He had been sent back to earth by the Allfather after several days of the Asgardian version of therapy and reconditioning. Thor had made the Avengers aware that while Loki was far from an innocent, he had also been an unwilling supplicant to the power of the Tesseract, leading to the events that culminated in the Battle of New York. That he had been held prisoner, had been tortured, and then had been set on his course by powers much darker than him. Forces that waited in the distant dark.
Some still had their doubts, and many held grudges, but most were willing to put those feelings aside in order to work on building a positive alliance with Asgard. Steve and Bruce being the first to suggest that perhaps the "devil you know" on your side was better than the alternative - being willfully blind to the vast number of things that go bump in the night that they were now becoming startlingly aware of. It had been a wake up call, and a time for a change in strategy. The term Homeland Security now carried more far reaching and serious implications for Shield and the Avengers. It was a time of uneasy compromise, on both sides.
When Thor explained that he had brought Loki back to earth with the intention of bringing him into the fold, to make reparations for his part in the devastation, Shield reluctantly agreed. The caveat being that Thor would be his chaperone on earth. The Allfather, as usual, had been vague about what exactly Loki needed to do to fulfill his debt, or for how long, and Loki had taken the decision hard. He hated Midgard, and everything it represented; weakness, failure, betrayal...and to have to be followed around by Thor was adding insult to injury. Bad enough that he would have to behave himself and make nice with the Midgardians that he had been so close to ruling, but to have his brother there watching him like a prison guard was a bitter pill indeed.
He resolved himself to do what needed to be done, quickly, and to keep himself to himself as much as was possible during his tenure with Shield. Though he quickly decided that "behaving himself" was a subjective notion. He felt no need to be polite or pleasant, nor particularly proactive. He had agreed to serve as an ad hoc advisor to Shield on the subject of "extraterrestrials" and he would repair as much damage as he could, within the constraints that Shield placed on him keeping a low profile.
As Tony Stark had pointed out with his usual lack of grace, "almost every household in America has a television, reindeer games...". The point being that he would be recognizable on the street. Any assistance he provided would have to be stealthy and under the radar, which fit in nicely with his preference to come in contact with as few midgardians as possible during his stay. He spoke with only a few necessary people, and ignored the rest as best he could, as if acknowledging them was beneath his dignity.
He had gritted his teeth when Thor made him promise to Nick Fury, in front of the full assemblage of the Avengers that while on earth he wouldn't harm anyone, except to defend himself, and he wouldn't kill anyone, for any reason. He was humiliated to be cowed in such a way. His "help" had turned into a daily negotiation that the Director quickly found tiresome, but Loki wasn't going to make anything easy for them. It was lucky for them that he was sincere in his desire to gain back the Allfather's trust, with the secret and darker desire to find away to avenge himself upon the enemy that had stolen his will, using his pain and his past against him, and making him no better than a slave to their plans. He had plans of his own and he was a patient man. The Allfather had muted his powers for the duration, somehow knowing whenever he was using them selfishly. He carried his prison around with him, the boundaries of which were his own bones and skin.
Loki and Thor resided in a temporary Shield tent city while the clean-up commenced along with the rest of the Avengers, and some assorted Shield agents as well as doctors, nurses, and some group called the army corp of engineers. It was in this mobile operating unit, that he met her. He was feeling particularly hostile one day in the mess hall when a man, a youth really, had inadvertently bumped into his shoulder, causing him to spill his drink. In his ill humor, Loki had instinctively reared his hand back to strike the boy, when a small firm hand caught his in a vice-like grip, staying his violence.
The boy, eyes wide, had muttered," ..sorry!" and quickly scooted out of harm's way.
Loki's focus shifted from the boy to the hand, seeking the face of its owner, his own face red with shock and rage. To his dismay, the hand belonged to a small woman, with dark hair and eyes, which held no fear of him.
"That's OK Sean...he knows it was just an accident." She stood stock still, Loki's hand still in hers, staring up at him. "Don't you, Prince Loki?" His eyes narrowed to slits at her pronouncement of his title, and suddenly his hand felt hot in hers. He snatched it away and stalked off to his table, sitting down loudly. He ignored the alarmed stares of the Avengers and of Thor particularly, as he began to eat. He tried to ignore her presence at his back as she spoke with the boy, reassuring him.
"Be a little more careful, OK? We really don't need another intergalactic incident this week" she said to the boy kindly, patting his shoulder. Nervous laughter bubbled up from the nearby tables and it seemed that the meal would continue peacefully after all.
Suddenly, the woman gasped as she was enveloped by strong arms in a fierce embrace. "Jean, I didn't know you were here!?" Bruce said with obvious fondness, lifting her off her feet. She returned the hug enthusiastically, grateful for the distraction, before stepping back to look at her friend. Natasha and Clint raised their heads from their food with sudden interest. Loki felt their tension ratchet up as they shared a look. He slid his gaze sideways to catch the conversation and to get a better look at the person he could not harm, though he dearly wanted to. His hand still felt warm where she had touched him, but he attributed it to adrenaline.
"Hi Banner...how are you feeling today?" She said, her eyes teasing him.
"Well Doc, I am feeling better now that I know you are here, that's for sure. You joining up?!"
"Nah, you can keep your boy band...I have my own gig. I am just here to lend a hand."
"Come sit with us!"
"Maybe that's not such a great idea right now..." She said, motioning to the back of Loki's head. Thor was already standing, making his way over to them with his hand extended to shake hers. Typical, Loki thought darkly. "Yes, of course you must eat with us Jean!" He motioned to a open space across from Loki that was vacant.
It seemed that everyone at the table knew who she was except Loki, much to his annoyance. He continued to ignore her as she sat down, just out of his line of sight, leaving Bruce to sit directly across from Loki. The two men simply nodded at each other. He then slowly shifted his eyes to her, hoping to avoid detection. To his surprise, she was looking directly at him, when his eyes widened the cheeky bitch smirked at him before returning to her meal.
Their little exchange was not without witnesses. Natasha leaned over to Jean, whispering low in her ear. "Are you sure that's a game you want to play with him?"
"Am I making you nervous Agent Romanov?"
"Everything about you makes me nervous. My faith in gadgets is not as strong as yours Doctor." She responded, motioning to a black watch-like band on Jean's wrist. Jean looked at her and then at Clint, and then smiled sadly.
"Well, it may be no better than a magic feather but it works as long as I believe..." She said, sing-songing the last bit of her speech.
Clint looked at her, his face emotionless, and sighed heavily. "This whole situation is giving me heartburn...one big dysfunctional family", he said waving his hands comically, alluding to all the heavy hitters gathered around their table. His words were light, but his eyes were serious. Jean had already caught the message loud and clear. The duo were telling her to watch her step...there be dragons here. She was already well aware.