"Oh, my love, don't forsake me

Take what the water gave me"

~'What the Water Gave Me'

Anja couldn't help but laugh as the Cyprus knee lifted in the air, completely by her doing, and settled back down again. It was truly an experience she had not felt before. Moving something other than the typical water that she was used to truly was a feat.

She felt her knees give out from the strain and she fell back onto the sand. She was still smiling. "Wow…" she said breathlessly as she looked up at the dark blue sky. It was getting later in the day now and the sun peeked over the mountains in the west.

Her hair splayed out against the river pebbles that lined the bank and she brought her hands up to rest behind her head. She laughed again. She was also aware of Loki coming to sit down beside her. He was careful as he sat down to her left, lounging next to her on the bank and propping himself up with his elbow so his torso was facing her.

"That was… amazing," she breathed again.

Loki smiled. "That was nothing. Just wait until you get a bit more advanced. There is so much more out there I doubt even you could think of." He looked back off across the water, tugging at a weed that poked through the river stones in front of him. "So, My Lady Anja, tell me more about yourself." Their time together had been used up by magic and he realized he knew next to nothing about the marvel before him.

She sat up after another few seconds, pulling her legs into her body and wrapping her arms around them to hold them close. She rested her head on her knees, looking at him. "What… what would you like to know?" Her doe-like eyes were trained on him.

Loki shrugged. "We all know you are the Librarian's daughter. What are your other interests? Why are you so intent on staying with your books when there are whole other worlds waiting to be explored?"

Anja crinkled her brow again as she thought. She had never talked to anyone about herself other than what was necessary. Even her own family often did not know what went through her head most of the time. When she looked back up his gaze was boring into her and she swallowed. He had inched a bit closer as he spoke.

She looked back across the water, watching the tall pine trees sway in the breeze. "Books are worlds of their own. The only difference is that they are within one's own imagination and cannot go any farther. No one gets hurt in books. The good people always win; the bad people always get what they deserve. The real world is not like that… and it frightens me." She said the last part very quietly, a flush touching her cheeks. She had never told anyone that. Ever. So why was she telling a man she had only met a few weeks ago this now?

Loki seemed to understand where she was coming from. "What of your parents? You have spoken of your father-"

Anja took in a breath when he said that, stopping his words in their tracks. "My mother… my mother is dead."

Loki's eyes softened and he reached out for her hand… out of habit she drew away quickly but he grabbed it anyway. She looked back down at him. "I am truly sorry." His green eyes possessed nothing but sympathy and… caring?

She stretched her lips in an awkward smile, but it was still sad. "Apparently I got my dark skin from her. I've not much memory of her, but that is what my father says."

"And what of your other talents?"

Anja shrugged. "As far as I know neither of my parents possessed the abilities that I do. I've no idea where my magic came from. What of you?"

"What would you like to know about me?" his voice was low, nearly a growl.

She cocked her head to the left. "You've not told me much about your family either. Do you and your brother get along? Forgive me, but the two of you seem so… different."

Loki nodded and wiped sweat from his brow. It had gotten so damn hot! He tried to tell himself that it had nothing to do with the close proximity he and Anja were of each other, that it had nothing to do with her hand in his own, the way her dress clung to her body…

"My brother and I are very close…" he paused, thinking of what to say next. "He is often… favored by the other Aesir- Do not give me that look. I am not imagining it- as he possesses the more obvious talents of brute strength. But that does not make me love him any less."

Anja bit her lip and nodded. Loki tugged at the collar of his shirt a bit, looking at the water again. Without further warning, Loki sat up swiftly, pulling his shirt off and tossing it to the ground behind them. Anja's eyes went wide as saucers as she sat bolt upright.

*o*O*o*

"What are you doing?" Anja's voice was a near hysterical cry as Loki stripped down to nothing but his pants. He smirked inwardly that his actions made her uncomfortable.

"I am going for a swim. Care to join me?"

Anja had averted her eyes from his semi-naked form, focusing on the river pebbles. "I am fine," she managed.

With a shrug, Loki dropped his boots onto his neatly folded clothes, laying them on a large bolder. He stepped into the water, enjoying the cool feel of it on his skin. He had always liked the cold better than the warmth of Asgard. Unlike most of his kinsmen, he performed better in the cold as far as physical and magical abilities went. He did not know why, and he had never cared enough to question it.

He floated back in the river, looking up at the sky. His collar length raven hair fanned out around his head. Clouds passed idly in the sky. He was aware of a set of silver eyes on him at that very moment. He looked up to meet her gaze. She was now a good fifteen feet away from him; five feet away from the water on the shore and he had paddled out ten feet into the river. The current was not harsh enough to whisk him away and his magical capabilities kept him in place as well.

"The water is truly fine, My Lady Anja," he called to her as he tread water. His feet barely touched the bottom now and he had to swim to stay afloat.

Anja looked as though she were contemplating something deeply as she watched him. "I don't swim," she said sheepishly after a moment of obvious thought.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Certainly you enjoy the water, My Lady! All people enjoy swimming!"

She bit her lip as she looked at him. "I mean… I can't swim."

He raised both eyebrows at this. "I find that to be rather ironic, My Lady, given your particular gifts. A talent for manipulating water and yet you cannot keep afloat?" Anja shifted uncomfortably in her seat on the pebbles. With a toss of his head, Loki swam back in to her, walking to the shore just enough to where the water lapped around his knees. He held a hand out to her and she shook her head. "Come now, I will not let you drown."

She looked at him for a moment, shaking her head. With a shrug he turned his back on her, looking to the opposite bank of the river. He could make out a crane walking gracefully along the opposite bank, bending down and plucking a fish from the water with great skill.

Patience, Loki.

As he suspected, he soon heard the faint rustling of cloth as Anja stepped out of her simple gown and waded out to him. She was still in her very modest underclothing- it could have been a whole other dress- but it was much flimsier than what he always saw her in… like a nightgown… With a shake of his head, he took her hand and waded out. She trailed behind him a bit, still timid. He pulled her along. "My Lady, I assure you, you are quite safe with me."

Her grip only tightened on his arm. Anja, being shorter, was the first to lose touch of the bottom. Loki had been slightly in front of her and had to spin around quickly as she began to flail a bit. She had gone under briefly, never losing grip of his hand, before he pulled her back up, pulling her close and supporting her. He could still touch the river bed and the water was merely up to his shoulders. Anja sputtered a bit before she gathered her bearings and realized how close they were to each other. She felt his breath on her cheek.

"Thank you," she said simply in an attempt to break the heavy silence. He felt the tension that had built in her body after he had grabbed her. He was holding her as though one would a child, her knees supported by one arm, his other wrapped around her waist. Her arms had wrapped behind his neck instinctually when he had grabbed her, latching on for anything solid.

"This is not so bad, is it?" he asked with a crooked smile as he swayed her a bit in the current. She had not relinquished her grip around his neck… He liked it.

She bit her lip again and shook her head to agree with him.

"You really did not know how to swim then," he said with a smile in his eyes.

Anja looked back at him. "Vanaheim's waters are dangerous. There was no way I could know how. It is not something one learns by reading about it."

Loki laughed then, pulling her closer. She felt so good in his arms… so right. Careful, Loki. Do not get ahead of yourself…

*o*O*o*

Anja's breath came quicker as she felt Loki's bare chest against her. Thoughts of her dream a few weeks ago came rushing back to her- thoughts she had all but suppressed. She closed her eyes. "Just do not let me go, please."

She felt his arms loosen their hold a bit and her eyes flew open, pulling herself even closer to him. Every question she felt was expressed in her eyes. The Midgardian term "What the hell?" seemed to be the most prominent among them.

Loki was smiling… and his face was so close to her own. His breath brushed her cheek again and she shivered involuntarily. Her eyes met his own. He was smiling, laughing silently at her. "Don't worry, My Lady Anja, I shall not let you go." She looked at him for a moment. "Trust me," he said as he loosened his grip only slightly. She felt like she would sink to the bottom if he let go of her for a moment, never to resurface. He never broke eye contact with her; he just repositioned his grip to where she was not as dependent on him to keep afloat. "Try to use your powers to stay afloat. The water will work for you if you let it." She nodded, still terrified he would let go of her, but with something new to focus on she was not as scared. "Close your eyes and focus. I promise I shall not let you go until I feel you are safe."

She closed her eyes. All that kept her afloat were the hands of a man she knew little of wrapped around her upper arms. She summoned as much water as she could, forming a sort of current that continued to push her upwards beneath her. She figured it resembled the current kicking formed for a swimmer when treading water. She felt his hands leave her, but she was too focused to be afraid. Her powers- as always- kept her calm.

She opened her eyes briefly and found emerald green ones peering back at her intently, studying her. With that her body and concentration turned to jelly and she felt herself going under again. He reached out for her as her head dipped below the surface, pulling her back to him. He was leaning into her, resting his forehead against her own. "I suppose that is enough for today, don't you?" he whispered. She could feel his heart hammering against his chest where one of her hands had come to rest and his breathing matched her own.

She was breathless in his grasp. His face was right back near hers. She closed her eyes again and nodded against his forehead, pulling away after a few seconds. That had been enough for today. But why did she want more? Why did she need more?