Chapter 4
Maggie managed to resist the childish impulse to slam the office door. As she walked down the corridor to the elevator, her thoughts were awhirl.
She’d been used as a lab experiment to see if a pocket dimension could be created.
She’d created said pocket, and made a library out of it.
Her library had been found by a god straight out of Norse mythology.
That god knew her more intimately than anyone else ever had.
Both the library and the Norse god were real, not the dream she had thought them to be..
Real. The library was real. Loki was real.
He was real.
“Excuse me?”
Maggie skidded to a stop and nearly tripped over her own feet. Blocking the corridor were the book-reading young man from the elevator, the would-be waitress – Darcy – and Jane Foster. “Sorry,” Maggie immediately apologized, “I wasn’t watching where I was going.” She looked for an opening to get past them but found none. “If you’ll excuse me…”
“I’m sorry, but I need to speak with you,” Jane said, dark eyes intent.
“Look, Ms. Foster..”
“Doctor Foster,” Darcy interrupted. At the quelling look from Jane, Darcy defended herself, “What? You are a doctor.”
“Fine, then, Doctor,” Maggie looked at Darcy as she said it before turning back to Jane, “Foster, I don’t know…”
“Please, Miss…” Jane trailed off, waiting for Maggie to introduce herself.
Maggie sighed. She wouldn’t be getting away from this trio any time soon if she didn’t at least appear to cooperate, and she needed to be alone. She needed to sort through it all. One word kept repeating over and over in her head: real.
Real. The library was real. Loki was real.
“Sullivan,” Maggie supplied, “Maggie Sullivan.”
“How Irish,” Darcy commented.
Maggie ignored her, though her lips twitched at the sideways glare that Jane gave Darcy before turning back to her. “Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sullivan,” she said, extending her hand.
Maggie shook it once before letting go. “Is there somewhere we can go to talk more privately?” she asked, silently adding, ‘so I can get this over with.’
“I do have access to a lab, though it’s really Erik’s lab,” Jane said, and proceeded to head down the corridor. Maggie followed a step behind her, while Darcy and book-reader brought up the rear, their dark heads close together in conversation. Maggie heard her name from him in a hushed whisper and from Darcy in a not-so-hushed whisper.
Maggie lengthened her stride so she was even with Jane’s quicker pace. “Dr. Barstad mentioned why you want to speak with me.”
Jane’s step faltered for a moment before she caught herself. “Did she?”
Maggie nodded. “She did, but I don’t know if I can help you.”
Jane stopped, turning to look up at Maggie. “She said you’d seen Loki in this pocket dimension...”
Maggie felt a blush creep up her neck. Seen, touched…Maggie halted that line of thought dead. She couldn’t speak but nodded instead.
“Then you can take me there,” she said confidently, “or teach me how to do it.” She resumed walking down the hallway, and stopped in front of the elevator. She jabbed the Up button several times. “You have to.”
One dark brow rose. “Have to?” Maggie repeated. “I don’t have to do anything, Doctor Foster.” The elevator doors slid open then, and Maggie stepped into the elevator. Jane hurried in behind her, and the doors slid shut before Darcy and book-reader could catch up. The elevator had started rising when Maggie hit the stop button. Jane rounded on her, but Maggie held up one hand. “Look, Doc, I have no idea if I can show you how to create your own ‘pocket dimension’ or whatever the hell it is that I did. I don’t even know how to bring you into it even if I wanted to, which I don’t.”
“But you have to,” Jane insisted, reaching to unlock the elevator.
Maggie stayed her hand. “Why? Why is it so important to you?”
“Have you ever been loved by a god?” Jane asked her. Maggie didn’t need to reply; the blush on her cheeks spoke volumes for her. Jane dismissed Maggie’s reaction with the wave of a hand. “I don’t mean sex, but love…real love.”
Maggie’s face darkened as fury clouded her vision, and she slammed Jane against the side of the elevator. “You think you’re the only one who could know? Because the favorite son chose you?” Maggie loomed over Jane, one hand at the other woman’s throat as she glared down at her. “Did he spend time with you? Read with you? Bring you flowers? Talk with you about growing up in Asgard? Tell you how much he loved his brother despite all that had happened? Did he?” Maggie leaned in close. “Did he?” she demanded.
“I’ve been to Asgard,” Jane glared back, pushing against Maggie. When that failed to dislodge her, she kicked Maggie’s shin.
Maggie let go with a disgusted grimace, but didn’t do more than lean back. “How nice for you,” she growled. “We’ve only had my little pocket dimension.” Jane opened her mouth, but Maggie continued, “Talking about ‘being loved by a god’ and you don’t have a goddamned clue.” Maggie unlocked the elevator, and it once more started to rise.
Both women stood in stony silence until Jane spun Maggie to face her. “I’m pregnant, is that clue enough?” Jane demanded.
The elevator doors slid open. Darcy and book-reader-guy stood there, waiting. Darcy did not look happy. Maggie could have cared less as she glared down at Jane. “No, not nearly close enough.” She stepped from the elevator, giving Darcy and her companion a not so gentle shove to get past them. She waited until Jane followed her, speaking to Darcy in muted whispers that she was fine. “But I do understand your desire to go to him,” she interrupted.
“So you’ll take me to your pocket dimension?” Jane asked.
Maggie shook her head. “No,” she replied. She couldn’t take anyone to the library…her library…their library. “But I will try to help you create your own.”
Jane beamed at her. “Thank you so…”
“Don’t thank me,” Maggie interrupted. “One, we don’t know if it will work, and two…”
When Maggie didn’t finish, Jane prompted, “Two?”
“Loki and I…he very well may find me, whether I’m in our library or not.” Maggie watched Jane’s face pale a little. “He told me that he protected you, for Thor’s sake,” she reminded.
“He did,” Jane said after a moment, “but he can’t be trusted.”
Maggie shook her head, rolling her eyes. “Do you even hear yourself?”
“Do you?” Darcy demanded. “You’re defending the same horned asshole that attacked New York and screwed up Erik’s mind!”
“Darcy,” her companion warned, “don’t…”
“No,” Maggie insisted, “please, continue. But if you’re going to tell me that he plays tricks with people’s minds, that he knows your every thought, enlighten me as to why you think I wouldn’t already know this.” Silence rang throughout the group, and she couldn’t help but think, ‘well, that shut them up.’ She turned to Jane. “Do you still want to try?”
When Jane didn’t answer, Darcy muttered, “I wish you hadn’t made me stop carrying the taser.”
Ignoring Darcy, Jane nodded to Maggie. “Yes. I don’t have a choice.”
Maggie sighed even as she nodded. “I just have a feeling I’m going to regret this.”
“You and me both,” Darcy said, and when everyone glared at her, she added, “What?!?!”