A/N: FINALLY! Yes finally i finished this, and i think it turned out well. it will end up falling back in canon-ness, somewhat. It is set to end right as Iron Man 3 starts, or at least what i can gather from the AWESOME trailer.

Enjoy!

Loki found himself actually enjoying his morning spent with the beautiful mortal who had charmed the Iron Man. She was more than just a pretty girl with fluff for brains. He should have known Tony wouldn't fall for any girl. He glanced at his watch, the only seemingly useful Midgardian bit of technology. It was nearly time for her to get to work and for him to disappear. He needed to get back to his cell on Asgard before anyone noticed he wasn't actually in his cell. Thor might fall for his illusion trick, but the palace guards wouldn't be fooled for long.

He turned to Jenna, capturing her gaze with his hypnotizing stare,

"Perhaps I'll see you at lunch? If not, same time here tomorrow?"

She nodded silently, and then seemed to awaken from her daydream like haze,

"Yes of course. Sounds great. See ya later." She gave a small wave and strolled into the hotel, leaving him to head for the kitchen entrance…or so she thought.

Back on Asgard, his normal form resumed, Loki ran a hand through his long dark hair in frustration. He needed to find a permanent way out of here. If the Council ever decided his fate that was. If only they knew the secret plans he was to set in motion. Plans for ultimate good. They would have let him out sooner, he would have been a hero. Like his brother. Adopted brother, he reminded himself bitterly. It wasn't enough, associating with the pretty mortal, and still keeping up the petty rift between the Black Widow and the Super Soldier, he needed more. He needed his power back. He would escape no matter what the council's decision was.

A haze of golden light appeared in the hallway outside of Loki's cell, and it distracted him from his ancient Asgardian text he had been perusing half interestedly.

The haze formed into a solid shape, and then fizzled away to reveal Lady Sif.

Long waves of jet black hair fell around her face, which held a somber expression. Loki couldn't help but grin a little at the memory of how her hair had come to be that way.

She was clad in a beautiful golden dress, that skimmed the tops of her yellow sandals, with a sheer golden wrap around her shoulders and arms, more for the look than to keep warm. She stepped closer to his cell, and reached out a hand to touch the barrier,

"Loki. How has it come to this?" she asked softly.

He frowned,

"I don't want your pity. Everything I did, was for the good of…" he broke off, suddenly unsure. Now that he was imprisoned, or at the very least as Thor insisted, merely kept here until the All Father decided he was able to rejoin society, he was not quite sure what he was fighting for.

"What could have hurt you so much you sought vengeance against all humanity?"

He stood, anger suddenly coursing through his veins, and he slammed a fist against the wall, remembering too late the consequences for that action.

As he lurched backwards, recovering from the painful jolts of blue energy, he saw Sif's face soften.

Finally he spoke.

"They are so hypocritical, so pathetic. I didn't wish to destroy them, merely to control, to rule. I would have brought order, peace, two things they sorely need."

Sif shook her head,

"They have peace. At least, most of them do. You could not hope to change their very nature. They are simply not advanced enough to know that in-fighting won't help them further themselves."

Loki raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief,

"How can you stoop so low as to even think of comparing them to us? Nothing would help them get past the stage of constant war and confrontation. Within the peaceful countries, there is smaller strife, between the mortals over the smallest of things, like the color of their skin, or the amount of income one makes. They will never be able to get past that. They will never be like us. We, who they mistake for Gods. We were never like them."

"Perhaps not in your lifetime, but the All-Father has seen much more time than you. Every race deserves their place in this universe. They all have a purpose. Merely not having achieved it yet is no crime." Though the mortals deemed her the goddess of war, she was not that in any way shape or form.

Loki shook his head,

"But you have not spent even a second among them! I spent months, I watched carefully, planning every move. It is not challenging to integrate into their society, I merely skipped over the niceties."

Sif looked thoughtful.

"Are you saying that if you had been able to move among them, look as one of them, and experience their ways of life, perhaps you would not have acted so rashly?"

Loki shifted his glance from where she stood, her eyes saw too deeply into his mind at times when he least liked it.

"No. It would make no difference. Of that I am certain."

Lady Sif sighed deeply, and nodded,

"Very well. Thank you for your time, Prince Loki."

He glanced up at that formal address, but she had already left in a blur of golden mist.

"If only you could know them as I have in recent days…" he muttered, turning back to the text he was pretending to read. He was eager to return to Midgard, to converse with the mortal in the hotel. She was a pleasant distraction, and did not require much use of his power, as manipulating the Widow and the Super Soldier did.

Jenna found herself gazing at the plane ticket Tony had sent her, wondering if she should call him about it. It was nearing its expiration date and she hadn't heard from him. She knew he had been planning a long business conference on his return to California, but it had been nearly a month since receiving the ticket, with another short and sweet note.

She scrabbled around her bedside table for the hotel stationary that he had written his private number on, and with shaky hands, she dialed the number.

a/n: Yes if the scene from the Asgardian cell looks familiar, it's because it was also in Massage Envy, i had to find a way to tie the stories together, even if the Loki in this part is a bit more compassionate, as you will learn why soon. thanks for reading, as always, R/R.