AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a while sorry, I've just been unsure with what to do next. I think I'll just jump right in and take a stab at it, I've found over the years that sometimes you have to push through writer's block, no matter how grueling the task may be at the time. Hopefully I'll be past it by the time I finish this chapter! Please leave reviews they keep me going. Also, before I forget, I wanted to say I do this FOR FUN, I appreciate the grammatical comments but would ask that they stop. I often type these chapters up late at night after my closing shift at work (2am-4am). That being said, I am very clearly, by that time just hammering out my ideas and I know I could get a person to edit but I'd rather just post my chapter. It's just fun for me and an effortless sort of way for me to relax after my classes and job. I enjoy every review I have received, truly. But it's a bit disheartening to receive an alert for a review at work when I've just dealt with some massively rude customers and all the review is, is about making fun of a word I mistyped, repeated, missed, or even a critique that has nothing positive. I'm sorry It's just I want this site to brighten my day, not make it worse. Also, I am not trying to point out one person, many have said things about it and I know I have grammatical issues; I am trying to be more conscious of it.
Again, thank you for all your support and reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
x.
It had been weeks since Jane had spoken to Loki, ever since that night of riddles when the god of mischief had surprised her with a kiss, his demeanor had become cold. At first Jane had attempted to smooth over the very awkward moments the morning after over coffee, but Loki had simply cut off her morning banter with a cold flick of his gaze, "Do you enjoy the sound of your own voice so mortal, that you must inflict it upon those around you so frequently?" his voice had a sharp edge that seemed to cut her to the bone, so cruel and unfamiliar it had indeed caused Jane pause.
She simply did not know what to do and as the weeks went by and he carried on ignoring her presence she began to mirror his actions as well. It was childish and petty, ignoring him back simply because he was ignoring her, but what else could she do? Every time she attempted an actual conversation he shot her down.
He was successfully burning the bridge between them, that feeble bridge between god and human they'd initially forged with trepidation on both ends was effectively become nonexistent as the days went on.
Loki had kept himself scarce, she never heard him and she assumed that even without his magic he still had the natural ability of manipulating the shadows around him. He would find the most absurd routes to avoid running into Jane would only eat after Jane had retired to her own room for the night or before she rose in the morning. He kept to his room during the day, leaving only to go outside and once he went he would always stay out till the moon was at its peak. Returning in silence and dusted with flecks of snow, Jane would glance up at him when he entered, but his gaze never fell on her.
It was simply as if she did not exist.
x.
After a month or so of this new routine with Loki, Jane had resolved to accept it as it was and had decided that it was for the best. She'd keep him here till Thor and Asgard called upon him again, she also tried not to think of the possibility that they may never take him back.
Jane had risen early today, earlier than she did normally and that was only because for some reason last night, she had been unable to keep her eyes open over her research. Lately she had been stumped on a certain aspect of her theory, because as of late she was working on a way to apply the Foster theory to actual concepts on interstellar travel and the presence of dark matter.
Jane was halfway through a piece of toast today, her mind drifting to some science journal she'd read the day before when she felt a presence to her right.
Loki stood in the door way and for a second that resolute and often over glancing gaze of his found her, and it was not the gaze she'd become accustomed to as of late. For that just slight flicker of a second when Loki had turned the corner to find her, clearly not expecting her to be awake yet, he seemed anxious.
Jane nearly dropped her toast because his gaze and acknowledgement seemed to have the same effect on her as her presence had on him.
But the second past and his face became composed, cold and hard he walked all the way around the island to the cabinet that was to her left, so he would not have to walk across her path.
Jane was still staring at him, his hair black as the depths of Mordor at night, was slicked intricately behind his ears, flipping up ever so slightly at the nape of his neck. He was wearing, as he had become accustomed to, his black slacks and a loosely buttoned white dress shirt along with a pair of black leather shoes.
He was pulling the mug from the cabinet, moving it in his hands, inspecting it? Jane almost got caught up in irritation at his examination of her cleaning process when she decided to just say something she'd wanted to say for a month now. She didn't know why she wanted to say it, but for some reason it just felt like it would help..?
To be completely honest she'd been back and forth about the situation, happy with the silence but also irritated because she felt she'd done nothing wrong. She'd considered many avenues, was it a test? Was he seeing if I was honorable enough to push him back and exclaim I love Thor or something? She thought. Which was absurd, it had been three days that they'd known each other during that summer in Puente Antiguo when she'd first seen a man fall from the sky.
Wow, it even weirder I've seen that more than once…
But after her last visit with Thor, when he came to her not too long after Loki's intial banishment, did Jane realize it had only ever been attraction. She never really knew Thor, sure they'd talked fireside and shared stories of their pasts with each other, and yeah she'd kissed the crap out of in the middle of the desert once.
But that's all it was…attraction, which had seemed to have faded since she'd last seen him those years ago.
Jane was pulled from her thoughts when Loki reached for the coffee pot in front of her, he was so close, it had been a very long time since he'd been this close to her..
"Loki," she blurted out. He placed the coffee pot back and looked down into his drink, had he heard her?
Jane was about to die from the tension and the now overwhelming sense of embarrassment at trying to speak with him, she should have known he would've ignored her.
"Yeah?"
Jane's mind stopped its nauseous somersaults at his voice, crisp and eloquent as ever, even if the response was so detachedly blunt.
"I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you.." She was of course referring to her own ignoring him back game and also she'd been snippy as well a few times, even though he'd just ignored the comments, she still felt like she'd just contributed to the shit storm.
Loki licked his lips and furrowed his brow slightly, seeming alarmingly vulnerable because for once his emotions seemed to be slipping through the tight lipped callous mask he'd worn over the last month.
Finally he spoke again, but still defiantly refused to look at Jane.
"yeah, you should be.."
Jane was stunned and was about to respond when he continued.
Loki sighed, it seemed to come from deep within him, from some place she'd not known he had. A place of emotion and inner turmoil that Jane could not fully understand, though she felt the solemnity and heaviness in its sound, "No Jane, you are not bitch."
Jane was about to speak again but Loki pushed off the counter and took a sip of his coffee and walked past her back to his room.
And she stood there as confused as ever and unsure what had just transpired in front of her.
She reached for her coffee and was about to drink it when she realized it had gone cold, she grabbed the pot and was about to pour herself another cup, but stopped.
There behind her own cup was Loki's, still steaming hot and practically full.
Jane placed the pot back and looked at his cup for a moment.
When the moment past, she picked it up and drank from it.
x.
"Heimdale what have you seen?" Thor asked, concern etched across his face as he stood next to his old friend.
"Something has returned from the realm begotten to death and darkness..." Heimdale muttered his strong gaze unfaltering and seeing what Thor could not beyond the stars in front of them.
"What is it?" Thor implored, his right hand gripping mjolnir tightly and he seemed ready to jump into a battle immediately, though his face remained some semblance of calm. Weary of battle he no longer courted war as he once had in younger years. But he feared for his realm's safety and that of his brother and of Jane down on Midgard.
"I know not what it is…but I feel its presence like an oncoming storm."
"Then I shall inform father."
"Do so with some haste, Prince Thor."
Thor had taken to the skies long before Heimdale finished responding.
x.
Jane was at her desk again later that day pouring over texts and online journals on dark matter, frustration bubbling over and successfully destroying her focus once more today. She leaned back into her chair and inclined her neck to stare up at the ceiling.
She was about to attempt to stick her pencil in the ceiling when she heard the light click of Loki's door as it opened and closed. Jane sat up straight immediately and leaned back over her books, she waited a few moments till she thought he would be in the room and looked to her left.
Loki was walking towards the door, she was about to speak to him when she realized he was still ignoring her.
Jane gaped slightly, becoming enraged.
What the fuck does he want from me?
He had to feel her gaze, humans could feel other humans staring at them, Gods had to be aware of it. And yet it was as if she was nothing to him and of no consequence.
She had enough and was about to give him a piece of her mind when there was a knock on her door.
Loki paused, his hand inches from the handle.
Slowly he withdrew his hand and narrowed his eyes at the door, Jane heard his fingers crack.
Jane found herself walking over to him despite the rage she'd felt towards him only moments ago.
"Expecting someone, Miss Foster?"
"No."
"You may want to step back, I know not who could be on the other side."
Jane stepped back and found herself behind Loki, later should find this amusing, the irony of it all.
When he opened the door she was not expecting the strong bulk of Thor to be on the other side and if that was any surprise to her, it was even more of a surprise to both her and the God of Mischief when he said,
"Loki and Lady Jane, you must leave Midgard at once and return to Asgard with me."
Loki sneered but it was more to himself than to Thor and then slid past his 'brother' and to the outside without much effort, seeming to forget the woman behind him once more.
Thor's blue eyes found Jane and he smiled warmly holding his hand out to her, "Come now Jane, your safety hangs in the balance on this realm."
Jane hesitated, arms crossed and her fingers clenched the sides of her plaid shirt.
"I did promise to take you to Asgard one day." His hand still out to her, Jane bit her lip.
"Jane, please."
As much as she wanted to be as far from Loki as possible it seemed her only choice now was to go with him and Thor, but at least where she was going wouldn't just be her and Loki anymore.
She took Thor's hand.
x.
AFTERWARD: okay so I normally don't write anything at the end, but I wanted to say I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope that scene with Jane and Loki in the kitchen wasn't too out of character, I thought it fit very well and surprisingly is a scene from my own life I chose to put in her. Anyway please review, it helps me to write more and faster and it's just so inspiring! Thanks again!