Author's note: Hey, everyone! As always, thank you for your amazing support! For the reading of this chapter, I recommend listening to the song "Impossible" by  Shontelle. PLEASE vote and comment if you enjoy the chapter! Thanks and have a great day/evening/night.

Chapter 21: The unexpected savior

Since Darcy had to leave early for a work interview, she woke up before Jane and Loki and left breakfast ready for them before leaving. Two hours after she left, Jane woke up and took a moment to look at the sun shining through the window and enjoy the fact that she was not in an Asgardian prison. However, the feeling did not last too long since the scientist soon remembered the way things were between her and Loki. In the beginning, falling for him and choosing to be with him seemed so wrong, but she realized that losing what they had was much worse.

- I need to fix the damage I have done and Loki has to understand that he made me change! He has to... – Jane said to herself, distressed and leaving the bed. She then sighed, made the bed and went downstairs to eat. Darcy had left a message on the nightstand saying she left breakfast ready in the kitchen, so Jane knew she would not have to cook.

When she arrived at the kitchen to eat, she saw Loki sitting in an armchair while skimming through a book. After what happened in New Asgard every time Jane gazed at him, she felt like her heart was being shattered. The woman did not know what to say anymore to convince him not to avoid her. To catch his attention, Jane cleared her throat loudly. He looked at her and had both sadness and anger in his eyes. "I don't want to continue this stupid argument. It's too painful. If she is a traitor, then why did she save me from imprisonment? Was it another strategy?" Loki thought, nervous. He was not only heartbroken but also was having a taste of his own medicine for the first time.

- Good morning. Aren't you going to eat with me? – Jane asked. He did not look into her eyes to answer:

- I have already eaten. – The scientist nodded, sat on a high chair at Darcy's counter and started eating. What she wanted the most was to run to Loki, give a thousand explanations and beg for his forgiveness one more time. The only reason why she chose not to do it was that she wanted to respect his personal space for a couple of minutes. "If I were Loki, I would also be devastated and furious. How can I possibly blame him for acting this way?" Jane thought, upset.

After finishing to eat her breakfast, which was eggs benedict and a cup of coffee, Jane went towards the living room. The god of mischief was still skimming through the book and refusing to give the woman any attention. Deep down, all that Loki wanted was to get back together with Jane, but he was conflicted. The god of mischief had no way of knowing whether she actually cared for him... at least that was what he was trying to make himself believe.

- Are you seriously going to avoid me forever? – Jane asked, crossing her arms and starting to lose her patience. Even though the warrior was a very understanding person and knew she had made a mistake by betraying Loki, she could not stand that attitude of his anymore.

The god of mischief sighed and rolled his eyes. Avoiding Jane was the only way he could feel less upset at that moment. What would Loki even say to her? He had no idea. At the same time, Loki wished to speak his mind to Jane and say how much he hated what she did, he preferred to remain quiet not to feel even angrier.... and sadder.

- I simply have nothing to talk about. – he answered quickly. The scientist laughed, a little angry, and said:

- Really? The most talkative god in the Nine Realms has nothing to say? – Thor's brother kept ignoring her. Jane did not know what to do anymore. At the same time that Jane was annoyed with Loki's inability to understand how she cared for him; she was feeling guilty for trying to convince him to forgive her. The scientist had really betrayed him, so how could she expect him to accept her apologies?

Loki shook his head in denial, not sure of what to say. He was not ready to talk to Jane yet and needed some space. With his feelings a colossal mess, Loki put the book on the table, turned to her and said:

- I just don't want to talk to you right now, Jane! How could I possibly want to speak after I found out you are a traitor? – "I really didn't want to make such a dirty move, but he is leaving me no choice.", the Midgardian thought. Jane feared the argument could get even worse after she said what she wanted to say.

- I know I made a huge mistake, but you are not in a position to judge me. Do I really have to mention the numerous times that you betrayed your brother? You lie all the time! – Jane said, knowing that she was right. Loki laughed a little. He knew that she had a point, however, got even sadder by hearing that. The last thing the Asgardian needed was someone remembering him of his past mistakes. Furious, he stood up from the couch.

- At least I never played with nobody's emotions the way you did. I have never made anyone develop feelings for me and then show myself as a traitor. This is just too low! – Loki said, almost yelling and with his eyes widened. When he realized that he spoke too loudly, he sighed, slightly embarrassed and looked away from Jane for a second. She bit her lower lip, worried that he could not ever understand the truth because he was blind with Valkyrie's revelation.

- Didn't you hear anything I have been saying to you since we ran away from prison? Being with you was never part of my plan, Loki! What happened between us was completely unexpected. – Jane said, in a loud tone, angry with the fact that the god of mischief still thought she had played with his heart. The woman was telling the truth since she had never planned to get involved with Thor's brother romantically. Loki frowned, processing what he had just heard and trying to figure whether it was a lie or not. It did not seem like Jane was deceiving him, but it would not be easy to be sure after the past events.

- After knowing about your mission, I'm not sure what to believe anymore. – The scientist sighed, starting to lose hope. If not even telling Loki that he was a cheater himself was enough to make him consider forgiving her, what else could Jane do? She was utterly lost. Even Loki was confused because he was not sure what to believe. He could not tell if Jane had developed genuine feelings for him or if she was good enough at lying to fake liking him.

- Please, you have to know that I could never fake how I feel about you. I... - scared by a knock on the door, Jane stopped talking and looked at the entrance. Loki also looked that way and wondered who was there. Slowly, Jane approached the door and grabbed a large umbrella Darcy left by the armchair. An umbrella was not the best weapon to use if Jane needed to defend herself, but it was better than nothing.

A few seconds after getting the umbrella, the warrior opened the door and was ready to attack whoever was there. She was shocked to see who was there. Jane was not sure if putting down the umbrella would be the best option. It could be a chance to help her and Loki leave the fugitive status... but what if it was a trap? Jane was not willing to take the risk.

- Hi, Jane. I need to talk to you and Loki. – Thor said with a serious look on his face. He was wearing his usual Asgardian silver clothes with a red cape. The god of thunder kept his hair and beard short, which made him even more attractive.

The woman gulped, a little worried. She took a step back, afraid that a surprise attack with hundreds of Valkyries ready to take her and Loki to jail would happen at any moment.

- Well, that was unexpected... You are here to take us to prison, aren't you? – Jane asked with a sad look on her face. The god of mischief stood up from the couch, ready to fight his brother if necessary. The former could think of no other reason than an attempt to bring him back to jail for Thor being at the door.

- Of course not! I came here to help. Now, if you can put down your weapon... – Thor said, smiling while looking at the umbrella his ex was holding. She stared at him for a second and hesitantly did what he asked for. Jane stepped aside, giving him space to get in, and said:

- Alright then, Thor. I will trust you. Come on in. – he nodded and entered the house. The scientist shut the door behind him and took him to the living room. She sat on the couch by Loki's side and Thor sat on the armchair farther from the window. The god of mischief looked into his brother's deep blue eyes as if he tried to read his mind.

- I did not expect you to show up. To what do I owe the pleasure, brother? – Loki asked with a sarcastic smile. "Can he not smile like that once in his life?", Thor thought, bothered with his brother's mischievous look. Sighing, he said:

- I have a plan to make Valkyrie give up on throwing both of you in prison. – Jane frowned, wondering what Thor had in mind. Loki moved more to the front of the couch and interlaced his fingers, very interested in hearing the god of thunder's idea.

- Color me interested. What genius idea the infamous god of thunder has to offer us? – Loki asked, being ironic again. Thor rolled his eyes and so did Jane. Both liked the god of mischief a lot but hated it when he decided to be ironic... or too mischievous.

- As I was saying, I have a plan. It's a little crazy and we have to do it quickly, but it's the best option we have. – Thor affirmed, looking at Jane and Loki at the same time. "How can I know if my own brother is not betraying me? Is this how he feels every time I trick him?" Loki thought, angry at himself. He was starting to realize how his personality made it very hard to have a good relationship with his brother... or with anyone.

- Tell us then! We are running out of time! – Loki requested, very anxious. "Loki looks so sad... I haven't seen him like that in such a long time.", the god of thunder thought, trying to think of something to say that could help his brother feel better.

- I will offer something that Valkyrie cannot refuse. – Thor answered, looking confident about his idea. Although he was pretty sure Brunnhilde would accept his offer, the god was nervous and afraid that it would backfire. The queen might as well put him along with Jane and Loki in jail. Thor was taking a huge risk by accepting to help his ex-girlfriend and his brother.

- Good luck finding "something she can't refuse," Thor. You have to be the god of diplomacy to do that. – Jane said, sad to remember how hard it was to persuade Valkyrie to do anything. She knew that Thor was good at solving tough situations but was not sure if he could come up with an excellent solution for that situation.

- I believe this will work. I just need you both to listen to me. – Thor said.

After Thor explained his plan, Jane and Loki thought about it for a couple of minutes. They were not completely sure of the efficiency of the god of thunder's strategy, however, following that plan was their best bet. It would have to be fast since Valkyrie was already looking for the fugitives and more than ready to put them back in jail. If Thor was wrong about his idea, there was a massive possibility that Valkyrie would put him in prison, along with the two runaways.

While Jane and Loki waited in Darcy's living room, Thor was being transported to New Asgard. The trip was fast due to the Asgardian efficiency, but the ten seconds felt like ten thousand years. He knew that the future of his brother and ex-girlfriend was lying on his hands and that made him very nervous. Once the god of thunder crossed the Bifrost, he went straight towards the palace. Since he was the queen's advisor and she trusted him completely, he had free access to her home. The guards never stopped Thor from entering the palace as they did to others.

When the Asgardian arrived, Valkyrie was not in the throne room. That made him even more worried, so he went to the other place he could think of: the conference room. That room was where the queen went to develop strategies with her soldiers. "If the queen isn't here, I have no idea where she went...", Thor thought, feeling like his disadvantage got bigger as time went by. Every minute was crucial since Valkyrie wanted to find the couple as soon as possible and Thor had just a few minutes to convince her of his idea. The Asgardian took a deep breath and knocked on the conference room's door, which was closed.

- This is going to work. It has to. – he whispered to himself, breathing heavily. Not long after he knocked on the door, Sif, who was in her full Valkyrie suit, opened. The warrior rolled her eyes when she saw Thor and said, sighing:

- It's you again... What do you want? – "What a warm reception!", the god of thunder thought, annoyed with the way Lady Sif talked to him. She had been treating Thor differently since the time he dated Jane. He knew that it was for jealousy.

- I need to talk to Valkyrie. – The god said, trying to hide his jitters. All that he wanted was to get that conversation over with... and that Brunnhilde would not choose to capture Jane and Loki again.

- We are at a very important meeting here. You will need to wait. – after saying that Sif started closing the door. Before she could shut the door completely, Thor held the door and said, determined:

- This is a very urgent matter. Please, Sif, tell her to come and talk to me. She knows that I only say that something is critical when it really is. – the warrior thought for a moment, then realized that it would be wrong to keep making Loki's brother wait.

- Alright! I will talk to her. – Sif said, angry that the meeting was interrupted. She closed the door partially and Thor waited outside, wondering if the warrior had really told Valkyrie that he had something important to tell.

Less than two minutes later, Valkyrie left the room, accompanied by two guards. She looked at Thor from head to toe as if she was judging his appearance.

- Let's talk. Walk with me. – the queen said, showing the way for Thor. He nodded and started walking with the monarch. The god was confident that his strategy would work, but there was no way to be sure. He hoped that his plan was good enough to stop Valkyrie from chasing Loki and Jane.