Jane didn't want to admit how nice it was being in Loki's arms like that. It was so soothing, and she felt herself calming down surprisingly quickly. The nightmare had been horrifying, but she couldn't actually remember what it was about. Just that it had made her skin crawl and her heart break and her temper flare. And most of all, she had been terrified. But here in Loki's arms, everything seemed okay again.
"I'm sorry," she said, once she had calmed down enough to speak.
"It's fine, really. Are you alright?"
"I think so," she said.
"I was actually coming here to invite you to breakfast with me, Thor, and my father. Would you like me to have a servant draw you a bath? You could freshen up, and then I can escort you to the dining hall."
"That would be great. It's a maze here! But I can do my own bath. Or shower. Where can I go?"
Loki gestured to the door in the corner of the room. He stood, reaching down to help her to her feet. He held onto her hand for a moment after she had stood up, then coughed and let go.
"If you need anything, just shout. I'll wait here for you," he said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
She found a pile of fluffy towels and an open shower. It felt so good to get out of her clothes. Everything had happened in a whirl the night before – one minute she was on Earth with Loki, the next she was seated at a feast on Asgard. And that horrible dream. So yes, stripping off those clothes felt great. And the warm water coursing over her body felt even better. She threw her head back, letting the water pour over her face, washing away any cares she had. Shampoo and conditioner that smelt like jasmine was on a little shelf next to her, and the body wash left her skin feeling silky. She stayed under the water for longer than she should have. She was not the type of person who wasted time. But here, she had few obligations. She was a guest. Of course she wanted to find out about so many things, and help Loki however she could. But none of that needed to happen right now. And so she indulged herself.
When she eventually stepped out, the towels were almost as much of a pleasure. She wrapped one around her hair, and the other round her torso. She felt ready to face the day. She was humming to herself when she stepped back into the bedroom. Loki was sat patiently on the bed, and she smiled at him. Next to him, a deep blue dress and robe was laid out.
"For me?" She felt no embarrassment this time about her scantily clad body. She was just so relaxed.
"But of course. I shall give you some privacy. I shall await you outside." He bowed slightly, before leaving the room. She sighed, her head cocked to one side, staring at the closed door he had just left through. Shaking herself slightly, she turned and began to dress herself.
Loki leant against the door, his head thrown back and eyes shut. As much as he had enjoyed watching Jane get flustered over him, he needed her to trust him if she was to fall for him. That was the ultimate goal, to have her emotionally, physically, mentally. To make her his. Then to destroy her, rip her apart, leave her as a mere shell. And all the while, Thor's own heart would be breaking. And Sif would be so angry. It would be delightful.
To make Jane trust him, he needed her to relax in his presence, rely on him to calm her and make her happy. But to influence emotions was to open himself up to what she was already feeling, and he had let his invasion go too far. Feeling her hands rub through her hair and across her body, slippery with soap, had almost been too much for him. He needed to restrain himself, and not open himself up to her sensations as much. It was a slippery slope if he began to be attracted to her. He could not afford that complication.
"What do you think?" she said, as she twirled for Loki. She hated impractical clothes, but here on Asgard, the flowing outfit felt right. And she loved the way it swished against her skin. It was so much lighter than jeans.
"It is better than that human garb, I must admit." He himself was back in Asgardian attire, but not his traditional green and silver ensemble. Instead, he had chosen a wine coloured robe, darker than the red his brother wore. It made his eyes twinkle.
"Shall we?"
Breakfast was a loud affair, and for the most part Jane sat quietly and listened, enjoying the food. Thor still held some angry feelings for Loki, and Odin didn't seem entirely trusting. But despite the tension this created, they all chatted easily, catching up on what had been going on.
"Well, many tasks await. Please excuse me," Odin finally said.
"For me as well." Thor followed his father out of the dining hall, leaving Jane and Loki alone.
"And you? What do you have on today?" Jane asked.
"I feel I should spend some time with my father's council. I have missed much over the last few months. It would serve me well to discover precisely what I have missed."
"Of course, that's fine."
"Will you be content on your own? Food will be prepared for you, and please, feel free to explore. If you need me, I shall spend most of the time three doors down the corridor from here."
"I'm sure I will find heaps to do. Asgard fascinates me!" Jane said, enthusiasm colouring her voice.
And so it was that Jane found herself in the streets outside the palace. They had hurried through the streets on their way to the palace, and she had been so focused on Loki that she had barely noticed anything. When she came with Thor, they had gone straight from the bifrost to the palace. So she relished the chance to see Asgard. She wore a hood, but doubted that anyone would recognise her. If they knew she was human, they would pay more attention. But she was quiet and slow, not causing anyone to give her a second glance.
She mulled over the words she had overheard Loki speaking earlier that day, after they had parted ways. She was on her way to Heimdall, to ask him about where she should go. The guardian of the bifröst and seer of all worlds should have a good idea of where she could spend the day. But outside his spherical post, she heard Loki's own voice.
"Please keep an eye on Jane? I have told her she may explore wherever she likes, but I wouldn't want her to get lost."
"Of course. She is safe, and should anything untoward happen, I shall alert you immediately. Though She is smart, that one. I believe she can look after herself."
Loki's concern had been touching, and she found herself smiling remembering it. It had also reminded her that Loki had a bifröst fragment to return. She would bring it up with him later. For now, she was enjoying her wandering.
Loki held his head in his hands, eyes pressed shut as he took deep and calming breaths. Others had only seen his longing for power, not hesitating to think about what he would do with it once it was in his grasp. And what he did was his absolute best to run things. There had only been so much he could do from Midgard, and so paperwork and appointments had piled up in his absence. And now he had to wade through it. On the surface, Asgard was an eternally smooth-running machine. But that calm facade took a vast amount of management, which he was now in charge of. Sure, the council did a lot, and the people who worked for them, and the ones that worked for them. The simple merchants helped. But it all needed his approval, his insight, his opinion. Well, Odin's, to be more precise.
It was stressful, that went without saying. But he loved it, loved turning a loose stack of proposals and invitations and inquiries into a neatly ordered, well managed pile. Nobody had considered that. Nobody had wondered if Loki would make a good leader. They simply assumed his lust for power could only have destructive ends. If they had thought about it, they would have realised his intelligence, cunning, and innovation was perfectly suited to being in charge. It was there reluctance to let him try that had led him to try drastic measures. And here he was, being two people at once, running a country, manipulating his brother and friends, and playing a pathetically insignificant human right into the palm of his hand.
"Loki, Heimdall wishes to see you," a servant interrupted his thought process.
"Why? What's happened?" He stood up swiftly, a frown creasing his forehead.
"I do not know sir, just that he requests your presence immediately," the servant said, looking terrified.
"Fine." Loki pushed past him, shoving open the door and almost running towards Heimdall's post. His thoughts were on Jane. What if something bad had happened to her? It was not that he cared for her, but she was the best way to hurt Thor. If something happened, it would ruin his plan.
"Heimdall, what happened?" He didn't waste time on courtesies.
"Jane is lost, and she has wandered into parts that would be best avoided, on the south side. I may not leave my post. Shall I send a guard to retrieve her?" he said.
"No, do not bother. I shall go myself." He did not trust a guard with her safety.
"Very well."
Loki left, hurrying to find her. The south side was a difficult area. Poverty was not a major concern on Asgard, but those of a lower class congregated there, preferring to live far away from the wealthy, strictly monitored centre. It was unlikely anything should happen to Jane, but he was not willing to take a risk with her.
He strode through the streets near the centre as himself – he felt it was a good decision to make himself visible. But once he approached the area Jane had wandered to, he cloaked his appearance. It would not serve him well to be noticed here. The people were more prone to violence. The worst he had received near his home was some frowns and judgemental looks. Here, if someone were to take a disliking to him, it could cause a fight that would be complicated to resolve. He closed his eyes when he was well within the southern side, and listened. Asgardians benefited from heightened senses, and he hoped to be able to hear Jane.
"Alright darling, don't stress. You're not from around here are you? Let me show you the way." Loki did not like the tone of the man's voice, and he felt anger rise in his chest when he heard Jane reply.
"No, it's okay. I can manage on my own. I'll just head back to the palace now actually."
"The palace huh? So you must be pretty important. I can see why. For a human, you are very attractive." Loki began to run in their direction, fury coursing through him as he heard Jane yelp in pain.
"Let me go," she exclaimed. He was running as fast as he could, his long legs striding through the streets. He reached into his cloak as he ran, pulling out a dagger. The man would pay for this.
Jane yelped in pain as the man grabbed her arm, pulling her up against him. He was tall and bulky, and incredibly strong. She struggled, yelling at him to let her go, but he just grinned down at her. She searched the street desperately for someone to help, but nobody was nearby.
Bringing up a knee against his groin wiped the smile from his face, but didn't seem to hurt him as much as she'd hoped. He frowned now, turning them around and slamming her back against the wall. She groaned at the pain shooting through her ribs, and pushed his body right up against her, one hand holding both her wrists, and the other now gripping her waist.
Loki felt a strange, animalistic noise escape his throat as he sprinted round the corner and found Jane pressed tightly against a wall by the man.
"Jane!" he shouted, and she whipped her head round to face him.
"Help, please!" she cried, and he realised she didn't recognise him. The man who had her pinned turned too, and sneered at him.
"I think it's best that you just leave us be. She gets a bit feisty sometimes. Needs reminding whose boss!" he winked, a smile replacing the sneer.
"Let her go. Now." Loki used his own voice, keeping it calm and quiet. Recognition lit up in Jane's eyes. He refrained from smiling at her, keeping a cool gaze on the man.
"Listen, I don't want trouble. Just leave us be, okay?" the man said.
"I said, let her go."
"No." Loki sighed, and let his illusion dissolve away. The man's eyes widened. Loki stepped towards them, bringing up the dagger he held.
"I am being deadly serious right now. Let the girl go, or I will make you wish you had never been born." His tone was still cool and quiet, but he knew he sounded deadly. The man shoved Jane towards him, and turned angrily away.
"Thank you," Loki said. He knew he shouldn't push it, he should just let it lie, but he was so furious. The man whirled round, bringing up his fist and swinging for Loki's jaw. He ducked, the blow glancing off his shoulder painlessly, and swung the dagger round, slicing through the man's upper arm. It was a shallow cut, but he knew it would sting. The man roared as blood dripped down his arm, anger flaring up in his eyes. Loki saw Jane crawling out of the way, and resolved to end this fight quickly. She looked like she was hurt.
"Leave now, and I will not harm you further." He offered. The man growled again, and swung a kick at Loki's leg, bringing his fist round to punch his stomach at the same time. Loki dodged both blows easily, punching the man in the throat, hard. He made sure to keep his cool composure. It would be foolish to allow his fury to cloud his judgement. And so he carefully placed three more punches, ending with the man on his knees, his dagger held against his neck.
"Walk away, while you still can," he said calmly. The man stayed on his knees, groaning softly, clutching at his throat behind the dagger. "Or maybe you already can't." He turned away, using one last kick to push the man over into the road. He lay there moaning to himself, but Loki's attention was no longer on him.
"Jane! Are you okay?" the fight had taken seconds, but he already regretted time wasted not helping her. He hurried over, and knelt beside her.
"It hurts," she gasped, clutching at her side.
"Where?" he unconsciously placed his hands over hers.
"My side. My ribs. I don't know!" she was clearly struggling to breathe.
"I'll take you back now. Please, can I?" he said, gesturing to pick her up. She nodded, a grimace on her face. He placed one hand under her knees and the other behind her shoulders, scooping her into his arms.
"You'll be okay, I promise."