BOOK TWO. After being manipulated and kidnapped by Restitution, Anna + Loki narrowly escape with their lives only to be separated by Odin. Stuck on Earth with Jane Foster, Anna finds herself missing the one man she thought she would always hate.
...
AFTER CHECKING THEIR TRAJECTORY one last time, Thor releases the controls to the ship and moves swiftly toward Anna and Jane on the floor. Anna stares up at him incredulously, tears welling in the corner of her eyes.
"What did you do?" She demands as he bends down to scoop Jane into his arms. "Where is he?"
Thor smirks, "Loki is perfectly well, I assure you. Now, come with me."
"What?" Anna stands warily. "Tell me what's happening, Thor. Now. I want to be clued in to your plan."
"The plan, Lady Anna," Thor says impatiently, "is to jump."
He pushes her out of the door of the ship, a startled cry escaping her lips as she hurtles in a free fall toward the water below. Her heartbeat races in her ears for the few seconds that she remains airborne until she thuds safely against a warm body.
Fandral.
Thor soon follows, cradling Jane in his arms, and Anna scrambles out of Fandral's arms while struggling to catch her breath. Her pulse is still racing, furious at Thor for what he did to both her and Loki, and she stumbles forward to where Loki landed on the deck of the Asgardian craft as it hovers above the water.
"Are you alright?" She breathes, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into his chest. He stands silently, lifting her with him, while Fandral laughs behind them.
"I see your time in the dungeons has made you no less graceful, Loki," Fandral chuckles merrily.
Loki nods at Anna, and she unravels from her grasp around his neck. His hand trails down her bare arm, fingers intertwining, as he turns to face his brother and the Asgardian warrior. Anna glares at both of them, livid for what Thor has done, and resists the urge to punch one - or both - of them in the nose. Thor, however, still holds Jane in his arms, and he moves past them to settle her down near the front of the small open ship.
"You lied to me," Loki tells Thor, hesitating for a moment, "I'm impressed."
Thor stands, "I'm glad you're pleased. Now do as you promised. Take us to your secret pathway."
A wild grin erupts on Loki's face, his green eyes sparkling with pleasure as he nods and shifts toward the control of the aircraft. Fandral moves out of his way, and Anna reluctantly allows his fingers to slip out from hers. Moving slowly, Loki gingerly wraps his hands around the aircraft's steering and increases its speed as he cuts away from the Bifrost - the spray of the water dousing all of them in a light mist - and heads toward the mountains.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
He smiles, joy and mischief etched on his features, and Anna can't help but smile with him. This is the man she fell in love with, the man with good intentions - albeit with somewhat flawed execution at times - and she's happy to see him working together with Thor. It's a glimpse into Loki's past, and, perhaps, a look into their future. Should all go well, maybe Odin will pardon him. Maybe the shattered familial bonds can be brought together. Maybe they can be together again.
