Hello my loyal audience, here I am writing my next chapter of Key To Redemption. I hope you guys enjoyed my last chapter and enjoy this one too. Please please don't be too upset about the dream scene in the last chapter, I'm trying to make you guys hate Thanos as much as I do.
Loki: *is nowhere to be seen*
Silver: *sighs* He's still mad at me folks, so he's not here. Though I'm pretty sure he's out there making someone's life hell right now…
*in bursts Tony in his Iron Man suit, but instead of red and gold it's now pink and white*
Tony:*voice is squeaky as his faceplate goes up* You have a lot of explaining to do missy.
Silver:*hides a snort as a cough* Erm…I'm sorry Tony, but I can't really control Loki. I'm just writing a story about you guys.
Tony:*glares and holds up his plasma glove with it charging up* Try.
Silver: *holds hands up pleadingly* Whoa, hold up! Let's not do anything hasty here!
*turns to my audience* Before Tony has a chance to fry me to a crisp, here's Diana with the disclaimer! Oh, and I noticed that I accidently changed Diana's mother's name from Corrine to Fiona in the last chapter. Please forgive me for that mistake. Her name is Corrine, though I do like the name Fiona. Maybe I'll make it a the name of a future OC. *cue foreshadowing music*
Diana: *rolls eyes* 666Silvermoon is in no way, shape or form the owner of anything in the Marvel Universe. The only things in here she owns are me, my animals, my family, and any other future OC's or places she makes that are not in the Marvel universe. She is not making any money from writing this story; it is purely for her own amusement and to entertain others. Enjoy chapter 11!
Chapter 11
Diana's P.O.V
I sighed as I rubbed my temples as I looked over my kitchen. "Alright, I don't wanna know who started this, or who threw the last punch. All I wanna know is who is going to clean this mess up?!"
My kitchen, that was clean once I went out and brought all my horses in for lunch, was now a mess. Flour covered the counters, eggs were smashed against the walls, and vanilla cake batter was splattered on the floor.
I turned and glared at Aiden and Loki. Aiden had egg in his hair, flour on his shirt, and a black eye. Loki had batter on his face and all over his shirt and a busted lip and a bruise on his cheek. They both were sullenly looking at the floor, not saying anything.
"I go out for ten minutes; leaving you two in charge of mixing that cake batter and this is what happens." I glare at them, crossing my arms under my bust and starting to tap my foot.
"He started it!" Aiden accused, jabbing his finer at Loki. In turn, Loki whirled on my brother and opened his mouth ready to retort, but I beat him to it.
"Didn't I just say I didn't care who started it?! You both started it, so you both are gonna clean this mess up!" I said with a glare, before handing a mop to Aiden and a rag to Loki. "Now get to it! And no more fighting!"
I stormed past them, heading to the garage. Inside, my motorcycle was parked next to my blue and silver 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 truck. I grabbed my truck keys and Taboo and Kida's leashes and whistled for them.
"Come on you two, I don't want you guys getting messy like Aiden and Loki did. We're going into town." I opened the back door for them, and they both hopped up into the seat.
I closed the door for them, and then got into the driver's seat and drove out to the road, heading into town.
Once we got there, I parked in a free space in front of my mother's bakery before getting out and hooking Taboo and Kida's leashes to their collars. My mother came out just as I straightened up.
"Hello my iníon. (1) Taking Kida and Taboo for a walk?" She said with a smile as she scratched Kida behind her ears.
"Yeah, since my house guest and my brother turned my kitchen into a pig sty. They had a wrestling match and got vanilla cake batter, eggs and flour everywhere. I left them to clean up before I turned my kitchen into an oven." I said, referencing my fire affinity.
My mother sighed and shook her head. "Gods help those two. You're brother Aiden has always been overprotective of you Diana and Loki has been through enough. Aiden knows you're more than capable of protecting yourself now, but give him time dear." My mother says wisely before hugging me and going back inside her shop. I smile softly before walking up the street, Taboo and Kida walking at my sides.
For the next few minutes we walk at a steady pace, me saying hello to the people I recognize, like Mr. Sedgemoor, the owner of the art supply store I get my materials from, or Mr. and Mrs. Miles, a couple in their sixties walking with their four year old grandson, Peter.
Peter shyly smiled at me as I got down to his level to say hi, and he giggled as Taboo nuzzled his head against Peter's neck. Mr. and Mrs. Miles laughed before walking away, Peter waving goodbye. I smiled gently as we continued walking up the street, before the smile slid off of my face as I saw an upsetting scene.
Tyler Morrison, the son of the ex-mayor of Granville, and his two goons, Jack Brunson and Henry Lauder, stood in a triangle around Brendan McMullan, the grandson of Rose McMullan, the owner of the Angel Wings' Inn. Brendan was a really sweet boy despite his dark clothing, and every now and again he'd help me with my horses or with some art pieces. However, he often gets teased because of the way he dresses, but he barely does anything about it because he prefers to ignore the taunts of others, though when I see him he always looks like he's trying to disappear into himself. He's stronger than he looks, he just hates violence. By the look of the canvas tote bag in Brendan's hand, they had cornered him on his way home from the local farmer's market.
Brendan was quietly staring at the ground as they jeered at him and laughed. I couldn't hear exactly what they said, but I caught the words "pretty boy" and "pansy". My eyes narrowed as my temper started burning up and I walked up just as Tyler shoved Brendan into Jack and Henry, and brought his fist up to punch him as his goons held Brendan's arms. He didn't get the chance.
I grabbed Tyler's wrist, twisted it behind his back and kicked his legs out from under him, causing him to hit the ground knees first, hard.
"Argh! What the fuck man?!" He cried out, but I twisted his arm harder.
"Is there a problem here boys? Because I could've sworn I just saw you push my friend Brendan here, and were about to punch him." I tell them, my voice calm but cold. Henry and Jack look at me in fear, obviously knowing of my reputation at having a short temper towards bullies and being a master at fighting. Tyler glared up at me, his brown crew cut showing of his angry blue eyes.
"We were just having a little fun with Brendan here, there's no need to go off the deep end Diana." Tyler sneers.
I glare down at him, Taboo and Kida softly growling as they sense my anger. He wilts under the focus of my eyes.
"That's Ms. Diana to you, Morrison. I suggest you remember that." I say softly, my voice like hardened steel. I release him, and he gets up and goes to his goons.
"Now then, I suggest you three go home. My dogs haven't had their lunch yet." I say with an evil grin. Taboo and Kida demonstrate their hunger by growling louder and lunging at the three.
They turn tail and run like rats with their tails on fire.
I smirk as Taboo and Kida wag their tails before helping Brendan pick up the spilled bag of vegetables. I brush the dirt off a tomato and a few cucumbers before handing them to him.
"Brendan, why do you let those three stooges pick on you so much? You should stand up for yourself more." I tell him gently. He sighs and picks up the rest of the vegetables before answering.
"I know I should stand up for myself, but I'm just not confident enough Ms. Diana. I'd never be able to take them on…" Brendan says sadly as he gets up. "Thank you though, for helping me."
I sadly sigh as he turns and walks away, the grocery bag clutched in his arms tightly. I shake my head slightly and continue walking, never knowing of the eyes that had been watching the entire exchange.
Once I got home a half hour later with a small box of my mother's vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting, I found Loki and Aiden still cleaning up my kitchen, though the eggs had been removed from my walls and the batter from my floor, but they seemed to be having trouble getting all the flour from the counters. I sighed and moved them out of the way and opened the window above the kitchen sink.
My eyes glowed softly as I used a slight breeze to blow the flour up into the air and then out the window. I shut it again before turning to Loki and Aiden.
"Now that my kitchen is clean, I hope you two learned a lesson from this." I tell them. "Loki, could you go take out Holly, Delilah, Aztec, Ace, Angus and Commander for the afternoon? I think I need to talk to my brother privately."
"If it'll please you Lady Diana, I'll happily do it." He says with a small smirk, before turning and heading out to the barn. I set out food for my cats and dogs in their respective bowls before turning to Aiden.
"Alright, spill. Why do you seem to hate Loki so much?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
He looks at me flabbergasted before answering. "Are you kidding? He's a criminal Diana! He tried to take over our world, and killed dozens of humans! And here you are playing house with him, and showing him your powers!"
"If you had paid attention to the news reports you would've known that Loki didn't personally kill anyone. The Chitauri did most of the killing, the most he did was maim a few people, not even of his own free will I might add. And he has more than paid for his crimes if you knew what he's gone through."
"More than-more than paid for his crimes?! Diana you've deluded yourself! He's evil and deserved whatever he got!" Aiden yelled, grabbing my upper arms. My animals scattered as they felt the increasing tension in the room.
I stared at him in silence, before shoving his hands from my arms as my temper started rising. "Deserved what he got?! So he deserved to be cast into the shadow of his brother for centuries? He deserved to be raped and tortured after he fell from the Bifrӧst, and then his mind taken over during the entire invasion? And then when he is brought back to Asgard he is ignored once again except for a visit from his mother and brother every few months? Did he deserve all of that?!" I ask him angrily, body tense and hands curled into fists, my anger boiling inside me. I knew that with one wrong word from my brother I'd eventually snap.
"Just because you were raped doesn't mean you have to take in every stray that gets hurt!" My brother yells, and with that my temper reaches its peak.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HOW IT FEELS TO HAVE YOUR BODY VIOLATED LIKE THAT, AND LOKI HAD IT WORSE THAN ME! OUT! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, NOW!" I roared at him, teeth sharpened and claws digging into the palms of my hands. My brother opened his mouth, but I snarled at him and lunged, fire burning in my mouth as he turned tail and ran out the front door. I followed to make sure he left and blew the fireball in my mouth at the space his motorcycle had previously stood as he left my property.
I stood there, panting heavily as I forced myself to push back my anger, and the hurt from my brother's statement. I turned, and went upstairs, ignoring the spots of blood on my hands as I changed into my workout clothes and wrapping my hands in my boxing gauze. I marched out to the barn and climbed up to the hay loft, and started working at the punching bag. I pushed away the hurt, and ignored the pain in my hands as I worked at the bag.
I kept punching and punching, and didn't even notice that my hands had caught fire until the bag started smoking. I stopped, and just hung on to it as the fire was extinguished, leaning my forehead against the material as sweat dripped down my face, body shaking from the exertion and the pent in feelings, before I slowly slid down to sit on the floor. My knuckles were throbbing, and I knew they'd be bruised soon, but I ignored the pain. I knew my brother had a bit of a point about Loki trying to take over the world, but he didn't have to bring up my rape. I didn't know if Loki being under mind control was true or not, but I knew that his scars were not fake. He had been through hell, and I couldn't just ignore that.
I wiped away the few tears that had fallen from my eyes before heading down from the hay loft. I pass by Loki as he's bringing in Angus, and he turns to me. "Lady Diana, are you well? You seem distressed." He asks in concern, and I smile sadly.
"Just a rather large disagreement between my brother and I Loki. I'll soon be fine. Lunch will be ready soon, just give me some time." I say softly and go back to the house. I heat up some Campbell's tomato soup and made a two grilled cheese sandwiches each for Loki and I. I had just ladled the soup into bowls when a shudder went up my spine.
I looked up and over towards the kitchen window just as Loki walked inside. "Lady Diana? Does something trouble you?" He asks me. I look out the window for a few seconds, scanning the tree line before shaking my head and turning to him.
"It's nothing; a chill just went up my spine, like I was being watched or something." I tell him. I set down a bowl of soup and a plate with his two sandwiches before him as I sit down across from him with my own food.
"You should never ignore feelings like that; they could be the difference between life and death." Loki says before tucking in to his food. I hum in distracted agreement, my mind going elsewhere while we eat lunch. As it winds down, I come to a decision.
"Loki." I softly say his name, causing him to pause in eating and look up at me.
"Yes Lady Diana?" He asks, looking at me in curiosity.
"In case the feeling is something more than just paranoia, I want you to stay inside for the next few days ok?" I tell him, and I see a scowl on his face before he hides it behind a grin.
"If that is what you wish, then I will do it my dear." He says with his false grin, and I frown.
"Look, I know you may not like it but please trust me ok? It'll only be for a few days, I promise. And I'll make sure you keep busy, I'll even bring home a dozen of my ma's strawberry tarts next time I see her." I tell him with a cajoling smile. If there was one thing I knew, it's that Loki loved my mother's mini strawberry tarts with drizzled chocolate sauce. A thing we had in common since I loved strawberries.
He points his spoon at me with a scowl on his face. "That, you redheaded minx, is cheating."
I point my spoon back at him, a true smile on my face. "That, my mischief maker, is a bargain. Do we have a deal?" I hold out my hand to him.
He looks at it like it'll bite him, before he shakes hands with me.
"Deal."
That night, after a simple dinner of chicken and broccoli Alfredo with a few of the cupcakes I brought home for dessert, Loki accompanied me to my art room, and he sat in the chair by the door and I sat on the stool behind my easel as I mixed up my paints. I had changed into a pair of jeans and a simple green top once I brought in my horses for the day just before it got dark and after I had taken a shower.
"So just relax, and try not to fidget ok?" I tell him as he picks up the most recent book he's eating up, the sixth Harry Potter book. He holds up high enough so he can read it without tilting his head down too far, but low enough so I can still see his face. He was going through books really fast; I suspected he stayed up some nights to read and stave off nightmares.
I dip my brush in the paints, turn to my easel, and get started. I start with a first coat of white before adding the first coat of color. I made sure there's enough white, so the colors don't get too dark too early. I soon add different shades of black and grey to the horse, trying to add in plenty of shading as fast as I can before the paint dries. As I finish up with that, I soon move on to Loki's part of the painting, I get the basic structure of the clothing and his face before I stretch, hearing a pop in my back.
I look at the clock hanging on the wall, and see that two hours have passed. "Ok, I think that's enough for tonight." I stand and stretch again, groaning at my protesting muscles before relaxing with a wince as I touch my knuckles.
"Should probably fix that…" I mutter to myself before heading to the kitchen. I turn on the sink faucet and put my hands under the water, healing up the bruises and getting rid of some of the soreness. I turn to see Loki standing behind me, and I see that the bruise on his cheek has darkened.
"Come here; let me fix that bruise for you." I tell him and gently grab his wrist, tugging him closer as I put my hand covered in a layer of water to his cheek. He slightly flinches away from the glowing water at first, but soon leans in to my touch with closed eyes as I ease the pain and discoloration. While I'm at it, I bring my fingers to his split lip and heal that for him too. He softly sighs in what seems to be relief before his opens open, nailing me to the spot in their emerald depths.
"Thank you Lady Diana, you did not need to heal me but you have my gratitude." He says softly. I swallow past the newly formed lump in my throat and shrug.
"It's the least I can do; after all it was my brother who hurt you." I tell him softly before turning and putting the water back in the sink. My eyes widen slightly as Loki puts his fingers under my chin to turn me to face him.
"I am still grateful, and would like to express it." He says softly, his eyes on my lips. My heart starts to speed up as he slowly leans towards me. My eyes widen as he gets closer, and his eyes slowly close as his lips press against mine.
Loki was kissing me.
Third P.O.V
As Diana passed Loki in the barn that afternoon, he felt worry constrict his chest. She was dressed in the outfit she normally worked out in, with her hair in the bun she had put it in that morning, but she looked weary and upset. A light sheen of sweat covered her slightly shaking body, and the gauze around her hands was slightly singed.
"Lady Diana, are you well? You seem distressed." He said with genuine concern. She smiles sadly at him, causing the worry in his chest to constrict tighter. He is surprised to find that he despises that look on her.
"Just a rather large disagreement between my brother and I Loki. I'll soon be fine. Lunch will be ready soon, just give me time." She tells him softly before continuing out of the barn.
Loki watches her go, his eyes unconsciously focusing on the swing of her full hips as she walks. A nudge from Angus brings him back to reality.
"What? There's nothing wrong with looking." Loki says in slight indignation.
Angus shook his head with a snort, nudging Loki again. Loki stroked his neck, looking back in the direction Diana went.
"You think I should make my next move on her tonight?" He asks Angus, and smiles as the horse shakes his head up and down. Loki pats Angus on the nose affectionately before heading back into the house.
As he walks in he notices Diana staring out the window, her back rigid as if she had been struck with fear. "Lady Diana? Does something trouble you?" He asks, and she shakes her head and says a chill merely went up her spine like she was being watched. Loki told her she shouldn't ignore a feeling like that, and she hummed in absent minded agreement before asking him to stay inside the next few days.
Loki had scowled, since it seemed like she was trying to cage him, but he hid his displeasure behind a smiling mask. She saw right through it though, and offered up plenty of entertainment and a dozen of her mother's strawberry tarts. They shook on it, and soon finished up lunch before she headed back outside to let out the other half of her horses.
Side Section:
You think he'll actually make a move on the Mistress? Angus asked the other horses in the barn.
Apollo pawed at the ground of his stall and whinnied. Of course he will. He'd be stupid not to, especially with how they are out on the trails. They've dancing around their feelings for each other for the past few weeks.
But he has to be careful not to scare her away Apollo. Cinnamon nickered motherly as her foals nursed from her teats.
I agree with Cinnamon. Our Mistress is a fine and strong human, but she does have her moments of weakness. Especially after what that horrid male did to her those few years ago. Aztec said with an angry snort.
Commander brought his head out of the stall and looked over at Aztec. That may be true, but she deserves all the happiness that she can get. I think that the Loki male will be good for her, since he seems to have a certain frailty of his own. They make each other smile and laugh; it would be a shame if they couldn't be happy together.
There was a rounding course of agreeing neighs before the occupants of the barn went back to eating their lunch.
-Ending Side Section (2)
That night after dinner Loki followed Diana to her art room and sat down in the chair across from her easel after she tells him to relax but not fidget. He brings the book he is currently breezing though, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, up high enough for him to read to not get a crick in his neck as she starts painting.
Every now and again Loki would look up at her, and marvel the concentration she paid to her canvas. When she had asked him if he could be a part of the first painting she did for her current batch, he had been a bit suspicious but once he saw the sketch she had drawn out, he genuinely liked it.
A starry sky shone out against an otherwise muted forest background. In the foreground stood a large black horse that faced the painter, its long mane swaying in the imagined wind. On its back sat a cloaked figure, its face partially hidden in the hood of the cloak, which Diana said would be done in deep shades of navy blue with lighter highlights. The face staring back from the cover of the hood greatly resembled his, which is what Diana was aiming for.
His mind wandered a bit as he saw her bite her lower lip in concentration. He wondered what else that mouth of hers could do before he gave a mental shake and returned his eyes to his book to try and stave off his slowly hardening member. It worked for now and just as he got to the part where Harry saved Ron's life with the bezoar, Diana stretched and her back popped, signaling her weariness.
She called it a night and cleaned up before leaving the room, Loki trailing after her. He watched as she healed her bruised knuckles, and was surprised as she grabbed his wrist; intent on healing him as well.
He flinched away from her at first, but soon he relaxed as she healed his bruised cheek, and he sighed in relief as the cool and healing water cleaned up and healed his split lip as well. Once she finished, his eyes opened, looking at her intensely. He softly thanks her, and a small bit of triumph appears inside him once he sees that he has slightly flustered her, though she tries to shrug it off. After saying it was the least she could do though, he takes a chance and turns her face towards his.
"I am still grateful, and would like to express it." He says softly, his eyes trained on her lips. He slowly leans in, his eyes closing as her could almost feel her pulse racing. He took an even greater risk and as his eyes shut fully, he kissed her.
Her lips are softer than I imagined. Loki thought absently as he moved his lips against hers gently. Diana didn't return the kiss, but he figured that to be shock. Indeed, as he pulled back and opened his eyes, he saw that her cheeks were tinged with red from a blush and her eyes were still wide open.
He inwardly smirked, but outwardly his smile was slight and gentle. He went to try and kiss her again, but she turned her head slightly, so his lips missed hers.
"Loki, please don't…" She says softly, her eyes focusing on the floor. "Don't act like you care for me, I had enough of that from Thomas. Besides, I doubt I can compare to the women of Asgard. I can barely compare to the women here."
Loki was astonished as he heard the self-contempt in her voice towards herself. He never would have guessed that she had self-esteem issues, though after what her ex-lover had done to her and the bullying she said she suffered in high school he shouldn't have been surprised. He felt a warm stirring in his chest, and instead of pushing it away like he would've done months ago, he gently welcomed it and acted on it.
Just as Diana started to turn from him, he lifted his arms and gently wrapped them around her waist, hugging her close.
"Why do you shy away, my dear? You have nothing to fear from me, I will not harm you. I only wish to grant what we both desire." He whispered in her ear, his breath causing a suppressed shiver to go down her spine.
"I shy away because I fear your intent. I don't know why you'd be interested in a mortal like me, unless you're after my powers or just wish to dominate me." She replies, still faced away from him.
He moves her gently to face him, and makes her look in his eyes. His voice is firm but neutral sounding. "I admit that, at first, I was interested solely in using you to my advantage, and after I learned of your powers I had planned on using you even more. But I didn't count on one thing."
"And what was that?" She asks, her eyes brighter than usual, like she was trying to hold back tears.
Loki places a hand on her left cheek, gently running his thumb over the scar there. "I didn't count on learning to care for you."
She looks at him, her eyes holding her surprise. "You…care for me? Why?"
He smiles, his head tilting to the side. In a small corner of Diana's mind she thought about how handsome he looked with a smile. She quickly pushed that thought away though, and waited for his answer. She didn't have very long to wait.
"I care because you intrigue me Lady Diana, and because you showed me kindness, but your spirit doesn't allow anyone to walk over you. You are patient, but your temper is very entertaining to watch. You are not like the majority of the court ladies of Asgard, with their pension for gossip and their simpering ways. You see me as me, not as a shadow of my brother or as the deeds I did in the past. You treat me like an equal." Loki says affectionately, before his smile turns roguish.
"And if I may say so, your looks are not to be taken lightly. Your hair shines like fire, your eyes are incredibly unique and beautiful, and your lips are something I do admit to craving."
He softly chuckles as Diana's cheeks blush red, before he lightly kissed her on the cheek. "But I admit that I as well can be patient, for you Lady Diana. I will do no more than give you embraces here and there, with a few kisses now and again unless you take it farther. I bid you goodnight my dear." With that, Loki stepped back and headed to his room, leaving Diana still blushing in the middle of her kitchen until she headed to bed in a daze, her mind whirling with thought after thought, and her lips and cheek tingling where Loki had kissed her.
With Bruce, Natasha, and Clint
Bruce had watched the confrontation between Diana and the three young men tormenting Brendan, and smiled inwardly as he watched Diana keep walking once Brendan had left, heading back to the inn from the direction he was taking.
Bruce watched Diana until she was out of sight, before heading back to the inn as well to tell Clint and Natasha his findings.
"So she hates bullies huh? Can't say that's surprising, what is surprising is how she dealt with them. Most women don't physically confront bullies like that." Clint says as they stand out in front of the inn, far enough away from the front door so that they wouldn't be heard by anyone.
"From what was in her file she's not like most women Clint. She was an amateur WMMA fighter, remember? She's not a pushover." Natasha tells him. Bruce can almost hear the tiniest bit of admiration in her voice.
"She's got a point. Diana took that guy down like a pro." Bruce says as they load up their equipment up into the back of the jeep. Tiny cameras the size of a nail head, tiny microphones with surround sound, and monitors that were connected to the microphones and the cameras so Bruce, Clint and Natasha would be able to see and hear what was going on, all of it small enough to fit into two normal sized backpacks.
Once they reached the edge of her property closest to the road, they drove their jeep through a break in the trees and then concealed it with the same technology that causes the Helicarrier to disappear in the air.
They got their equipment out, and Bruce and Clint shouldered up the backpacks while Natasha grabbed the GPS with Diana's house's coordinates in it, and she lead the way towards the house. Bruce was glad he had changed into jeans and hiking boots before they left the inn.
After a few minutes of walking Natasha stopped. "Ok, the GPS says the house is just through that bit of bushes and trees in front of us." She walks to just behind the aforementioned bushes before crouching down and parting a few branches so slightly that Bruce doubted she could actually see through them. Clint crouched down next to her and parted the same amount of branches, but a bit more widely.
Clint whistled in appreciation once he saw the house; a two storied(not including the attic), light green Victorian style house, with a dark grey roof, white gingerbread trim, a brick chimney, and darker green shutters. A row of low growing holly and hydrangea bushes grew alongside the wraparound porch and a two car garage was attached to the side. He craned his head, and saw the end of the glass greenhouse and a corner of the two story stables/barn.
Natasha was studying the house as well, and noticed some things she thought Clint might miss, like the large bay window where the floor plans S.H.I.E.L.D put in Diana's folder said the living room was or the smaller window that she knew was over the kitchen sink and that the almost hidden window right under the room was the attic. She also knew about what she didn't see, like the fact that the house had six bedrooms, two on the first floor and four upstairs, with the master bedroom upstairs, or the four bathrooms, with one downstairs and three upstairs, including the one attached to the master bedroom.
Bruce was just simply marveling how Diana was able to run this place by herself. That house alone must take at least a few hours to clean, and the barn and stables must take at least a day to clean out. I'm not even gonna try to estimate the greenhouse. Add in all the animals and it should be almost impossible. Bruce thought in his head before something caught his eye. A flash of black disappeared around the back of the house at the same moment Clint and Natasha stepped back behind the cover of the bushes.
"You think she saw us Nat?" Clint asked her softly. They had seen Diana stiffen and look out the window in their direction before they hid again.
Natasha was silent for a moment, before she shook her head. "She can't have. Let's hurry up and get these cams and mikes set up and get back to the jeep." They opened their backpacks and got out a few cameras and microphones each. Natasha set a few up along the tree line before she started creeping towards the house.
Bruce watched in anxiety, waiting for the moment that she would be caught or that Diana would come out any minute. But Natasha made it back safely after setting up mikes and cameras at the front door and under the kitchen window.
"Natasha, I think I saw someone going into the house through the back door." Bruce told her softly. She simply looked at him, her expression telling him that they'd talk about it later. He didn't expect anything less.
Clint headed to the barn and the greenhouse by sticking to the trees before slowly stalking to the greenhouse, heading inside as fast and silently he could. He turned once he closed the door behind him, and his eyes widened once he saw all the different flowers and herbs growing in pots and trays all over the floor and against the walls of the greenhouse.
"Whoa. This girl has quite a green thumb." He said to himself as he picked his way through the pots filled with marigolds, lilies, poppies, three different rose bushes, daisies, and other flowers he knew by sight but not name. He noticed the herb pots were fewer but thriving just as well as the flowers. He placed a camera in the rather large bush of climbing roses against the far wall, pointing it towards the front door. He figured that with such a small camera in such a large bush of roses, Diana would never be able to find it. He placed a microphone a little farther up into the bush and another one nearer the door in a small bush with a bunch of five petal pink flowers that he thought the name of started with an A.
After he finished he headed out and around the greenhouse to the barn and stables. He opened the door only enough for him to slip inside, before closing it behind him. He turned and was struck with the smell of horses and fresh straw, and with the sight of eleven horses of various colors and genders staring at him from over their stall doors. Some of them were neighing or whinnying, while others like the big all black horse were staring at him silently. He slowly made his way down the aisle, trying to find the right place to set up the two cameras and microphones he still had. He placed one camera and mike near the one horse that wasn't staring at him, a light golden yellow mare with an almost white mane that was silently ignoring him as she enjoyed her lunch. He headed towards the back of the barn, intending to place the other camera and mike near the big black horse that had been silently staring at him, but as soon as he tried the black horse gave out a loud neigh and snapped his teeth out at Clint. It was only his quick reflexes that prevented the horse from taking a chunk out of his arm.
"Hey! Watch it you. Big demon of a horse aren't you?" Clint grumbled to himself, and stepped back as the black horse tried taking another chunk out of him. He went a little farther down, hesitantly going towards a bay mare with twin foals, the yellow and white one trying to see over the stall door while the dark bay one stayed near the back of the stall. Clint hesitantly stepped up and onto the stall door, placing the camera and mike up into a crevice in the roof. As he jumped down, he looked over the mother and the foals again. He hesitantly brought his hand out, and waited. When neither the mother nor the foal tried to bite him, he patted the foal right between the ears. He smiled as the foal nudged his head up under Clint's hand.
He finished petting the foal, and hurried out the stable door and back to the trees and to the spot where Natasha and Bruce were waiting. "What took so long?" Natasha asked him as they hurried back to the jeep. He shrugged, softly smiling.
"I made a new friend." He said simply as they drove back to the inn.
On Asgard
Thor slowly paced in front of his mother in her chambers. He had just told her about the kiss that Heimdall told him about, between Loki and Lady Diana, and about the fact that his mortal friends were going to spy on them. He was pacing because he was worried about what would happen now, especially if his friends found out that Loki was spending his jail sentence on Earth.
Frigga was also worried, but not just because of the fear of Loki being discovered on Diana's property. She was worried about Diana, and what her wayward son might end up doing to her. Granted, Loki never treated a woman so callously as to bed her and then leave her, like Thor sometimes did when he was younger, but he did have a way of seducing a woman once in a while until he grew bored with them; though when he did that he would always manage to leave her, or the occasional man, a gift before parting. She remembered this one woman that kept his interest for about a month, before they eventually parted after he gave her a golden hair comb. She did pine for him for a while, but she eventually got over him. Frigga didn't think Diana would be the same, so she worried that if he did indeed seduce her that she would end up despairing if he left her.
"Mother, if my mortal friends find Loki and capture him, do you think father would allow me to go to Midgard and make sure that they treat him well? I fear that if I am not there they would grievously harm him." Thor told her, and she had to agree with that.
"I will speak to your father once he is done meeting with the delegates from Vanaheim. Hopefully I will be able to persuade him to let you go." Frigga told him, causing Thor to smile and gently embrace her.
"Thank you mother. Hopefully father will listen to you better than if I talked to him." Thor said warmly. Frigga hugged her son back before releasing him.
"I certainly hope so. But you must promise me my son that you will not pressure Loki nor upset him too greatly. If you do he might end up pushing you away even more than he already has, and have a break from the near peacefulness he has been portraying." Frigga said seriously.
Thor felt a bit hurt that his mother would think he would try and provoke Loki, but he had to see her point. He may be a bit wiser now than he was when he first went to Midgard, but he did still have a bad habit of sometimes reverting back to the way he was. He nodded his understanding before leaving his mother to think up a way to persuade Odin to let him go to Midgard if his mortal friends captured Loki.
Later that day, when Frigga was weaving on her loom in her personnel chambers, Odin walked inside and sat down beside her wearily.
"Is everything alright my dearest?" Frigga asks lightly. Odin shakes his head and sighs heavily.
"Just a few Vanir dignitaries trying to make trouble with comments about Loki my queen, mostly Hodur Ingvarrson; he took over his father's position officially a few months ago, and he is trying to force his opinion on the other Vanir dignitaries. He kept retelling details from when Loki killed his brother Baldur in defense of Sleipnir, though he tried to keep his voice out of the range of my ears." Odin said angrily.
Frigga remembered that fateful day. She remembered when Loki was brought in front of the throne in chains, his clothes bloody from slaughtering Baldur, but his face set in grim determination. He pleaded his case in front of the entirety of Asgard, but the Vanir dignitaries threatened with war unless they were recompensed.
"A life for a life!" Ingvarr, the father of Baldur, had roared out. "I demand that Loki feel the same pain I do, or its war!" Odin felt that he had no choice, and so he ruled that Vali, his happy and playful grandson, would be put to death in whatever way Ingvarr decided, and Loki would be punished whatever way Hodur, Baldur's younger brother, decided upon. Sigyn, Loki's wife at the time and Vali and Narfi's mother had openly pleaded with the All Father to rescind his ruling, but he refused.
Frigga's heart throbbed once again when she remembered the malicious way Ingvarr had decided that Vali would be torn apart by his brother, who he had been with since birth, in wolf form. Loki and Sigyn had to be physically restrained in order for it to be done, their grief so great. Vali had barely taken his last breath before Hodur's punishment for Loki had begun.
Vali's intestines had been extracted from his still warm body and turned into chains, and Loki had been restrained by them and taken to a watery cave at the edge of Asgard, and had been restrained to a rock under a magical serpent that would drip acidic venom onto his body. He endured it straight for a day until Sigyn came and held a bowl over his body to catch the venom. She told him about what had happened the day he had stayed in the cave. She told him that Narfi had fled after she tried to kill him with a sword, and that she blamed him for Vali, her favored first born son, being killed.
"She whispered vicious things to me every day she held that bowl over my body." Loki had told Frigga once his punishment was over after weeks. The Vanir dignitaries wanted to make sure he suffered as long as possible, so they had extended their visit. "She told me she relished the screams I let out when the venom would drip onto me when she would go to empty her basin. She would take her time to give me maximum pain."
Frigga did her best to help heal her son, but it still took months for him to regain his sight after the venom of the serpent had blinded him and heavily scarred and discolored the area around his eyes up into his forehead from when he would arch his body against the chains in pain, sending the venom trickling up to his hairline. In the months it took for him to heal, he divorced Sigyn and started pushing Odin away.
"Loki still has not forgiven you for making that ruling, and causing his children to be lost to him, and us." Frigga tells him softly, her voice like spun steel.
"What would you have had me do? Let the Vanir proclaim war against us? I had to make a decision, no matter how hard it was!" Odin told his queen, causing her to pause in her weaving and face him, her blue eyes flashing.
"Better war than the loss of our grandchildren! You took all of them but Sleipnir from Loki, and the only reason Sleipnir stayed was because you made him into your steed." She said angrily.
"They were monsters!" Odin roared out.
"They were our grandchildren, Loki's children! Loki told us they would be capable of shifting to human form once they were old enough to learn magic, but you didn't listen! You were afraid of what they were capable of, so you took them from him or refused to let him interact with them at all!" Frigga said angrily, her voice raised and magical energy radiating from her body. Odin knew better than to argue with Frigga when she was in a state like this, so he stayed silent. However, her words did strike a chord in him, because they were true. He had been afraid once Loki's children had been born from Agroboda, Sigyn, and Glut. He feared they would become too powerful if raised by Loki, so he had locked them away, or refused to let them come to Asgard, and so Loki paid for it. He had been cruel, and so Loki had grown more bitter towards him a little more after each child had been taken away, and Vali and Narfi had been the last straw he supposed.
Frigga took a deep breath and returned to her weaving, though her movements were a bit jerky. "Thor wants to go to Midgard if Loki is captured by his mortal friends there. He fears that they may not treat him well, and I share his fears." She tells Odin. "It would be more beneficial for him to be there, in case if they do mistreat him so he can bring him back to Asgard."
Odin thought of that for a few minutes with a troubled expression, before grudgingly nodding his head. "Very well, he may go if the mortals capture Loki, and if they mistreat him excessively then he may bring him back to Asgard so that he may finish his jail sentence here instead." With that Odin stands and walks out of Frigga's chambers.
Frigga smiles to herself as she continues weaving, magic in her fingers as she moves the teal green fabric on the loom. If all goes well with Loki and Diana's relationship, hopefully she will accept this gift from me. Frigga thought as she kept weaving.
1) Iníon basically means daughter in Irish.
2) I added the side section with the horses because I thought you guys might enjoy learning what they're thinking and that jazz. I might do it next chapter with the dogs and cats, what do you think?
Whoo! That was one long chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it, and enjoyed the small kiss shared between Loki and Diana. I'm trying to make them take their relationship slow, so nothing too heavy will be happening for the next few chapters. HOWEVER, the discovery of Loki by Natasha, Clint, and Bruce should be happening in either the next chapter or the one after that. And trust me, they'll find him with a bang!
Loki: Was that meant to be foreshadowing?
Silver: If it was, I'm not gonna tell you that. And why'd you have to turn Tony's Iron Man suit pink and white? And the squeaky voice, what was up with that?!
Loki: *sniggers evilly* What? You have to admit it was funny.
Silver: *sighs* Maybe it was, but I'm the one that almost got turned extra crispy!
Tony: *steps in and is still pointing his plasma glove at me*
Silver: *stands and runs* And I still might because of you!
Loki: *is running beside me* Shut up and run!
Diana:*sighs and facepalms* Since Silver isn't here, I guess I have to be the one to remind you all that she owns nothing in her that has ever been in the Marvel Universe or Norse Mythology at all, just me, my friends and family, my animals, my town and the buildings in it ok? She doesn't want to get sued. Oh, and thank you for the reviews those who did. Please keep them coming, since she really does appreciate them.
