Loki walked from the inn to Ava's apartment building. He walked up the stairs and walked to Ava's apartment room door. He suddenly felt very nervous. Why are you so nervous? She is your wife. You can do this. He internally scolded himself.
Loki took in a deep breath and knocked on the door. He waited a few moments and the door was opening. As always, she looked breathtaking to him. She smiled up at him. "Hi." She greeted, her cheeks reddening.
Loki felt a smile spreading across his own face. "Hi." He repeated her greeting. They stood there like that for a moment, just looking at each other. "So, uhm...are you ready to go?" Loki asked.
"Oh...uh...yeah." Ava answered. She then stepped out of her apartment and locked it up.
Loki held out his arm for her. "Shall we?" He asked.
Ava grinned and looped her arm through his. "Yes, we shall."
They began to walk down the hall and then down the stairs. They left the apartment building and began to walk down the street. "So...what brings you and your brother here?" Ava asked.
"Just on a little holiday." Loki answered, keeping things simple.
Ava nodded. "How long will you be here?" She asked, curious.
Loki smiled. "We aren't really sure...we really have no plans to be leaving any time soon."
Ava had to hide her glee at that news. Of course she watched Loki, and couldn't help but to think that she had something to do with him staying. That's just ridiculous. She thought to herself.
"So, how long have you been here?" Loki asked.
"Oh...me...I just...uh...moved here five years ago." Ava answered. "It's a nice place to live."
"I see." Loki replied.
They spent the rest of their walk in a companionable silence. They soon arrived at a small horse ranch just outside of the town. The rancher met them at the gate. Ava recognized him as one of her morning regulars at the diner.
"Well, I never thought I'd see you here, Ava." The rancher said. "And I see you have company."
Ava's cheeks reddened as usual. "Well, you know. I thought it was finally time I get out."
"Well, this way to the horses." He said. He then led Loki and Ava to where two horses were waiting for them. One horse was a beautiful black stallion and the other was beautiful brown mare. He told them where the trails were and then left them to the horses.
Loki and Ava climbed up on the horses, Loki taking the black stallion and Ava taking the brown mare. They began to go around the trails, at a leisurely pace at first and then they were racing through the trails. Loki heard Ava laugh as the wind whipped through her hair. It brought a smile to his face as she laughed. Before much longer, they came to a stop in a meadow. "This looks like a good place for a picnic." Loki said.
Ava looked around at the beautiful meadow. "I agree."
Loki dismounted his horse and then tied it to a tree. He then walked over to Ava. "May I, my lady?" He asked.
Ava grinned and blushed. "Alright."
Loki placed his hands on her hips and she put hers on his shoulders. She then leaped down right into his arms. Loki held her close for a moment, just as he had on their very first outing when he had taken her to Alfheim. He had wanted to jog her memory.
"You have the most captivating eyes. I could get lost in them."
"I'm already lost in yours." Ava replied.
Unconsciously, they began leaning close to each other. It was then that Ava felt a sudden sense of familiarity about the situation. I feel like we've been here before. It was then that she had a vision of staring into green eyes just like Loki's...only they were in frozen world...there was an almost kiss...and then a bird flew right by them and scared them and caused them to break apart.
Loki noticed the strange look in Ava's eyes. "Is everything alright, Ava?" He asked.
"I...uh...just had a little deja vu." Ava answered, shaking her head and giving an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry. I know it's silly. Forgive me?"
She must be remembering. Loki thought hopefully. He gave her a kind smile. "There is nothing to forgive." Loki replied. "Shall we start out picnic?"
"Yes." Ava answered.
Loki reached into the saddlebags and pulled out the blanket and spread it out. He then pulled out the items for the picnic. They sat down on the blanket and began to enjoy the meal. "So, what do you do for a living?" Ava asked, after a few moments.
Loki had been prepared for this question. "I'm a magician."
Ava's eyes seemed to light up. "Can you show me a trick?"
Loki grinned, loving how she was eager to see a trick. He then made a few flourishes with his hand and produced a purple flower for her, just like the ones he used to give her before. "For you."
Ava took the flower and brought it to her nose. "It's beautiful."
"Not nearly as beautiful as you." Loki replied.
Ava blushed and looked away from him. Something about the flower was familiar to her. She felt like she had seen and smelled it before, but she just couldn't quite remember.
"Do you like poetry?" Loki asked.
"I love it." Ava answered, smiling.
Loki grinned and then picked up a book that contained Shakespeare's sonnets. "I'm glad...there is a sonnet in here that I have read and it makes me think of you." He then opened the book up and began reading Sonnet XVIII just as he had their first date on Asgard.
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Ava's cheeks were glowing by the time he had finished. She felt the deja vu coming over her just then. Why do I feel like I've been here before? Why does this feel so familiar? She thought.
Loki watched her closely. He could see that same strange look on her face as before. She was indeed getting bits of her memory back. He could see it.
"That was beautiful." She finally said. "I don't see how those words can make you think of me..."
"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on." Loki replied. "I couldn't help but to notice you at the diner. It was hard for me to get the nerve to talk to you. I was intimidated by your beauty and grace."
Ava laughed. "Yeah..I was real graceful when I was stumbling away from your table."
Loki chuckled slightly. He then place his fingers beneath her chin and coaxed her face up to look at him. "You have no idea how beautiful and captivating you are."
"I don't know about all of that..."
"You are breathtaking, Ava...everything about you is beautiful. Your hair the color of fire, the same fire that alights the sky each night as the sun sinks below the horizon. Your eyes two swirling pools of emerald, a man could get lost in their depths. Your soft pale flesh, your rosy cheeks." He told her, echoing his words from their first date on Asgard. He then began to trace her lips with his thumb. "And these lips, soft petal pink lips...just begging to be kissed."
Ava felt a stirring within her at his words. She felt like she had heard them before...but that didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered at the moment was that she was sitting here with this incredibly handsome man who was pretty much saying he wanted to kiss her. "Then why don't you?" She asked, unknowingly repeating her words from that first day.
Loki grinned as he pulled her closer. He closed the distance between them and pressing his lips to hers. It felt so wonderful to Loki to finally be kissing her. I have missed Ava so much. He thought as he held her close.
He broke the kiss after a few moments. He smiled at her and she returned the smile. "That was nice." She said.
Loki grinned. "It was...very nice."
Ava then leaned forward and was pressing her lips to his, wanting to kiss him again. She had no idea why, but it felt familiar...it felt right to be kissing Loki. She decided not to question it or analyze it. She just went with it. She would think about it later.