Author's Note: There's one more chapter left after this.

Years

Loki tilted his head and looked at the grand, two-storey white house. Situated on a beach the waves lapped perhaps twenty feet behind him onto the shore and strange birds cried. For a second, he eyed the white sand and the small stone path wondering if jumping to the house would save his long-sleeved, white silk shirt and black-pants from dirtying. 'Ah, why walk when I can just will myself to the door ? Only a minute faster, but it is still an advantage.'

So, a blink later he stood before the white door and knocked. A strange, tiny, black speck on the door was watching him, he could feel it. When the door opened some time later, he frowned as he looked at Tony Stark. The Midgardian had dressed in a beige coat and pants with a white shirt. 'Ten years only ? Was it only ten years ? Either way, his hair has started greying already.'

Grey-eyes swept over him and the man said, "Well, you haven't changed a bit. Hang on a sec, I'll call Phil and we'll pick him up."

Loki's eyebrows furrowed and he asked, "Who is...Phil ?"

"Coulson, Phil's his first name."

"Hmm, of course. What has happened on Midgard lately ? Are Villr, Darcy and the others well ?"

Tony Stark raked a hand through his hair, "We found out that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by another organization called H.Y.D.R.A. a few years ago. Nasty bunch they were, Fury and the rest of us routed most of them. The last few are still biding their time waiting for revenge. One of those bastards killed Villr last month when he was protecting Darcy, her husband Ethan and their kids. Villr had plenty of puppies, though, I took one named him Brodder. Nobody'll know he's named Spike, but you and it just sounds way cooler to say Brodder. C'mere, boy."

'Villr...is dead. At least, he had a worthy death. Do animals go to Valhalla ? They should if they do not.'

A tiny, longer grey-furred dog, uh, puppy, hnn, dog approached him warily. He crouched down and it was odd seeing his Asgardian-form again. It had taken him months to get truly used to his jotun-form, but this was the first time he'd had to switch back in all those years. Brodder sniffed his hand and sneezed at the now very icy scent. Tony Stark moved away from him to contact Coulson as he patted Brodder.

The dog put both front paws on his hand and licked his chin, just like Villr had the last time they'd seen each other. When Tony Stark returned he shooed Villr's son back into the house and locked up, before they were getting into a different, dark-red, low slung vehicle.

While backing the vehicle up Tony Stark continued, "Jane and Erik are famous now since S.H.I.E.L.D. let Jane publish the stuff she was working on when she met Thor and the rest of you guys. Darcy moved to Britain where she played herself in Operation Worth and met Ethan leaving the set three years ago. So, what brought Crown Prince Loki to lowly Midgard - boredom or taxes ?"

"King, actually. For the last year I have ruled Jotunheim since Father abdicated to me. As for how I came here, I finished issuing orders, ceremonies and the feast preparations for tomorrow. Left with nothing to do as otherwise the Jotnar are very self-reliant and Father can handle anything that comes up, I came here. Thor and Fandral are on Nidavellir trying to persuade King Eitri to lend Asgard some of his smiths to teach theirs. Dwarven smiths are some of the finest in all the Realms, you see."

A chuckled, "All hail His Frostiness Loki. So what's this about a feast ?" as lights, vehicles and buildings went by.

"I am calling it in this tongue, at least, the Feast of Frabauti. It sounds much better in Jotish. I was thinking of gathering everyone for a reunion tomorrow after the feast - on Asgard, of course, so that you poor, poor, Midgardians don't freeze. Are you interested ?"

"Going to a feast with a bunch of aliens ? Hel yeah, I'm in."

They turned down a side street and onto the path before a single-storey, white house. Coulson peered for a second at them before saying something to a woman who kissed him and waved him away. As the man walked over he noticed that Coulson wore grey and black.

Coulson slid into the back seat with, "Hello, Loki. How've you been ?"

He twisted to smile at his second Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. acquaintance. "Quite well, Coul's son. Hmm, if only Jotunheim and Asgard had so many things happening as Midgard has."

Tony Stark burst into the conversation, "Guess what, Phil ?"

Coulson's response was less than enthusiastic, "Do I want to know what ?"

"Loki's King of the World ! Of Jotunheim."

For some reason, Coulson buried his face in his hands. "You're never going to let that Titanic thing go are you ?"

'Titanic ? How was he on a ship that sank a hundred years ago ? Unless that's some expression or a, uh, movie. If only Father had let us help them, we could have saved so many of them.'

"Nope. Since we're all dressed so nicely what about a semi-formal place ?"

While he didn't really know what that meant, Coulson agreed that it sounded nice.

Tony Stark wondered, "You ever tried a steak, Loki ?"

Loki muttered, "I have not a clue what a 'steak' is, Tony Stark just tell me that is not bear's meat and entrails soaked in ice-berry juice. Speaking of food, Coulson would yourself and your friend wish to join in a feast tomorrow on Jotunheim ? Don't worry about the water in the food, I've made sure only Asgardian water was used."

'I do not mind it, but I would favour it more if I'd grown up with it. Some of the food is great, even compared to Asgard's, other dishes...not so much. I do hope that wherever we go the food will be good.'

At the mention of bear meat and entrails Tony Stark's face seemed to turn slightly green. Seemingly as a distraction Coulson replied, "I'd like to, Loki, but I don't know about Audrey she's not very comfortable with strangers. Anyway, why couldn't you use Jotunheim's water ?"

Absently, he ran a hand over the flask on his hip. It was a flask of Jotunheim's ice-berry ale into which he'd poured a bit of water in case he needed a nondescript, but powerful weapon. Ice-berries were not a pleasant experience to most other races because the taste was first unpleasantly bitter then equally sweet before it melded into a pleasant mixture of both.

"The waters of Jotunheim are poison to those not of the Jotnar. If drunk, and not even a mouthful need's consuming, death is near instantaneous. Poured on one not of the Jotnar it scars instantly and incredibly painfully...even when diluted."

Like years ago, Tony Stark repeated, "Remind me never to get you angry, ever. I mean, even without Fandral and Thor backing you up, you're pretty damn scary when you want to be."

They fell into comfortable silence, throughout the trip he'd seen out of the corner of his eye, a small, dark-silver vehicle that seemed like it was following them. The silver vehicle only disappeared from his sight when they reached a red and brown-bricked building. A sign with: Marion's emblazoned in curving, black script on a silver-white background hung over the door swayed as they entered. The room was brown with red squares in some places, the tables were also square, but were of dark-oak and covered in white-cloth.

He followed Coulson and Tony Stark over to a table by the window. Since he was the only one facing the entrance he noticed the five-foot some, brown-haired and pale-skinned man in the beige longcoat who entered after them. From the way said man held himself he had two knives strapped to his wrists and a gun of some kind strapped to his side.

Loki asked, "Tony Stark, what did they do about Operation Worth ? The people they used ? The...what do you call them...actors."

Tony Stark briefly had a baffled look on his face, "It was creepy how close they got to you guys. They got some really pretty guy to play you. Are you sure you don't have an illegitimate son or an evil twin ? I only ask because I could have sworn a few times that he really was you."

'Well, whoever he is he must have considerable talent then. One thing I do know that Midgardian is not my son.'

It made him shake his head and he raised his eyebrows, "I am sure that I don't have an illegitimate son. My only lovers are Thor and Fandral there has never been any one else. If I did have children I would've been the one to bare them and I know I did not. What about the people who played Thor and Fandral ?"

Coulson looked briefly sickened at his second last sentence. Meanwhile, the man from H.Y.D.R.A. had taken a spot at the table beside them.

Tony Stark ignored his first question to answer the last, "A huge blond Australian guy played Thor and an American took the part of Fandral. That guy did a damn good accent, I thought he really was British. Some parts were hilarious, really, I mean nearly the whole theater I was in broke into cheers at the romance and kissing scenes. There were a few, okay, a few thousand fans who thought our characters should have gotten together because of the mockship we had. There's a petition going around to keep our sub-plot going if there's a second movie. Though I really don't how they think that's going to happen considering I think my character died. Heh, if I came back I could be Sleeping Beauty."

Coulson asked, "Sleeping Beauty, really ? Not Sleeping Snark ? I think that fits you much better."

The H.Y.D.R.A Agent's wrist twitched, the man threw the knife at Coulson. He moved in front of the table and caught the knife. Screams as people got up and ran away while said brown-haired man snarled and lunged at him slashing with the other knife. Blocked the slash, grabbed the blade, froze it and snapped it to pieces. A second later, he kicked the man sending him crashing into the table. Coulson and Tony Stark who had gotten up, now pinned the H.Y.D.R.A. Agent to the floor.

'I think I have a use for the ale now. This should be fun.'

Slowly, he walked around Coulson's back to stand over the H.Y.D.R.A man's head and crouch down. Let his eyes regain their red shade and asked, "Do you wish to know whom you just angered, Midgardian ?"

"A fucking freak."

In response, he clicked his tongue, "Well, that wasn't very nice. For both trying to murder my friends and just barely I think you need a lesson before being taken to join the Counter-worms."

He pulled out the silver and sapphire flask and unscrewed it, before tilting it slightly. A drop of dark-purple ale glistened in the light then fell to land on the man's cheek. Said drop left a small splatter-shaped burn as the man screamed and thrashed around.

Like Tony Stark and Coulson, it was a ten years older Hawkeye who walked through the restaurant's door a few minutes later. One or two other S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents entered to take custody of the H.Y.D.R.A. man as Hawkeye asked, "Did you make him think he died already ?"

As he rose, he looked up at the man and replied, "No, I didn't. Though, of course, I still could."

Coulson also got up, muttering, "So, you actually did save my life, Loki. Did you wanna throw Tony out the window, now ?"

Tony Stark countered, "If he throws me out the window he has to kiss me better."

'The next time I come here he'll probably be dead so I might as well. Kiss him that is, not throw him out the window.'

A few seconds later, he leaned over, pulled Tony Stark to his feet and kissed the grey-haired man. Of course, it was only a very short kiss, but Tony still looked quite happy when it was over.

Tony Stark blinked dazedly and wondered, "Can I die now ?"

He shook his head, "No, Tony Stark, as the feast is tomorrow you may not. Wait until the next day."

That got a few chuckles from the Midgardian. Over all, he was just hoping that tomorrow's feast would go far smoother.