A/N: Thank you Anna10473 for your review and to anyone else who read my last chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Here is the rest of the "why-bwawy" plot (ha, plot, yeah right). Just so everyone knows, this whole story is total fluff and that's pretty much all you're going to get from it. So if you are looking for a action filled story you are in the wrong place. :) Without further ado, here is the next chapter of Guardian. Enjoy!
As it turned out, Cole and Tony Stark were not at the library, a fact which was greatly disappointing to Tova. She soon forgot about her absent friend, however, after the scheduled story time.
The baby story time itself was a tad awkward for everyone involved. The various mothers and fathers who'd brought their infants to read with weren't concerned about an Avenger being there - after all, Thor and Tova were regulars - but the fact that the man who'd tried to destroy New York was there provided some interesting topics of conversation. The librarian seemed peeved, not by the Asgardians, but by the fact that everyone was more interested in alien invasions than The Very Hungry Caterpillar. When it came to song time and no one was singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat because of all the distractions, the librarian irritably skipped Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt to go right to The Goodbye Song.
Storytime was interesting, but the real fun began when the man in green took Tova to the children's section and began going through books with her. Daddy was watching from a cushy chair in the corner as the two of them began going through various picture books.
Tova got too excited to let the green man choose all the books so she began to take some off the shelves as well. She yanked out one with a picture of a dog on it and pointed.
"Puppy!"
"That is indeed a puppy," The green man confirmed, "Would you like to check this one out too?"
"Puppy!"
"I shall take that as an affirmative answer. How about this one? It's about a spider who tries to trick a fly into-"
"Ew!" Tova pointed at the spider and when the green man wasn't looking, she took it out of their pile of books and shoved it under an armchair. She hated spiders. To replace the hidden one, she pulled the first book off the shelf that she could find. It was about a whale in a swimming pool and looked highly entertaining.
"No, that'll never do. Can't you see how preposterous an idea that is? Such a large creature would never, in actuality, fit into such a small body of water. Might as well put that one back, Tova."
But Tova didn't want to put the book about the whale back. She was quite fond of sea creatures and bright colors, both of which were featured in this story. Her little fingers clung to the book as the man in green attempted to take it and put it on the shelf.
"No!" She shouted at him.
"But it's immensely idiotic!"
"Mine!" Tova shrilled, gripping the book tighter and glaring at who she'd thought might be a new friend.
"Ssshhh!" A librarian called over a bookshelf.
Lowering his voice to a whisper, the man in green gently released the book and shrugged. "Very well, if you wish to fill your head with pointless stories then who am I to stop you?"
"Mine." Tova repeated, hugging the book to her chest to make sure he got the message. Once she was certain he wasn't going to take it from her she carefully placed it on their enormous stack of picture books.
"Can we get even one book that I'd like?" Green man asked. Tova noted that he sounded annoyed and to make up for it she went and grabbed a book that was all green, obviously his favorite color, and handed it to him. She wasn't sure if he understood her intentions or not, but he smiled a little and ruffled her hair.
"Gweeee." Tova tapped the book and then pointed at him.
"This is a book about grass," He noted, "But at least it's not as ridiculous as the whale one." He added it to the pile, which was bigger than Tova at this point, picked up the stack with one hand and held her hand with the other. They walked over to where Daddy was and the green man informed him that they were ready to go.
Back at home they ate some lunch and then Tova waddled over to the pile of books they'd left on the couch. She grabbed the green one first to appease her new friend and waddled right back to the kitchen table where Daddy and Green were still chatting.
"The Warriors Three and Sif have been insufferable since you left," Green was saying, "It seems they have nothing to do all day but to torment me. You'd think Odin would send them on a mission or to do something useful."
"And how are Mother and Father?"
"Both well. Mother hopes I will convince you to visit soon. She complains daily that she only has one grandchild and that she never gets to see her."
"Book!" Tova demanded, bored of whatever they were discussing. Plopping the book in Green's lap, she stared at him until he turned and looked at Daddy.
"I think she'd like to read."
"Luncheon and then a story! Fantastic!" Daddy exclaimed, standing and lifting Tova into his huge arms. He sat down on the couch with her, "By all means, brother, read to us!"
Green raised an eyebrow and then sat down, opening the book to page one. "'The grass is alive,'" He read, "'It lives like you and me. It eats and drinks too. Would you like to know how?'" Green paused, "Well this is insipid, isn't it?"
Daddy frowned. "Skip ahead, maybe it will get better."
Flipping through the pages, the green man stopped at a picture of a cow and started reading again. "'Cows eat grass, they chew and chew and chew and chew and chew and,'" He turned the page again, "'Chew and chew it.'"
"Chew." Tova noted.
"Boring."
"Rather dull." Daddy agreed.
"I thank you for the effort, Tova, but this is simply too mundane to read aloud. If anything we should burn it - but I could never do that to a book."
"Let's read something else," Daddy suggested, grabbing three other books off the pile, "Then it's Tova's nap time."
As they went through the books they found that some were quite interesting and inventive, some were cute, and some were more boring than the book on grass. They didn't stop reading until they'd made it almost to the end of the pile. The last book was the one Tova had picked out about the whale. She clapped her hands as she recognized it and excitedly stuffed two of her octopus' legs in her mouth, unable to contain herself.
"The Whale in My Swimming Pool," Green read as he glared at the cover, "By Joyce Wan."
"Whale!" Tova pointed to make sure they understood what a wonderful creature the whale was and how spectacularly privileged they were to get to read about one. Both men seemed less enthusiastic about the book than she was, but when they'd finished they seemed pleased with the story. Tova was elated and decided that this was the most masterful piece of literature on the planet and ought to be read every day as enforced by the law. Of course, she was only one and could not convey these feelings to Daddy so he picked her up and tucked her in bed. It was most outputting for the toddler, but she was determined to read the book again and again.
Once Daddy had closed the curtains in her room and left, Tova immediately began pulling at the bars of her crib. They were wooden and easily snapped. There was now a hole big enough for her to fit through, so she climbed out as carefully as she could, and padded out to the living room. Daddy and Green were talking again - how droll of them - and paid no mind as she slipped into the living room and snatched up the book about the whale and toddled over to place it on Daddy's lap.
"Tova? How did you get out of bed?"
"Whale."
"It seems you have an escape artist on your hands." Green commented.
"I'm sure I just forgot to put the latch on the bars or something," Daddy shrugged, picking her up and carrying her back to her room, "Odin's beard! Loki come see this!"
Green appeared next to them and stared at the broken crib. "Norns."
"Whale." Tova repeated, holding the book aloft.
"What could have done this? The bars were fine when I left the room."
"Obviously she's inherited some of your strength."
"Whale!"
"But why would she do something like this? She's never minded nap time before!"
"Perhaps-"
"Whaaaaaaaaale!" Tova hit Daddy's face with the book and when he didn't respond she threw it at Green.
"Tova!" Green snapped, catching the book and staring at her in bewilderment.
"Well, she can sleep in the playpen until I fix it." Daddy shrugged.
"Whale!" She was pleading with Green to understand what she meant. He looked down at the book and back at her and nodded.
"Wait, before she naps, I think she wants to read this again."
"Nonsense! She probably didn't even understand it the first time."
"Then why is she screaming 'whale'?"
Daddy looked at her. "Do you want to read the book again."
She nodded vigorously. "Whale! Whale! Whaaale!"
"Oh."
"Very well, I shall read it once more," Green declared, taking her from Daddy and placing her in the playpen. He sat down next to the pen and handed her the octopus that she'd dropped in her escape from the crib, "But only once more and then you shall have to sleep."
Tova didn't care. She just wanted to hear it again. And again. And again. By the twelfth time reading it Daddy had fallen asleep in the dim room and Green appeared to be drifting off as well. There was the sound of the front door opening and Mommy coming home. She entered the nursery to find Tova wide awake, Thor snoozing, and Loki mumbling the words of the story as his eyes fell closed.
"Well I guess I won't ask them to put you down for your nap again," Mommy looked at the broken crib, "You seem to have outwitted them."
Tova smiled brightly, nodded, and then promptly fell asleep. Mommy laughed, kicked off her shoes, and curled up next to Daddy.
