I do not own Loki or the Avengers, and they aren't making me money. Many thanks to my friend Michelle, who is helping me with the Russian in this story. Important Author Warning: If, at any point during this chapter, you're like "EWWW! No!" and are tempted to stop reading the story, please read the very spoilery author's note at the end before you give up on me. I promise it's not as bad as it seems.


Chapter 6: Unwanted Advances

Agent Hill met Loki and Thor at the apartment complex when they arrived. "Welcome to SHIELD employee housing," she said, mostly to Thor. "I'll show you to your room." She led them to the elevator and selected the third floor.

As the cabin began to rise, Loki gripped the handrail. "Are these things terribly common?"

"Elevators?" Thor asked. "In newer buildings, yes. There are humans who lack the strength or ability to use stairs, so most places have elevators to assist them."

Loki thought about that a moment. "Why not the older buildings? Is it only recently that humans have this problem?"

Thor shook his head. "I do not know, but I think perhaps compassion for such people is fairly new to this world."

Loki frowned, momentarily disgusted with the whole issue, but then the ruby pendant flashed, and she winced. The doors opened at the same time, and neither Agent Hill or Thor noticed her momentary discomfort.

Maria led them down a brightly lit hallway to a room marked 3B. She fished a ring with two keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door. "On your left here is the first bedroom. For security purposes we suggest that it be yours, Thor," she walked into the apartment further, and Thor and Loki followed. The small hallway opened up into a living room, the left hand wall was all glass, affording a view of a small courtyard. Beyond that was a kitchen with room enough for a small wood dining table.

"The bathroom and laundry room are on the right," she gestured to a couple doors, "And this will be Loki's room." She opened the door and gestured through, but did not walk in.

Loki wondered why she insisted on acting as if Thor was the only person present. She shrugged it off, and walked into the room. It was large, with a twin bed against one wall, and a desk and chest of drawers on the other. Beside the door was a closet, and opposite that was another all-glass wall, with long curtains to either side. She walked up to the window, admiring the view of the little courtyard three stories below. It had a fountain in the middle, and four exits to the outside world.

She turned back to Agent Hill. "I assume there are security measures in place that I cannot see?"

Maria paused, then strode into the room purposefully. "This glass is bulletproof, but even if you were to magic it away, the surrounding apartments have been let to other Agents, including several members of the Avengers Initiative. Directly opposite is Black Widow," she pointed across the courtyard at another bedroom. "Captain America is on the ground floor below you, and Hawkeye is above and to the right, with access to the roof. Someone will be on watch duty at all times." Her voice was almost threatening.

"Thank you, Maria," Loki said softly, trying to diffuse the tension between them.

Instead, Agent Hill reacted badly. She glared at Loki, the first time she had even made eye contact. "I pride myself on my professionalism," she said tersely, "so I will only say this once: I still hate you, Loki. I know what you're trying to do. You think that as a woman you will appear more vulnerable, more caring, and you'll get us to trust you. But I know better. I don't believe it for a second. You can't pull the wool over my eyes."

Loki opened her mouth to explain the truth to her, but the words stuck in her throat. The ruby flashed, and Loki could suddenly feel pain radiating off the woman who stood before her. "I understand," she said quietly instead.

Agent Hill turned and stomped out of the room, past Thor who stood in the doorway. "Here are your keys," she called on the way out, and the Loki heard them drop on the table. "I would not advise giving her a copy." The door slammed, and she was gone.

Loki let out a long breath, sitting down on the bed. Thor took a few steps into the room, regarding her with concern. "Give it time, Loki," he said softly. "These people... they were hurt by what you did. It will take them a while to realize that you have changed more than your appearance."

She looked up at him doubtfully. "Why do you trust me, Thor? Before, I thought you were a fool for always believing I could change. Now..." she shrugged. "I still don't understand it."

Thor sat on the bed next to her, sighing. "You mean much to me, Loki. I must not have made it clear to you, but you were always my closest companion. I may have been a fool for hoping there was good in you, but if I did not..." he paused, looking at her. "I could not bear to lose you," he admitted.

"Oh Thor," Loki leaned her head against Thor's shoulder. "I'm so sorry I hurt you."

Thor put his arm around her back, and they sat that way for a moment. Then Loki turned to look at him with a strange expression on her face. Thor frowned. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I am now," she said quietly. "I've been waiting all day to get you all to myself."

Thor was bemused, his frown deepened. "What?"

Then Loki tried to move closer, and Thor stood up suddenly. "What are you doing?" he demanded, suspicious.

She stood as well, walking towards him. He backed away, out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. "Oh, don't be shy now," she laughed coyly. "I know what you want."

Thor moved so the table was between them. "I am thinking you are wrong about that..." he said warily. Suddenly he caught on, a look of disgust crossing his face. "Loki, no. You are my bro-sister, now I suppose."

"No, I'm not," she explained calmly. "I never was your brother, that was always a lie."

"No it wasn't!" he shouted, slamming his hands on the table. "In my heart you were always my brother, and you still are! Even... given certain changes."

"Changes you like?" she asked, striking a flirtatious pose.

"Loki, what madness is this?" Thor demanded.

In place of answering, Loki made like she was going to run around the table, feinting first right and then left. Thor dodged in the opposite direction, but then jumped as he felt her arms wrap around him from behind. The illusion in front of him disappeared.

"Gotchya," Loki whispered, beginning to run her hands down his front.

"No!" he shouted, and threw her off.

Loki flew backwards into the cabinets, and then collapsed on the floor. There was a moment of quiet, only interrupted by Thor's heavy breathing. Then he rushed to her, cursing. "I forgot, Loki, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, are you alright?"

"Can't... breathe..." she gasped, her eyes wide.

Thor whipped out his cell phone, hitting the SHIELD speed dial. "Yes, Loki has been injured, send someone immediately." he closed the cell phone and tried to brush the hair out of her face, continuing to apologize.

Only a minute later, there was a knock on the door. "It is unlocked!" Thor shouted.

Natasha stepped in, hurrying over. "I just got here when SHIELD called, what happened?"

Thor hesitated, unaccustomed to deception. "She startled me, and I reacted badly. Forgot she's human."

Natasha pretended not to notice the lie. "Here, let me check." she crouched down and tugged up the front of Loki's shirt to check her ribs.

Thor stood suddenly and walked away. Natasha gave him an odd look as she felt Loki's chest for broken ribs. "Nothing is broken," she offered, examining the skin for early signs of bruising. "Did you get hit here?" she rested her fingertips on Loki's sternum, which was red.

Loki nodded, and Natasha sat back. "No harm done, then. You just got the wind knocked out of you."

"Feels like I've got Mjolnir on my chest again," she wheezed.

Natasha nodded. "It will be like that for a few minutes, but then it will pass. You'll be fine." She stood up and called SHIELD, canceling the ambulance they had scrambled. She hung up, and looked at Loki on the floor, and then Thor staring resolutely out the window. "So, who's going to tell me what really happened?"

Thor turned around, the color high on his cheeks. His mouth opened and closed a few times, and then he stuttered out a curse and stomped into his bedroom, slamming the door.

Loki propped herself up against the cabinets with a small groan. "It's my fault," she ground out.

Natasha turned to lift a sarcastic eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I kinda figured. Thor's the kind of guy who'd rather die than hit a woman. You must have really wound him up."

Loki took a moment to catch her breath. "I didn't mean to. It wasn't supposed to work like that."

"What wasn't supposed to work like that?" Natasha narrowed her eyes.

Loki's eyes got big and she shook her head frantically.

Natasha crouched down so her face was less than a foot from Loki's. "No lying remember?" she said in her softest, most intimidating voice.

Loki squeezed her eyes shut. "I was trying... to... topropositionhim." She whispered in a rush.

Natasha sat back on her heels, blinking rapidly. That was the absolute last thing she expected her to say. "What? ... That's twisted, even for you."

"You don't understand," Loki murmured as a tear slid from her eye. "He's all I can think about. I just want him to love me..."

Natasha stared down at the girl before her, remembering.

Is this love, Agent Romanov? This is the basest sentiment, this is a child at prayer. Pathetic!

In that moment, Natasha decided that whatever else she was, this new Loki was fundamentally different from the one they had fought so recently. She stood up and held out a hand. "We need to talk, you and I," she offered.

Loki blinked at the proffered hand, wiping the tear from her face. She took it, and Natasha hauled her to her feet.

She gestured toward Loki's room, and then followed her in. She pulled out the desk chair and sat on it backwards, facing Loki who sat on the bed.

"You need to slow down," Natasha said simply. "Even you can only accomplish so much in a day."

Loki sighed deeply and flopped back on the bed. "I know. It's exhausting. But I feel like I was just born today and I have centuries of work to do."

Natasha tipped her head, conceding the point. "That sounds like a fairly accurate assessment. But you just got here. You've got time."

Loki stared at the ceiling, silent for a moment. "But that's just it," she said quietly. "I don't have centuries. I am mortal now, and I shall age and die as all mortals do."

Natasha leaned back, at a loss as to how she could reply to such a revelation. "What about your magic?"

She shrugged. "I could extend my life a few decades, perhaps almost a century, but it would be a hellish existence. I would continue to age. Or," she sat up, running a hand through her hair, "I could preserve my body, but I would burn through my years much more quickly."

"No eternal youth and beauty?" Natasha asked sarcastically.

Loki chuckled mirthlessly. "No. Many who do not know it think that magic has a solution to every problem. But the truth is that everything has a price."

"That sounds pretty consistent with the rest of reality." Natasha pretended to examine a fingernail. "What's the price for restoring the city?"

"It would appear that I will have little magic left to do anything for myself," Loki guessed.

"So why do it?"

Loki looked up at Natasha. "You know why. Red in my ledger. Fixing the city is the price for my earlier transgressions."

She stared back, still not completely convinced. "Well if that's what you're really up to, I'll do everything in my power to help you-"

Loki's face lit up. "You will? Really?" a shadow of doubt passed over her face. "Why?"

Now it was Natasha's turn to shrug. "In part, to pay it forward. Helping you helps me."

"And the other part?"

She bit her lip a little. "I have to believe you can. If you can make up for all the things you did, then maybe so can I." She stared Loki in the face, waiting for her to laugh or scoff.

"Thank you," she said instead.

Natasha needed to move back to familiar territory. "But if I find out you're lying, that this is all part of some con, some scheme to gain our trust..." she shook her head. "I know some very interesting ways to kill a person, Loki. It's been a long time since I've used them, but I remember."

Loki nodded, swallowing.

Natasha stood, pushing the chair in. "After your appointment with Dr. Bryardie tomorrow, come see me. I'll be at Stark Tower, so Jarvis can tell you where I am."

"What for?" Loki asked apprehensively, the threat still fresh in her mind.

She smiled disarmingly. "Lessons," she said simply. "Oh and Loki, leave Thor alone for the time being. No means no, ponimayetye?" and she walked out the door, closing it and leaving Loki alone and confused.

"How does she do that?" Loki asked the empty room. There was no answer, so she used a tiny bit of magic to change her clothes into a comfortable shift, and crawled into bed.


Non Spoiler A/N: Oh my gosh, you guys, 752 hits in the first week? You make me feel popular! I'm so glad people are enjoying this story. I hope you'll like it even more as it progresses. Which leads me to…


SPOILERY AUTHOR'S NOTE:

To those of you who are very weirded out by the whole Thor/Femme Loki thing, I PROMISE you it is entirely unrequited and nothing will come of it. It exists for the purposes of plot conflict and comedy, nothing more. To those who were hoping for some ThorxLoki action (and I know you exist) my apologies, but it's not going to happen.

END SPOILERS