Frigga took in the young mortal's shocked expression and pushed her further back in her chair. "Sit back and breathe," she instructed firmly. The girl did as she was told, her lovely emerald eyes slightly unfocused as she stared blankly. "He gave you no clue, hmm? Ah, that boy; he does love his mischief."

"I think marrying someone without making it clear that's what you're doing is a bit beyond mischief," she snapped.

"True. But tell me, Kat. Are you really angry with him?"

Her anger visibly deflated and she sighed. "No, I suppose not. Annoyed, definitely."

"He did not have permission to marry, let alone to marry a mortal, I will make the proclamation to annul it at this evening's court," her husband told them.

"What?" the girl asked, her voice shocked. "But, uh, it's been consummated." Odin shrugged. "You'd just…do that?"

"Odin, think this through. Loki cares for the girl. Do you not think this is a good sign?"

"He has once again flouted both law and convention."

"Father, he has not. He honestly pledged to the girl before a witness, he gave her a valuable marriage gift and arranged for her protection. In what way did he flout our laws?"

"He must have his family's permission to marry."

Frigga and Thor gave Odin matching reproachful looks. "Did you not deny him in court, husband?" she asked. "To save yourself embarrassment, did you not say he was no child of ours?"

"That does not…"

"But it does, father. That makes Loki an orphan who need ask no one for permission to wed."

"At the next court I declared him my son by adoption," Odin grumbled.

"Good," her elder son said. "But neither Loki nor I were aware of this, so he has still not broken our laws as regards his marriage."

"She's mortal." Odin was going to be stubborn about this. Frigga smiled as a vision of a green eyed child with dark hair and pouty lips caught her attention.

"She must be examined, my husband. There is one circumstance where not even you can annul the marriage."

Odin gave her his one-eyed glare and then that eye widened when he realized what she referred to. "Fine. Send for Lady Eir."

… …

Kat's head was pounding. Crap; she'd though her family was a mess, but Loki's had hers beat by a mile. And his were immortal, or near enough. At least her family had the decency to orphan her a decade ago. She didn't like the sound of this circumstances stuff. If it had to do with fertility, she was out of luck. Several polyps when she was in her early twenties had basically destroyed her fallopian tubes. It was handy, most of the time; she didn't have to worry about pregnancy or load herself up with hormones to prevent an accident if a condom failed. "Who is Lady Eir?" she asked Thor.

"She is our goddess of Healing," he rumbled as quietly as he was apparently capable of.

Huh. If they had a goddess that could heal, why would it matter if she was fertile or not? Oh. "Uh, Thor?" she whispered as Odin and Frigga held a private and very heated argument near the entrance to the room. The blonde giant got down on one knee beside her. "If they're checking to see if I'm pregnant, I'm not. I can't conceive at all."

"Is there no chance you're wrong?"

"It would take a miracle and they're pretty rare, you know."

"That, my lady, depends on your definition of a miracle. If it is as you suspect, you'd best hope Loki decides to show himself before the next court. It seems mother is losing her argument."

"Unless he expects Odin to nullify it and he's okay with it."

"Would that sadden you, Lady Kat?"

She sighed. "Yes, yes it would."

… …

Thor felt bad for the woman. By the unguarded expression on her lovely face, she'd fallen hard for his brother. "I'll return to Midgard and attempt to find him. Do not lose hope, my lady."

"Thanks, Thor."

He strode past his bickering parents and out of the Valhöll. As soon as he cleared the gates he used Mjölnir to take to the air and set himself down at the end of the Bifröst. "Know you where he is, Heimdall?"

"Loki does not hide from me this day," the gatekeeper rumbled.

"Can you guide me? I must find him lest his marriage be annulled without his leave. Odin is determined that no Prince of Asgard should wed a mortal."

The dark-skinned god's brows rose over his farseeing golden eyes. "That bodes ill for your romance, my prince."

Thor sighed. "It does, but I am far more concerned for my brother. If he loves this woman, it could make all the difference to his future. I will not lose him and I fear she is the key to his full recovery."

Heimdall nodded. "Ask the Man of Iron for Prince Loki's location. He is helping him find safe haven. I shall send you back to whence you came."

Grinning, Thor clapped Heimdall on the back and entered the observatory to prepare for the wrenching journey back to Puente Antiguo. He appeared in the circle and dropped to one knee to catch his breath. A ring of dark clad S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surrounded the egress, the Hawkeye among them. "Friend Hawk, how fare you?"

"Cut the bullshit, Thor. Who did you take to Asgard?"

"That is Asgard's business my friend. I may not share it with you."

"I hear it was a traitor that was harboring Loki."

"You have heard incorrectly. She was watching Loki in my stead."

The man's sharp eyes narrowed. "So he escaped from her?"

"He was not her prisoner. He left to evade you as he is not your business. Had you left him be, he would still be where I placed him."

"Sorry, couldn't do it, he's a menace."

"Well, then; you will excuse me while I seek to retrieve this menace and return him home," he said and lifted Mjölnir in preparation to fly.

"If you want to keep him alive, don't bring him back next time, Thor. We've had it with him and his tricks."

Thor let the hammer fall back to his side. "Do not threaten my brother, friend Hawk, lest I no longer count you as such. You do not know the full truth yet you choose to judge. I had thought you wiser than that. How many did you kill in the days leading up to the invasion, Clint Barton? How have you paid these debts?"

"It wasn't my fault. I was controlled by that freaking scepter."

"Exactly. Think you that Loki was immune to its influence?" Thor smiled grimly as Hawkeye's face paled and his jaw dropped. "Where may I find Tony Stark? He can best help me return my brother home."

A sleek redhead slid out of one of the dark vehicles and approached them. "Stark headed back to his tower in New York; the repairs are about done and he's preparing for a reopening," Natasha Romanov told him.

"My thanks, Lady Widow." He turned away from the pair, twirled Mjölnir and took to the air.

… …

Tony sighed as he looked at the repaired floor and windows. Good as new. "It's fixed, I see." His heart stopped, just for a second, at the sound of the accented voice behind him.

"Jesus, Loki. Were you trying to startle me into jumping through the damn thing this time?" he wheezed as he turned to look at the dark haired god. "Why aren't you at Steve's?"

Loki grimaced. "His landlady saw me and asked too many questions. Since I cannot directly lie and she was too persistent to accept my evasions, I had to leave."

"No shit? You really can't lie?"

"I believe I just said that, yes." His smile was actually charming. Who'd have thunk it? "You need beware what I do not say, however."

"Yeah. Thanks for the warning." He thought about where else Loki could hang out and came up blank. Although…hmm. "You know, S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't likely to come here anytime soon. I've got a spare room you can bunk in and I can set Jarvis to warn you if you're about to have unwelcome company."

Thor's little brother actually looked relieved. "Thank you, St…Tony. I don't have so much excess power that I can afford to keep running. Having a chance to rebuild it would help immeasurably."

"Sure, no problem; I'll claim I didn't know you were here, though, if you do get caught. Sorry, but I've got to cover my ass. They could fuck me over big time."

"I understand and agree to your terms. I do not wish to cause you any more problems than I already have. I tread a precarious enough path in Asgard as it is."

"Tell me what really happened." It wasn't a request and Loki shot him an accusing glare. "Hey, I carried a fucking nuke out of our world through a wormhole and destroyed the mother ship of your so-called allies. I think I've earned the explanation, regardless of anything I do for you here and now."

The heat in those green eyes faded. Wait, they really were green? "You are right. I owe you this much and more. I don't suppose you have any food about?"

"No. You like Chinese food?" Loki nodded. "Cool beans. I'll order some in. Go have a seat and I'll get the order made, then we can talk."

… …

"Lady Eir is busy dealing with a training accident," Frigga told the anxious mortal as she left the messenger at the door. "It will be some time before she is free, so let's get you settled in your chambers. I imagine you'd like to rest after the adventure you've had."

"Thank you," the young woman said, sounding on edge. "That's very kind of you." The all but unnoticeable emphasis on 'you' and the heated glare the girl directed at Odin had Frigga biting her lip to hide her amusement. Fortunately her husband was in deep discussion with one of his advisors and missed it. She had spirit, this Kat did. It was no wonder her Loki claimed the girl's hand.

"This way, my dear," she said, leading Kat past the still oblivious All-Father and down the private hall. Several servants exited the chambers as they arrived, holding the doors for them as they did so. "Is all arranged?" she asked them.

"Yes, my queen," their senior said.

"Very good." They entered the chambers and Kat stopped a few paces in, her jaw dropping. Frigga smiled at the shock on the mortal's face.

"It's beautiful," she breathed. Frigga watched her continue further into the sitting room, turn in place and stare at the elegant furniture and draperies. Kat wandered into the small study and Frigga hurried after her.

"Don't touch the books on those shelves," she warned the girl. Kat turned and frowned at her. "Those are Loki's books of magic; some of them can be quite dangerous if you do not know what you're about."

"Oh. These are Loki's rooms, of course." The girl shook her head with a wry grin. "I don't know why I didn't realize that. Is he going to be okay with me being in his rooms?"

"Kat, you're his wife. Where else would he expect you to stay?"

"I guess I'm still getting used to the idea. Besides, it looks like that will change at the next court."

"I think not. My husband does not always get his way in such things."

… …

Kat sighed and stretched out on the huge bed. She didn't feel comfortable getting under the covers even though the servants had turned the bed down for her. The bathroom was even more gorgeous than the rest of the rooms. One thing Kat loved was opulence in her bathroom. There wasn't much she could do with the small one in her condo, but she'd upgraded it as much as the space allowed. This one was heavenly. "And I thought the one in the hotel was amazing. Loki couldn't have been impressed in the least."

She rolled over and slammed her fist down on the mattress. This was so screwed up it wasn't funny. She was married. Her! Yes, it was to the most amazing Dom she'd ever met. But he hadn't really asked. "I am so stupid," she muttered. He just hadn't used that term, but he had actually asked, she realized. "Okay, fine, he asked, I agreed, but his supercilious prig of a father isn't going to accept it. What an asshole."

It would be a few hours before 'Lady Eir' would come to put the official nail in the coffin of her surprise marriage, then a few hours more before the court where the old bastard would officially dissolve it. Kat sniffed and sat up on the bed. She touched the ink around her navel and the small gold disk that was secured there by a piercing that comprised the symbol of her goddess, Isis. "Great Lady, I hope you can hear me while I'm in Asgard," she whispered.