The room Thanos was seated held a low ceiling, was quite dark, and illuminated by red lights. The source of the light was unable to be discerned upon a quick glance, the floor simply seemed to be glowing with light.
Loki walked into the chamber, and hatred filled his mind.
"You always were one for theatrics, Thanos…tell me, do the floors bleed red in most of the usurper King of Jutenheim's palace?"
"No…only the ones I desire to be."
Loki raised his chin in agreement and smirked.
Thanos continued. "Come to bargain for the poor mortal's life?"
"No. I have come to give you some dire news. I cannot inflict harm on Midgard, lest I die."
"What falsehoods emanate from your hateful lips?" he snarled.
"I struck an accord…with Thor," he lied. "I made a vow, and Midgard is safe from me. You'll not have your puppet King."
"You shall face the consequences, Loki Odinson! I vowed to spare Asgard…you were to rule Midgard…we would soon have eight of the Nine for ourselves," he finished. "But you are foolish in the extreme. You allow something such as familial fancy cloud your judgement. And now, Jane Foster shall suffer for your idiocy."
"Jane Foster is nothing to me. She is the object of Thor's desire, and if you think, for even one moment, that I care whether you kill that insignificant worm, you are vastly mistaken," he heaved. "Not that that would be a surprise," he muttered.
Thanos stood…"You care nothing for her?"
He smirked. "I care so little that I shall volunteer to see to her torment."
Thanos laughed. "Oh, that would be amusing to behold," he glanced sideways at him. "Let us see, sorcerer, what you can do…" he paused. "Perhaps we can come to another arrangement."
Loki nodded, and left the room, headed for the cell Jane was kept.
Very suddenly, Jane was untied from the floor; she sat up, held her wrists, and felt for her ankle…it was swollen, but definitely not broken.
She heard something outside of the door and her breath caught.
It was a bit more than dubious, this fear of whatever lurked just outside of the door…it was exhausting. She was forever tense and fearful.
So when she saw Loki come through the door, she felt a bit more (though not entirely) at ease.
Listen to me, Jane. Answer so I know you understand.
Yes.
I am going to raise my hand, you will fly against the wall. It shall hurt you…and when I tell you to scream, scream.
Ok.
And true enough, a second later, Jane had quite literally flown into the wall…it HAD hurt…and apparently, Loki was holding her there with his magic.
Scream now.
Jane screamed.
Blood oozed from the tiny cuts on her arms that hadn't healed from when the vile tiny creatures had issued their hideous ministrations.
Scream again.
And she screamed. She watched as her skin produced tiny bumps all along…it was fascinating, for they moved.
Yet she didn't feel a thing. Just a bit loopy from being thrown against the wall.
A smile curled his mouth.
Once more, Jane, scream…
And she let out a blood curling scream…her best yet. She felt her head being pushed back ever so slightly, and something warm trickled down her neck. She then fell to the floor in a heap.
Jane looked up at Loki, her face held nothing discernible in it, and he left without a word.
It was a bit curious, that entire scene. She rubbed the back of her head and wiped her face with her sleeve. Lots of blood.
She thought that she should play at it a bit more, in case Thanos was watching.
So Jane curled herself into a fetal position, and laid on the floor.
She thought that before she fell asleep, she would bind that ankle.
"Well, Prince. That was entertaining. Tell me, was that your best work? It seemed a bit…tame," Thanos had been watching from the above windowed chamber.
"I never use my best work on a mortal. They would likely simply disintegrate."
Thanos smiled. "Well…we shall see, Loki."
Loki didn't care for that response. By his calculation, this should be done and over with in a day's time. Jane would be set free, and he could see to ridding Jutenheim of Thanos. Thanos seeing to anything usually meant something more involved than Loki cared for.
Thanos continued, "Do you think that Thor misses his little mortal? I wonder…will he attempt to discover where she is…perhaps formulate a rescue?"
Loki swallowed. "I haven't the faintest idea what Thor is doing or will do," he replied irritably.
The mention of his brother had caused too violent a response…he irritation silly. Loki walked around Thanos and left the chamber.
And the glare of the conquerer lowered to the cell below harboring the mortal in question.
Jane had her ankle tied and she was sleeping rather soundly on the floor of the cell. She was exhausted, not really having slept since her capture and imprisonment.
Her breath was steady, as r.e.m. sleep wrapped its arms around her.
She was running…there was fire all around…it was so very hot…she was tripping on the long dress that hit her ankles…the air glowed red in the reflection of the fire and heat…and there, on a cliff, watching the fire eat the contents below, stood Thor…his hair was dancing in the heated air…he turned to her and he called out…Jane! Here!…his hand reached for her…she grabbed it in desperation…just beyond, stood Loki, watching the two of them with a look of hatred on his face…Jane pulled away ever so slightly…Loki! she yelled to him…her hand held out in an effort to coax him near…but he turned, walking down into the pit of fire below…she screamed…
Jane's eyes fluttered open, and she felt the press of the floor on her back. But what she wasn't prepared for was the thick black liquid smoke that filled the cell…it swirled above her…filled her nose, her mouth…she could feel it seeping into her ears…and she fell asleep again before she could scream.
She was in bed…a huge bed…and the room was alight with a soft glow in the hearth at the far end of the room. Jane sat up, looked around…was this another dream?…then she heard the door open…it was Thor…
"Hello, my love,' he said to her.
He approached her and smiled widely.
Jane returned the smile.
He sat next to her on the bed, reached for her hand. He leaned in toward her and kissed her mouth…he was expectant…he ran his hands through her hair, and his mouth played with hers…Jane reciprocated…her hands rubbed his back in response….
He pulled away from her.
"So timid you are, Jane…" he said.
She shook her head.
And he vanished. Jane got up and looked about the room…something wasn't right. She sat back down on the edge of the bed, and intertwined her fingers…
She felt a presence next to her.
She turned.
Loki.
His hand came up to caress her face…he pulled her toward him as he leaned in…and his mouth found hers…and Jane deepened the kiss quite quickly…it was frantic…her need to do this finally realized…and he responded in kind…her hands grasping at his clothing, frenzied in their attempts to rid him of them…and he leaned her back into the bed…rolled on top of her…kissing her neck as she let out a soft moan…
"Loki."
He was in another part of the palace.
But he heard her.
That was odd…he didn't imagine that the spell could reverse like that…
It couldn't.
There was something else going on.
He made himself invisible…perhaps she was in pain…perhaps Thanos had visited her and was inflicting some sort of torture…he reminded himself that he promised her he wouldn't allow that to happen.
Loki made his way to Jane's cell…he was in the upper chamber, still invisible.
He looked into it…
It was filled with black magic. The entire cell was obscured by the presence of Thanos.
Damn.
He couldn't see Jane at all.
If he penetrated the magic, Thanos might discover his presence.
He panicked slightly. What was he doing to her…? He couldn't see a thing…
His hands were all over her…he lifted the silk gown she didn't realize she was wearing up over her head…Jane pulled him into another kiss…it never seemed like enough…she drank him in like the coolest of water on the hottest of August days…
Jane's moan was perfectly audible now.
And Loki heard it.
THAT was not a moan suggesting torment…he knew that sound well enough.
Surely Thanos had not been so ludicrous as to take her while she slept. He couldn't believe that.
And his stomach churned ever so slightly in disgust at the thought.
Finally, the smoke left the cell, and he spotted Thanos leaving the hall in an exit below.
Loki remained invisible, and now had full access to Jane.
Wake up Jane.
She was curled on the floor, seemingly unscathed.
Jane Foster, open your eyes.
Nothing.
He couldn't leave her without ascertaining whether she was well.
He appeared outside of the cell. He placed his fingers on the glass of the door…no good. Thanos had reinforced the spell. He couldn't penetrate it.
He wrapped slightly on the glass, and materialized.
"Jane," he whispered.
Her eyes flew open. She sat up. Her arms wrapped around her…she looked around, dazed.
It had been a dream. Of course, it had been a dream. And she felt ever so sightly guilty at her disappointment that it was only a dream.
Jane's eyes began to water.
"Jane? Are you alright?"
And her head turned quickly toward the door.
Loki was standing there.
"Loki?"
"Yes…are you alright? Thanos was here…"
Thanos…oh god…
"Oh no," and she rubbed her face.
"What? Did he hurt you?"
She shook her head and the tears flowed freely now. Of course…Thanos had manipulated her dream, and now he knew of her attraction to Loki. He would use this against her, and maybe him, too.
It was too much to be born. She would need to tell Loki and suffer the humiliation.
"No…he didn't hurt me," she said softly.
"Well…why are you crying, then?" he disliked crying women. He never knew how to react.
"Oh god, Loki…because…he was in my head, manipulating my dreams…"
"Oh," was his response. "I fail to see…"
Her face shot toward his. "I dreamt of you."
It took him a moment, and then he recalled the satisfied moan she had let out in her dream state.
Ah.
"Jane, are you saying…that you had a dream with me in it…and we were engaged in a…suggestive situation?"
Jane nodded.
He smirked. He couldn't help it. "Well…I hope that I lived up to your expectations."
"Shut up Loki. Don't you see what this means?"
He sighed. "Of course I see what this means. I need to come up with something else…something more rash…"
"No. You need to get me out now. Like, right now."
He considered this. This did change things a bit. Their rouse could no longer hold if Thanos believed that Jane cared for him…if there was some sort of history there. He didn't think that it would have lasted much longer, anyway.
He could easily do it…Thanos was in another part of the place…the guard was not on duty…
"Stand to the back of the wall, Jane."
She did as she was told.
And like a bomb, the door was blown free of its hinges.
Loki held out his hand to her, and they made their way up and out of the dungeons.
He teleported them a bit further, at the gape of the Bifrost.
"I'm sending you back to Asgard," he breathed. "Thanos will be coming shortly."
"But…"
"Do not argue," and Loki looked up into the expanse of the raging wormhole.
"What about you?" she cried.
"What about me, Jane Foster? I have plans of my own…plans that do not involve you. Why do you concern yourself with me?"
And unable to resist, she grabbed his neck and pulled him down toward her. She kissed him soundly, and with passion. And for that moment, Loki forgot himself, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. His hands rose to her head, and he pulled himself away from her.
They looked at one another briefly, both with a hint of shock at what had just happened.
"Come with me," Jane said.
"I need to see to Thanos…"
"No you don't…come with me…"
He swallowed. What was happening to him? "Jane, I need to take care of Thanos."
"Why?!" she was impassioned.
He felt the wrath of Thanos building…he discovered that Jane was gone. "You need to go now. Go to Asgard…marry Thor…" he smiled.
Jane despaired.
He pulled her toward the Bifrost.
Her arms flung around him in a tight embrace…she turned and the Bifrost carried her away.
And Loki Laufeyson turned about to see Thanos's approach. His smile was ruthless, and Loki reveled in the thought of killing him.