Pairing: Loki/Jane

Rating: M for violence.

Description: Loki finds out what happened between Thor and Jane.

Songs: "Giving Tree" by Plain White T's, "Say You Won't Let Go" by James Arthur,

Chapter 11

Pausing in mid step, Loki looked from the large window that overlooked the shimmering Rainbow Bridge to the door that marked the entrance to his library. While there were several other rooms dedicated to knowledge and history, Loki had toiled endlessly in creating a reading room just for him. Dark gold walls peeked out from the towering bookcases filled with thousands and thousands of books; each holding a special place in the God of Mischief's heart as he moved to the window. The room, from what his mother had once told him, used to house his grandfather's collection of wartime trinkets; the smell of old blood having been one of the harder parts of cleaning out the room for his plans of a library. But, after receiving permission from the Allfather, Loki recalled the joy of being able to both have his own special nook as well as the various moments of adding the large collection of books over time. Moving toward the window, he was also visited by the memory of when he first showed Jane the room; the memory of her elation at the room being one of the many reasons Loki began to suspect that the woman was meant to be in his life long term. As the memory played on, he smiled to himself as he recalled cornering her against the very window that he was currently looking out of and enjoying their tenth kiss. How he was able to remember the order of each significant kiss shocked him at times; especially given the number of kisses the two of them shared being close to the hundreds and hundreds of thousands. Wishing the woman whose lips drove him to distraction was around, he moved to sit on the window seat; the dark green velvet cushions greeting his backside as he peered down at his hands. The sight of the simple gold wedding band that adorned his left hand caught his gaze as he drew the hand up for closer inspection. While, he recalled, that he had opted for jewelry that befitted his status as a Prince of Asgard as well as Jotunheim, it was his wife's insistence that they choose simplicity. She had continued to explain that she preferred meaningful jewelry instead of the gaudy stuff; the sight of the upset jeweler in front of them flashing in his mind as Loki chuckled. Lucky for him, though, he had been able to have their names etched along the inside of the ring; the memory of Jane's surprised and tearful expression as he showed her the inside before sliding it on the ring finger of her left hand causing him to smile as well as feel his heart ache with longing. What was taking her so long?

Combing a hand through his shoulder length locks, he closed his eyes and leaned back against the window while he wished he and Jane were home. While he enjoyed the pillows in Asgard, the ones at home were far more suitable. Having stopped at home for a brief moment before returning to Asgard thanks to his status as a master sorcerer, he had stared at the bed longingly before grabbing the book that he had wanted to finish reading on his way out. Recent thoughts of home and Midgard itself appeared in his mind as he began to remember when he had stopped to visit both Darcy and Erik to share the news of Jane's pregnancy. While the first had screamed in understandable joy and had offered to make him dinner, it was Erik's reaction to the news that caused the resting God to smile. Having appeared in the living room portion of Erik's apartment in London, the elder man had greeted Loki and offered to make him a drink. Accepting the offer, Loki had chosen to sit with the offered cup of tea as he shared the news with Erik. What had surprised him was the fact that Erik had not only pulled him up from where he was sitting, he had even embraced Loki tightly. The unexpected embrace had surprised Loki so much that he had begun to cry happily; the man who had, long ago, been weary of him when he and Jane first started dating had chosen to hug Loki and had even referred to the dark haired Prince as his son. The Dr. Erik Selvig had referred to Loki, Prince of Asgard, as his son. Once the embrace had ended and the two of them managed to pull themselves together, Loki said his goodbyes with promises to say hello to his wife. If only she were here so that he could share his experiences on Midgard.

Hurrying down the long corridor that led to her husband's private library, Jane focused on the task of running while also shoving a piece of mint gum into her mouth; the need to get the taste of Thor out of her system immediately. Wishing there was a way to go back in time without disturbing the present time period, Jane found herself wishing she could go back to thank her past self for having thought to pack away a package of gum for her trip to Asgard. Slowing down to a fast paced walk, Jane pocketed the gum and used her free hands to roll up the sleeves of her college sweatshirt; the school's logo standing proudly against the fabric. While she should have stopped to change her clothes as the confused looks of people walking by confirmed that her attire was abnormal, Jane could not find it within herself to turn around and go back to their room just to change her clothes. She was too busy focusing on getting to the library and hugging her husband; the thought of his embrace quickening her pace as she smiled. As the sounds of her equally worn sneakers echoed slowly along the extravagantly built flooring, the reason why she was needing to chew gum on an empty stomach caused her steps to slow before she gradually came to a halt. Of all the times in her life when she could erase a moment, her ex's attempt to persuade her to leave the man she loved dearly topped the time she had walked into a lecture only to realize she was in the wrong room and had, in the dim light of her room, put on shoes that did not match. Grimacing at the old memory, she found herself agreeing with ease that Thor trying to convince her to come back to him was the ultimate winner. Fear lingered in her gut as well as the lack of sustenance; the former causing her to lean against a nearby column as she peered down at the pair of sneakers that had been a gift to herself when she had been accepted at Culver; Erik having laughed softly as the gift choice reminded him of her father. Wondering if Loki had been able to make contact with Erik and Darcy, her empty stomach let out a slight grumble; the sound noticeable enough to pull Jane from her worries about how her husband was going to react to his brother making a move on her. Brushing her fingers along her abdomen, she was also reminded that her son or daughter was busy growing and would need food from their mom soon. "Let's go find Dad, ok?" She shook her head at the fact that she was trying to speak to her unborn child, but the idea of it seemed comforting.

Stepping away from the column, she began to hurry down the hallway once more; determination as well as the thought that she had successfully spoken to her unborn child filling her thoughts; so much so that she crashed face first into an unyielding obstacle. Pain radiated from her sore nose as she declared the crash to be her fault. If Darcy was here, she knew the dark haired intern would have fallen over by now; laughter filling the room at the sight of her boss face planting. Smiling ruefully while also beginning to miss her intern, Jane began to move away to inspect what she had crashed into before long arms wrapped themselves around her as a worried tone greeted her ears.

"Are you all right, Jane?," said the all-too familiar voice; a hint of concern laced with amusement added to the question.

Surprise and joy filed her as she recognized the voice; her head tilting up to be greeted by concern filled eyes and an amused smirk. "Hey," she replied; smiling at the sight of her husband as she took in his facial expression and the lips that she was wanting to kiss.

His amused smirk deepened as he glorified in how distracted she randomly became around him. He had left the library, having grown restless and wanting to make sure Jane was all right. When he turned the corner to make his way to their room, he was partly surprised as he had felt her presence nearby. What had astonished him was the amusing fact that she had seemed to be too lost in her thoughts to pay attention to him. Shaking his head in adoration at the foolish woman in front of him, he reached down to cup her face as his still concern filled eyes roamed over her facial features; worry that she had injured herself. Instead as his eyes took her features, the sight of her smile caused his smirk to shift as he leaned his forehead against hers. "My dear Jane, where have you been?" The smell of mint gum filled his nostrils from the angle he was in and he made a faint tsking sound before continuing, "I could have sworn I had asked you to purchase this particular brand for the trip. You'll have to share, my dear."

Blushing slightly at their close proximity, his original question filling her thoughts as she was reminded of the kiss that Thor had apparently thought was best to give her. Wishing for privacy just as a pair of female servants smiled shyly at the couple; the two servants giggling and whispering about how handsome the Prince was. Watching as he overheard their comments, he turned his head to greet them and bowed his head before moving his attention back to Jane, "Let's go back to the library before I tell you. Oh and -" she reached into where she had placed the package of gum and pulled it out before offering him the rest. "I did pack it for you, but I put it with my stuff."

Taking the package of gum, Loki chuckled in gratitude before reaching to hold his wife close as he magically transported the two of them back to the library. Once they were safely inside, he drew his hands up to cup her face as he both nudged her head up and brushed his lips along hers; the almost immediate sense of comfort filling him as he deepened the kiss. The sound of her pleasure filled groan greeted him as his fingers slid into her brunette strands; his mouth slanting along over hers to achieve the perfect angle to allow him to devour her mouth with ease. His tongue grazed her bottom lip as he sought entry; the feel of her lips parting in permission causing him to groan happily as his hands moved from her face to her rear end to allow him to tug her closer to him as his tongue happily invaded her mouth.

Leaning up into the kiss as best as she could manage, Jane groaned softly as she felt both his hands on her rear as well as his tongue claiming her mouth. How was it possible that even after being married to Loki for almost a decade that each kiss or intimate moment that the two of them shared felt like the first: intense and meant to be? Fingers slid up along his wavy locks, entangling themselves as her tongue sought out his as she returned each and every move from her husband. However as she continued onward, her long forgotten stomach decided to announce its need for food as it let out a loud grumble. Just as sudden as the sound had revealed itself, Jane ended the kiss just as she caught the sound of her husband laughing in front of her.

"My dearest wife, please do not tell you've forgotten to eat." Loki said; laughter still bubbling within him as he slowly let go of her.

"I was busy with your brother since you've seemed to have forgotten," she huffed.

"Busy in what way? You, actually, have yet to tell me what you and my brother were up to," he asked, curiously. "How about this - I'll take you to the kitchens and make you breakfast while you tell me, all right?"

Tucking her slightly swollen bottom lip and trapping it with her teeth, Jane nodded while hoping the kitchens were empty. The last thing she needed was for someone to learn that Thor had gotten fresh with her.

Taking note in the sight of his wife's anxious reaction, Loki could not help but wonder what had happened. Allowing his eyes to roam over his wife's form, he noted in relief that nothing untoward was on her, but the way she was starting to fidget made him wonder if she would oppose to him performing a spell to go through her memories. Normally, he would not have been considerate with such a spell; the way he usually did it could be seen as forceful. With his wife, he had long since decided on doing his best to keep himself under control with her. She didn't deserve any of his previously nasty habits. Moving to wrap his arms around her once more securely, he focused his attention on bringing them to the kitchens; the sight of his brother sitting at a table surprising all three of them.

"Thor," both Loki and Jane said, simultaneously.

Pausing in mid bite, the blonde Prince of Asgard looked from Loki to Jane; memories of earlier replaying itself in his mind. Forcing a small smile along his features, he found himself wishing he had Loki's ability of vanishing with ease. "Brother, Jane." He nodded in acknowledgement before opting to continue eating.

"We can leave if you want to be alone, Thor." Jane inquired as she moved away from Loki, hopeful that he would agree. To her dismay, he shook his head.

"I'd rather not, Jane. I feel this meeting was fated to happen, actually." He peered between the two of them once more; the sight of his brother's confusion and curiosity compared to Jane's discomfort and dread greeting him. "There's leftover food to be had."

Glancing away from his brother while he tried to understand the awkward tension that existed between his wife and brother, Loki caught sight of the meal that had been prepared for the royal family before shaking his head. "Thank you, but no. Jane has a love for my omelets and I've offered to cook for her."

Surprise caused Thor to drop his fork on the floor; the loud clatter of silverware dancing along the floor echoing loudly as he stared at Jane in shock while moving to retrieve the fallen fork. Once he was up and had sat down, he continued to eye Jane in shock. "He cooks for you, Jane?"

"We take turns, mainly. Ever since Erik taught him how to make my favorite breakfast from when I was a kid, Loki insists on making it whenever I request it. Then, when I'm not buried under a lot of projects for S.H.I.E.L.D, I'll make dinner." Looking over at her husband gathering the ingredients needed for the dish, her mind wandered to the day they had revealed their feelings for each other as well as the thoroughly wonderful events that took place on the table soon after. Wishing she and Loki were alone so that she could tell him what was on her mind, she made a mental note to tell him later as she felt a lascivious smile form along her facial features.

"Ah." Curiosity formed in Thor's mind as he watched Jane smile in a way he'd never seen before. His eyes followed the direction that she was looking in and he sighed softly as he could only imagine why she was looking at Loki in such a way. Stabbing at a piece of fruit, the irked God of Thunder brought the impaled fruit up to his lips and devoured it quietly. "So, have you told him, Jane?," he murmured while chewing on the fruit before swallowing.

"Told me what?," Loki's voice radiated from where he stood by the work station; a sharp knife in his right hand as he diced up a green pepper.

Before he began to speak, Thor caught the sight of Jane looking at him in confusion before continuing, "About our conversation earlier." While he knew now could have been considered a bad time to bring up what had occurred, Thor wanted to get it out of the way.

Shaking her head at Thor in the hopes that he'd understand that she wanted him to shut up; even going as far as to press a finger along her lips to mimick the 'shhing' gesture. Did Thor not realize how poor his timing was? Looking over at her husband who had turned around to look at the two of them; the knife he had been using to cut up the ingredients for the omelet still in his hand.

"Jane, what is it?," Loki asked curiously.

"I was hoping to tell you this in privacy, but-" she sighed softly while knowing Loki was going to become upset with what was said. "earlier when Thor and I went to go for a walk, things happened. He told me he's still in love with me and that he wants a chance to start things over with the two of us. Before I understood what was going on, he kissed me. I'm sorry; I know how surprising this is for you." She felt tears form as she found herself wishing she could slap Thor again for putting her in this awkward situation.

"Jane, why are you apologizing? Brother, I can honestly say she loves you. Not only did she refuse me, she slapped me. Twice." He allowed him a slight smile as his adoration for Jane increased.

Remaining quiet as the two of them explained what had happened during the stroll, anger had begun to reveal itself as he eyed Thor; curious about where to bury the knife in Thor. Just as he found the best spot, Thor's addition to the story caused his furious expression to fade as he looked from his brother to his wife; the sight of her being uncomfortable upsetting him just as much as learning that Thor had attempted to take Jane away from him. Moving to drop the knife onto the counter behind him, Loki made his way over to Jane and cupped her cheeks as he wiped a stray tear from her face. "You slapped him twice, love?" Concern for Jane coated his voice as he pointedly ignored the surprised expression from his brother.

Her eyelids widened as she felt surprise form; her head raising up to look into the concern filled eyes of her husband's. "You're not upset with me for what happened?"

"Silly woman," he laughed softly before leaning his head in kiss at her forehead before moving away to look into her lovely eyes, "why would I be upset with the woman who not only slapped my brother twice, she chose me over him. You'll have to let me see your thoughts when we're alone, though. The sight of Thor getting slapped by you is a must see." He ended with a smirk as he chuckled almost giddily. "I love you so dearly, my brave Jane." Looking over at Thor as the smirk remained while anger loomed in his eyes. "As for you, dear brother of mine, we will talk later about this. Understood?"

Grunting in reply as he watched the two, Thor felt truly amazed by the strength of the love his brother and Jane had been able to form for each other. The way Loki looked at Jane spoke volumes and while it pained him greatly to realize the woman he felt so strongly for was unable to return the feeling, seeing how happy his brother was made up for it. Still, he could not help but wonder if life had been different if he had been able to be the man Jane needed. Would it be him holding her close and being the father of her child? The sound of Loki's voice pulled Thor out of his thoughts as he was unable to resist listening to his brother speak to Jane.

"As for you, my dear Jane," Loki said; his gaze softening as he looked at the love of his life before continuing, "let me take you back to our room and I'll bring you the omelet, all right? You're carrying our child and the last thing either of us need is for you get stressed out. Plus, we still need to visit the healers to check things out." Pressing another kiss along her forehead, his brother's presence was forgotten as the dark haired Prince bowed his head to press a soft kiss along Jane's inviting lips.

Having also forgotten about Thor, Jane softly returned the kiss while reaching up to comb her fingers through Loki's dark locks before pulling away. "I can find my way back on my own, you know. Plus," she paused as she remembered Thor; her eyes glancing over at her ex before looking up at her husband. "you two should talk before this gets weird." Giving him a light peck on the lips, she started to make her way out of the kitchen; looking over her shoulder at Loki and adding to the conversation, "When you two finish talking, we can go to the healers together." The sight of the annoyed look on her husband's face made Jane sigh as she considered the option of staying, but she also felt that the best way for things to be resolved was for the two brothers to talk it out like adults. On her way out, Jane paused as she noticed a large bronze fruit bowl with various Asgardian fruits. Grabbing onto what looked like a pear as well as what looked like an orange,she left the room.

"She really is something; your wife," Thor mumured as he watched Jane leave.

"That she is. So, given that she's currently making her way to one of the gardens, let's get this over with, shall we?"

"Aye, I agree," the blonde replied while eyeing his brother; his fingers playing idly with the fork he dropped earlier. "I imagine you're wanting to hurt me for how I've wronged you, brother."

"That I am, but I'd much rather try to make sense of why you thought such behavior was reasonable; especially given the fact that on the day I told you I had asked Jane to marry me and she agreed, you were so unbelievably happy for me. Or so it seemed. Why couldn't you have just told me how you felt without going through this charade?" Loki asked while making his way to stand before Thor; his hands resting on the table that separated them as he waited for Thor's answer.

Peering up at Loki, Thor sighed softly while letting the fork drop; the slight clanging sound filling the room before he spoke. "I was happy for you, brother. You have to understand that I've never seen you so elated about anything that had to do with a mortal. Ever since I brought Jane here the first time, you acted so peculiar with her; as if she wasn't a mortal that you used to detest. I had no idea you would fall in love with as I did. As for why I never thought to tell you how I felt, would you have been happy knowing I was still pining for her?"

"As you are now, Thor?" His fingers curled into fists as he tried to fight the urge to hurt his brother. "You are right, you know. Before Jane, I had little interest in Midgard. But, the moment she arrived here in the palace, i don't know how to explain the sense of awareness I felt when you brought her in. She looked so beautiful; so unique with her enthusiastic expression and the way her eyes twinkled as she looked around. Then when you introduced her to me, my heart wanted to explode as she noticed me and before I knew it, I was kissing her hand and becoming her friend. I, unlike you, dear brother of mine, respected your relationship with her and did my best to be someone she could confide in during her visits here. I had no intention of falling in love with her, but I did. Now, many years later and with a baby on the way, I wouldn't trade any of it. So, tell me, Thor - do you actually love Jane?"

While listening to Loki speak, Thor was amazed once more at what loving Jane had done to his brother. His frustrated little brother who strived to be noticed by their father had grown into a loving husband who would do anything in his power for his wife. How was he to compete against something as strong as that? He and Jane, when they were still together, had never once brought up the idea of marriage as their time away from each other really never allowed it. With Loki's inquiry rolliing around in his head, Thor leaned back against the chair as he looked in the direction that Jane had gone off to. The woman he had met long before during his banishment to Midgard had also changed due to her love for Loki. She had become mischevious and the resolve she used to push forward with her projects and passions had grown to allow her to be brave enough to slap him soundly. "I believe I do, Loki."

"Thought you'd say that. So let me explain something that I've wanted to say since I found out you two broke things off: you only wanted her because she was a challenge to you; a woman you couldn't sway. With me, I love her because she refuses to wear shoes when she's checking the mail; that she can't go a day without wanting to touch me. I love her because she can't reach the top shelf in the kitchen at home and still will climb on the counter despite my willingness to help her. I love her because she'd rather lay in bed and read than laugh and coo at my heroic acts."

Blinking at the jab to his past relationships, Thor grimaced before replying, "Is it my fault Hilda like when I talked about fighting off attackers in Vanaheim?"

Shaking his head at his brother's reply, Loki pressed on, "You claim to love Jane, but you dont' have any idea why she doesn't like to eat tomatoes. Love isn't a conquest, Thor. Love is watching your wife come running to you to tell you she saw a shooting star; it's watching her eat ice cream in bed before she asks if you want any. If you had truly loved her, you wouldn't have left her on her mother's birthday." Deciding, finally, to call Thor out for his unforgivable behavior, Loki stood back while he waited for Thor to respond.

As he listened to Loki, he began to question himself. Each of the points that Loki was offering all made a great deal of sense. He didn't know the reason why Jane didn't like to eat tomatoes; nor had he ever seen her eat ice cream in bed. The last sentence, however, caused Thor to stand up suddenly as he glared angrily at Loki. "Watch your words, brother. You are toeing a dangerous line."

"Ah. I fear you might be misunderstanding something, dear brother of mine. In all actuality, it's been you who has been 'toeing a dangerous line'. Jane is my wife and I love her more and more each day. I love her so much that I even went as far as to go to her apartment the night you left her. Yes, brother; I comforted my friend and your ex lover because my oaf of a brother had been far too stupid to realize that forcing a woman to leave her home just to visit a different realm was the answer to everything. Ending a relationship with a woman whose mother and father left her a bloody orphan when she was a small child and all she wanted of you was comfort was a truly brilliant idea of yours!" Realizing that the volume of his voice had increased as well as the anger he felt for Thor, Loki took a much needed deep breath before continuing, "Yet you stand there, performing the role of the dutiful son who never had to worry about getting love from mother or father. Jane was too young to remember her family, but thankfully Erik Selvig was there to help her become who she is now. So, don't tell me you love her because I don't believe it."

Clenching his fists angrily at first, the grip loosened almost immediately as he found himself recalling the story of Jane losing her parents when she was young. Tears threatened to spill as he was painfully reminded of his failure to be there for Jane when she needed him the most. "Do not remind me of this pain, Loki. I mislike it. You do not know how devastated I was when after I called off our relationship to be told by her that she had just wanted me there. When I came back here and mother found me, I was a broken man. But - " he allowed himself a quick inhalation of air through his nostrils as he looked away, "knowing that you had been there for her does help me. You must know that it wasn't my intention to hurt Jane. At all. I just was far too much of a fool to realize what I had with her. You were right earlier, too. She was, and still is, a beautiful woman who challenged me. You've known me since we were young boys, brother. Women from many of the nine realms have sought after me and given into me with delight and ease and I've enjoyed them all thoroughly. Jane, however, it's as if she was determined to keep me at bay. She was so brilliant; smarter than me in so many ways that I was infatuated. Maybe the reality is that I was never truly in love with her; just amazed at who she was." He offered a shrug before raking a hand through his blonde locks. "I am sorry for all that I've caused you, Loki."

Listening to Thor's long reply, Loki stepped away from the table as he eyed the blonde warily. While he was grateful for Thor's honesty, he knew he needed time to forgive his brother for what he had done to Jane. There was, of course, a question that had burned a path through Loki's thoughts during the night of the dinner. "What of Sif, Thor? You must have known how much she loved you and now this?"

Nodding to himself as he too stepped away from the table, Thor peered down at his boot clad feet before looking at his brother. "Sif is a whole other matter that I know I must tend to. I've caused her much turmoil with my behavior and as soon as I am able to be sure my absence will not cause any issues, I will go to Vanaheim to find her. I don't love her if that's what you're asking of me, Loki, but I do want her to find the love that she needs so perhaps going to Vanaheim might not be the best course of action. it's just- Loki, Jane has done much for me during my knowing her and while I am still conflicted about my feelings for her, I will promise to keep away from her until I am certain. When I saw when both of you had arrived here, I-" he sighed and stopped himself from speaking as he knew if he continued, the bizarre truce they had been able to form would fall apart just as quickly as it had been made. It was obvious that Loki's feelings for Jane weren't the sort to vanish with ease and Thor knew he needed to both accept that bit of knowledge as well as to figure out his own feelings. "In the meantime, I suggest you go find your wife and see what Eir has to say about your baby," he offered Loki a faint smile as the prospect of becoming an uncle presented itself to him once more.

Remembering that he and Jane needed to pay a visit with the healers to confirm the pregnancy and so on, Loki's lips curled up just as faintly in a smile as he replied, "Jane has that habit of making the two of us want to be better, hm? Even the Allfather seems different whenever Jane is around. Oh- I nearly forgot." Grabbing onto the long forgotten fork, Loki proceeded to grasp onto Thor's left arm as he forced the sharp prongs into Thor's hand as if he was one of the vegetables that Thor had been eating; the pained, anguish screams filling the room as Thor fell to the ground, writhing in agony while staring up at Loki in shock. "Make a move on my wife again and I will do more than that. Good day, brother," he murmured while exiting the room and looking for his wife while sporting a satisfied smirk at a job well done.

(FINISHED! :D I'll start up Chapter 12 ASAP! Thank you all for your continued support!)