Chapter Forty-Six: Alternate Suggestion

Thor had allowed Eve the chance to retrieve her shirt. Instead, she rifled through her dresser for an outfit that wasn't so dusty. Not that it actually mattered, seeing as they'd get messy again right away from the state of the room. As she searched, her eyes drifted to the window. It had been damaged a fair amount considering the impact occurred directly next to it. The glass was splintered and apt to fall apart at any moment. Her attention was with the light instead. Sunset already? The eventful day had gone by in the blink of an eye. She found a comfortable short skirt and a pale purple v-neck and started changing without alerting anyone. Thor swiftly turned his back even though he'd already seen her bare top half.

"What a gentleman you are," Loki smirked and reached for the doorknob.

"Where are you going?" Thor was in disbelief at how nonchalant his brother was acting. He no longer had the will to yell, since it did no good and made him feel no better, so the question came out very casual.

"To get a glass of water. Would you like something?"

"Water would be fine," Thor sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Eve?" Loki prompted.

"Water? Yes. Please," she finished pulling the shirt over her head and groaned as she let her muscles relax.

"You should clean out those wounds," Thor advised.

"I should do a lot of things," Eve responded vaguely, nothing particular in mind.

Loki opened the door to find Darla trying to run away at the sound of the door. He snatched her wrist and she attempted to leave anyway, jolting forward like an olympic sprinter. When she figured out that was impossible, she continued to face away from him with her limb in his grasp, trembling. "What do we have here?" He cooed simply. She looked back at him and the movement almost seemed involuntary. She was clearly terrified beyond words. "How did you get through the spell?" He probed, hoping the Avengers outside hadn't figured out he was bluffing.

"I didn't…" her voice was quiet. Not necessarily a whisper, just soft and uncertain.

"Then how are you here?"

"I was on the lawn when-"

"Oh. Well then. What prompted you to come inside and join us? Or rather, who?"

"I'm sorry, I, I shouldn't have…"

Loki didn't interrupt her, he didn't even try to intimidate her, but no other words came. "That's probably right. You probably shouldn't have." Darla shook like a leaf-and visibly, too. Her eyes dropped to the carpet. He struggled to recall a time when he'd seen someone anywhere near as hopelessly scared as the petite girl before him. He'd witnessed many people-and creatures, at that-dying or threatened with death. Yet none of those encounters quite matched this one. He couldn't put his finger on it. "I assume my reputation precedes me," he stated and dragged her along to the kitchen. He poured himself, Thor and Eve each a glass of water with one hand and then released her. "Hold these," he said and handed her all three.

She took one in each hand and cradled the third against her chest. "Follow me," Loki instructed, "and don't spill a drop." She trailed him cautiously, her concentration all on the beverages. "I wasn't being serious. It's water, not an immortality elixir." She refused to speed up but never tried to bolt away.

Loki was almost fascinated. Mostly, he was annoyed. She was obviously worried he was going to kill her, yet she made no pleas for her life. She'd given in to her own demise effortlessly as though it were an inevitability. He couldn't see himself respecting someone who gave up so easily. Then again, he couldn't see himself respecting a mortal at all. As he walked through the hallway, he saw Eve leaning against her dresser. Did that thought apply to her? What had she done worth respecting? He pinned the thought for another time.

"Look what I found," he announced while entering the room.

"Clearly not our water," Thor remarked since Loki wasn't holding anything. Then Darla shuffled into the room. It took Thor a second to recognize her. "What? How…?"

"She was on the lawn when I put the spell back up," Loki explained.

"Why do you seem pleased?" Thor narrowed his eyes.

Eve sized up the tiny girl. She was wearing a uniform similar to Sam's. "You word for SHIELD? Who are you?"

"Darla. Or, um, Agent Cooper." She stood awkwardly in the doorway, the glasses clinking together from her shaking.

Eve was surprised to find that the girl was even intimidated by her. She nodded to acknowledge hearing her and looked at Loki. Her heart filled with eerie suspicion. Of what exactly, she couldn't say. "Why do you look pleased?" She asked with narrowed eyes to match Thor's.

"This gives me an excellent idea," Loki enthused.

"Why must you always be plotting?" Thor's patience had been used up long ago. "There are no ideas to be had here. It's very simple. You tell me where Jane is and come quietly to answer for your crimes."

"Not likely," Loki scoffed.

"You're saying I should just allow you to walk free? That's nonsense."

"Is it?"

"Yes."

"At least let me make an alternate suggestion," Loki requested.

"Not likely," Thor bit.

"So, what then? We sit here until we die? Rather, until Jane dies," Thor stood up defensively at this. "I'm not ever going to let you take me. Perhaps I should kill one of your friends to prove my point? You and I both know it would be all too easy for me. Or maybe this weakling," he looked at Darla and smiled with a sinister edge.

"Loki-" Eve objected.

He grazed the back of Darla's arm with his fingertips and she twitched, dropping the glass of water not in either hand. It thudded onto the carpet and spilled but did not break.

"Enough," Thor insisted heavily.

"Then allow me to share my plan with you!"

"Skip to the end of it-and tell me how many innocent people you intend to slaughter on the way."

"Is anyone, at their core, truly innocent?" Loki's face was serious even in his obvious jest. Before Thor could resume shouting, he went on. "No one will die this way. As for the end? I return your beloved Jane safely to you and I take Eve far away. You will never hear from me again and will not be able to find me even if you come looking-which I advise against."

Thor's mouth was a rigid line. "I'll be honest, brother, even if you won't. I don't trust you."

"I don't need you to trust me. Just to cooperate. The bottom line is that I know where your woman is and you don't. Allow me to retrieve her for you. Eve will stay here while I do."

Eve wasn't thrilled with being used as a bargaining chip. At the same time, she wasn't in any immediate danger. She wanted Loki's plan to work. She wanted him to take her away from her messed up life, her messed up house. She didn't even take into account that those messes-including the loss of her job in the first place-were his fault at the start.

"Tell me how you're going to do this when you are so weak," Thor jabbed. "You act as though your power has all but returned. I know you better than you believe I do. And you've wasted magic keeping my team outside."

"You underestimate me," Loki boasted. "All I'll have to do is-" he touched Darla's arm again, as he was going to reveal what her role was. The glass in her left hand slipped out and smashed into the other that had already fallen, breaking them both.

Eve sighed. "For the love of god, stop touching her!" She moved in front of Darla, avoiding the broken receptacles. "Why don't you go ahead and give me that?" She snatched the remaining glass from her and took a drink before offering the cup to Thor.

"Thank you," he spoke huskily before gulping the rest down.

Loki rolled his eyes and moved on. "Jane is within walking distance of the building where you were holding Eve. I do not have power enough to teleport with precision, but if I am disguised as our frightened friend here, the Avengers will give me a ride there. Shapeshifting has become second nature to me, it requires very little effort. I can bring Jane back and you will let us go."

"I can't in all good conscience-"

"If it will make you feel better, pretend we escaped or some scenario to that effect. I am very good at escaping."

"How will I explain-"

"Not my concern."

Thor was exhausted. Emotionally and physically. Jane had quickly become the most important thing on earth to him. He glanced at Eve and wondered if she was just as important to Loki as Jane was to him. Hoping to gain some insight into their relationship and willing to double cross Loki if needed, he said, "Alright."

Loki felt victorious until he saw the uncertainty on Eve's face. Were she unconvinced that he would actually come back for her, she may tell Thor this and unravel the scheme. It wouldn't be completely unreasonable for her to think this way. Even though he'd put his neck on the line to get her out of SHIELD's hands, it wasn't as though he were entirely open with his thoughts and feelings. There was a reason for that. He'd been acting impulsively and jumping from task to task. Getting Eve out was more like a game of capture the flag to him than a romantic quest. He'd be damned if he let fury and his bumbling team get the better of him. In any case, he would come back for her. He would take her away. But not forever. Only until he figured out how to gain the upper hand again. Whether Eve fit into his plans thereafter remained to be seen.

He aimed to convince her, so he moved swiftly to her and held her face in his hands. "Listen," he whispered. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. "Do not worry. Rest." He embraced her delicately and spoke in her ear. "Nothing in this realm or any other could keep me from coming back for you." He kissed her softly. Briefly. When their lips parted, she missed him with intensity. That only lasted for a moment. The words and the kiss felt cheap. She was annoyed and her face showed it. Loki was alarmed and crept into her mind, just for a quick ride on her train of thought. He was shocked. How could she tell he was being insincere? He communicated with her silently. My brother must believe I am invested in our escape together, otherwise he may not let us go quietly.

Eve nodded, but made no clear thoughts in response. Her head was swirling but his reasoning seemed to placate her at the very least. He decided that any more efforts he made would do more harm than good and set forward with his plan. He studied Darla briefly, noting that she had more subtle freckles than anyone he'd ever seen, and changed his appearance accordingly.

Eve judged that he'd changed by the look on Darla's face, he still looked like himself to her. Darla's eyes couldn't have possibly been any wider if she'd tried. Loki asked for her cell phone and she gave it, too stunned to speak. He started out the door and Eve realized something. "Wait!" She yelled. He doubled back. "You have to get Sasha."