A/N: I'm back! Exams are over, I'm just dealing with coursework now (eek). So hopefully regular updating will happen soon. Hopefully. Don't hold me to that, though.
Thank you for your fantastic reviews, as always. And goodness, where are all you lovely alerters coming from? I'm glad to see you're enjoying this!
Shall we continue?
Loki had dropped her back on the Helicarrier with a dry smile, vanishing before her parents could scream at him.
Though not before he took hold of her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. His eyes glittered with that familiar mischief, and then, he was gone.
She could still feel the imprint of his lips minutes later, when Fury was demanding to know what Loki had done with her and where she had been. The fact that she was dressed elegantly raised several pairs of eyebrows, and did nothing to dissipate the rumour that she was a kept woman. When her mother shakily asked if he had hurt her, it was with genuine gentleness that Eva replied in the negative, and she was relieved that she could tell the truth.
"No, he did not harm me," she assured them all quite calmly. "He is not always predisposed to violence, you know. There are occasions where he simply prefers to talk."
"And you come back dressed in that," Fury stated. Eva's brow arched.
"Yes, because this is my dress. This isn't an outfit he gave me; I did actually buy the dress, before Loki even turned up on Earth. So I'll thank you not to be so sarcastic, Nicholas. Besides, most of my clothing is back in New York, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel good wearing my own things again."
Annoyed, Eva left the room before Fury could call her back, people swerving to avoid her as she strode down the corridors, hardly caring for the looks people gave her.
Oh, she hadn't been lying in the least. This was more of a prison than Loki's quarters had been. At least in the Chrysler she had had her own suite where she could sit in privacy, do her own thing, perhaps even relax. Here, she was watched constantly, even when she seemed to be alone. Cameras followed her everywhere, documented her every move – and she had to admit it was a little insulting. She was able to handle Loki without SHIELD waiting for him to make an appearance and then aim guns at him. That was too obvious, and crude. Besides, most of the weaponry these days had mysteriously vanished, and what little remained were mere handguns which would only scratch the god, if at all. Nuclear weapons had strangely vanished (though quite honestly there were few countries who weren't secretly relieved at that – Eva's home nation being one of them) and for the moment wars all over the world had halted as the planet's focus was continuously on their new 'sovereign'.
"You know that if you returned to me of your free will then all this would stop," a soft voice sounded as she sat down on the bed in her assigned room, making her bite her lip. "You would not suffer SHIELD's obsession with observing you."
Eva laughed a quietly bitter laugh. "If you think I am coming back to you, you are sorely mistaken. You want me to be someone I have no intention of becoming, Loki. I am not the one to stand by your side. I'm not on your side. I stand with your opposition, as I always have done. Nights in your bed and evenings in your company haven't changed that, and they won't. Yet you refuse to accept that."
"Would you return to me for protection?" he asked, and his tone was strangely soft. "You know that if I let you go – if I were so inclined – and you returned to London, the public would go after you like a hound scenting blood. I am not a fool, Eva. I know perfectly well that the people think you come to me willingly. I know what they call you. But it will change, in time. They will see that I am the King this realm needs, and you its beloved Queen."
"Stop. Stop that." Eva turned on the bed to look at him, glaring, but he remained unmoved by her anger, only returning the gaze with habitual calm. "Stop insisting that I will be she. Why would I become consort to the man who has terrorised my family? I hold no deep love for you, Loki. You know that also. And I'm not about to enter into a political alliance with you. Not when I don't know the ins and outs of the games you play. You're going to reshape my home to your whims – the little politics I do know can hardly apply anymore. I'm a scholar, not a diplomat."
His laughter was quiet, and it was followed by a slight sigh as he paced around the bed to stand before her. Once more, she was reminded of his impressive height, and she tilted her head up to meet his eyes. His fingers curled under her chin, and his smile was disorientating.
"I want your word that you will leave my family alone," Eva said coldly. "Let my parents be, let my brother alone. Do not go after any of my extended family, either. My grandparents do not need the added stress; they're in their eighties, it could kill them."
"Ah, the couple whose anniversary you were celebrating? I remember." His eyes sparked with a rogue amusement, and he released her, moving away. "Whatever will they think of you now?"
That was cruel, even for him, and she fought to ignore the sting. Words. Just words. That's all they are. Nothing more.
"As long as they're alive and unharmed, I don't care," she replied. "They can think me the whore of Babylon, but if they're safe and well, I won't protest. Because, quite honestly, I'm starting to think the concubine moniker is probably accurate."
He laughed a little louder at that. "My dear Eva, you are no concubine. Consort, yes. But not concubine – "
"I am not your consort!" she screamed, finally snapping as she shot to her feet. "I am not your lady, I am not yours! I am me and my own! I am an ordinary woman with ordinary wants and an ordinary life! Why can you not see that?"
"Because your life is no longer ordinary, Eva. You cannot go back to the life you had. You are too well known and too often targeted. A return to the job of librarian would leave you too exposed. I cannot allow that."
"Allow? Allow? It is my life!"
"One that is at the centre of my rule. Therefore, it is your best interests for you to comply with my wishes."
Eva took a step towards him, but her legs suddenly buckled and her vision blurred. What…?
She collapsed in the next second, and Loki easily caught her limp figure. Frowning, Loki gently lifted her into his arms, and her head lolled against his chest as oblivion kept its grip on her. She did not seem to be injured, he noted. Exhaustion? Stress? Possibly.
Unable to resist baiting SHIELD even as his lover lay unconscious, the god walked out of the room and down the corridor to where he knew Fury would be. Predictably, shouts went up as the news spread and his face was observed, and he rolled his eyes as agents warned him, demanding he put down the civilian.
"She has fainted," Loki stated simply as the director appeared at the end of the passageway. "She is in need of medical attention – give her what she requires."
Fury eyed Loki, clearly deciding whether to go along with it or not, but he must have seen the sober sincerity of Loki's expression, because he gave the order for the agents to stand down.
"Escort him to medical," Fury ordered a few, bland, nameless agents, who barely glanced at Loki – but he could sense their uneasiness around him. Excellent. He always had relished the scent of their fear. He ignored the cries of dismayed parents and anxious brother, his focus entirely on the girl in his arms. Of course he was concerned for her, but he kept his face devoid of open sentiment. Not that the fools would be able to manipulate him using her. Tricking a trickster god was never a wise idea, and he'd only enjoy turning the tables.
He placed Eva carefully on the hospital bed, and the doctors took a good look at her. Loki vanished, though only from view. He was still in the room as they examined her, but he was well aware that his visible presence could prove a distraction, and he wanted to ensure that she received the best care available. Naturally, he could have taken her back to New York, but he rather liked sending SHIELD into a panic. And as he shifted to wait outside the room alongside her family – fully visible this time – the glares thrown his way by little Aidan were quite endearing, if a little amusing also. As if a little mortal boy could be a true threat to a god!
He shouldn't have been surprised when her father began to quietly ask him questions, fury barely suppressed.
"Why her?"
Loki's lips tilted in a languid smile, and he glanced towards the closed door.
"Because she was not afraid to defy me. Because she intrigues me. And because her grasp of my mother tongue is truly impressive, for a mortal. She will do well as my consort."
Anger flared in Daniel Manning's eyes, and his fists clenched as his jaw tensed.
"She won't do it. Not after what you've done to her."
"Ah, of course. The violation. What must you think of me?"
Horror was a deluge upon Eva's mother's face, and Loki cocked his head, eyes scrutinising the female.
"You think me a monster, Elise Manning?"
Her eyes widened upon his address, and Loki could see her throat convulse as she swallowed. Gathering courage. I could almost pity her.
"I do," she replied quietly, yet firmly enough for her unnerved demeanour that he was faintly surprised by it. "Any man who forces the unwilling is no human being." Her accent was soft yet undeniable; it was no wonder Eva was fluent in German.
"I am no human, Elise," Loki reminded her levelly. "I have lived considerably longer than your lifespan allows."
"That may be so, but you should act humanely. With a conscience," the female retorted, a spark of fire developing. "She is my daughter – treat her with care."
Loki smiled.
"As I see it, Elise Manning, I have never once left her without care. She was treated well in New York, as she was in Paris, and indeed London. I would not abuse my future queen so. Which is why I will no longer use your son against her. Neither will I target your family. I will let you alone, if you let me alone with her. She will want for nothing, I can assure you that. Eva will be quite safe."
"That's not good enough," Daniel growled. "Let her go."
"If I do, the public will be on her like a pack of dogs," Loki pointed out dryly. "Do you truly want to leave her unprotected, Manning? Do you?"
There was silence, and then Aidan spoke up, staring at Loki almost curiously.
"Do you promise?"
Loki hid his smile, for he saw the little boy's seriousness, and he walked over to him, crouching and looking up at his face.
"I give you my word," he said calmly. Aidan, to his credit, didn't look convinced, and Loki's expression softened.
"I was a boy of your age once. A long, long time ago. I know you worry for her. Do not. She will come to no harm." Loki gently took hold of Aidan's wrist – ignoring the warning given by Daniel – and placed a tiny gold serpent in the boy's palm. He closed Aidan's fingers over the trinket, giving the child one last look, and then the god rose to his feet.
It was then that Loki felt Eva's mind awaken, and he was in the room before the doctors could even emerge to tell the waiting family.
She did not look pleased to see him.
"What happened?" she asked him flatly. His lips twitched.
"I am glad to see your mind has not been addled," he remarked, coming over to stand by the bed. "You fainted, Eva. I simply brought you here to ensure that you were all right."
"It is a case of exhaustion and low blood sugar," the doctor explained concisely. "It would be better if you were to rest, Ms Manning."
Eva nodded as he recommended foods and fluids, and it was relief that her parents greeted her, Aidan jumping onto the bed and hugging her tightly. Eva kissed his forehead. It sent an odd pang through Loki's chest, but he dismissed it. Instead he merely inclined his head at her, his voice echoing in her mind. I will return. Do as the doctor orders you to.
He vanished, and Eva sighed.
"How are you feeling?" Elise asked, and with a soft smile, Eva turned her focus from the god to her mother, gently reassuring her.
"What's that, Aidan?" Eva enquired, noting the gold flash between his clenched fingers. Aidan opened his palm, and Eva blinked in surprise.
"Loki gave this to you?"
Her brother nodded, and her brow furrowed. She couldn't fathom why Loki would do that… but then, he was known for being unpredictable. Eva let it drop, but her mind still whirred with unanswered questions – questions that she wanted Loki to respond to. Wherever he'd gone to, she had no inkling, but it wouldn't have shocked her to find him terrorising Fury or back in New York. He was a supposed king, after all. He had matters of state – or indeed, realm – to attend to.
Drawn back into reality by her family, Eva threw herself into their company, smiling and laughing. Loki could wait. Time with her family was precious, and she intended to savour every moment she could have with them.
It was gut instinct that told her she had very few moments left.
Fury sat at his desk, files spread out over the work-surface. He was perusing one in particular – Eva's medical history. It was a fairly thin file; she was a healthy individual, with very few serious ailments. But it wasn't serious ailments that Fury was interested in.
It was the report made when she'd been brought back to SHIELD – in particular, the blood test results.
Fury scanned the lines of text once more, just as he'd done countless times before. Eva had been kept ignorant of their meaning, as had her family; indeed everyone was unaware save a few choice doctors and Fury himself. The director was not keen for Eva to find out the real reason for her fainting spell, particularly when it would have Loki snatching her back to New York in an instant (he was damn sure Loki had no idea of her condition thus far, a relief in itself).
And that was the last thing Fury wanted. Because if this new circumstance could provide SHIELD with leverage… It could give them the upper hand, and loosen Loki's hold on Earth.
Grimly, Fury shut the file, sighing.
Whatever the outcome, Eva would not be told yet.
And when she found out, SHIELD would do their damnedest to keep hold of her.
The longer Eva's pregnancy was kept from the father of the child, the better.
Because once the father discovered it…
Fury had no doubt that the life in Eva's womb had very probably sealed her fate.
A/N: ... I'll just leave that bombshell there.
Lightning xoxo