Thor and Heimdall hurriedly tried to stop Loki but they were too late. The Bifrost opened and transported Loki and his accomplice to someplace else.
"Heimdall, can you tell where Loki went?" Thor asked as he observed the place where his brother stood, now gone. Thor felt betrayed, confused and relieved to see his brother alive again. At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him but if Heimdall saw him too, it means one thing: Loki is truly alive!
"Yes." Heimdall responded. He looked at his observatory then added, "He is in Midgard." He looked at Thor with concern, because the last time Loki was in the human world, he wreaked havoc.
"Send me there immediately!" Thor was eager to know what Loki was planning and why did he said those things in his dream.
The two of them were interrupted when someone entered the room.
"Thor, my son." Odin called in an exhausted voice as he approached the two.
"Father? What happened?" Thor became more worried when he saw his father. Odin looked like he had been stranded in a deserted island for a long time. His clothing is full of dust like it hadn't been washed for months and, his hair and beard not properly groomed. He assisted Odin because it looks like he has trouble walking.
"Loki locked me up in the dungeon but he just let me out earlier. I'll explain everything later. But now, you must bring back Loki. I do not know what exactly happened, but he said someone made him realize what a true king is and he also said will never go back to Asgard ever again. I do noy know what he meant by that but I am not sure if it is a good thing either." Odin explained.
"Alright. I will bring him back, father. Are you sure you will be okay?"
"Do not worry I will take care of him." Heimdal assured Thor.
Heimdall opened the Bifrost using his sword and sent Thor to where Loki was transported.
The teenagers at the beach saw another beam of light and heard a thunderous noise; they immediately went to check it out again. They were surprised and also excited to see Thor.
"Did you see anyone came here before me?" Thor asked.
"We didn't see anyone but I think whoever you're looking for stole my dad's car." The boy, one of the teenagers,answered.
"I see. What does it look like?"
"Are you getting my dad's car back? It's a black volvo with license plate DE8 Y2A."
Thor nodded and took a mental note about the details then spun his hammer and took off in search for his brother.
"Dude, you should totally tweet that Thor's looking for you dad's car." Said another teenager.
Jemma was driving silently not because she's weirded out by the fact that she's with Loki, but because she still couldn't believe that she was able to come home. That only a few hours ago, she was desperately fighting for her life and now she's just miles away from her teammates, her friends, Fitz. She almost forgot about what Fitz said, more like asked, moments before she was taken. Fitz asked her to dinner, somewhere nice -he said. Does he still even remember? Jemma shrugged the thought. She should focus more on driving since her consciousness keeps drifting off. Her eyes are getting heavy.
"I know I'm the one who needs to get to the valley of death right away but, I think we need to get some rest. You said the time of travel will take at less than six hours, we can continue this in the morning; and using magic does wear me out." Loki has been watching Jemma while she was in deep thought and she never noticed him doing that. He also noticed she was getting tired; he couldn't blame her, after all he contributed to her exhaustion. "Plus I do not want to have a car accident because the driver fell asleep." He added. Jemma rolled her eyes at the last part but she agrees with him on this one.
"I think that would be best." She looked for a hotel within the area on the GPS of the car. "The nearest inn should be in less than a kilometer, we'll arrive there in a few minutes. Could you check the bags if there's any money on them?"
Loki hates being ordered but he followed anyway.
"...I have searched the area but I did not see a vehicle described by that boy. I thought perhaps Loki changed the appearance of the vehicle. That is why I came here, too see if you can help me with this." Thor explained the whole situation.
"Sure thing. It's Loki we're talking about and we can't just ignore this." Steve Rogers said.
"Steve's right. We can't let what happened before happen again." Natasha Romanoff supported the captain.
"Thank you. I do not want your people to suffer again." Thor agreed.
"Since you have the plate number of the car, it would be easy tracking it down." Romanoff informed them.
The sign read Crossroads Motel. Jemma brought the car at the parking lot. Loki took off the spell that changed the appearance of the car. They found money in the wallets in the bags and also two credit cards. Jemma thought they were lucky but she also felt guilty for all of it. First day back on Earth and she already commited all these crimes: car jacking, stealing money and probably identity theft if they'll use the credit card. So much for being a girl who likes following the rules; is Loki's wretched ways rubbing off on her? Probably not, she thought, he seemed different now.
They took all the three bags with them and went to the lobby of the motel to check in.
"Good evening! You're in luck, we still have one more room for you guys." The man in the front desk greeted them as they enter.
"Only one?" Jemma asked in the hopes that there might be another. It would be awkward if they share a room together.
"Yep. A lot of you guys came here to check in. So we're a full house." The man gestured at their clothing. Jemma almost forgot they're still in Asgardian clothes. "Man you guys have awesome costumes! I wanted to go to the Renaissance Fair too but I have a shift today and I was asked to do an overtime cuz Greg called in sick. I heard the cast of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings were there?" The clerk continued.
"What are you mumb-" Loki was cut off by Jemma when she elbowed him on his side.
"Yes they were! It was fantastic. Does it have two beds?" Jemma played along so they won't be suspicious.
"The room has only one king sized bed and we're out of extra beds too." The clerk answered.
"Great! A bed fit for a king." Loki smiled at Jemma.
"Alright then just fill out this form and I'll give you the keys. And is that a real Brittish accent or you're still in character?" The clerk seemed to be overly eager, Jemma thought.
"Yes, we're brittish. And I think he's still in character." Jemma let out a nervous chuckle as she filled out the form and took the keys to the room. Loki raised a brow wanting to ask what was that all about, but he wasn't able to because Jemma grabbed his arm and pulled him to go to their room.
"Enjoy your stay!" The clerk yelled as they exit the lobby.
The motel is not a big establishment, it's a two-storey building with fifty rooms. The rooms are those kind where, the door to enter your room is not indoors, but outside, because there is no hallway connecting the lobby to the rooms. It is consisted of four buildings, the first one is the lobby with a restaurant, and the three other buildings are the rooms. Two of buildings are facing opposite each other and the other building is connecting the two together like in a U-shape. There's a pool in the middle, so you have to walk past the pool area before reaching the rooms. The parking lot is in front of the lobby area, away from the rooms. The motel's parking lot is gated and has security cameras, so it's secured.
Their key is labeled 50. It's the last room and is located at the second floor. No elevators, so they used the stairs. Jemma opened the door and they entered. The room has one bed at the center, a small desk with a lamp on top at the right side of the bed, a tv in front of the bed, a window beside the tv near the cabinet, the cabinet is on the right side of the room, a couch on the left side of the bed and the bathroom is at the left side of the room.
"One bed. So, we need to decide who will be sleeping on the bed and who will be on the floor." Jemma told Loki.
"What's to decide? I will sleep on the bed, naturally." Said Loki.
"I guess not all prince are gentlemanly. " Jemma muttered to herself in a low voice.
"Did you say something?"
"Oh nothing, I said: I guess I'll get to sleep on the floor then."
"Sleep on the floor? Are you serious? Do you not know how filthy that is? The bed is big enough for the both of us." Loki offered.
"But..." Jemma tried to interject. Filthy? She never had guessed Loki was the neat freak type.
"But what?"
"Strangers don't usually share a bed together."
"Ow... You wound me. Strangers? I thought we are already friends." Loki pouted and placed his hand on his chest to appear he's hurt. Jemma knows he's faking it, so she gave him a questioning look.
"Don't worry, I don't bite." Loki smiled like a chesire cat, teasing her. Jemma paused momentarily thinking about it. It's not like they were going to do something else aside from sleeping, she thought.
"Fine. I'll sleep on the bed. It's been a long time since I have seen one and I'm exhausted. So, why not?" Jemma said truthfully. She doesn't even care anymore whom she shares the bed with. "I'll go ahead and change my clothes. You can find something to wear in one of those bags, unless you sleep with your armor on." She told him before entering the bathroom to change her clothes.
After a few minutes, Jemma emerged from the bathroom wearing a pink cotton t-shirt and a pinkcotton shorts with hello kitty prints. Loki paused at what he's doing and stared at her.
"What?" Jemma blushed and felt embarrased a bit because never in her life had she worn something so short.
"You're wearing that? Are you not a bit cold?" Loki looked at her from top to bottom. There was something about her that he can't stop staring. It was not about her clothing, maybe it's just simply...her. He shrugged off these confusing thoughts of her because it felt strange to him.
"It's not like I have any choice. It's either this or skinny jeans; and it's not comfortable sleeping in a skinny jeans." She reasoned as she climbed on the bed. "Plus, the purpose of this blanked it to keep us warm." She continued as she slid beneath the blanket, not taking her eyes off Loki.
"You're staring." Loki pointed out what Jemma was doing.
"Wha- No... I... I just noticed that your body is well formed and symmetrical, that's all." She really did stare at Loki's body. He was only wearing a grey sweat pants and the white shirt he was supposed to wear is still in his hands. He was probably about to wear it before she came out of the bathroom, she thought.
"I am a trained warrior, of course, my body is well formed. Maybe not like Thor's; but his, seemed overly muscular." He said as he puts on the shirt. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you like admiring my body." He continued to tease her.
Jemma snorted and rolled her eyes. She thought he's being ridiculous, but... he's not wrong. "Think whatever you like. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight. " She's on the left side of the bed and she turned facing left and closed her eyes. She fell asleep almost immediately. She was tired afterall and it's been a long time since she had slept in a soft bed.
Loki switched off the lights and climbed on the bed. It wasn't totally dark, there was light coming from outside of the window. The light illuminated some parts of the room. Loki lied on the other side of the bed, face up and closed his eyes. He didn't fall asleep as fast as Jemma did, his thoughts just keeps on rushing through his mind.
What am I doing? Is this the right thing to do?-he's having second thoughts, maybe this was foolish. Asgard was already in my hands. Then Jemma's words echoed in his mind, you are a fraud! No... She's right, if I can't rule Asgard without posing as my father, then I'm not really the ruler. This path I chose perhaps will be hard, but I will try to do the right thing this time.
He felt Jemma moved on the bed, so he looked. She just turned facing him, still sound asleep. He turned to face her. She looks peaceful, he thought. A lock of hair was blocking her face, so he brushed it behind her ear. Even from the dim light, he noticed a small bruise forming on her cheek where he had hit her. He cupped her cheek with his right hand and brushed his thumb on the bruising area. "I am sorry." He whispered. It's the first time he had apologized.
What does Thor see in humans? What does he see in Jane? The questions just popped into his mind. He realized he's still caressing her cheek; he removed his hand, closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Thor, Captain America and Blackwidow were on a quinjet. They've already tracked the location of the stolen car. When they arrived at the motel, they saw the car empty. They guessed Loki might still be inside, so they entered the lobby to interrogate the front desk clerk.
"Good morning! Woah.. The Avengers, what can I do for you?" The clerk greeted them.
"We're looking for someone, and he might be in here. Did someone came in here last night... dressed like him?" Steve inquired pointing to Thor.
"I'm not sure, I just came in for my shift. Hold on, let me ask Clark, he was here last night." The clerk said. "Hey Clark, can you come here for a bit? You'll never guess whose in here." He yelled through the door behind him.
"What is Greg?" Another man appeared from the door. "Whoa! Are they..?" He didn't even finished his sentence.
"In the flesh!" Greg answered.
"Hi. Is there anything I can help you with?" Clark asked.
"Last night, did this guy came here?" Romanoff showed a picture of Loki in her tablet. The picture was from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data before.
"Oh yeah... The British couple. Yep, they haven't checked out yet." Clark told them.
"Couple?" Steve asked not the clerk but Thor.
"I forgot... Loki escaped with a woman." He explained then asked, "What room are they in?"
"They're in- wait... You're not gonna fight here, are you? We're gonna get fired if you wreck the place, and there are a lot of people here." Clark was getting worried.
"Don't worry, we've only come to collect my brother." Thor assured him.
"Okay. They're on room 50. Second floor, center building."
"Thank you." Thor then went to find his brother after saying that.
Before Romanoff got out of the door, "We'll try to minimize the damage." she promised the two clerks.
"We're so gonna lose our jobs." Greg told Clark.
When Loki woke up, he saw the other side of the bed empty. He can hear the shower running, she's in the bathroom. He got out of the bed, knocked on the bathroom door and said "I am getting food downstairs, what would you like?"
"I'll come with you, I'll be right out." She said from the other side of the door.
Bang!
Somebody busted at the door. Captain America forcefully opened the door and unintentionally removing the door from its hinges.
"Well, I did say minimal damage." Romanoff muttered to herself.
"You better hurry up. We have company." Loki told Jemma without breaking eye contact with Thor.
"Loki." Thor walked in closer. Steve and Natasha followed, entering the room.
"Thor. And associates." Loki acknowledged them.
"Come back to Asgard with me."
"And if I don't?"
"Then I will force you."
At that moment Jemma emerged from the bathroom wearing a black jeans and a long sleeved denim button down, sleeves folded up to her elbows. "What do you mean co- Oh..." She became suddenly nervous. Their situation just gotten more complicated than she had anticipated.
"Who is she? Is she the one you told father about?" Thor asked.
"You told your father about me?" Jemma asked Loki too.
"Sort of... It wasn't really about you, I just merely said I met someone." Loki told Jemma. "And she is none of your concern." Loki told his brother.
"She helped you escape, she has to come too." Thor countered.
"If I were to come with you, would you all leave her alone?" He bargained. Thor and the others couldn't believe what they heard. Is Loki protecting her?
"What? If you do that you go straight into a cell." Jemma protested.
"You both will. We cannot let you pass. You have commited treason by escaping Loki." Thor said.
"Treason? She is not even of Asgard. She is human. I will only come with you peacefully, if you let her go. Please. She has done nothing wrong." Loki pleaded. Thor thought there was something different about Loki, he had never pleaded before but now he has, and for someone else's life.
"Human?" Thor and the other were surprised to know she was human. Her English accent sounded like how Asgardians talk, so they assumed she's Asgardian.
"You know, you kinda look familiar." Romanoff voiced out.
"Perhaps I should introduce myself." Jemma said and they paid attention to her. "My name is Jemma Simmons, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."
"You're from S.H.I.E.L.D.? But how did you end up at Asgard?" Steve asked, Thor and Romanoff was wondering that too.
"It's a long story. I'll explain later if, you don't mind." Jemma said. "Look, I know Loki had done things. Unforgivable things. But, if he regretted it, doesn't he deserve a second chance? Don't we all?" Jemma tried to convince them.
Romanoff thought Jemma has a point, after all, she herself was given another chance when Barton didn't eliminate her back then.
"I know." Thor said. "I've forgiven Loki a long time ago. I only need to convice father to do the same." Thor sincerely said as he looked Loki in the eyes.
Jemma was a little relieved hearing those words from him but worry is still evident from her face. "I promise we will leave her be, of you will come home with me." Thor said as he walked closer to Loki and held him by the shoulder.
"Alright. I'll go." Loki said to Thor. Jemma's eyes became watery but she didn't cry though, she just feels sad for Loki. "Do not worry. I am just taking responsibility for my actions." Loki said to Jemma. And with that Jemma smiled to him in response.
All five of them stood outside of the motel where the quinjet was parked. Steve and Natasha agreed to take Jemma back to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Before they left, they said their goodbyes.
"I guess this is where we part ways. It has been a pleasure meeting you. Farewell, Jemma and take care." Loki took Jemma's hand and kisses the back of her hand. Because of that, a blush crept to Jemmas cheeks.
"Yeah, I guess this is goodbye. Thank you for bringing me back here, Loki. Be well." Jemma said to him.
I should be the one thanking you, Loki thought.
They've only been together for a short time but it stings a little to see him go. Jemma then concluded, Fitz is right, nobody's born evil, well nobody's born good either because everything's a choice. It's also a choice to change who you were to become better.
Jemma went inside the quinjet together with the captain. Romanoff talked to Loki before getting inside.
"Tell me, what you did earlier, was that love, Loki?" She asked him.
Loki sensed a feeling of deja vu. He asked this question to her before, so he simply replied, "Love is for children, Agent Romanoff. I simply owe her a debt." A small curve tugged on his lips.
Romanoff snorted. Somehow she thinks it's more than just that. After that exchange, she went inside the quinjet. After the quinjet took off, Thor and Loki went back to Asgard.
Onboard the quinjet Jemma explained in excruciating detail on how she was transported to another world, met Loki, went to Asgard and how they were able to go back to Earth. When Jemma arrived back at the Playground, her friends were so glad to see her back again especially Fitz.
Meanwhile, in Asgard Thor was leading Loki to his cell, his hands weren't even tied up. Thor noticed Loki kept his head down, silent but didn't seem to look defeated. He seemed to be deep in thought.
"Brother, tell me, do you fancy that woman?" Thor asked him when they reached Loki's cell.
"What? Why would you say that?" Loki replied avoiding to answer as he entered his cell. The force field activated, separating the both of them.
"I saw the way you look at her. It is how I look at Jane." Thor honestly said, hoping his brother would confide to him.
"I do not know what you are talking about." Loki said defensively.
"Come on brother, do you honestly tell me that she is not special to you?"
"I did not say that."
"So you admit she is special to you."
"I did not say that either."
Thor gave up and sighed. Before he left Loki on his own, he said one last thing, "Loki, if you cannot be honest with me, at least be honest with yourself."
"I do not attach myself to humans, their mortality will cause pain." Loki muttered to himself but Thor was actually able to hear that.
After leaving Loki, Thor went to Odin who was sitting on his throne. He explained to Thor how Loki locked him in the dungeon and their conversation before Loki set him free. Thor also told Odin what happened in Midguard.
"So father, what do you plan on Loki?" Thor asked.
"After everything he has done, he must be executed." Odin answered.
"But he has changed! And he did not harm Asgard when he was in charge."
"You're like Frigga, she believed that Loki's still a loving boy he once was."
"Because he is. He sacrificed his freedom for that human girl."
"Really now? If not execution, then what do you suggest?"
Odin went to visit Loki after his talk with Thor.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Loki greeted Odin with a questioning look.
"Thor asked me to lessen your punishment."
"Did he now?"
Odin thought he hasn't changed, still confident even held captive. "He asked me not to kill you. So here's my proposal, I will not have you executed if you tell me where to get that woman, what was her name, Jemma? And instead of you, she will be the one executed. " Odin offered.
"Does Thor know this?" Loki couldn't believe what he heard. He was almost angry as well.
"No, he does not. I am offering you this chance to live."
"I will face any punishment you bestow upon me." He stared at Odin straight into his eyes.
"Why? She's just human, and you could still live. " Odin was starting to believe Thor.
"To you maybe she is just human, but to me... she is more than that." Loki's voice became softer when he said the last part.
"You care for that woman? I guess Thor is right, you really have changed. Suit yourself, you will face the punishment I will place upon you. " Odin left after saying that.
The next day it was Loki's judgement day. Lady Sif escorted Loki out of his cell.
"Where are we going? Do we have a new room for execution?" Loki asked Sif. They were taking a different path from what he has expected. Sif didn't answer, she just looked ahead where they were about to go. Loki leveled his gaze with her and he became confused. Why are they heading to the Bifrost?
Odin, Thor and Heimdall were waiting for their arrival.
"What is the meaning of this?" Loki was in utter confusion. He certainly thought it was his judgement day.
"This is your punishment, brother." Thor told him.
"I... I don't follow... Father told me - " Loki was cut off by Odin. "This is the punishment I have decided. You will be exiled from Asgard."
"Then yesterday, what was all that?" Loki turned to his father.
"Heimdall, open the bifrost." Odin said.
Loki was already in the middle of the bifrost. "Was that a test?" He was able to ask but he didn't get to hear the answer because Heimdall already activated the Bifrost and transported him elsewhere.
Loki found himself surrounded by trees, bushes and a bright blue sky atop of him. He surveyed the surroundings and it seems the land is in the middle of a large body of water which seemed endless. There was sand separating the forest and the water. From where he stood, he saw a mountain with a huge crater at the center. No inhabitants except small animals. It's a deserted island, he deduced. He is not sure where is but he has a hunch on what realm he was transported to.
Fin.
A/N: Did that seemed like a cliff hanger? I just don't know how to end it with. Can you guess where was Loki sent?
Hope you liked it, because I had fun and struggled a bit writing this. Thanks for reading my little fantasy about these two. I don't know why, but I like shipping them.
P.S. I probably won't make a part two of this story to continue because I'm not good in writing romance and fluffy things. Ehehehe...