~42nd Floor, Stark Tower 2,  Los Angeles, California, USA~

Day 2 on Earth.

Loki was dead asleep.  Well, he had been.  Until an odd whirring sound pulled him away from his blissful dreamless state.  If only one could close his ears much like he closed his eyes when sleeping.  What was that?  Was that … drilling?  

His mind was foggy.  He probably needed another ten solid hours of sleep.  Eyes still closed, he grinned despite feeling groggy because he was in a bed.  A lavish and soft, albeit sagging under his weight, real life bed.   Sighing happily, he roamed his hands across the silky smooth sheets.  He’d not slept on anything resembling a bed in three months.  That first month in desert isolation he’d slept on a stone floor.  The second two he’d been given a cot, too short for his long frame, with a thin blanket and no pillow.  Needless to say, this was more than a slight improvement.  This was, in a word, luxurious.

Opening his eyes slightly, he rubbed the sleep from them.  When his vision finally focused, he saw the dark drapes drawn across an entire wall.  Momentarily giddy, thinking they were his drapes in his chambers in the palace, he blinked rapidly before his mind cleared.

Oh right—He was in Stark’s tower in Los Angeles.  Forty-second floor.  In a bed.  With Sigyn.  He hummed with contentment and turned to face her, only to find her missing.  Odd.  Sitting upright, he eyed the spot she’d occupied, and running a hand through his hair, he yawned.  The sound that had awakened him must have been her moving about.

Tired as he was still, the urge to see her forced his tired limbs out of the bed, and he tugged his dark jeans up his legs.  Flexing his fingers, he grinned at the sight of green glowing at the tips, his magic renewed after some rest.  He grabbed the wrinkled dark green t-shirt from the floor that he’d discarded hours ago and pulled it over his head. Shuffling to a door within the bedroom, he pushed it open and poked his head inside.

“Sig?” he whispered, eyes sweeping across the dark(ish) room.  Taking up the majority of the space was a monstrous white bath that could have held Volstagg’s girth comfortably.  Nose wrinkling, he cringed at the thought of the rotund warrior in a tub.  He pushed the door further open and walked to the separate shower.  He scowled when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass door.  Blue eyes stared back at him.

Please change back.  Please.

Shaking off the sadness creeping into his bones, he touched a button on the digital panel.  Water rained down from one of two shower-heads, each a foot in diameter.  His lips formed an o, and he stepped back and shut the water off.  This was their lavatory?  Wow.  Sigyn and he could fit in this shower easily, with plenty of room for them to-

Oh for heaven’s sake—He rolled his eyes.  These pants were tight enough without growing hard as a damn rock.  Frowning, he ran a hand through his thoroughly tousled hair as he looked down at the fitted jeans.  He missed his clothes.  And everything else from home.  He was overjoyed to be with Sigyn once more, but he wanted to be with her in Asgard.  Midgard would do for now, but he already felt his patience wearing thin.  Scoffing, he shook his head.  Was he actually complaining?  Good gods, he was.  He was alive.  He had made love to the woman of his literal dreams just a few hours ago.  What was wrong with him?

Curiosity took over his mental whining (thank the Norns) and he opened a door to a dressing room that was devoid of clothes save for a few robes.  It wasn’t as large as his was back home, thankfully, since he was getting a bit miffed about the mere size of this place.  Scratching the back of his head, he wondered idly how much a floor in Stark Tower Two would go for.

Then that damn whirring sound started again and stopped a few seconds later.  The Hel was that?  Eyes narrowed, he left the bathroom and stepped into the hall, checking each room for her.

“Sig?  Love?”

The sound happened again, and Loki glared down the hall.  Alright.  This was becoming more than slightly irritating.  He followed the sound to one of the elevators.  Pushing the up and down buttons repeatedly, which did not light up as they had before, he growled impatiently and pried open the doors with his fingers.  He frowned at a set of large cables and wires, and holding on to the wall, he leaned over the edge.  The lift itself was at least ten floors down.

Hearing the concerned thoughts of someone above him (Oh shit!  Don’t look up here.  Please don’t look up!), he looked up and smirked at a woman dangling from the cables.  Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun, and she was clad in a long sleeved black shirt, skin tight black pants, and boots.  She had one of those pesky nearly microscopic cameras in her gloved hand.  His eyes narrowed at the sight, and she immediately scrambled through a vent clearly meant for the cooling system.

“I wouldn’t bother reattaching any of those devices,” he called out, his voice echoing within the elevator shaft.

Shaking his head, he laughed quietly.  He wouldn’t have thought Stark would replace the cameras that soon, but here was someone secretly installing new security measures only within hours of their (rightful) removal.  Did Stark really think that Loki wouldn’t notice the replacements?  Granted, it was very early in the day still, not even dawn yet, so it would’ve been logical to assume that he and Sigyn would still be asleep, especially after their combined exhaustion from interplanetary travel (not to mention the long overdue sex).

Letting the doors slam together behind him, he turned back into the living room and sat down gracelessly on one of the vinyl sofas.  He wanted, no, needed to find Sigyn, but the creeping of the woman through the vents above was impossible to ignore.  Looking at the ceiling, he rolled his eyes and wiggled his fingers, green sparks at the tips.  With a bit of magic, he need not jump to get the cameras she was inserting into the new holes she had drilled.  Just the tiniest bit of effort…

The resulting yelp directly above him hidden between the forty-second and forty-third floors was immensely gratifying.  He smirked.  Mischief was back.

“Did I not tell you it was pointless to install them again?” he shouted loud enough for her lesser human ears to hear.

Every move she made, he followed, chuckling at her little shrieks.  Oh come now.  He was barely zapping her yet she was behaving as though her fingers were on fire.  Speaking of fire, it dawned on him that he couldn’t feel Sigyn through the bond.  Why had he only just now realized that?  He’d felt her in Stark’s lab in Catalina, so why could he not feel her here?  Oh no.

Abandoning his pursuit of the agent’s handiwork, he rushed to the useless elevator, which clearly had been shut down by that insidious agent and pried the doors open once more, glaring at the cables.  He was certainly strong enough to climb them, but it would have been much easier and faster if that damn lift could have taken him up to Stark’s penthouse.  If that miscreant had done anything to her, Loki would kill him.  Not that he believed Stark would actually do anything to her.  Stark was considered a hero in this realm, after all, and had offered them sanctuary despite his rather biting words last night.  But Loki didn’t personally know the man well enough to be sure.

Dammit, if only he’d had more sleep, his magic would be strong enough to simply teleport to the top floor.  Just as he prepared to jump on the cables and ascend sixteen floors (gods damn, his muscles were not looking forward to this) he started at the voice of Jarvis.

“Pardon my intrusion sir, but I am obligated to ask your intentions.”

Trying to remain calm, Loki responded tightly. “I wish to see Sigyn, and since she is not in this condo,” he rolled his eyes at the ridiculous word, “I mean to ask your creator if he knows where I might find her.  Unfortunately, the elevator is not functioning properly, therefore my intentions were to climb up the cables.”

“Mr. Stark would not know where your girlfriend is because he is still asleep.  It is only five o’clock in the morning, sir.  I, however, know that she rose two hours ago and went to the forty-fourth floor to see Dr. Foster.”

Glaring at the ceiling, Loki swallowed back a myriad of angry words concerning Sigyn being called that asinine ‘girlfriend‘ word again and pinched the bridge of his nose, swearing under his breath.  Not only were the electronic properties of Jarvis’ voice giving him a headache, but his stomach was empty and growling angrily at him.  At least he knew that she was perfectly safe, and he need only ascend two floors now.

“You might find the stairwell to your right a simpler option than climbing the cables in the elevator shaft, sir,” Jarvis offered.

Jaw clenched, Loki let the doors go, and ran to the stairs.  He could have slapped himself for missing such an obvious solution.  Apparently his magic wasn’t the only thing that needed more rest.  His lack of brain power was positively shameful.  Ascending the steps three at a time, he opened the door to the forty-fourth floor and smiled at his surroundings.  Now this floor was much more to his liking.  Real wood, wrought iron, jade, aged brass and bronze, plush pillows and chaise lounges, candles, fur rugs.  It was much like Asgard, more specifically his chambers.  He would ask Dr. Foster for a switch immediately.

Spotting a pair of closed doors, flickering light shining from underneath it, he smiled and relaxed as Sigyn’s solace joined the relief already flowing through his veins knowing he’d found her.  The bond still worked, just not through the floors apparently—How odd.  Brow furrowed, he pursed his lips.  From what material had this tower been constructed?

Her teasing thoughts echoed in his earsーAh, my sleeping beauty has awakened.  Has he come for true love’s kiss?

Smirking, he walked to the doors, his bare feet silent on the hardwoodーOh, you know he only comes when he receives MORE than a kiss.

He heard her laugh out loud then, followed by Jane’s small voice saying, “What’s funny?”

Approaching the doors with silent steps, his smile grew at the sound of Sigyn’s throaty laughー’Tis a good thing indeed that Jarvis informed me of your whereabouts, Sig.  I was beginning to panic.  You might have left a note, love.

He could actually feel the roll of her eyesーI would have if I’d known the bond was not working properly, Loki.  We were able to feel each other from all over Asgard.  Why would it not work here?  Something is amiss in this tower.  I miss home.

As do I, Sig, and I’ll take us back as soon as I canーnodding, he swung the doors open abruptly.

“Fuck me!” Jane cried out, nearly falling off a barstool in what appeared to be a kitchen.

“I’m afraid that activity is reserved for the lady to your right alone, Dr. Foster.  Sorry to disappoint,” he crooned, suppressing a laugh at Jane’s near tumble, and turned to Sigyn who had merely raised an eyebrow and grinned upon his intrusion.

Jane ran a hand down her face, speaking through her hands, her words muffled. “It’s an expression of shock.  It’s not me requesting your services.  Good god.”

“I doubt most would call me a good god, Dr. Fos-“

“Oh do stop it, Loki,” Sigyn said, unable to stifle a small chuckle.

Winking, Loki walked to her, shoving her knees aside to step between them.  He could care less that Jane was watching them as Sigyn’s hands settled on his hips.  Nobody would keep him from his woman.  Nothing would.  Never again.  He would never leave her again.  The lack of strength in his arms would never fail him again.  He’d seen to that these last months.  Never again would two miserable feet of spear and weakened biceps rip him from her.

Running his fingers along the hem of the decidedly short shorts, he whispered, “What are these?”

Clearing her throat, Jane looked away (did he have to do that to Sigyn right in front of her?) and answered for Sigyn.

“She’s borrowing those from me, which I borrowed from Pepper, until the clothing stores downstairs open, and then we’ll buy some new stuff for her.  Obviously the clothes aren’t her size, but that robe she was wearing was a bit…. um…. see through.”

Loki sucked in his cheeks, his hands moving further up her thighs as he moved his mouth to her ear saying, “Those robes from the dressing room are sheer?” He smirked at her responding shiver and pulled back, raising his eyebrow.

Sigyn ignored the smug grin creeping across his face. “If I’d known I would be staying, Loki, I would have packed a change of clothes.  Lovely as Midgard is,” she winced at the ungrateful sarcasm seeping into her tone, “it isn’t my home, and I had every intention of bringing Jane back to Earth and returning immediately.  I told Sin I’d be back before dawn, and then I just-“

“Sin?  My Sin?” Loki asked, cupping her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.

She frowned, chewing her lower lip. “Well, technically he’s my Sin now.  I love that horse.”

Loki cocked his head, his earlier smile faltering. “You love my horse.  Sinir is my horse.  If I recall correctly, you have a horse of your own.  Moda was her name, yes?”

“Yes, but I sent her back to Vanaheim,” Sigyn replied, looking down at her hands. “She is now under the care of my sister Nanna.”

Loki couldn’t quite control the twitch of his lips. “Well, you’ll need to send for her.  When I return, Sinir will want his master.”

Sigyn’s jaw dropped a bit, and she met his eyes. “That tone’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

Uneasy with the direction of Loki and Sigyn’s conversation (were they really arguing over a horse?) Jane interrupted. “You hungry, Loki?  The fridge is stocked.  As is the wine cooler.”

She jumped off the stool and walked to a glass wood-paned cabinet to grab the wine stems.  Maybe alcohol would take the edge off.  So what if it was 5 am?  The sun wasn’t up yet, so technically, it wasn’t really day drinking.  Right?  Right.

Loki’s stomach growled in response, but he ignored the girl’s question.  Taking a seat, his long legs easily allowing his feet to lay flat on the deep sienna colored tiles, he sighed.  Maybe he was being a bit curt.

Softening his voice, he said, “Do not mistake my words, love.  I am glad you care for him, but Sig, you can’t just take him-“

“Yes, yes.  One horse.  One rider.  For life,” Sigyn snapped, cutting him off, “but what would you have had me do?  Should I have just let him go?  I didn’t see the harm.  You wouldn’t miss him.  I mean you were dead, after all.”

He winced at the word dead, and a painful wave of guilt crashed over her. “Oh, oh gods, Loki, I shouldn’t have said…. I didn’t mean…. I’m…. sorry.  I’m just tired.  Not that it excuses my words.  Not in the slightest.  I’m so sorry.”

She held her head in her hands, feeling awful.  How could she say something so callous to the man she loved?  The man she adored?  After a moment that felt like an eternity to her, he nodded once, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.  He was tired, too, and he didn’t want to argue over something so childish. 

Looking at the pair, Jane frowned.  Should she leave?  This was getting pretty personal.  Then again, they were in her kitchen.  Should she suggest they take it back to their floor?  That might seem rude considering they both looked like they were on the verge of tears.  Hopefully the wine would ease some of the tension that was steadily growing in the room.  Reaching across the island, Jane slid two full glasses to them silently.

Nodding her thanks, Sigyn savored the taste.  She hadn’t had wine in three months.  Loki hadn’t been there to transform the too sweet mead served at the palace meals, so she’d stuck with water.  If only she wasn’t so damned scared of the Vanaheim portal still, she would have traveled there just to bring back some of the finest red available.  Gazing at the dark bottle on the counter, she smiled.

“This is delicious, Dr. Foster,” she said, swirling the red liquid around her mouth before swallowing, relaxing as it traveled down into her stomach.

Jane rolled her eyes, and leaning forward, she spoke firmly. “I think you and I are beyond ‘Dr. Foster’ by now.  Sig, please call me Jane.”

Rather unsuccessfully, Loki attempted to control the narrowing of his eyes at Jane. “Sigyn.”

“What?” Jane licked her lips, frowning as she set her glass down.  What was his problem?

“You may call her Sig-yn,” he clarified, emphasizing both syllables.

Pulling a face, the small brunette turned to Sigyn who made her best ‘it’s not a big deal’ face and waved it off saying, “Only Loki has ever called me Sig.  I think it best we keep it that way.” She eyed Loki as he took another drink.

“Yes, it is best,” he agreed, not caring in the slightest how rude he was being to the little scientist.

Annoyed (um, possessive much?) Jane nodded.  Loki’s reaction to someone else riding his horse had been overly dramatic, too.  The guy had a serious jealous streak.  Ugh—Thank god Thor hadn’t been like that.  If he had been, she wouldn’t have given him a second look.  Well, that wasn’t true.  He was a sight to behold and definitely worth a second look.  And a third.  And many more looks.  God, those abs.  Shaking her head quickly, hoping to clear her mind of the lust flooding it, Jane refilled Sigyn’s glass after a moment.

“I don’t know anything about wine, but it’s good, huh?  Maybe a bit subtle-“

“No, it’s lovely,” Sigyn said with a smile. “It reminds me of the wine Loki concocted for me on several occasions.”

Sigyn nudged him with her shoulder, his responding wink making her heart race.  Had they just argued?  Over what?  A horse?  Looking at him now, she couldn’t care less.  She had to stop herself from climbing onto his lap right then.  Why were they sitting in Jane’s kitchen rather than destroying that bed two floors down?  Staring at Loki’s throat as he swallowed his drink was making it difficult to remember.  With great effort, she removed her eyes from his Adam’s apple and focused on how she’d ended up in Jane’s kitchen.

Right—She’d awoken utterly famished, had stumbled sleepily to their kitchen, and had discovered an empty icebox.  Then, she’d asked that Jarvis creature where she might find Jane since she was absolutely not going to beg Stark for food like a dog and had, thank the Norns, caught herself before exiting their floor completely nude.  Loki had ripped her only clothes to shreds in his hasty removal of them, but mercifully she’d found that robe in the lavatory dressing room and had ventured up to Jane’s floor through a stairwell she’d discovered.  Her scientist acquaintance had been gracious enough to supply her with the too short but otherwise comfortable white shorts and a crimson t-shirt that said ‘Harvard University‘ in white block letters across the chest and ‘veritas‘ across the shoulder blades.

Loki’s voice broke through her musings. “I’m a bit disappointed that you no longer need my magic.” When she furrowed her brow in confusion, he gestured to the wine bottle.

Leaning toward him, no more than an inch from his mouth, she whispered, “I will always need your magic.”

He leaned it to place a lingering but chaste kiss on her lips, but the moment her tongue grazed his lower lip, he pulled back a touch.

“Sweet words aren’t enough to earn my forgiveness,” he paused, putting a finger on her lips, “for stealing my horse.”

Feeling as though she’d been punched in the gut, Sigyn frowned.  Moment ruined.

“Sinir has been a living piece of you for me,” she said, voice shaking with emotion. “I needed him, Loki.  Especially after what happened to Fen.  I just couldn’t bear-“

“Wait,” Loki stopped her, feeling his stomach drop. “What happened to Fen?”

He choked on the last word, tears filling his eyes.  Not Fenrir.  No, please.  Not his wolf.  Not his trusted companion who had helped him save her in Vanaheim and had been with him since he was nothing but a wolf pup.  Loki couldn’t stand any further heartbreak.  Please not Fen.

Shoulders slumping, Sigyn only looked down and shook her head.  She couldn’t face the pain in his eyes.  One tear fell down his cheek, which he swiped away angrily, his bottom lip barely quivering.

“Right,” he said, blowing out a hot breath.

After a moment, she whispered, “Loki-“

“I am going to end Thor,” he said through his teeth, punctuating each word, staring at the glass in his hand.

She paused, a bit stunned by his response.  After all, Thor had had nothing to do with Fenrir’s death.  The battle in the palace had been out of her would-be brother’s hands.  Searching Loki’s face, she chose her words carefully.

“I understand your anger.  Truly I do, but I do not think that is the solution.  I’ve spent these last three months with him, hating him, wanting him dead for taking you from me, but not only is he your brother-“

“He is not my brother,” Loki spat, crushing his glass in his grip, red blood mixing with the wine on the island’s surface.

Eyes wide, Jane searched for a towel and threw it at him, afraid to get too close.  Loki may have been beautiful, but he was proving himself to be dangerous.  Extremely dangerous.  Loki wrapped his hand with it, hissing at the slight pain as Sigyn blew out a nervous breath.

“In every way other than blood he is, and furthermore, he is your mother’s son.  Do you wish to take him away from her?  I’ve seen her, Loki.  I’ve seen her without you.  You cannot imagine her grief.”

Incredulous, his mouth fell open. “You think I don’t know what grief is?  What torture is?  Sigyn-“

“Don’t you dare ‘Sigyn‘ me,” she said, cutting him off. “You and I cannot fathom the loss of one’s child.”

“That may well be, but he is a murderer,” Loki countered, fresh blood soaking the towel around his hand from squeezing his fist too tightly.

“As am I,” she said, trying to control the shaking of her voice. “As are you.  Both of us.  Many times over.  The blood on our hands alone is enough to fill the Eternal Sea.”

Increasingly angry by the second, a deep frown creasing his forehead, Loki shook his head rapidly. “That’s hardly…. that’s entirely different, Sig, and you damn well know it.”

“Oh do I?  Do you?” Tears clouded her vision.  Gods, he just wouldn’t budge on the matter, would he? “Loki, surely you don’t believe Thor is guilty of more sins than-“

“Absolutely I do, Sigyn,” he said, jaw clenched.

Glaring, she inclined her head. “Self-righteousness is a nasty shade on you.”

Slamming his fist on the marble, he shouted, “ENOUGH!”

Sigyn’s mouth snapped shut, and Loki groaned, frustrated with himself for raising his voice at her like some brute.  This was a woman for whom he would die a thousand deaths at least, and yet she was positively infuriating.  Infuriating because every single word she spoke held the wisdom of one thousands of years her senior.  He wanted to scream at her that Thor deserved no less than execution for his actions.  Didn’t he?  Even if Fenrir’s death had not been directly Thor’s fault, still, who the fuck would break the bifrost?  Had he not killed Gylfi and his entire regiment with that absurd action?

Running a hand through his hair, Loki sighed.  Sigyn was right.  He may have despised Thor, for now, but he adored Frigga, and killing her son (he never would, not really…. he was all hot air) would effectively destroy Loki’s relationship with his beloved mother.  But outside of his relationship with Frigga, was Sigyn truly right?  About the blood on their own hands?  Were their crimes any less than Thor’s?  She’d had three months to work through the events, and subsequently, her emotions.  Loki, on the other hand, had had one month of pure torture followed by two months of mental, magical, and physical training, none of which allowed him to sort through the rage toward his brother (stop calling him that!) and the dolt’s idiotic and positively disastrous actions that day.

Not wanting to think on it any longer, he shook his head, and grabbing Sigyn’s chin with his good hand, he pulled her mouth to his in a deep kiss which she returned with fervor.  He didn’t understand it.  He was angry with her.  No—with himself.  With Thor.  With everyone and everything.  He just wanted to forget.  Forget his anger and kiss her until he couldn’t breathe anymore.  Let all his blood drain from his overthinking brain and travel somewhere far more pleasant.  He just wanted to lose himself inside of her.

Beyond uncomfortable at this point, Jane took a swig of her wine and said, “I think I’ll finish this in my room.” She disappeared around the corner.  Sigyn and Loki had clearly forgotten her presence.  She doubted they would give a damn about her absence.

Sigyn felt every ounce of Loki’s pain in his kiss.  Grief. Confusion. Guilt. Shame. Regret.  She knew he wasn’t ready to talk about the happenings of the last three months.  And he was clearly done discussing Thor.  Fine—That was perfectly fine.  If the only thing he wanted was a kiss, so be it.  Anything she could do to dampen the effects of that pain, be it a kiss, a hug, a word, a look, an ear, a night or an afternoon or a morning or, Hel, an entire day in the bedroom, she would do it.  He needed it, and honestly, she needed it too.

She loved him even more (how the Hel was that possible?) than before he’d fallen.  The love that had shattered her during the past three months was now healing her, healing him.  It mattered not the hurt that surely lay ahead.  How could she care of the heartbreak in her future when she didn’t even have control of it?  For heaven’s sake, half her heart, no, not half but the whole damn thing, was walking around in the care of someone else.  It had been all along.  And despite the pain of it all, she would do it all over again.  Loki was worth it.  He was worth all of it.

Worth—That horrible word that seemed to plague him echoed through her mind as his tongue plunged expertly into her mouth again and again, his hands tangling in her hair.  How ironic that he’d been trying to prove his worth for centuries.  Trying desperately to be as worthy as Thor.  Worthy of what?  That damn hammer?  Of his father’s love?  Of Asgard?  Of the throne?  Of the name Odinson?  Oh that Loki could see it.  See how truly worthy he was.  How unfathomably priceless.  How indescribably precious.  Just as he was.  Right then and there.  No princely garb.  No regal airs.  No heroics.  Just Loki.  Broken, beaten, betrayed, and utterly, utterly beautiful Loki.  If anyone had worth in spades, it was him.

He was the first to pull away, and she couldn’t help the slight pout of her lips.  She’d hoped that kiss would progress into something else, but she pulled her fingers back from the button on his pants and put on a smile despite her disappointment.  They were right in the middle of Jane’s kitchen, after all.  Not the most appropriate place for such activities.  Catching his breath, he tapped the island twice.

“I like this floor more.  A switch is in order,” he said brightly, as though he hadn’t just had an emotional breakdown two seconds ago.  He called out to Jane. “Dr. Foster?”

Jane snuck her head around her door as though afraid to see what was transpiring between Loki and Sigyn. “Yeah?”

“Do come out.  You needn’t shield your eyes,” Loki chuckled as she opened the door entirely, her empty wine glass in hand.

“I suppose I could use a refill,” she said, relieved.

---

Soaking in the near scalding water of the clawfoot tub on their new forty-fourth floor, Loki licked his finger and turned the next page of the first edition 1922 copy of James Joyce’s Ulysses.  It had been three hours since Sigyn had left grumpily to go to the clothing stores downstairs with Jane and Pepper.  He chuckled at the memory of the adorable scowl she’d worn when she’d waved goodbye to him.  She’d looked positively miserable.  That is, her expression had looked miserable.  The rest of her had looked anything but.

Sigyn had borrowed a few of Pepper’s clothes for the excursion, and if those garments were indicative of the rest of that woman’s wardrobe, Loki had to admit that he was impressed—Ms. Potts had style.  The top three buttons of the snug white shirt she’d been given were open, exposing a generous (though not tactless) amount of skin, and he’d gawked, completely shameless, at the black pencil skirt (interesting terminology) that had hugged Sigyn’s hips and thighs like she’d been sewn into it.  Gods, it had been short, too, the hem just above her knees.  And then there were the shoes—The. Shoes.  Black leather, with pointed toes and stick thin heels that had to have been four inches in length, these shoes that were probably akin to torture devices lengthened her toned legs and lifted the curve of her already marvelous backside.  Dear gods.  He’d definitely drooled a bit.  Was that really what human women wore?

Bless them.

The elevator dinged then, and he smirked at the clack clack clack of those little black heels (stilettos, apparently).  Her exasperation, apparent by the huffing sounds coming from the other room, invaded his prior contentment, and he sighed.  Poor Sig.  It must not have been a pleasant morning for her.

Shocking.

Setting aside the book, he reached down and pulled out the drain.  Steam rose from his skin as he stood and wrapped a white towel around his waist.  He walked down the hall, finger combing his hair, leaving little puddles of water with every step.  Poking his head around the corner, he found Sigyn with her head in the icebox, grumbling about there being no apples but only citrus fruits.  Stepping quietly behind her, he grabbed her hips, pulling her back into him.

“Ahh!” she shrieked and spun in his grasp ready to smack him for scaring her but stopped short, unable to suppress a whisper of ‘fuck‘ as she looked him up and down.

Smirk on his face, he put his mouth to her ear. “Was that a request?”

Oh Valhalla.  Just look at him.  She caught herself before blurting out ‘yes, please.’  Thanks to that shopping excursion, they had run out of time.

“Stark wanted answers by midday,” she sighed, fiddling with his towel, “which I believe has come since that maddeningly bright star of theirs is directly overhead.”

“Fuck Stark,” Loki breathed, kissing her neck.

“Um, no thank you,” she replied, clearing her throat.

Laugh rumbling in his chest, he pulled away. “I most certainly did not mean-“

“I know what you meant, you stunningly gorgeous man,” she said, her hand wrapping around his neck and bringing him down for a kiss.  Just as he attempted to deepen it, she pulled back, and Loki scowled, trying to follow her mouth as she gestured to the bags on the counter.

“You’d better see if those fit.  I think the sizing system here is deliberately meant to confuse.  Apparently I am a small, sometimes medium, and a four, sometimes a six, sometimes an eight, and a 34B, whatever that means.  I do not understand how I can be all those things at once.” She threw her hands up, putting a great deal of effort into not screaming ‘I want to go home!’ as a child might. 

Pointing to the bags Loki was rummaging through, she grumbled, “I haven’t a clue what you are.  I had to ask Jane for help.  Which was incredibly awkward, by the way, to have her guessing which trousers would fit you.”

Nodding in agreement (yes, that was probably extremely weird), he paused, an eyebrow quirked at black lace peaking out of a cinched bag.  Opening the bag, he pulled out something (was this a garment?) an impish grin spreading across his face as he dangled one of its flimsy little straps from his forefinger.

“Pray tell, Sig, what is this?”

She scratched the back of her head, lips in a straight line. “It’s called a bra.”

Loki smirked at the lacy little thing before looking back to her, and his eyebrows raised slightly at the expression on her face.  Was his fearless little lover actually blushing?  He’d not seen a proper blush on her since their experiment with his double.  How interesting.

“I require you to put this on at once, Sig.  It is absolutely imperative.”

Looking out the window again, she scowled at the midday brightness.  She knew where this was going, and they didn’t have time to do it.  Did they?  Stark deserved his answers in a timely manner.  After all, he was the one providing them with a luxury home during what would hopefully be a relatively short stay, and they hadn’t exactly behaved gratefully.  She then looked back at the tall towel clad raven haired flawless man standing not four feet from her, his head cocked to the side, grinning crookedly, and oh if he wasn’t just temptation personified in all his glistening fair skinned glory.

Stark would have to wait.

Removing her shirt, she unhooked the nude colored bra she’d been wearing as Loki tossed her the black one.  Once she’d fastened the pesky clasps at the back, she crossed her arms suddenly shy.  Good gods, why was she shy?  It was nothing he hadn’t seen hundreds of times.  Okay, maybe not the bra, but certainly he’d seen what was underneath it.

Loki’s tongue darted between his lips as he sauntered toward her, clearly admiring the view.  Her breath hitched when he reached up to fiddle with the lace at the top.  She bit her lip, her abdomen twisting in a pleasurable knot as his fingers grazed the underside of the fabric.  Running a hand through his still wet hair, he then placed his hands on his hips.

“I must say I can’t see any practical purpose for such a garment, but it is most entertaining for me.” He then grabbed her by the waist, and hoisted her onto the counter.  With a good bit of effort, because it was so damned tight, he pushed her skirt up her thighs.  She kicked off her shoes, and he caught them before they fell to the floor.  He clucked his tongue and shook his head, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“These stay on,” he whispered against her ear as he replaced them. “They are just,” he paused, nipping the skin below her ear, “sexy as Hel.”

Leaning her head to the side to give him more access to her neck, she moaned, loving the way the word sexy rolled off his tongue.  She’d never heard him say that.  She wanted to hear him say it again.

Her hands tangling in his hair, she responded weakly, “Alright….” she trailed off as he gripped her hips, pulling her to him.  Sliding that little swath of fabric she’d been wearing underneath her skirt down her legs and over those lovely black heels, he let his towel drop.

---

Loki rolled his eyes at the sight of Sigyn swiping a soapy sponge across the black countertop as he pulled a dark grey cashmere sweater with elbow length sleeves over his head and zipped the fly of his new jeans.  He knew she felt guilty about what had just occurred on its glossy surface and wanted to wash away any evidence of it, but come now, this was just silly.  The future queen of Asgard was scrubbing in the kitchen like a scullery maid—Ridiculous.

He turned to open the icebox, his brow furrowing in confusion at the assortment of beverages.  Shrugging, he grabbed a bottle filled with dark liquid and twisted off the cap.  He took a sip and nodded at the rather pleasant taste.  Stepping back around the island, he watched her throw the sponge in the sink.

“I think you scoured it hard enough to scratch Stark’s precious marble,” Loki said with the bottle at his lips.  He then squinted, looking more closely at the counter and ran his fingertips along the surface. “Oh you did scratch the marble.  Well done,” he laughed, scooting away as she kicked at his shin playfully. “Come now, Sig.  You know very well that we don’t have the same issues as the humans.  So many diseases-“

“Stop,” she groaned, cutting him off and running a hand down her face. “I do not wish to talk of such crass things.” She leaned back against the counter, arms crossed.

Puppy dog eyes in place, he frowned. “Forgive me?”

Rolling her eyes (he had her absolutely wrapped) she kissed his cheek and swiped his drink.  She puckered her lips and made a face.

“I think I’ll stick with wine.  Now,” she paused pulling him to the barstools and sat, “we must speak before we see Stark.”

Loki placed his finger over her mouthーNot aloud, love.

Sigyn noddedーOf course.  How did you get here?  And don’t say you used the cube.  I’m not in the mood, nor do we have time for your litte quips.

He rolled his eyesーSigyn…

Do NOT call me that.  You sound so patronizing andー

STOPーhe snapped, his eyes narrowingーThis is not an enjoyable subject for me to discuss.  It’s hardly something I could jest over.

Heat flooded her cheeks.  He was right.  Of all times to scold him, this was not the time.  She dropped her eyesーI’m sorry.  

He ran his thumb across her cheek and kissed her foreheadーThere’s nothing for which you need apologize.  I shouldn’t have snapped, love.  I’m just uneasy thinking about all of this.

Closing his eyes, he sighed heavilyーI traveled through the cube by the power of the person whoーhe paused, hating that the next word would hurt herーtortured me.  I was never given his name, only that I would learn it once I’d accomplished my task.

She held back tears.  She’d guessed that he’d been tortured, but hearing him give truth to it was an entirely different thing.  Deciding it best to not interrupt with some absurd revenge plan or whatever other ridiculous idea she might concoct in her anger toward the monster that had broken him, she kept her thoughts quiet as he continued.

He continued, undeterred by the look on her faceーMy mission is to either learn of the human defenses surrounding the cube and report back, or even better for the one who sent me, I am to steal it and bring it to him.

She didn’t realize she was gaping at him.  He was working for the being who had tortured him?

Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, Loki used one finger to push her jaw back upーYou don’t think I would actually DO any of that do you?

He didn’t wait for her responseーI said I would do it only to escape that dreadful place.  I will not do his bidding.  Fret not, Sig.  I’ve not gone mad.

Relaxing a bit, she squared her shouldersーWhat IS your plan then?  You can’t just snatch it up from the humans when you know not where they’ve hidden it and take it to Asgard.  I’m assuming here, but you do want it in the vault, yes?

He noddedーOf course it belongs in the vault, but I can’t get it there until I learn how to wield the cube.  I intend to gain the trust of the humans, though Tony Stark is making it quite difficult to behave myself.  One draws bees with honey, not vinegar.  Dr. Selvig and Dr. Foster have extensive knowledge due to their research in New Mexico before Thor appeared.  Perhaps with our combined magic and their knowledge, we might create something akin to the bifrost?  It sounds absurd, yes, but I think it’s a better plan than attempting to wield an infinity gem.  I’m not powerful enough yet.  We absolutely must align ourselves with the humans.  If he comes after me, we’ll need an army prepared to defend this world and keep the cube out of his hands.  Not to mention, I wouldn’t mind some protection of my own.  Just as a precaution.

She quirked an eyebrow as he took a deep breath, much as if he’d been speaking aloudーYou said something that I think is worth revisiting.  Why do you need to learn to wield the cube?

Loki cocked his head, a bit baffled that a woman of her intelligence needed to askーI should think that was fairly obvious, Sig.

They needed to return to Asgard, did they not?  The cube would only be safe from his torturer if it was in the vault.  Not to mention, he would only be safe in Asgard with the cube locked away.  And unless the bifrost had been repaired, they were quite stranded in this little world.  Wait a minute.

He tilted his head sidewaysーHas the bifrost been repaired?

Shaking her head rapidly, she propped her chin on her knucklesーNo, and Heimdall is blind actually, but that is an entirely different story.

Loki’s jaw droppedーHeimdall is BLIND?  How?

She sighed, smoothing his hair behind his earーIn the observatory when the Jotun struck him in his face.

Loki fumed.  He’d never been close with the gatekeeper, but the idea of his one purpose, his sight, just gone was so absurdly cruel that he wanted to rip apart every piece of furniture in this lovely kitchen.

She stroked his hand with her thumbーCalm yourself, Loki.

Nodding, he squared his shoulders, his eyes wide suddenlyーIf the bifrost has not been repaired ーhe couldn’t believe that he’d forgotten to ask her thisー then how did YOU get here?

Sigyn burst out laughing then, the sound nearly knocking him off his chair.  He certainly hadn’t expected her to react like that.

Attempting to control the shaking of her shoulders, she gaped at himーHave you clean forgotten?

Loki shook his head, beyond confusedーForgotten what?

Grabbing his face, she kissed him square on the mouth, happy as could be, and pulling away, she smiled wideーI used the portal YOU found in Silver Lake, you daft man!  I searched your journals for a month hoping to find a portal to Midgard to bring poor Jane back.

It took him a moment to grasp her words, and when he did, he could have slapped himself for his own idiocy.  By Odin, the portal!  He could have wept with joy.  Of course, he still needed to find where Stark had hidden the cube, naturally, and that would mean proving his trustworthiness to these people.  He didn’t know how long that would take.  Hopefully, no more than a week, maybe two.  Once he knew where it was located, he would use his magic, and Sig’s, to steal the blasted thing and return home.  His torturer wouldn’t be able to harm Midgard or any realm.  All would be right as rain.

Rain.

Storms.

Thunder.

He paused, a deep frown furrowing his brow as Thor’s face flashed across his vision.  No.  He would think of Thor later.  That relationship was not as easy as ‘he is dead to me’ like he’d thought it was.  Not now, after Sig had reminded him of what killing him would do to his mother.  That, and Loki just couldn’t fathom a universe without him.  Could he?  Shit, he didn’t know.

Gods, shut up!—Letting all thoughts of Thor drift away, with both hands, he grabbed Sigyn’s face. “Sig, you’re brilliant!”

Eyes narrowed, she pursed her lips. “Surely you are not just now discovering that?”

Smiling hugely, he put his forehead on hers.  He tilted his face, lips very nearly to hers when the electronic voice of Tony Stark filled their kitchen.  Glaring at the ceiling, he pulled away. 

“Good afternoon, my little extraterrestrial love bugs,” Tony greeted them.

“Is that you, Jarvis?” Loki said, feigning shock, his hand on his chest. “Oh dear.  What ever happened to your voice?  Forgive me for saying so, but I think it’s quite a downgrade in your software.”

He smiled, winking at Sigyn as she chuckled quietly.  She was impressed that he knew the word software at all.

“Ooooh, sassy Loki is still sassy after his nap,” Tony deadpanned.

Taking another swig of his beer, Loki smirked, somewhat amused.  He could appreciate Stark’s wit a bit more now that he knew they had an easy route home.

Tony cleared his throat. “I decided to forgive you for accidentally destroying my house-“

“Excellent news, indeed,” Loki interrupted.

“-and then you ripped up my walls.”

“Oops.” Loki grinned.

“Yeah, oops.  I don’t recall you even saying thank you for your free housing.  Not to mention I now have to replace that counter.”

Brow furrowed in confusion, Sigyn turned to look at the counter behind her.  What ever is he talkingーher thoughts came to an abrupt halt, eyes wide.

“Oh gods,” she said under her breath and laid her head in her hands, mortified.  She hadn’t considered the security measures that Stark had installed on this floor.

Loki pursed his lips, risking a smirk at her. “Well, I hope it was most inspiring, Stark.”

You think him seeing us have sex is funny?!ーshe slapped at his shoulder, just missing as he moved out of the way laughing out loud.

“You may be surprised to know this, but not everyone wants to see your ass, Loki,” Tony said.

“You certainly didn’t have to watch,” Loki pointed out.

“You think I watched?  How sick do you think I am?  Don’t answer that.  No, I overheard one of the security guards talking about it…. ick…. ugh…. no.... whatever.  Change of subject.”

“Thank you!” Sigyn shouted, struggling against Loki as he pinned her arms at her side.  I swear I’ll turn your hands into toast if you don’t let goーshe glared at him.

Stop trying to slap me, and I willーhe laughed and kissed her, unable to help himself because she was just so damned tempting when she was angry.

“Ow!”he yelped and let go abruptly, blowing cool breath on his now burnt fingers.

You had fair warningーshe shrugged, smirking as he gaped at her.

You’ll pay for that, womanーeyes narrowing, he smirked right back.

Eyes wide, she put a hand to her throatーOoh, I’m shaking in my stilettos.

They laughed then as Tony’s voice interrupted their silent words. “By the way, Alice, you look great in Pep’s clothes.”

“Enough with the Alice shit,” Loki groaned, running a hand down his face.

“Fine fine fine.  I’ll ease up on the nicknames, Mister Rabbit.  If anyone has a reason to be genuinely upset, though, it’s me.  And not just because I really have been generous with my time.  Believe me.  Come on upstairs.  There are a few guys up here you need to meet.”

“Can’t wait,” Loki muttered, rolling his eyes, strolling to the elevator, Sigyn trailing him.

Arriving at the top floor, they walked in to find not only Tony but Coulson, Jane, Erik, Pepper and two other men.  Tony greeted them with a smile, all teeth.  Though it seemed to Loki that the man’s irritation wasn’t aimed at him or Sigyn.  Maybe it hadn’t been all along.  Maybe Loki had misinterpreted the famous billionaire’s ire?  No, it was clear that Stark had been in the midst of something much bigger and far more unpleasant than just a blown up house to anger him prior to Loki and Sigyn’s arrival, which to be fair, was a valid enough reason to be angry.

“Loki and Sigyn,” Tony nodded to them and then gestured to the men they didn’t recognize, “meet Nick Fury and Steve Rogers.”

FEARLESS CONTINUES IN CHAPTER THREE: INTERLUDE IN ASGARD (ENDLESS GRIEF)

Visit the Trilogy main page HERE.

Chapter links: ¹ You’ll Have Answers Later ² Talk Some Sense to Me, Sig. ³ Interlude in Asgard (Endless Grief) ⁴ Wild Magic (It’s All We Have) ⁵ Heat is My Specialty (What is Blue For) ⁶ Storms Pass, Loki. ⁷ Trust Me, I’ve Got This. ⁸ A Heavy Gift ⁹ Sick and Tired ¹⁰ Hold On, We’re Going Home (Green Is for Life Part 2) ¹¹ Home is Chaos ¹² Looks That Kill ¹³ Living Ghosts ¹⁴ No Rules (Tick Tock) ¹⁵ The Calm ¹⁶ The Storm

Chapter 17 Coming October 2021

CHAPTER TWO THEME SONG:

“Lavender Fields” by Marlene

What Readers Have Said

About CH 2 “Talk Some Sense to Me, Sig.”

“I’m so excited for Cap and Fury now! Great chapter, you can really tell how many times you edited. It reads wonderfully!”

-RomanticObsession, on CH 2 “Talk Some Sense to Me, Sig.”, 20 Oct 2017 (AO3)

“Oh, I can’t wait until the next chapter. I can’t begin to tell you how much I am loving this.”

-Ferbette, on CH 2 “Talk Some Sense to Me, Sig.”, 28 Nov 2017 (AO3)

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