Melting His Icy Heart

Chapter 9

As they traveled along Jane suddenly woke up and turned to look ahead of them. Andrea watched in both fear, and a growing anger, as Malekith's ship descended through the clouds. They came up over a hill and looked down to where the dark elves were parked.

"All right. You ready?"

"I am."

Thor had spoken to Jane but it was Loki who answered. While Jane slept the two males had come up with a plan to trick Malekith, and Andrea hoped like hell it would work because they were all dead if it didn't. The two of them walked closer to the edge and stood within sight of the elves, while the women stayed out of sight for the moment. Thor had put the cuffs back on Loki after he had calmed Andrea down, much to her protestation.

"You know this plan of yours is going to get us killed?"

"Yes, possibly."

Loki held his hands out, silently asking Thor to remove the cuffs as Thor just stared at his hands.

"You still don't trust me brother?"

"Would you?"

Thor took the cuffs off and Loki reached behind his back to pull out a hidden dagger that Thor had given him earlier. Jane knew none of this b/c it needed to be believable to keep Malekith from killing them all on sight.

"No, I wouldn't."

Loki stabbed Thor in the stomach and shoved him over the side of the hill as Jane screamed. Loki followed Thor while he rolled down the side of the large hill. Jane went after them and Andrea followed at a slightly slower pace. She had to look as though she didn't care. She reached the bottom as Loki cut off Thor's hand to keep him from calling his hammer. She winced slightly but quickly schooled her features into their blank look again as she watched Jane fall to her knees next to Thor. Loki lifted Jane by her waist as Malekith drew closer to them.

"Malekith! I am Loki of Jotunheim, and I bring you a gift."

That should have been Jane's first clue that it was an act since Loki despised his heritage. He threw her to the ground in front of Malekith, though not nearly as hard as he could have.

"I ask only one thing in return…A good seat from which to watch Asgard burn."

Andrea waked up next to Loki, keeping her face blank of all emotion other than adoration for him. Malekith noticed her and frowned.

"She is with them is she not?"

"Not anymore. Her mind and body belong to me now. I have claimed her as my little pet."

Malekith gave a darkly amused smirk and nodded once in deference to Loki.

"Not a bad choice if I might say so…A fiery spirit can be fun to break."

"Oh she isn't broken, merely suppressed for the moment so she will not interfere. I plan to break her later when I have some privacy."

"I shall see to it that you not only get a good seat from which to watch your enemies burn, but also a private place in which you can break her at your own pace. I will not destroy the entire universe all at once…though the main Nine Realms will be destroyed as soon as I have the Aether in the right place."

"I thank you."

Malekith kicked Thor before moving his hand and lifting Jane into the air, Andrea hid her face in Loki's chest to keep from losing her blank expression. Malekith drew the Aether out of Jane and covered both her and Andrea as Thor used his lightning to attack the Aether. Unfortunately they all watched as it pieced itself back together and went inside Malekith's body like it had once done to Jane.

"That's bad…"

Malekith looked angry as he returned to his ship and sent his elves after them. Loki noticed the big one throw one of the grenade things he'd seen him use in the dungeon and shoved both of the women out of its suction range. He went to dive out of the way himself but wasn't fast enough. Andrea reached for him as he did her but she could tell it was too late, until Thor flew into Loki and saved him. Thor started a fight with the big one as Malekith took off, and Loki and Andrea ended up facing the remaining four elves. Between his dagger and her fire it wasn't really a fair fight…she ended up giving all of them third degree burns on almost every body part while Jane watched in awe. When one of them got too close to Andrea Loki slit its throat and moved to help Thor. Andrea was still fighting the last one and didn't see him until she heard Thor's anguished yell. Her head turned to see the creature push Loki off of the blade he had apparently put through its chest. She screamed and her flames erupted in a wide blast from her body, incinerating the remaining elf as it tried to sneak up on her. She ran towards them , pausing only when she saw the strange suction portal thing so as not to end up in it herself, and collapsed at Loki's side. Thor cradled Loki in his arms as Andrea cried into his chest.

"Oh, you fool. You didn't listen."

"I know…I'm a fool, I'm a fool."

"Stay with me, okay?"

"Loki please? You can't leave me now…you promised me…please?"

Her voice was a broken whisper, fear and heartache clogging her throat as one of Loki's hands rested against her cheek.

"I love you, Andrea…more than I ever thought…I could."

Andrea sobbed softly and buried her head against his chest while he turned his words to Thor.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Shh…It's okay. It's alright. I'll tell father what you did here today."

"I didn't do it for him."

"No!"

Andrea and Thor both screamed out their anguish as Loki died in their arms. Thor looked up to see a storm coming towards them and knew they had to move, but Andrea was too distraught and refused to move. When he tried to touch her, her fire flared against his hand and he had to let go.

"Lady Andrea. We must go back to the cave…this storm will kill the two of you if you remain."

"So? What's your point Thor?"

Jane gave Andrea a shocked look and knelt down to hug her friend. Andrea took Loki's dagger in her hands, grabbing the sheath from behind his back.

"I refuse to leave without something of his to remember him by. I will not let him be forgotten."

Thor gently helped them both up, supporting Andrea in his arms as she continued to cry despite Jane's attempts at comforting her. Inside the cave Jane was surprised to get a phone call from the guy she'd had lunch with before. Andrea wasn't paying much attention until she noticed Darcy's car keys on the ground at her feet.

"Umm…Jane…?"

She held up the keys and jingled them a bit as Jane got a thoughtful look on her face and ended the call.

"I know how to get us back to Earth."

Unknown to them the real Loki had watched from behind a nearby rock, feeling his own heart breaking at the sight of Andrea's broken sobbing. He whispered softly to himself as they entered the cave.

"I'm sorry little one, but it had to be this way…"

He changed his form to that of one of the Asgardian guards he knew had been killed in their escape and waited. He knew Thor's little mortal would find his path to Midgard, she was smart enough, and if she missed it Andrea would see it as observant as she was. It was only a matter of time. He knew it had happened when there was a flash of light from inside the cave, only then did he leave his hiding spot and head back to Asgard.