Jane had heard it...it was a fevered cry...and she paused, she felt her blood run cold. She thought the children.

All concern over Loki abandoned, she rushed toward the source. It came from the bowels of the palace, and she rushed downward, her mind in a panic. Jane had never attempted to descend so very far into the place before, so she was unsure of her footing.

She tripped, she grabbed onto the slick stone wall. She hit her head and fell.

It was because of this that she had missed some of what transpired.

She came to...her vision murky...she got up from the stairwell and made her way shakily down to the dungeon.

Loki was there with Torben, as was Frigga..

"Torben?" Jane spoke, though she couldn't account for the state of her voice.

His plight was such that he could barely respond. He looked at Jane with wary eyes, fixed on something she couldn't see.

Loki was with him, muttering words Jane didn't understand and hovering above the boy. Frigga was holding his hand, stroking it, looking desperately at Loki as he moved his hands over Torben and a verdant glow emanated from his fingertips...Loki appeared to be concentrating very hard...his brow trickled sweat, his eyebrows furrowed, his look steady, his lips moving in constant motion.

Frigga then saw Jane. She dropped Torben's hand and went to her.

"Oh, Jane! You shouldn't be here..." and she looked about distractedly.

"What happened? What happened to Torben?" Jane began to go to him.

"Jane, you mustn't! Keep clear!"

But Jane was too quick, and she slid past the Queen and hurried to Torben's side, across from Loki...he was too engrossed to take notice, and she touched the boy's hand as Frigga had, and immediately felt a jolt, like electricity, and was thrown backwards.

Loki stopped at this. "Mother, come bring Jane to me...I cannot cease this just yet..."

He didn't sound angry, but his face betrayed the emotion.

Frigga went to Jane and lifted her...

She felt paralyzed. She couldn't move...

She was next to Loki...his right hand remained over Torben, his left now held Jane...he lowered her delicately onto the floor and began moving his fingers inches above her body. His face, however, never left the boy.

"Loki...will he be alright?" Frigga asked.

"Hush...I'm nearly done..."

Jane felt her nerves awaken at his magic. She felt her pulse once more...she had felt as though she had been petrified, and all of her senses had abandoned her, save her hearing. She felt her lungs begin to constrict under the tingle of tendrils of green light...her eyes readjust...her mind become untethered...Loki was unleashing her mind from the jolt.

He then turned from Torben and focused on Jane.

His hands wove a pattern over her torso, over her face.

And when he was through, he looked deeply at her.

"Jane?"

She nodded and swallowed.

"She is fine, mother. I'm sending Torben upstairs...do see to him. I'll be up momentarily," and with a flicker, Torben was gone. Frigga nodded, looked worriedly at Jane, and the Queen slipped out of the space with her own magic.

"Do you require help?"

"No..." and she sat up.

"Can you withstand my magic?...I need to get you out of here."

"Why?" and she rubbed her head.

"I cannot tell you...but you must trust me, Jane...are you well enough to be transported?"

She nodded, and stood with some help from Loki.

He looked at her as though examining her face, and then the black closed in...and Jane was delirious with the pressure...

When she came to, she was being lowered onto a bed...her bed.

And Loki was handing her a drink, sitting next to her on the bed. He helped her sit upright, and held the glass to her mouth so that she could sip.

"Loki?"

"Yes?" and he eased her back onto the pillows.

"What happened to Torben? Was it that sorcerer?"

He looked away from her. "It might as well have been."

That was an odd response. "I don't..."

He then faced her once more, and took her hand, "Jane...there are things you do not understand, and I shall explain them to you, but not now...I need to go away for a time..."

"Go away?" and she sat up.

"Yes...I'm leaving with the others tomorrow."

"Oh...I see."

"I shall be gone a fortnight or so...and in the meantime, I wish for you not to go into the dungeons...nor to escape the confines of your room at night," he paused. "Will you do these things?"

"Ok," she replied.

Loki swallowed. "I'm sorry, my little elf, if I was too forward earlier in the garden."

Jane nodded..."I cannot say just yet if you were, but I do know, Loki, that I care for you very much...and I'm a loyal friend."

"I am fortunate, then, to have a friend such as you."

She smiled at him...

And in that moment, Jane didn't care that he was a sorcerer, a Prince, an alien...he was merely Loki, with his humor, his language, his sparkling gaze, his sure hands...he was her friend, and Jane loved him.

She cupped his cheek, and she kissed his mouth.

Loki's breath hitched, and he nearly deepened it...but he stopped, and instead, planted a kiss on her cheek. "Good night, dearest."

And he disappeared.

Jane moved about the following two weeks in a bit of a haze. Torben was too unwell to come out of the infirmary, and though Jane visited him, he didn't seem to know that she was there.

At least she could hold his hand.

Frigga was distant as well…though they continued their routine, their conversation was limited in scope. She was saddened by the events as well, and Jane gleaned from her distance that she missed her sons.

And Jane missed them…so very much.

Jane missed Loki, most ardently.

Though she never actually admitted it, Jane knew that she had fallen in love with him, and she despised herself in her weakness.

She had no idea if he reciprocated, no idea what his mind held in terms of affection…she was truly alone in her head, and she felt so isolated…her tongue tasted the hideous metal of fear and emptiness, for her reason told her that her wishes were in vain.

She looked out of her large windows into the garden, and the fragrance carried itself up to her.

It had been nearly fourteen days. He would return tomorrow, if his promise was to be believed.

He should be believed…her heart demanded.

A knock was heard at her door.

"Come in!" Jane called.

Frigga came in…which was something Jane wasn't expecting.

"Jane, I am sorry to bother you…"

"No. You aren't bothering me…"

"Loki is returning tomorrow…"

Jane nodded, and wondered where this was going.

"Has he spoken with you about…things?"

"Things?" what an odd question.

"Yes…I suppose he hasn't, or else you would know what it is I speak of."

"Frigga, what are you talking about?"

The Queen was hesitant. "It's not my place to speak of these matters…"

"What matters? What…?"

"All that glitters is not gold, Jane."

"Frigga, I have no idea what you are talking about. If you think that Loki and I…" she thought that perhaps Frigga was displeased with her relationship with her son.

"I have no idea what is going on between the two of you outside of the fact that I see that there is a great amount of care between you. But I feel as though…as though I would be remiss in my loyalty to you if I did not tell you that Loki has…demons. Some of them are of his own making, but the most ruinous demon was not his doing, and he suffers constantly for it."

"I don't understand."

Frigga walked over to her. "There will, perhaps, come a time when you will be faced with something nearly unexplainable…it will, very likely, be revealed quite soon, and I only ask that you understand that it was not Loki's fault…it was not his choice…"

"What do you know that I don't, Frigga? Is Loki…is he going to need to marry Freyja?" it was the only tenable answer to the puzzle of the Queen's words.

"Not exactly, Jane," she stopped. "He will be here tomorrow…"

"Yes."

Frigga nodded and left.

And the morning dawned clear, and since Jane had not slept well, she got up. Might as well, she would no longer attempt the useless enterprise of sleep chasing.

It was not a day which she required to teach, so she readied herself for the day sans responsibility.

Jane was up so early that no one was awake. There was no breakfast on the table, no servants about.

She smiled at the chinks of light feathering the parlor and went outside to the adjoining garden. The chill of the previous night held the drops of dew in its wake. She passed her fingers along the wall of the garden and felt the cool moisture on her skin.

She rubbed her fingers together, then wiped them on her pants.

Her eyes found the sky, it flushed a cornucopia of pale color and light. The clouds wisp of white stretched along the expanse.

Jane smiled at the scene.

She turned to make her way back to the castle.

Her head lifted to find her path, and there, some ten feet away, stood Loki.

Jane smiled and stopped.

He began to walk toward her, and she shifted, for he appeared to have purpose in his movement.

His pace quickened, and as soon as he reached her, he grabbed her face, and kissed her.

Jane let out a soft cry, but she returned it with passion…she had missed him, desperately…and his tongue found hers, and his hands pulled her close, and he moaned into her mouth.

But he didn't stop his embrace, and nor did Jane desire it…she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers found his hair, she stood on her tiptoes and and cried for more.

And he pushed her against the wall, and left her mouth, dragging his lips along her neck.

"Jane…I missed you so…" he murmured against her skin.

"I missed you, too…" and she reached for his face in hunger and found his mouth once more.

HIs body pressed against her in possession…"My little elf…" His hands cupped her face, and he looked at her and smiled. "You are my salvation, Jane Foster."

"I'm just a woman, Loki…"

"Nay…not just…for never could I love just a woman."

Tears pooled in her eyes. "You love me?"

"With everything that I am," he kissed her again, soft, small kisses, over her face, her mouth, trailing down her neck.

"And I love you…" she replied.

He laughed into her skin, and looked up into her face. "Truly, you are, as I had observed, a marvel of an elf."

"Not really…" and she paused, and placed her hands on his chest, pushing him away a touch. "What about Freyja?"

"What about her?"

"Aren't you…I thought that perhaps you were to marry her."

"Freyja?"

"Yes."

"I have no desire for such a false and presumptuous vixen," he stated flatly.

"I thought…I believed you cared for her…"

His hands caressed her face. "No, Jane…no…I…" he paused. "I may have used her to make you jealous…if I sensed your unease around her, I thought that then I could divine your heart with regard to me…"

"Oh," and she giggled.

He pulled away. "Get your things," he said, suddenly serious.

"My things? Where are we going?"

"Away," and he pulled her into the palace.

"Away? But…Loki…the children…"

"Never mind that. We need to go. I have been seeing to all of it…and we need to leave immediately."

"Your mother…?"

He stopped. "Jane, you love me, is that not so?"

"Yes."

"And I love you…that is all we need to know…the rest will work itself out."

"Loki," Frigga's voice was then heard.

He stopped. His face froze. He did not turn to look at her. "Mother."

"Where are you going with Jane?"

And he then turned. "It matters not. We are leaving Asgard."

"You know that that is not possible."

Jane stood there, a bit struck by the conversation.

Loki glared at her. "I have made it so it is."

"Oðinn is only just gone…"

"I do not care!" Loki screamed.

Frigga blanched. "Loki…"

"No! I cannot stay here…I cannot be…" he was affected, and he couldn't finish. He turned to Jane. "Jane…would you consent to be my wife?"

"I…" Jane began.

"Loki! You cannot!" Frigga begged.

He ignored this. "Do not listen to her, Jane…what does your heart tell you?"

"I…yes…" she swallowed. She had no idea if what she was doing was right, only that her heart demanded that she be with Loki, she loved him so.

And Loki laughed, and tears welled in his eyes. "We are leaving, mother…" and he looked at the Queen…

…but then, just beyond, in the doorway, stood Torben. "Lady Jane…" he began.

"Torben?" and she looked around Loki.

"He has a wife!" the boy cried, pointing at Loki. "He has a wife! And…and she's in the dungeon! He keeps her there!"

Loki's mouth fell open.

Frigga's eyes closed.

Loki's face contorted into a scowl. "You…!"

"Loki! He's a child!" Frigga cried.

Jane took his hand. "Loki…what is he talking about?" she whispered.

He turned toward her, and Jane had never been afraid of him until that moment.

And Odin appeared in the doorway with his eldest son, slightly aghast at what appeared to be a heated scene.

"Excellent! You are all here! All here to bear witness to my undoing," he squeezed Jane's hand. "How fortuitous, father, that you are here at this very time. Come, let us go visit my wife…she does so enjoy visitors, does she not, Odin?"

"Loki…?" the All-Father appeared very confused.

"Yes! Sigyn does adore new visitors…it is the old ones…like her father, Oðinn, which causes her disquiet…"

And Loki led Jane down to the dungeons below the palace.

And Odin, Frigga, and Thor followed in his wake.