DISCLAIMER

Not mine.

After Loki's startling actions, Ali avoided him like the plague. Every time she saw him, she blushed and ran out of the room. Loki was confused.

"What did I do wrong?" Loki asked Eli. "No maiden has ever acted like this around me."

Eli shrugged. "What can I say? My sister's weird."

Loki gave Eli a strange look. This boy called his sister a seemingly insulting name without any sort of shame. What a world this is. Eli noticed.

"What? She is. Trust me, I live with her."

Loki just stared, before turning and walking away.

A week quickly passed in this fashion, Ali avoiding Loki and Loki being helpful. Then there was some news. Rosie, Eli and Ali's cousin and one of Ali's best friends, was coming to visit.

Eli groaned. "Does she really have to stay with us? She's so annoying."

"You're annoying," countered Ali.

"Children, enough," chided Judy. "Rosie is your cousin and she will be staying for the rest of summer. That's only a few weeks."

"But..." Eli protested weakly.

"No buts. Now clean your room! This house better be spotless by the time she arrives or else!" Judy threatened.

Eli ran off to his room, Ali followed suit to her room. Judy soon put Bill, John, and Loki to work cleaning the rest of the house, before scurrying off to make sure everything was ready. By dinner, everyone was famished and the house was reasonably neat.

Dinner passed quickly and quietly. The adults went to bed early, leaving the children and Loki alone. Eli quickly turned on the TV to his favorite show and tuned the rest of the world out. Grabbing her iPod and a book, Ali curled up on the sofa, wrapped in a thick blanket. Loki settled down to watch TV with Eli, but he couldn't keep up with the plot. Soon bored, he glanced covertly at Ali every once in a while. She seemed so peaceful, her head nodding gently to the beat of a song only she could hear.

Soon, Eli and Ali went to bed. Loki did the same, just as tired as they were. He would need his rest. Rosie was coming in the morning.

The next morning, the whole house was in chaos. Judy and John were driving out to pick Rosie up, while Bill was left in charge. Judy warned them to behave.

"Y'all better behave, you hear me? Rosie is a guest and she doesn't want to spend her vacation with a bunch of savages. If any of you so much as leave a fingerprint on anything in this house, you will regret it, you hear me?" Judy threatened, her country accent much stronger when she was stressed. "Now, Bill, you're in charge. No mischief while I'm gone, or else!"

Judy hurried out of the house to the car, where John was waiting patiently. They drove away, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.

"Well, that was fun," remarked Eli sarcastically.

"Now, don't tease your momma," Bill said. "She wants to make a good impression on your cousin. Family means a lot to her, especially when it's her youngest sister's only child."

"I don't see why she should stay with us though. Couldn't she stay in the city with Uncle Billy or Auntie Jo?" Eli complained.

"Rosie grew up in the city and wasn't raised in a family like ours. Auntie Cathy just wants her baby to spend time with family away from the city. Besides, Cathy and Judy were close as children; Billy and Jo were older, so Cathy feels more comfortable with her only child staying with your momma," explained Bill.

Eli sulked, but he shut up. Ali took the opportunity to talk to her grandfather.

"Bill, did you know Mom and her family when Dad was growing up?" she asked.

"I sure did. The boys used to play together. Your momma's own momma was a friend of my wife's. We never did understand why she gave those kids such old-fashioned, long names. No wonder they shortened them: Josephine to Jo, William to Bill, Judith to Judy, and Catherine to Cathy. Our boys were given more modern names: Luke, Mark, your own daddy John, and Christopher. All the boys were on teams together. Even back then, our families were close," Bill remembered fondly.

Eli and Ali listened quietly. Old family tales were sure to follow. But his speech was cut short by the rumbling of an engine right outside.

"They're here!" Ali shouted gleefully.

Eli and Ali ran outside. Loki and Bill followed them, just in time to see Ali hug who could only be Rosie. Loki looked with interest. So this was Rosie. Rosie had long red hair, barely contained by a headband. It was wild and curly, with stray hairs flying in every direction. She had chocolate brown eyes and freckles covering every inch of her pale skin. She was talking excitedly to Ali, who, in comparison, looked very quiet.

Ali pulled Rosie towards the house, dragging her by the hand. Eli and Loki trailed after them, as they climbed the stairs to Ali's room in the attic. Loki looked around. he had never seen the inside of her room before. It was painted a pale pink with white trim and polka-dotted curtains. There was a cot next to a bed. The bed was covered in a hot pink quilt. Rosie flopped down on the bed, perfectly at home.

"Oh my gosh, I have so much to tell you!" she squealed. "I haven't seen you in, like, forever!"

Ali grinned. "I have lots to tell you, too."

Rosie noticed Loki for the first time. "Who's this?"

"This is Loki. He's staying with us," Ali said, with a note of something Loki couldn't quite name, but Rosie recognized easily.

"Oh, how nice," Rosie said coyly. "I'm Rosie. It's so lovely to meet you."

Eli looked at Rosie in disgust. "Do you even know who this is? This is Loki! The guy who tried to take over the world? This ringing bells for you?"

Rosie looked at Loki in a new light, shocked, and then smiled. "I'm all for ambition."

Eli rolled his eyes. Ali stared at her cousin in shock. Loki ran his fingers through his hair, uncomfortable. Luckily, Judy broke the awkward silence.

"Come on, kids! Lunch is ready!" she yelled from downstairs.

They filed downstairs, Ali and Rosie hanging back while Eli and Loki led the way.

"Dude, you better watch out for Rosie. She's a monster," Eli warned Loki in hushed tones.

Loki looked quizzically at Eli. "What sort of monster? She seems quite normal."

Eli shook his head darkly. "She's not normal. Just...watch your back."

Meanwhile, Rosie and Ali were discussing Loki in low whispers.

"He's hot! Are you two a couple?" Rosie asked.

Ali blushed. "No way, he just lives here."

Rosie grinned. "But you would love to love him, wouldn't you?"

"Rosie! No!" Ali denied vigorously, but Rosie only chuckled.

The meal was peaceful, with Judy asking Rosie about city life and family. It passed quickly, and after they were done, Rosie and Ali fled upstairs to Ali's room once more. Everyone followed their lead and went to bed as well.

A.N.

I know Rosie seems kinda...uh...boy-crazy, but in her defense, look at Loki. He's hot. I would be, too.