The house was just as she remembered it. Her mother must have finally convinced Randall to re-paint the house, because the white paint was fresh, but otherwise, it was like a time capsule. The walls in the living room and kitchen were covered by paintings, large and small, that seemed to all be centered around food. Her personal favorite was a medium-sized painting that featured five loaves of light-brown bread. One could tell the bread was straight from the oven, due to the way smoke was shown curling around the bread. When she was a child, Layla swore that she could almost smell the tantalizing painting.

The kitchen table was rustic by modern standards, but Layla loved it, despite the fact that it made a groaning noise whenever anybody placed anything on it, whether it be a heavy bowl of soup or some empty plastic cups. Still, it hadn't broken yet. Her father liked to say that in comparison, modern tables wouldn't last even a decade.

Her mom had obviously been busy, as the table was almost completely covered by all sorts of food. Steaming rolls of bread (with a side of creamy butter) complimented the bowls of glistening fruit and vegetables (Layla admittedly thought her mom could sometimes use a bit too much salad dressing). But Layla knew that for Thanos, the real treat was the meat. Turkey, chicken, and even bacon could be found in the platter, no doubt her meat-loving father's idea.

"This looks quite delicious," Thanos complimented smoothly. Joan beamed as she quickly piled a bit of everything on his plate.

"Yeah mom, you really outdid yourself with this," Layla marveled. Her dad chuckled as he served his own plate.

"Joan spent the entire evening stressing on if this was enough food. I had to physically wrestle her from the oven." He laughed and ducked as Joan lightly swung a spoon at him.

"Really? Oh mom, this is more than enough." Layla began placing some vegetables on her plate. She always liked her mom's habit of placing pieces of corn inside the salad. Joan tutted.

"First impressions are everything, you know. Besides, how do I know that you've been eating properly? I will admit that you look fine, but looks aren't everything." The conversation lulled for a bit as the four family members began digging in. The bright kitchen kept everyone's moods light, and the food felt like perfection. Layla always forgot how much she missed her mom's cooking.

All too soon, the food was gone. Layla, feeling more full than she had felt in a long time, wanted nothing more than to take a nap, but as she expected, her father took that as an opportunity to begin his questions.

"So..Thane, was it? What exactly is your occupation? I'm assuming it's something that will help you provide for my daughter." Layla knew that this was coming. Thank goodness Thanos and I discussed this on the way here.

Thanos dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. "Actually, I work at the school with Layla. I'm a science teacher. In fact, we met at a teacher's conference." He delivered it naturally, and not like someone who may have rehearsed it numerous times in his head.

Layla's father gulped down the last bits of his drink. He had wanted a beer, but knowing her mother, Layla was sure that she had hidden all the cans. Joan hated serving alcoholic drinks for guests.

"I hope that working in the same building doesn't get too…distracting." Layla was no idiot; the suggestive pause made it easy to see what her father was getting at.

Thanos raised an eyebrow, choosing his words carefully before replying. "I assure you, our relationship stays professional at the school." Layla thought it was a good, solid answer. And then he opened his mouth again.

"After all, we find that reining in our passion at the workplace allows us to even better unleash it back in the bedroom." No one even dared to breathe too loud as Thanos then took a gulp from his glass cup.

It was only when he set his cup back down on the table with a clunking noise that Joan quickly excused herself to grab the dessert. Layla wished she had an excuse to get out of there, but then again, she might be needed to cool things down. Still, she couldn't imagine what Thanos was thinking, making such a comment!


Thanos drank in the silence. He was sure he would catch hell from Layla later, but he sincerely didn't care at the moment. He had done his best to hold in his temper, but from the first moment, he didn't care for Layla's judgemental father. Every question, every statement, was tinged with a surety that he wasn't good enough for Layla.

Perhaps that was normal on Earth. Maybe no father thought any male worthy for their daughters. Even so, Thanos could already tell that Randall was planning on asking questions designed to make Thanos look less than desirable for Layla. Well, Thanos didn't suffer fools lightly. Yes, it was best he nip that plan in the bud.

He couldn't help but smirk at Randall; the man was clearly also holding back his rising anger, but his reddened face and quick breaths told the whole story.

"Father, I'm sure Thanos didn't mean any disrespect. He's just very frank." She kept her tone light, but Thanos wouldn't let things end there.

"Of course not. We are a couple, after all. Wouldn't this be normal for any couple? Besides, I'm sure your parents are already aware that we live together." Layla glared daggers at him as Randall paled.

"I…what. But that's just. Layla is this true?" Layla appeared to shrink under her father's rambles, but before Thanos could interject once more, Joan strode back in the room holding a steaming apple pie, but one that looked much larger than any Layla had baked.

She must have followed the conversation from the next room, because she chose to weigh in. "Now Randall, you can't really complain. Why, we were younger than Layla is when we began cohabitating." As he sputtered, she continued with a wink. "And I know you aren't naive enough to not know what that entails."

Unlike Randall, Thanos had no ill feelings towards Joan. Even so, he hadn't counted on her defending him. He also didn't count on what she said next.

"And you know that I've been hoping for some grand-kids. The sooner, the better, I say." This time, Layla and Randall both reddened in perfect synchronicity.

"Mom!" Layla exclaimed. "This isn't something one discusses at the table!" She had already finished her slice of pie, but that wasn't important. What was important was getting her mom to not embarrass her.

"I'm not getting any younger, is all I'm saying. And I know he won't admit it, but Randall was agreeing with me just the other day, and -" Layla's father pushed back his chair in his hurry to stand up.

"Perhaps, Layla, it would be a good idea to show your…boyfriend around the farm? I bet he's never spent more than five minutes on one before." Layla was grateful for her father's quick thinking.

"I can't say that I have…sir," Thanos easily agreed.

A one-on-one "tour" with Layla didn't sound bad at all, but naturally, Joan and Randall both insisted on accompanying them. Did they not trust Layla to be able to lead a tour? Was Randall suspicious of Thanos' integrity?

On the whole, however, he couldn't say he had a bad time. He was, of course, not unfamiliar with farms - but he was used to farms on other planets. To his surprise, Earth farms shared many of the basic features that the interstellar farms featured. It helped that the weather was pleasant in that soft-Spring way.

Layla explained that their family farm wasn't exactly one of the larger ones in the state, but it suited their needs just the same. They also had a medium-sized silo behind the farm, but it was apparently not in use. "We haven't stored anything in their in years," Layla wryly explained. They also had enough animals and crops that they never starved.

"I used to resent having so many chicken and livestock," Layla admitted quietly when her parents were out of earshot. When Thanos incorrectly guessed that it was because they were more trouble than they were worth, Layla chuckled. "No, because I always wanted a pet, but my parents always said that adding another animal wouldn't be practical."

As they approached the enclosed area behind the house, Layla allowed her voice to rise back to it's normal pitch. "But now I really like them. We have some really friendly cows, so they're kinda like owning a dog - at least, a very large dog with horns."

"I'm sure." Thanos, ironically, didn't have any hard feelings towards animals. They were automatically more tolerable than most humans. In her excitement, Layla ran forward, and Thanos knew then that she hadn't been exaggerating, as three cattle ran forward to greet her, trying to push their snout through the narrow, wooden bars of their enclosure.

Their demeanor completely changed the moment they spotted Thanos. Their eyes rolled back, but instead of fainting, they dashed away, crying out the whole time.

"That's the oddest thing," Joan remarked as she and Randall caught up. "These cattle are usually so friendly. They're only skittish around coyote and foxes, dangerous creatures like that." Randall crossed his arms, giving Thanos a skeptical look.

"Maybe they have the right idea." Thanos glared back at the man, feeling his temper rise. There was only so much baiting he would take from this human. Layla, probably sensing the growing animosity, got in between them.

"Maybe we should see what the pigs and chicken think?"

As it turned out, they apparently didn't think much differently. The chicken all beat their wings as hard as they could, and the pigs acted like they were on the chopping block. If he was being honest, Thanos didn't mind. In fact, he usually enjoyed causing fear where ever he went. Intimidation was just part of who he was. He was an alpha predator compared to most creatures.

Still, it also made things tricky with Layla's parents. He wasn't sure how one could casually explain away something like this.

"I'm very sorry," he tried. "There must he something about my face." The group had sheepishly returned home. The setting sun was almost blinding when reflected off the windows of the house.

Joan smiled kindly at him, easily willing to overlook the whole thing. "I'm sure it was just a bad day. Maybe tomorrow we'll let you try feeding the animals. In my experience, that's always the quickest way to earn their affection." Thanos nodded, but on the inside, the mental images made him shudder.

As they piled in the house, Joan glanced at the clock. "I know it's a tad early, but why don't you show Thane your room? You can break it in." She winked at the two, not noticing Randall's fists clench.

"Oh, that sounds like a splendid suggestion," Thanos smirked. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy seeing how angry Randall got. Layla quickly wished her parents a good night before dragging Thanos up the stairs. He noticed with some amusement that the walls on the staircase were cluttered with stock photos of cats and dogs (and one squirrel).

It was fortunate that Layla knew the way, because all four doors in the upper part of the house looked identical.

As Layla reached for the doorknob, she looked Thanos in the eye. "You promise not to laugh?" Curious. Very curious.

"Of course. Have you ever known me to tease?" She opted not to answer. With an inhale, she turned the knob and practically barged in the room. Thanos walked in with more dignity.

Well. Layla had told him that her parents rarely ever changed anything in the house, so Thanos could only assume that Layla's room was the way it was because it hadn't changed since she was a young girl.

The room was pink. The entire room. Certainly, the walls were painted pink, but even beyond that, the curtains, the bed-sheet, the pillows, the carpet, and even the various stuffed animals lying around were the same horrid color.

"...It was a phase?" Layla offered. There were plenty of things that Thanos wanted to say, none of them nice.

"I thought you mentioned your multiple visits to your parents house. You never once changed the room?" He didn't mean to sound so accusatory, but it was hard to imagine living in such a room and not getting a headache.

Layla got defensive. "It was nostalgic. I have a lot of good memories associated with this room, you know. Besides, I'm sure your childhood room was silly, too."

"It wasn't." That's as far as he was willing to discuss the matter, so with a defeated sigh, he collapsed on the bed…which it turned out were two beds pushed together.

"I guess mom and dad had the same idea we did," Layla said, reaching the same conclusion he had.

They just lay there for a few minutes in comfortable silence, drinking in the events of the day and trying to ignore the stifling atmosphere of the room. Or perhaps that was just him.

"Your mother has quite a few good ideas, actually," Thanos whispered as he edged closer to Layla and put an arm around her. She gave him a puzzled look.

"What do you -" her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, no way. Mom was just…she was probably just joking, and…" She bit her bottom lip when Thanos briefly slid his arm down her leg.

"This is a big house. They'll never know. In fact, even if they did, it doesn't sound to me like Joan would have any objection…" He leaned over to kiss her neck, one of her weaknesses. Any resistance she had was gone at that point as she began trying to lift his shirt over his head.

"Am I really going to have sex in the same house as my parents?" Layla murmured. "I must be going crazy."

"You can blame me for corrupting you, if you must." He joked, but Thanos was of the opinion that Layla had loosened up after meeting him. In some ways, it was her purety that had attracted him in the first place, but he would never complain about a less reserved Layla either.

And while he wouldn't dare mention it, if Randall just so happened to hear their activities…well. Picturing the old man seething was something that Thanos could easily deal with.

Once all their clothes were off, Layla gave Thanos one final request. "Just, please, not too loud. No need to be obnoxious about it." Thanos smirked before leaning in to kiss her.

"You have no need to worry about me. You should probably save some concern for yourself," was his cocky reply as the two joined together.


"There's no way I can face them."

Layla considered herself a morning person, but she refused to get out of bed. Thanos was watching her, not even bothering to hide a grin. Well, goodie for him. At least someone is having fun this morning!

"Layla, I assure you, your parents didn't hear a thing." Pause. "And even if they did, I'm sure they won't bring it up over breakfast."

"Wow," Layla drawled. "You're such a source of comfort." Then she pulled the blankets over her face, which worked to block out the sunlight, but failed to block out Thanos' voice - or the tantalizing smell of her mom's cooking.

"I won't force you, of course. I suppose it means more food for me." His voice got softer as his footsteps walked further away. "But perhaps, if there is any left, I'll bring you some scraps."

Ugh. With a groan, she yanked the covers off herself and dashed to the bathroom to quickly wash her face and brush her hair. "Just save some for me, OK?" she called out as she heard Thanos exit the room.

She was done in just a few short minutes. She dashed down the stairs in time to see her mother laughing at something Thanos had just finished saying. Her dad was stony-faced.

"Oh, honey, glad you could join us," her mother said. "Thane was just telling us some of the amusing things that have happened to you." Layla knew that Thanos wanted a rise out of her, but she wouldn't play his game. She daintily sat down at the table, where her mother had already taken the initiative and placed three blueberry pancakes and two sausage links on a yellow plate.

"Oh, I'm sure he has. But has he mentioned the time he first tried to drive a motorcycle?" She briefly heard Thanos cough on his orange juice and allowed herself a small smile. Even her dad seemed interested, all of a sudden.


As breakfast neared it's conclusion, Thanos let his mind wander. He hadn't brought it up, but Thanos had briefly wondered what exactly Layla's parents did for their own amusement if they didn't believe in television. Did they read all day? It sounded to Thanos like a tedious lifestyle,but he was proven wrong by Joan.

"So, how about we break out the board games?" Layla and Randall both perked up, enlarging his curiosity, though his pride wouldn't let him ask what they were referring to. As Joan and Randall left to secure the board games, Layla pulled Thanos aside.

"Guess I should have mentioned, my parents are nutty about board games. They must own close to a hundred now. I grew up playing these, and I don't think I've even played all of them." She pulled Thanos to the large closet her parents were rummaging around in, and she wasn't kidding. The closet was filled to the brim with board games the same way most closets were packed with clothing.

Joan turned to him with a smile. "You're our guest, Thane, so I think it's only fair that you choose which game to play!" Thanos gave a few of the boxes a critical look, but frankly, many of the names were downright childish ("Candy Land?"), and didn't even indicate the nature of the game.

"...I'm afraid many of these are unfamiliar to me. Perhaps you should choose." Thanos only realized his error seconds later when Randall got a glint in his eye.

"Works for me. I have just the game…"


"I guess you're not in the mood tonight, huh?" Layla teased that night as they lay in bed together, his back facing her. Thanos growled in reply, his mood matching the color of the night sky.

"Hey, is losing at a board game that bad?" Layla snickered. "Or are you just a sore loser?"

"Don't belittle me," Thanos ground out. "You know very well I didn't care about the game. The fact that I lost to your father, however, is something else entirely."

"Does it really matter?" was the exasperated reply. "Parcheesi is pretty much a luck-based game anyway. Everyone has an equal chance at winning. It could have just as easily been mom."

"In which case I wouldn't be aggravated." He sighed. Tomorrow was their last day in the house, and then he could finally be free of having to act in front Layla's parents.

"You do still intend to tell your parents tomorrow, correct? This charade has lasted long enough, and I grow weary of it." Layla was quiet for a few moments. Thanos considered counting the seconds, but thought better of it.

Finally, he felt her move closer to him as she admitted, "I'm still scared. But yeah, I will. Dragging it out won't make it any easier in the long run." Satisfied with her answer, he turned around to embrace her. They eventually fell asleep in the same position.

The next morning played out in similar fashion to the one before. Thanos welcomed a hearty breakfast, but he had to question the sanity of anyone who drowned their pancake in that sugary slime Layla called syrup.

Things deviated when, instead of anyone suggesting a round or two of a board game, Randall of all people walked up to Thanos and initiated a conversation. He looked very uncomfortable when doing so.

"Look, Joan has been pushing me to do this. I really want to make that clear right off the bat." He jammed his hands in his pants pockets, truly looking like he wished he could be anywhere but his present location. "My wife really wants me to talk to you. Frankly…I don't really want to. I'm also pretty sure you don't want to either."

As he was speaking, Joan motioned for Layla to follow her. The two women left the room; Thanos didn't miss the "Don't mess this up!" look Layla shot him.

"Let's just go through the motions. Hopefully, that will satisfy Joan. Deal?" Knowing that Layla would be upset if he were to refuse, Thanos reluctantly nodded.

"Agreed. We'll call this a truce, then." As if they had done this for years as old pals, they walked out to the back yard, where a (poorly lit) porch was. Joan had the foresight to have already stationed three large chairs, so Thanos took his pick. It groaned when he sat on it. Randall chose the flimsy rocking chair.

Randall seemed less than eager to start, so Thanos decided to supply him with a topic. "Your farm is well kept." It was only a step away from something as banal as the weather, but Thanos figured it would suit his purpose.

Randall, it seemed, wasn't one to be diverted easily. "Enough with the BS." He leaned his chair forward as far as it would go. "My daughter seemed very happy, and I can appreciate that. I'd like to think I can read her emotions pretty well, and I don't see any signs of her being dissatisfied with you."

He looked Thanos dead in the eye. "But I don't know you from Adam. Obviously, Layla is an adult who can make her own decisions. But to me, she'll always be my baby girl. And so, I need to know if you can provide for her. Can you, on a teacher's salary?"

Thanos hated being judged. But, seeing as how this man was only looking out for the well being of his daughter, Thanos figured he could overlook it this once. "We are financially stable. So much so that we have recently purchased a new house."

"Impressive, but Layla hasn't mentioned this to us."

"Ah, it was meant to be a surprise for later." Not a total lie. "I would appreciate if you didn't mention this to her."

Randall still didn't seem convinced, but Thanos could tell the man was loosening up. "Then I have one last question, at least for now." He stood up, looking out at the sunny sky, which lacked the pollution the skies in the city had. It was a pure blue.

"Can you protect her? I want my daughter marrying someone who can keep her safe, not someone who will get knocked around by just anybody."

Thanos could understand the man's concern. When he created his "image", he had chosen a generic looking human, someone who wouldn't stand out in a crowd. He had decided against choosing a large, muscular body for that reason, but he knew that he didn't look like an impressive specimen.

"Mr. Dunham. If nothing else, I do promise this: No harm will befall Layla. I would protect her with my life. Nothing less than that is acceptable to me. I know you don't think highly of me, and I don't much care. I'm not going to create a false pretense that we are anything but acquaintances. I'm also not trying to win your approval. However, when it comes to Layla's safety, I believe we are in agreement."

He wouldn't get any more heartfelt, not with this man, so if those words weren't enough for Randall, well, Layla couldn't say he didn't try. Still, perhaps this would make his reveal go down a little easier.

"I'm a pretty good judge of character," Randall stated. After scrutinizing Thanos for a few more moments, he seemingly came to a decision. "I really don't think you're lying. I suppose that alone makes you slightly more worthy of my girl then most of the guys around here…"

As if Thanos would get the wrong message, Randall quickly added, "But don't think this means I've accepted you, either. Just because you don't seem as sleazy as some of my daughter's classmates doesn't mean much."

"Hmph, that's fine with me."Thanos was actually relieved. He had no intention of becoming friendly with this man, no matter what Layla said.

"I have to admit, I was worried that things wouldn't go this smoothly." Thanos and Randall whirled around as Joan waltzed out to the porch, holding two large glasses. Practically forcing one on Thanos and Randall, she cheerfully explained, "The way Layla was wringing her hands, I assumed you two would be at each other's throats."

Thanos took a sip of his drink, which it turned out was lemonade. Mercifully, it wasn't overly sweet, but it was very refreshing.

"We've reached an…agreement," Thanos summarized. Layla, who had followed her mother, beamed at him. He nodded at her. It there was ever a time to go through with it, now was the time.

Layla got the message. Quickly draining her drink, Layla set her glass down on a window sill, loud enough to get her parents attention.

"Mom, dad, there's actually one more thing I need to say before we leave tonight. It's…really important." Joan gasped, eagerly grabbing both of Layla's hands.

"I knew it! You're pregnant! Oh Layla, I'm so happy." Thanos mentally winced, hoping this wouldn't make things harder for Layla. He also noticed Randall physically recoil. But Layla wasn't deterred as she gently removed Joan's hands.

"No, mom. This might be even bigger than that. Oh boy, this isn't easy, but, the truth is -"

She was cut off when a blinding light burst from the sky. Layla and her two parents covered their eyes as Thanos stood up, noticing that whatever the descending object was, it was moving towards them at an alarming rate. Before he even had time to warn them to get in the house, the object crashed into the backyard, throwing random debris and plants all around.

"Joan! Layla! Are you all right?" Randall shouted hoarsely as he struggled back to his feet after getting knocked down by the force of the crash. Layla and Joan shakily replied that they were only mildly scratched.

Thanos didn't reply, his attention already taken by what he was seeing. The object, which he had assumed to be a meteor or spacecraft, emerged from the flaming wreckage. It was a large, metallic being with a dark violet color. A few glowing, emerald-colored orbs were embedded in it's body.

"Thanos, I demand an audience."


Author's Notes:

This is one of the longest chapters yet. Whoo!

Sorry for the cliffhanger, but it was too good not to do, heh! As for who this new character is...you'll just have to wait and see!

I'm going to try to release one more chapter before Infinity War comes out. My anticipation rises and rises for that film!

Once again, my thanks to everyone reading and leaving reviews.