Loki watched from his bedroom window as the night faded. The club below him was silent, the last patrons having already stumbled home. He turned, his gaze falling across Rona, her hair dark against his pillows, so still she could have been made from stone. Then her breath whispered out in a sigh and he smiled. They were together, his world was whole, and he would let nothing harm her as long as he lived.

She stirred, her eyes opening, drifting around the room before landing on him. She smiled. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A couple of hours." He moved toward the bed, plucking his discarded shirt from the floor and slipping it on. "And I am glad you're finally awake, because I am starving." He glanced over at her as he buttoned his shirt. "Do you suppose it's too early for cheesecake?"

Rona laughed before leaning over and retrieving the pale green orb that had fallen from his pocket onto the floor. She turned it over in her hands curiously.

"What is this?"

"That is my insurance policy."

"Insurance for what?"

He hesitated, unsure how to tell her what he'd done, the price he had paid for the freedom to be with her again. A small voice inside him said that she wouldn't understand. Rona was too honest, too principled, she would never condone the risk he'd taken. He pushed the thought of telling her away. If everything went as planned, they would have years before any of that became a concern. When he returned to Asgard, with Rona beside him, he would put Den Vakre back where she belonged, and the whole realm would see him as a hero. Rona would see him as a hero.

"Loki?"

Her expression had shifted into unease, the orb still clasped in her hands. Smiling, he sank onto the bed beside her and pried it gently from her grasp.

"It is unimportant." He smoothed her hair, still tousled from sleep. "All that matters now is our future, together."

She didn't return his smile. Her eyes held his gaze as if she were trying to read his thoughts. "I hope you didn't do something that will make it impossible to return home."

"Rona, you are my home." The stark truth of his words made him pause. He could no longer imagine life without her. "I am staying with you."

She shook her head. "But not forever. I'm human, remember. You're going to outlive me."

His jaw clenched. "Don't."

"You need to hear this, Loki." She clutched his face as he tried to turn away from her, palms hot on his skin. "I'll get older, I will die. And I need to know that you'll be...okay."

He blinked against the burning in his eyes. He knew that as a mortal her lifespan was barely a fraction of his, but he refused to accept the thought of going on without her.

"I won't. I couldn't possibly..."

"You have to promise me you'll try."

He gripped her wrists, pulling her hands against his chest, his voice rough. "I do not want to make a promise to you that is impossible to keep."

"And I don't want to believe my faith in you was misplaced." Her mouth lifted in a sad, sympathetic smile. "Prove to me how powerful you really are, Loki."

He closed his eyes briefly and then nodded. Rona detached herself from him slowly.

"Now, let's get breakfast. There's somewhere I want to take you."

Loki watched the crowd of people moving across the large round patch of ice in front of him, bundled in coats and hats and scarves. Rona stood beside him, two odd-looking pairs of boots slung over her shoulder. She noticed the skeptical look on his face and laughed.

"Loki, you can't be in New York in the winter and not go ice skating at Rockefeller Center."

He waved an arm toward the rink. "Mortals really enjoy this sliding around on a frozen lake?"

"Well, it's not exactly a lake, but...yes." She smiled and held up one of the boots, waving its blade at him. "You're so fond of sharp objects, this should be right up your alley."

He frowned. "My what?"

"Or are you scared?" She tilted her head, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Of course not," he huffed. "I just don't see the point."

"You're probably not familiar with the earthly saying, "I dare you." He narrowed his eyes, shaking his head, and she stepped closer. "Well, if I dare you, and you don't do it, then...I basically own you." She smiled.

Loki glanced out at the handful of skaters spinning around on the ice and then back at Rona, smiling impishly up at him. "Fine." He leaned down until their faces were inches apart. "But if I do this, then I own you."

She grinned. "Deal."

She helped him lace up his skates and then led him out onto the ice. He took two steps and went down, landing hard on his back, all the breath whooshing out of him. Rona spun around him in a small circle before stopping herself with the toe of her skate. He glared up at her.

"And you do this for fun?"

She laughed. "Once you get the hang of it." She helped him up, holding both his hands until he'd steadied himself.

"You certainly seem to have done that."

"I started very young."

She took one of his hands and began pulling him behind her across the ice. He fell a few more times, but after watching the way Rona moved her feet and balanced herself, he began to feel more comfortable. They gradually skated faster, weaving back and forth across the ice, and when Loki had managed to stay on his feet for twenty minutes straight, she let go of his hand.

"You're on your own. Let's see you've got."

She winked at him and then sailed away across the rink, looping around in ever-shrinking circles until she was spinning in place. He watched her, her hair pinned up in that maddening fashion on top of her head, her bright green scarf twirling around her. She stopped, breathing heavily, the tip of her blade anchoring her to the ice.

"Well?"

She made it look so easy. He began to skate in slightly wobbly circles, and then, as he gained a rhythm, his confidence grew. Perhaps too much. Before he knew it, his skates were tangled together and it was impossible for him to work out how to pull them apart. He fell backwards, arms waving, and landed in a snowdrift beside the rink, tiny puffs of snow rising around him before settling on his clothes and face.

Rona skated over, laughing. "I guess you need a little more practice."

He watched her bite her lip, her cheeks glowing from the exertion and the chill in the air. Stray pieces of hair had come loose from their pins, floating around her face, and an idea formed in his mind. He groaned as he shifted in the snow.

Rona leaned over him, a frown creasing her forehead. "Are you okay?"

He waited until she drew close enough to touch and then reached out, grabbing her arm and pulling her down into the snow. She squealed as it made its way under her coat. "Ahhh, that's cold!"

"Really? And I thought we were in the middle of a desert." He dragged her over on top of him, brushing the snow from her face. "So, now that I've done this ridiculous activity, I own you. Is that right?"

She bit her lip, nodding her head slowly. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, first of all..." He reached up, swiftly removing the remaining pins from her hair. It fell around their faces like a curtain, hiding them from the rest of the world. His hand slid along her cheek to cup the back of her head.

"And then..." He smiled as he gently pulled her head down to meet his, mouth moving softly against hers, comfortable and unbelievably thrilling at the same time. He wondered that the snow didn't melt into a puddle around them.

He pulled away, catching his breath. "Let's go away from here, Rona."

"What?"

He sat up, warming to the idea, marveling that it had never occurred to him before. "You wanted to see all of Midgard. Let's do it now."

She considered it silently for a few moments. "Could we...look for my father?"

"Is that what you want?" Loki had little interest in meeting the sort of man who could leave Rona behind, but if it made her happy he thought he might agree to anything.

She nodded. "I'll never know who I really am if I don't know who I came from."

"Then we will search the entire world until we find him."

She still hesitated, and he reached for her hand, twining his fingers with hers. "It is your turn to promise me, Rona."

A smile flickered briefly across her face. She squeezed his hand.

"Where will we start?"