Oh my God, you guys... you are AMAZING! The sheer amount of views and favorites and followers this story got for just a prologue is... astonishing and mind blowing. I am SO baffled and humbled by the love you're already showing for this story, because it's the first time that ANY of my stories has been this well received from the very first moments. Really, you guys are the best, you're the ones who make it worth all the hours of work I put into my fanfics.
I checked the traffic stats just a few hours earlier and I was SO blown away by the numbers, that I decided to put in a bit of extra effort and finish reviewing the first chapter so I could post it today for you all to enjoy (initially I was going to finish reviewing it tomorrow and post it on Tuesday). So a HUGE HUGE thank you, you guys rock! :D
Whew, now that I got that outta my system let's get on with the story, shall we? One mention, if Loki seems a bit too soft/loving/kind/etc. in the first few chapters, please keep in mind that this is the Loki BEFORE Thor happened. So at this time Loki still doesn't know he's adopted and everything, so it's only normal that - while he's still somewhat dark (duh, he's the God of Mischief xD) - he's not quite as dark as he was in the first movie, after Odin confirmed to him that he was indeed a Jotun. So do keep that in mind guys, okay? That's the reason for his apparent OOCness, if anyone perceives it as such.
But enough ranting, enjoy my lovelies~ :D
P.S. Every Thor/The Avengers/Thor: The Dark World character belongs to the wonderful Marvel. I own nothing, except my OCs :)
Entry #1
Location: Darien, Connecticut, U.S.A.
Date: April 25 / 26, 1997
"Good evening, Miss Taylor."
With a smile, Michaela glanced to her greeter.
"I'm sorry I came back so late, Hannah; work was murder today. I hope Kara wasn't any trouble..."
"Oh no, she's been wonderful." the teenager replied. "She finished her homework early so I ordered some sushi for her as a reward. I hope you don't mind, she told me she really likes it. She's asleep right now."
"No, it's alright. Thank you for looking after her again; I know you're busy with your own studies..."
"Oh, I studied all I needed to. Kara didn't disturb me; she's a really sweet girl. But I should be heading home. Let me know if you need me to stay with her again."
Handing the girl some money, the woman nodded.
"I will. Thank you again, Hannah."
"Good night, Miss Taylor."
Once the girl had departed, the young woman locked the door and went upstairs to her bedroom. After a quick shower and a change of clothes she tiptoed to the door at the end of the corridor, which had been left ajar. Opening it a bit more, she peeked inside where her ten year old daughter was asleep hugging the stuffed bear she had gotten from her father just a few days before he had left.
"Mom...?"
The girl's sleepy voice stopped Michaela who had been just about to leave. Smiling, the young woman now stepped into the room and seated herself on the bed.
"Hi, baby..." she said tenderly, leaning down to kiss the girl's forehead. "I'm sorry I came back so late again."
Rubbing her eyes, Kara turned on the bedside lamp and rolled onto her back.
"It's okay... I know you have a lot to do at work."
"Hannah told me you finished your homework early today."
"It was easy..." the girl shrugged.
Falling silent Michaela spent the next few moments simply stroking the girl's chocolate hair. Sometimes she couldn't get over how mature Kara could be at times; she had wondered quite often if it was even normal.
"Mom..." Kara said, snapping the young woman out of her contemplation. "When is daddy coming home?"
It was at those words that the young woman's heart sank; she dreaded this daily routine, because she only had one answer to give. And it was always an answer which brought such sorrow to her daughter's eyes, that it left Michaela heartbroken. Two years had passed since her husband had left, and she could still remember that day as if it had happened just moments before.
At least he'd had the decency to wait until Kara was at school; she dreaded the idea of her daughter witnessing the terrible scandal triggered when her husband had said that he was leaving on an assignment. In truth, it hadn't been the news itself which had caused the tempestuous departure; after all, Michaela had known what she was getting into when she'd agreed to marry a CIA agent. No, what had angered her had been the fact that he'd informed her before leaving of the fact that he had deleted his email address and had changed his phone number, claiming that it was best for her and Kara to not be in touch with him – and that he didn't know if he was ever coming back. When Michaela had demanded to know what sort of assignment was so important that he would break all ties with his own child, they had ended up arguing.
The last memory she had of her husband – other than the framed pictures scattered throughout the house or stored in photo albums – was his angry and hurt expression as he left the house. True, she hadn't been the perfect wife as he hadn't been the perfect husband; but with all said and done she still loved him. Even now she still hoped he would one day show up on their doorstep and that they would be a family again. Once she had mentally prepared herself for Kara's usual reaction, she drew a deep breath and lightly shook her head.
"I don't know baby..." she replied softly, albeit somewhat mechanically. "But I'm sure he'll be back as soon as he can."
Silently watching the stuffed bear she was hugging, the girl then sighed.
"He's not coming back, is he?"
The question actually left Michaela speechless, as it was the first time Kara had reacted like that. Usually she would only nod and agree with her while wearing a dejected expression. Hearing her say that, as though she had given up on hoping, was so frightening that Michaela found herself grasping the girl's shoulders before she'd even fully realized it.
"He's coming back, Kara. Okay?" she smiled. "We just have to keep hoping..."
Having set her silvery gaze upon her, the girl now again lowered her eyes and nodded. How could she answer otherwise when her mother had that pleading shade in her tone?
"Now get some sleep." Michaela smiled, once more kissing her daughter's forehead.
Once the girl was tucked in, the young woman left the room; it was only after she was out of sight of Kara that she finally broke down into tears, and rushed to her bedroom to prevent the child from hearing her cry.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Location: New York City / Darien, Connecticut, U.S.A.
Date: May 03, 1997
It was one of the first truly warm days of that spring and people were scurrying about, each to their own destination, most of them apparently not even noticing or wanting to take the time to enjoy the beauty of that sunny afternoon. Actually, one of them did... not that he could be really called one of them; in fact they couldn't even see him, which pleased the trickster to quite an extent. His magical abilities were growing at a satisfying pace it seemed. Yes, the one walking unseen among them was none other than Loki of Asgard, also known as the God of Mischief; a title he was very proud of, truth be told.
Yes, he had snuck out of his home realm... again; this time, however, he had chosen to visit Midgard, curious to see how people lived in that world. His conclusions after a week of wandering amidst them? They were more technologically advanced than the Vanir or the Light Elves – even if they still had a long way to go before they would catch up to Asgard's level of development; also, their physical abilities were a far cry from those of any other race he knew. Still, he found their world to be intriguing to some extent; Midgardians seemed to live in a constant struggle, although he couldn't yet tell exactly what they were struggling for.
That day, however, his footsteps carried him away from the bustling city and to one of the many suburban areas, as he had learned they were called. He quite enjoyed walking along the streets there as they were quieter than the actual city. Occasionally he would see someone on the sidewalk, or a car speeding along the street. The people in that area lived in homes more similar to those found in Asgard; most likely a remnant of their once predominant way of life, as Loki recalled from his studies of their history. As he had foreseen, the area was devoid of life almost to the point where he found it slightly boring and had begun wishing that something... anything... would happen to break that monotonous silence.
And then, as if to grant his wish, fate had him set his eyes upon a child; a young girl heading his way from across the street. Fancying the idea of playing a harmless trick on her, just for the sake of entertainment, the male now scoured his mind for an idea; so many opportunities, one more entertaining than the other... but which one? Still, his musings were short lived as he caught sight of a car speeding along the same street. Having already been in that realm for a week, he had learned that those transportation devices that Midgardians used would usually come to a halt when one of them was crossing the street; this one, however, did not seem to be doing so.
If someone had asked him, he could not have told what it was that made him move. All he could have said would've been that he hadn't even realized when he had rushed across the street, picking up the girl in the process, the car passing so close to him that the gust of air made his leathery coat sway violently against his legs. He had even been standing there afterwards, glancing in the direction where the contraption had disappeared off to, pondering on whether or not he should find that Midgardian and teach him a lesson; it was then that his mind was so abruptly pulled out from its contemplating process that he nearly dropped the girl he was still cradling. The reason?
"Thank you..."
When he'd lowered his gaze, he had realized that the child was looking straight at him despite the fact that he knew his spell had not worn off, for he could still feel the magic aura surrounding him.
"You can... see me?" he finally asked, his hesitation much too obvious.
When she nodded, Loki knew that he would not be returning to Asgard anytime soon; the excitement of having found such an interesting Midgardian – namely one that seemed immune to his concealing spells – almost had him grin, although he thought better of it.
"Are you my guardian angel? I would've thought you'd be more... I don't know... white?" she said, while he set her back onto her feet.
"I am no angel, I'm afraid..." he replied humorously. "But you are welcome... next time, be more careful when you cross the street."
Somewhat narrowing his eyes as he examined her, the young prince then slightly tilted his head in thought. He definitely needed to somehow find out how it was that she could see him.
"So what are you then? A ghost? An alien?"
By now Kara had narrowed her eyes in thought, much similar to Loki; a thing which had the Æsir chuckling.
"I am neither..."
Staring at him and examining his odd attire, the girl pursed her lips.
"You're not human... are you?"
"You sound disappointed..." he teased.
"Well being saved by an angel or even an alien sounds better than being saved by a human..." she pouted.
Again chuckling, he finally reached out to trail a hand through her hair.
"Then you'll be happy to learn that I am not human."
"But... you said you're not..."
"It might be a bit difficult for you to understand..."
Grasping his wrist, the girl now tugged on his arm.
"Then come home with me and explain it..." she demanded.
Her bossy tone actually made him arch a brow, though he found himself quite pleasantly impressed by the lack of fear she displayed. Almost beyond his will he allowed her to guide him along the street.
"I'm Kara Taylor... what's your name?" she suddenly asked, apparently remembering that she hadn't introduced herself.
"Kara..." he trailed off in contemplation.
Why did it sound familiar? Upon sighting her quizzical glance, however, he once again reverted to his usual soft smile.
"I am Loki..." he replied.
For a split second he could have sworn that he saw a weird twinkle in her gaze, though it was gone before he could make out what it was. Then again, it wasn't an impossible prospect that she might have heard his name; after all, Midgardians had once worshipped him and his family as gods... granted, many of the writings depicting them were far from the truth.
Again, he was drawn out of that musing circle by the realization that Kara had indeed led him to what appeared to be her home. Perhaps now was a good time to tell her that no one else could see or hear him. Before he could speak, however, the girl opened the front door and stepped inside while tugging on his arm to get him to follow. When the elder girl showed up, however, his mischievous streak kicked in, convincing him to first see how things went, before speaking.
"Hannah, I hope you don't mind, I brought home a friend."
Staring at the empty space that Kara was pointing at, the elder girl hesitantly spoke.
"Kara... are you okay, honey?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." she smiled. "I nearly got hit by a car on the way home, but he saved me."
Upon hearing that, Hannah suddenly paled and rushed to the child, checking her over.
"What? Are you okay? Are you injured? Should I take you to the hospital?"
Her concerned tirade of questions was only halted by Kara grasping her shoulders.
"I'm okay... like I said, he saved me."
Once again glancing to the empty hallway, Hannah then offered the child a look that finally made Kara realize something wasn't quite right.
"Honey... there's no one there... are you sure you're okay? Did you hit your head?"
She'd heard of children having imaginary friends... but Kara was already ten; surely that wasn't natural at her age. Shooting Loki a reproachful glance, the girl then nodded and smiled.
"Yeah, I'm okay... I was rehearsing for a play at school. Sorry if I scared you..."
"O-oh... I see..." Hannah replied with a relieved smile. "Well... you got me. You'd make a great actress, I'll give you that. I'll go get lunch ready, okay?"
Once the elder female was gone, Kara now turned to Loki with a frown that actually nearly had him take a step back; such was the intensity of the glare she was giving him.
"Thanks for making me look like I'm crazy." she pouted, keeping a low tone to make sure Hannah didn't overhear her. "You could have said that no one else can see you."
"I am sorry..." he chuckled.
As much as she wanted to stay upset with him, Kara found herself unable to do that; there was just something in his playful smile and in the smoothness of his voice that took away her anger. Still, in a last attempt to stay on top of the situation, she crossed her arms and gave him as much of a frown as she could still muster, what with the corners of her lips twitching and trying to form a smile on her face.
"Then go wait in my room upstairs... you'll know which one it is. It's full of toys."
Deciding to play along for now, the dark haired prince smiled and offered her a courteous bow.
"As you wish, my lady..." he replied.
Finally his humorous tone drew a smile from the girl, although she still battled to keep the frown on her expression.
OoOoO
Two hours had passed since Loki had arrived in the girl's house and finally Kara entered her bedroom to find him standing at the window, his hands clasped at the back of his waist. It was now that she at long last took the time to properly examine him.
The first thing that struck her, now that she was actually looking at him intently, was how incredibly tall he was... at least compared to her. She remembered her father being a tall man as well, but Loki was definitely even taller than that. His hair was black but somehow its particular shine made it look similar to silk; he wore it trimmed short and carefully slicked back, and she made a mental note to ask him what kind of hair gel he used.
Stepping closer so she could see his profile, the girl now went further with her examination. Upon taking a good look at his face, the first thing she noticed was his tall forehead – she recalled her teacher saying that it was a common trait of intelligent people – and it had her wonder just how smart he was. Noticing her, the male turned to face the child, only to somewhat arch a brow at how carefully she was studying him. Regardless, he made no attempt to disturb her, actually finding himself curious to see how she reacted once she'd had her fill of watching him.
Though she slightly shied away at first, the fact that Loki made no attempt to deter her only pushed Kara forward to examine the rest of him, thus she now took to studying his face. Thin, ebony brows loomed over a pair of shiny emeralds which even now twinkled with the promise of mischief. Still, beyond that shade, his gaze was somehow so... kind and warm. Deciding to not let herself get distracted from her goal, the girl instead continued her inspection. His nose was sharply defined and it overshadowed a pair of slender lips, the corners of which were now faintly curled upwards as he watched her in amusement.
Finally, her bluish gray eyes moved to his attire which actually started with the tall collar surrounding his neck almost completely, only a thin strand of skin visible beneath his chin. His torso was clothed in what she could only guess was a moss green shirt, hidden beneath something that looked like a breastplate made of hardened black leather; upon it, a golden collar – somewhat similar to a necklace that adorned his chest – had been carved. Over that he wore a black leather coat that reached down to the mid section of his calves, the sleeves of it held tightly around his upper arms by what she assumed were strips of ebony colored leather. The part of the sleeves which covered his forearms – from the elbow down to the wrist – was hidden beneath equally black protectors that reminded her of the kind she'd seen in pictures depicting medieval knights. His pants were of the same material as the rest of his attire; he seemed to have an odd fascination for black leather, she thought. Black boots covering his feet and legs to just beneath his knees completed his attire, although she soon caught a spark when he shifted his weight that made her realize his coat had a second layer to it, which seemed to be made of steel, similar to a chainmail shirt.
"Are you a prince?" she suddenly asked.
Again arching a brow, Loki found himself intrigued; just how in the world had she come to that conclusion?
"Why do you say that?" he asked tentatively.
"You just... you have this sort of... Prince Charming aura..." she mused.
When he cocked his head to the side, she walked over to the bookshelf to retrieve a fairytale volume.
"Here, I'll show you..."
Setting the book on her bed, she opened the cover to retrieve her own drawing before sifting through the pages until she found a picture of a prince; of course, she'd never quite liked the goofy looking clothes and hats the authors had those princes wear, so she'd taken to drawing them the way she imagined they actually looked like.
"See? This is how people say that princes look..." she pointed out, showing him the book.
"I see..." he replied still trying to piece together what she was trying to say. "But...?"
"How did you know there was gonna be a but?" she blinked.
Chuckling, the God of Mischief finally sat onto the bed whilst closing the book.
"There always is..."
"Yeah, well... I don't really think they look like that. I mean, if I were a prince I'd rather kill myself than go outside dressed like that."
Somewhat hesitant, she revealed the drawing she'd been hiding at her back, handing it to him shyly.
"This is... what I think they actually look like..."
Accepting the paper, the Æsir glanced over it; his first thought was how unnervingly similar that drawing was to him, despite the Midgardian outfit.
"Did you draw this from your own mind?" he finally asked.
When she nodded, he extended his hand to return her drawing along with a smile.
"It looks very good."
This was definitely a much too intriguing situation; he knew for certain that he had never used his ability to slither into others' minds on her, yet she had somehow imagined a man which looked strikingly like him.
OoOoO
The rest of that day passed with Kara refusing to leave her room – except to eat dinner and even then only because Loki had promised that he would still be there when she returned. She had asked so many questions that the Æsir had briefly wondered where she could store that much information in her head.
But he had answered; he had told her everything she wanted to know, despite the fact that he normally would not have revealed this much knowledge. When he had found an illustrated book depicting Norse mythology on one of the shelves in her room, it had been even easier for him to explain where he came from and how the other worlds existed among the branches of Yggdrasil. He had spoken to her of Thor and Odin, of Frigga and Sif and even of the Warriors Three. He had told her of Heimdall and the Bifrost, of the war against Jötuns and then of the battle against the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim during the time of his grandfather.
And she had listened... she had listened so intently whilst watching him with such focus, that a few times even he felt compelled to admit her piercing gaze could be unnerving. Late after darkness had veiled the sky, he was seated on the bed watching the girl as she squeezed her stuffed bear.
"Do you have to go back?" she asked, a pout somewhat tugging at her lips.
Loki's chest quivered in a silent chuckle at that, but he reached out to slide his pale fingers through her silky locks.
"I am afraid so... I do not belong here."
She almost startled him when her hand shot up, grasping his wrist while she pinned him with a stern gaze.
"Yes you do... whoever says differently is gonna have to deal with me."
"Well... it sounds like I found myself a guardian. And a vicious one, at that..." he replied, gingerly flicking her nose.
His gesture had the effect he'd hoped for, when the girl's frown melted away and a giggle left her lips. Her humor was short lived, however, her expression soon turning serious as she now played with his slender hand.
"You were telling the truth today..."
Tilting his head somewhat, the dark haired prince narrowed his eyes in thought.
"I do believe you were not saying that as a question." he contemplated.
"I wasn't..." Kara replied, fixing his emerald gaze with her own.
At his puzzled expression, she once more lowered her eyes.
"I... if I look at someone really close, I can... hear what they say... in their head."
The knowledge was enough to leave Loki briefly speechless as he stared at the child before him.
"When did you get this ability?" he finally asked.
"No idea..." she shrugged lightly. "I can do it ever since I can remember... mom doesn't know; I don't want her to worry. She... she's more like Hannah. They're not really fond of... imagination..."
Before he could speak, however, the Æsir felt her grasp on his hand suddenly tightening; next thing he knew she was looking at him with wide eyes, filled with such a striking shade of need – almost desperation – that he felt unsettled to his very core.
"You... you believe me... right?" she asked, though her question sounded more like a plea than anything else.
Seeing her practically crumble before him, and at such a tender age, ultimately compelled Loki to wrap his arms around her, pulling her to a seated position and into a warm embrace.
"Of course I believe you..." he smiled whilst stroking her hair. "And I am glad that you trusted me with this."
Even as he spoke he could practically feel her melting into a relieved breath, and before he knew it she was holding tightly onto him, curled against the hard breastplate he was wearing.
"It will be our secret..." he now whispered in her ear.
His tone delivered an unshakable promise that he would not reveal what she had told him to anyone, no matter what. What he had not anticipated was her reaction to said promise; and it took him aback when she leaned up and pressed her lips to his smooth cheek, whilst her small arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Nevertheless, it brought a smile to his lips... somehow it felt like such an innocent gesture, but at the same time, such a knowing one. It wasn't like he knew much about women raised in other cultures but his own, so as to gauge her actual intentions. For now, however, he would simply take her gesture as it was. Returning it, but to her forehead instead, he then set her back beneath the covers and took to stroking her hair until at long last she fell into a restful slumber.
Even if he returned to Asgard – which he definitely had to do soon enough, lest Thor or someone else came to take him back by force – he would undoubtedly keep a connection with her; he already knew the easiest means of doing that... he would communicate with her in her dreams. He couldn't even remember how many centuries had passed since his interest had been piqued to that extent. But he would figure out all the odd things surrounding her, if it was the last thing he ever did.
