Shattered (Sequel to Shadowfax)

Lovers' Quarrel

Loki dove to the side as the tree beside him exploded into a million tiny splinters. A branch sliced into the dirt next to his feet, and he jumped back apprehensively, his eyes never leaving Jade's angry figure.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" she roared. Unsheathing a dagger from her waist, she flung it at his face. "YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST SHOW UP AROUND ME ANYTIME YOU FEEL LIKE IT?"

Loki slid to the side as the dagger whistled past his ear. "I see you haven't changed a bit," he sneered.

"OH, CUT ME A BREAK, YOU SON OF A—OW!" Jade cut herself off as pain seared through her throat. She dropped the throwing knife clutched in her hand and grasped her throat. Loki started in surprise, moving towards her cautiously. However, his advancements halted immediately as Jade—noticing his movements—lifted her head once again. Her eyes glowed with renewed fury, and the ground rumbled with an unseen force.

Loki shifted, eyeing the trembling forest floor with a hawk-like gaze. From his left came a sudden bolt of energy, heading directly for him. Nimble as he was, Loki wasn't quick enough to dodge Jade's onslaught. He crumpled to the ground, his body convulsing and smoking. Jade recoiled, a twinge of horror sparking deep within her—she hadn't believed she'd actually hit him. Before the guilt could grow, though, Loki's form rippled and disappeared.

One of the trickster's illusions, then. If that was a mirage, though, then where was the real Loki? Closing her eyes, Jade focused on the shadows, reaching out for them with her mind. There was a tug at the corner of her mind, and she whipped her head towards the foliage at the clearing's edge.

"Are you going to throw another tantrum?" Loki jibed, stepping out from the foliage. Jade's rage burned anew, and she fired off another blast of energy. Before it could make contact with the Asgardian, a bolt of electricity arced through the air and intercepted the attack.

"Jade!" Jax's sharp reprimand cut through the clearing like a knife. "That's enough."

He strode towards her, eyes flicking to Loki warningly. "Forget it, little sister."

"Back off, Brathair. This doesn't concern you." Jade hissed, her voice grating from having gone weeks unused. Her hand reached for another dagger, only to be intercepted by Jax's swift movements.

"I'm serious, Jade. What you need to do right now is go see a doctor. I didn't wait a whole bloody three weeks for you to speak just so you could lose your voice again. Now, go."

"Jax—"

"Jade. Now."

Jade threw her brother a disgusted glance before pivoting on her heel and stalking back down the path. She threw Loki a vulgar gesture over her shoulder as she passed him.

"Wonderful to see you as well, love," Loki called after her.

Jade gritted her teeth, doing her best to ignore him. As she walked back, she passed T'Challa, Steve, and a task force of Wakandan soldiers. Steve patted her shoulder as he passed her, clearly aware of the situation. Jade threw him an exhausted glare. As far as crappy days went, this one was clearly the crappiest.

Back in the clearing, Sphinx finally deemed it safe enough to land. As soon as her feet hit the ground, her feathers melted away and she moved towards Jax.

"That was one heck of a lovers' tiff," she commented.

...

Jax was doing his best not to strangle Loki while he waited for Steve. His big brother instincts were on high alert, and every single one was telling him to rip Loki apart for whatever the bloody hell he did to Jade. Unfortunately, he knew that if he killed the trickster before Jade did, his sister would kick his arse. So instead, he was hoping to God that the Norse brat didn't say anything that would tempt him. That was not the case.

"Tell me, how long do you think it will be before she reaches the 'forgive and forget stage?" he asked nonchalantly.

"I don't know. How does the fourth of 'in your dreams' to the eighth of 'yeah, right' work for you, twit?" Jax retorted. Sphinx snorted.

"Come, now. She must have mentioned me at least once," Loki continued. He looked pointedly to Sphinx.

Sphinx hesitated. It was true that Jade was a long way off from forgiveness, but she wasn't anywhere near as pissed as she used to be. Not that she was about to let Loki know that. Nope, he was going to have to earn that trust back.

"Well," Sphinx finally said, "She does have that picture from your old SHIELD file."

"Oh?"

"Yes, she throws darts at it whenever she's drinking."

"And how often is that?" Loki questioned drily.

"Every Tuesday and Thursday," Sphinx answered sweetly. Jax snickered beside her, sobering up as Sphinx shot him a dry look. She was still miffed about earlier then.

Loki cocked his head curiously, noticing the abrupt change in the Scotty's attitude.

"Having your own domestic issues?" he jibed.

Sphinx blushed deeply, and Jax just looked confused. "Excuse me?"

Loki shot Sphinx a look that clearly said: 'You're in love with an utter moron. You do realize that, right?'

Sphinx winced, shrugging. Jax looked between them, wondering what he was missing. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to his original question. "Why, exactly, are you here again?"

"I'm very particular about my possessions. I don't appreciate it when someone thinks it's alright to mess with them. The same goes for Jade. Someone decided to mess with her. I think I might like to pay them a visit," Loki replied off-handedly.

It was probably the closest Loki would ever come to admitting he was worried about Jade. Unfortunately, Jax had stopped listening on the word 'possessions.' He gaped at Loki furiously, his eyes flashing as the air around him buzzed with electricity. "Your possessions?"

"Ooh. I see I've struck a nerve. Yes, I can clearly see the family resemblance now. You and Jade both possess the same short fuse," Loki taunted.

"You're really pushing it, mate." Jax warned, gritting his teeth. Sphinx tightened her grip on his arm, restraining him. Jax's breaths were coming in short, rapid gasps now as he struggled to maintain self-control.

Luckily, Steve chose that exact moment to show up, T'Challa in tow. Sphinx breathed a sigh of relief, having narrowly have avoided another explosive confrontation courtesy of the Tarrow siblings.

Jax, still seething, stormed past Steve without so much as a 'hello.'

"We are you going?" Sphinx called after him.

"To see if Jade wants to throw darts!"

A/N Sorry I haven't been able to write lately, but school just started up recently. I hope you liked it! Please comment and tell me if there's anything you think I should add! XD