Ice Maiden (A Loki Fanfic)

Surprise

The next day, Ali sat in the breakout room next to their office, sipping her morning coffee. There was a window between the 2 rooms and as she looked around, she watched the small team hard at work. There were only a few of them, hand picked by Fury and Maria themselves. They were a cohesive unit, knew each other inside out and each had their strengths. Nick Fury had put the team together personally just for one task - Hydra. Root them out and destroy them the way they had destroyed SHIELD. She had been working for him for nearly 6 months now.

He was every bit as terrifying as she had imagined. A hard taskmaster, expected results with no excuses, but he was also fair. Hard work and dedication were acknowledged as well as rewarded. Initially, she had joined the organisation in the wake of the New York battle as a way of doing something positive and to try to avenge her Father. Over the years she worked her way up and through the departments, first in the Stark - now Avengers - Tower as a junior logistics officer, then strategy and planning, then communications and eventually the Intelligence corp at the upstate facility. Cyphers, codes, communications. She had been recommended by her boss for promotion when he saw her knack for reading between the lines. Not so much what people said, but more what they didn't say.

She'd been overawed at her interview and was sure she had messed up. A huge presence in the campus both physically and metaphorically, Fury hadn't so much interviewed her as interrogated her. Maria, his number 2 was more kind. She had laid out what they expected and asked, rather than demanded, if she thought she could cope. Long days, late nights, few days off. Hydra wasn't dead, literally only sleeping. When she had said she would be honoured to join the unit, Fury had smiled ironically and said "Welcome to the Avengers Campus - you might not be glad that you did!"

She had worked with most of the main team from time to time. Black Widow - really friendly and loved being girly out of earshot of the rest; Hawkeye - quiet but friendly enough, devoted to his wife and kids; Captain America - well he was every inch America's hero (and ass) and The Winter Soldier - or Bucky as he had introduced himself with a wink and a smile. Falcon was away on a long term assignment so she had yet to meet him in person. She saw Tony Stark occasionally, mainly at the social events he organised every couple of weeks back at the Tower to keep up morale - work hard play hard, that kind of thing. Bruce Banner though was a mystery to her. He was large and green and super intelligent. She liked him, but truthfully despite his ready smile and dry wit, she was scared of him. He was still a large green rage monster as Tony once said.

That just left the Asgardians.

Well, Asgardian and Jotun -she'd done her homework. Thor Odinson, ruler of Asgard - now on Earth - was large and handsome and noisy and a real man's man. At the socials, he drank and he ate and he held the company in the palm of his hand with his tales of battles and victories that sounded straight out of mythology. He wielded Mjolnir like it was a feather and it was his favourite initiation to ask newbies to move it, only for them to burst a blood vessel trying. Women wanted him and men wanted to be him. Not her though, there was something more "big brother" about him than "A God I'd like to..." well you know the rest.

That left Loki.

She paused as her mind gratefully formed a picture. Loki Laufeyson, Prince of Jotunheim. God of Mischief, Frost Giant, Asgardian adoptee and brother to Thor.

She knew that when he fought in New York and tried to lead the Chitauri to take it, he was under the influence of the Dark Order and really wasn't himself. That didn't matter. She still hated him. He had been the figure out the window. He had been the distraction that caused her father to die awaiting her help. She had stood watching him instead of running. She didn't want revenge, that would be too simple. She didn't even want justice - after all, the World Council had dealt with him in the aftermath, so what DID she want? Closure? To hurt him? Was that even possible? She wasn't sure, but she would begin by telling him about her father, how 2012 Loki had as good as killed him. How 2012 Loki had destroyed everything she had ever loved. Destroyed her. She wanted him to feel her pain even now. Every. Damn. Day.

The only problem was it was now 6 months since she had joined the team. Had she walked up to him, slapped him and told him "that was for New York?" No - although according to rumours someone else had ! Had she even spoken more than a sentence or two with him apart from work matters? No. Why? Because there was something about him that drove her insane. No matter how hard she shut him out, no matter how much distance she put between them mentally and physically, he had gotten under her skin. Some days she wasn't sure who she hated more, Loki for doing it or herself for letting him. If anyone was to ask her who in the world she most desired and who in the world she most despised, there would be no doubt or hesitation over the answer. Loki.

Yesterday had been particularly bad. It was the anniversary of her father's death. Only a very few people knew her story. Fury, Maria and Natasha Romanoff. The others just assumed she was married to her job, family to be fitted in on days off. Days off she never took. Her co-workers never pressed her about it, she gave off the air of someone who would support anyone in their hour of need but never need anyone to support her that way. She was happy to let that thought prevail.

Loki was getting bolder and bolder with her every day. Sighing she put down her cup. He really wasn't all that bad in some ways, he was super intelligent, could actually be quite charming when he wanted to be, and yes, he was easy on the eye. She smirked, thinking of how frustrated he must be at her continual rebuffs. Too bad, she thought, suck it up buttercup I'm one code you'll never break.

Just as she stood to throw her cup in the recycling, Natasha came into the room, scanning. Spying her in the corner, she made a beeline for her.

"There you are! I've been looking for you. Did you speak to Loki today?" she grabbed her arm, sitting her back down at the table. Ali shook her head

"No, I've not seen him. Why? What's up?" she was instantly on her guard. Natasha could read her like a book, indeed she already suspected there was more to Ali's feelings about Loki than met the eye.

"He's losing his mind looking for you - someone from 'higher up' told him you're leaving the team. What the actual hell girl? I thought we were friends - why didn't you tell me? What's got you into leaving? If it's someone giving you grief..." she broke off looking a mix of upset and angry, her had still clamped round Ali's arm.

"NO! WHAT?" Ali was shocked "NO! I'm not leaving! At least not of my own free will. What the hell is going on?" She broke free of Natasha's grip and stood up, as she turned to leave and find out, she bumped directly into Loki coming storming into the room. With no time to prepare herself, her mind was an open book. Instantly he saw her panic and distress - as well as the look in her eyes as she met his gaze.

"WHY?" he shouted "TELL ME!" , putting a hand on her arm. She recoiled in fear at his outburst, astounded by it's ferocity. He realised he'd gone too far and shook his head, eyes closed as if calming down. "Me?" he said more quietly, his eyes actually looked genuinely upset she noticed and for once decided to play it straight.

"No Loki, not you. Despite what you might think, I love my job too much to walk, even because of you." There was no sarcasm, not spite, just truth and he could see it. That and something else that he wasn't so sure of. Her wall was beginning to go up again, he desperately tried to keep her calm. Keep it down for once.

Visibly relaxing, he smiled and said more gently,

"So what then?" his eyes still locked with hers, she took a half step back but not out his grasp. The air was thick, a knife could have cut it as she stood, silently looking at him. There was a cough from the background and they snapped out of the moment as Natasha came and stood beside them. The wall went back up. Inwardly he groaned. Dammit, she was good at this.

"I don't know Loki but I'm going to find out - I need to see Fury. Now." she started to the door "And since you two seem so invested, you can come with me." There was no room for argument. Natasha raised her eyebrows at Loki who nodded.

"I suppose I should," he said back to his normal impassive self "After all, it took me long enough to learn to tolerate this one!" and with that the three of them left in search of their Boss.