rope sizzled and snapped out of existence as she stepped away and walked towards the apartment.
"Oh, and Loki?" she called over her shoulder as she opened the door. "You'll be sleeping on the couch."
The door slammed closed behind her, and Loki was left outside, wondering once more exactly how he had the misfortune to be stranded with his brother's termagant of an ex-lover, who unfortunately could actually make good on the threats she'd just made. And who had, entirely unexpectedly, left him both furious and painfully aroused as he stared at the uncommunicative panels of their apartment door.
"I need a drink," he breathed, determined not to put any more thought than absolutely necessary towards that revelation until he was well and truly drunk. One thing was certain however; Jane Foster was a very different woman from the one he'd met on Asgard so long ago.
As he turned on his heel and stalked away, he didn't see the figure watching from the shadows of a balcony, a bottle of booze hanging precariously from loose fingers as the woman known as Scrapper 142 digested everything she'd just seen and heard.
To be continued…