~ Three Months Later ~

Jane ran into her bedroom and quickly slammed the door, but not before a pillow made its way through the crack, grazing her shoulder. She grinned and laughed and bent over to pick it up, brushing some of her hair out of her face. Cautiously, she cracked the door and peeked out into the hallway. Seeing no one there, she opened the door wider and stepped out. Before she could take three steps, Loki and Darcy came out of nowhere and began hitting her with pillows.

“Okay, stop! Stop, stop,” she said with a laugh, holding her hands out to stop the pillows from hitting her again. “You win,”

Everyone stopped to breathe. After getting her breath back, Jane took advantage of the lull and hit Darcy in the arm before turning to hit Loki.

“Hey!” Loki shouted.

When both were momentarily distracted by the attack, Jane ran past them and into the living room where she jumped over the coffee table and took a rolling dive over and behind the couch.

“We know you’re in here!” said Darcy, still giggling. “I mean, it’s an apartment. You have very limited areas to hide.”

“I think she went into the kitchen.” Jane heard Loki say. Footsteps walked across the floor and all was quiet. She took this moment to peek over the couch, only to get a pillow right in the face. She fell backward, laughing.

“I thought you went in the kitchen.” she said through her laughter.

“You think you can fool me?” Loki grinned. “I saw you go behind the couch.”

Jane stretched her hands out and roughly tousled Loki’s hair. “You cheated.”

“What can you expect? I’m a trickster.” He smiled. She laughed at his hair being in such a disarray state and playfully thumped the end of his nose with her finger.

“You know what?” she whispered.

“What?” said Loki in a low voice.

“I would be honored to have you as my brother-in-law.” She smiled.

Loki blinked in surprise. “Really?”

“Sure. You might be a pain sometimes, but what brother isn’t?”

Loki grinned. “I should know.”

“You guys, if this pillow fight has officially ended, we should probably start the movie if we’re going to watch it because it’s getting late,” said Darcy, glancing at her watch. Jane and Loki looked at her. “I’ve already started popping the popcorn.”

Jane came out from behind the couch, Loki giving her one last hit with his pillow.

“Hey! That isn’t fair.” she laughed, smacking him on the rear with her pillow, which practically sent him toppling over on the couch.

“Not fair, huh?” He sat up. “What do you call what you just gave me??”

Jane jumped on Loki and started hitting him without mercy with her pillow, both of them laughing.

“Okay, okay, I give up! Truce!” he said, finally managing to push Jane off him. He rolled over and Jane smacked him in the rear again with her pillow. “Ow! You keep on doing that and we’ll be here all night.” He grinned and snatched the pillow away from her.

“Give that back,” she said, reaching for it. Loki kept it out of her reach.

“Oh, no, you’re too dangerous with it.” He put it under him and sat on it. Jane tried moving him, but he stayed firm. He thought he had finally won until Jane decided to bring tickling into the game.

“Ack! Stoppit!” He brushed Jane’s fingers away from his armpits. “Here, take your old pillow.”

“Here we go,” said Darcy, bringing in two bowls of popcorn and setting them on the coffee table. “I’ll go get the other one.”

Jane and Loki straightened themselves up, throwing their pillows to the side, on the floor. Loki made himself comfortable in the middle seat of the couch, Jane on his left. When Darcy came back, she seated herself on Loki’s right.

Before they could start their movie, however, there was a sudden flash of light in the middle of the room that practically blinded everyone. When it disappeared, everyone blinked in momentary confusion, trying to regain their sight.

“What was that??” Darcy said, taking her glasses off and rubbing at her eyes. Jane was suddenly aware that there was anther presence in the room with them. Turning, she saw Thor standing beside her.

“Thor!” she breathed out, getting up and stumbling toward him. They embraced each other, sharing a kiss.

Loki scowled distastefully when he saw who was standing before him. He had to force-swallow the handful of popcorn he had just shoved into his mouth. He was finally happy, and Thor had to come and ruin it like he always did. Typical.

“Sorry for barging in. Hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” said Thor, nodding in greeting to Darcy and then to his brother.

“No, no you didn’t interrupt anything,” Jane said. “We were just getting ready to watch a movie.”

“Oh,” Thor shifted Mjolnir to his left hand. “Then by all mean, go right ahead.”

“Care to join us?”

Thor nodded. “Gladly,” He seated himself in the nearest chair, putting Mjolnir on the floor beside him.

“I’ll go fix another bowl of corn.” said Darcy, getting up and walking into the kitchen.

“Has it already been three months?” said Jane.

Thor nodded. “Yes, it has. How are you faring with my brother?”

Jane turned to look at Loki beside her, who was unusually quiet. Thor followed her gaze and smiled. Loki, however, continued to give him a soured look.

“Well,” Jane started, “It was a rough start, but we’re getting along fairly well now.” She nudged Loki with her elbow. “Isn’t that right?”

Loki shrugged and looked down at his popcorn, turning a few pieces over with his finger.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Jane noticed that Thor sounded distant like he had some bad news to tell but was hesitant about coming out with it for fear of ruining everyone’s fun. She thought about asking what was wrong but decided it would be best to wait until after the movie.

“Here we go,” Darcy came out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn and handed it to Thor.

“Thank you,” he said, accepting the food.

When the movie was over, the room was brimming with excited chatter as everyone discussed their favorite parts, the actors, and what parts they didn’t like.

“What was the name of that one actor…?” Darcy was saying, snapping her fingers as if it would help her think better. She finally thought of the name, but it was lost in the conversation. Loki named off several of his favorite scenes, saying that he’d like to try them out, only to be told a big no from Jane.

“So,” Jane said, turning to Thor and changing the subject once the movie talk had died down, “How’s everything back in Asgard?”

Thor nodded. “As well as can be expected. Repairs to the Bifrost are coming along faster than we thought. That’s actually how I came here.”

“Lovely,” Loki mumbled.

“Have you been behaving yourself, brother?” His eyes fixed on the trickster.

Loki looked over at Thor, partly wrinkling his nose as if the thought of answering the question sickened him.

“What do you think?” he said, coldly.

“Loki,” Jane whispered, “That’s not nice.”

Loki looked at her then turned his head away.

“He has, for the most part,” Jane answered for him.

“You’ve been able to handle him?”

“Yes,” Jane smiled. “It took awhile, but we finally came to an understanding.”

“Taking a ruler to his butt helped,” said Darcy. Loki shot her a dangerous glare, then he turned a flushed face to Thor.

“I…do not understand…” Thor said, looking from Darcy to Loki and then finally to Jane.

“It’s a long story.” Darcy waved it off.

“I would like to hear it,” said Thor, leaning back in his chair.

Jane and Darcy filled Thor in on everything that took place from the night he left Loki with Jane until present. Loki’s face turned hot and red and he felt as though he would sink deep into the cushions of the couch when they got to the parts where Jane spanked him and when he got the shots. He expected Jane to reveal that he also sucked his thumb and slept with his cape like a blankie, but she never did. He admitted that he admire her for not telling Thor his secrets.

Thor was irritated at first when he heard all of the trouble Loki had caused Jane and Darcy, but then his irritation melted into amusement when she got to the part where she spanked him with the ruler, commenting that his brother probably hadn’t been spanked since they were children.

“Brought back memories, didn’t it, brother?” He laughed jovially. Loki kept quiet, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.

When Jane was done, the room was silent for some time. Thor fiddled with part of his clothes, looking over at Jane occasionally. He forced a smile when her eyes met his.

“Thor, is there anything wrong?” Jane finally asked. “You seem distracted with something.”

Thor sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “I regret to say that I come bearing bad news.”

“What bad news?”

“The All-Father has requested that Loki return to Asgard.”

The room fell back into silence, Loki worriedly looking over at Thor. The words alone caused a sinking feeling to form in his stomach. When Thor had dropped him off months before, he would have done anything to get back to Asgard. But now…the thought of going back there seemed like a bad dream coming true.

“I thought he was supposed to be banished.” said Jane, noting Loki’s concern.

Thor shrugged. “Father did not give reasons. He simply told me to bring Loki back.”

“I don’t want to go back!” Loki finally spoke up. Everyone turned their eyes to him. Even he was a bit shocked at the words that came out of his mouth. “I-I want to stay here.”

Thor blinked and his eyebrows rose.

“You don’t want to return to Asgard?” He looked at Loki, a bit puzzled. “You wish to remain mortal?”

“No, I don’t want to remain mortal. I just want to stay here…with…Jane.” He shyly looked over at Jane. “I like her. We have fun together.”

Jane smiled at him.

“I wish I could leave you here, Loki, but Father’s orders are for me to bring you back.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah, I guess…As soon as possible,”

Loki leaned over against Jane, resting his head on her shoulder. “I’m not ready to leave,” he said with a pout. “You said I could stay here if we got along—if Jane could handle me.”

“Yes, I did say that, but I did not know that Father would change his mind.”

Jane touched Loki’s arm gently. “Loki, it’ll be okay.”

“No!” He pulled away. “Odin always does this! Every time I find some shred of happiness, he always ruins it. He hates me!”

Thor looked down at his lap, not bothering to say anything. Suddenly, Loki got up and stomped off to his room, slamming the door. Thor, Jane, and Darcy exchanged glances, the living room feeling tense and uncomfortable. They still weren’t able to bring themselves to speak. A thousand different things ran through Jane’s mind, but she just…didn’t know what to say.

“I’d better go see if he’s okay,” she said, getting up. She didn’t bother knocking; she just turned the doorknob and walked on in, pushing the door closed behind her. Loki stood at the window, angrily glaring out into the night. His cheeks were wet from tears, and he was in the middle of sniffing some away as he turned to look at her. She gave him a reassuring smile.

“I don’t want to leave,” he said, his voice cracking. “I never thought I would say that, but…I really don’t want to leave.”

She walked over to him and rubbed his arm. “There’s not much you can do about it. When Odin makes up his mind about something…”

“I know,” he said darkly.

Jane wanted to say something to give him encouragement, but she was at a loss for words. She was feeling tears coming into her eyes too. Quietly, she stood there, studying the trickster. His hair had grown out a little more since he had been with her, and he looked a lot better. The dark circles under his eyes had disappeared and he looked overall healthier than he had looked when he first arrived.

“We’ll get to see each other again someday.” she finally said, wiping a few tears off her cheek. “You’ll see.”

Loki nodded.

“I…just…had hoped to spend at least one more night.” He looked down at his pajamas. “Everything is happening so fast. We were having a pillow fight earlier…and now…I’m going back to Asgard and to…whatever Odin has planned for me.”

“Life has a way of doing that.” she took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “What will Odin do?”

“I don’t know…” Loki breathed, shaking his head. His voice sounded worried and a bit scared. “Perhaps he just wants to see if I’m making progress and he’ll send me back. It’s not like him to do this, especially since he’s usually so strict about banishing.”

“Do you think…he would let you come back?”

Loki shrugged. “I guess I’ll have to wait and see.”

“Do you think you’ve made any progress?”

Loki shrugged again. “I feel like I’ve learned things about Midgard culture that I didn’t know about before.” He frowned. “Things I’d rather not know.”

Jane couldn’t help but smile.

Loki walked over to the other side of the room and began picking up his Asgardian clothing and putting it piece by piece on the bed, checking once to make sure he had all the pieces of his armor. Jane picked up his sketch pad and handed it to him. He shook his head and pushed it back at her.

“You keep it.”

“You sure?”

Loki gave a nod. Not saying anything, she returned it to its place on the night table and left the room to allow Loki to dress.

It was about thirty minutes later when Loki finally came out of his room. He shuffled into the living room, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. He was dressed in his Asgardian clothes and armor, his horned helmet tucked under his arm, and his cape having been put back in its proper place. It was odd for Jane to see him dressed that way, especially after seeing him dressed in normal earth clothing for so long. Judging by the look on the trickster’s face, she guessed that he would have rather been dressed in his green silky pajamas, on his way to bed instead.

“Took you long enough,” said Thor.

Jane walked over to Loki and gently took his hand and massaged his thumb, secretly tapping it. Loki looked down at it and then to Jane. Jane gave him a wink. He shyly smiled, understanding her silent gesture to his secret.

“I’m going to miss you,” Jane smiled, sniffing back tears.

“I’m going to miss you too,” he replied softly. He smiled. “But I’m not going to miss your ruler.”
Jane laughed.

“This is just not fair to the poor guy,” said Darcy. “I mean, I know he was here because he was being punished, but still. He’s not doing any harm to anyone, except for driving us nuts sometimes. Odin should understand that.”

“I know,” said Thor. “If anyone is more concerned about these new decisions, it is I.” he turned to look at Loki. “I fear what Father has planned for my brother.”

“It can’t be any worse than having needles stuck in your rear,” Loki mumbled under his breath. He turned to Thor. “Can we just go and get this over with?”

Thor studied Loki then he turned to Jane.

“Good bye, Jane,” he gave her a kiss. “When all of this is over, I promise we will spend time together.”

Jane nodded, sniffing back tears.

“Heimdall, open the Bifrost!” Thor shouted. With a flash of light, both Thor and Loki vanished, leaving behind Jane and Darcy.

Darcy walked up to Jane, patting her on the shoulder.

“You gonna be okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure.” she sniffed. “I lost both of them in one night. I’ll be perfectly fine.”

After Darcy left, Jane mulled around her apartment. She needed to be working on her latest project, but every time she sat down to do it her mind began to wander and she found herself staring. Finally, she got up and walked around; finding her way to the room Loki had stayed in. She flipped on the overhead light and leaned against the doorframe, looking over everything. The place was still a mess, the floor littered with clothes, books, and other items the trickster had used while he was there.

Jane walked forward and bent over to pick up a green t-shirt. She smelt it and tossed it onto the disheveled bed. She caught sight of the little plush green dog she’d given him and picked it up. Loki’s sketch pad was lying on the bed. She thought that was weird since she remembered putting it back on the night table. Not giving it a second thought, she looked over the room again. Everywhere she turned, memories came flooding back to her.

Tears filled her eyes. She missed him. She sighed and turned to look out the window. That’s when the note caught her attention. It was tucked under the little glass dinosaur on the windowsill. She walked forward and gently picked it up and took the note in her fingers and began reading the words that had been scribbled out on a piece of sketch pad paper.

Dearest Jane,

I will miss you deeply. I know we got off to a rough start, but I’m glad we were able to eventually work things out. I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time. I hope you will forgive me.

I might not have enjoyed being banished to Midgard, but I’m glad I was able to be banished with you. As much as it pains me to say it, Thor made the right choice to drop me off at your apartment. I only wish I could have stayed longer. Please keep my room for me, if you can. Someday I hope to come by and visit you whenever I get the opportunity. Not sure when that will be, but I hope it is soon. Until then, I will be keeping an eye on you. I have to since you know too many of my secrets.

I want you to know that I would be honored to have you as my sister-in-law, too. Thor is fortunate to have you in his life.

Thank you for everything. Be sure to take care of Kludge for me. He’ll need someone to look after him until I return. Keep a close eye on him because he’s just as mischievous as I am.

Say hi to Darcy for me.

Love, Loki

Jane wiped tears from her cheeks as she held the note to her chest. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do without him—without both of them. She pulled the note away from her and read over it again, sniffing. She stopped, reading over the last part a third time, puzzled.

Who was Kludge? She looked at the plush dog, thinking Loki had named it Kludge. But then, as if on cue, a beeping and whirring noise sounded within the room, making her jump and take a few steps back. Her eyes nervously scanned the area. At first, she couldn’t see where the sound was coming from. Then she looked down. Curiously peeping out from under the bed was a tiny robot. It was made up of a mixture of mismatched parts, computer pieces, and wiring and stood precariously on two legs, making it look strangely like something out of Star Wars.
Jane continued to stare, mystified over the strange object. She had seen robots before, naturally, but it was so odd to see one coming out from under the bed that had belonged to a Norse trickster.

“So that’s what he wanted all of those extra parts for.” she whispered, marveling over the craftsmanship. She squatted down and stretched out a hand to the little robot as if it were a puppy. “Come here, little fella. Are you Kludge?”

The robot moved its ‘head’ to study her hand. It hesitated a moment before taking a few steps forward. It nudged her fingers, and then pushed its body up into her palm and rubbed against her like a cat. Gently, Jane picked it up and cradled it in her arm.

“Remarkable,” she breathed. Kludge jumped out of her arm and landed on her shoulder. It made chirruping sounds like it was happy to finally see something of the room besides people’s ankles. “Don’t worry little one, I’ll take good care of you.”

Kludge rubbed himself against Jane’s face, chirruped happily, and hopped a few steps to the edge of her shoulder, his head turning around and practically upside down.
Jane laughed, walked to the door, turned off the light, and called it a night.

- End
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When Jane woke the next morning, she sleepily made her way down the hall. Little Kludge struggled to keep up with her, awkwardly walking on his flimsy legs beside her foot. Jane turned to go into the bathroom but stopped dead in her tracks. She turned to look into the living room. At first, she thought she was still asleep and dreaming, but she wasn’t. Her mouth widened into a smile.

“Loki??” She stepped further into the room.

There on the couch lay Loki, dressed in his silky pajamas, his feet propped up on the armrest.

“Hello, Jane,” He smiled back. “Seems that Odin only wanted to know how I’m progressing, just like we figured. Thor brought me back a few hours ago.”

“Why couldn’t Heimdall report your progress?”

Loki shrugged. “I guess he’d rather hear it from me, to see if I would tell the truth.”

“Did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Tell the truth.”

Loki stared at Jane for a minute then shrugged his shoulders, a sly grin appearing on his face.

“Loki…” Jane’s voice had an edge of warning to it.

“Regardless of what happened, Odin sent me back,” he turned his sly smile toward her. “Looks like you’re stuck with me awhile longer.”

“You imp,” Jane grinned.

Kludge let out a happy, shrill chirrup.

(Congratulations. You just found the end-credits scene.)

- The Real End

Notes