Chapter 6
Maggie sat strapped to the chair, silently cursing herself for ever speaking to Jane Foster. She drummed her fingers on the edge of the chair, one of the few body parts she was still able to move, and wondered if this ‘experiment’ was even going to work. Erik had been busy, considering she was hooked up to a device that reminded her vaguely of a computer. There were no readings she’d recognized from hospital shows, so she trusted that she would survive being hooked up to it.
“You need to keep still so we can get an accurate reading on you before we start,” Erik said, coming over to tighten the straps at her wrist, limiting her hand movement, before he moved back to his machine.
Maggie might not be able to drum her fingers anymore, but she could still flip him off with both hands. “You’ve been ‘getting readings’ on me for over 30 minutes,” she growled. “What more do you really need?”
Erik’s only response was to bend closer to the screen and call Jane over.
No, Jane can’t be strapped like a Christmas goose, Maggie thought bitterly, only me. I’d leap for joy but I’m strapped down! Her mind flashed to one time with Loki that involved green silk scarves and an ancient oak bed. Her lips twitched into a grin only to slowly fade.
She missed him. It seemed the longer she spent in the real world, the more she wanted to stay in the Library…with him. They’d been apart for nearly a month, and she had no idea where he’d been before she’d seen him again. That was only last night? she wondered, biting back a sigh. From what she had gleaned from Jane the time he’d been gone was likely the time he’d spent with her and Thor until he’d been ‘killed’ on the planet…when he’d saved Thor’s life.
Was he really dead? Maggie wondered again. Plus, again from what Jane had said, that was some time ago now. It was no use asking him where he’d been, he wouldn’t answer anyway.
She raised her head slightly and thumped her head against the thinly padded headrest. All she had was questions, and she would have no answers from Loki…at least she would have none unless she got back to ask him…if he bothered to answer. She thumped her head again on the headrest.
“I said…keep still,” Erik said, reaching over to hold her head still.
Maggie glared at him, opened her mouth to argue, but Jane’s voice interrupted, “What does this mean?”
Erik once again left Maggie in the chair, and went back over to Jane. “Those are the existing readings we have so far from Maggie, and they’re erratic because she keeps moving.”
Maggie flipped him off again and thumped her head on the headrest for good measure. “Can we finally get started?”she growled out.
“Maggie, your readings…” Jane began.
Maggie was having none of it. “I don’t care about the damned read…”
“You’ve got a trace of the same readings seen in the tesseract,” Erik said, effectively silencing her.
Maggie thumped her head on the headrest again and shut her eyes. Again with the tesseract, she thought, whatever the hell that is. No one seemed inclined to tell her what it was, other than it was on Asgard.
"If you’re trying to knock yourself unconscious, I could help you with that,” Darcy said from somewhere near Maggie’s feet.
Maggie didn’t bother opening her eyes. “Found your taser, have you?”
“Darcy, leave her alone,” Jane commanded.
“What? I don’t even have the taser!” Maggie heard a brief commotion. “Ok, so it’s not charged!”
Maggie bit back a chuckle and then took a deep breath. Screw it, she thought, I am…so done with this. She ignored the voices around her as she breathed slowly in and out, emptying her mind. It didn’t take nearly as long as it had before. Maybe she was just that desperate to go there again or maybe just that she didn’t want to be in the real world at all anymore.
When she opened her eyes again, familiar piercing blue eyes were boring into hers. “Welcome home, pet,” Loki said with a smile. She launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and holding on tight. “Easy now,” he said soothingly, his arms around her, holding her close. She luxuriated in the feel of him against her: the softness of his human clothes and the hardness of him beneath. He only held her a moment before pulling back, tipping her face to his. “You’re being tracked, did you know?”
Maggie’s smile faltered. “Tracked?” She looked blankly at Loki for a moment and realized, “Erik’s readings…”
“Erik Selvig?” Loki asked, eyes intense. She nodded. “Interesting friends you’ve made since you left me, pet.” Her dark eyes flashed with unguarded irritation, and he gripped her chin. “Mind what you say next.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her dark eyes lifted to meet his gaze, and the story tumbled out. From the excruciating pain on waking to Dr. Barstad to Jane Foster and finally to Erik, it all spilled out. His hand fell away when she’d first started speaking, and the restrained fury in his body relaxed as he listened. When Maggie fell silent, she watched him walk to the nearest shelf of books. A quick glance let her know they were in front of the Shakespeare section. A small smile flitted across her lips. It was Loki’s favorite section. She watched as he idly ran his fingers over the spines of the volumes in front of him.
Loki turned; his blue eyes boring into her dark ones. “I’ve kept much from you,” he said, slowly walking toward her.
No shit, she thought before she could rein it in.
His lips twitched, but the smile never formed. “I thought we’d taken care of that temper of yours.”
“I’ve…it’s been a trying day, my lord,” she said softly, her eyes dropping to the floor. Maggie took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
His finger on her chin brought her gaze to his. “I was saying,” he continued as if nothing had interrupted his flow of thought, “I’ve kept much from you, but,” it was his turn to release a slow breath, “I did so with reason.”
“Are you real?” Maggie blurted, and Loki blinked. “Jane said you’d died on some dark world…” The words faltered on her tongue.
He smiled this time. “More real than even you could imagine,” he chuckled. “I’m not dead, though it makes sense for her to think me so.”
Maggie was more confused than before, but she was relieved that he wasn’t a figment of her imagination. But if he wasn’t dead, how did he wind up in her library?
Loki made a soft tsk-ing sound. “I can’t be giving you all my secrets now, can I?” he asked, lips still curled into a grin. “You’re intelligent for a human…if I can so easily read your thoughts…”
“Why couldn’t you read my dreams,” she finished and found herself smiling back at him. The smile slowly faded. “But…why me?”
“Why not you?” he countered. “Smart, beautiful, creative, but a dark side as well.” She blushed, and he brushed his knuckles over her heated cheek. “And you’re the only mortal I’ve ever known who could do this,” he motioned to the library at large, “without any outside help.”
Loki’s head jerked up suddenly, as if he’d heard something she hadn’t. She watched the emotions flicker over his face: wariness, irritation, and finally resignation. When he looked back at her, he looked almost…apologetic. “And it looks like we’re out of time.” At her blank look, he said, “it would appear we’re about to have company, which I’m not quite ready for.” He stepped closer, one arm sliding around her waist. “And I am sorry…but this is going to hurt.”
“Wait…what…” was all Maggie managed to get out before a golden staff as tall as him appeared in Loki’s hand.
“I’m going back to Asgard…and you’re coming with me,” he said, raising the staff and bringing it down to clank against the marble floor of the library. A brilliant flash of light exploded in her eyes, and pain ripped through her chest. A scream rang in her ears and faded as darkness swallowed her whole.