The Importance of Marriage (And Why We're Afraid to Ask)
"Now let me see if I got this straight: First, Thor, Sif, you and Hawkeye get pummeled by a vacuum gone haywire, then while *that* was going on, Stark then proposes to Sif about marriage, and while all that was going on, now Sharon Carter tells me that she's pregnant, right?!" Cap asked, finishing his summary of the strange events as Sif, the Avengers, Fury, Selvig, and a very beautiful and pregnant Sharon watched with attentive eyes
"What can I say, Steve? The world just keeps getting more and more unusual…" Fury responded, trying to piece all the facts
"There hasn't been a marriage between one of Asgard and one from Midgard in centuries! The Asgardians at home will be thrilled by this news!" Loki replied astonished as Thor gently lowered him back onto his seat
"You do realize, brother, that in order for the marriage to happen, Stark *will* have to meet Odin and Frigga." Thor reminded as Loki acknowledged the fact, knowing Odin's gentle care for humanity
"Uh, question: Is Sif Odin's daughter, by any chance?" Stark asked, puzzled by the long-listed Asgardian heritage
"Allow me to elaborate." Loki proposed, unraveling a long winding scroll of names listed in alphabetical order
"Um, how *long* is this list naming gonna take? I got tickets to a Blues game tonight. Front row seats." Cap piped up
"Think you can squeeze in an extra?" Hawkeye asked as he and Black Widow along with Sharon crowded around him
"Be my guest" Cap responded
"Woo-hoo! Front row seats! Now *this* is what being a member of the Avengers is all about!" Hawkeye whooped
"Easy there, Pale Rider, don't get too cocky." Coulson joked before turning to Loki "Proceed"
"Thank you. Now as I was saying…Uh, Athena, Atlanta, Balder the Brave, Brunnhilde the Valkyrie, Frigga, Fandral the Dashing, Hela, Heimdall, Hermes, Hogun the Grim, Hyperion, Lady Thor, myself included along with the bride, Thor, Odin, Volstagg the Strong, and last but definitely not least…the groom, meaning you, Mr. Stark." Loki finished, taking a deep breath
"Gee, that sounds like a crowded church to me. You think Asgard may have a cathedral church?" Stark asked, stroking his beard
"As a matter of fact, we have our own Notre Dame cathedral." Loki piped up
"Yeah, well lemme know when you hire a hunchback to carry the wedding rings." Fury joked
"Director, be that as it may, the Asgardians do take religion quite seriously." Loki reminded
"Since when do medieval warriors and kings worship when instead of beating monstrosities to a pulp with weapons?" Fury asked
"Oh boy, not again…" Hawkeye groaned
"As I recall, Thor and I were present when Martin Luther posted the ninety-five theses on his church door." Loki stated as Fury looked at him like he was crazy or just plain nuts
"First off, time travel wasn't even *invented* back then. Second, it would have to take a lot worth of gold, silver and a bucketload of coal to even build such a thing, and Third, how is that even possible?" Fury asked astonished
"I was able to construct a time capsule out of an hourglass and parts of an old grandfather clock." Sif piped up
"Gee, you Asgardians sure know your inventions." Banner joked, amazed by their creative knowledge
"You know, I do happen to have blueprints for a new coffee machine I think you've been working on." Sif added with a smile
"Where is it?" Banner asked excitedly, getting his toolbox
"Down in the lab." Sif responded before escorting him to the lab before turning to her future husband "Be back in a minute, darling" she purred before giving him a passionate kiss
"Wow…now that's a picture of a beautiful woman." Hawkeye commented, examining Sif's beauteous figure
"Barton! Mind your manners, that's the bride you're fondling, and uh…" Loki stammered, hinting Hawkeye to Black Widow, giving him an uninterested look as he stared at Sif
"Don't even think about it." Black Widow hissed before turning to Wanda "How much experience do you have with cooking?"
"To be quite honest, I haven't made a wedding cake ever since Cyclops and Jean's wedding after M-Day. Oh that was a joyous event." Wanda gushed, a dreamy look in her eyes
"Quicksilver, would you be so kind as to get your lovesick sister back to reality, please?" Black Widow moaned, apparently embarrassed by Wanda's puppy love
"Here's the recipe book you requested, Ms. Maximoff. The details are as followed" a SHIELD agent said, handing Wanda the cookbook before turning to Sharon "Agent Carter, the item you requested"
"Oh thank you so much. This'll be a perfect add to our shower." Sharon said gleefully as Cap faced her
"Um…Shower?" Cap asked, puzzled
"My pregnancy shower, silly!" Sharon giggled, giving Cap a playful pat on the back
"…In here?! On this helicarrier?!" Maria gasped, looking faint
"Oh and Maria, you must wear this night gown, it matches your eyes!" Sharon replied gushingly as she handed Maria an elegant blue night gown with the words "Expectant SHIELD Co-Director on Board" That was all it took for Maria to collapse on top of Loki
"…too much chewing the scenery." Wanda grumbled, rolling her eyes
"Ugh! I knew I should've emptied my pockets before entering the bridge!" Loki grunted, trying to dislodge Maria off his chest as she started to snore
"Let me get this straight: A pregnant shower…with several dozen beautiful women…with lovey-dovey mushy decorations…in here?" Cap slowly asked in utter confusion, understanding the absurdity and inevitable commotion that would follow
"Whoa whoa whoa…hold it. As director of this covert organisation and as commander of this ship, I am absolutely *not* going to have this helicarrier overflowing with several hundred women with child or twins or triplets or whatever!" Fury started, putting his boot down
"Easy there Director. We have a galleria room by the observation desk. I'm sure it'll have room for the party." Selvig offered
"Thank you Erik, that's very nice of you" Sharon responded
"My pleasure ma'am." Selvig commented before turning to Fury "Since when is it considered necessary not to throw a celebration for one of our members who's about to be married and one of our own agents who could very easily go into labor this instant! Now I need decorations ordered up and placed around the observation room, and I mean immediately! Chop chop!" Selvig grunted
"Yes, Massa Selvig" Fury responded sarcastically as he headed off, carrying a set of decorations before turning to Sharon and giving her a wink
"What was that?" Selvig asked as Sharon cracked up
"Didn't you think Fury was kind of joking about not having the party here?" Sharon asked, with her girlish, carefree look
"Um…Selvig, we have a couple of guests here. They said they know Sif and Stark and well…Apparently they know about the marriage" a SHIELD informant whispered in Coulson's ear as two elegantly-dressed adults entered. One was around mid forties or fifties, wearing a long gold-brown gown and wearing elegant European jewelry. The second was a man, around sixties or seventies, with a long flowing beard, wearing a Viking-type armor, carrying a scepter-like cane, and wearing a gold-plated eyepatch for his left eye. Apparently these two needed no introduction
"Who…are you?" Cap asked, astonished
"We have heard many great details of you, Steven Rogers" The man replied, with a polite nod
"How do you…oh, you must be Odin, I presume" Cap noticed, before politely bowing. The couple acknowledged
"Get Stark. Inform him his future in-laws are here." Coulson ordered as Hawkeye headed to the lab
"Father, welcome to our home: the Helicarrier." Thor responded, as he and Loki bowed, having placed Maria conveniently by her desk
"Ugh…what did I…oh, you must be the rulers of Asgard, I guess." Maria replied, her eyes filled with admiration and respect before doing a curtsy. Odin nodded before seeing his future son-in-law and his daughter step forward
"So it's agreed that Hogan will be the chauffer and…" Stark paused before coming face-to-face with the ruler of Asgard himself
"So…this is the one they call 'Iron Man'. Your tales of bravery have been spread throughout Asgard. You make an excellent groom and husband" The man smiled, placing his hand on Stark's shoulder
"Who are you?" Stark asked politely
"I am Odin; All-Father and Lord of Asgard. And yes, you can call me 'Father' if you'd like." Odin replied, giving him a gentle embrace
"Odin…who exactly is this man?" Frigga asked curiously
"That's your son-in-law my dear, and maybe…the next heir to the throne." Odin started before everyone on the Helicarrier paused with that sentence
"….What?" Cap asked puzzled. Maria fainted again
"Um…Sif, be a good girl and try to at least see if she doesn't have a heat stroke." Frigga replied, as Sif and Thor tended to Maria
"I have a feeling this'll be a wedding the world will *never* forget" Loki replied astonished