37

That's Amore!

When the moon hits your eye like Thor knocked it from the sky—that's amore!-Loki

"It is heavy, My Prince." Rhiannon said and took out thirteen gold coins from it. She handed them to the children, hoping she was not overstepping boundaries.

"I can carry it." Loki assured her. He picked it up and put it on his shoulder.

"Awesome!" Vince said, Rhiannon handing him the coin.

"What do you say?" Loki prompted them.

"Thank you, Rhiannon." The children chorused. Rhiannon smiled back.

"It was alright that I gave them those?" Rhiannon asked.

"Yes, of course."

"Daddy, will you hold mine?" Max asked, holding up the coin

"Yes, Max," he said taking it.

"Hold mine too?" Aleta asked.

"Okay," Loki took hers and put it in the other pocket.

"Are we going to burn the house down?" Hunter asked, looking around.

"Was there anything in the house you wanted?" Loki asked Rhiannon.

"There is something hidden near the stove."

"The trunk we found, the saddle, and whatever is hidden near the stove," Loki listed the things they were keeping. "Plus this box and the location of this cave. All right. Let's see what's by the stove, then I'm going to torch the house and the barn."

They all walked back to the farm house and Loki followed Rhiannon into the shack to see where something was hidden by the stove.

She reached behind it, removing a portrait of a blonde-haired woman.

"Who is she?" Serena asked.

"Is that Larimar?" Loki guessed

"It is. This is my mother." She said, showing him the portrait. She looked very much like Rhiannon, and their smiles were almost the same.

"She was beautiful. You resemble her greatly." Loki remarked and gave her a smile. "Much as I do my birth mother Astra." He fished the little portrait Odin had given him of Astra out of his pocket to show Rhiannon.

"She was lovely, you do have her eyes and hair." Rhiannon noticed. "You share many features, actually." She smiled at the picture giving it back.

"Your Mommy was pretty, Daddy." Aleta said.

"Thanks, spark. I think so too." Loki put it in his pocket. "Okay, let's get the portrait out of here and then I want everyone to stay back by the horses."

"Yes, Father." Jorgy said, nodding at him.

"Why did she hide this picture?" Hunter said, taking it from his father. Fenris stared at a pile of old rags and blankets, frowning.

"Maybe so her father didn't sell it or destroy it?" Loki said.

"Oh. Come on, Fenris." Hunter said and he looked at his brother.

"She slept there." Fenris said, glaring at the pile.

Hunter nodded. "Some of us slept on stuff like that in the warehouse before we stole mattresses off a furniture truck. We gotta go."

"This is barbaric." Fenris growled, turning to leave.

Once he had made certain all the children and Rhiannon were safely away from the shack and the barn, Loki shifted into his green and gold dragon form.

He crouched and his neck bent into a sinuous shape as he drew in a lungful of air and then breathed in a long cone upon the dilapidated structures.

The dragonfire was so hot it turned electric blue and the shack and barn went up instantly, Loki let the fire burn for a few moments, then narrowed his eyes and willed it to stop. The fire winked out, leaving only a charred circle.

"That is the end of that." Jorgy said, clapping his hands.

"I'm glad it is gone, it improves the land for sale." Rhiannon said calmly, something in her pulling her to shift. She pushed it back down, not wanting to do it.

Loki's scales glittered like purest emeralds in the noonday sun, and glistened off his golden wings and horns.

"That is so cool!" Sam said and Vince ran toward him.

"He is huge!" Nate said.

"It is quite the sight." Rhiannon said admiringly.

Loki turned his massive head and his neck bent almost like a question mark.

"Hi, Daddy!" Max said, waving.

"Hi, Daddy!" Aleta said, waving and jumping up and down.

"Please be careful." Rhiannon said, standing very still. Despite the fact that he still kept his mind as a dragon, this was still a dangerous form for a shifter to take, even a master like Loki. No one knew that better than she did.

Loki gave them a draconic smile, and gently blew warm air on them. "It's okay."

Then he felt a tickle in his foot.

"Who is tickling my foot?"

"You can feel that?" Vince called.

"He is a dragon. Not paralyzed." Nate said.

Loki lifted one foot then the other, but couldn't see who was tickling him.

"Do stop, I don't think he likes that." Rhiannon said, still staring at Loki, worried that the dragon instinct would take over.

"No, I don't mind. I just don't want to accidentally step on someone," Loki said.

"Perhaps we should just stay back, before he crushes someone." Rhiannon said, still looking up in awe.

She felt so small, his snout coming around inches from her face. He took in a long breath of her perfume, smelling her.

She lifted a hand and stroked his nose, finding his scales soft yet harder than steel. "You are impressive and beautiful in this form."

He smiled at her, the way dragons do. Her hand caressed under his chin, soft fingers gliding along it to his throat. He looked back at a sudden weight, seeing Vince trying to climb up his leg.

"Vince, what are you doing?" Loki asked.

"Just seeing how hard it would be to climb up to your back." The boy responded fearlessly.

Loki rolled his eyes. "You can't ride me without a saddle. Even your Uncle Thor needed one when he rode me last time, when we were looking for Mjolnir."

"O.k. Dad, I was just curious." Vince groaned, getting down.

Loki felt a sudden itch by his right shoulder and used the pointed ridge on his tail tip to scratch it. Several scales came loose and drifted to the ground. A dragon's hide had several layers of scales and when new scales grew beneath the old ones, he shed.

"You can have those," Loki told them. "If you make them into pendants and wear them no type of fire, including magical fire, can harm you. It's also protection against magical attacks that try and control your mind."

The kids ran forward, picking them up and laughing. Rhiannon watched them in amusement, all of the children pocketing their treasures and giggling.

"Thanks Dad! These are so cool!" Sam said and looked at hers.

It was a glimmering emerald color, sleek and hard and was deep green at the tip and then shading to a lighter green. It was around one inch thick and about one inch in diameter.

"We need to make a hole near the top, and no one will ever believe us." Hunter said. "But this is super cool."

"I can do that," Loki said, and held out a clawed foot for one.

Sam handed hers to him and he used a single claw to pierce a hole in it.

"Thanks Dad!" Sam said and put it in her pocket. Rhiannon sat on an old, decaying chair and watched the children.

He did all of them neatly and then plucked a larger scale from beside his horn that was both green and gold and pierced it, then handed it to Rhiannon. "For you."

"Thank you." She said politely and slipped the gift into her pocket.

The scale was still warm, and she felt as if she carried him with her.

"Okay, I'm going to change back. Then we can eat the lunch we packed and return to the palace," he said, and all the kids groaned when he shifted.

"Okay." Vince huffed.

"Can we ride Toothless today, Daddy?" Aleta asked, jumping up and down.

"No, not today, spark. After we get back to the palace, I have a few things I need to do. Like putting all this in the vault and you all need baths before supper." Tonight was also the funeral, which he wasn't sure his youngest two should go to, he feared it would give them nightmares. "Then we need to get ready for the funeral."

"We should put the FUN in funeral." Hunter said, laughing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Belle asked.

"Do we have to go, Daddy?" Max asked, looking nervous.

Loki looked at Rhiannon. "Perhaps Max and Aleta shouldn't. They might get nightmares."

"I agree, they could play in their chambers." Rhiannon nodded. She wished she did not have to attend either, but she knew that protocol required it. At least Loki would be there with her, and she took comfort in his presence.

Loki nodded. "That's a good idea. We can have Joy and Halgran give them baths and watch them."

Everyone ran around, the girls finding rocks to hold the corners and Rhiannon setting out the food neatly. The boys set out the plates and silverware, Max handing out napkins.

Loki, Fenris, and Jorgy gave the horses water and nosebags of feed.

"Ready, Dad!" Lucy called, pointing at all the food.

"Okay, let's eat, boys," he said to his older sons and they went over to claim spots on the grass.

"Awesome!" Hunter said, running over to get some of the food.

Loki fixed a plate and went to sit next to Rhiannon. There were familiar meat and chicken vegetable pies, biscuits, pickles, and carrot raisin salad. For dessert there was a very large bag of cookies.

"I am glad they are enjoying the food." Rhiannon said, smiling at him.

"Did you make those pies and biscuits again?" Loki asked, eating a meat pie. He grinned at her happily.

"I may have, Skytreader." She murmured, looking at him from under her lashes.

"I thought so. It's delicious, as always," he praised.

"You cook as good as Dad," Belle said, eating another pie, this one of chicken.

"Thank you." She said.

"You know what I miss?" Nate said suddenly. "Eating spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread on Sundays."

"What is that?" Rhiannon asked, smiling.

"It's a dish I make for Sunday dinner. I learned from an old Italian lady named Mary. She taught me how to make meatballs and sauce and spaghetti is long skinny noodles." Loki explained. He looked thoughtful. "You know, I could summon spaghetti and my sauce and Parmesan cheese from home. Then I just have to make meatballs here."

"If you wish to." Rhiannon said and set her plate down on the blanket.

"Can we have it for dinner tonight?" Max asked.

"Uh, I guess I can do that. I'll replicate enough for everyone to eat." Loki chuckled thinking of all the Asgardians eating spaghetti and meatballs. "You want garlic bread too?"

"Yes!" Aleta said, cheering.

He mentally calculated how much food he would need for everyone, then quadrupled it because people might want seconds and Thor and Volstagg would be eating.

"Daddy, can I help roll the meatballs?" Aleta asked, that was how she helped Loki cook at home.

"Me too!" Max said.

"You can both help," the God of Mischief answered.

"Looks like Rhiannon will not be needed." Hunter laughed.

"Would you like to help too?" Loki offered, knowing the little ones would almost be more of a hindrance. "I have to make a lot of meatballs and fry them."

"I would. If you need it." Rhiannon said and ate some biscuit.

"I will. I usually fry up some and leave them without sauce and put the rest in it because some of my kids like to eat them that way."

"Yeah and tell Uncle Thor to stay outta the kitchen," remarked Vince. "He usually eats half of them before Dad even puts them on the table."

"They sound very good. I would like to learn how to make these." Rhiannon said excitedly.

"They aren't hard. But you don't really measure the spices," Loki explained. "I'll show you."

They finished lunch, saddled the horses, and rode back to the palace. After Loki put the chest with the gold and the necklace and earrings in his vault, as well as the Frost Opals, he went down to the kitchens to tell Jorsi and Kara what he was going to be doing the cooking for dinner with Rhiannon, Aleta, and Max.

He summoned six boxes of spaghetti, eight jars of sauce and three containers of Parmesan cheese from his house. Then he replicated everything in quadruple the amount. Some of the cheese would be used in the meatballs but the rest would be placed on the tables for people to put over their spaghetti. He told the servers what the cheese was for so they could tell the diners at the tables.

"How do you cook that?" Rhiannon asked.

"You boil water in big pots, and then add the spaghetti to it. It is done in about 9 minutes, then you drain it and put the sauce with meatballs over it. You just need to heat up the sauce since it's made already. I'll put the meatballs in once they are fried."

She turned the jar of sauce in her hands, studying the label.

It said Marinara Sauce by Loki in his handwriting. The ingredients were listed on the opposite side-crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, water, and Italian spices, onions, and garlic.

Jorsi and Kara got out huge pots for the sauce and several for the spaghetti and had their scullery maids fill three pots with water, pinches of salt and a small amount of vegetable oil. "That's so the pasta won't stick," Loki explained.

Rhiannon helped open the jars of sauce and empty them into the pots, the chefs and the Healer tasting some as they did so.

"This has an excellent flavor, My Prince!" Jorsi said. "You will need to show me how to do this."

"It tastes delicious." Rhiannon praised, dipping a spoon in it and tasting the sauce.

"Thank you. I will need a morning, since it takes hours to simmer this so everything blends together." Loki said.

The scullery maids got out huge frying pans and put oil in them. They brought several loaves of stale bread at Loki's direction and put them to soak in large bowls with water in the sink. They brought him four pounds of ground beef, eggs, and the following spices-garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper. Loki took a few containers of Parmesan as well.

"My, this is fairly simple to make." Rhiannon observed.

He had a large bowl and he explained that you just added the meat, the cheese, one egg for each pound of beef, and you squeezed out the bread and crumbled it into the meat mixture. Then you added the spices. "The problem here is you don't measure, you just sort of eyeball it. Mary said just make sure you have plenty of each." He shook each spice into the bowl. "Now you mix it, use your hands, but first I put some oil on them, makes it easier to roll the meatballs."

He demonstrated, mixing everything thoroughly. "Now you roll the meatballs while you heat up the oil. You want them a little smaller than a golf ball. This size." He rolled one to demonstrate. "Then you set them here on a tray until you are ready to fry. They take a few minutes and you turn them once, until they are brown and crispy. Then you drain them on some paper and either put them in the sauce or leave them in a bowl."

"That looks easy enough. I believe that I can do this." She replied, rolling meatballs quickly.

The kids, Rhiannon, and Loki began rolling meatballs and setting them on the tray. Loki made several of them before the oil was hot enough to fry and he placed a batch in both frying pans and watched them, turning them once with a long fork.

Soon the delicious aroma of frying meatballs spread throughout the kitchen and up the stairs.

Loki put the first batches to drain and then fried up more, until all of the meatballs were fried. Then he replicated them until it looked like there were hundreds of meatballs. Then he gave his helpers one each and ate one himself.

He took half the meatballs and placed them in the pots of sauce. The others he left in bowls for each table.

"It looks as though we are feeding an army." Rhiannon said and laughed.

"Well, how do you like them?" he asked.

"Yummy!" Max said, licking his fingers.

"Delicious!" Rhiannon said, devouring hers.

Jorsi took one from a bowl. "They are delicious! Thor and Volstagg will each eat a bowl, I'd wager."

"I could eat several myself," Kara said. "My mother would be proud of you, Loki."

Loki gave her a slightly embarrassed smile. "Thanks, Kara. And you'd be right, Jorsi. My brother can eat a bowl by himself. In fact, if he were here, that's what he would be doing."

Suddenly they heard footsteps coming down the stairs and Thor's voice. "Balder, I swear I smell meatballs. But that's impossible, because no one here except Loki knows how to make them."

"What are they?" Balder asked.

Thor sniffed. 'They are delicious! Loki makes the best ones." They entered the kitchen and Thor stared at the bowls of meatballs. "I knew it! Loki, you made meatballs!" He grinned in delight.

"There goes all the food." Max said.

"Brother, you have a nose like a bloodhound!" Loki laughed. "I swear you can smell my meatballs all the way across Manhattan!"

Loki waved a hand and two bowls of meatballs popped up. "Here. You can each have a bowl. I know Thor won't share, Balder."

"Not these I won't!" Thor declared and took the bowl and popped a meatball in his mouth. He sighed happily.

"He will want more." Balder said, eating his own.

Loki shrugged, "I'll replicate another bowl."

Thor looked about the kitchen. "Are you making spaghetti, Loki?"

"Yes. But right now I'm making garlic bread." He replied, cutting a loaf of crispy long bread lengthwise and spreading melted butter, chopped garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper on the halves and placing them on large baking sheets.

"What does that taste like?" Balder asked.

"Like bread in Valhalla," Thor answered. He slyly tried to steal a meatball from Balder.

"Hands off, brother." Balder said, glaring at Thor.

Loki shook his head. "Here, you bottomless pit." He gave Thor a second bowl of meatballs and took the other one to be washed in the sink. "Rhiannon, think you can make two more garlic breads and then I'll replicate them?"

"I can." She said, chewing another meatball.

"These are addicting," Kara said, eating another. "Wait until Sigurd and my Loki taste these. They'll want me to make them all the time."

"Did I mention you can freeze them and just heat them up later?" Loki said. "I do that a lot for my family."

Loki washed the bowl and the frying pans, and then set out strainers in the proper sinks for the spaghetti. The under cooks got out the bowls for the spaghetti and serving forks and spoons. Loki put the spaghetti in the water when it boiled and then the garlic breads in to bake.

He replicated the loaves until the counter was covered with them.

He stirred the pots of sauce with meatballs and soon the fragrance of sauce filled the kitchen as well.

He timed the spaghetti on his watch.

"This kitchen smells like Valhalla." Balder moaned, looking down at his empty bowl.

"You want more?" Loki asked.

"Then I won't eat whatever smells so heavenly." His brother sighed.

Loki took the garlic bread out and sliced it and placed the slices on a platter. "Here, taste this."

"Oh Norns!" Balder said, eating the slice with gusto.

Loki gave everyone in the kitchen their own slice to eat.

He gave Thor a half a loaf.

"This is so very good. I hope there is some left." Kara said, looking for more.

Loki replicated more.

While the cooks sliced the bread, Loki's watch beeped and the spaghetti was done. He showed them how to drain it and then mix the sauce with meatballs over it. "Then you add the Parmesan once it's on your plate." He made a sample plate and then gave it to Kara and Jorsi to share.

"Okay, I think we're ready." Loki said, removing his apron. He waved a hand and they were all clean and ready to go into the dining hall. "Let's go upstairs, because I am starving."

Thor and Balder made a beeline for the exit.

Loki just picked up Max and Aleta and had Rhiannon hold his hand, then he teleported them all to the hall.

They could smell the marinara sauce, garlic bread and meatballs in the hall also. Loki's children were all sitting down, sniffing the air and looking delighted.

"Dad, you really made meatballs and spaghetti?" cried Serena.

"Rhiannon helped!" Max said, crossing his arms.

"Yes, Rhiannon, Max, and Aleta all helped me with the meatballs and the garlic bread," Loki agreed.

The maids came in with platter of bread and bowls of spaghetti and meatballs, serving the High Table first.

The squires and pages came around with pitchers of mead, ale, frost wine, and pear juice.

Loki showed everyone how to put cheese on the spaghetti and meatballs and how to twirl the spaghetti with his fork and then eat it.

"Or you can do this." Hunter said, sucking in a long noodle.

"Daddy cooks the best!" Aleta announced and everyone laughed.

For several long minutes the only sounds in the hall were people eating and moaning in pleasure, or asking for more bread, cheese, or meatballs.

"I believe this is a hit." Odin said, eating another meatball.

"It is divine!" Volstagg declared. "Loki, if I knew you could cook this good I would have married you!"

They all laughed at the big man's wit, and Volstagg ate another plateful of spaghetti and meatballs.

"I think Rhiannon would complain about you stealing her betrothed." Thor laughed, Rhiannon sucking in a long noodle like Hunter did.

"After what I heard about her and those slavers, I agree that it is not a good idea to anger the Lady," Volstagg said with a laugh and Rhiannon blushed.

"Is he making fun?" she whispered to Loki.

"Yes," Loki said with a nod and she softly laughed.

"More!" Thor shouted and Loki rolled his eyes.

"Any more, brother, and you won't fit into your armor," Loki teased.

Rhiannon and Hunter amused themselves by sucking in noodles, both of them laughing as they whipped themselves in the face on accident.

"Daddy, you and Rhee should do the pasta kiss from Lady and the Tramp," Aleta said and Rhiannon looked at her.

"What is she talking about?" Rhiannon asked.

"Oh man! Do it!" Lucy yelled.

"It is an animated movie about two dogs. One is a pampered Cocker Spaniel and the other is a mutt. They meet and fall in love and Tramp takes her out for a spaghetti dinner in the alley of the Italian restaurant," Loki explained. He moved a little closer when, suddenly, Bella Notte started playing. She watched as Loki moved the dish closer to her as he scooted over, his eyes shining with love. She watched him nudge a meatball over the spaghetti with his nose and gave her a sad puppy look. Smiling, she ate the meatball while he found a long enough noodle and offered her one end of the noodle. Giving him a curious look, she placed the end of the noodle in her mouth as he placed the other end in his and they both started slurping the noodle. Their heads drew closer and closer until their lips met and he kissed her.

She giggled, her eyes shining, as everyone laughed. As always his kisses stirred her in ways she had only dreamed of and she longed for it to never end.

Loki would have happily kissed her forever, but he knew he had to stop.

"Yay!" Max and Aleta shouted and the room was filled with cheers and laughter. Blushing, Rhiannon moved back then wiped Loki's nose with a napkin and he smiled.

Frigga looked at Odin as he arched his eyebrows up and softly laughed.

"My darling, if I did that, I would have sauce all over my beard and would look like someone smashed me in the mouth," he whispered. She softly giggled then kissed his cheek and he slid his arm around her shoulders.

Then the Queen noticed the glittering earrings on Loki's betrothed. "Why, Rhiannon! You got your ears pierced!"

"Yes, Loki did them for me. He said that Astra would have wanted me to wear these." Rhiannon said proudly.

"She would indeed and I am happy that Loki pierced your ears. Did he use that new earring gun?"

Rhiannon nodded. "Yes, and it did not hurt at all."

Frigga smiled. "Loki, I must try that gun out on my ladies who don't have pierced ears."

"You look very beautiful, my lady," Fandral said gallantly. He looked at her earrings thoughtfully.

"You could get one too, Fandral," Loki said slyly. "The ladies would find it dashing. A small diamond stud."

"Really?" Fandral looked intrigued. "How long will it take?"

"Seconds," Loki said. "Then all you need to do is to make sure you clean the ear with some peroxide and put some salve on the back and turn the earring three times a day. It will heal in a few weeks and then you can take the earring out and put in a different one if you wish."

"Can I get different colors to match my tunics?"

"Yes."

"Oh Norns!" Thor groaned but he was smiling.

"Will you do it, Loki?"

"I shall. Just buy a diamond stud set in gold," Loki replied.

"I shall come to you tomorrow," Fandral said eagerly.

His friends all rolled their eyes.

The servers brought in spumoni, which was Italian ice cream, with whipped cream on top of the chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry scoop and a cherry to top it all off.

Loki knew Rhiannon would be a little embarrassed, but he scooped some of the spumoni onto the spoon and moved the spoon toward her mouth.

"Open," he whispered.

"What?" She asked, looking at the spoon.

"Open your mouth," he said. She opened her mouth as he fed her then handed the spoon to her. "Now you feed me."

"Why? Is this another Midgard custom?"

"Because it's fun and romantic," he said and she shyly smiled. They ignored the giggles and hoots as they fed each other and the kids sighed, rolling their eyes.

"I guess we're going to have to get used to the mushy stuff," Vince whispered and Nate nodded.

Rhiannon snickered as some ice cream got on her nose. "I must look a sight! This is romantic?"

'Yes. Especially if I happen to kiss you afterwards," he murmured.

She colored and looked at the bowl of ice cream, though she secretly longed to feel his lips on hers again.

He gently put a finger under her chin and tipped her head up so she was looking at him. She saw his beloved face, so gentle and handsome and she leaned in and their mouths met in a sweetly romantic kiss that tasted of ice cream and cherries.

"Children present!" Belle shouted, Hunter making gagging noises.

"You had better get used to that!" Thor laughed.

"Speaking of kissing, where is your lady, Thor?" Fandral asked curiously.

"She wanted to wait a day before she came here," Thor explained. "She was doing some research she needed to finish." His tone suggested he was not happy about that.

Loki suspected they had gotten into an argument over it and was glad he hadn't been there.

"Perhaps she will be ready tomorrow." Frigga said, sipping wine.

Thor nodded shortly and ate more ice cream, his expression saying that had better be the case.

He saw Sif smirk to herself, glancing at Thor and sipping some mead.

Silly mortal, the goddess thought. Thinking that Thor will wait forever upon her. She forgets, to him his family means everything, and if she cannot grasp that, best she let him be.

Rhiannon saw what was happening, her eyes going wide at Sif and she blushed. So that's the way the wind blows!

A/N: Hope you all liked this chapter! Next up, the funeral where something happens with a bang! In case you were wondering, I'm Italian and make spaghetti and meatballs almost every Sunday. The "Mary" mentioned that Loki learned to cook this from is in honor of my late mother, who taught me.