Ice Maiden (A Loki Fanfic)

Mission statement

"The element of surprise will be our biggest advantage, remember that."  Fury turned back to the group from the digital display, "Any questions?" 

Steve, Nat, Ali, Bucky and Loki sat around the table absorbing the information Fury and Maria had just gone over with them.  After Ali had recovered - and slapped Loki properly - they had been briefed on the mission.  Loki sat, head resting on his hand feigning disinterest.  He hope that his off hand manner would lull Ali into a false sense of the actual danger she would be in.  He was sure the other Avengers appreciated it too and he hoped they would realise the need to remain calm. He hadn't counted on Ali being sharper than even he gave her credit for.

"So what you're telling us is we go Prague, liaise with our agents there, assuming they're not already compromised - that's why I'm going, to talk to them one to one and read them, get into the Hydra main base, find and take the file that contains the names of the remaining agents which is in a foreign language AND cypher, so again I have to be there to make sure we don't lift their latest takeaway order by mistake. We kidnap their communications officer in the hopes we can interrogate and/or turn them. We will most likely have to fight our way out, given they will know we are there once we actually get in and we might not even have an extraction point if our contacts in Prague are indeed compromised.  Great.  So I should write my will before I go?" she sat back, dropping her pen onto the notebook now full of snippets of information she had written down.

"She's better than I thought!" Fury raised his eyebrows and smiled smugly "Don't think I could put it better myself".

"Thanks - I think" Ali replied rubbing her eyes with her hands.  She looked at the others and they were all lost in their own thoughts.

Nat looked up at her and smiled thinly,
"well, at least we have Loki to watch our backs, many eyes make light work of observation" she shrugged. 

Loki stood up, leaning on the table looking round.
"I realise that I don't usually count for much round here, but for what it's worth, I think the whole plan stinks and taking her -" he pointed to Ali, narrowing his eyes " is pure folly.  Yes, she proved more than adequately that she can fight, but can she work in the field under pressure? If we're captured, can she resist torture?" he looked at Ali directly, "There are a lot of things I can protect you from, but that isn't one of them."  She looked at her hands, feeling small in the face of this barrage of  truth.  She was a liability and they all knew it.

"Enough Loki" said Steve, "you know we need Ali, she's the best one for the job.  Believe me, if we had an alternative, we'd be using it." he looked up at him shooting a warning glare. Loki chose to ignore it, sneering back

"Well YOU can pick up the pieces then.  I'm done.  I'll go on the mission, I'll protect her as far as I can but if she's captured that's on you CAPTAIN" he finished with a snarl.  He turned on his heel and marched out of the room. 

Ali was furious.  She had worked damned hard, she had managed to acquire as much skill as she could over the last 48hours.  All he had done was goad and jibe and demean her.  Not to mention the fact he allowed her, thanks to his magic and duplication casting, to think she had killed him.  The worst moment in her life since her Father. Nothing seemed to be good enough.  The few words of praise she'd received after she'd stabbed him in the training room counted for next to nothing in the face of this continued hostility.  Without a word, she stood up and stormed out the room after him.  She vaguely heard Bucky say her name, but Nat shushed him and no-one else tried to stop her.

He was walking slowly down the corridor in front of her, one hand raking through his dark hair as he muttered to himself.  She couldn't help but wonder how that hair would feel in her hands making her angry ashamed and very turned on all at the same time.  "get a grip" she muttered to herself as she bore down on him.  He must have heard her as he turned and leant against the wall facing her as she marched up to him, stopping with arms crossed against her chest. He smiled wickedly, despite everything he still loved to wind her up.

"Yes?  Can I help you my fiery Midgardian Agent?" he cocked his head to one side, knowing full well she would be mad at him.  Mad enough to let him in her head he hoped. He was wrong.

"I'm not your ANYTHING Laufeyson" she countered venomously, instantly closing her mind, drowning the thoughts swimming in her head.  Thoughts of him and his hair and his hands and...she dragged her mind out the gutter and into the corridor.  "I have no idea why you are so convinced I will be a liability.  You said I did well when I killed you earlier!" she yelled at him as he stood,  her chin tipped up in defiance. "And by the way, that was a very cruel trick Loki, I really believed I had killed you.  How do you think that made me feel?  I mean you're , well. you." she trailed off, not wanting to say more in case it gave her away. Her pulse raced and her face flushed, she was desperately  building those bricks back up as they crumbled.

"I'm sorry." he sighed,  turning and leaning fully on the wall, no longer facing her directly.  He was tired of pretending and after tomorrow there might be no more chance to.  He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have an admission to make.  One you might find uncomfortable." he looked at her carefully, "I dont want you on this mission....because I actually do care.  About how you feel, about what you think and most if all, about you.  When you joined the team, I admit I despised you.  You were difficult and obstinate and unfriendly to the point of rudeness"  he paused and she jumped in 

"That's rich coming from you Loki, you're hardly employee of the year yourself" she shrugged. 

"Touche my dear" he bowed and nodded "but I wasn't finished."

"Go on" she leant on the wall opposite, waiting to see where this strange turn of events would take them.

"The more I got to work with you, the more I wanted to get to know the woman behind the sarcasm, the hatred and the unending hostility" he looked genuinely sad "I realised that I needed to see you every day not just because I wanted your expertise with languages and cyphers but because I wanted to see you. The real you." he looked across at her, his eyes full of shame, desperation and something else, something she hadn't expected.  Feeling. "I have no idea why you hate me with such venom, I have dealt with it for years but no-one, and I mean no-one has had that constant wall against me. You hardly even accept a cup of coffee from me. I know I have alot to be sorry for , I mean take New York for starters...." he held his hands up in defeat.

"Thats it." She said bitterly. "New York"

"What? You are still making me pay for that? Even now? But I thought. I mean, I assumed that you knew I paid for that , with my mothers life ultimately. " he looked at her incredulous " they took me back to Asgard. I was imprisoned, she died because of me" he stared at his feet, unwilling to let her see his distress.

"You killed my Father" was all she said, turning and walking away "you killed him and you didnt even know who he was. Just an ant to be crushed under a boot. I watched you pass by as my father died at my feet. I've had to live with that pain every single day."

She stopped and turned back to look at him, remembering that afternoon, remembering the pain.  In that moment, aftercwhat he just told her, she knew now how to hurt him, make him pay.

" I hate you Loki Laufeyson" she screamed at him, as she lied through her teeth.