Loki stood and regarded me. I was still staring at the floor. I watched his feet turn away and step toward the door. When he reached the threshold, he paused for a beat. "Come" he said before he turned and disappeared around the corner. Fearing another outburst of pain, I reluctantly rose to my feet and shuffled after Loki.

In the hall, we passed a mirror and I looked at my reflection. It was easy to see that the band of metal could no longer be called a necklace, it was a collar. I dropped my gaze and kept moving.

Loki stopped at the door to the bedroom. I pushed any perverse thoughts from my head. I did not want to think of what the news stories always said. I took a deep breath and forced myself to walk through the door behind him. Inside there was a couch in a corner as well as the bed I had seen earlier.

I relaxed a bit when he indicated that the couch was mine. I sat carefully on the edge of the the couch while he stripped down to his tunic and pants. Then he looked expectantly at me. "You should sleep." He said. "Tomorrow will be a very important day for us all." I had no intention of sleeping. I lay on the couch and Loki extinguished the lamps.

I don't know how long it took for him to fall asleep. I lay silently in the dark till his breathing was slow and even. I rubbed my fingers over the engravings on the collar while I waited. Then, after I felt certain he was asleep, I quietly got up and tiptoed to the pantry. I had not eaten all day.

I filled my stomach with all sorts of foods. I gathered my skirt into a sort of basket and filled it with bread, dried meats, and fruit. I then deposited all of the food wrapped in a towel under a chair. The rest of the night was devoted to finding a way to remove the collar.

/

Loki found Elizabeth asleep in front of a mirror. She still held a short metal rod. Around her was strewn a kitchen knife, a pair of shears, a bloody towel, a half eaten loaf of bread, and the spell book opened to the necklace. Loki chuckled to himself, she hadn't even managed to scratch the collar. He nudged her with his toe to wake her.

/

Something poked me and I woke with a start. I opened my eyes to see Loki towering over me. Unconsciously, I scrambled a few inches back from him. "I see you were busy last night." He said, raising an eyebrow at me. "Tell me, do you see the truth of my words now?"

His grin made my blood boil in my clouded my thinking and I let all of my rage and frustration and terror take hold of me. I swung the rod I held at his smug face. Before it could connect with his jaw, he batted it away and sent the back of his hand stinging across my cheek.

I dropped to the floor and gingerly touched the skin that was undoubtedly already turning bright red. Tears welled in my eyes but I refused to give him the pleasure of seeing me cry. I forced the burning sensation to the back of my mind and looked up to meet his gaze.

/

Panting, Steve picked up another punching bag and hung it from the hooks. This was his fourth one this hour. He took a swing at the new bag and felt the contact thump satisfyingly up his arm. He was about to swing again when Stark appeared with a drink in his hand. "Aren't you tired yet?" Stark asked between sips of amber liquid. "You didn't sleep last night."

Steve turned to the man and gestured to the glass in his hand. "Aren't you drunk yet? You never seem to stop." Stark shrugged. "Only a little. It helps me think." Steve unwrapped his knuckles. In truth he was starting to feel a bit weary despite his enhanced abilities. He gathered his things and turned back to Stark.

/

Tony swirled his glass absently. Staring into the liquid, he willed himself to make a quip. Anything to avoid what he had come for. He regretted giving into his sudden whim to tell someone about his worries. Usually he would confide in Pepper, but she was away on business.

/

Steve watched Tony stare at his glass. "Stark, do you need something?" Tony looked startled for a moment. "No Cap, I don't." Steve knew Tony was trying to avoid what he had come for. "You know, if you want to say something, I'll listen."

/

Tony gulped down the rest of his drink. He willed himself to voice his thoughts. He chuckled inwardly. This was usually not a problem for him. "I just want to do something about Elizabeth. I built the suit so that I would never be helpless again but I also built it to fight back against people that take the lives of the weaker." The words came out in a rush. The raw feeling of them barely hidden under the aloof tone.

With his piece said, Tony's manner deflated and he suddenly looked very tired. Steve paused for a moment before speaking. "I want to help Elizabeth too. I joined the war to liberate the world. I saw people killed and tortured just for being thought lesser. I see Loki trying to do the same thing. He thinks we are all beneath him and he strives to control us."

The Captain took a deep breath before continuing. "The point is, the thought of an innocent trapped by Loki is painful to me as well. We know that S.H.I.E.L.D is working on a way to locate and capture Loki."

Tony looked at the super soldier. His manner had changed from one of sharing a mutual feeling to the cold, uncaring one of a trained soldier. Tony knew that this was a defense mechanism just as his flippant attitude is. Tony knew that the conversation was over. He turned and left to go get himself another drink.