Monster Among Us

By: Darkest Ember

Chapter 5: No Escape

Not a single soldier questioned Odin as he strolled toward the weapons vault at such a late hour. Many were still whispering about the spectacle at dinner and weren't concerned with much else.

The corners of his lips tweaked upward at some of the nasty comments he heard regarding Asgard's newest human resident. While some of the whispered comments questioned what sort of ridiculous practices they have on Midgard, others straightforwardly stated that Jane Foster did not belong here.

Perhaps Odin would agree, but Loki was thrilled to have her here. It had been far too long since he'd experienced such jubilation at someone else's expense.

The last of the guards stepped aside for the approaching All-Father. He pushed the heavy doors open and closed them with a subtle wave of his hand. "Alone at last," he sighed contentedly.

Loki maintained his leisurely pace as he walked along shelves filled with various weapons – all containing such wonderful potential for destruction and chaos. But he didn't come down here for that.

Deep within the vault's confines rested a solitary, breathing trophy, secured with countless spells and layers of concrete. Loki removed the cloaking spell and observed the body below him.

Odin had been weakened from the Dark Elves' attack, and his beloved son's treason was the metaphorical icing on Loki's cake.

Upon returning from Svartalfheim, Loki took the form of one of the guards sent on the searching squad. When the crew returned to Asgard, he effortlessly slit the throats of the others to ensure that he alone would deliver their dismal report to Odin.

Odin leaned forward with noticeable hope concealed behind his air of superiority. The moment Loki told him that Thor and the woman were nowhere to be found, Odin slumped back into his half destructed throne.

"There was a body," Loki said, almost cautiously.

The old man's eyes flickered with realization. "Loki," he murmured.

Surprised to hear even a shred of sadness in Odin's voice, Loki couldn't help but glance up at Odin, responding to his own name. The moment he did so, Loki cursed under his breath. Had Odin not been so beaten down by continuous news of invasion, destruction, and death, he might have noticed Loki's gesture.

"What…what have you done with the body?" Odin asked.

The guard took a few steps forward, significantly lessening the distance between the two men. "I've brought it back for you, sire."

A blast of green light flew from the guard's hands and made direct contact with its target. The attack was sudden, and Odin was unprepared. He clutched his bleeding side with one hand and reached for his scepter with the other. Just before his fingers could reach the weapon, the now-transformed Loki gripped Odin's wrist.

"Did you miss me, Father?" he sneered.

With a touch of magic, Loki forced Odin into a premature Odinsleep. Ultimately, Loki felt as though he owed Malekith a bit of gratitude. Everyone within the palace was so busy repairing the damage or bracing for another attack. It was child's play to presume Odin's form and veil the real Odin long enough to get him into the weapons vault, undetected.

The room that Loki locked Odin in prevented him from awakening. Of course Loki could've easily killed him in such a state, but he found this to be a far more amusing situation. This was the first time he'd visited Odin since overthrowing him. As such, he felt inclined to relish this moment before sharing tales of what's happened in the All-Father's absence.

"How does it feel, to be a relic in your own vault?" Loki asked, remaining in Odin's form a moment longer before transforming back to himself. "Perhaps now you'll have a better understanding of how I felt." He passed through the glass barrier and got closer, bending down as if about to share a secret. "You should've just let me die on that frozen wasteland. That would've been a far kinder fate than raising me to live a lie." He hated the fact that tears blurred his vision. With a bitter laugh he continued, "Had you done that, you wouldn't be where you are now."

Although Odin couldn't respond, Loki knew that he was listening. His body became more rigid than it had been when he first arrived. If that was the best that his emotional woes could conjure, Loki wondered what Odin's response would be once he shared his plans for Asgard, Odin's dear son, and the human.

"Inter-realm affairs have been much more efficient in your absence. Did you know that now Thor can bring his human companion to Asgard? I was initially tempted to reprimand him for such an action, but then I saw the potential. You see, I've taken your form in the public eye. Everyone except for Jane Foster sees me like that. By the time I'm done with her, everyone will think her mad. Thor's heart will surely be broken, and Asgard will never allow another delusional human to step foot here again."

When Odin's fingers clenched into a fist, Loki was unsure whether he felt more pleased or pained.

A shift in the mattress caused to Jane to stir but not completely waken. She rolled over and was pleased to make contact with a very chiseled chest. There she was – visiting a different realm full of research opportunities and lying in bed with the god of thunder, yet she couldn't help but frown.

After the incident in the dining hall, Thor took Jane to the healers, who removed her bloodied sleeve and discovered unwounded flesh. Despite their demands for an explanation, Jane refused to speak. It was too strenuous to conceive a reasonable excuse, and the truth was simply out of the question.

Jane peered through half open eyes to see that Thor was still asleep. As much as she dreaded talking to him about last night's incident, it needed to be done. She couldn't bear to live in this insanity alone any longer.

"There is no need to pretend to sleep," he mumbled, causing Jane's eyes to open fully.

She rolled onto her back and laughed nervously. "Obviously you were faking it, too."

Thor grinned before pulling her on top of him. She let out a surprised yelp at the sudden action and felt her heart leap as he looked up at her with such adoration.

"You are truly beautiful," he murmured, cupping her face in his hand. Her skin glowed with heat at his touch.

Absent-mindedly tracing the bulging muscles in his extended arm, she said, "So are you." Her blush grew even deeper as she continued stumbling through her response. "I mean not beautiful…well you are…but handsome, that's the word. You're very handsome."

While she was busy mentally cursing her awkwardness, Thor leaned upward and kissed her. Somehow it was different than any other exchange they'd shared thus far. This kiss was filled with possession and yearning.

Initially, her eyes remained wide open as she remained motionless. But as his tongue traced her lower lip, his kiss almost demanded a response, which she was eventually able to give. As their tongues slid around in each other's mouths, his fingers tangled in her hair, occasionally tugging to create an equilibrium of pleasure and pain.

Had Jane not been so lost in the moment, she might've noticed him glancing toward the balcony with irritation. As suddenly as he began, he pulled away.

"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing a change in his demeanor.

"Nothing," he said unconvincingly.

Naturally, Jane couldn't just let this slide. One minute he's being intimate, the next, completely distant. "Hey," she said, reaching out and stroking his arm. "I get it. Gods of thunder get mood swings, too. But you know you can talk to me about it…"

In fact, she desperately hoped he would talk to her about it. She wouldn't be surprised if whatever was bothering him was related to last night. Encouraged by this potential, she was about to try a different angle, but he wasn't going to let her continue.

Moving with speed that was almost hard for her to keep up with, he reached for her hand and gripped her wrist, a bit tighter than necessary in her opinion. "It doesn't concern you," he said, as his features contorted with rage.

Stunned silent, she tried to tear out of his grip, but he wasn't relenting. After a few more seconds of struggling, she could vaguely hear him muttering something as a cloud of dust covered her. Drowsiness overwhelmed Jane. Her eyes refused to stay open, and her body collapsed back onto the mattress.

Watching Loki die, despite all the terrible things he'd done, tore Thor apart. During their treasonous journey, Thor had seen signs of improvement in Loki's attitude. There had been so much hope for a rekindled brotherhood, in Thor's opinion. They fought alongside each other and protected each other, just like old times.

Even so, there was little Thor could do to protect Loki from that creature's fatal strike.

Careful not to wake Jane, he slid out of bed and walked onto the balcony. Hope mingled with disappointment as he considered the absurd possibility that Loki was still alive.

It seemed impossible, but Thor knew that he heard Loki's laughter as he and Jane retired for the evening. It could've happened in response to Jane's insistent discussion revolving around Loki. His mind could also be playing tricks on him.

That didn't explain Jane's strange injury, though. The circumstances were inexplicable and macabre… The most logical explanation would've been an invisible attack, which was something Loki would be capable of doing.

What purpose could that serve, unless he's back to his old ways, Thor thought, sighing. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe Loki hadn't changed at all.

Knowing that no further comfort could be sought on the balcony, Thor returned to his room. As he approached the curtain separating the balcony from the room, he could have sworn that he heard voices – voices that sounded strangely like Jane's and his own. Surely that isn't possible, he reasoned as he tore back the curtain and entered the room. He almost felt disappointed to find Jane sound asleep and the room relatively abandoned otherwise.

Everything was perfectly in place, except for the swish of red cape that caught his eye from around the corner. Fueled with confusion and intrigue, Thor bolted toward the hall, but was met with equally disappointing normalcy.

There was only one way that Thor could've seen and heard "himself" in the room: Loki. Hearing the voices and catching a glimpse of a red cape wasn't enough to confirm anything, other than the potential that he was going mad.

With a heavy sigh, he plopped down on the edge of the bed, wanting neither to lie down nor to socialize with anyone else. The weight shifted behind him as Jane awoke. She looked around in confusion until her eyes landed on Thor. "W-what just happened?" she murmured. "How did I fall back asleep?"

"You've been asleep this whole time, have you not?" he asked.

She cast a skeptical look in his direction while scooting up against the headboard. "No, you know that I haven't been… You were in here with me," she said slowly, putting the pieces together as she continued verbally going through the events. "And then something upset you." At this point, her tone shifted from thoughtful to accusatory.

Thor, however, had no memory of what she was referring to. As such, he wasn't quite sure how to respond. He knew she'd reach the same conclusion as he had, the same one involving Loki. Suppressing a cringe, he said, "Jane, I realize how odd this may sound, but that was not me in the room with you. I had woken earlier in the morning and stepped onto the balcony."

He could practically see the wheels spinning in her mind as her eyes lit up with realization. This new context better explained the events that he had supposedly been a part of. When he was unable to conceal his skeptical feelings, Jane took notice.

"You're kidding, right?" she said. "After last night…and now this morning. What more proof do you need? It's Loki. It's all Loki!"

Thor raked his fingers through sweat-soaked locks of hair. "Something very strange is indeed occurring…but how can we be sure it's him?"

"Who else would be able to perform all these illusions?" Her tone softened as she saw flashes of pain emerge in Thor's eyes. Suddenly she understood – it wasn't that he didn't believe her; he just didn't want to believe her.

He laughed bitterly. "When he died, a part of me was filled with great relief. I thought that he had died nobly and reverted to his old self, albeit too late to be able to celebrate with him… But now, if all of that was a ruse, how can I continue to hope for him to change?"

Jane crawled down to the edge of the bed and sat beside him. "He's lucky to have such a caring brother, but if he can't realize that, then it's his loss."

"Perhaps," he nodded. "But how will we find him if he's walking around with someone else's face each day?"

"About that…" Jane murmured. "I think there's one person in particular who he's been imitating. Your father is–."

"Wonderful idea, Jane!" Thor blurted. "I shall seek counsel with my father. Surely, he'll know how to handle this situation."

Despite her many protests of how bad of an idea that would be, Thor's mind was set. He asked if she'd like to join, but she refused as politely as possible. If Thor was going to go tell the enemy everything they knew, then she had to act fast and find a different way to expose the false king.

"Father, I need to have a word with you," Thor said, making a rather booming entrance as he let himself into the throne room.

Loki, in Odin's form, looked up at the sound of the sudden disturbance. He had been talking to some advisors, a rather boring task, so he welcomed Thor's arrival. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I must speak with my son. We shall resume this discussion at a later time."

The advisors nodded and bowed before exiting the room. Loki turned his full attention to Thor. The distress in his voice had not gone unnoticed, and Loki was eager to find out the source of such concern. "What troubles you, my son?"

"As unusual as this may sound…it's Loki," Thor said, hesitantly. When he saw Odin cock an eyebrow, he felt the need to immediately justify himself. "Just hear me out."

"I will hear you, though I do not understand why you have the dearly departed on your mind…"

"What if he was not dead? What if he faked his death on Svartalfheim?"

It would appear that Jane has been desperately trying to convince her dear Thor that I am alive, Loki thought, mentally smirking. Admittedly, he didn't care for the fact that she'd convinced Thor to bring this matter to the All-Father, but he could easily persuade Thor from pursing this endeavor.

"I suppose it could be possible," he said. "But do you really think he'd be capable of slipping past Heimdall's all-seeing eyes?"

Thor frowned, but wasn't ready to resign. "While it is true that Heimdall sees many things, I'm sure some small things go unnoticed. You know how Loki behaves, Father…you know what he's capable of. He always finds loopholes…"

"No one can cheat death – not even Loki."

"Think of all the strange things that have been happening–."

"All of which started occurring after Miss Foster's arrival, mind you."

He hadn't noted that coincidence before; nevertheless, Thor dismissed it and insisted on listing his proof. "Maybe so, but I've compiled a list of evidence. I do not know how he did it, but Loki must have been involved in Jane's incident last night. When we retired for the evening, I heard his laughter. And then this morning, I saw someone wearing my cape leaving my room. You know how good he is at impersonating people…"

Loki cursed under his breath as he listened to all of Thor's so-called evidence. He had no idea that he slipped up last night between his illusions. Had he known that, he probably wouldn't have fooled around this morning by allowing Thor to catch a glimpse of him leaving the room. Now, partially because of Loki's mistakes, Thor was beginning to truly believe that his brother lingered in Asgard.

And he couldn't have that.

"That is a rather compelling list of evidence. What does Miss Foster think of all this?"

Pleased to hear that his father didn't immediately deject the possibility, Thor answered eagerly. "She was the first to mention the possibility. Initially, I thought she might have felt guilty for his death, as I have, but then all these unexplainable things started happening. There doesn't seem to be another logical explanation."

"I see," Odin replied. "In that case, I will take everything you've said into consideration. If Loki is lurking within the palace, we will find a way to expose him. Until then, I believe it would be best for me to have a word with Miss Foster. If you plan on extending her stay in Asgard, then I should get to know her a little better, wouldn't you say?"

Thor grinned. "Yes, of course."

Odin nodded. "I shall send for her once I have some free time later this evening."

Despite pressing her ear against the door, Jane couldn't hear a single word. She knew that Thor wasn't truly speaking to Odin, which meant that nothing good would come from it. Would Loki play along and stay true to his "character" or would he denounce every word Thor said? Anything could happen with him, and that was what terrified her.

She let out a squeak of surprise as the door opened suddenly, causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards in a heap. Thor exited the throne room with a content expression; however, that quickly changed to confusion when he spotted Jane. "What are you doing on the floor?" he asked, failing to retain hints of laughter.

She rolled her eyes. "I…might have been leaning against the door to hear what was going on," she said, standing up and brushing off her dress. "So, what did he say?"

"Father wishes to spend more time with you. He thinks that would be wise, especially if you plan on staying here for quite some time," he said, finishing with a hopeful smile.

A few days ago, the decision would be without contest. Of course she'd want to stay here with Thor. Unfortunately, in reality, she has had a terrible stay in Asgard, before and after the Dark Elves incident. As long as Loki was around, she could not stay in the realm eternal much longer.

Something told her that was a central part of Loki's plans.

"Yeah…I'd really, um, enjoy that," she managed to get out.

"Excellent," Thor boomed.

It broke her heart to see how excited he was, but she wouldn't dare say anything right now. Instead, she racked her brain for ways to keep him distracted with her for the rest of the day – something that only the two of them could do. She heard galloping horses in the distance and decided to work with that.

"So, do you have any fields on Asgard?" she asked, digging a notepad out of the pocket between folds of her silk dress. "Maybe some that we could ride horses through?"

Thor looked thoughtful for a moment. "There are some meadows outside of the main regal region. Shall we go down to the stables?" he said, extending his arm for her to take.

A genuine smile bloomed across her face as she linked arms with his. Finally,she thought. I'd like to see Loki bother us all the way outside the castle without looking suspicious.

In the silent stillness of the bi-frost's dome, Heimdall felt plagued with doubt. Could there be something sinister lurking in the halls of Asgard? If so, how could such evil slip past him so seamlessly?

There was only one individual cunning enough to do so, and he had perished. Unless Loki still lives, Heimdall thought.

He reflected on his conversation with Jane – a conversation that happened just before that rather strange incident she had in the dining hall. Per Thor's request, Heimdall had kept watch over Jane Foster while she was in Midgard. He knew that even by a mortal standard, this woman was intelligent, which meant her fears and thoughts had to hold some merit.

Sensing how distraught the matter had already made Thor and Jane, Heimdall decided it would be best to address the All-Father and seek his insight. Since he was still on duty as gatekeeper, he projected an image of himself into the throne room.

"Heimdall, this is most unexpected," Odin said, struggling to conceal the annoyance from his voice. "Has something happened?"

"I…am unsure as to whether an issue has arisen just yet, but I thought it wise to address the matter before it gets worse," Heimdall said cautiously. "Yesterday, as I'm sure you are aware, something strange happened with Lady Jane at the dinner table. Prior to this occurrence, she approached me with an interesting inquiry regarding Loki…"

A dry chuckle bounced off the golden walls. "Has the whole kingdom decided to take interest in the deceased?"

"The circumstances surrounding his death were questionable–."

"What was questionable about it?" Odin fired back. "Thor described the manner of Loki's death…a guard brought back his corpse. You know a public funeral was out of the question. While he may have died a hero, his previous deeds were still inexcusable."

Heimdall frowned. It was strange to hear such a mixture of passion, bitterness, and anger laced into Odin's voice. As if sensing Heimdall's confusion, Odin sighed. "Forgive me, Heimdall. I just wonder if the Realm Eternal will ever know peace again. Once one tragedy ends, another begins…"

Although the glimmering palace could be seen in the distance, Jane felt as though she were a thousand realms away from Asgard and its false ruler. If anything, her surroundings looked like a perfected version of earth, with the occasional alien animal roaming around.

The greenest grass spread across the meadows. Strange, beautiful creatures roamed through the vegetation, living in harmony. With dusk approaching, the sky was an explosion of color – purples, blues, and oranges.

Once they had gotten off their horses and found a comfortable place to sit, Jane leaned up against Thor's chest and smiled. "Can't we just stay here forever? It's so much more peaceful than the palace."

"Indeed, the country is spared from the political handlings that occur in the palace," Thor agreed. "However, I'm certain that once you become more accustomed to Asgard, you'll see the palace as comfortable as your Midgardian home." When she couldn't refrain from showing doubt, Thor added, "Or at least that is my hope."

His crestfallen tone created a sharp pain in her chest. There he was, implying that he wanted a future with her, and she couldn't at least pretend like everything was going to be okay. She needed to end this horrible ordeal with Loki and expose him with indisputable evidence so she could have the happiness she surely deserved.

"And it is my hope, too," she blurted out. "I-I just feel so terrible for causing these last few days to be ruined with, well…you know…" She didn't want to have to revert the conversation to Loki right now. The thought of even saying his name made her feel nauseous.

Thor stroked her hair and sat in silence for a moment. Aside from birds chirping in the distance and wind rustling the leaves above the tree they rested against, all Jane could hear was his heartbeat. In that moment, it was all she needed to hear.

"Regardless of whether my brother is involved, I swear I will bring your misfortune to an end, Jane. I cannot stand to see you pained."

"Nor can I," an all too familiar voice said from the other side of the tree trunk. Both Jane and Thor leapt into an upright position at the sudden sound of another voice.

"Father, what are you doing out here?" Thor asked, noticing the golden carriage sitting further down the hill, surrounded by a handful of guards.

"I've come to spend some of that quality time we discussed with Lady Jane," he replied, looking at Jane, though he spoke to Thor.

"Yes, but I assumed that you would have done that later in the evening, once we'd returned to the palace."

"Forgive me if my timing inconveniences you," Odin replied, a noticeable chill in his tone. "Perhaps I was mistaken to want to know her better."

Although Jane wished for Thor to go along with Odin's words and dismiss this supposed meeting between her and Odin, she knew that Thor wouldn't do that. He didn't understand that Odin wasn't who he thought he was. Under normal circumstances, she would've been flattered to see him defend her in front of his father. But that simply wasn't the case.

"I'm sorry, father. I was simply hoping to use this time to show Jane a different side of Asgard, but if this is the time that your schedule allows, then I shall not interfere."

Not caring how disrespectful it would look, Jane cast him a desperate pleading look, which he seemed to ignore entirely. He may not have realized it, but as Thor looked the other way, he was inadvertently sending her into the arms of a monster.

A/N: In the next chapter, Jane tries to expose Loki in a very public setting, but it might not work out in her favor.

3-5 comments would be fantastic motivation for the next update :D

XoXo Amber