Stella gazed out the window from her honeymoon retreat. It was somewhere in London, where she had mentioned to Loki that she had always wanted to go. God only knows what kind of magic he pulled to get them there, but she didn't really care. Anything was a step up from trying to take over the planet, and she quite frankly wasn't about to complain about staying at a five-star hotel. "Just this once," she had told him. She cuddled up next to her beloved on the bed that had way too many pillows.
"Stella, tell me, and be honest, did I give you a good proposal?" asked Loki.
"Of course you did! You made all my fantasies come true!"
"You didn't think I looked ridiculous in that costume?"
"No, I thought you looked dashing. That might be the fondest memory of us together."
As Stella recalled, she met in the forest beside her favorite childhood playground just as Loki had told her to. She didn't have to wait long for him; he stepped out from behind a tree… dressed in an emerald green uniform which looked very familiar to Stella.
"Fiyero?" she asked, noticing the belt with the word "Oz."
"Elphaba," he said, casting an illusion on her that transformed her jeans and tank top into a black gown, and turned her skin green as the plants all around them.
"Oh my God! This is just like in Wicked!" she ran and hugged him. "But what's all this for?"
He got down on one knee, and Stella was rendered speechless. "You are the girl I choose. Stella Riser of Midgard, will you marry me?" He held out a little box which contained a dazzling necklace that looked like a peacock with rainbow feathers. Not quite the ring she was imagining, but she didn't mind.
For a moment, she could hardly breathe. For a moment, she thought she must be dreaming. No men ever looked twice at girls like her.
"Is this not how the Midgardians do it?"
"YES!" was all she could manage to say. She hugged him until she was afraid she would crush him, and actually screamed in delight. After she caught her breath she said, "You know I'm really feel like singing 'As Long as You're Mine' right now."
"I thought you might. Sing as much as you'd like, my darling."
"We could both sing... maybe somewhere more private."
"Kiss me to fiercely, hold me too tight. I need help believing you're with me tonight," Stella sang at present time. "You know that's my favorite musical."
"One more question, did I make a good first impression on your parents?"
"Well… They liked you, but they had some trouble getting over the fact that I was dating a prince from another realm, who had tried to take over our planet the last time he was on Earth. They were a bit skeptical at first. They were also still trying to swallow the fact that I'm a mutant, but I already told you, they do like you now. They'd be making death threats no matter who you were."
What a conversation that was for Stella's family.
"You couldn't just find a nice boy on Earth, could you, Stella?" ranted her mother while they prepared a meal to which they had invited Loki.
"I told you I don't like Earth boys."
"What about that nice boy from high school? Isn't he still single?"
"He's a nice kid, but we've kind of grown apart since graduation. And I'm not single."
"Oh my daughter always had high standards in men. I never thought that could be a bad thing. I thought that meant she would find a nice doctor or lawyer, but she has to go find some space prince."
"Asgard," Stella corrected. "I know you hate mythology, but would it kill you to learn some of the basic Norse stuff since I'm gonna be married to it?"
"If your brother and I don't kill this Loki guy first."
"Mom!"
"That'd be nothing compared to the blood on his hands after New York."
"Yeah, but I told you, he helped save the universe from some Dark Elves, so I figured it evens out."
"These are people's lives we're talking about!"
"Believe me, if our family had the kind of power he has, we'd destroy entire cities every time we had an argument. It's a wonder I haven't flattened this town in a storm by now."
"You're making excuses for him."
"Because he's changed! And he's been to Hell and back, enough to make anyone go berserk."
"And how do you know he won't go berserk again, next time when you're with him?"
"I kicked his ass once; I can do it again, and I'm smart."
"How can I call myself a good mother if I willingly let my daughter go off with a known killer to some world out of my protection and just hope that he doesn't pull some kind of dark magic on her? Pass me the spatula."
"Well you're gonna meet him in an hour! Why don't you save your judgments for then?"
Just then, her father called on the phone. "Oh, Dad, you always know to call when it's least convenient." She answered the phone, since her father was away for work.
"Sorry, honey. Can I call you back in ten minutes?" asked her father on speaker. Stella's mother rolled her eyes and stirred some pasta.
"Sure, Dad. Mom and I were just discussing my future husband. Why don't you join in this lovely conversation?" And he said goodbye and hung up.
"You know 'ten minutes' means half an hour," said her mother.
"Plenty of time for us to make the salad."
When her father finally did call back, all he said was, "Be careful around boys. I don't wanna see anyone hurt my baby."
"Don't worry; I'll be fine. Love you." And they hung up. "Does he even know what mythology is?" she asked her mother.
"God only knows what goes on in your Dad's head."
"So do you promise you won't mention New York? And his family's sort of a touchy subject for him, so if you want to ask him about it, just give really vague questions."
"I'll do my best. And I'll be watching very carefully how he acts around your sister." They were both very protective of Stella's little sister, who was disabled.
"Don't worry, if he was ever mean to her, I'd kill him myself."
"Good."
When Loki arrived, he looked as nervous as Stella felt. He almost forgot how to use his legs once he reached the door. Stella had to coax him inside. He was dressed in a green Midgardian style suit. As he looked at Stella's sweater and jeans, he said, "Oh no, I'm overdressed."
"You are fine. Just come inside."
"Hello, Loki" said her mother.
"Good evening, Lady Riser." He bent down to kiss her hand.
"Oh that's not my mom's last name. My parents aren't together. Sorry, I should've told you."
"My apologies, My Lady." He then greeted Stella's sister, who couldn't speak more than "Hello" when prompted.
He knelt down to her level. "What a lovely child. I have a gift for you." He handed her a little, wooden box and opened the lid. Music began pouring out. It was "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.
"Aw, we love that song," said Stella.
Her sister did not know what to make of the box. She took it from Loki's hands, but accidentally dropped it, making the music skip. When she realized it was broken, she began to cry.
"Oh no," said Stella and her mother simultaneously. Her sister cried even louder.
Loki swept up the box from the floor and said, "Not to worry." He waved a hand, and with magic, he made the box good as new. It took a few minutes to calm Stella's sister, but disaster had been avoided.
Dinner was served, and, as promised, no mention of New York was made.
"So, uh, Loki, what do you do for a living?"
"Well, it's different all the time, but it usually involves battling monsters, or avoiding war between realms."
"That's nice."
"This is a wonderful meal you've prepared, My Lady."
"Thank you, that's the third time you've said so."
Stella shot a warning glance at her mother.
"When's the wedding going to be?"
"We're not sure yet, Mom. Things have been crazy in Asgard with the Dark Elves and such. We never know when the universe will need saving."
"And will my daughter be joining you in battling monsters and avoiding wars between realms after you're married?"
"I believe that is Stella's decision to make."
"Of course I am, Mom. I want to put my power to good use."
"Whatever you say."
And so the rest of the night passed with mild conversation and spaghetti.
"I almost slapped you that night. After dinner you told me that you family thought you were dead, and you had taken Odin's place."
"Yes, I realize now that it was not the wisest decision. I still can't explain how I survived, though. I was stabbed straight through the chest."
"I'd rather not be reminded of it."
"I'm sorry, love. I'm not going anywhere for a long, long time." He kissed her head.
"I miss you when you're away."
"I miss you as well, but I promise I will spend every moment I can with you."
Then Stella's phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. "Hello, it's nice to hear from you again… I'm on my honeymoon right now. Is it life or death?... Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can… Oh, you're coming here?... Well did you contact SHIELD?... Thanks, wish you guys could've been at the wedding… Okay, I'll be ready."
"Who was that, dear?"
"Sorry, sweetie. I'm afraid we might have to cut our honeymoon a little short. I forgot to tell you about the new friends I made, but you'll get to meet them soon."
Loki looked down at the phone. It read: Call Ended Professor X
"Here we go with our world saving."
Please forgive my Wicked references. And the sequel to Stella and Loki's story will come within a reasonable amount of time. Thanks to all who read or reviewed!
-Irena