The Witch's Familiar

Chapter 20

 Time was being wibbly-wobbly because of the drugs.

Less than an instant had passed.

It felt like ages.

Your knees buckled from under you, despite your fighting to keep your feet, a strong cool arm wrapped around you before you hit the ground. Loki was there, bracing you and holding you on your feet, secure against his body so you wouldn't fall, though you were limp against him, useless dead weight. "Y/N!" he called. You blinked and tried to look up at him. You couldn't focus. You tried so hard. "Y/N, stay with me," he told you firmly. You made a soft noise of assent.

"Run," you managed to tell him. Did the word actually come? You couldn't be sure. There were more soft pops of the dart guns, but the darts evaporated before they hit Loki. He glared and threw daggers, but the men were already fading back into the crowd, escaping before Loki could kill them all. He would too, except that he was focused on protecting you, on removing the darts from your body. You lifted an arm, though it weighed a ton and felt like trying to swim through taffy to move it and pointed. "Pepper,"

"Hush, I've got you. I'll get her too," he swept you up effortlessly into his arms. You made a soft noise as the world spun and faded, as pain wracked your body. One of his clones grabbed the last of the attackers before he could vanish too. The clone and attacker vanished in a flash of green light. Loki swept over to Pepper in a moment, carrying you as if you weighed nothing. "Take my arm, I'm taking you home," he told her firmly, not unkindly, not impolitely, just a firm order he expected to be obeyed.. Happy started to protest. "I am taking the ladies home. I can get them to safety in an instant," Loki glared at Happy and reminded him, just as firmly. Happy gulped and finally nodded, accepting that Loki would kill him to get his charges home if that's what it took. He had taken Pepper into his care as well as you.

Pepper bravely stepped forward and placed her hand on Loki's arm. "That's it?" she asked, unsure about magic and how it worked.

He nodded curtly and looked at you. "Stay awake, love," he bid you. An instant later, you were in the living room of the tower. Pepper ran to Tony and started explaining what had happened. Nat was in the corner of the room, thoroughly beating information out of the man in the clergy costume. You knew it was just a costume. You had seen their real armor and robes before.

Loki laid you gently on the couch while you whimpered softly. Loki shhed and soothed while he removed the darts. You writhed in pain, crying, as the drugs and potions worked through your system. "Brother, can't you do anything for her?" Thor asked, worried and helpless. Loki's hands were glowing green. He placed one on your forehead and the pain eased slightly.

"I'm doing what I can," Loki snapped in reply. You still writhed as the potion ate through your body, burning your magic. Loki caught your attention, using magic to keep you from the pain, help you stay awake and aware. "Focus, love, I can't do this long," he bid you. "Do you know who those men are? What they wanted with you?"

"Witch hunters," you told him as his spells broke an instant later. You yelled in pain and the world swam back out of focus.

"They think she's been corrupted to evil magic because of her relationship with you," Nat announced from her corner as she punched the man in the face again, just for the hell of hurting her friend.

"Shit," Loki swore softly. "She's not safe here. Brother," he looked up at Thor again. Thor nodded his understanding.

"Go. Wait for me when you get there. I'll be right behind you. I will explain to our friends. Get your lady to safety," Thor said firmly.

Loki nodded once and turned your attention back to you. He pushed your hair back from your face, using more magic as he did to soothe the pain. "You'll be alright, love. I'm getting you out of here." He lifted you carefully back into his arms. You couldn't help crying out and whimpering. Your limbs were still jelly, you couldn't actively control them. The drugs and potions kept you woozy, dizzy, useless, but didn't let you pass out to avoid the pain. "I know, love, I know it hurts. Hold on, just a little longer," Loki told you, sad and hurt that you were in such pain and there was so little he could do for you.

The team was demanding where Loki was taking you when he vanished again. You reappeared on the roof of the tower. "Don't fear, love. You're safe with me," he reminded you.

"You lost your ears," you told him dumbly. That wasn't important at all, but his cat ears were gone and it seemed so important to tell him. He seemed to relax that you could make such a stupid silly comment.

"I'll put them back on for you when you're well," he promised you softly. "Hush now," he told you warmly, kindly.

He looked up to the sky, which seemed like quite a silly thing for him to do. "Heimdall," he said just the one word, not even very loudly, but tightened his grip on you in anticipation of something. Your brain was working stupidly slow, or you'd have remembered Thor calling on Heimdall to open the Bifrost on previous occasions. Suddenly you were surrounded by rainbow lights. You shut your eyes and hid your face against Loki's neck, cringing at the sensation of falling toward the sky. Loki stepped forward into a large circular room, you realized when you braved opening your eyes again. There was a very large man with a scarily large sword.

"Welcome to Asgard," he told you both formally.

Asgard?

Loki had brought you to his home?

You didn't understand how or why.

"Loki," you mewed softly. "I can't. It hurts," you whimpered, fighting back tears.

"I know, dearest, I know. Sleep now. They can't get you here. I'll take care of you. You'll be just fine. I love you, my darling," his lips pressed against your forehead and you felt his magic flood your mind. With your own powers being burnt away by drugs and potions, you couldn't have stopped him if you wanted to. He gave you the only relief he could at the moment, letting you escape into unconsciousness.