Lost Before The Dawn

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Warnings: None.

Chapter Playlist: 'Henry Meets Anne Boleyn' from 'The Tudors: Season One', 'Mercy in Darkness' by 'Two Steps From Hell', and 'Hold The Ice' from 'King Arthur'.

"Where are we going?" Jane demanded as she was forced along beside Loki, armed soldiers and Barton at her back ensuring her temporary obedience. The dark presence beside her glanced at her coolly, before his breath huffed from him in an amused chuckle.

"Again with the questions. You are an inquisitive one, are you not?" he smirked, and she glared at him. Unease bubbled in her stomach, but at least she was getting away from the tunnels that were her prison.

She might be able to escape.

A moment later, she dismissed that notion. Loki would not be so distracted by whatever he was up to that he'd forget her, and let her slip away. For some reason, he wanted her close, with him.

Because he wanted her as his Queen. The thought made Jane shudder, the idea of her life spent as nothing more than a mindless bed-warmer, enslaved to his every whim, utterly repugnant to her.

Not because he was unattractive, because he wasn't, not that she was thinking of him like that, but…she was no one's slave. Hell no.

At the thought Jane's gaze flicked sideways, back to him, the power-crazed, domineering alien from another world, set on taking hers. She remembered all she had seen, all she had begun to suspect, and felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

How much damage did it take before someone was royally screwed up for good? Was he redeemable?

He had killed, mercilessly, and right in front of her. She had seen the savage exhilaration in his face after he had taken down those SHIELD agents back at base. There was a whole load of darkness inside of him, added to a metric ton of crazy. But was there more?

He was capable of care, as when he regularly took the pain of her healing ribs away for a few hours, he was capable of more. She had seen it in his eyes, when they flashed that beautiful shade of green, juxtaposing so sharply against the chill of his blue eyes.

What influence could any being have that would warp someone's mind so much? Although to be honest, she was dealing with magic and Gods and monsters, something no number of degrees or letters after her name would ever have prepared her for.

She almost had to shut her eyes when they hit daylight, it was so piercing. Loki held her back as Barton and his men scouted out the area, then brought a large, nondescript white van around.

Barton returned a moment later. "Sir, SHIELD's going to have facial recognition running on you, Miss Foster and myself," he explained. "I can escape detection, but if you have any way of hiding yourself or changing your appearance until we're ready, I'd advise you do it now."

Loki considered a moment, blue eyes narrowed, as Jane glanced between him and the coolly blank Agent Barton. Until they were ready? Ready for what?

"Very well, Agent Barton," he inclined his head. "It would be prudent to do so until we reach Germany."

"Germany!?" Jane squeaked, staring at Loki. "Why the hell are we going there?"

And what was going to happen to the Tesseract?

"I have business in Germany," was all the answer she got, implacable and immovable. "And you're coming with me."

"Why?" Jane folded her arms defiantly, eyes narrowed. Loki sighed and rolled his eyes.

"To keep you out of trouble, now come!" he compelled her forward, firmly holding her by her elbow. She froze as her body met his, and then tensed as he pushed her into the back of the van. Deciding co-operation, for the time being, was the better part of valour; Jane sat quickly on a bench then proceeded to pointedly ignore Loki for the remainder of the journey. He, in turn, ignored her entirely, eyes withdrawn, seeing only inwardly. She wondered what he saw.

Hours later it felt, the van came to a stop, and silence descended as the engine growled to a halt. Jane waited, tense and edgy, almost jumping when the doors opened to reveal Barton hopping in, ignoring his men and kneeling beside Loki. He whispered in the Prince's ear, who just inclined his head and sent Barton a loaded glance.

He turned to her, and held out his hand. "Come."

Jane slowly put her hand in his, allowed him to pull her up. As soon as she was standing, his hand left hers and she gasped as a sensation of cold raced down her body, and the jewel of Loki's sceptre glowed brightly.

"What are you doing?" she asked, restraining an urge to move away.

"Disguising our appearances. I am loath for SHIELD to recognise either one of us," he replied shortly. "It is only temporary."

Uneasily, Jane wondered what she now looked like. Was that vain, considering the circumstances? Ordinarily, she didn't give a damn. Now…

Loki took her hand once more, and she blinked. What about him?

Sensing her question, he just smiled. "The glamour only works on others, not on you or I. Now come, and remain silent or there will be consequences."

Jane instinctively rebelled, but then thought of James. Would he harm James for her defiance if she did something in a public place? Defying him to his face when they were alone was seemingly acceptable, but in front of others?

Either way, she couldn't take the risk.

Loki nodded approvingly as he handed her out of the van, with a sneer of distaste for the vehicle. "You are learning," he murmured silkily, and she glared at him.

"I may have to keep quiet, but there's plenty of other ways to make trouble without opening my mouth, you know," she muttered sullenly. He just chuckled.

"Your spirit is amusing," he retorted, looking away. It made his heart race, for some unknown reason, but he did not tell her that.

Jane's jaw dropped when she looked up at the building almost directly in front of them, only partially hidden by a cluster of smaller buildings in front of it. An airport.

And finally Jane knew where she was. LA.

Loki held out his arm, and Jane took it reluctantly. She breathed in the musky, humid air of California gratefully.

As he led her inside the airport departure hall, she almost balked. They were going on an aeroplane. An aeroplane!?

What was she going to have to do to convince Loki not to murder every screaming baby on the flight? Hell, she wanted to kill them after any long amount of time, what would he do?

Loki glimpsed her nauseous look at the hordes of human families and holidaymakers, and chuckled. "Fear not, darling," he drawled, as a suited figure hurried towards them. "Barton has many contacts."

"Mr and Mrs Marlow. Right this way please," the airport rep smiled obsequiously and gestured for them to precede him. Jane stared, then forced herself not to as his words sank in. She was being forced to pretend to be Loki's wife.

"You complete and utter-" she began out of the corner of her mouth, as they bypassed check-in and security entirely. Loki's hand tightened around hers warningly.

"Now, now dear," he chuckled when she narrowed her eyes at him. "Just wait until we get to the hotel…"

Jane growled inwardly. "You wish," she hissed, turning away, as the oblivious rep led them through several grey corridors and to a side door that led into the VIP lounge. All glass walls and luxurious leather sofas, Jane stopped, arrested by the sight of herself in the glass.

She definitely did not look like that. Her hair was a lank, tangled mess, her clothes were torn and dirty, and she knew she had to have shadows under her eyes. But that was not the sight that met her eyes.

Instead, she saw a slender, petite young woman with long blonde hair and tanned skin, her body clothed in a black catsuit and dark green linen blazer. An engagement ring and a wedding ring flashed on her left hand.

Loki was unrecognisable in their reflection, as a curly-haired giant with blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes that still couldn't hide their chill. He was in a dark suit that looked far too good for Jane's peace of mind.

"Your flight will be ready to depart shortly. In the meantime, please make yourself comfortable," the rep inclined his head again, and left them in the deserted lounge. Jane sank onto one of the sofas, eying her silent companion as he prowled to one of the large windows, staring out at the runway.

"Why are we going to Germany?" she asked. Loki merely held up his hand, beckoning her to his side. Reluctantly, she went, until she was shoulder to shoulder with him. His arm slid out, twining with her waist, and she recoiled. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Jane," he hissed warningly. "Play your part, darling, or I will punish you."

Jane glared, but allowed his hand to settle on her hip, possessively. She swore to herself if it went south, she'd knee him in the groin and damn the consequences. But he seemed content just to hold her, pulling her sideways slightly until she was pressed against him, his eyes fixed on the planes as they landed and took off.

"Humans," he breathed softly, catching Jane's attention. "Such ingenuity yet you do so at the cost of your world. Sometimes it surprises me you have survived this long without guidance."

Jane rolled her eyes. "If this is just going to be more 'you-poor-humans-you-need-to-be-ruled rubbish, spare me," she muttered. "We're doing fine by ourselves, thank you very much."

"Such fire against what is inevitable," Loki sighed, turning to her and raising her hand. "And then, it is not so surprising after all."

Jane was floored. He smirked ruefully, and raised her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. Her breath hitched, and her hand clenched in his grip, but Jane was too spellbound by the look in his eyes.

They were emerald again.

He smiled, seductively, and bent his head again to her wrist, this time pressing a kiss to her racing pulse. Jane felt the heat of his tongue against her skin, for a short second, then he released her wrist, although his eyes held hers hypnotically.

"You tremble, my lady," he breathed. "Could it be that the prospect of becoming my Queen is not as unpalatable as you claim? How does it feel, to know you desire the kiss of a monster?"

Jane stared at him, stunned beyond words. If her jaw had dropped, it'd be at the planet core by now. Her wrist burned. "Is that what you truly think you are?" she asked, in a quiet, sad whisper, once she'd recovered. The implications of his words, of that kiss, she shoved away for later. She didn't want to think about that now.

Loki's eyes searched hers, and she felt her lungs seize at the look in them. Broken, pained…

"Your flight is ready, Mr and Mrs Marlow," the rep was back again, and Jane glanced towards him, almost in consternation.

Why did she feel like she'd been on the verge of something? And the question was, did she want to know in the first place?

When she met Loki's eyes again as they followed the rep out onto the tarmac, the wind blowing Jane's hair about wildly, they were a solid blue once more.

Jane didn't know much about luxury. She'd come from an ordinary family, and a life as an astrophysicist in academic exile in New Mexico wasn't exactly full of it either. Neither had working for SHIELD.

She didn't even know Lear jets had showers.

The hot water against her skin was heavenly, and she luxuriated in it. It was the first shower she'd had since this whole mess had started.

Opening her eyes, ducking out of the spray, she shut it off and carefully trudged to the mirror in the small but lavishly appointed bathroom. She'd never be able to fly coach again.

For a moment, she felt guilty about enjoying it all, when James and Barton and the others were helplessly enslaved to Loki, and the prospect of world domination drew ever closer.

She shoved it away. Guilt wasn't a rational emotion in this situation, not if she wanted to survive. And she just took a shower, it wasn't like she was sleeping with the enemy.

She flinched away from the thought as remembered sensations swept over her, of his lips against her knuckles, his tongue against her wrist.

Another thing she couldn't think about if she wanted to survive.

Instead she focussed on what he'd said, in that charged moment when they were so close, alone and unwatched.

He thought himself a monster. Recalling the little drama the Tesseract had shown her, Jane frowned.

If he was a Frost Giant, was that why he thought himself a monster? If so, why? Thor had never been very forthcoming on that particular subject, other than Frost Giants were an enemy of Asgard, and all the Realms apparently.

Was that the nub of it all? The reason why Loki did all the things he did, and had done? No, it wasn't just that.

Jane's instincts were screaming it was something much deeper, much more complex, that this was just part of a whole. It explained Loki's ruthlessness perhaps, his apparently remorseless ability to kill. If he saw himself as a monster, then why not act like one?

And when she had thrown Thor at him earlier, in the tunnels, he had not reacted. He was a good liar, the God of Lies, but somehow Jane sensed he wasn't lying then. No, this whole subjugation of Earth thing wasn't about Thor and Loki's jealousy. Or not entirely about jealousy.

There was something deeper driving Loki. And Jane suspected the key lay in finding out what.

Jane dressed herself back in her old clothes reluctantly, leaving her wet hair down as she wandered out into the small lounge area. The aircraft vibrated softly beneath her bare feet, smooth and turbulence free.

Since takeoff, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of her captor. He'd suggested she clean herself up while she had the opportunity, then left her in this smaller lounge off the main one. Glancing at the sofa bolted to the floor, she guessed it was probably meant as a sofa-bed thing if the passengers wanted a nap.

Then she noticed a swath of silk lying across it and blanched. "You have got to be kidding me," she breathed.

"Oddly enough, I am rarely in the habit of doing so lately, despite my reputation," a familiar voice drawled from the doorway, and Jane turned with fire flashing in her eyes, ready to yell at him, until she stopped dead at the sight of him.

Gone was his armour and leathers, and in their place was an exquisitely tailored black suit, with a crisp white shirt and simple but elegant black tie. An intricately patterned green and gold scarf hung nonchalantly around his neck. His dark hair gleamed, looking less stringy than before, and the shadows beneath his eyes were lessened.

His smirk was playful, as his eyes gleamed. Jane recovered herself, mentally kicking her hormone into touch, and folded her arms. He eyed her with a sigh.

"You are going to wear that, Jane," he murmured. "Whether you like it or not."

"And where are we going that means I have to dress up?" she asked, scathingly. "I'm not a doll, Loki."

"Dress and I'll tell you," he offered suavely, and she glared.

"If I wait, I'll find out anyway," she retorted, and he straightened, walking towards her seductively.

"That you may," he conceded. "But if you do so, you will be forced to undergo the humiliation of having me dress you like a child. Your choice."

Jane stared at him. He wouldn't…?

He leaned in, his lips grazing her ear. "Oh I assure you, sweetling, I would and take pleasure in doing so," he whispered, and she fought hard to suppress the shiver rushing down her spine. "Although something tells me you might not find the experience as so much a humiliation than a pleasure also."

Jane stared at him, and he chuckled, that low, sensuous laugh she'd heard before, brimming with mischief and charm. His eyes flamed and she wanted so badly to step away. Surely he was bluffing…?

As for his comment about it being pleasurable for her too…she was not even going there.

His eyes held hers, and it became a battle of wits, as Jane waited, tense and strung tight, ready to snap. His eyes held hers intently, and his smile grew with every moment, going from charming and amused to predatory in only a few moments.

Jane's fists clenched. "Tell me why we're going to Germany, and I'll get dressed," she conceded, and Loki's eyes gleamed triumphantly.

"I told you, I have business there," he told her silkily. "And a point to prove."

Jane's brow furrowed, but she was forced to give in. "That is so evasive, I don't even know where to start," she muttered, turning away and tugging her shirt over her head. She moved towards the sofa, when she suddenly felt his heat against her back, pressing into her, and she shuddered, half-bent over as she was.

She gasped when she felt his lips at her ear, whispering impishly. "I am called Silvertongue for a reason, my Jane," he breathed, as one hand appeared at her shoulder, caressing the bare swell beside the strap of her camisole, before it trailed down the muscle, over her forearm to her wrist, pulling it away from the dress and back up. She was pulled upright with her wrist, and then forced herself to meet his gaze over her shoulder as he bent his mouth to her, once again, racing pulse. He kissed it once, his tongue flicking the slight hollow between her wrist bones, and then he was gone, leaving Jane shaking and confused in his wake.

Loki looked up when the door to the lounge opened, and Jane stepped through. And despite himself, he had to fight to control the surge of lust and surprise that sprang up inside of him.

The dress fitted to perfection, as he had known it would, it was created by his magic after all, but in it, Jane was truly a Goddess in mortal form. The dark purple silk clung to her slender figure, in a style he noticed was popular on Midgard. The plunging neckline showcased her alabaster skin perfectly, the sharply descending 'V' edged with diamonds. A shawl of the same colour trailed from one elbow, the milky skin of her bare arms and shoulder gleaming in the soft light of the cabins. Her long hair, dried and free, was wavy and loose against her collarbone.

She truly looked Queenly, fair and regal. She was lovely enough when in her ragged shirts and 'jeans', but here, now, she was ravishingly beautiful. Unleashed and free, she exuded it as unconsciously as he suspected she was unconscious of her intellect.

He didn't bother denying the lust he felt anymore. He had felt it for awhile, possibly since first entering her dreams to influence her work, to further his goals; and when he'd told her he would make her his Queen, he meant in all ways. By his side and in his bed.

He had almost lost control in the airport terminal. Her fire and the defiance sparking in her amber eyes had been too much, and he had allowed himself a small lapse. Just a taste of what would come, when he was victorious.

He would show her the truth of humanity, and of SHIELD. And when she realised it, he would welcome her, bruised and no doubt shaken, into his welcoming arms. He would have her, forever.

With that thought at the forefront of his mind, blotting out all others, even that of his conquest and Thanos, he stood and held out his hand commandingly. With only the slightest hesitation, she came to him, and he released her hand to place his own on the bare plane of her back, warm beneath his palm.

"I promise you this, Jane," he murmured, leading her to a seat as the seatbelt lights switched on around the main cabin. "All will soon be revealed. Only a little while longer to wait, my Jane."

She glared up at him, before buckling in. "I am no one's Jane," she hissed. "Not yours, not Thor's, not anyone's."

"Not yet," he whispered, with a heated smile. "But you will be mine. That is one promise I will make you, Jane Foster."

As soon as they stepped off the Lear jet, they were ushered through the airport, again without going through Customs or Passport control. Barton was good.

Jane had to force herself not to hold herself apart from Loki when he took her hand again. The events of the day had unsettled her, shoved her off-balance, and she didn't need any more confusion from him. The heated, fell promise she'd seen in his eyes when he had told her he would make her his had sent heat pooling in her stomach just as surely as it had horrified her.

That was never going to happen. SHIELD would find them, or Thor would come. Could he come…?

The Bifrost was gone, but maybe…there had to be a way. The Aesir were the most powerful race in the Universe, there had to be a way.

They drove away from the airport in a taxi cab, and Jane squinted at the road signs as they flashed past, finally catching one. Stuttgart.

They were in Stuttgart.

It dropped them off in a square, packed with people enjoying the warm weather and dining out. Directly opposite them, after a small plaza, was a large, classical building, lit up with golden lights and festooned with drapes advertising some kind of exhibition. Jane couldn't read German, but she guessed that much.

But why?

Loki's hand once more pressed against her back, and she steeled herself for the physical shock, glad of it when it came. His hand guided her forward, past the admiring glances of several young men loitering in the bars dotting the square. He was unhurried, clearly not in a rush, as they meandered around the small square, drawing closer to the museum.

"Why are we here?" she asked quietly, and he glanced at her impatiently. They stopped for a moment while several cars and limousines pulled up, depositing their ornately dressed occupants before driving off.

"Wait and see, my inquisitive one," he breathed, tucking her hand firmly into the curve of his elbow and pulling her on. He didn't walk towards the red carpet, despite the fact they blended in perfectly with the richly dressed guests, but around the side, into the shadowy alleyways either side, in the gaps between buildings, until Loki found a fire door.

With a wave of his hand, his magic froze the alarm, and they slipped in as the door crumpled under Loki's superior strength. Jane gasped as his grip turned bruising, as he propelled her indoors.

She spotted the security guard before he did, and her instinctive warning had him spinning in seconds to knock the security guard back against a wall. He strode over to his prone opponent, but Jane rushed to his side, once the shock dissipated.

"No, don't!" she hissed, grabbing his arm. "Don't kill him."

Loki eyed her, taking in her distress, before glancing back at his assailant. With a mental shrug, he turned away.

With another surge of magic, his Sceptre appeared in his hand, before shrinking down into an intricately crafted cane, the blue jewel gleaming at its crest.

"As you wish, my lady," he breathed, and surprise filled her warm doe eyes. "Shall we?"

Breathless and still reeling, Jane put her hand in his and allowed him to lead her away.