Elsa always knew when Loki was getting ready for his annual journey. He would become less attentive at meetings and this usually meant that Elsa would pick up the slack again, but right now she was trying to make decisions about the nursery, so the meetings fell to Anna. And, as usual, Anna was making her have lunch with her to make up for Elsa making her sit through all the meetings.

"What are we going to do when you secretly go after Loki and he comes back with the nursery in the same state it was when he left?" The red head asked suddenly, stopping in one of the halls.

"Anna, I'm giving the carpenters some plans I thought of, they'll be working on it while we're gone," she explained to her sister.

"Ah. I might not have thought of that if I were you."

"Thought of what?" Olaf asked as he waddled in. Elsa smiled at him. It made her happy to think her child would grow up with Olaf as one of their friends.

"That fish would taste good in applesauce," Anna blurted out.

Elsa's cheeks flamed red that her sister had just blurted out one of her guilty pregnancy cravings. The glare given to the red head thankfully went unnoticed by their snowman friend.

"Ah, there you are!" Loki said as he came over, suddenly appearing as if out of nowhere. "I was hoping I could have lunch with my favorite pair of sisters."

"I'm in!" Anna said, which Elsa instantly cringed at, thinking that she would end up saying something about her plans to follow Loki.

Elsa was silent for a moment while Loki stood there, patiently waiting for her answer. He could tell something was up, had even known something was up for the past few days, but he couldn't figure it out. Which troubled him, because he was the Trickster, and when he can't figure out something it generally means the outcome won't be good.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked her.

She looked up at him. "No, I was just thinking about the type of wood that should be used for the baby's crib."

He smiled at her, trying his best to look happy for her, to believe the obvious lie. He was the God of lies, but she didn't know that. She shouldn't ever find that out, considering it was the past.

"We could always use a pretty finish," Anna chipped in.

"Or paint it green," he joked.

Elsa swatted his shoulder, but there was mirth in her eyes. "If you ever try to do that, I'll freeze you."

Loki smoothly picked her up bridal style. "The cold doesn't bother me, love."

She threw her head back and laughed in the way that only Loki could make her laugh. She held onto him, placing her head on his shoulder as he took her to the royal family's private dining room. Anna was behind them, practically chirping away about something that Loki was somehow able to follow.

As Elsa thought about that, she wondered if he'd had practice with his own annoying sibling (that he may or may not have).

"What's on the menu today?" Loki asked the younger sister after setting Elsa down in her chair at the head of the table, knowing Anna was the one who had more of a hand in what was served.

"Uh, egg salad sandwiches with apples, and um, caramel dip, or something like that."

"You and your eggs," Elsa said with a roll of her eyes.

"It is much more preferable in my opinion than heavily spiced foods," he told them. He didn't particularly like spicy food, and some of what Thor had coaxed him into eating had made him gag, among other things.

"When are you leaving for your trip?" Anna asked him as they took their seats to the left and right of Elsa, respectively.

"In a few days."

"Where do you go?"

His hand hesitated above his napkin as he looked up at the overly inquisitive sister. And he knew that he had to answer her, if only because of Elsa sitting in between them and he didn't want her questioning him herself.

"I visit some acquaintances." Which was the truth.

"Where?"

"Anna," Elsa said, glaring at her sister. "Stop pestering Loki so!"

"No, it's fine. It's only fair that I answer her. Anna, I am visiting some acquaintances in a far away land that you have never heard of. They pester me with more questions than you do and expect me to do a lot for them, which I do do, but only because I feel rather indebted to them."

He could tell she was entranced by what he was telling her.

He supposed it didn't hurt that he was adding magic into his words, just to make her feel fulfilled and stop pestering. It made him feels slightly guilty, but he didn't make a habit out of it.

He glanced at Elsa and wondered if she could feel the magic. Another reason he hardly used it; he didn't want his wife finding out his abilities went beyond ice. That would only lead to more questions, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for them, or if he'd ever actually be ready.

It'll just be better to leave her in the dark.

Author's Note:I can't stop writing for them! Hopefully it's not coming out as crap?

Oh, so in the next chapte we seem some other characters from the Avengers! :)

Please review! :)

~HolleringHawk65