Special Agent Loki Laufeyson

Chapter 65

Bishop didn't know what to do. Loki's clothes were drenched in sweat; his hair was soaked. And he wasn't moving. After his relieved, exhausted eyes had met hers, they had closed gently. His breathing slowed.

"Loki!" she yelled, her fingers tightening unconsciously around his shoulders. Her own breathing came fast and short as she panicked, having no clue as to what she should do. The god didn't respond.

He was still. So still.

The doors to the vault slammed open and Bishop glanced up, frantic. Odin stood, flanked by guards, at the head of the staircase. Thor was behind him and his determined expression softened into a relieved smile at the sight of Loki and Bishop. But Odin's expression underwent no such melting. He looked quite angered to see the Asgardian and the NCIS agent among his trophy collection.

"See, Father? I told you Loki would manage to rescue Eleanor Bishop!" Thor's words echoed around the chamber.

"Arrest them!" Odin ordered. The guards clattered past him and down the stairs towards the two escapees. Thor looked at his father in bewilderment.

"Father –"

"Your brother has dared to touch the Tesseract," Odin said sharply, cutting off his older son's words. "Do you think I will stand for such blatant disregard for my authority? No, Thor: your brother will be taken to the dungeons along with the mortal."

Thor furrowed his brow in consternation as two of the guards grasped Bishop's arms and pulled her to her feet, away from Loki. The other two picked up the god of mischief, whose body hung limp between them as they turned and carried him back up the stairs. Bishop was forced to follow along behind them.

"Thor," Bishop called out as she passed by the Avenger, glancing over her shoulder at him as the guards kept marching forward. "Thor!"

Thor gave her an I'm trying look and turned back to face Odin. "Father, Loki only touched the Tesseract to rescue Agent Bishop. He risked his life to save hers. He has changed!"

"Has he?" Odin snapped. "Has he, Thor? Has your brother changed?"

"Yes," Thor replied vehemently, as Bishop was dragged out of earshot.

But Odin didn't call the guards back.

****

The cell was a clean white, one solid wall surrounded by three translucent golden energy fields. Loki was still unconscious – at least Bishop hoped he was only unconscious – lying in the center of the cell where the guards had dumped him.

Bishop brushed a strand of hair out of her face and glanced around her cell. Her only consolations were that Thor was nearby and she was not being held by the Space Walker anymore. The Asgardian prison had to be a better place to be than the one onboard the International Space Station, right?

Kneeling by Loki's side, Bishop checked his pulse and sighed to feel it beneath her fingertips. Settling down onto the ground, she crossed her legs and gently lifted his head into her lap. Running her fingers through his damp black hair, she stared down into his pale face, unbidden feelings rising and warring within her.

"I'm truly sorry about all of this."

Bishop jerked her head up, her wide eyes alighting on Frigga standing before them. The queen's features were a mix of sorrow and...satisfaction? Joy? It was so strange, Bishop couldn't put her finger on it.

Frigga knelt down beside Loki and touched his forehead with her hand. She sighed, and in that moment Bishop could name that other expression on the Asgardian's face.

Frigga was proud.

"You must be special," Frigga said, looking at Bishop. "For him to be willing to give his life for you."

Bishop felt his cold skin beneath her hands and felt her heart almost stop. She met Frigga's gaze with fear in her eyes.

"He isn't gone," Frigga said, offering a small smile to the agent. "Loki is still with us. But what he did – it was more probable that the effort of harnessing the Tesseract and the resulting power surge would kill him, rather than not."

A shiver ran down Bishop's spine.

"He's not gone," Frigga reminded Bishop gently, seeming to sense her sudden fear. "Loki will be all right." The queen stood. "Just know that he cares for you. He cares for you like he has never cared for anyone else."

The queen's form shimmered and dissolved, a green tint surrounding her as she faded. Bishop glanced down at Loki. She didn't know how to respond to that.

She just knew she hated to see him like this.

"Just wake up, okay?" she whispered. "Just please, wake up."

/**/

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Skylar Wittenborn