"Good morning, darling," Loki remarked from his place along the window. He had been staring down at the atrium for the last twenty minutes watching the servants and nobles moving back and forth beginning their day. He assumed everyone knew. He could only imagine what they were saying behind his back. "Well, morning anyway… I guess the rest remains to be seen, pet."

Natasha stared at him for a few moments before slowly sliding out of bed, "I guess so."

She walked into the bathroom, where she washed her face and brushed her teeth before returning to the bedroom, where she moved to the wardrobe and plucked out a new dress. Natasha slipped it on, but it remained open, exposing her sculpted back and the top of her well-formed backside. Natasha slowly moved over to him and turned around as she gathered her hair over her shoulder, "Would you lace me up?"

Loki frowned slightly as he watched her walk towards the bathroom. Was she still mad at him? The young god sighed as he turned back toward the window. He supposed he might as well go to see his father this afternoon. He was here for answers after all and he wasn't going to get any locked away in his room. He turned at the sound of her voice. His dark green eyes gazing at the tantalizing view of her back as she asked him to help with her dress.

Loki strutted forward and began tying up her laces inclining his head and kissing her softly at the nape of her neck as he finished the final knot. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nestled his chin in against her shoulder. "Are you still mad at me, my little spider?"

Natasha let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes as she shook her head and turned her head so that she could kiss his cheek, "I'm not mad…I love you…you drive me crazy and I may want to choke the life out of you sometimes…but I love you and I'm not mad…not anymore. I'm going to go have breakfast with your mother. Are you joining us?"

"I don't think so, darling," Loki sighed as he continued to hold her closely. "The two of you seem very close. I'm glad… I think I'm going to go for a walk or something. I'm not very hungry."

Natasha slowly turned around in his arms, "Promise me you won't go wandering off where I can't find you…"

Once he had sufficiently promised, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to press a loving, lingering kiss to his lips, "I love you."

Loki sat down at a table in the royal library with several books laid out in front of him. He almost felt like he was back in school. He decided he wanted to try and find out everything he could about the Frost Giants on his own before he approached the All-Father.

"Sacred Tales of the Jotunn," a voice lofted from behind him as he turned his head slightly to see who it was. "So it's true?"

"What are you doing here, Sigyn?" Loki inquired as he shut the book in front of him. He suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"My father has an audience with the King this morning. I'm waiting for him," the young woman replied. "I'm glad that you're well, Loki. Your family was so distraught during your absence."

"Thank you… I guess… if you'll excuse me," the young god replied flippantly. The noble woman preceded to pull out the chair next to him as her eyes perused the pile of books before him.

"That's a lot of books you have there. Are you going to read them all? I can help you tackle them if you're looking for an answer to something specific," she offered.

"Nothing specific," the trickster mused. "I don't want to keep you."

"To be honest, I came to the library in hopes that you might be here," Sigyn admitted as she touched his hand softly. "I've always enjoyed your company Loki. The Royal balls were so dreadfully boring without you."

Natasha had breakfast with Frigga, who made small talk with her for several moments before she finally asked how Loki had acted last night when he'd finally returned to his chambers. Being truthful, Natasha explained that he hadn't been in the best of moods and that he seemed "tense".

When breakfast ended, Natasha began roaming the palace looking for him. She was concerned about his state of mind after their argument the night before and his disappearance yesterday.

She wandered through the halls, peeking her head into open doors until she came upon the library. Natasha tensed immediately upon seeing the beautiful woman cozying up to Loki. She watched them for a few moments before stepping inside and clearing her throat, "Am I interrupting something?"

Loki looked up at the sound of her voice. "Of course not, pet. I'm just doing a little research on everything and anything Jotunn," He replied as he stood from the table. "This is the Lady Sigyn… Sigyn this is the Lady Natalia."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Sigyn replied with a slight bow as she brushed her long blonde hair back from her shoulders.

Natasha bowed politely and looked the woman up and down with a scrutinizing gaze. She didn't like the woman being that close to Loki…not at turned her eyes back to Loki, "Lady Sigyn, might I have a moment alone with the prince?"

Sigyn raised a brow and looked to Loki before slowly nodding and leaving the library. Natasha followed behind her, closing and locking the door. Suddenly, she quickly crossed the room and grabbed him by the collar as she snatched his lips down to hers for a hungry kiss, "Why was that bitch so close to you?"

She nipped at his neck as she ripped open his shirt, motivated by sheer jealousy.

Loki was taken aback by her actions he had never seen her so possessive. "Are you jealous, little spider," he gasped as he felt her teeth nibbling along his neck. He knocked the books to the floor as he lifted her up and set her on top of the table. His hand running up her dress to move along her thigh. "By the nines, I want you."

Natasha reached between them and quickly unfastened his pants before eagerly shoving them off of his hips, "I don't want that bitch near you. I don't like the way she was looking at you…"

She moaned as she fisted her hands in his hair and kissed him greedily, biting at his bottom lip as she snatched him between her open legs, canting her hips so that the head of his shaft brushed against her opening.

"You are jealous," Loki smirked as he drove up into her, moaning audibly at the sensation before crushing his lips to hers once more. "I like this side of you, Natalia, I like it a lot."

Natasha arched and let out a cry of pleasure before it was drowned out by his hungry kiss. She gripped onto him as he wildly thrust into her upon the table, causing the unsuspecting piece of furniture to jerk and creak across the marble floor. The remaining books fell to the floor and just as they hit a blinding peak, the table lamp fell, shattering into pieces below them.

Natasha panted, pressing her forehead to his for a moment before she kissed his lips and breathlessly whispered against his mouth, "You asshole…I love you more than anything…"

"Eh heh heh heh, you've always had a way with words, my darling," Loki jested as he attempted to catch his breath. "I love you, too, Natalia. I guess I better fix the lamp and all the books… and put the table back.. eh heh heh heh, you're a feisty little thing when you're jealous." He grinned impishly he kissed her once more.

Natasha straightened out her dress as she hopped down off of the table and began fixing her hair. When she walked over to the door, Thor, who had been passing by, stopped to say hello, but he glanced into the library past her and furrowed his brow in confusion at the mess, "What, in the name of Valhalla happened in here?"

She laughed softly as she rushed down the hall, not wanting to stick around to offer an explanation.

"Use your imagination Thor," Loki jibed as he cast a spell with a flourish of his hands and made everything look the way it had before her jealous outburst. "Where did Natalia run off to?"

"Oh," the thunder god mused uncomfortably. "I was hoping to spend some time with you, brother. We could go riding or something."

"Alright, I wouldn't mind riding," Loki nodded in agreement.

Natasha ran across Frigga in the garden and joined her as the queen moved around the expansive, gorgeous space, casting spells over her plants and flowers. She led her to a particular tree and sat down on a bench in front of it before inviting Natasha to join her.

"You see this tree?" When Natasha nodded, Frigga smiled peacefully and looked up at it, "I planted it shortly after my miscarriage. An homage to the child I lost…sometimes it helps to acknowledge the grief…burying it never helps."

"You had a miscarriage?" asked Natasha quietly.

Frigga nodded slowly, "Just a few months before Loki was brought home. It was a difficult time…"

Natasha lowered her head, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I can tell that neither you, or my son have properly acknowledge or grieved for that child. By the time it happened, he found out that he was a frost giant, then he jumped off….I know that you never had the chance to grieve…as a couple. As a mother and father."

"Hello there, little spider," Loki grinned as he moved up the walkway towards the palace atrium. "You ran out on me. I don't think Thor will ever be able to look at the library in the same way. Eh heh heh heh. How have you been spending your time since I saw last, my darling." He reached out and took her hand in his as they continued to walk towards the palace.

Natasha smiled a little at his quip and pulled him close, "I spent some more time with your mother. She showed me a tree she planted after her miscarriage and invited me to plant something in her garden to honor the child we lost since we never really gor a chance to grieve together…"

"That's a nice idea," Loki agreed as his smile slowly fell away from his face. It was still very hard for him to think about the baby. Even more so knowing that it was the Jotunn that caused the miscarriage and he was one of them. "What type would you like to plant? Some flowers? "

Natasha nodded, "Just a small flower…we didn't even know it existed until it was gone…"

She bit her bottom lip and sighed, "Did you find any of the answers you were looking for? I know you mentioned being concerned about having a baby…and not knowing what it would look like. We should try to go about preventing a pregnancy for now…until you're comfortable with risking it."

"I didn't really get a chance to read very much," Loki admitted. "I asked Thor to arrange a meeting with Odin tomorrow. I think its time. But the rest of this evening I want to spend with you. Just you… would that be alright with you, darling?"

Natasha nodded and gently kissed his lips, "Yes…absolutely, my love…"

She smiled and took his hand, "I see you're good at avoiding that specific subject…I know it's hard for you to think about, love. But we need a plan…what do you want to do?"

"You mean about children?" Loki probed as he gazed down at her hand in his. "Well, we've kind of already been together more than once. What if you're pregnant already? "

Natasha brushed her hair behind her ear, "I don't know…what if I am? What do you want to do? I mean…I don't think now is an ideal time for conception, so we might be in the clear…but if going forward, you want to prevent it…let me know."

"I'm not exactly father material at the moment," Loki confided as he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. "But if you somehow were. I'd do my best to be a good father. I'd love our baby. But I'm not looking to try and have one right now."

Natasha nodded and smiled, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips, "I think that's a good decision…we'll use condoms or you can pull out."

"I want to do something for you," Loki divulged as he played with a lush red curl. "I know you went through a lot without me. I never meant to hurt you, I truly didn't but I know that I did. I want to take care of you… if there's something that you need from me… I want to give it to you. I want to comfort you. I love you so much, Natalia. I just I want to make sure that you know that."

Natasha placed a hand on his chest as she stared up into his eyes, "I love you too…I just want you to stay with me. Don't leave me…hold me and never let me go. Promise me you'll never even think about leaving me again. Please…let me be the anchor that keeps you from going over the edge."

"I'll never leave you, my little spider," Loki breathed softly as he placed his hand over hers as it lied against his chest. "By the roots of Yggdrasil, I swear it to you, Natalia. I'll never leave you and I'll never let you leave me."

Natasha smiled and stared up into his eyes before leaning up to press a loving kiss to his lips. She whispered softly against his mouth, "Oh…and don't let that bitch Sigyn near you again. I really don't wanna have to kick her ass…"

"Eh heh heh heh, but what if I wanted to see you in action," Loki smirked in his silky accent. "I've never heard anyone refer to Sigyn as a bitch before." His dark green eyes observing her closely as he captured a strawberry ringlet along his thumb and forefinger. He rather liked the sight of her being jealous. "She is actually nice to a fault and the most impeccable manners, a true lady. Odin adores her. She has always been his top pick in his quest to marry me off."

A look of anger flashed across her eyes as she grabbed his hand and began dragging him off to their bedroom. "I'd like to see him fucking try…"

Now, she understood why the thought of another man touching her drove him mad.

"We're going to go have sex. Right now", she practically growled as she pulled him down the hall and yanked him into their chambers. As soon as the door was closed, she pressed him up against it with a hungry, passionate kiss.

Loki moaned against her lips as he kissed her back with equal fervor. His hands busily working the laces of her gown. "Odin is probably up to his old tricks," the young god teased. "I bet he asked her father here for that meeting just because he knew that he'd bring her along."

Natasha practically jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as they stumbled toward the bed. She eventually grew frustrated with how long it took for him to open the laces of her dress, "Just use magic already!"

"My impatient little spider," Loki grinned impishly before he cast his spell. His hands gliding down her silky nakedness as his lips began to devour her skin. "My Natalia," he purred as he suckled along her velvet peaks. "You taste so good."

"Oh my god…Loki…" she cried as she pushed him down onto his back and immediately sank down onto his length, crying out in ecstasy as she began rolling her hips against him.

"Tell me you'll never love another…swear it!"

"You're all I want, Natalia… you're all I'll ever want," Loki murmured breathlessly as he thrust up to meet her, his hands on her hips as she rode him possessively. He couldn't get enough of her. "You're mine…. I'm yours… always"

Several moments later, Natasha lay beside him, tracing patterns over his skin as she pressed soft kisses against his naked chest. She remained quiet for several moments, "You need to go meet with your father, my love…it's time…"

Loki exhaled as he turned his gaze up to the ceiling. "It amazing to think how many years I've lied in this very bed and stared up at this ceiling. I remember the first night that I got my own room. I was five and I was scared out of my mind. The moment he shut the door. I waited about five minutes while I stared up at this ceiling before I ran out of bed and snuck back into my brother's room. The next morning Odin was furious. He said it was time for me to be a little prince and not a baby. Do you want to see a trick?"

Natasha listened intently as she continued stroking his skin. She nodded at his question and smiled slightly, "Of course…"

Loki sat up as a mischievous smile spread along his lips. "It's been awhile since I've done this actually but don't freak out. I promise not to bite." The young god winked as he began his enchantment. A cloudy mist began to surround him, parting slowly to reveal the sleek black wolf lying on the bed. His dark green eyes gazing at her intently.

Natasha gasped and stared at him in awe as she slowly sat up. She slowly reached out and rubbed a hand over the lush fur before gently scratching his ears. A soft laugh escaped her lips, "Wow…"

Loki twitched his ears backward as he enjoyed the gentle touch of her fingers. His tail wagging slightly as he dragged his long tongue along her forearm which caused her to giggle. He howled in delight at the sound and the sweet smile that was framing her lips before relaxing his muzzle against her laid there for a moment enjoying the sensation of her hands combing through his fur before her moved suddenly and jumped off the bed. He circled the room slowly before the fog appeared around him once more as he changed himself back. He stood there, decked out in his princely garments. "Eh heh heh heh, I used to have a lot of fun with that when I was a child."

Natasha laughed and stood, moving toward him as she kissed his lips, "I can imagine! That was amazing. You're amazing…you know you only distracted me from the subject of you visiting your father for a moment, ,right?"

"I said I would see him and I will," Loki stated somberly before the corner of his lips lifted in the slightest of smirks. "You are not even dressed yet, darling. And I'm not in any rush."

Natasha smirked, "But you are…and only good boys get rewarded."

She teasingly squeezed her breasts and giggled as she ran back over to the bed and jumped on the mattress.

"That doesn't seem quite fair," Loki protested with a playful pout as he strutted towards the bed. "Besides, I thought you liked it that I was a naughty boy."

Natasha got up on her knees on the bed and pulled his lips to hers by his collar before she smiled up into his eyes, "I do love it when you're a naughty boy. But right now, it's time for you to get some answers. I feel like you've been distracted every since we got here and I won't have you all to myself until the puzzles that are inside your head have been solved. Our lives will be in a holding pattern until you get those answers."

"Alright, pet," Loki nodded before kissing her once more, enjoying the feel of her honey soft skin as his hands glided up and down her back. "I will go see the All-Father at once. I'll see what he has to say. But I don't really think that he is going to have that many answers for me."

Natasha let out a brief, soft moan as he stroked her skin, but she gave his chest a gentle push, "Go on, you…I'll be waiting here for you when you get back…remember, I'm here for you, always."