All Hail The King // Loki - Book 2 ✓

Chapter 1

ANNA FOLLOWS JANE out of the restaurant with a grin on her face, glad to be in the company of her friend once more. Although they haven't known each other for long, the two women have a bond that is likely made stronger by the fact that both of them are in love with aliens. Basically.

"And I hate you," Jane says as she opens the door to the red car, sliding in the passenger seat next to her intern-slash-assistant-slash friend, Darcy Lewis. Anna follows her lead, opening the back door to slide in the backseat behind her. The man sitting there scoots over without saying a word, and she smiles at him.

"What?" Darcy says with her mouth full. "I said he was cute."

Jane rolls her eyes, "Just shut up and drive."

"Who is this?" Her intern asks, motioning back at Anna.

"I'm Anna," she replies. "I know Thor."

Conveniently leaving Loki out of the equation, Anna shifts uncomfortably in the backseat while they navigate through the streets of London. Any reminder of the fallen Asgardian prince sends a pang of remorse and longing through her chest, and her heart twists at the memory of their last encounter. Loki tried to steal the Tesseract and attacked Thor, nearly attacking Odin, all because Restitution had put some kill switch in her arm to manipulate him. The only reason Anna survived is because Tony had figured out the cure - saving Jane and Pepper from the same deadly virus - and Thor was smart enough to return Anna to Earth to be healed.

Loki, however, had been thrown back into the dungeons of Asgard by Odin. As much as she wanted to believe in the Allfather's love for his adopted son, she can't help but resent him for his continual mistreatment of Loki. All he wants is his father's approval, to be accepted and loved as he is, and Anna's heart breaks at the thought that he acts like a monster because he firmly believes he is one.

"You need to take the next left," the man in the backseat next to Anna directs Darcy, causing Jane to gasp from shock.

"Who's he?" She demands.

Darcy keeps her eyes on the road, "He's my intern."

"You have an intern?" Jane asks, confused.

"Oh, yeah," Darcy replies.

"Hello Dr. Foster," the young man says. "It's a great honor to be working with you."

She looks at him for a moment, taking in his knit cap and goofy grin, before turning back to the front. Digging her phone out of her pocket, she makes a face.

"Right, I have to call Erik," she says lifting the phone to her ear.

"Oh!" Darcy's intern interjects. "Take a right."

Darcy slams the wheel to the right, and the tires squeal against the pavement as the car's occupants are thrown against window. Anna grunts as the male intern falls against her, using her elbow to push him off as he mumbles his apologies.

"And a left," he adds, causing them to fly the opposite direction before turning down a narrow London street.

Darcy smiles, obviously pleased with herself, "I have totally mastered driving in London."

"Erik, it's me. Again," Jane speaks into the voicemail. "Where are you? I came here because you said you were onto something, and then you vanish?"

She hangs up the phone, sighing out of frustration, before glancing over her shoulder at Anna. Smiling at her friend, she tucks the phone back in her pocket.

"So, I haven't seen you since...you know," Jane says, referring to Anna's return to Earth with Thor.

Jane had still been recovering at the Tower from their kidnapping when Anna arrived - unconscious and near death - and she only knew what Tony told her. Anna still didn't speak about Loki, about Asgard, or about what happened in Restitution, and Jane didn't want to press her too hard to share. Given the look of sadness on her friend's face at the restaurant, and her eagerness to escape, Jane is fairly certain that Anna is still dealing with things internally. The best way to deal with that? Time.

"Yeah," Anna says with a smile. "I stayed at the Tower for a bit longer, but eventually it was too much. I couldn't...I mean..."

"I get it," Jane reassures her, turning around to face the front.

London is grey and cold, which is not exactly surprising, and Anna watches the familiar sights roll past her window. Even though this is her home now, it feels incredibly hollow now. A few weeks ago, she'd be crying by now. Any mention of Loki, any small memory of him, used to bring her to tears, but she'd been forcing herself to toughen up. It wasn't exactly difficult - before they were kidnapped, Anna hadn't cried that much in her entire life. Then, boom. Everything unraveled in just a few short weeks, and she was left alone - heartbroken - to pick up the pieces. How is she supposed to move on from something like this?

She still doesn't sleep well, not since the electric shock torture Magnus subjected her to back at the facility. While her external scars are practically gone thanks to Loki's magic and Eir's expert healing, internally she feels as bruised and fragile as ever. Especially after meeting her sister.

----Flashback----

Anna sits on the sofa in Tony's expansive living room, both legs tucked underneath her while she stares at the knotted silver ring on her right hand. The tiny piece of jewelry has become somewhat of an anchor to her, keeping her grounded to reality and holding her together when all she wants to do is fall apart.

Currently, it's keeping her in this seat while she waits for Tony to return with her sister, Natasha Romanoff.

She has no memory of Natasha whatsoever, thanks to whatever brainwashing they did in the Red Room - not to mention whatever her parents may or may not have done to her after the fact, and she's more than a little nervous about meeting the world famous Black Widow. Of course, Anna doesn't expect anything from the woman. It's not like they grew up together. It's not like they owe anything to one another. Basically, Tony is just being Tony and he wouldn't rest until they met. If it were up to Anna, she never would've told anyone about her connection with Natasha, but Magnus sent the message trying to draw her to them, meaning Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson had told everyone else.

Footsteps draw her attention across the room, and Anna takes a deep breath before lifting her gaze. A gorgeous woman stares back at her. Shoulder length red hair falls in soft waves around her face, and her blue eyes are unreadable as she takes a step into the room. She looks familiar, more familiar than simply seeing her on the news, and Anna realizes it's her eyes. The same blue eyes stare back at her, set above the same pointed nose. Natasha's face is longer and she's at least an inch taller than Anna, but it's clear to see that the brunette and redhead are related.

"You must be Natasha," Anna says, standing to her feet as she twists her ring nervously. "I'm...I'm..."

"Anya," Natasha completes, crossing the room quickly to engulf her baby sister in a hug. "я думала, что я потеряла тебя."

Now Playing: "New York City" by The Chainsmokers.

*****
AUTHOR'S NOTE

If you haven't heard, marvelfanficawards is now accepting nominations AND they just added a Loki category! Let's get #Lanki the attention they deserve + nominate The Ides Of July! 

Also, you guys are wonderful. Seriously. I re-read The Ides Of July this week, and I loved every second of it. Reading through your comments, getting into the story - it wouldn't be the same without you! Thanks for being the best. 

Screw waiting. It's time for All Hail The King.

x