This was supposed to be the last chapter. I am sorry to those of you who expected it before Christmas - the Plotbunnies weren't cooperating! It is also not actually the last chapter: the characters weren't cooperating either.

Still only own the fluff. Lets face it: I only want the fluff anyway!

TapTap

Loki stood up on the roof of Stark Tower, watching the night sky. Ever since he started to help the three scientists out in their lab, restrictions for his presence (as long as he remained firmly inside the Tower walls) had gotten a lot less restrictive. Now, finally, he was allowed out on the roof terrace. It was wonderful: he had missed the sounds and smells of night. He enjoyed watching the stars, and he was careful not to abuse the privilege and thus lose it.

Pepper had suggested to have a picnic up here one day, but she was currently overseas; at work. His hands clenched unconsiously around the rails protecting you from falling sixty floors down onto the New York streets as he remembered that awful day before she'd left.

He had come down to Bruce's lab to let the trio of excentric scientists take some tests - it had seemed harmless enough - and has obligingly changed form to let Bruce do some scans while he froze things with his touch. It was not the first time, but they kept devicing new tests, and while he did not find it even remotely as fascinating as the scientists did, he always did enjoy learning new things.

Bruce and Tony had retreated to another part of the lab, arguing about something so scientific he was not even sure they used English any more - he was more than proficient in allspeach, but sometimes with these three even that didn't help.

Jane was adjusting something about the machine, chatting to him like she liked to do while she did. Loki had a teory that she was merely trying to soothe, like one would a scared animal, and while he did not need the comfort, he always liked how she cared, and never once reduced him to a unfeeling test-subject. It was one of the reasons why he never denied them their exhaustive research.

She was chuckling about a story he'd just told her about toddler-Thor, standing a mere yard from his frost-giant form, when Pepper walked in to say good-bye before her trip, stopping on the doorstep as if frozen solid.

Jane looked at her un-understanding at recieving no responce to her greeting, not grasping what was wrong. Loki felt his heart grow as cold as his freezing outside when he realised what the scene must look like from his girlfriend's perspective.

Virginia had begged him for weeks now to let her see his frost-giant form, and he had always denied her. And here he was, lying on an examination table with his arm behind his head, completely at ease as Jane was looking at him in his blue, red-eyed form as if this was completely normal. Which, of course it was, but Pepper did not know that.

Pepper had always assumed it was all about trust, and in a way she was right - he did not like exposing himself in any way to his enemies, and he did change form for the scientists because he trusted them, but it was not that he didn't trust her. But he knew her, and she'd want to reaffirm the bond between them after seeing it. She would touch him, and he had never been able to sufficiently explain to her just how cold his blue skin was.

"Her you trust?" Virginia did not raise her voice, and she did not seem angry, but Loki knew better than to assume that that meant she wasn't furious at him. He's seen that look directed at Tony often enough when he'd missed doing something important, after all. As she took one step into the room, he changed his form back by instinct - instinctively trying to protect her from himself. He only realised that this was a mistake when she froze and raised her chin slightly. She was still utterly collected, but he recognised fury when he saw it.

"Pepper? What's the matter?" Jane tried, just as the door opened admitting Bruce and Tony to the room. "I cannot see you, but she can?" Pepper's voice was so controlled that not only Loki but also Tony winced in reaction.

"See what?" Jane reached out a hand, trying to calm the other woman. "We weren't doing anything if that is what you think, we were just checking a..." "This is normal to you?" Pepper turned her head towards Jane, her voice raised just a fraction now. "I've asked for months to see him like that, and that is normal here?!"

"Whoa, whoa, Pep. Calm down" surprisingly, it was Tony who spoke, while Jane was staring, only half understanding and Bruce stayed leaning against the wall, looking like he might need to flee the atmosphere shortly in order to avoid a green alert.

"Don't get involved in this, Tony" the CEO warned, her voice harsh. Tony's was soft as she answered, making Loki remember the favour he asked some days ago, to get Tony's help with making Virginia understand the whole, blue frost giant situation. They hadn't had time to actually do anything about it, but planned to have a plan in place for when Pepper was to return from her trip.

"But I need to get involved. Pepper - just bare with me, here - do you remember when I used to cool certain systems in the lab with liquid nitrogen and insisted on this whole demonstration to make sure you got how cold it was, so you wouldn't touch it and hurt yourself?" Something in Tony's eyes, something about the pure care obvious in his eyes, voice and whole demeanour - so unlike his public persona, but not unheard of for the people he cared about - clearly made Pepper pause.

"Yes, of course I do" she replied cautiously. "Four days ago Loki came to me and asked me for a favour. He wanted my help to explain something to you. Remember those pipes it ran through? How they'd freeze your scarf when it touched them? Your new boyfriend does not change his looks when he transforms his apparence, his transforms his being. When he is blue, he is that cold. He didn't know how to explain it to you - how could he, when he is not from this world and has no joint points of reference with you - and wanted my help to make you understand".

Cautiously, once Tony had stopped speaking, Jane cut in. "We are scientists, we knew how cold he got from Jarvis' scans. And, to be honest, Virginia, he is not in love with us. If he got a little overprotective about it, then he just wanted to keep you safe".

Much could be said about Virginia - all good things - but she was a very resonable woman who could listen very well when needed. She had, after all, stuck with Tony Stark for over a decade. It had all calmed down from there, and it had ended with Pepper running a finger down the side of his Asgardian face, stating that she understood, her eyes having softened.

Loki still shivered to think of it, consciously unclenching his hands from around the rail. He was happy that was all behind them.