Deleted Scenes
Greetings! (Haha you thought this story was finished, didn't you? :P) So, here's how this is gonna work. All these scenes were 'deleted' for some reason, whether we thought of them after the chapters, decided they wouldn't fit or work in the chapters, or just wanted to have some fun after writing the more depressing bits of the story. We're putting little notes in front of each of them and telling y'all more about the individual scenes. Enjoy!
Warning: These scenes mostly consist of
A) pure fluff
B) pure comedy
C) pure ridiculousness
You have been warned :P
-DeadMan'sHand702 & J3ntheninja
Deleted Scene #1: Bedtime Stories
A/N: We thought of this scene in the middle of the book, but we were already done with kid-Loki so we had to lump it in here. Prepare to sniffle a bit :)
"What do you mean he's never had a bedtime story read to him?" Jane hisses at me one night after we had put Loki to bed. She had asked him if he wanted a bedtime story, and he had looked up at her with those adorably confused green peepers. I could practically see her heart melting. She had sniffed once, and then gathered herself and tucked him in. But the very next morning she had caught me after breakfast and now I am the object of her furious questioning.
"I don't know!" I manage. "I guess on Asgard they're above that form of mortal entertainment or something!"
She sighs and rakes her hand through her hair. "Well, that is one thing that's in my power to fix." She walks to the car with a purpose, and I watch her leave. I had completely underestimated how protective she would become of Loki and his childhood innocence. She comes back soon, in time for supper, and later on after Loki was in bed she pulls up a stool beside him and draws out a book.
"Loki, this is something we do around here called a bedtime story. I have a feeling you're going to like this..." He turns his head towards her, his interest piqued. She opens the book and begins to read.
"The Runaway Bunny."
The story is a simple one, of a small rabbit who wants to run away from his mother. But every attempt he makes, she is there to get him back because she loves him so much. It's really sweet, and I don't mind admitting that I teared up a little as the mother finally convinces her son to come home to their burrow.
"'Have a carrot,' said the mother bunny."
The story ends and Jane silently shuts the book. She looks down at Loki's sleeping form, smoothes his hair, and steps out quietly. She doesn't even question why I stayed in the doorway to listen. I love her a little more for that.
Over the next few weeks, Loki gets a different story every night. We laugh our way through Dr. Seuss's jumping poetry, sit in awe as we go on adventures with King Arthur and the Knights Of The Round Table (in abridged version, thank you very much), cheer with the spectators as Ferdinand the bull stays true to himself and smells the flowers, say Goodnight Moon, and smile as The Little Engine That Could proves all the big trains wrong and carries her load of toys over the hill for the good little boys and girls on the other side.
During the first few days, I make up some excuse for standing in the hallway as she reads, whether it's folding clothes or fiddling with the A/C controls. But when she gives me a knowing smile after the Grinch's heart grows three sizes, I give it up as a lost cause and shamelessly sit in the room as she reads to both of us little kids.
And I'll never tell the guy, but I see when Thor begins sitting outside the door where he thinks we can't see him. I guess even Norse gods need a childhood.
Deleted Scene #2: Action Figures
A/N: We thought of this one early, too, and this is definitely one of the ridiculous/comedic ones ;)
"Sir, a package for you," the mechanical British voice rings out over the breakfast table. We all look up at Tony. He grins and scoots out of his chair faster than I've seen him move in a long time. That never means good news. Shortly later he comes out of the elevator holding a medium-sized UPS box under one arm. He strolls off to his room, whistling in that oh-so-conspicuous way of his. Back at the table, the team glances warily at each other. Tony Stark, the genius billionaire, has just gotten a UPS package. Why does that seem so...scary?
Contrary to our expectations, nothing blows up, melts down, or is generally destroyed by the time lunch rolls around. The tuna sandwiches do, however, turn to dust in our mouths when the owner of Stark Tower comes down for lunch merrily, hands shoved deep in his pockets. Thor speaks up and breaks the awkward silence.
"Stark, what are you doing?"
Tony jumps back and adopts a karate stance, waving his hand crazily in something that looks more like signaling a taxi than a vicious karate chop.
"Stay back, Big Guy! Don't make me mad! I have unlimited power now and woe to those who try and stop me from doing whatever I please!"
Thor raises an eyebrow. "Man of Iron, are you certain you are not ill?"
Tony frowns and pulls out a small figure. I nearly choke on my sandwich as I realize it's a
Thor action figure. Across the table, Bruce spews his drink and tries not to laugh.
"Beware of my power!" Tony nearly screams at Thor. Thor laughs and mutters something about petty mortals under his breath. Tony holds the toy up and ceremoniously drops it in Thor's drink.
"Hey! Come now, Man of Iron! What is the meaning of this?"
"Ha! You're drowning!"
Thor looks confused and turns to Bruce for an explanation. I've honestly never seen anyone work harder to hold in laughter than when the Incredible Hulk had to explain the concept of voodoo to the Norse god of thunder.
Deleted Scene #3: Another!
A/N: This deleted scene goes out to all of y'all who ever wondered if Ace could beat Thor at drinking.
It's Ace's 18th birthday a few months after the Avengers won the battle against Thanos. She has a quiet birthday at home, with a cake that Loki and Alex tried to bake themselves and just barely finished without burning down the kitchen of Stark Tower. Luckily, Pepper catches them in time to explain that no, preheat is not the right setting to bake the cake on and the dessert is saved.
"It looks like a brick with icing!" Ace crows as she takes a huge bite. Then, turning to Thor, she takes a giant handful of the icing.
"This icing! I like it! ANOTHER!" With this proclamation, she hurls it straight into the god of thunder's face. He licks it from his beard.
"I concur!" he roars, stealing a heap of icing from the top of the cake.
Later that night Thor, Tony, Loki, and Alex all sit around the coffee table with the birthday girl, watching her open the presents they got her. She opens Alex's gift first. It's a simple black compact filled with five different eye shadows, two blushes, three lip glosses, a bronzer, and eye liner. Ace's face falls as she sees it. She looks over at Alex, who is just smiling.
"I taught you how to use this, so I expect to see you girl it up a bit. I mean, we need to find you a man," she smiles. Ace just mock-glares at her.
"Thanks," she replies sarcastically, but you can see she's glad Alex remembered her. She opens Alex's dad's gift next, and squeals in delight as a set of ten brightly polished arrows appear under the packaging. Tony smiles.
"I designed these myself," he says. "They're carbon fiber shafts and there's five new disks of arrowheads. Flash-bang, smokescreen, IED, shrapnel, and tracker heads." Ace's eyes light up like a child at Christmas.
"Thank you so much, Uncle Tony!"
"You're welcome, Ace."
She opens Loki's present next. The shiny bow sits squarely in her hands. She lifts the lid revealing a slim silver charm bracelet with all things archery related. She smiles at her brother.
"I love it."
"Thought so," he grins. Alex mouths told you so to him when Ace isn't looking.
Then it's time for Thor's gift. It's a small box wrapped in gold paper. She tears it open, eager to find out what she could have gotten from the Norse god of thunder. When the box is open, a pure gold shot glass lies there, gleaming in the light.
"Ohhhh thank you, Thor."
"You are welcome, Lady Ace. I was of the opinion that, since you so easily bested Loki twice, you and I would have a little contest to prove who is the better at holding their liquor. I doubt a mere mortal can outlast the god of thunder!" This last is said in a challenging manner, and Ace narrows her eyes.
"You're on, Mr. Hammer."
Thor grins.
"I'm in too! I want another chance at defending my honor!" Loki interjects.
"Hey hey hey now," Tony says. "If there's any drinking to be done, let the master show you how to do it. I'm coming too."
"Very well," Thor says. "This is going to be so very entertaining. I look forward to carrying you three out of the bar on my shoulders."
"Not a chance," Ace returns, brandishing her shot glass. "You'll regret the day you ever asked to have a drinking contest with Verusha Jekaterina Wynter Barton!"
The small table in the bar holds an odd assortment of people. An extremely famous genius billionaire, a six-foot-eight Norse god of thunder, a lean ex-supercriminal who had just helped save the world, and a small five-foot-two Russian girl wrapped in a black jacket. Four shot glasses, three glass and one gold, are slammed down on the table.
"Alright, gents, here are the rules," Ace says. "It's my birthday so I get to decide the drink. We do alternate shots of tequila and vodka. No half-finished shots, no liquor held in your mouth, it all goes straight down the hatch. Last one standing carries all three losers home and gets pretty large bragging rights. We start with tequila. Ready?"
The three men nod, and Thor pours the first round of shots. They all tip their heads back, downing the liquor. Tony clears his throat, Loki looks like he's just swallowed toilet water, and Ace and Thor glare at each other over the table. Ace pours out the next round of shots from a bottle of 80 proof vodka. These, too, are drunk quickly. Tony hiccups.
Six shots later, they're all pretty mellow with the exception of the genius billionaire. He slams his glass down, sways in his chair, and promptly falls to the floor, stone drunk.
"Master of drinking?" Thor roars. The remaining three roar with laughter.
"One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor!" Ace howls. She turns to Loki.
"One down," she says.
"Two to go," he responds. Thor looks indignant.
"Another!" he yells, slamming his shot glass down so hard it shakes the table. Ace obliges, pouring the next round of vodka.
Shot Fourteen. Loki barely tops his last record, finishing the fifteenth shot (tequila, thank you very much) before he tips forward, halfway sprawled on the table and almost spilling the bottle of vodka. Thor catches it with a hand that's just starting to shake.
"Glad you caught that," Ace grins. "Waste of good vodka." Thor grins, pouring the next two shots.
Somewhere between the sixteenth and seventeenth shot an argument breaks out between the two remaining contestants. They stand up from the table, swaying, and prepare to defend their honor. Thor's first punch falls short and Ace rushes in to take advantage of the opening, but trips and falls on the floor instead. By now, the bartender has come running over, calming the angry Norse god down and coolly suggesting that he take himself and his friends home. He picks a very drunk Ace up from the floor and she staggers over to Thor appreciatively.
"I still don' know if you're really the god of thunder..." she slurs. "But you sure drink like him!"
Thor roars with laughter. "And thou art a lass who can hold her drink remarkably well!" They lean against each other, howling and shaking in their merriment. The Norse god leans down, picking up the snoring genius billionaire and putting him on his right shoulder while he throws his brother over his left. This leaves Ace, who gleefully climbs up onto the bar and settles herself on top of Thor's shoulders. Thus burdened, our Asgardian hero staggers out of the bar, glad that Loki taught his small companion a proper Asgardian drinking song. They take alternate lines, yelling the words at the top of their lungs as they move down the street.
Halfway through its second repetition, Ace throws up her arms in an exaggerated gesture of joy and flops down over Thor's head, snoring gently. Thor crows out a laugh and staggers on homeward, still roaring the lines of the drinking song in the true Asgardian fashion.
Deleted Scene #4: The Perfect Date
A/N: Remember these lines?
"You owe me big-time."
"One perfect date. That's what I owe you, and I never let a debt go."
Answer: Alex and Loki, chapter 21. So here's how he repaid her ;) This scene is best read with Brian McKnight's 'Back At One' playing (for even perfect-er timing, push play right as Alex and Loki enter the restaurant ^.^)
Valentines Day. The perfect day to enact the plan I've been saving for a while. I'd been scheming for this ever since I had started owing Alex 'the perfect date.' And now it is time to finally put it all into action. First, I need to see if she'll actually go out tonight. I try not to raise suspicion as I casually stroll into her room. Women, however, are not easy to fool. As soon as I walk in she raises her head from the magazine she's reading and asks what I'm up to.
"What? Me? Nothing..." I say, trailing off in a very conspicuous way. "Just wanted to see if you were up for going out tonight."
She raises an eyebrow, but before she can respond an extremely hyper Ace bounces into the room.
"!" Alex nods slowly.
"What?" I ask, thoroughly confused by the flow of words strung together. Ace rolls her eyes at me.
"Y'know, for the god of silver tongues you really can't hear well." She lifts herself up on tiptoe and yells down my ear. "Thor showed me how he likes his coffee and it's really great and you should try some!"
"Augh! Don't- don't- don't make any more noises," I say, holding my head in my hands.
She ignores me, bouncing off out of the room with a gleeful shout of "Happy Valentines Day, you two!"
"Isn't it Singles' Awareness Day for you?" Alex screams after her. She pokes her head back in.
"Noooope. I finally found me a 'man.'"
Alex's face shows complete and utter disbelief. Ace holds up her quiver.
"Okay yeah, I didn't. You know I'm married to my work!" She skips off down the hall, singing something that sounds suspiciously like that drinking song that has become Thor and her favorite thing to sing. I turn back to Alex.
"So. You, me, tonight. We on?"
"Oh, I don't know..." she says with a smile. "I might have a previous engagement."
I grin at her. Two can play the game of being irritating. "I'll be waiting outside the Tower at six, then," I say, winking and walking out.
"You just assume I will drop everything for you?" she calls after me.
"Why not?" I call over my shoulder.
"You are a lot of work, Loki Matthew Keaton Odinson."
"But I'm sooo worth it!"
I smooth my short gold bubble dress for the millionth time, walking into the old cafe with my boyfriend. It's great- all vintage decorations and everything old style. There's even a jukebox playing the golden oldies in a corner. I gasp.
"It's perfect!"
Loki grins. "Knew you'd like it."
We go up to the counter and order one of those old school soda floats, sipping it through two straws like you see in all the vintage pictures. Once we're done we talk, the conversation flowing easily between us. At a break in the conversation, Loki reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little jewelry box.
"Oh, Loki! You didn't have to get me anything!"
He smiles. "It is Valentine's Day. Go on, open it!"
I do, and my face falls slightly as I see what's in it. An ancient quarter- slightly green on one edge, stares back at me. I lift it out.
"Okay..."
He takes the box, sliding it back into his pocket and standing up. He pulls me over to the jukebox.
"Choose a dance," he says. My heart swells. Do I not have the best boyfriend in the whole universe? I put the quarter in the jukebox and choose the song I want to dance to. Back At One by Brian McKnight. The gentle piano intro starts up, and Loki leads me out onto the dance floor. The dim lights are enough to see each other, and that's all we care about. We hold each other and sway on the floor, each enjoying the familiar feel of the other. For the next four minutes, I feel like I'm flying. It's a different sort of flying, not at all like the feel of my suit, and I love it.
The dance ends, and I'm still floating as he leads me out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk. The sidewalk hardly seems to be there and I barely notice as he pulls me through the same bushes I pulled him through so long ago when he turned into a frost giant for the first time. I only come back to earth when the smell of the pink tree greets my nose.
"I figured you'd like it," he says, hugging me tight. "After all, we do have quite a history with this place."
I hug him back, not wanting to ruin the moment with a reply. The moon lights the clearing softly, and we just stand there with each other.
Thud.
The sound makes my ears perk up, and I look up to see pink petals falling in a rain around us. One of Ace's arrows sits in the tree, having passed through the branches before coming to rest. A note is attached to it, written in her handwriting. It has the initials AS and LO inside a heart. We can hear the soft rustle of branches in the forest behind us as she makes her way back to the open, leaving us truly alone together. I look back at the note. It must be her little way of apologising for coming in on our moment earlier. Loki chuckles softly.
"There's my little sister," he says. "So?"
"So?" I ask.
"How did I do? Is this your perfect date?" he asks.
"Hmm... No, not quite." I smile.
His face falls a little. Oh, you perfectionist.
"Kiss me," I prompt. He grins and sweeps me low, planting a kiss on my lips. I kiss back happily. He pulls away moments later. "Perfect." I say.
Deleted Scene #5: Christmas Shopping
A/N: The idea for this deleted scene came up after both of us had finished consuming copious amounts of sugar...so...be warned :P
Christmas. The magical season of giving. Of course, that's after you know what to give. And for the motley team of superheroes living in Stark Tower, that is anything but easy.
"Honey, I need to do some holiday shopping," Pepper says to Tony one morning over breakfast. Jane, Alex, and Natasha light up like the Christmas tree the team had put up earlier. (Speaking of which...Who knew the Hulk could be set off by being wrapped in layers of light strings...?)
"Shopping?" They all ask at the same time. Tony puts his head in his hands. Thor puts a brotherly hand on his back.
"It is alright, Man of Iron. I am sure it will not be too painful."
"That's a great idea!" Jane gushes. "Why don't you come too?"
Tony glares at Thor. "Now you've done it, Big Guy."
"...do we all have to come?" Loki's voice comes from the couch he's settled on. Pepper turns to him.
"Oh, yes! That's brilliant!"
"YOU IDIOT!" Ace screams from behind the counter, and Loki is rewarded with a croissant to the face, hard.
Three hours later, we've all been dragged into the mall to do our 'holiday shopping.' We split up into teams of two or three- Ace and I, Uncle Steve, Thor, and Mr. Stark, Jane and Alex, Clint and Doctor Banner, and Pepper and Natasha. Ace is still glaring daggers at me as we walk off in the general direction of nowhere.
"APPLE STORE!" she screams. I look up, not interested. "Really expensive electronics that they set out and let us play on," she explains.
"Let's go!" I say, my curiosity piqued. She leads me off, stopping briefly to look at a mall map that reminds me a lot of the maps Alex put in our training scenarios...But anyway. We round a corner, and there it stands in all its white, glossy glory. My mouth drops open at the sheer amount of electronics everywhere. I walk under the doorway in a daze, eager to get my hands on the shiny gadgets. I try out iPads, iPhones, iPods, iMacs, iAnythings! I'm enraptured! Why don't we Asgardians have anything like this?
Everything is going perfectly, until Ace tugs on my sleeve. Of course, I should have told her that no, the secure network of the Apple Store is not for demonstrating one's hacking skills, but I'm too captured by the scrolling text as she furiously types commands into the iMac. She soon steps back, proudly clicking through the records of business transactions and employee salaries. I'm beginning to get a vague impression of wrongdoing, which is only confirmed as I feel a heavy hand close around my arm. I gulp and look up into the glare of a security guard. I give him a sheepish grin and offer a simple,
"We just wanted to see if we could do it..."
How do I ever get myself into these situations? Somehow, I get stuck with Steve and Thor. Was I asleep? Whatever. I need to remember to kill my family later.
Thor bumps my shoulder companionably, nearly sending me crashing into the fountain. He looks apologetic.
"I am sorry, Man of Iron. You...weigh a lot less without your suit." I roll my eyes. Really?
"Whatever. Okay, so we're headed somewhere I know you'll like," I say, rubbing my hands together. Just because I'm stuck with them doesn't mean I can't have a little fun.
"Uh, Tony? Are you okay? You look like an evil mastermind..." Steve says.
"Ever hear of Aeropostale?" I call over my shoulder, walking off.
"Uh...no?" Steve says, catching up. I grin.
"You'll love it, Capsicle. It's so you."
We walk along in silence until we reach the store. As usual, there is the shirtless model in front making women swoon. I throw him a clicking wink as I walk past, and he mock-salutes me.
"Mr. Stark."
We pass him and enter the store. Thor wrinkles his nose.
"This establishment reeks!"
"I like it. Very manly. You should buy some, Thor. It would make Jane swoon and fall head over heels for you. She'll be unable to resist the new you. You, my friend, will have an amazing holiday," I wink. Thor looks happy, and leaves to look over the cologne. One down, one to go. I walk over to Steve and find him looking in horror at the women's section.
"Since when did dames get this bold?" he asks. I roll my eyes, dragging him to the front of the store.
"You think that's bold? Look across the way there." I point out the store across the way, which just so happens to be a Victoria's Secret. He looks away quickly.
"Really, Stark?"
"What? It's true. I mean I know of at least three women who wear that," I say.
"Oh, really? Who?"
"Jane, Pepper, and Alex."
Judging by the look he gives me, I'm pretty sure I've scarred him for life. Congrats Tony!
At first I was a little skeptical of being with Jane, but after a few, I love it! She's just an older version of me! It's great! We both decided to go to our favorite store in the whole mall, Victoria's Secret. This is going to be epic!
We walk and talk, and I feel like I have gotten to know the woman more in the past five minutes than I ever got to back at the Tower. The stores seem to pass without us noticing, but then...
"Hel-LO," I smile. Across the way, in front of Aeropostale, is the shirtless model guy. I motion for Jane to look and she does.
"What is it, Ale- whoa!" I take her arm and walk us over to him.
"Hi," I say flipping my hair. He smiles.
"Hello, Iron Ma'am."
"Oh, so you've heard of me?" I ask with a large smirk.
"Yeah, just a little. Is it true that you always carry your suit around in your purse?"
I place my finger to his lips. "I'll never tell," I wink. He grins under my finger. I motion Jane forward. She does, and in the process, she booty bumps me out of the way.
"I'm Jane," she says. Her smile is so cheesy, but it's adorable. The flirting between the two is actually sickening. I wonder if this is how Ace feels when Loki and I flirt? I don't think I'll ever begrudge her another fake vomit. Jane's actually getting on pretty well, but then...
"IS THIS A CHALLENGE, INSOLENT MIDGARDIAN?"
The combination of Jane's suddenly-scared face and the sight of an angry demigod storming out of Aeropastle with a bag slung on each arm is enough to make Mr. Perfect Body take a step or two or three back. Thor goes up to him, leaving only a few inches between him and Mr. Perfect Body, Thor easily towering over the slight model.
"I SAID, IS THIS A CHALLENGE? DO YOU DARE FIGHT ME FOR THE HAND OF THE MAIDEN?"
"Dude, no. It was nothing, just a little flirting. She's all yours, dude," the model says holding his hands up in defence.
Before things can escalate further, Jane rolls her eyes before grabbing my arm and pulling me towards our final destination. The store is full of color and lace, perfect for a couple of girls like us. A lady in all black who definitely works here comes up to us.
"Do you need any help? A fitting maybe?" she asks.
Jane looks at me and shrugs.
"Why not?" Jane responds.
The lady takes the tape measure from around her neck and measures Jane's bust.
"You should be looking for a 32C. Would you like a push-up?" she asks.
"Sure! Do her fitting first," Jane says pointing to me. This should be good. I already know that I'm a C, so why do we need to measure?
"Sure thing, honey," the southern woman says. She takes the tape and measures me.
"Oh, no. This can't be right," she says. She looks at the tape again. "Sweetie, you are a 34 triple D."
"What?" I ask. Jane looks at me with a new respect.
"Loki has good taste," she says, nodding her head.
"Do you want a push-up?"
"Sure!"
Jane and I spend the next few hours trying different styles, colors, and fabrics on. We end up spending a few hundred each on only four bras and a couple pairs of... well, I guess we could leave that up to your imaginations.
After the little incident at Aeropostale, I take Thor and Steve over to the first store I see to calm down. It so happens to be Ace Hardware. Thor shakes his head in wonderment as we enter.
"Lady Ace owns a whole store?"
"Umm... Sure! Let's go with that," I respond. "Let's take you to see the...hammers..."
His face lights up. "Hammers?"
"Yep, Big Guy. Hammers."
I lead him over to the many trays of hammers. His face falls.
"What are these? Useless shards of metal! They cannot compare to Mjolnir's power!"
"They are used to hammer in nails, not as weapons for defending the earth. This is what we call hammers down here."
"You little Midgardians are so petty and boring."
I roll my eyes. No, really. Kill me.
I stop before going into the large sports store with our resident archer. It's got everything a guy like him could ever want- from MMA hand wraps to elaborately strung compound bows. Unfortunately, I am not a guy like him. Give me test tubes and computers any day. But I'd already dragged him through the many halls of Fry's Electronics (we'd had to skip the Apple Store because of the security guards ringed around the place- I don't even want to know...) so I figure I owe the guy one. He was remarkably patient (in uninterested) through the whole store, only pausing to mention something to the effect of the PC guts reminding him of a bomb he'd had to defuse once. He is a sniper, though, I remind myself. Of course he's patient. So now, I trail behind him as he makes a beeline for the archery department. I sigh. I should have known. I prepare myself for a very long while of staring at bows. If he could wait through my computer geekery I can wait through his archery obsession.
I walk with a world-class assassin through the floors at Macy's. Believe it or not, this is not the weirdest thing I've ever done. Note to self: I should write a memoir of my life as Tony Stark's PA-turned-wife. It'd be interesting reading. I briefly consider asking Natasha if she'd ever write a memoir but then I remember that her file is probably 99.99999% redacted even from the government, so I decide against it. By now, we're at the shoes and I go to the high-end expensive brand name section while she heads off to the clearance. I roll my eyes. Eventually, though, my curiosity gets the best of me and I go over to where she's standing.
"Hey, Natasha, we don't have to shop over here, you know." I pull out Tony's credit card (Yes, I pinched it again. Don't judge.) and wave it in front of her face. She just grins and holds up a pair of drop-dead gorgeous black stilettos. They're so her. My jaw drops as she smiles.
"Not all the good shoes are over there, Pepper. And I'll bet these are about .0001% the price of those," she says, pointing at the Christian Louboutin heels I've got under my arm. I laugh ruefully.
"Of course they are. Go ahead, try those on," I urge her. "They look good." She complies, and they look even better when she's wearing them. I raise my eyebrows meaningfully. "I bet Clint would love you forever if you bought those." She chuckles and takes one off, holding it up to inspect the underside. She frowns a moment later.
"Nope, not for me." With that observation she pulls off the other one and puts them carefully away. I catch her hand as she's about to slide the box back onto the shelf.
"Whoa whoa whoa there. Those shoes are perfect for you! And they're only-" I check the price tag. My mouth drops. "-ten dollars." She still shakes her head, though. I roll my eyes. "Why not?"
"There is no way in heck that I'm going to be able to fit a boot knife into the bottom of that." I smack my head against the wall. She walks off, her resolve set. I snag the box back off the shelf. She's bound to notice- after all, she is trained to notice details- but leaving these shoes behind would be a crime. And hey, maybe I could get Tony to figure out some sort of knife hookup for them. Just a perk of living with a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist. I catch up with her, hiding the orange box under all the other bags I have.
"So, where next?" I keep my tone light. She looks over at me and I'm pretty sure she sees the box but she doesn't say a word.
"Perfume, I think," she says, pointing in the general direction. I nod. Let it never be said that Pepper Stark does not look after her friends.
Quite a few hours later we are all sitting around a blazing fire, gentle Christmas music coming from Jarvis's speakers, drinking mugs of hot cocoa. We'd managed to get out of the mall (mostly) unscathed, excluding the snowball fight on the way home. Then came the hour of hermitage where we all scrambled to wrap our surprises for tomorrow's unwrapping extravaganza. Then we'd all met up out here for snacks after a successful day. The teens are sleeping on the couch, all draped over each other in a snoring heap. Thor and Jane snuggle in a blanket, the Asgardian acting as a portable heater. Clint and Natasha sit back-to-back in front of the presents, bantering back and forth about what's probably inside them. Bruce and Steve stare into the fire, each lost in their own train of holiday thoughts. And Tony and I recline in a Lazy Boy, stealing sips of cocoa from each other's cups. The newly put up Christmas tree glows brightly, and the stockings are all hung by the chimney. Jane and I are planning to fill them later on, and we both hope that some of the more daring Avengers don't set a trap for 'Santa' and end up capturing us instead. Really, I wouldn't put it past them. My eyes travel the assorted stockings, noting the differences in each and laughing quietly to myself at each one. Thor's is big and woolly, decorated with Nordic patterns and skiers. Jane's is the traditional red and white. Clint's is actually a spare quiver of his. Natasha's is a plain black and looks suspiciously like the air bladder of a speed bag. Bruce's is a knit green, and Steve's is embroidered with the Stars and Stripes. Ace's is a black-and-white checked stocking. Loki's is a gold trimmed green. And of course, Alex's is a hot pink trimmed with the traditional fur. Mine is purple and chocolate brown, courtesy of Tony. His is a traditional red and white, but, as a joke, he'd attached a ball of blue lights to the middle of it. I take in the whole scene again, enjoying the feeling of The Avengers' first Christmas. Sure, we are a motley team, but we are a family.
Deleted Scene #6: World War III
A/N: Judging from your reactions to Tony trying to break Alex and Loki apart, we figured y'all liked them together. This one goes out to all you Alex/Loki fans!
I walk into the meeting room and find Pepper, Mr. Stark, Doctor Banner, Jane, Thor, and Uncle Steve. Just who I wanted to speak to. They all look up as I enter. I take a seat on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table, facing them.
"I need to speak with you all," I say. I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks as I say the words. Get a hold of yourself. You need to do this.
"What is it, Loki?" Pepper asks.
"I-" I take a deep breath. "I would like to ask Alex to marry me," the words come out in a rush. I look up to them all looking back at me in disbelief.
"Ha haha hahaha. Nice one, Loki. You seriously had me going there for a minute," Mr. Stark says. I knew he wouldn't believe my words, so I pull out a velvet box from my pocket, flip open the top, and set it on the table in front of them. The ring stares up at them. The 3.5ct diamond shines happily in the silver placement with three smaller diamonds on either side, the trinity symbol engraved on the inside of the ring.
"It's beautiful!" Jane and Pepper gush. "Alex is going to love it!"
Thor places a hand on my shoulder. "I am proud of you, Loki. Alex will be happy to marry such a fine young man." I smile. Mr. Stark, Uncle Steve, and Doctor Banner say nothing. After a minute, they all have something to say.
"Well, I'm sorry you wasted your money on this nice ring, but you will not be asking my daughter to marry you," Mr. Stark says.
"Loki, you are too young to get married. It's way too soon," Uncle Steve comments.
"They're right," Doctor Banner adds. I look them all in the face.
"With all due respect, sirs, I was asking for your blessing," I say. "I was not asking for your permission." They all look as if they are about to snap and kill me, but when Alex and Ace walk in, they stop. I put the ring back in my pocket just in time.
"Ummm... Loki, are you ready to go?" Alex asks.
"Yeah," I say standing.
"Loki, don't do anything. We'll talk later," Uncle Steve says. I nod before leaving with the girls.
We all stop at a park bench ice cream in hand. Ace is to my left and Alex on my right. We haven't said much to each other since leaving the Tower.
"Are you going to tell me?" Alex asks.
"Tell you what?" I respond.
"What just happened?" she replies.
"It was nothing," I say. I can't tell her, not now.
"That was not nothing. It was like World War Three in there. My dad was about to fly across the table and kill you. What happened?" I look over at Ace. She knows what I've been planning, and right now, I could use some help. She just shrugs.
"Alex," I say placing an arm around her shoulders. "Really it was nothing."
"I don't believe you," she says. I sigh.
"I can't tell you, not yet. It's a surprise," I whisper in her ear.
"Loki-"
"I just need you to trust me on this," I say. She nods finally. A quick kiss ends the conversation, Ace making gagging noises behind me.
"Loki, really? You haven't been together that long," Uncle Steve says.
"It's been two years, Uncle Steve."
"That's not that long," Mr. Stark remarks.
"I really want to do this. Why can't you just be on my side?" I ask. Uncle Steve sighs.
"She's my little girl, I don't have to be on your side on anything," Mr. Stark says.
"You want her to be happy, don't you?" I ask. He opens his mouth to say something, but quickly closes it.
"Yes," he finally says.
"She's happy with him, honey. Just give the boy your blessing," Pepper says. It's nice to have her on my side.
"But-"
"No! Would you risk your daughter hating you for not giving the man she loves your blessing to marry her?" she ask. Go Pepper.
"Fine..." he says. "But I won't like it..."
"Just don't tell her that. You know how she feels about pleasing you." He nods. Two down. Doctor Banner previously agreed to let me ask Alex, only because he wanted what was best for her. I turn to Uncle Steve.
"Is this really what you want?" he asks.
"It is," I say.
"Then..." he begins slowly. "You have my blessing." I smile.
I lean back a little as Loki pulls me along, his long fingers wrapped around my wrist. I recognise the route he's taking us, but he's never been this excited to get there before.
"Loki, what's going on? What has gotten into you?" I ask. He doesn't answer. We finally break through the trees to our spot. He takes me in his arms, like always, and holds me there.
"I love you, babe," he whispers against my hair.
"I love you too, Loki," I respond.
"Promise me, you'll always be happy by my side."
"Loki-"
"Promise me, Alex," he says, pulling away to look into my eyes. His emerald eyes are sort of wild, but with what emotion I can't tell.
"I promise," I smile.
He steps away from at that moment. I stare back at him in confusion. His hand slips into his pocket, pulling out a small box. It reminds me of the one that held the coin on our perfect date. I smile. He takes a deep breath before going down on one knee. My breath catches in my throat. The box lid flips open. A 3.5ct diamond shining happily in the silver placement with three smaller diamonds on either side smiles back at me.
"Alexandra Megan Hope Stark, will you marry me?" he asks. I can't speak, so I just nod, tears in my eyes. He stands up, that Loki smirk on his face. Ever so gently he slips the ring onto my finger. My tears fall from my eyes as Loki holds me close.
"I thought you would never ask," I say, looking at my ring. It was perfect. He was perfect. Everything was perfect.
Authors' Note: End of Deleted Scenes. Yes, we said end. *tear* However, we heard that y'all want more one-shots, so we're opening the suggestion board! If there's anything you'd like to see this set of characters do, look down to #4 on Also Coming for details. So now this story will be wrapped up for good. But... (as they say in those annoying ads) Hang on! There's more!
Also coming to you from this same writing team:
1. More superhero goodness! Our take on Thor. Featuring Loki, Thor, Odin, Lady Sif, The Warriors Three, and two original characters who are just as fiery and headstrong as Ace and Alex. So far untitled and unknown when to be released, just know we are indeed working on it.
2. Taking a break from Marvel... DC's The Dark Knight Rises was absolutely amazing. So amazing, in fact, that we decided to write a fanfiction to it. Featuring Batman, Bane, Alfred, Catwoman, Robin, Robin's nephew (an OC), and (again) two strong female OC's. (If you haven't already gotten the picture...well...let's just say pretty much every story we dish out will have two new girls :P) Another untitled manuscript, although it'll probably be out before our Thor fic.
3. Well, J3ntheninja didn't want to say goodbye to The Avengers just yet. Head on over to her profile in a few weeks to catch 'Fourteen Days,' the (unabridged) story of everything that went on in the two weeks Loki and Ace were in Stark's virtual reality program. Featuring two of your favorite Avengers, a digitised female computer voice, adrenaline shots, many bullets, and lots of pink targets. She'll be mainly writing it but DeadMan'sHand702 is going to help so have no worries.
4. So, we heard that you guys wanted more one-shots. We'll give them to you! Simply go on over to J3ntheninja's profile, click on the 'Never Again One-Shots' story, read the prologue, and hit us up with a review! Updates will vary with requests and inspiration ;)
Quick shoutout: The talented CaptainAmericaGirl9431 is writing a spin-off of Never Again, featuring our lovely cast of characters. We're pumped to read it, and advise you all to go check it out!
Again, so very many thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/favorited/followed/loved/supported this story! WE LOVE Y'ALL. Cookies to each and every one of you. And we look forward to writing more for you guys.
As always,
-DeadMan'sHand702 & J3ntheninja
