TarunThank you. Yeah, Coulson is a great character. I loved that episode in the Ultimate Spiderman when Coulson was dating Peter Parker's aunt. I kept thinking hard should Emma have claws or not, but then I figured that of course; because she is Logan's daughter. The trick is that her body adapts to things, so the first set of those tiny claws she was born with were pretty useless and never showed up, but the ice was indeed due to Loki's influence.

Emma and Loki have been on the run and it's time to take a breath. Or hold it? So, a word of a warning; this chapter includes sex.

… …

Sitting on the edge of the bed and drying her shower-wet hair with a towel, Emma contemplated the god of mischief in appreciating silence, all her troubling thoughts leaving her. She let her eyes rest on his strong, pale, sculpture-like body as he sauntered from the bathroom to her, wrapping a blue towel around his waist.

The shower enclosure had been so small that they had barely fit in there together. There had been nothing wrong of being so close but it had begun to feel too crowded to actually have a wash, so they had taken wash in turns.

She couldn't get enough of the sight of him; his arms, his slender but muscular torso and the assertive way he carried himself like he would have owned the world. His every move looked graceful for a tall, broad-shouldered guy; even when he swept his wet, jet-black hair back with both hands, giving her a bit more to see while revealing his whole upper body. A few droplet of water from his hair ran over his chest and she followed those little drops running over his visible six-back and reaching down to his towel, she letting out a dreaming sigh.

The mischievously charming dimples conquered Loki's face as he noticed the way she was watching at him; she was devouring him with her bright blue eyes in a shy kind of manner, her head tilted to the side. And he liked to watch her watching him like that. He was more than pleased that she felt better again.

She lifted her gaze up at his eyes, smiling cautiously and securing her towel around her chest while getting up. He moved closer, their hands coming together, and it felt good and safe.

It was apparent that their hosts and the accommodation still bothered her. She had been sweetly concerned about him, double-checking with him that it was all right to stay there. Loki couldn't deny it; the place bothered him too (the old professor who could read minds and Emma's father sleeping right on the other end of the corridor). But it was the best choice they had and he wanted to do everything to make the rest of the night special for her and continue where they had left off in the shower. The idea of returning to Asgard also haunted him but he didn't let any of those thoughts consume him now. This moment together was far more important.

They stared at each other, their fingers interlocking, both having a pretty good hunch where this night was leading them.

"So," Emma begun with an innocent tease, "what do you think we should be doing now?"

Loki took a deep breath, drinking the sight of her, the memory of their first night in bed together arousing his lust and bringing a smile on his lips.

"As I recall, you wanted to dance with me. How about that dance now?" he suggested in a tempting voice.

Emma checked her surroundings, looking for a stereo or any kind of music player. "We have no music."

"Then sing for me."

She grinned with a surprised look. "Ah, trust me, you don't want to hear me singing."

Loki nodded eagerly. "But I do. And I want to dance with you in that slow, romantic Midgardian way you told me about. Show me how," he encouraged her, pulling her further away from the bed.

"Okay," she smiled, accepting the challenge and loving that he was willing to fulfil her wish.

But really, only songs that she could recall were something like the hits from Eminem, LMFAO and Bloodhound Gang and some of those old hymns she had sang in the church's children's choir where her grandmother had forced her to go when she was a kid.

She laughed a bit trying to remember at least one love song's lyrics and guided his both hands on her waist and lifted her owns on his shoulders. "I must warn you I'm not much of a dance either, so let's keep this simple," she said, leaning in, their bodies touching only the towels between their skins. "You lead. Tiny steps and small sways, from side to side in the rhythm. You are free to improvise. The basic is to let your feet and hips do the work," she explained, rocking her hips slowly from left to right showing him the way.

He was already starting to like it, feeling her hips moving between his hands. The closeness was something new in a dance for him. It almost felt forbidden. "And the rhythm?" he asked with a small tease, wanting to hear her singing.

"Don't tell me I didn't warn you. I haven't sung to another living being in a long time," Emma grinned, but her expression turned somehow vulnerable as she kept looking up into his eyes, clearing her throat and letting out a lilting hum.

She felt his hands around her waist, holding on tightly, her arms resting over his bare chest, her fingers caressing his wet shoulders. He was waiting, and by the God he looked so good, like… well, like a god.

Without forcing, the words just started to come out of her mouth and she sang in a soft melody. Her voice was quiet in the first lines of the song "I don't wanna miss a thing" from Aerosmith. It felt perfect, the lyrics of the song like meant for that moment. And she sang it in a very slow melody like it would have been a gentle lullaby for a baby, her voice at first quivering but a little by little gathering strength when finding approval in his eyes. She was not there to impress Simon Cowell; she sang it in her own way.

Loki listened to her suddenly so compelled and surprised by her beautiful, vibrant singing voice. It was something he hadn't expected, melting away his mischievousness. It sounded nothing like the traditional Asgardian songs he had used to hear and hate. Only the old lullabies sang by Frigga when he was a child could match the tenderness of it, but this was not a song for a child. This was a song of more passionate love. With every line, every praising word he heard made him feel like she was singing straight from her heart only to him, adoring him in the sweetest way, making love to him with her voice. He had forgotten to move and he smiled as he started to dance her in her rhythm. And she followed, her movement matching his, the smile in her eyes living with the emotions brought by the words of the song.

She hadn't ever been a fan of love songs but on that very moment she discovered the true magic that a simple love song held; binding two souls together for a small moment in the infinity, speaking on her behalf for all she needed to say.

Lifting his hand on her back and holding on to her more tightly, they were slowly beginning to rotate in a small circle, dancing and forgetting the rest of the world. She meant every word she sang to him, wishing that their time together would never end.

Her voice was fading towards the end of the song for feeling so moved by the closeness they shared and the lyrics that had a whole new meaning to her now. The last words escaped with a soft breath as his hands were stroking her back, his right hand coming up along her spine and cupping the back of her head, making her weak under his gaze and dying to feel his lips against hers again. She didn't even notice that they had stopped dancing.

Speechless, he studied her in a new kind of delight, his smile caressing her. "Beautiful," he sighed, amazed, lowering his face towards hers. "You truly are full of surprises. I had no idea you could sing like that."

She had never considered herself as a good singer and she felt greatly touched by his compliment. She should remember to say a thanks and a prayer for her grandmother for dragging her to those boring singing lessons.

She rose on her tiptoes to meet him in the half-way and he pulled her closer, locking his arms around her, his hot breath on her skin intoxicating her before his mouth seized her lips into a fervent kiss. The taste of his mouth raised her hunger for him, her fingers diving into his wet long hair. He felt so good and she wanted more. He read her needy signs and she felt her toes leaving the floor as he carried her, guiding her legs around his thighs and moving to the bed.

He crawled on the middle of the bed holding her, she clinging onto him beneath him. Placing her down, he laid on top of her, leaning onto his arms to support his weight and not to crush her, kissing her with long, mouth exploring kisses, his tongue hunting hers as if it would have been a little game.

Emma gasped for air as his mouth moved to her chin, kissing and sucking her neck, leaving a trail of moisture on her burning skin, but his love bites faded in a heartbeat. She was breathing heavily with moans of desire as he caressed her, breathing in his scent, feeling his body big and strong and hard on her. And it was happening again, she realized. She would have him inside of her again and she knew it was going to hurt like hell but she wanted it so bad, her insides tensing with the need, making her growing wet. Her hands travelled along his back, up to his shoulders and back down again. She buried her face on his hair as his kisses headed on her collarbone.

His right arm rose from the bed to his side and he made a move in the air like a toss and Emma noticed something blue flying on the floor. There goes her towel, she realized, finding herself completely naked under him, feeling his chest radiating heat against her bare breasts, her towel been stripped off with his magic. His skin felt amazing against hers and she wanted to relish every inch of him, her hands travelling on his perfect frame.

With hungry eyes he stared down at her and pressed his pelvis against hers harder, rubbing it between her parted legs, letting her know what she was doing to him, only his towel keeping that big bulging beast of his from getting her.

"Tell me again how much you want me, my Valkyrie," he said in his dark husky tone, nibbling her lips teasingly, not letting her capture his lips to a kiss.

She was trembling all over, her teeth clattering in anticipation and slight fear, her hands coming on his arms and her nose rubbing against his. "Loki, I want you so much that it frightens me," she admitted whispering feverishly. "I want to make love to you, but you're…" She swallowed feeling like an idiot for saying it aloud. "You're so big, and I've healed. I know it's going to hurt again."

A satisfied, playful smirk pulled the corners of his opened mouth upwards, her shy words being like fuel to his flaming lust. She practically was still as good as a virgin, her body been healed from their earlier play. "No fears now, my love. Rest in my embrace and let me be good to you, so that once I will fill your little quim you will beg me to never stop," he murmured in a low tone, seeing her eyes widening. He kissed her mouth, giving her no time to object.

That must have been the most obscene thing ever passed his lips, he realized, still finding himself as a far better lover than that fool Fandral could ever hope to be.

Even though Emma was unfamiliar with the word he'd used, she had a pretty good hunch what he meant by it and she could only give into the kiss and wait what he had in store for her. His mouth left hers and his lips brushed over her cheek, down along her neck, imprinting kisses on his way, and she felt the bed sinking under her as he moved lower, on her breasts, licking and sucking the hardened nipples which were like little cherries on top of cupcakes. He gave equal attention for both of them, loving the arousing moans she rewarded him with.

Her legs wrapped dominatingly around his waist but he freed himself from her grip and headed lower over her belly, his hands following the curves of her sides. Her hands were in his hair and she stopped messing with his black curls and her body came to still as his teasing mouth reached her mound with plans to go further down. Loki stopped too and lifted his curious eyes, meeting her timid, nearly scared gaze. He smiled as though something wicked had just entered his mind, his hands coming down around her thighs and spreading her more.

"Don't…" she whispered, holding her breath, her hand coming down from his head to protect the remains of her modesty, being otherwise completely exposed to him, his face only inches away from her most tender parts.

Loki's lips brushed over the back of her palm, the rascally grin broadening. "Why not?"

Emma smiled uneasily, her cheeks crimsoned with the mere fantasy of it. "Cause it would be disgusting… for you."

"Let me be the judge of that," he insisted in a soft low voice, taking her hand and kissing her palm. "Indulge me."

His dark voice made her freeze but her insides purring like a bee nest oozing honey. Before she had said another word his left hand reached for a pillow next to her head. Easily as it would have been a practised move, he lifted her lower body and tucked the pillow under her butt, having her within easy reach. She gasped when he took her hands and pinned them gently against the sheets next to her hips, lowering himself back where she had interrupted him, moving backwards on his knees, crouching between her thighs lithe like a panther, his shoulders width above her.

Slightly disobedient but definitely mischievous smile lingered on his emerald eyes as he licked the inner side of her thigh, his gaze locked with hers and compelled to see her feverish reactions. After all, she was the one who pleased him with her mouth the last time they were in bed together. It was his time to return the favour. And when she refused to offer it to him willingly, it made him wanting it even more like a sweet forbidden fruit.

She was holding her breath when he tasted her, trembling in his hold and closing her eyes, sinking her head back in the pillow with a long surrendering groan, her toes curling. He tasted her anew, liking the taste of her sweet dew. He continued to tease her and she was his helpless victim, his tongue strong and demanding. And when she was moaning and humming in pleasure, she was singing a new song for him that excited him beyond imagination.

By all Infinity, she had evidently made him go completely mad! Loki reasoned to himself while enjoying too much of the process of pleasing her. To redeem himself, to earn his worth; this had to hold some sort of value in a bigger scale, he grinned, recalling Frigga's words: 'Make your father proud!'

Well, Odin wouldn't get any prouder than this, if seeing him kneeling between spread legs, his tongue inside of a mortal woman.

"Oh God! Loki!" Emma cried out, her thighs tightening around him, bringing his focus back on her again.

He could feel that she was almost there, knocking on the gates of Valhalla when his tongue left her in peace, too early, leaving her yearning more, her hips wiggling a bit like she would have been dancing on the sheets. He freed her from his hold and moved a bit backwards, watching her small body craving him and licking her taste from his lips.

"What the f…?" she groaned in disbelief, her blue eyes shooting open and flaring at him for leaving her unfinished so cruelly.

Her short lived fury was followed by a tingling sensation of awe as she kept staring at him standing on his knees between hers; the towel around his waist unable hide his erection and it looked like it was accusingly pointing towards her for being guilty for causing it. With his charming, sexy grin and somewhat grand gestures he unwrapped his towel and tossed it off. And her gaze dropped down facing the beast that was now unleashed, seeing him in his full glory. She could swear that it looked even bigger than she recalled, falling speechless and suddenly wanting to slip away from him.

She expected the god of mischief to say something imposing, anything at all, but neither said a word as he crawled back to her, pulling the pillow away under her arse, laying his weight partly on her while lying right next to her. He held her more possessively and closed his mouth over hers in a deep, deep kiss, giving her a small taste of her own nectar. And to her surprise it wasn't so bad she had expected it to be.

His manhood pressed against the side of her belly, demanding her attention, and she touched it, running her little fingers along the hard shaft, finding the skin so delicate around it.

Loki seized her hand away from him and lifted it above her head, locking her wrist with another hand of his that went above her head. Then his right hand ran down on her arm, over her breast and belly, finding its way right there where his tongue had visited. He wasn't finished with her yet. He drew away from her lips just to see her eyes when he thrust his middle finger slowly inside of her. Pulled it back, and repeated, seeking for the right rhythm.

She whimpered and opened up for him, wanting it, wanting him more and more with every stroke he made. And soon she was squirming and breathing heavily, fighting against an inevitable climax she was heading towards again, and she only wanted to get there with him.

She moaned and bit her lower lip to control herself. "Loki, please make love to me," she sighed, feeling she was so ready for him.

"Soon," he murmured back to her, carrying on his gentle game.

She cursed inwardly and tried effortlessly free her hand from his grip, her other arm being trapped between his head and shoulder. "Please, take me. I want you inside of me. Please, please, now!"

Wanting nothing more than that the trickster god smiled to her, drinking the sight of her ecstasy, pulling his finger nearly out, his own swelling already becoming unbearable to keep. He watched into her eyes facing her hungry beast as she spoke to him in husky, demanding voice;

"Yes. Now, take me!"

No effect! Only another wicked smile.

She groaned raising the stakes to make him understand how much she wanted him. "Damn it, Loki. Take me! Fuck me with that beautiful big cock of yours!"

A low grunt escaped from the depths of his throat, his member willing to obey her and subject to her will, but he fought hard to restrain himself a bit longer. "Oh no," he murmured scolding, shaking his head. "That is not a proper language for my queen. You are not ready yet," he declared and continued his tease on her. He wouldn't allow her to feel pain tonight. "And you better be quiet, you vile little thing. You are waking up the whole house. And I swear I will kill anyone who crosses that threshold tonight."

A suffocated cry of pleasure passed her lips as she felt his fingers diving deeper into her again, two this time. She cursed inwardly again and arched her back as another thrust came and swept away her sanity in its wake, filling her with exploding pleasure. His touch, his voice, his threats, all of him made her surrender to him.

Feeling her tight love muscles clenching around his fingers, he knew he wouldn't have lasted there long enough. He freed her hands, feasting his eyes on the results of his excellent job, giving her only a small moment to recover before he moved on top of her, his cooler chest meeting her burning hot breasts and his majestic hardness settling in against her swollen, dripping-wet entrance, ready for the invasion.

"Now you are ready for your king," he grunted, pleased, breathing in the hot air she exhaled right under him. "Look at me, my love!"

Emma stared up at his eyes, catching her breath, a bit annoyed but utterly satisfied. A new fire was building inside of her as she felt his strong body against hers. She licked moisture to her dry lips, her hands find their way on his back along his arms and she clutched onto him like onto a racehorse. "Have I told you lately… that you're such a prick? But I love you."

A small smile only visited his lips and his face clouded with the aching need. "Then show me how much you love me and keep your eyes on me."

"Condoms! In my jumpsuit's pocket!"

Loki flipped his hand, snapping his fingers and showed her a tore-open condom wrapper. "Already there," he assured with a heated voice as his hips were already moving.

"Oh…?"

She let out a groan when he begun to thrust inside of her, her gaze nailed at his, seeing the whole infinity in his emerald eyes. And as if it would have been the measure of her love for him, she kept gazing at his eyes through every inch as he filled her slowly. She wrapped her legs around his waist, letting him go all the way to the hilt, the final most painful inch stretching her small channel for him. Oh, it hurt, but not so much as she had feared. He had readied her better this time, her muscles more relaxed after the orgasm.

There he remained a while, not moving a muscle, letting her adjust to him and meeting her tiny victorious smile for having him where she had wanted. She felt heavenly good against him, her little quim oh, so hot, wet and tight around him, making him feel like he was indulging himself with the most divine treat in the universe.

"Say that you are mine!" he whispered in a husky, demanding tone.

It felt like his darker side and yet she obeyed blindly. "I'm yours… my king," she replied sighing like it was an erotic game, seeing those words lighting fire in his eyes.

"Say that you belong to me!"

"I belong only to you," she whispered, rocking herself slowly against him.

Oh, for heaven's sake, she was killing him! She was making him as weak as a mortal.

His breathing was quivering, his mouth was quivering after her words that nearly free his inner demons and he had to brace himself once more for not to release right there.

Hurry, think unpleasant things; a drooling bilgesnipe, a jotun brute, Thor on the throne, Volstagg eating. Oh, way too much! But it was working, he grinned at his idiotic thoughts but ready to carry on.

His focus back on her again, he withdrew from her almost completely and thrust back in a bit more forcefully, enjoying her tightness as she welcomed him gladly with an approving moan. A part of him wanted to go on gently with her, cradling her with love, another part wanted to ram her endlessly, making her screaming his name so hard that the Gatekeeper of Asgard would hear her even when their presence was concealed from all.

He kissed her and she loved every inch of him; his taste, his scent, his weight on top of her, his hands that were all over her, the way he filled her completely and more. And his hips as he begun moving them, rocking against her, thrusting into her again and again with long gentle thrusts, unrelenting like ebb and flow, the friction of their flesh becoming deliciously unbearable.

Mine! Only mine! The words played in his mind and he couldn't be sure if those also passed his lips as he was picking up the pace, quickening towards the fulfilment. Oh, but it was still too soon! He wanted to make it last a bit longer, so he swept her up in his arms and without leaving her flipped them other way around with one move, settling on his back and letting her take the reins. And he loved the view, having more of her to look at as she continued to help herself with him, rocking her hips and stretching her back in the seek of the right spot.

Her wild curls were tangled, her smooth lips parted and her lovely eyes nearly closed as she carried on, tiny beads of sweat glistering on her body. She looked so beautiful, so young, so untamed and her moves becoming so powerful that he couldn't last any longer. He wanted her to come along with him. He demanded her to follow him, his hands holding tighter around her hips, pulling her so hard against him that it hurt like he would have been trying to impale her, his fingers squeezing her butt. She cried out in the flaming sensation that spread all over her body, feeling him throbbing fiercely inside of her, his powerful release forcing her to follow. And her body ached and rejoiced with his, finally reaching the bliss of Valhalla.

... ...

A bit later she had no strength left as she rested wearily on top of him, her head against his breast, feeling his chest heaving up and down beneath her, his arm safely around her. She just lay there between the sheets with him, serene and sated, without a care in the world. And it was true; she could have lain there awake just to listen to his breathing and heartbeats, those being the only sounds she ever needed to hear. If the world would have come to an end on that very moment, she would have died happy and loved.

Loki was lying under her in pondering silence, his right hand tucked behind his head, the left one caressing her back, his fingers drawing tiny circles around her spine. He caught himself being millions miles away again and he dragged himself back on this planet once more, loving the warmth she was radiating against his naked body.

"Are you asleep?" he asked with a soft whisper, his gaze dropping down from the ceiling to her.

Emma heaved a deep sigh, holding him. "I must be. And this is the best dream I've had. I don't want to wake up, ever," she said turning her head to face him.

He looked at her with a loving smile, his hand stroking her hair. A soft, agreeing murmur rose from his throat. "When we are together like this a part to me wishes that tomorrow never comes," he said, smiling a bit sadly to his own childish thoughts. Somehow it felt like she was the only one who allowed him to feel these feelings, not judging him for showing all his emotions. And yet he failed to understand the whole scale of sentimentality she brought out of him.

There was so much to say, but neither of them wanted to think too much about tomorrow.

"What does the other part of you wishes then?" Emma asked.

"Oh, it wishes to make love to you endlessly."

"Hmm, most parts of me would like that."

Loki chuckled softly, they both being still in a bit of a gaming mood. "Such an insatiable nymph you are, my precious…" He spoke whispering but stopped when he saw a tiny awkward grin creeping on her lips. "What?"

She pressing a kiss on his chest and moved lying next to him but couldn't stop grinning. "Please, don't call me a precious like that."

His forehead furrowed in confusion and his other hand came down holding her too as she nested beside him, their heads on the same pillow. "And why not?"

"My precious…" she hissed like Gollum and Loki lifted an eyebrow. "Um. Obviously you have never seen Lord of the Rings."

"A friend of yours?"

"No. It was a movie. Like an entertaining show in a theatre; ogres, elves and dwarves. There was this little nasty creature who talked to his precious ring… I'm sorry, I'm blabbering again."

"Yes you are but I like that. You do make me happy. Indescribably happy," he admitted, lifting his hand on her face and looking into her eyes.

She grinned, she just couldn't help herself. He brought out her naughty side. "Yeah, you didn't have to say a word. I kind of figured it out before you took off your towel," she teased in a sexy voice.

His nose wrinkled and thin lips pursed as he was trying to control his grin. "That is what you do to me. And if you are not going to stop there then I warn you; we will be having a rematch between the sheets. But I am being serious. You make me feel more complete, more worthy."

She brushed her fingers over his cheek and played with the curls of his hair, loving his slightly tousled look, loving his sweet words. "I feel the same with you. No matter where we are I feel safe when I'm with you. Could you just hold me and tell me your stories again? I love to listen to you."

He wrapped his arm around her and held her close. "All right. I will sing you a tale of the valor of the Valkyries of Asgard." He smiled at her curious expression. "Don't worry, I am not going to actually sing. It is more of a poem."

And so he began telling her a long story of the Valkyries, reciting it like a poem and caressing her with his soft angelic voice. As his story was unfolding little by little, she was beginning to understand that the pet name he had given to her held a very special meaning to him and she accepted it with a new kind of appreciation.

… …

"Loki!"

The voice was like a silent echo inside his head but it woke the god of mischief from his light slumber state with a start. His eyes flashed open and he sat up with a jolt, summoning a throwing knife and slinging it at once towards the unexpected intruder whom he saw standing in the middle of their dim room. Another knife was already on his palm, ready for the throw, before the first one had hit the wall behind the standing figure. Those were his last weapons returned to him by Thor during their campfire moment.

Squeezing the knife's handle, he heard the first throwing knife making a blunt sound while hitting the wall. One quick glance and he found Emma sleeping next to him completely soundless, then he recognized the man who was still standing in the room. Standing? He was sure he had hit him with his knife.

The room was illuminated and Charles Xavier took a step closer to the bed where Loki was now sitting armed and staring at him confused.

"How…?" Loki began, stupefied. He pulled the cover over Emma's bare shoulder to make her look more decent.

"My friend, you are not the only one on this planet who can create illusions," the professor said calmly, speaking to the trickster god with a telepathic projection of himself. "I'm sorry if I woke you. But I wished to speak with you privately."

Loki let out a confused breath, conjuring his knife away, unpleased of this questionable visit in the middle of the night. And he was annoyed that he had fallen for his own trick.

"Professor?" he grunted, shielding himself with his spells again. He would have preferred standing up but he was in his birthday-suit under the cover. "I am sorry, but isn't this a bit odd time for coming to have a chat?"

"Perhaps, but when there is a lot in my mind I find it hard to sleep."

Loki turned at Emma again. She looked like she was sleeping, her hand resting over his waist, but she hardly breathe, making no sound at all. He was surprised she hadn't woken up by his sudden movement or their talk. "Emma?" Loki whispered, getting concerned, touching her.

"She's all right. I froze her mind so that she wouldn't be disturbed by our talk," Charles announced calmly, casting a glance at her.

Loki shot a glowering look at the professor. "You what?" he barked. "Release her mind or I will come down…"

"Yes! I was hoping you would come to downstairs and meet me in my study so we could talk face to face," Charles interrupted his guest. "I know what you are after, Loki. And SHIELD is trying to keep that away from you. Now, in a normal case I wouldn't go against director Fury, but I believe that the Tesseract is more than mankind can handle. I just might be able to help you to find it, if…" He paused and smiled a bit at the curiosity that filled Loki's eyes. "If you are able to prove your worth."

Loki snorted. "Prove my worth?" he pouted a bit, offended. "To you? To Logan?"

Charles looked very confident. "To yourself," he said simply. "This is not a game, Loki. This is about trust, if the master of lies is able to understand the concept. No tricks. If you are up to it, I will be waiting."

And with that the professor's projection vanished, the room turned dim, and Loki heard Emma heaving a breath in her sleep. He watched at her a while, pondering about the professor's offer. The old man was practically handing him the Tesseract but it couldn't be as simple as that. To prove his worth? He hated the whole idea but it made him awfully curious.

He made sure Emma was comfortably under the cover as he left her sleeping, dressed quickly and casually into the light-grey sweater and sweatpants Storm had left for them and sneaked out from their room. His loose outfit, in his opinion, looked ridiculous but it seemed that he fitted in as he noticed a couple of young mutants hanging around in the living room while he passed it. They were wearing same sort of clothing.

He followed the echoing voice of the professor that seemed to guide him all to way to his study room which door was invitingly ajar.

Charles Xavier sat in his chair under a reading light, a book in his hands, dressed in pyjamas and a dark-blue robe. He lifted his eyes from the book as Loki entered, finishing first the last lines of the chapter he was reading.

The professor gave him a small smile. "So, you decided to accept the challenge? Please, do come in, Loki."

Loki closed the door and took a moment to study the room which appealed his eyes in some level; it was spacious and opulent and there were books, a lot of books. "And what is this challenge? How am I to prove myself?"

Charles drove his chair closer to Loki and smiled. "That is simple. You will let me read your mind."

Loki snorted and broke into chuckles. "You are jesting, right? You woke me up in the middle of the night for this? Did Logan ask you to unearth all of my darkest secrets?"

Charles shook his head. "Logan doesn't know we're having this conversation. And Emma doesn't need to know it either."

Loki narrowed his eyes with a cool smile. "So clandestine, Professor. You must be truly curious to see inside my head," he pondered aloud and took a few steps forward. "What is it that you are hoping to find there?"

"The same thing I search from the minds of all people; hope," Charles said in a compassionate tone and got Loki's confused frown. "There is always hope. It seems that Emma has found hope in you. When she was younger she used to abhor all physical contacts. I'm pleased that she has overcome her fears, with you. So there must be some hope in you too."

"Are you not a bit too old for such naive thinking?"

"As much as you are an old soul with whims of a child," Charles retorted and Loki gave him an offended scowl. "Loki, I have seen wonderful things becoming alive only from a small glimmer of hope. When there is a hope and will, there is a way. And I have seen that you have taken your first uncertain steps on a new path. I truly wish you wouldn't go astray from that path but become the man Emma sees in you."

Loki looked at the old man at first in an uncertain cautiousness but then with a growing interest, their nightly debate becoming even more interesting. The professor made it sound like he would have known the trickster god and Loki was more curious to learn what he knew about the Tesseract.

Loki took a few steps closer and sat on a black leather couch, looking careless. "You keep bringing Emma into this conversation. It feels like you know her better than you us let to believe. What does she has to do with all of this?"

Charles closed his hands on his lap. "Like I told you, I do protect my students. You see, Emma was once my student in a short period of time. She does not remember any of that because I erased her most painful memories to ease her mind. She had suffered so much. And as long as she is under my roof I will do all in my powers to keep her safe."

So, she has been right all along about the place, Loki realized and clenched his jaw. "Now, was that a threat, Professor?" he asked, lifting his brows, pondering should he have been prepared to put up a fight, mental or physical. The thought of it was amusing if he was forced to kill an old crippled man. But he would if the man had harmed his Emma in any way.

"No. That was an offer, Loki," Charles assured and kept talking conversationally as he drove closer. "Did you know that origin of the name Emma means whole or universal? I would say it's fitting for her because that is what she needs to become; a whole again after all she has faced. I can see that you have helped her accepting herself, to becoming more complete. That is something we should all try to pursue. And it might be just her who has set you on the right path to find yourself, my friend. Now, if you would allow me to see into your mind, to see that you will remain on that right path, to see your true purpose with the Tesseract… I might help you to find it."

Loki leaned back in his cosy seat, giving an impression that he was more comfortable about this that he actually felt. And he felt as ungainly as he must have looked like in those baggy Midgardian clothes he was wearing. "Why would I need your help? My brother already knows where that thing is."

"That's true. But SHIELD also knows that you are going for it and they are prepared to stop you at any cost. By helping you to gain it I'm wishing to void casualties on both sides," the professor said, staring at his guest in a significant manner. "I don't want anyone getting hurt."

The offering was too good to resist and yet so very intimate that it nearly frightened the god of mischief. To Loki's surprise the old man wasn't even slightly afraid of him. But he stared at the professor with a little bit of a fearful respect, not letting it show. This Charles Xavier seemed to exude confidence in the same certain manner as Odin did and it made him thinking that he had met his equal, or worse yet; his superior in the mind games and illusions. This old man could have been ever more dangerous than Logan was, he realized.

"I am afraid you would not like what you would find in my mind," Loki warned cautiously, his voice low and considering, his thoughts returning to Emma. The only reason he would do something as madly desperate as this would be her. Not to mention he wouldn't be so dependent on Thor if he would discover the whereabouts of the Tesseract.

"I have seen in the minds of millions of people. All the good and the bad that human mind can concoct. Believe me, I do not judge. And it is not your past that I'm interested, it is your future."

"And what if you will find something you do not approve?"

"Then we both will forget we ever had this conversation."

Narrowing his eyes Loki dropped his guards, a wicked smile conquering his lips. The professor might be getting more he had bargained for. Over a thousand years to explore. This could take a while. "Go ahead then," he said in a dark tone. "Prepare to face my demons, Professor."

… …

In the first light of dawn Emma tossed awake from a nightmare where she had been falling into an endless pit of ice after choosing to let go and there had been people around the crevasse watching her fall; faces from SHIELD and Hydra as she had chosen the lesser of two evils.

The room was silent and dim around her and she could almost hear her heart beating in her chest. She lay on her back and heaved a deep breath, soothing herself after the bad dream that had been like a reminder, telling her that her run wasn't over yet.

"Loki," she whispered, her hand searching him between the sheets in the dark. His side was empty and cold, and so was the other one behind her. And her pounding heart sank with a quick thought he had left her alone again.

"Loki!" she called out for him louder before her senses woke up and she could feel his presence drawing near and hear him walking towards the bed quietly.

"Here, my love," Loki whispered back to her while he peeled himself from the sweater and pants and slipped back under the cover next to her after returning from his night stroll.

The bed sank while a safe arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him, the warmth of her body welcoming him back. She turned to him in relief, breathing in his scent and wrapping her arms around him, seeking shelter in his embrace.

"Where were you?" she asked whispering, a bit worried, inching herself near him until she felt his body against hers.

"Nowhere. I could not sleep," Loki whispered against her temple, holding her gently, a sated smile on his lips as he was now armed with the knowledge and means of how to get to the Tesseract. The whole world was his to take. At least that's what it felt like. "A bad dream?" he asked gently.

"Yeah. I was falling into a crevasse. I chose it rather than been caught..."

"I promise I will never let you fall."

"I know. Please, just hold me."

He caressed her softly, lying there by her side and she pressed herself against him more tightly. It felt good, so perfect. They were like that a long moment in silence, the rising sun slowly illuminating the room. A new day had arrived and there was a lot on his mind. One thing above anything else; she.

His cheek brushed her golden hair, his arms holding her tighter. "I shall make you complete, my love," he whispered.

"You already have," Emma murmured, snuggling up with him, loving his words and his voice and him holding her. She felt good and calm again.

"I will wed you, Emma Morgan."

She grew still and opened her eyes to see his. "You'll… what?"

A quiet knocking came from the door and Logan's voice followed: "Wake up, you two. It's time to go!"