'Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold.

Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.

The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.

Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year.

If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope.

For who could ever learn to love a beast?'

Chapter 2 - Enchantment

A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews, hope you all enjoy it as much as I am writing it :D Please keep reading and reviewing! Thanks :P

She noticed how all eyes fell on Loki as he descended the steps, people murmuring under their breaths as they watched the prince walk through the gardens. A voice sounded in her ear causing her to jump, "You will do well to watch yourself with that one human."

The voice belonged to the long legged goddess Sif, who leaned casually against one of the many fountains in the area, dressed for battle as usual.

"Thanks but I do not believe Loki will hurt me…."

"You do not know that snake as we do. " Her eyes flashed and Jane took an unconscious step backward.

"Aye, young one, that's one tricky bastard. Watch 'erself milady." Fandral, one of the warriors three, came around, slinging an arm around Sif who scrunched her face in distaste at his manners.

Jane was starting to become irritated. Sure she knew of what Loki was capable of, had seen it first hand, but she wasn't about to sit here and be okay with their manner of speaking about him when he'd saved both her and his brothers life, nearly costing his own in return.

"I can take care of myself thanks. I believe he has proved that he has another side to him simply by the fact that he saved me more than once and without gaining a thing from it. I do not believe he would harm me." And with that, she turned on her heel in irritation, heading back to her room to gather what she had brought with her and leave for home finally.

Fandral and Sif stood in shock, watching the mortal retreat from them hastily.

The god of mischief, stood, hidden within the trees of the luscious garden, watching the entire scene. This mortal was something else, now he was completely sure, she had just stood up to two gods without batting an eye, and over him no less. He smirked, watching her disappear into the corridors leading to her room.

Time to put his plans into action.

The night brought a chill to the air and Jane hugged the fur cloak the brother's late mother had given her, reveling in its warmth as she picked up her journal from the nightstand beside the huge bed.

She glanced around the room, making sure she wasn't leaving anything important behind before turning to the door, ready to return home.

Loki stood by the palace doors, waiting for the little mortal. He leaned lazily against the doorframe just as Sif rounded the corner, her eyes narrowing at him as she drew closer, "You best not screw up once again trickster or we will all have your head."

He sneered at her, hearing the tone in her voice, "Do be a dear and shut it."

Her eyes flashed in rage and she drew her sword, leaning close to him, "Careful now Sif, should brother dearest come up he might think you've gone soft for me….we wouldn't want that now would we?" He choked out against her blade, noting the zero space between their bodies.

She hissed, drawing back.

As he raised a brow at her, he watched in amusement as Sif growled angrily, "You do not know anything about me you bastard!"

He couldn't help the snort that escaped him, "Of course…no one can see your undying love you have for my brother."

She snarled and moved away from him, storming out of the palace, cursing his name as the doors slammed in her wake. He so enjoyed their little spats, knowing how the dark haired warrior felt about Thor.

"I am ready." He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to see Jane walking towards him, a small nervous smile on her face.

Without a word, they moved out onto the palace grounds and he turned to her, "Come here."

She looked in confusion, "Why?"

"I won't bite." He reached out, pulling her roughly to his broad chest, "Much…"

She bit the inside of her cheek, "Is this really necessary?"

"If you want to survive the trip to your home, yes." He drawled, and before she could utter another word, the world slipped away. The ground left her feet and her stomach behind as everything meshed into nothing. Time stopped and colors interwove throughout the blackness, she clutched onto Loki for dear life, holding on as tightly as she could, his arms wrapped around her small waist.

"Oh my goddddd…" She felt herself yelling out and then her world stopped completely, blackness consuming her.

When the world finally stopped spinning, she opened her eyes, hands still clutching the lapels of Loki's clothes.

A low chuckle greeted her eyes and she finally stepped away from the god, seeing the amused expression on his face as she smoothed her hair down which she was sure had been sticking out in all directions.

Swallowing, she slowly turned, seeing the familiar mountains lining in the distance, the cold chill in the air. New Mexico. Puente Antiguo. She was home. A smile slowly spread and she turned to the raven haired god, "Thank you."

A nod was her response as she led the way to her apartment.

"We shouldn't be in here, this isn't right."

"Shut up will you! She has been gone for months and I just want to make sure none of her stuff is falling to pieces when she gets back from whatever alien world she's in!"

The loud voice of the only female she knew who had a key to her apartment, boomed through the hallway.

Darcy.

"You may want to keep out of sight Loki, I really don't want Darcy to see you because she is liable to attempt to kill you for what you did in New York."

He smirked, moving closer to the door, "I suppose I could change form tem…."

The idea was cut short as the door swung open, Darcy in the middle of storming out with her intern following behind.

All voices coming to complete silence as the two friends stared in shock at each other.

"JANE!" She squealed and all but threw herself at the astropsychist.

"Darcy…" Jane choked out as the other girl finally realized her from the chokehold.

The brunette turned and gasped, staring in shock at Loki who raise a brow in amusement at her expression, "Careful, you may catch flies." He drawled.

Before anyone could speak, her friend marched right up to the god of mischief, the sound of her hand slapping his face echoing across the hall.

"That's for…."

"Let me guess…" Loki groaned, touching his cheek, "New York?"

"Yeah!" She shouted, her hand poised to strike again as Jane grabbed hold of her, pulling her away.

"Why?" Darcy gazed over at her former colleague as they all reentered the small apartment.

Jane sighed, knowing the girl wouldn't budge until she got answers. The intern…Bobby, bob, whatever his name was, sat quietly, observing, attempting to not get in the way.

Both girls took a seat in the living area as well, Loki opting to stand, his serpent colored eyes lingering over everything in the apartment, taking it in while Jane regaled her closest friend with details of her journey, of how Loki saved her more than once, and how she got back home to begin with.

Darcy sat speechless, soaking in every word. "Okay so you got contaminated with some sort of evil goo, Loki came up with a plan which saved you both, then saved you twice more. He almost dies but you saved him. And now Thor is off saving some planet again while expecting Loki to be your bodyguard here?"

"More like he is gallivanting with the warriors three looking for a fight." Loki interrupted.

"And you are supposed to be Jane's protector?" The younger girl asked again.

At this, he noted Jane's faint blush spreading over her face. "I suppose you could say that." He smirked.

Darcy's eyes narrowed at him, "And you have no plans to take over the world?"

"Not right now…not on my list of things to do at the moment." He spoke, half distractedly as he moved towards the TV, his curiosity getting the best of him. "What is this contraption?"

"It's a TV…." Jane spoke, "A box you can watch moving pictures on." Recalling that Thor had no idea what most of the things in her apartment were, she elaborated what it did and he looked only more confused than before as he fiddled with the remote.

Darcy laughed out right shaking her head, "What is it with Gods not knowing what technology is? I thought they would be all super advanced and stuff."

Loki turned from the TV, "We are." And suddenly he was in front of them. All three gasped outright, the intern standing in shock.

"What the hell dude?!" He yelled out.

"Woah…." Both girls said at the same time.

Jane remembered the illusion he'd cast on Thor to save her life on Svartalfheim but seeing this was different when he wasn't using it in the heat of battle.

"That's so cool! I never saw Thor do that!" Darcy said excitedly.

Loki's eyes took on a hardened look, one not missed by Jane as he spoke in a lower volume, "That is because he cannot do the things I can do…."

Realizing that Darcy was about to completely outstay her welcome, she stood up quickly, smiling at her friend and the intern who just looked completely frazzled and out of place, "Okay guys, you can come back tomorrow because I need to get to sleep soon, it's been a very long day."

She could see the disappointment written on Darcy's face as they were both ushered out the door but the girl smiled anyway at the idea of coming back the next day. "Count on it, I want to see more of what he just did! And you better take care of her!" She shouted a warning Loki's way, the god merely bowed his head in acquiescence as he moved towards the bookshelves that lined the wall beside the TV stand.

The door closed, and Jane turned, sighing and stretching her arms.

"You know you really don't have to stay Loki….I know you were forced into this and you must have better things to do than..."

As she rambled on about his not needing to be here, he turned and watched her. She really was different. He was seeing what his brother saw in the mortal and he had not lied. For once in his life, he spoke truth in saying he had no designs on Midgard. No. His plans involved her, making her his and ruling over Asgard and her.

He would not be leaving her side anytime soon and he found it….intriguing that she thought him to be forced, to be doing this out of favor to Thor…..amusing little thing she was.

"I am not going anywhere Jane Foster."

"Jane…"

"Jane." He conceded.

She bit her lip, obviously fighting with herself over something she wanted to say and he moved closer to her, "Speak."

Sighing, she slowly spoke, "The illusion or whatever it was you did to Thor on…." She wasn't sure how to pronounce the planets name.

"Svartalfheim?"

"Yes….and what you just did here…..how?"

Never had anyone in all his life asked how he was able to do the things he could do. As he grew up, he was looked upon as a freak. An outcast. Never one to use swords or blunt objects, not strong like his brother, no brute strength. His magical abilities were always laughed at, scrutinized, and belittled by most….except his mother. Frigga. He squashed the sadness threatening to come up and gazed at the human in front of him, her genuine curiosity washing over her face.

"Magic." He finally responded.

"Magic…." She repeated, trying to wrap her head around it. The scientific part of her brain screamed it wasn't logical, possible. It went against everything she believed, everything she stood for….but so did a lot of what she had just experienced these past few months. "Are there others in Asgard who can do what you can do?"

He sighed, "No, my magical abilities come from my heritage, my true lineage."

She had so many questions, realizing just how little she knew of him, about him, but she could also sense she was treading through thin ice now and backed away from the topic for now, "Perhaps one day you could show me more?"

He stared at her, seeing the curiosity lingering in her eyes. She was making this so much easier for him to completely unravel her. Her eyes begged for the knowledge, the understanding, and with a little coaxing, a little pushing, she would become his in no time.

"Perhaps." He agreed, deciding to keep her at bay for now, all the more to entice her. A smirk hidden on his face as he turned back to her bookshelves.

His long elegant fingers traced lightly over the books which filled her shelves completely, ranging from Shakespearean to physics, and everything in between. The mortal surprised him once more with her taste for literature, each book capturing his attention. He could spend the day alone just going through them one by one.

She watched as he moved along, reading each individual title, letting go of all her previous questions for now. "You read books?"

He snorted, turning back to her, eyebrows raised, "I may be a god but yes I do read unlike my brother, in fact," He murmured, picking out a book, "I spent as much time as I could in Asgard's library."

Her chocolate eyes lit up in surprise, "There was a library there?"

It was Loki's turn to be surprised, "Brother dearest never showed you?"

She shook her head, "I had no idea…."

He sighed, "He never ventured into the library lest he was looking for me." Glancing at the worn out book in his hand, he turned it over, reading the back. 'Beauty and the Beast', judging by its worn out pages and the binding coming unglued, he surmised this must be the mortals most valued book out of her collection.

She moved towards him, seeing him holding the classic tale, "That's my favorite one."

"I fail to see the interest," He flipped it over, reading the backside of it, "a fair maiden finds interest in a literal beast?"

Jane smiled softly, shaking her head, "The fair maiden is Belle, and she makes a deal with the beast after he locks her father up. She gives up her own freedom to save her father, and so Beast allows the father to go free as long as she remains his prisoner for eternity."

He interrupted her, "So this beast, this creature, lives within Midgard and no one takes notice?"

She smirked, "Beast was a human, a prince. He was a selfish prince who refused an old woman shelter from the cold before realizing the woman was a witch. For his mistake, he paid the price by being transformed into the beast."

Loki nodded in understanding, listening intently as she continued, "What makes the story so amazing is that Belle begins to see more than what meets the eye, she sees the man inside the monster. She sees beneath the hardened surface to something beautiful, and slowly they both fall in love."

As she speaks, he notes how her eyes glisten. No doubt recounting every line of the book, a faraway look upon her face as her mind drifts into the fantasy. He recognizes the look, the blissful peace upon her face, for once upon a time, he too felt that, alone with his books.

"Of course you have another man who vies for her hand, he is crude and full of himself and she doesn't want him. Once he realizes her love of the beast, he attempts to kill him and falls off the balcony to his own death. Beast lives and he is transformed in the end back to human, and they live happily ever after." As she regaled him with the story's summary, Loki watched her, an unfamiliar pang hitting him.

She stood at the edge of the palace grounds, observing the gardens.

Her golden hair flowed freely and he slowly moved towards her, heart racing.

"Will you….that is….would you consider going to the allfathers ball with me?" He'd finally managed to choke out.

Her sneer, the laughter, it sliced right through his heart.

The laughter of the warriors three, having heard his request from a distance.

The blood rushing to his face.

"Monster…."

"Freak."

"Why would I want to spend one second on you?"

The cruel twist in the young goddess lips as she walked away.

His heart breaking to pieces

He slowly snapped out of his thoughts, memories, pushing them away. He looked back down at the book, deciding to perhaps thumb through the pages, if only to get one step closer to her by reading something she held dear to.

Jane watched him, seeing his face drop, the normally collected god seemingly vulnerable for a moment and she silently wondered what was going through his head. She knew better than to inquire but she could tell it must have been a bad memory, whatever it was.

Just in this one day she had spent with him, she observed someone different than the god who tried to take over her home and her people.

She slowly found herself looking forward to the week she would be spending with him, the idea of getting inside his head and seeing what the god was about intrigued her.