Author's Note: Just to be clear guys, I love LokixSigyn far too much to make this a LokixOC story. That's just not going to happen. Loki won't cheat on Sigyn; promise. (Plus, how cruel would I have to be to do that? I felt evil enough separating them)

But you've got to admit, I had you all going there. ;) Alice is still going to be important however, so watch out for her. :)

Kit xx

He found himself in an dark underground facility, unseen by its two occupants, watching from a reflection in a wall. One face was unknown to him, the other, he recognised as the scientist that had been with Thor when he was banished to Midgard. Loki frowned and listened as they started to speak.

"So you're the man behind all of this?" Selvig said to the other man. "It's quite a Labyrinth. I was thinking, they're taking me down here to kill me."

The man ignored his comment and merely said, "I've been hearing about the New Mexico situation. Your work has impressed a lot of people who are much smarter than I am."

"I have a lot to work with. The Foster Theory. The gateway to another dimension. It's unprecedented, isn't it?"

Fury led Selvig to a table with a large metal case on top of it and paused.

"Legend tells us one thing; history, another. But every now and then, we find something that belongs to both."

With that, he opened the case to reveal an object that Loki was not expecting. The Tesseract. A source of power that had gone unnoticed throughout the realms for a very long time.

"What is it?" Selvig asked.

"Power, Doctor. If we can figure out how to tap it, maybe unlimited power."

Unlimited power indeed, Loki thought. From his dream-like vantage point beside a reflection of Selvig along the wall, Loki watched them with interest.

"Well, I guess that's worth a look," he smirked, pressing the thought into the doctor.

With a smile, Selvig said, "Well, I guess that's worth a look."

When Loki's eyes opened, a frown was already shaping his expression. He looked up to see a smooth plaster-white ceiling, the likes of which would never be found in his home in Asgard. His old home. Now he had sentenced himself to this primitive existence- though that was not why Loki was frowning.

His expression was due to the fact that he could feel a wet towel over his forehead and that he immediately knew something was wrong. His eyes flickered to the girl he'd seen before slipping into unconsciousness; the one that had sought to threaten him with that tiny weapon. And now she was hovering over him, pressing something that stung to his now bare arm.

She seemed to notice his return to consciousness and paused in her ministrations. It looked as though she was about to say something, but Loki gave her no chance. He sat up quickly, grabbing her throat in the process. Her eyes went wide as she stared at him. The sudden movement that resulted in him choking her made her freeze.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"New Mexico," she choked out.

Loki stared for a moment, then released her. She fell to the floor, clutching her throat. For a guy that just collapsed, he's pretty strong, Alice thought as she gasped for breath.

But Loki ignored her and instead turned his attention to getting up from that uncomfortable bed. At least, he tried to get up, but he found that he couldn't. He was in too much pain. Hating himself as he gave in, Loki collapsed back onto the bed in exhaustion.

"Don't get up," Alice said quietly, still from her place on the floor.

Loki rolled his eyes.

"You've just borne witness to the fact that that isn't going to happen."

She frowned slightly. She didn't understand this man at all. She could tell that he was dangerous though- what normal person woke up and tried to choke the person looking after them?

Loki glanced around the room, ignoring the woman. It was small, but purpose-built. A bedroom with a bedside table and a set of drawers. Simple, he thought. Simple and Midgardian. It irked him that he had found his way to Thor's place of banishment, but there was nothing he could do about that now. He couldn't even get out of bed.

Alice stood up and looked over her bed-ridden guest. Who the hell is he? she thought.

"What were you doing?" Loki asked her after a while, wondering at why she had been leaning over him when he woke.

"You were bleeding. I was... just trying to clean you up... you need to avoid infection..."

He frowned and regarded her strangely. She was trying to help him.

"Can I... can I finish?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow. Why wasn't she scared of him? Surely she should have been- he had just tried to choke her, hadn't he? Then again, he had just proven that he wasn't in any condition to harm her. So Loki just nodded. He did mind what she was doing, but he allowed her to do it anyway. He needed help, he supposed, if he was going to recover quickly.

"Bandages," she said, once she'd finished cleaning his wounds. "I have a few bandages around here somewhere. Gimme a second."

She was talking more to herself than to him, so he ignored her words and watched her root through some drawers. She was slight, quite tall, but definitely thin. How she had even managed to lift him onto the bed, he didn't know. She didn't look strong at all. Alice finally got hold of the bandages that she had been looking for and came back to Loki's bedside.

"I'm Alice, by the way."

He didn't reply. She didn't need to know his name. He let her use her primitive methods of healing, wrapping him in cloth bandages, and inwardly sighed. He was going to be there for a while. She babbled about something inane that he didn't care to listen to and it wasn't until she moved away from him and made for the door that he started to pay attention to her again.

"Guess since you'll be here, I should go get some groceries... Unless you like toast... without butter..." she added in a murmur.

He stared at her. He had never met anyone like her; she was a strange one.

"Yeah, I'm gunna go get something to eat," Alice concluded, as if she had been having a debate with herself. "Why don't you just stay here and... sleep, or relax or something."

Then she left. She was a strange girl- yet so willing to help him. Loki didn't understand her, but in his weakened state, there was not much he could do but to remain with her. He would remain in her company while he required it. What would be done later he had yet to decide.

After an hour or so, Alice returned, laden with shopping bags. She could swear that she'd never bought so much food in her life. She didn't eat much more than toast and fruit normally, but she guessed that her unwell guest might not share her love of such random and limited food choice.

So she'd brought a great number of foods that she'd never even attempted to cook before and was planning on just hoping for the best when she did. After packing the food away into cupboards that usually remained relatively empty, Alice went back to check on the man in her spare bedroom.

He was awake still. Somehow he had managed to shift himself into a sitting position and was now leaning against the headboard though. She wondered how he had forced himself to do that in his state, but she guessed that it must have been due to another spurt of energy like the one he'd had when he'd almost choked her.

"Hi."

Loki said nothing.

"I got some food. You hungry?" she asked.

Loki shook his head slowly and they were silent for a moment.

"You know, you could tell me your name," Alice hinted.

"Or I could not."

"Well frankly that's just being awkward," she frowned. "But seriously, if you're gunna stay here then you need to tell me your name."

Loki scowled. Perhaps giving her a name might keep her quiet.

"Loki."

"Loki?" she repeated. "Cool. I used to have a cat called Loki."

He stared, not in the slightest amused at having a cat named after him. But she just shrugged.

"Guess me and you parents have the same taste in names... Well, nice to meet you, Loki. I'll be back soon to check your bandages."

Author's Note: Hope you liked the chapter and will let me know what you think!

Kit xx