Loki had sat in Fury's office for the better part of twenty minutes while Fury had threatened and cajoled him about what Loki had termed "just a little outing", whereas Fury had likened it to the black plague being just a bad cold. "I did no harm, I believe I behaved admirably, were you to ask Sarah." Loki said, staring into Fury's one good eye, "If you didn't trust me in the first place, why allow me to return here to Midgard?" Fury frowned as he leaned back in the chair behind his desk, "I don't believe you've given me a reason to trust you yet, or have you suffered a serious case of amnesia?" Here, Loki couldn't resist a smirk, "I let you return here to Earth on account of your brother and he promised to keep you in check for me. Now I don't know what your intentions are and I don't think I'd believe you if you told me so for the time being, you're grounded." Loki sat up in his chair, an incredulous look on his face, "You're grounding me? I'd say I was already pretty well limited to what I can and cannot do here, what more is there?" Fury held up one hand and started to tick off his fingers, "You will not venture into the internal operations department," Loki sat back heavily in his chair, "Oh come on..." Fury interrupted him, "You will spend the next week helping Dr. Banner with that infernal scepter, or whatever it is so that we can get some solid information in the database and move forward with our investigation, You will be in your chambers by ten p.m. at the very latest and you will not venture outside the facility without a proper escort. Is there anything you do not understand?" Loki stood up, agitation moving his feet as he paced back and forth in front of Fury's desk, "So I gather I'm under house arrest and all because I spent the night at a friend's house without your permission..." Fury stood up and walked around his desk to face Loki who'd stopped, arms at his side clenched into fists, "Sarah Miller is not a friend, she is an agent under my care...you really think it's that simple don't you? Well the last time we lost track of you, a good chunk of Midtown Manhattan paid the price and I don't feel like footing the bill again so do us all a favor and start acting like a responsible adult, not a sixteen year old teenager and maybe, just maybe, we can come to an agreement here." Loki looked away at the door of Fury's office, "May I be excused now?" Fury gestured towards the door and watched as Loki left, a dark look on his face. After a moment, Fury sat back down behind his desk, tapped the screen of his computer and brought up the file named Sarah Miller.
Sarah had lied to Lily about Friday night. She had told her that she had suddenly felt ill and decided to stay home in bed. She had refused to tell her anything whatsoever about Loki and after a busy week at the office with no surprise visits, Sarah had already begun to chalk the event up to a happy accident. When she was called to Lab 3 again on Thursday, she was happy for a chance to stretch her legs and venture away from the little cubicle she called Cell number 5. By the time she'd reached the door to the lab, she'd begun to wish she was back in her own little world. There were shouts, muffled words coming from the room, the sounds of an incredible argument. She tapped the panel on the wall and the door slid open. "I don't think you're much help here!" Stark was shouting at Loki, "You've already told us where this weapon comes from and you brandished it like a goddamn magic wand but that's all you really know isn't it?" Loki was poking Stark's chest with one finger, "I told you, I told Fury, and I told the Green Menace over there.." Dr. Banner nodded, mumbled "Thanks, thank you.." "All I know about the scepter is that it worked for me," His jaw clenched tightly then, "And it didn't work out at all like I'd planned it.." Tony glanced over Loki's shoulder and shook his head, looking down at the floor. Loki whirled around and saw Sarah standing at the doorway and his countenance immediately softened. "Sarah," Loki said as he walked over to her, "I'm delighted to see you." She watched Tony and Dr. Banner exchange glances behind his back. "I'm on an office errand, more requisitions." She stepped around Loki and walked up to Dr. Banner who took the pad from her with a slight smile. "I didn't mean to walk in on your discussion, forgive me." Sarah said and glanced over at the scepter which sat on a long stand like a samurai sword, a blue glow emanating from a cube in one end. She could see Loki standing behind her in the reflection from the glass walls surrounding them. Dr. Banner handed her the pad and nodded whereas she turned to leave the lab, her work finished. Loki smiled at her and turned aside to let her pass, "Let me walk you to the elevator."He said as he fell in step with her. "And no further, remember what dad said.." Tony called to him as he stepped into the hallway, making Loki wish for a traditional door to slam in Tony's face. Sarah looked up at Loki, "Dad?" Loki cast an angry glance through the glass at Tony who waved back at him. Loki put a hand against the small of her back and started to guide her down the hall, "Fury, he made me agree to some things in order to make up for my little transgression last Friday night. It's why I haven't been able to pay you a visit upstairs." Sarah nodded, "That's ok, I didn't want people to start asking questions anyway." Loki stopped in mid stride and looked at her, "You didn't wish to see me then?" Sarah could see the hurt in his eyes and she was immediately sorry for what she'd said, "I didn't mean it like that, Loki. I meant that I would prefer that we didn't meet here in...this environment, where people could start talking about us." Loki smiled broadly, "Then where would you like to meet? Fury said I couldn't come to you, he said nothing about you coming to see me...did he?" Fury had said nothing to her in fact, she had expected to be called to his office the first thing Monday morning but never received a summons, she had begun to think that perhaps the agents really had kept their mouths shut as Loki had asked them to. Suddenly Loki was grasping her one free hand in his, "My quarters are on the tenth floor lower levels, room 105. After you've finished work for the evening, come to see me, I'll wait for you at the elevator, I crave your company Sarah." He squeezed her hand gently and she realized his hands were as cold as ice but she didn't pull away from his hold. "If I do that, the Director will definitely be on my case. He'll know right where I am because our badges monitor every move we make." Loki raised an eyebrow, "Then take it off and leave it at your cubicle." Sarah was appalled to realize she'd been thinking of that same option a split second before he'd suggested it. Loki had absently begun to rub her fingers with his hand. "Alright," Sarah sighed, eager to be rid of the distraction of his touch, "I'll come down to see you, just for a few minutes after work...I'll say you hypnotized me if I get in trouble for this, though." Loki gave her hand a final squeeze and let go, "Fair enough, perhaps we can have dinner together," Sarah narrowed her eyes at him, "You can't cook." Loki shrugged, "I'm sure there must be something we can find." Sarah smiled, "I'd suggest takeout but I think it might throw up a red flag or two." Loki laughed at this and Sarah pressed the button to call the elevator. She watched Loki trot back down the corridor to the lab but before the elevator doors shut, Loki had turned to her and laid a finger to his lips with a mischievous grin.
Sarah let out a deep breath in the safety of the elevator compartment. She knew she was slowly being drawn in by Loki's charm, his distressing good looks, his sense of humor, . The realization nearly made her change her mind about the evening's invitation but in the end she knew she was going to be sitting in Loki's quarters by 5:15 that night.
Loki was absolutely giddy for the rest of the afternoon, even taking Tony's jibes with uncharacteristic good nature. There was that small part of him that relished dancing around Fury's orders without actually breaking the rules but the lion's share of his happiness was getting to spend time with Sarah again. His intrigue with her had continued to grow after his departure from her on Saturday morning and the orders from Fury had been pure torture for want of a better word and his irritation hadn't gone unnoticed by the Doctor or Stark, nor had the change in his mood when he was about to leave the lab for the evening. As he was about to walk out into the corridor, Stark called out to him "Hey, the night is young, what about ordering in for a pizza or something, I'll have it delivered right to the front door." Loki shook his head, "I've planned on a quiet evening alone, thank you." He closed his eyes and grimaced at the flimsy excuse he'd made but it was too late to take it back. "Are you sure you don't want to order anything...it's almost supper time, well by normal standards anyway, people get hungry on quiet evenings.." Tony smiled, "Alone." Loki waved a hand towards Stark, "I'm quite sure, goodnight, Mr. Stark, Doctor.." As he sailed past the glass towards the elevator, Stark glanced over at Dr. Banner. "Do you get the feeling he's up to something?" Doctor Banner shrugged, looked back at the monitor he'd been watching, " Cause I do.."
When the elevator door opened outside his quarters, Loki was momentarily disappointed until he spied Sarah standing in the corridor. She turned at the sound of his footsteps and gave him a small grin. "I left my badge at my desk just so you know." Loki laughed as he followed her into his chambers. "You are a bit of a trickster aren't you?" Sarah smirked and sat down on a small couch. "By the way, I talked to my sister, her nephew was studying Norse mythology for a book report, and I asked him about it, remember your little suggestion at my apartment about reading material?" Loki nodded, "Well you must know you're named after the god of mischief. I told her that I knew someone that fit the bill." Loki grinned, "What a coincidence, right?" He'd walked to the small refrigerator that had been provided for him and pulled out two bottles of water and he handed one to her, "Sorry, they don't allow wine or other such spirits here." He sat down on the floor in front of the couch and looked up at her, "You want to know a secret?" Sarah cocked her head to the side, "I am Loki." "Right?" Sarah replied, smiling again. "You said that was your name..." Loki watched as the color seemed to drain from her face, "You're not serious are you?" Loki laughed aloud, "Whatever did you think I was?" Sarah stood up and Loki followed suit, "From out of town I guess, I mean a lot of people live in the country and don't have computers, they don't do laundry, they don't cook...I have to go.." Loki's grin faded as he followed her to the door, "Sarah wait, don't go." Sarah turned at the door panel and stared at him, "You're crazy, you know that? Super heroes, ok I'll buy that, there were a lot of drug addicts in the 60's and 70's, who knows what those drugs did to people, aliens, ok I've always thought we weren't alone..." She put a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes, "But gods? I don't even believe in God himself and now you want me to believe that you're the incarnation of..." Loki held up a hand, "Thor too, mustn't forget the big guy..." Sarah laughed, "Oh yes, the knight in shining armor," Here Loki frowned, "But I can prove it to you," Sarah opened the door and stepped into the hallway, her heart pounding, "No you can't because the gods are stories created by ancient civilizations who didn't have any explanations why the stars moved at night or the sun rose in the day so they made up their own ideas." She looked back at Loki to see anger and desperation in his face. "You think Fury wanted me locked up because I have delusions of grandeur? You think the agents that fetched me last Saturday were just in the neighborhood?" Sarah shook her head, angry tears beginning to form in the corner of her eyes, once again she had hoped for something that was too good to be true. "I didn't think anything, ok? I thought you were part of the Avengers Initiative program.." "But I am," Loki cried, "I am from Asgard.." "Where's that?" Sarah sniffed. Loki leaned his head against the wall of his quarters, "Somewhere way over Northern Scandinavia alright? Please believe me, Sarah. I promise I'll prove it to you." Sarah started to walk down the hallway back towards the elevator. "Sarah, please don't leave like this." Loki said, cutting her off as he stepped in front of her. She looked up at him and a stray tear rolled down her cheek. Loki hesitated, then reached up and wiped it away with his thumb. Sarah turned her head away from him. "I am...so sorry Sarah," Loki said, his voice barely a whisper. He stepped aside and let her continue down the hallway watching as she stepped onto the elevator and let the doors close behind her. His hands curled into fists, he was suddenly trembling, and he let out a bellow of rage as he slammed his fists into the wall outside his quarters over and over again until he was spent, breathless, his cheek pressed against the cool metal, eyes closed, the need to violence rising in him like a relentless tide until he pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and let out a strangled cry as he slid down the wall to the floor.
Sarah had waited till she was seated back at her desk before the angry tears had started to flow. How silly was it to be so upset about a man she barely knew? To find out he was a raving lunatic on a second date? Here she laughed wryly, A second date, that was what she had said to herself earlier that evening as she headed to his quarters, almost daring to hope Loki hadn't taken an interest in her just for her mind. She'd stood up with her briefcase and shut the light off at her desk when she heard the whoosh of the door at the end of the aisle. She peaked around the edge of her cubicle afraid for who she might find walking towards her. It was Thor and he was striding towards her as if with a purpose. She ducked back behind the cubicle wall just as he reached her. "M'lady Sarah, what is it you have done to put my brother into such a state as I found him a moment ago?" Thor's eyes flashed with anger and for the first time since she'd started at S.H.I.E.L.D. nearly a month ago, she was afraid, but she held her ground. "I'm sorry, what he said to me, I can't believe, and that goes for you too." Thor stared at her, "what did he say to you?" Sarah almost couldn't bring herself to say the words, "He said he was a god, he said you were too, but that's impossible, it's like bringing a fairy tale to life...only happens on Broadway." Thor raised his eyebrows, gave her a small smile and put a hand on her shoulder, "I would not presume to demonstrate for you here but you will realize in time that he speaks the truth. The Doctor, and myself will be going on a short assignment tomorrow, we will need a couple of agents and I have requested you." Sarah sighed and sat down. "I don't really have a choice, do I?" "No you don't, Director Fury will speak with you in the morning. Good evening Sarah." As Thor made his way down the aisle, she laid her head on the desk and sighed.