Chapter 53 Getting to Know You
Sia slowly settles back into civilian life on Midgard.
The ring had shown that the cake from the neighbors was just a cake, and we had enjoyed rather a lot of it, which led to a nap in front of the fire.
I woke before Loki, and pulled the clock from the coffee table.
5:25.
I suppressed a sigh. Loki was supposed to leave at six.
I don't want him to go back to Asgard. I want him to stay here.
Sia, don't be selfish. He has a life there, and responsibilities, just as you have here on Midgard.
This is what it means to love a prince. Duty first, always.
I thought back to the morning Loki left for the war on Vanaheim.
At least he is simply going back to the palace in Asgard, and not to war someplace.
I remembered the long days when he had been on Vanaheim, and the worry which had dogged my mind, day and night.
It felt like a lifetime ago.
So much has changed.
I realized I was crying, and that Loki was awake.
"Sia, darling, what troubles you?" Loki's hand brushed the tears from my cheek.
"Oh, Loki!" How could I explain what I was feeling? How could I explain that, although I had spent so few of my actual years with him, our time together had changed my life more than anything else?
"Sia, darling." Loki pulled me into his arms.
I rested my head against his chest, listening to his heart beat.
"I am so sorry I cannot stay longer." Loki gently stroked my hair.
"I am sorry as well, but I do understand, Loki."
"One day—not soon enough, but one day—we will be together as much as we wish, whenever we wish." Loki kissed me.
"I look forward to that day, Loki."
"As do I, Sia." He kissed me, sweetly and fiercely.
We quickly pulled ourselves together, and headed out to the terrace just as the clock struck six.
Loki held me close, kissing me with his heart on his lips.
"I will be thinking of you until I am again in your arms, Sia."
"As I will be thinking of you, Loki."
A sweet, lingering kiss, and another.
"I will return to Midgard soon, Sia, my love."
"Loki, my heart, I will be here for you."
A kiss like honey, a kiss like fire.
"Be brave, Sia. I will be here for you soon."
"I will, Loki."
"Remember every day how much I love you." Loki's eyes were bright.
"I will, Loki. Remember every day how much I love you."
"I will, Sia. I love you."
"I love you, Loki."
Loki pulled me into his arms, and we kissed with all the passion of our souls.
"Soon, Sia!"
I stepped back, out of the beam's reach.
"Soon, Loki!"
Loki looked up. "Heimdall, when you're ready!"
The week had passed quickly, and completely without event.
Get up, go to work, come home, read, practice magic, go to bed.
Get up, go to work, come home, grade papers, practice magic, go to bed.
Get up, go to work, come home, read, practice magic, go to bed.
Get up, go to work, come home, grade papers, practice magic, go to bed.
Get up, go to work, come home, read, practice magic, go to bed.
I woke up Saturday, and remembered I still hadn't returned the plate to my downstairs neighbors. I decided to make a batch of scones to take to them in thanks for the cake.
I was distracted, thinking about Loki, so baking took longer than it should have. When the scones were finally ready, I arranged them on the plate, added a tin of my favorite tea in the center, and set the glass dome on top.
I clipped the panic button to my belt loop. I was still wearing it every day. I couldn't imagine needing it, but felt better knowing it was there.
I grabbed my keys so I could lock the door on my way out, and headed down the stairs to meet my neighbors.
"That was so much fun, Sia! Come down any time—you don't have to bring scones, just yourself!" Emily called after me as I headed for my own front door.
"Thank you, Emily! I will! And likewise!" I waved, and she closed her door as I walked back to mine.
I settled down in front of the fire, and reflected on my time downstairs. The afternoon had been fun. We'd had several pots of tea, and Tish had set out a variety of jams and preserves she'd made herself which went perfectly with the scones.
Tish looked younger, but was actually older than Emily.
Emily was in nursing school, and Tish was a painter.
"Not famous—yet!—but so good that she will be!" Emily beamed at Tish, filled with pride.
Tish blushed slightly. "I don't think I'm that good, Emily. I mean, not bad, but not famous-artist-good".
"You are that good, sweetheart! And you will be famous!" Emily kissed Tish's pink cheek.
Emily had grown up in what she called "a statistically average suburban family". Tish's mom had been a free spirit who saw no reason to confine herself or her child to any one place for very long. Tish had lived in several countries by the time she turned 16 and started art school in Florence.
They'd met when Emily was backpacking across Europe. She'd stopped in Florence, and her wallet had been stolen. With her money gone, and no credit cards, she had resigned herself to sleeping in the park for the night until she could get to the American Express office in the morning for a replacement credit card. Even if she'd called home to ask her parents to wire her some cash, she still wouldn't have been able to pick it up until the morning. Tish had found her in the park, and insisted on her coming back to her apartment, since it wasn't safe to sleep in the park. They stayed in touch after Emily left, and when Tish finished art school, she decided to move back to the US. Emily invited her to stay at her place while Tish figured out what she wanted to do.
"And here we are!" Emily giggled, and Tish blushed again. "My wallet being stolen that day was the best thing that ever happened to me! Well, okay, it wasn't great, but it lead to the best thing that ever happened to me!"
"Now that is a happy ending!" I agreed. Watching them interact with such affection was wonderful to see.
"And your . . . friend? How did you meet?" Emily's smile was playful.
"Emily! That's a personal question. You shouldn't ask such things." Tish seemed mortified.
"Oh, Tish, it's fine! You and your formal manners! You'd think that I was the one who grew up with the bohemian mom!" Emily laughed as Tish shook her head.
"You don't have to answer that, Sia." Tish poured more tea for all of us.
"I appreciate it, Tish, but really, it's okay. If you ask me something I don't want to answer, I'll just make up something outrageous!" I winked at Emily, who laughed.
"So, anyway, who is that handsome man? That voice . . . ." Emily trailed off.
"He's a colleague. We met while I was doing research on my last book." All true, if not all of the truth.
"He teaches at the university? Oh, my god, I'm going to go enroll in whatever class it is!" Emily grinned.
"Not locally, no. Sorry to disappoint you." I smiled, and sipped my tea.
"I've heard that accent somewhere, but I can't quite place it," Tish offered.
"He's from Iceland." I took another sip of tea.
"Okay, yes! That's it!" Tish seemed pleased with herself. "I knew I'd heard it somewhere!"
"Does he visit often?" Emily cut in.
"Not as often as I'd like." I smiled in spite of myself.
"Maybe you should move to Iceland!" Emily chirped.
"That's, um, well, that's a no. I mean, it's a beautiful place, but I really like my life here. And, well—snow. Cold is okay, but I really can't cope with snow. Having to shovel the driveway is not how I want to start my day."
"Right, snow! I forgot about that!" Emily laughed.
"So, Emily, what made you decide to go into nursing?" I'd discussed as much of my relationship with Loki as I felt like discussing.
"When I was a kid, I was constantly getting into all kinds of trouble, and needing medical care. Like, falling-out-of-a-tree kind of trouble." Emily grinned sheepishly.
"And smashing-your-bike-into-a-wall kind of trouble," Tish added.
"What can I say? I saw an old documentary about Evel Knievel, and it looked like fun!"
"Maybe building the bike ramp out of something more solid than cardboard would have been a good idea?" Tish was teasing Emily, eyes twinkling.
"I worked with what I had!" Emily laughed. "And it wasn't that bad. I mean, my bike was toast, but I only broke my arm."
"I can't imagine this sat well with your parents." I made no effort to conceal my laughter.
"My dad appreciated my creativity. Mom . . . well, not so much. 'This is not going to sit well with the Debutante Committee, Emily' she'd say, while giving me her Disappointed Look."
"Debutante Committee? For real?" I was staggered. Debutante Committee is not a "statistically average" thing, so either Emily's mom had been a serious social climber, or Emily's idea of middle class was somewhat different than mine.
"Yeah, it was really important to her that I get picked. I was her only daughter, and so it was all on me. I told her to be happy that my brothers would get picked as escorts, but that didn't mollify her in the slightest."
"And did you get picked?" I tried to imagine Emily in a puffy white debutante dress.
"Yes. And my mom was ecstatic. It didn't mean much to me, but it was incredibly important to her. So I learned to waltz, to put on elbow-length gloves without destroying them, and to make the perfect curtsey while wearing stupidly high-heeled shoes and holding a ridiculously large bouquet."
"That was good of you. Not every daughter would have gone through that." So, Emily's family may have been suburban, but they were clearly not "statistically average".
"It was a pain in the neck, and a huge waste of time. But I'm glad I did it. Because my mom didn't tell me that the same week I'd been picked, she'd been diagnosed with cancer. She refused treatments, and had been given less than six months to live."
"Oh, Emily. I'm so sorry." I instinctively reached over and took her hand.
"My deb ball was her last social appearance. She died a few weeks later, didn't even live as long as the doctors predicted."
Silence fell on the room.
Emily shook herself. "Anyway, sorry, I didn't mean to get all depressing there. My mom went into hospice the week after the ball. The staff were all amazing, and that's why I want to be a hospice nurse."
"Your mom would be very proud of you, Emily. Even more so than when you made your debut."
Emily gave a wan smile. "I would hope so. But, I'm not sure—she spent 17 years of my life planning for that night."
"Your choice of work honors her life, just as your choice to go through the deb process honored her wish. That's incredible, and I am proud of you for that." I was impressed at Emily's resilience.
"Aw, thank you, Sia. I mean—thank you." Emily leaned over and hugged me.
"Anyway, I'm excited about my career, and whenever I get frustrated about something at school, I remind myself that I learned to curtsy in high heels, so I can do anything!" Emily laughed.
"That's the spirit!" I applauded her.
The conversation had taken a more general tone after that. I kept an eye on the time, and made sure to leave before dark. Even with all the motion-activated lights SHIELD had set up outside, I wanted to get back to my own place while it was still light out. If nothing else, I needed to do some preparation for Monday's class, and I was determined not to work on Sunday. I tried—didn't always succeed, but tried—to have one day each week that didn't involve my day job.
Even with the work ahead of me, I was glad I'd taken the afternoon off, and taken time to meet my neighbors. Tish and Emily were adorable together, and seemed like good people.
And they hadn't said a word about our comings and goings via the Bifrost. I knew they were the right neighbors—for me, at least.
