My Beloved

by Sands

Chapter 1 - Unexpected Visitors

Present Day.

Dr. Lillian Zane and Dr. Helen Cho made a remarkable team. Dr. Cho, the senior of the two was renown in her field of medical sciences and tissue generation. Dr. Zane on the other hand was relatively new to the scene but was the former's quick to learn apprentice. Together, their work benefited the Avengers in not just advancing their research but in healing their agents after a particularly tough mission or two.

"It's just a graze," the redhead being examined by Dr. Zane insisted. "A cute little bandaid and I'll be good to go, Lil."

"I think not," Lillian said stitching up the gash across Natasha's arm. "Bandaids don't fix bullet holes."

There was a brief lull in the conversation that was punctured by Captain Steve Roger's laughter. "Did you just quote Taylor Swift?" he asked, his blue eyes overtaken by mirth.

"Of all the people to get a pop cultural reference, it is the man out of time," Lillian remarked, grinning back.

She stepped back to observe her work on Natasha's wound while Steve was being ribbed for knowing Taylor Swift songs. It was pretty decent needlework if she said so herself. Still, she wished her friends didn't need so much medical attention so often. For the past two years that she'd been at the Avengers Tower, she'd gotten pretty attached to the team. They were an awkward bunch with quite diverse personalities that often tickled each other the wrong way, but they were family. It was easy enough to see. She was glad that she was part of something for once that was of her own choosing. This was the family she chose, and a colorful bunch they were indeed.

Helen looked over, examining Lillian's work. "Good job, Dr. Zane. Soon enough, we won't even have to touch any of you to heal you. With our research, you'd be healed and ready to go in just a matter of seconds."

"Well, I hope it doesn't happen too soon," Steve said smiling. "Or I'll miss these nice little moments in MedCare."

If his eyes lingered longer than necessary on Lillian, Natasha was the only one to notice. She couldn't hide her smirk. Of all the people for Cap to finally fall for, he had to pick the most oblivious girl in the tower.

"Captain Rogers, Agent Romanoff, Dr. Zane, and Dr. Cho, please do not be alarmed," Jarvis electronic but familiar voice interrupted, startling everyone in the room. "Mr. Stark requires your assistance downstairs. We have visitors."

Natasha hopped off the chair she'd been sitting on. Steve reached for his shield, instantly alert. "Stay here," he instructed the doctors, as he stepped out to investigate with Nat trailing right behind him.

Upon entering the room, Steve saw Thor standing in the middle, talking to Tony, who was clearly armed with the suit's glove. He didn't understand the need for "assistance" as Jarvis put it. Not until he saw who lurked behind Thor's looming height.

"Loki, if you're here to cause trouble, maybe we should remind you how it ended for you last time," Natasha said, not bothering to hide her animosity.

The person at the recipient end of this animosity easily held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "I come in peace. Sort of." Then with a quirk of his brow and a smug smirk on his lips, he asked, "How is Agent Barton nowadays?"

Natasha's only response was to visibly charge her batons, readying herself for battle. Seeing the blue electricity hum through, Loki's smirk widened to a grin, clearly amused by her playing right into his hands.

"My friends," Thor said, slightly raising his voice to be heard. "We are not here to fight." Not a single weapon was lowered. In exasperation, he turned to his brother. "Your antics continue to cause me hardship, brother."

"This is not my fault," Loki claimed easily.

"That you know of," Thor pointed out testily, making the other roll his eyes.

Tony sighed, reaching the end of his patience. "I'm all for some cute brotherly banter but we are wasting time here. Don't get me wrong, Thor, you're always welcome here. But this menace in green," he said, indicating Loki with an inclination of his head, "Not so much."

"I thought he was going to face your Asgardian justice. He looks quite free to me," Steve added narrowing his eyes.

"He was pardoned," Thor said in way of explanation. Seeing his friends' outrage over that, he attempted to explain further. "There were some dark elves, monumental celestial events. Jane was involved. Matter of saving the universe. It's a bit of a long story. One that we can get into later, but Loki helped. He was pardoned for his valor in times of turmoil."

Tony rolled his eyes, despite his confusion. "We don't care, Thor. He's still not welcome here."

Loki smiled at them. It was no secret that of the four people in the room with him, three actively hated him. It was no secret at all that he completely deserved their hatred. Their continued insolence was irking his calm but he tried for patience. He was here for a reason, and that reason was far more important than how he felt. His return to Asgard depended on it.

"You have something that belongs to me that I'm here to reclaim," he told them.

"Hold up there, reindeer games," Tony said. "We don't have anything of yours."

It took Natasha a moment to comprehend what Loki what might be after. "The scepter," she whispered.

"We haven't found it yet. And even if we do, there's no way that you'd ever be laying your hands on that again," Steve insisted, his voice hard and indignant. "Asgard may have forgiven your crimes against Earth but we haven't forgotten, Loki."

Once more, Loki raised his arms palms up in a sign of peace and surrender. "I understand your anger towards me. I'm well deserving of it. But I am not leaving here without what is mine."

"Enough with your riddles. What do you want? Humor me," Tony said rolling his eyes.

A quiet voice rang out over the room. "I believe he means me." They turned to find Lillian standing at the doorway, waiting in resignation.

Though she spoke to everyone in the room, her eyes were fixated on the dark God of Mischief. In the confusion that ensued, time stood still for her. All she could see was him. All she could think was what his presence here meant. Her eyes took in how his hair was slightly longer now and darker too if black could be any darker. He held himself different, and something about him gave an air of hardness and an aloofness that was more pronounced than before.

He smiled at her but it did not reach his glittering emerald eyes. "Are you going to run, darling?" If the endearment sounded like an epithet, it was only heard by her ears. "But I assure you, there is nowhere in this universe that you can hide from me."

Natasha observed this exchange, confusion marring her expression. "Would someone care to explain what the hell is going on?"

Thor sighed, knowing it befell him to clarify everything since the two relevant parties were far too occupied glaring at each other across the room. "I am sure you all know of her as Lillian Zane but her true name is Princess Lyanna Avon of Planet Zirkon. She is not of Midguard." He looked apologetically at her. "It is not my intention to unravel your identity, Lyn but I cannot withhold the truth from my friends anymore." He let the words sink in, allowing everyone to comprehend the information.

"That still doesn't explain what your brother wants with her," Nat pointed out, trying her best not to show how unnerved she was by the recent revelations.

Loki walked across the room towards Lyanna. Before anyone could think to stop him, his long purposeful stride found him right in front of her. His height had her looking up at him but she didn't back down or look away.

"This is a clever disguise, I must add," he said taking in her appearance. "The white lab coat, the glasses, your hair all tied up on your head." With each word he focused on each of her carefully crafted parts of her false identity. His focus was only her, the rest of the occupants seeming to not even exist. "Clever, indeed. But you must have known I'd find you," he said, laying his hand slowly on the side of her face.

With his touch, in glimmering gold light, the façade that was Lillian Zane fell away. The white lab coat turned into a lavender Asgardian dress that cinched elegantly at her waist and accentuated her curves. The messy bun carefully piled up on her head gave way to tresses so blonde and light that it was almost white, reaching towards her slender waist, with intricate gold chains woven through. The glasses disappeared to reveal angry violet eyes, glaring at the man in front of her.

Loki couldn't help but chuckle at her ire, which only worked to fuel her anger more. He turned to the rest of the room. His next words almost made her growl, broke Steve's heart and shocked both Tony and Natasha.

"She is my beloved betrothed," Loki announced unabashedly, his emphasis on 'beloved' meaning anything but.