Jane was freezing. She had no idea where she was, or why she had landed on Earth. How did Loki send her there to begin with? Had he found her in her unconsciousness? She was thirsty and her shoulders were as painful as anything she had ever experienced. Best get to that town, maybe there was a hospital or clinic there.

She began her slow descent to the bottom of the hill, losing her balance a few times and painstakingly getting back up. Her clothes were ill-suited for the climate, and she trembled from the cold.

She looked behind her, and the mountains jetted up in raw expanse. Where was she? It was lovely…

Jane began to walk down the center road. It was late afternoon by the looks of it, and there were people with backpacks on, as though they were off to hike. A couple of people looked at her and stepped away…Jane had no idea what she looked like, but she imagined it was none too good.

Everything was in a foreign dialect. She noticed one, Velkomstsenteret. "Velkom…" she said. "Sounds like…Welcome…something," she muttered. Ok. Hopefully someone spoke English.

"Hello?" Jane said in a hurried tone as she banged through the glass doors. "Hello? I need help…" and she fell in her anxiety.

People began converging on her. They were reaching for her…"Help me, please…I'm hurt…"

And then everything went black.

Jane's eyes did not want to open.

But open them she must, for she needed to find Loki. "Loki!" she yelled, sitting up, screaming in pain, and falling back down.

Hands were on her, easing her back.

"Hvordan føler du deg?" said a woman's voice.

"What." Jane returned.

"English?"

"Yes…yes…English, please."

"How are you feeling?" asked the woman in a thick accent and white clothing.

"Like a puppet whose strings are broken."

The woman nodded.

"Where am I, please?"

"Currently, about three miles outside of Jotunheimen…a national reserve in Norway."

Jane's face fell and her eyes teared. "Jotunheimen?" Frost Giants…Loki must've sent her here with his heritage in mind. "I need to make a phone call."

"You should first know of your injuries, and we need your name…"

Jane huffed. "Jane Foster. Recently American. Though…not for long…"

The woman's eyebrow cocked in confusion. "Well, Miss Foster…not for long American…you have suffered very strange injuries, indeed. Large claw-like marks are on your shoulders. Your right shoulder was completely dislocated, and we had to perform surgery on it. You have many stitches…" she looked at her paper on her lap. "Over fifty, for both sides."

Jane thought that if Loki could've tended to her she would have no stitches or surgery, it would've taken a few minutes to heal her and it would've ended in a kiss.

No such luck here.

"Ok. Thank you. Can I have my phone call now?"

The woman seemed displeased with that response. "How did you come to be so injured?"

"That wasn't part of the questions you asked."

"No…but I should like to know. If you were attacked by something, we need to know."

Jane sighed. "There was no attack. Look…I'm not a prisoner…can I please get a phone?"

The woman smirked at her, and looked toward the table to Jane's right. On it sat a telephone. "Oh," she said meekly. "Can I make international calls here?"

The doctor, or whoever she was, nodded and left the room.

Jane reached over, thinking it was rude of her not to hand her the phone in her current state, and began following the instructions translated into English, on the phone.

It rang.

"Look…if this is that debt consolidation thing-y place again, I swear to god I'm gonna freak out. I don't need…"

"Darcy stop taking."

"Jane?!"

"Yeah…it's me. Look…I need your help…I'm in Norway…" but Jane couldn't talk.

"Jane! You're where?! Norway? Erik is there now…what the hell are you doing in Norway?"

Jane breathed a sigh of relief. At least Erik was here. One good thing has come of this. "Great. Look…can you call him tell him to come and get me at …" and she gave Darcy the address, and made her repeat it back.

"Yeah. So…what are you gonna do?"

"I need to get to New Mexico."

Darcy laughed and said, "Oh my god. I'm totally going there with you. I need to get the hell outta New York. It's driving me nuts."

"Why is it driving you nuts?"

"It's too fucking crowded and you can't move without bumping into someone, and the people I bump into are always either married or gay."

Now Jane laughed. "Yeah, and Puente Antiguo is just brimming with hot single heterosexual guys."

"Well…you've done ok for yourself there…"

"Darcy. Call Erik," and Jane hung up.

She should've just called Erik first, but he never had his mobile on…Darcy always answered immediately.

She sighed.

Jane worried about Loki. She thought about what happened…was it a mistake that he sent her here? Was it even him? Did he know she was no longer in Hel? Was he Ok?

It had been five days, and Thor began to wonder at Loki's success. Should he go early and risk missing him by not crossing paths? Risk his brother's anger?

Loki had said ten days; that the quest would take two or three days Helheim time…

Thor would wait until the ten day limit. He was King, and as of right now, the only one in Asgard. He did worry over Loki. To lose him just when he was becoming his old self again was a thought he had, and it made him ill.

He was trying to keep up with Thor…but the God of Thunder's blows were mighty and strong. Though Loki was swift and agile, he lacked the brute strength of his brother. Odin was watching, shaking his head, as Loki fell beneath the formidable fist of Thor. Loki smirked, in an attempt to brush it off. They had been training for weeks and weeks, they were just shy of a century in age, and it was time to fight.

"Do you need help getting up, Loki?"

"I require no assistance, but I thank you for your heartfelt concern, Thor," and Loki got up. "Father, let us train with the sword…how often do you suspect we will be engaged by Elves with only our fists to fight with?"

Odin smiled. "Often enough, I'm afraid. A warrior should be prepared, no matter the situation, my son. You would do well to remember that."

"But I have my magic!" Loki protested. "Even without a weapon, I am hardly defenseless…mother saw to that…"

"And what if you are hurt?" Odin pressed on. "What if some dark magic befell you, and yours was rendered impotent?"

"Aye, brother…" smirked Thor. "A sad state for any man…"

(It should be noted that it was at that point that Loki promised himself to get back at Thor for that particular insult in front of Odin, and that Thor has been paying for it ever since)

Loki glared at Thor. "I daresay you would know more about the many trials of impotency, brother, than I would."

"Only because I have more experience in carnal pleasures, than you, Loki…"

Odin laughed. "Your magic is powerful, Loki, and grows more so by the day. But you need to be trained in all aspects of combat. Thor takes to it well, and so shall you."

Loki downed his drink. "Indeed, father. Thor is well suited for combat, though he lacks the quickness of mind to outwit an adversary…I suppose I shall be picking up your bones on the battlefield, brother, no matter what father says about your braun."

Loki approached his mother waiting for him in her garden. His face was forlorn. She had refused him.

"Well, Loki," Frigga said as he approached her. She didn't need to turn to know that her son was near. "How was it? What did she say?"

"She said that she was not terribly interested in being courted at present," and he sat down on a rock near his mother.

Frigga smiled. "Oh, I see."

"One would think, mother, that one maiden would condescend to my company…" and he looked up.

"Loki, this is only your first attempt, is it not?"

And Loki thought about the maiden who used him to get to Thor…the one he had unwittingly fallen in love with. That was half a century ago, and it still stung. Thor had so many romantic conquests…

"Yes. The first…"

"Well. You might need to be a bit more sly about it, then," Frigga continued. "Something I'm quite certain you can achieve with ease," and she sniggered.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, son," and she stood. "That you may need to woo a woman…they often like to be chased…use your beautiful words…play music…show a maiden Asgard through your eyes…."

Loki laughed. "Thor needn't do all of that. He booms his voice, they come running…"

"No. But perhaps none of them are worth having."

He thought a moment. "Is that how father won you? By wooing you?"

Frigga appeared reflective, and her face wore the hint of a smile. "Yes. But only because I had thrice refused him…"

Loki laughed and clapped his hands together. "You refused Odin?! Three times?"

And Frigga joined in his mirth. "Oh, yes. He was put out. I believe that that was why he became so determined…because I was so difficult a conquest…and then he was so stubborn to not let me go, that he proposed marriage…"

Loki looked crookedly and smiled. "Three times, mayhap?"

"No, no…just the once. I did not wish to try him…" Frigga sat down next to him. "Fear not, my lovely boy. You will find love…love so powerful that it will put all of your brother's many conquests to shame…"

"Truly mother, you are alone in your statement regarding my loveliness…."

"That is not so," returned the Queen. "While it's true that your coloring differs from the Aesir, you are just as tall as Thor, quite strong, your eyes are deep and beautiful…" she saw Loki smirking at her. Frigga laughed, as did her son. "Apologies, Loki…"

He shook his head. "How can you know that I will find such love to put Thor's conquests to shame, as you put it…? I fear none shall love me."

"Frigga held Loki's hand. "It is written so…"

"Oh, my, Loki…you are much weakened. Much more than I had thought…and those memories…poor thing…" Iðunn purred and slunk around Loki.

He couldn't speak…and presently he didn't know if she had somehow stolen his voice, or if he was too weak to summon it.

"Are you awake? Good…" and Iðunn poured some liquid into a glass. She began to drain it into a large bowl, and at the bottom of the bowl, a tube was spotted…Loki watched the red liquid make its way from the tube attached to the bowl, and realized that the other end was in his mouth. She was forcing him to drink this nefarious solution…it was weakening him further and giving her his memories somehow.

He attempted to struggle, but Iðunn came over to him…

"Shhh…my King…soon Thor will be here to retrieve you…"

He evoked his weakened magic, and melted the binding around his wrists, grabbing the goddess around her neck with one hand and tearing the tube from his throat with the other. He sputtered and choked, and his taught grip loosened.

The goddess laughed at his attempt. "Oh, Loki…you are funny…and you shall be punished for that transgression…"